He watched the settlement for the next few days from a nice little camp he made himself in the trees. One day, when he was trying to hide in the bushes to continue watching the people, he heard soft footsteps behind him. "Hello there…" said a soft voice. Alfred was learning that apparently there was a language that all the nations had in common in order to easily speak to one another. Alfred turned around, doing his best to hide his excitement. Here was his father. Finally! After all this time they can finally meet face to face. The only thing Alfred had to worry about now was keeping his face straight while staring at those huge eyebrows. They practically took up half his face. Alfred somehow managed to keep a straight face, watching his father curiously.
England blinked. "You're not startled or running away?" he said, as if in shock. Alfred tilted his head. "I wouldn't run away. I'm learning a lot about myself lately," he said in their strange language. England blinked. "Oh well...That's a good thing to here. It's rare to hear such a young person so enlightened. But I get the feeling you're not all that young. At least, not as young as the other children who look your age in the settlement. Am I right?" he asked softly, as if scared he'll run away.
Alfred hesitated before slowly nodding. This was his father. He could trust him. "...I'm really old. I don't know how old though because I can't count very high...but it's a lot," he said. England blinked before getting down on one knee. "Tell me lad...Do you represent a land mass of any kind?" he asked. Alfred nodded hesitantly. "Yeah...This one. My name is America...At least, America feels right," he said. England held out a hand, smiling softly. "My name is England. But my human name is Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Do you have a human name?" he asked.
"Alfred. Alfred F. Jones. Some of the settlers at Roanoke gave me the names!" he said happily. Arthur blinked and stared at the child. "R-Roanoke?" he stammered with disbelief. Alfred nodded. "Yeah! Is your land really far away?" he asked, wondering if his father even knew who he was. Arthur nodded with a shakey smile. "Aye lad...I-I'm sorry to hear about Roanoke. Do you know what happened?" he asked. Alfred's face fell and he shook his head. "No…" he lied.
England frowned when he heard someone call for him in the distance. "I have to go now child, but I'll be back to visit you soon. I assume this is your camp, correct? Well if so, if you need any help don't hesitated to come to the settlement. I'll be happy to assist you as much as I possibly can. Just avoid the other nations you may come across that are from across the sea. They aren't as kind as me and I fear they may try to take you away. Perhaps one of these days you can even come and visit me in my home here," he said with a smile.
Alfred hesitated before nodding. Just as England turned to go, Alfred tugged on his jacket. "A-Are there a lot of others like me? Are any of them my age?" he asked. England smiled softly. "Yes...there are a lot of other nations. As for any around your age well...that remains to be seen. I have yet to do a lot of exploring of this side of the world. To be quite honest, many of us did not even realize that this continent existed. We just thought that there would be more water," said Arthur.
Alfred's face fell. "W-Will I get to see you again? You're not leaving forever, are you?" asked Alfred. Arthur swallowed and looked at the child, feeling as if the child knew more about what happened at Roanoke than he let on. "I'll come back for you child. I won't let a wee thing like you stay out on your own for very long, older than you look or not. And like I said, if you need me for any reason I'll just be in that settlement. I live in the house at the very edge of the town, closest to the sea. If you ever need anthing, just tell anyone you see in town that you're looking for me...the humans that is. They'll point you in the right direction," he said.
Alfred nodded and watched as his father easily walked away from him. He sat down and quietly gazed at the settlement, wondering what it was that his father needed to go do so quickly. He also wondered about his brother, where Mattie was and if he was happy. If England was telling the truth about not knowing of any other colonies his age, what happened to Matthew? Was he okay? Cinnabun and Fluffybutt came over and nibbled at his hand. He smiled. "You're right guys. I shold go get something to eat. Maybe we'll find something you guys can eat too," he said.
