Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Chapter two

The small child sat on the old sofa as the queen looked him over with extreme care. She simply could not believe what was sitting in front of her, a small England staring back as if this was the first time they had ever met, but there he was. Her guard also looked at the child, only to ask if everything was alright.

Soon after asking this, a servant entered the room with her afternoon tea, only to ask the child harshly how he even got onto the grounds and where his parents were. The child did not answer with anything more than several whimpers threatening to become a cry. Her majesty, seeing her own fair share of small children crying, simply sighed and dismissed the behavior on the child being frightened.

Instead of scolding, she gave the child a little cup of water and asked him for a name. To the question the child simply looked at her for a moment before looking down and saying that he did not know one. She thought some more about this, only to then say, "Well, I suppose that is to be expected. How about Arthur? That will work as a good enough name for you at the moment. Do you like that name?"

"Arthur?" the child said, trying the name out. He smiled at the sound of it, only to continue, "Arthur! I like that name! I'm Arthur!"

The queen smiled back, thinking of how she had never seen the nation smile so happily before as an adult. It was then that she finally decided what she wanted to do with the child. She asked, "Arthur, do you know where you live? Or where you're parents are?"

Again Arthur stared at her blankly, only to shake his head and mumble a "no." She then looked over to the servant. He was a middle-aged man, married to one of the maids but due to his involvement in work had yet to have any children. The man could be a bit harsh and cold at times, but he and his wife would work well enough for her idea.

She smiled at him and asked, "Mr. Kirkland, I have a favor to ask of you, and I understand if you would like to talk it over with your wife first."

"Anything, your majesty," the servant responded.

"It would seem that little Arthur will need a home and a family to look after him. But certainly if anyone in my family were to take him in or send him off to an orphanage it may case a bit of an interest in the child; more than really is needed. So I would like it if you and your missus would take care of him for me. After all, who would take notice in two palace workers adopting such a sweet child," the queen continued, smiling sweetly to the man and Arthur as she spoke.

Mr. Kirkland was for a loss for words. Sure, he and his wife used to talk about having children when they were newlyweds, but to take in a child now at a spur of the moment? Children were a big responsibility, and even if it was a request from the queen, it may be too much for him. At last he replied, "As you said before…I will need to talk over this request with my wife…in great detail."

"Understood, but before the two of you leave for the night I would like for her to come and meet with the child," the queen answered, not at all concerned.

"As you wish, your majesty," Mr. Kirkland answered before rushing out of the room.

As he left, Arthur simply stared at him, only to then look to the queen and ask what was happening. She answered by telling him that the man would be his new father, causing the child to once again smile happily before yawning and eventually falling asleep for his nap.

That evening before they left, Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland came to see the child; only for the wife to instantly fall enchanted by the boy. The next day after work, the couple took the child to their home and welcomed him as part of his family. And Arthur was happy.

For many years Arthur grew up as a normal child. Whenever he was not at school he would often be found around the palace playing with the other children around his age or when he grew older helping the adults with work around the grounds; much to the enjoyment of his parents who wanted him to also grow up and work at the palace. The queen also found nothing wrong with this, enjoying the fact that she could watch her nation grow up and act like a normal child instead of what she could only image the nation went through the first time around.

Often times the Queen would think how fortunate it was that the other nations randomly visiting with their bosses would never see the child or that the boy would never ask much about them. Sometimes flashes of the others and the past would come to him, causing him to wander around almost in a daze or give him confusing dreams of himself as an adult. One time he told the queen of a dream he had where she was a little girl and he was an adult giving her a little rose before going off to talk with someone about work; causing her to smile at remembering that memory herself. The flashes and dreams would also at times cause him nightmares, especially as he went through school and learned of all the various wars in his history classes. Even so, Arthur followed the queen's and his parents' advice in not thinking too much about them and eventually the feelings he would get from them would pass.

More years passed and soon Arthur had graduated high school. As his adoptive parents hoped, Arthur reluctantly agreed to work at the palace with them, but also upon the queen's urging agreed to go to one of the collages in London. Those years were rather hectic for him, and in what seemed like no time at all he was a 23-year-old graduate student struggling with a thesis for his masters degree in English history. It is during this time that the simple life of Arthur Kirkland stumbled into a large mess.

More of a setting-up chapter, but oh well. Promise more of the other nations in the next chapter XD

As always, please review~