No pairings. It will be angsty, but slightly fluffy as some points as well. Later chapters will be much, MUCH longer!(:
The skies of London were dark and cloudy. Thunder rumbled audibly, and lighting flashed fiercely. Francis Bonnefoy stood watching the storm for a moment before blinking and turning his attention to the house he stood in front of; England's house. It was certainly a nice home, with iron gates and a beautiful stone pathway.
France had come here for a few reasons. The main one was to check on how England was holding up. Only a month ago had he lost the American Revolutionary war. France had been told by America how terrible the last battle had been. Alfred told him about how England had fell to his knees and sobbed that night, and of how bad the American had felt.
Of course France felt bad as well. After all, if it wasn't for him then he doubted America would have won. And when he heard that England had cried he was alarmed...because England barely ever cried, it was such a rare thing!
So yes, that was why France was here. He'd tried sending letters to his rival, but they all went unanswered. America had sent letters too, and those never got a reply as well. Finally fed up and worried, France had decided to go see England personally right away.
He slowly walked up the stone pathway, stopping at the large front door. What on earth would he say to England? What sort of state would England be in when he entered the house? Would England even let him in?
Finally the Frenchman gathered up enough courage and knocked. It took a few moments before the door slowly cracked open. France had been prepared to come face to face with Arthur, but instead was greeted by a maid or servant of some sort. She was a woman who was perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties.
"May I help you?" She asked, eying him with curiosity. She knew he must have been important or rich because of the expensive clothes he wore.
"I'm looking to visit Arthur" Francis replied smoothly. The maid nodded at him, opening the door further to allow Francis inside.
"I'm not really sure if Sir Kirkland is up to visitors, but you can try." She told him. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"
"Non, but thank you for the offer." France replied.
"Come this way then. He never really comes out of his bedroom anymore, but sometimes we've been able to by coaxing him out with tea." She said, gesturing for him to follow her up the elegant stairway. Francis frowned to himself. Arthur was isolating himself even in his own country?
The maid knocked softly on Arthur's bedroom door. There was no reply, so she knocked once again. After not receiving any reply, she turned to him and shrugged her shoulders.
"Perhaps he's sleeping? Maybe you should wait in the parlor until he wakes up...he doesn't take kindly to being awoken. Besides, he doesn't get much sleep anyway. He needs it."
"What do you mean?" France asked with another frown.
"He has nightmares" She whispered. "I only work here during the day, but the servants who live here have said they hear him screaming in his sleep every night."
"Hmm" Francis hummed to himself, a look of concern crossing his features. "Don't worry, Arthur knows me well. I must see him straight away."
"All right. I'll leave you to it then." She responded.
"Merci, chéri" Francis thanked her. The maid bowed before leaving the hallway, going back to her tasks in the kitchen. Now that he was alone, France took no time in opening England's door. When he entered, the room was very dark with the curtains drawn shut. It took a moment before France's eyes could adjust.
The master bedroom was large, sporting lovely polished wooden furniture, including a dresser, rocking chair, and bed. France had visited England's house a good number of times, but he'd never really been in England's bedroom.
"Why the bloody hell are you here?" A voice croaked from across the room. Francis turned to where the voice had come from, and saw a small lump on the gigantic fluffy bed.
"Ah, so you are awake" Francis said, putting on his best smile. Then he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
"I asked you a bloody question. You are not welcome here!" Arthur Kirkland responded, his voice wavering slightly. Francis studied the younger blonde. His usually beautiful green eyes were dull with no emotion, and were slightly puffy from the crying that he must have just been doing.
"Oh cher" France mumbled, reaching out to try and flatten England's messy hair, which stood up at all angles. England dodged however, scooting back out of Francis's reach.
"Get out Francis" He said coldly. "Haven't you helped humiliate me enough already?"
"You haven't been answering my letters Angleterre. Not mine, or any of the other countries either." France said, avoiding England's question. The Brit was silent, glaring at France with as much hatred as possible.
"If you don't leave right now..." England left his threat hanging, hoping that it would be enough to drive France away. It didn't work, and instead only had France give him a stern look.
"l'Amérique deserved his independence. I can tell he's going to be a powerful country, and he deserves to be able to put his strengths to use. You must face the loss and pay attention to your own country."
At the mention of America, England visibly stiffened. He gave France a look of pure hatred, a look that almost tore France in two. He didn't realize the war would affect Arthur this much. He was beginning to regret ever helping America in the first place. His heart told him it had been the right thing to do however...America would do great things.
"The war was between Amer- him and I only! You had no right to get yourself involved! I hate you France, I hate you so much!" England ended his shouting fit with his voice breaking into a sob. France blinked in shock for a moment, because he'd barely ever seen England cry. He briefly wondered how much crying England had been doing this past month. By the looks of it, he did everyday.
"Come here." France said softly, pulling the slender Brit into his arms. He frowned internally at how skinny England was. Had the country even been eating at all?
England sobbed quietly into Francis's shoulder for awhile. The whole time France only whispered soothing words, just as he had when England was just a little country, being bullied by his older brothers.
Soon the sobbing turned into small hiccups, and eventually England was silent. Then the Brit seemed to realize that he was in his rival's arms, so he quickly pulled away, scrubbing his tears away with the back of his hand.
"Francis...please can you go?" He asked. The way he said it shocked France. England's tone had been desperate, broken. So France did what England had asked of him. He ran his hand gently through England's hair and stood up, crossing the room to get to the door. Before Francis left he opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. England curled back up on the bed, no longer even acknowledging France's presence.
When Francis walked back down the stairs, the maid who had let him in stared at him with an expression almost hopefully. Francis understood what she was thinking. The maid was new here, and she was very worried about England's well being. He was sorry to disappoint her with a sad shake of his head. The maid's hopeful expression turned into one of sorrow.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be much help. I will be back again in the future to visit him." France told her.
"Oh yes, please do. We're all so worried about him." She said.
"Well, expect more visitors soon Mrs..." Francis stopped, realizing that he didn't even know the servant's name.
"Eliza Herring sir. Please though, just call me Eliza."
"Very well then. Well Eliza, take good care of Arthur." France said, resting his hand on the front doorknob. After receiving a nod, France opened the door and proceeded to go back to where his carriage was waiting. The rain was still pouring, and the sky was still dark. The Frenchman sighed to himself, before climbing into his carriage. What had he done to his poor Angleterre?
a/n: This chapter was merely a start. I plan to do chapters with different countries going to visit England, or worry about him. If you want me to write a chapter in a certain countries perspective, please review and tell me which one. Also, the maid Eliza will not have a very big role. She and a few maids will be mentioned sometimes throughout the story though. Please review!