"Arthur Kirkland… after all these years…" Antonio said, not sure whether to be glad to see him or not. His very being alive had put their plans at risk and the rise of the New Holy Roman Empire, as well as the marriage they had all planned between Brittany and Floreat.

"Surprised to see me?" smirked Arthur.

"Where have you been all this time?" he asked. They were in Antonio's office and Ludwig had locked the door so that no one would come in and discover who they had in there.

Arthur didn't reply. For one thing, he didn't quite know how they would take it if he told them he had a time machine.

"Furthermore, why have you come back?" Antonio asked.

"This puts all of our plans at risk!" hissed Ludwig.

"I know what your bloody plans are you Kraut!" Arthur said angrily. "Marry my daughter off to your son… Floreat… I mean… what kind of boy is he? Ever stop to think about that?" Arthur continued. "I caught him forcing himself upon Brittany!"

There was a long silence in the room before Ludwig finally spoke. "I don't believe a word of it." he said. "He may have come across a little keen or eager, and you seem to discount Brittany's part in all this. I believe she led him on…" he said.

"What are you talking about? She did no such thing!" yelled Arthur. "I found him forcing himself upon her!"

Both Ludwig and Antonio knew the truth but they had made plans for them, and wanted to achieve a certain goal. Although they knew they were in the wrong they still dismissed Arthur's claims that Floreat was about to rape the girl.

"You come back here after a 17 year absence and think you can just waltz in here and take over?" Antonio said in a defensive way. "I have brought that girl up. After you fucked off like a coward, Francis had no one, and without me, he would have been destitute." Antonio said angrily. "You don't even have the guts to tell him you're here… you are a coward Arthur. Now a traitor to your master, as you pledged allegiance when you entered into service …yes even as the Butler."

"What the hell?" Arthur uttered. He hadn't thought of himself as a coward, he was trying to find a way to free Francis and Brittany without anyone getting hurt, that wasn't cowardice…or was it?

Antonio saw that he had touched a nerve when he called Arthur a coward, and so he played on that, to make him feel even more miserable and in the wrong.

"Lets examine what you did Arthur." Antonio continued. "You knocked out the old Butler… who, lets face it, is 80 years old. You hit an old man who couldn't defend himself." he said. "I suppose you feel proud of yourself for that don't you?"

Arthur didn't reply. Instead he felt a deep pang of guilt, because that was exactly what he did, only, the way Antonio put it, made him seem quite sadistic. He had hit an old man who couldn't defend himself. It was shameful.

"Then you work for me, and don't even have the nerve, or the honour, to tell us who you are, or even tell Francis, the man you claim to love. I mean… where does it end Arthur hmm? Perhaps you misinterpreted what was going on in Brittany's room and attacked her fiancée without thinking… which tells us you are a sick man… sick Arthur… and probably dangerous."

As he spoke and said those things, Arthur did start to feel like he was in the wrong. He had hurt the old man, he had kept quiet about his identity…and what if he had misinterpreted everything? But surely not.. no.. Brittany had cried out…she was being raped…or was she? In those moments he didn't know whether he was right or wrong. Antonio smiled inwardly and raised a brow as he saw the confusion on Englands face.

"Your daughter knows what a coward you are. She has spoken of it on many occasions, how you abandoned her and her Papa France. You really hurt that poor child by your absence… I mean, do you even realise what you've done to her?" Antonio continued. "I'm sure she hates you after what you did, and you're not even sorry are you Arthur?"

"I didn't mean…" he began as the guilt hit him. It was just getting worse and worse. He sat there looking down at the floor whilst Antonio ripped him apart, mentally, spiritually, and psychologically. And what if he was right?

"And you come in here trying to be a saint do you? After all that?" Antonio continued.

Arthur didn't say anything, he couldn't, he was confused and didn't quite know how to answer. With that Antonio called the garrison to come and arrest Arthur and take him to prison for treason. Not just any prison though, as they had constructed a place for prisoners of war who they considered dangerous, deep in the dungeons of what used to be the tower of London, a building which no longer existed, but its dank dungeons did.

"We've prepared a nice little place for you…" laughed Antonio. "No one will ever know you are here."

"But…but she saw me…she…" Arthur began.

"She doesn't know who she saw." Antonio replied. "I shall just say you were an impostor or a vagrant… and Ludwig will say the same."

"Ja. Ich will. You do not exist." Ludwig agreed.

"No, no you can't do this, you know its wrong, both of you!" screamed Arthur as the garrison came and dragged him out of there, taking him away to the dungeons where he was destined to spend an unspecified amount of time.

"Have a word with your son will you Ludwig?" Antonio said as he watched England being dragged away. "We don't want to jeopardise this union. If he did try to rape her, tell him he's got to apologise and get himself together…"

"You believe England do you?" growled Ludwig.

"Not exactly, just make sure he's on the same page as the rest of us alright?"

Brittany ran to find her Papa France, who was asleep in his bedroom. She hammered violently on the door, till he answered and let her in.

"Papa! Oh Papa! She cried.

He took her in his arms and led her into the bedroom, switching on the lamp. He had been asleep and the room was dark, he hadn't even realised what had gone on.

