Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers.

Reunion With Alfred

Boston, Massachusetts

1710

Arthur allowed the sweet air of Boston to clear his head as he walked around the harbor. His magnificent ship sat obediently at the dock, bobbing slightly as the waves lulled it back and forth. His crew busied themselves with the task of loading and unloading various goods that they had acquired on their voyage as they prepared them for trading. Arthur smirked to himself as he recalled the way they obtained the goods, and pride filled his chest. Pride that would, in later years, eventually turn to guilt. However he would never look back on his pirate days with anything but lustful longing as the centuries rolled by.

The flag of the United Kingdom flew innocently above his vessel, diminishing the argument of those who doubted the pirate's true identity. Even though it had been a few years since his unification with his brothers, Arthur still wasn't used to seeing that flag. He acknowledged it with mixed feelings before reminding himself of his reasons for traveling.

Alfred.

Arthur's smirk was replaced with a gentle smile as he thought of the boy. Arthur was the youngest in his set of brothers, and was constantly reminded of this fact. Being a nation, his human age grew at a painfully slow pace, and he had finally reached what he could only assume was around seventeen years of age. He hated being the youngest, leading to his delight when he earned the position of being Alfred's adoptive older brother. Arthur liked the responsibility of looking after the young colony, and loved the fact that Alfred depended on him for most everything.

He returned his thoughts back to reality as a carriage stopped in front of him. The carriage was obviously designed for those of the high importance and upper class status, and white horses stood on alert at the front. The driver regarded Arthur.

"Lord Kirkland?" he asked. Arthur nodded his head, gathered his few belongings, and stepped inside the carriage. He made himself comfortable as the horses resumed their dignified march to the manor that housed his favored colony.

Arthur fought the exhaustion that was increasing its assault on him as the carriage gently rocked him. The peaceful atmosphere of the land outside of Boston made him forget his troubles as it sent him further into bliss. He greeted it gratefully, but his excitement to see Alfred refused to let him sleep. He was grateful that the carriage ride was not long, and even more so when the horses finally came to a halt. He shook off his state of lull as he eagerly let himself out of the carriage. He looked over the manor and smiled as he noticed it was exactly as he had left it.

While the manor was not as large as his home in England, it was no less stately. Nestled in the woods outside of Boston, it towered over its surroundings in a friendly sort of a way that only a warm manor could. It was made of bricks with a black tiled roof, and white pillars decorated the front. Shrubbery and various flowers decorated the front lawn, inviting those just arriving to stay. The manor's stables stood behind it with just as much pride.

"Lord Kirkland? How nice to see again, sir!"

Arthur snapped his attention to a man walking towards him from the home. He smiled in greeting.

"Hello, John! It's nice to see you too," he responded. John reached Arthur on the lawn and shook his hand. John had been working for Arthur for the past several years, and was the one Arthur trusted most to look over the manor and Alfred when he was away. He was a middle-aged man with dark hair that was slowly thinning and graying. He was light-hearted and carried a certain aura that instantly caused people to like him. He was born and raised in England, and never missed opportunities to teach Alfred the mannerisms and customs of his homeland. Arthur couldn't help but like the man.

"I trust your travels went well?" John asked as he helped carry Arthur's belongings inside. Arthur paid the coach driver before dismissing him. He grabbed a few of his things before addressing John.

"As well as one could hope. The wind was generous enough, and we managed to avoid large storms."

Arthur and John chatted as they walked into the manor and to Arthur's bedroom. John set Arthur's things down and noticed Arthur looking out of the window of his room. His eyes scanned the back lawn, searching for something. John smiled.

"He's in the stables." Arthur quickly thanked him before dashing through the house and the back gardens.

Alfred lay in a large pile of hay in the stall of his favorite horse. The bay mare flicked her tail lazily at the various flies that decided to pester her. Alfred closed his eyes as he found a comfortable space between sleep and consciousness. The straw poked at him, but he ignored it.

After a few minutes had passed, he felt a sudden gust of warm air tickle his face. He giggled and opened his eyes to stare into the two dark, liquid eyes of the mare. She puffed out another breath in his face as he continued to giggle and reach out a hand to scratch her nose. She moved her attention to the hay he was using as his temporary bedding, and began to nibble around his wheat-blond hair. He sighed and slowly sat up.

"Fine, fine. I'm moving."

He flashed the mare a grin and stood up. He grabbed a nearby brush and began to slowly brush the creature's hair. It was smooth and shined healthily in the light. He ran his hand across her back, enjoying the soft feeling on his skin.

His attention was quickly stolen. Like most boys his age, Alfred had trouble concentrating on one thing for too long. He heard someone opening the door to the barn, and he pranced to the door of the mare's stall. His eyes widen in disbelief before he ran out of the stall, hastily shutting the door behind him.

"Big brother!"

"Alfred!"

Alfred rushed towards Arthur and jumped into him in a bone-crushing hug. Arthur returned the hug, shocked at how much the colony had grown during his absence. Alfred stared up at his older brother with a toothy smile on his face.

"I missed you so much! I have so much to show you, Arthur! I've grown and learned a lot since you last visited. You'll be so proud!" Alfred rambled, his joy taking over his thoughts and words. Arthur just listened to him speak, smiling and nodding at him when appropriate. Joy filled his chest, and he felt his troubles leave him as he looked at Alfred. Arthur felt light and carefree as he realized that in this moment nothing else mattered. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. Probably the last time I visited the boy, Arthur thought. He beamed down at Alfred.

"I'd love to see everything you have to show me!" He exclaimed. He allowed Alfred to lead him around the manor grounds, showing off various skills he had learned and telling him stories of everything that had happened to him. Arthur listened with delight. He was pleased with Alfred's growth, and his language skills had increased as well. Arthur continued to follow Alfred around for a few hours, and before long their supper was announced. Arthur thanked the staff as they left for the evening, and led Alfred to the dining table where their food sat. They ate their food and continued to catch up with each other.

