Hetalia: Axis Powers is entirely the creation and work of Hidekaz Himaruya.

"Hey Mattie?"

"Yeah Al?"

Tending his garden like he did on Sundays, Matthew was none the wiser to the world changing event brewing in his own backyard. Earlier on in the day his brother had started a 'Surprise' game of Catch by throwing a baseball at him, at his face to be more precise, resulting in a nose bleed and a search for his spare glasses. That was sort of how America usually showed up, one moment of peace suddenly disturbed by whatever had caught the elder siblings fancy.

"When did you get a sword?"

"I don't own any swords."

"So you don't mind if I call Finders Keepers?"

"Be my guest."

Some people talked to their plants, they said it was good for them, Matthew sang a song of his aboriginal people to his plants. There were times when his brother would catch the tune and sing with him, but today wasn't one of those days. Watering the parched earth and singing away, he heard a noise and automatically reached for his cell to find it wasn't the reason for what he thought had been his ringtone (just some ceremonial bag pipes that spoke to his East Coast).

"Al, is your phone ringing?"

Silence wasn't all that uncommon a reply from his brother, Matthew was used to being ignored, but somehow this time it was different. The very air itself felt like it did before a Nor'easter blew in, and even the light of the Autumn sun was...off. Glancing behind him he saw something that just had him pause and stare in wonder. There was his brother Alfred, America (technically the United States of what was the Continent of North America but try telling him that), holding a sword.

"Where did you...?" Matthew asked, there were just suddenly too many questions racing through his mind right along with a hint of self preservation screaming'Yes, Alfred has a sword, so listen to the Doctor and Run!'.

"It was in that rock over there." Al said as he pointed with the very sword he held.

There was a rock in his garden that hadn't been there yesterday, truth be told it hadn't been there this morning, but that wasn't the thing that had Matthew disturbed. What really rattled him was that he was sure he just heard that sword of Alfred's sing, nothing so much as with words but something that was felt deep in his bones, and Nations had bones of the very bedrock of their countries.

Several things happened at once that he wouldn't quite recall for some time, first of these was that he was still kneeling in his garden with the floral gloves his Papa had bought for him (to tend the roses that had their own place of honour by his gazebo where he liked to read). Second of these there was a wind blowing, the sort that came about to herald that the painted leaves on the trees would make way to a world washed away white as Winter came. It was a wind that had purpose and embodied something that spoke to the heart in a same way a campfire did on a dark night.

The thing that stood out of them all was when his brother stood over him full of all the Geography, History and Culture made up of what more or less were two lines drawn in the sand to say where America began and ended. It wasn't Alfred standing there, but the United States of America, and when America spoke people listened.

"I dub thee, Sir Williams."

It was like a child playing King, a stick tapped once, then twice on his playmates shoulders, but unlike those games his brother did indeed wield a sword. The wind surged and all his efforts of raking those leaves were undone as they flew skyward. Dark clouds hung on the horizon and there was the flash of lightning with the answering crash of thunder that waited out the beating of his heart for just the right moment, it was about the time he found his voice...

"What did you do!?"

He felt that bass rumbling in his basalt bones and heard his windows rattle at the crash. Alfred just looked down to him oddly proud and pointing the sword towards the earth to grasp at the hilt and smile down to him in that way that usually meant trouble.

"I Knighted you."

"You..." Matthew asked, pointing at him just to be sure he was hearing this right, "Knighted me?!"

"Yeah." Al replied, swinging the sword to now prop it against his shoulder as he looked to be trying to figure out what the fuss was all about.

"You..." Matthew asked, stumbling over his tongue as he tried to spit out the rest once more.

"Knighted you, yeah. Sweet right?"

"No! You can't just go Knighting people!" Matthew shrieked.

"Why?" Al looked down to his brother who despite his rant was still kneeling.

"Why? Why!?" Matthew gasped, there was a moment missed when someone could have taken his picture to put next to the word Disbelief in the dictionary.

The words Revolutionary War were on his lips right along with 'We the People', a Midnight Ride and faces that became paintings and monuments. What came out was the noise of all those words getting into a riot as they tried to crash the gates that were his mouth, it was apparently a sad and pathetic sound as Alfred took pity on him and gave him a few gentle pats to his head.

"You okay bro?"

Knowing he needed help just to explain to his brother why he couldn't just go around Knighting people, and why it was just so wrong, and somehow still feeling that there was more to this whole mess than he knew, Matthew reached for his phone and called across the Pond looking for help. If there was one person who was well versed in the Monarchy, Knighting Etiquette, and maybe just a bit of magic it was his Father.

"Pappa! Alfred Knighted me!"

Unfortunately Matthew didn't phone his Father, who would at the very least have some choice words and a whole slew of British swearing to say on the matter. When Matthew was this upset his fingers did the dialling, calling the one person he called his Pappa, Francis Bonnefoy, France. His country also had a revolution...