"Brittany!" gasped Francis "What happened?"

"Oh Papa!" she cried and talked too fast because she was distressed. Francis noticed that the front of her night gown was a little ripped as well.

"Its awful, that horrid beastly man, Floreat, he tried to rape me, and then there was Roachfort and he wasn't who he said he was, he just came in and there was a huge fight, and…and…"

"Slow down…" Francis said as he hugged her. "Now tell me again, slowly what happened?"

She sat on the bed and got her breath back. Francis gave her a drink of water.

"Floreat came to my room to try to … rape me…" she cried. "He forced himself on me, Papa!" she sobbed.

In shock Francis hugged her, and he just couldn't believe this was happening, not to her, not to Brittany, he couldn't let it. The anger rose within him, so much that he could hardly speak.

"Where is Floreat now?" he said in a husky voice "I'll kill him!"

"No but you don't understand…" Brittany continued. "Roachfort…"

"What about him?" asked Francis curious.

"He wasn't Roachfort at all…he… he was a younger man in disguise…" she said as she drank her water. "He was fighting with F..Floreat, telling him to leave me alone… and… the disguise came off him… he was a younger man Papa." she uttered "..and it is the strangest thing… for he had deep green eyes…"

Francis' heart leapt. He hadn't taken in he colour of Roachfort's eyes because of the huge glasses he wore, and his large nose. He felt his heart beat faster. "Go on.. Brittany… what was his hair like?"

"It was…b..blond… mop like… but lovely. " she said "He was a little taller when he straightened himself up… not the bent over old man we thought…"

"Oh my God… Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Francis, panicking a little. "It can't be… it.. its impossible…" he uttered."

"What is?" asked Brittany. "Papa, do you know who he was? Do you know?"

Francis nodded. "Yes… yes I think I do…" he gulped. "There's something you need to know…Brittany. I didn't tell anyone about this because it seemed so …farfetched. No one would believe a word of it…"

"Tell me!" Brittany cried. "Please Papa!"

"Your other father was a great inventor, and oh this is going to sound so ridiculous." He said "… he invented… a machine… that could um… take him forwards in time."

"Are you saying… he invented a time machine? For real?"

"I know it's… farfetched but its true. He um… stepped into the machine 17 years ago and vanished. I assumed that he'd had an accident and died. But… the man you describe as defending you Brittany … that was your father…"

She sat there dumbfounded, open mouthed, but clearly believed it. It was an amazing thing to hear, that her Papa Arthur hadn't abandoned them deliberately after all, nor was he dead.

"But…wh…what will we do Papa?" gulped Brittany. "He was taken away by the garrison…"

"We must go and get him of course!" cried Francis, feeling the energy coursing through his body once more. His love for Arthur had remained strong in all this time, and knowing now that he was back, made him feel stronger. However, when they opened the door they were met by Antonio and Ludwig, who stopped them from exiting.

"What has she told you? Where are you going?" he asked.

"I know everything!" cried Francis. "Arthur is back!"

"Really? And what makes you think that was the case? Hm?" he said with a smirk. "The man Brittany saw… was no more than a vagrant… he knocked out the real Butler and took his place. He is being suitably punished." he said and paused, realising that neither Francis nor Brittany believed him. "…and if you try to leave…you will be shot." he said, as he turned to leave. "Brittany… if you try to leave… your Papa Francis will be shot."

"You can't do this to me!" she cried. "If he is my father I have the right to know!"

"You are mistaken Brittany." he said, grabbing he roughly. "And for such insolence you will be grounded till further notice." he continued, as he roughly dragged her back to her bedroom, locking the door from the outside. Francis was escorted along the hall by some soldiers and he wasn't putting up any resistance, as it would have been useless.

"You still think the man was Arthur do you?"

"I know it was." he replied. "I knew there was something familiar about Roachfort… I saw it in his eyes… "

Jealousy filled Antonio's heart as he told him this. "Very well… you'll be placed under lock and key till you see the consequences of your mistake." he uttered. Francis was escorted back to his bedroom and locked in there, with the guards standing outside, as they were also outside Brittany's room.

Antonio was sure that they would change their minds after being locked up for a while, and he wouldn't have to take any further action, though all the while he knew what he was doing was wrong. To block out the guilt and all the other feelings, he decided to get absolutely drunk, so he wouldn't have to face what he had done… it was the only way. Ludwig too, knew it was wrong, but he wanted the marriage between his son Floreat and Brittany, and would do anything to get it.

Meanwhile Arthur was thrown head first into the darkest deepest hole he had ever been in his entire life. It was underground, damp and muddy, and smelled like sickness and all manner of bodily fluids. There might have been a corpse in there with him for all he knew. It was far too dark to see. Sitting there in the gloom, broken and bitter, he cried deeply. Brittany thought he was a coward, and he couldn't even bring himself to reveal his true identity to Francis, and yes it was true he had attacked an old defenceless man… he wasn't the saint he thought he was, and far from it. What if he was in the wrong? Antonio's words echoed in his mind, and he realised he had hurt everyone, especially his own little girl.

"But I am innocent…" he wept. "Will I be redeemed?" he sobbed, knowing that somewhere deep inside, he hadn't meant to hurt anyone.