Disclaimer: I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia. (sob) Neither do I own Les Misérables. (Wails inconsolably)
Alfred loved New York City, the hustle and bustle and wide variety of people.
What he didn't particularly like was having the entire world loose in it. Last time the conference had been held in NYC, back in '82…it had been disastrous. Anna had been furious at the destruction and had absolutely forbidden him from inviting them back.
It had taken 31 years for Alfred to "convince" her to allow them to return. ("Convince" as in desperately bribe her because MJ refused to permit them back in LA.) But here they were, 2013, New York City again.
He glanced at his watch and sighed. 12:45, 'bout time to head back in. He dashed across the street, barely missing the front fender of a Prius, and followed by a chorus of angry honks (practically indistinguishable from the usual symphony.)
The plaza outside the building where the meeting was being held was a little less crowded than the sidewalks, but it was still very busy, even in the cold December drizzle. There was a tourist family to his two o'clock, the Morinsky family, from Nebraska, Paul, Jenny and their kids, Will, Tori, and Katie. Richard Watkins, a lawyer with Black & Summers hurried by at seven o'clock. Straight ahead was Chris Tremaine with his girlfriend Maria Lopez, she was singing under her breath, from her favorite musical.
"Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men."
Al grinned, he rather liked Les Misérables himself.
"It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again."
He whipped his head around so fast he was sure he got whiplash. He could have sworn that the second, quiet voice belonged to Arthur.
It did.
"When the beating of your heart echoes he beating of the drums.
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!"
The personification of Great Britain noticed Alfred watching him. He scowled, his wooly-bear eyebrows drawing together until they rather resembled a uni-brow, and hurried into the building, his face flushing a brilliant shade of red.
But the song was still being sung.
Francis sounded a little nostalgic as he sang the next couple of lines in his own language.
"A la volonté du peuple
Et à la santé du progrès,"
Alfred was surprised at the next singer who took up the tune.
"Das ist die Symphonie von Menschen, die nicht länger Sklaven sind."
Germany fell silent as Kiku took over.
"Arata ni atsui inochi ga hajimaru
Asu ga kita toki sou sa asu ga."
A female voice chimed in from where Hungary was headed towards them, her arms full of coffee cups.
"Állsz-e mellénk, hogyha kell,
Kiállsz-e értünk s harcunkért?"
There was a slight pause as the nations glanced around, wondering who would pick up next. They hadn't been expecting Sweden, whose enunciation was far superior in song.
"I från vår barrikad
Så kan man se ett framtidsland
Så kom med och slåss
Du ska kämpa med oss om du kan."
Poland shrugged and sang the next lines out at the top of his voice, instead of the rather low volume used up to this point.
"Wytęż słuch to śpiewa lud
Co nie chce żyć w niewoli znów."
Netherlands continued the trend with the next line, the crowd of nations cheerfully ignoring the humans gathering around in curiosity.
"Van al die mensen die verdommen om nog langer slaaf te zijn."
The next voice came from right beside Al.
"When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums,
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes."
The North American twins shared a grin as Austria sang the next line.
"Wenn du kämpfst mit ganzer Kraft, hat bald ein Ende alle Not."
Jack, Australia to most of the world, took the next two lines, singing them with the almost mindless enthusiasm he was known for.
"Some will fall and some will live, will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs will water the meadows of France!"
The other three Nordics had joined them by now, crowded behind Finland and Sweden. Norway took up the song, his usually serene face twisting slightly with some unidentifiable emotion.
"Kan du høyre folkets song?
Det er ein song frå arge menn!"
The Czech Republic sang out, her clear voice interrupting Denmark who had begun to open his mouth. She ignored his glare.
"Chcem tady žít už máme bídy dost i běd i svévolí."
Denmark's glare faded a little (very little) as he took the next two lines.
"Når de dumpe trommers bud svares af stærke hjerteslag
Da skal et bedre liv gå ud i den nye dag."
The Irish Republic elbowed his way out from behind Australia.
"Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?"
"Þannig er söngur þeirra sem að
þrældóm aldrei vilja meir."
Iceland turned towards Al as he fell silent. The United States of America took a breath and belted out the final lines with all that he could, one arm flung around Matt's shoulders and the other around Finland's.
"Do you hear the people sing? Say do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes."
They all finished together, their voices uniting in the final few words.
"One day more!"
They fell silent after those last, drawn out notes and the plaza burst into applause. Alfred glanced at Matt, who shrugged. Francis attacked them from behind with hugs, gushing about how well "mes petits bébés" could sing and how proud he was of them and "Really Mathieu, did you have to sing in L'Anglaise?"
Al tuned him out and turned to the door of the conference building. He could just make out Arthur, standing beyond the glass, watching. Once they made eye contact Al grinned and tossed him a quick, two-fingered salute.
He could have sworn he saw the old man smile.
A/N: Yay! Time for me to talk about things that you probably don't care about and will not read!
I cannot take credit for collecting all the different lyrics for the Multilingual song. Credit goes to this thread on livejournal. Linguaphiles .livejournal 4664221 .html The song itself is the finale of the 10th anniversary Les Mis concert. Coolest thing ever.
For those of you who might be confused, a "Wooly-Bear" is a kind of furry caterpillar that is very common in at least some parts of the US. This is not it's official name as far as I know, it is just what we call it. It is divided into three colored segments with black on the ends and red in the middle. Obviously Arthur's eyebrows are not striped different colors, but still...
My OCs that briefly appeared. (Not the humans, I came up with those on the spot.)
Anika "Anna/Annie" Jones = The state of New York. She is tall, blonde, and has a distinct fondness for musical theatre and the Netherlands.
Maria Juaneta "MJ" Lopez Jones = The state of California. Also tall, dark hair, tan skin. Spends a lot of time alternating between LA, San Francisco, and Hollywood. (Only Alfred calls her "MJ" it is something he came up with all on his own.)
Neither New York nor California are final designs. They are still in flux and may change.
Jonathan 'Jack' Kirkland = Australia. Physically, he is 17. You are all familiar with his design and personality. I just gave him a name I thought suited him.
Markéta Bartošová = The Czech Republic. She is rather short, with dark hair. She likes scarves, jingly jewelry, and flirting with Austria to rile Hungary up. I actually haven't developed her much but she had to be in here. (Thanks to Marmota-b for her help!)
Brion ÓhEaghra = The Republic of Ireland. He is the son of Róisín ÓhEaghra, the original representative of Ireland. His brother, Sean O'Hara-Kirkland, is the representative of Northern Ireland. Brion is a red-head, with blue eyes. He does not have the Kirkland eyebrows. Physically he is about 17. (Sean is 15.)
I think that's it. I hope you enjoyed this, and I really recommend watching the video. It sounds incredible.
This fic did not have a beta. If anyone sees anything they think could be improved, please let me know! In a polite way please.
Reviews feed the dragon! Please feed him!
P.S. If anyone is still reading this note, I am looking for people who would be willing to tell me a little about what it is like living in their nation. I want to do everything I can to make these characters authentic, so if you live outside of the USA (or in any state other than Texas) and wouldn't mind helping, just drop me a note telling me about your favorite food, colloquialisms, acceptable table manners…any little random thing.
Thank you!