"How are your lessons coming along?" Arthur asked, curious as to what exactly his younger brother was learning.

"They're going good," Alfred responded, lacking interest in the subject.

"Well, Alfred. They're going well," Arthur corrected.

"Oh, right. They're going well," Alfred replied with determination. His cheeks reddened slightly at his mistake, but he shrugged it off. "Oh! France tried to visit while you were away. He was on his way to see his colony up in Canada, and said that he wanted to see me too." Arthur's smile faltered slightly.

"He did? What happened?" he asked, trying to keep his annoyance out of his voice. Alfred seemed unaware of Arthur's disturbed happiness, and continued to speak as if nothing was wrong.

"Not much. John wouldn't allow him in the house, insisting that you wouldn't approve. I watched from the doorway. He was able to give me some bread and cheese though. It was quite well." Arthur ignored Alfred's vocabulary mistake as he felt a flare of jealousy overcome him.

"Well, how about I make you a proper English meal tomorrow then?" he asked, hoping to gain enthusiasm from the boy. Alfred's eyes widened and his smile grew.

"Really? Do you mean it?" he asked. Alfred was bouncing in his chair. He was positively beaming.

"Really," Arthur replied, his earlier smile returning.

The rest of their evening went by quickly, and Alfred's energy levels soon dropped. He rubbed at his drooping eyelids and did his best to hide his yawns. Arthur grinned at him.

"Tired already, are you?" he teased. Alfred shook his head indignantly, puffing his cheeks in annoyance. However his body betrayed him as another yawn left his lungs. Arthur chuckled softly.

"Alright, let's get you ready for bed."

Arthur led Alfred to the second level of the manor. Alfred and Arthur each went to their own rooms to change and prepare themselves for bed. While in his bedroom, Arthur unpacked a few of his things. He placed the favored books he brought with him on their designated shelves along with a few personal letters from home. His mind wandered to thoughts of his brothers, and he worried that he may have left England too soon after the creation of the United Kingdom. He shook the thought from his mind, told himself that his presence was needed here, and quickly left the room to check on Alfred.

The door to Alfred's room was closed, and Arthur gently knocked on it. It slowly opened, and Alfred looked up at Arthur with a sleepy smile. Arthur grinned back as Alfred turned and climbed into his bed. Arthur followed him over to the bed and gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night, Alfred," he said.

"Wait!" Alfred quickly grabbed the sleeve of Arthur's night shirt. Arthur gave him a quizzical look. Alfred stared at his bed sheets, avoiding his older brother's gaze. "Can you tell me story?"

Arthur chuckled softly and gently ruffled Alfred's hair. "Of course, lad. Which story would you like to hear tonight?"

"Tell me one of your pirate adventures," Alfred said. He was one of the few people that knew of Arthur's lifestyle, and Arthur swore him to secrecy. Upon first discovering this fact about his older brother, Alfred had been quite startled. He knew what people did to pirates, and the thought of Arthur hanging from the gallows terrified Alfred to no end. Arthur assured him that he was a government issued privateer and only attacked the ships belonging to enemy countries, but swore Alfred to secrecy all the same. Alfred kept Arthur's secret, still haunted by the mental image of Arthur's limp body swaying with the wind.

"A pirate adventure?" Arthur cocked an eyebrow as he drew a chair next to Alfred's bed. "I have plenty of those."

Arthur began explaining to Alfred one of his recent encounters with the Spanish Armada. He exaggerated highlights to rein in Alfred's interest and left out explicit and gruesome details of the battle so as not to disturb him. Alfred's eyes lit up with amazement as Arthur continued his tale. For Arthur, Alfred was the perfect audience. He gasped and cheered at the appropriate times and never lost interest in the story. It made Arthur feel important in ways that he never had before, and he wondered who benefitted most from their story telling moments.

To anyone else, it would appear as if Arthur spoiled the child, but Arthur felt that he needed Alfred as much as Alfred needed him. The usually reserved and emotionally cold Englishman only allowed a select few to become close to him, and Alfred had somehow made his way into Arthur's heart. When he was with the young colony, Arthur allowed his emotional barriers to fall, and he relaxed, smiled, and was able to himself completely. Because of this, he did spoil Alfred in many ways, but Arthur didn't care. In his mind, the child was deserving.

As Arthur finished his story, Alfred lay in his bed in amazement. He enjoyed the story much more than Arthur had expected him to, and he momentarily worried that he had caused Alfred's earlier exhaustion to fade. He was relieved to see that Alfred sleepily closed his eyes as he mumbled his thanks to Arthur. Arthur smiled at Alfred. He put his hand on Alfred's shoulder before leaning down and kissing his forehead as he had earlier.

"You're welcome, Alfred. Sweet dreams, lad." Arthur stood up and crossed the room to the door. He opened the door, but a soft voice stopped him from leaving.

"Good night, Arthur."

Arthur grinned as he looked back at Alfred. His eyes were closed and his expression was one of pure content. The boy had a good life, and Arthur was proud that he was able to provide him with one. He was determined to give Alfred the childhood he had always wanted. One that was free of war, hatred, and bloodshed. He would do all that he could to protect the child, wanting nothing more than to keep him safe, happy, and healthy.

"Good night, Alfred."

With that, he gently closed the door and made his way back to his bedroom. He allowed the day's events to play through his mind again, knowing that it was one of many pleasant days to come. He would be staying for several weeks before returning to England, and he was going to make the most of his time with Alfred. Warm content filled his chest before his exhaustion carried him off into a peaceful sleep.

End