" Through blood and pain, "
-1783-
You've never seen a smile so bright in all your years when he came home that day.
In his military uniform, a medical brace attached to his arm, he walked right up to your front door and grinned.
Despite his broken body and scrapes, he managed to see the positives of war.
"At least it's over now!" he laughed. "My nation is finally free, [Name]. Brittan doesn't control me anymore. We're free!" he said, blue eyes crinkling with pure happiness.
"Al...you're all bloody..."
You nodded to his stained uniform, almost completely dyed in red.
Again, a smile.
"A little blood-shed never hurt anyone, did it?~"
- September 11th, 2001 -
You've never seen anyone so broken in your entire life than on that day, when the towers fell.
America never smiled anymore.
He never smiled.
You stayed by his side, even still; soothingly rubbing his back and embracing him in warm hugs, littering his scarred face with gentle kisses.
"What happened to me..." he mumbled through his fingers; his electric blue eyes seemed to dull and glaze over with sorrowful tears. "This...this shouldn't mean anything...but..."
You wanted to block out his sobs, those cries that crushed your soul and made you, too, want to break down in tears.
"America, you'll be okay. Just try your best to over-come this and I'm sure everything will be fine." you allowed your lips to rise up into a gesture of hope to the broken nation. "No man, nor woman, can stand up to the big dreams of the American people, Alfred."
Through the might of his tears, he glanced to you.
And smiled.
" in defense of our dreams. "