Alfred didn't see his supposed father for days after that. Maybe he doesn't want me…. He hesitantly approached a tree. "Er, um...Grandma? Can I ask you a question...about my dad? I just, I um don't have anyone else to ask. Aiyanna doesn't know anything about him and my mama doesn't talk to me very often now that Mattie and I are big," he said softly. A kind face appeared in the tree. "What is it that you would like to know my dear? I'll be as helpful as I can," she said nicely. "Is Mr. England my father?" he asked softly.
"Yes child, he's your father. He doesn't know it though, my dear. I believe your mother is working on a way to tell him from beyond the grave. She wants me to let you know to not ruin the surprise. Besides, I'm sure that he may guess it. You should make a game out of how long it takes him to catch on," she winked playfully. Alfred giggled. "That does sound fun. Does he know that Mattie is his son?" he asked. Earth shook her head. "No my dear, he hasn't met Matthew yet. Your brother lives with that other man, France," she said.
Alfred's face fell. "You mean…even if my father takes me in, I still won't be reunited with Matthew?" he asked softly. Earth sighed, wishing she had hands so she could comfort the child...and smooth down that stubborn cowlick. "I'm sorry my dear but...your brother is fine with France. In fact, he loves France as if it was his own father. I don't believe he'll be joinging the little family you're hoping for for a while yet," she said gently. Alfred sniffed, trying to pull the tears running down his face back into his eyes.
"H-He abandoned me again...He left me and our dad. He replaced us a-and forgot about us," he sniffled. Earth sighed, not sure how to answer that in a way a child could easily understand. The bunnies, on the other hand, knew how to comfort him. They hopped over to him and curled up around his feet, nuzzling him. Alfred sat down and gently pet them. "Well...At least I'll always have you guys around. A-And don't worry. I won't ever try to trap you or capture you or anything like that. You guys have always been there for me," he said stubbornly.
Bon Bon, Cinnabun, and Fluffybutt seemed to be just happy with that proposal, lending enough warmth to his small body that he eventually feel asleep, nuzzling the soft pile. Alfred slept that way for an hour before he heard footsteps and someone laugh lightly. "Oh look at that. He reminds me so much of mon lapin, even the hair bears a bit of resemblance. Hmm, perhaps I should just return later. It would be a shame to wake him up when he's looking so cute. He looks just like Mathieu. Perhaps Mathieu would like to have a little brother?" someone said to themselves.
Alfred woke up at that. What if this man did adopt him? He could go to Matthew and convince him to come back! He could tell them all about their father and show his brother how to find him! Maybe it wasn't too late to save their family afterall! And Matthew and I could have a cool adventure coming back home! One that will convince our father how amazing the two of us are! A-And I can prove to Matthew that I could be a good brother! Maybe I could even find a way to be a hero for other settlers who need help!
Alfred sat up and walked over to the strange man, France. "Oh there you are little one! I was hoping I could become your Big Brother. Look! I even brought you some of my finest food! Isn't that nice? You look like you could use something to eat. Why don't you just sit down and help yourself? There's plenty of food for the both of us. Then perhaps we can talk about your settlements and resources and oooh. I have a colony at home that is just your age. Perhaps you would like a playmate!" said France happily, ignoring England as he walked up behind the Frenchman.
England's face fell. "Francis! That's cheating. He's my family, my future little brother. You can't just waltz in here and take him away you frog!" said England. "It's not cheating. I'm just using my assests. I'd suggest that you use yours...if you had any," said France snarkily. The two of them started arguing, loudly. Alfred flinched when it started getting physical as they started hitting each other. Alfred set the plate down and tried to scoot over to the ring of bunnies waiting in the nearby bushes.
France noticed first and quickly shoved England away. He retrieved the plate and walked over to Alfred. "Wait a minute mon ami. You didn't finish your meal. Didn't you like Big Brother's cooking?" he asked, pouting a little at the child. Alfred hesitated before reaching for the food. He was hungry and, he wasn't going to lie. The food was delicious. The minute the fork reached his mouth, he felt a dark, cold shadow fall over him. Alfred shuddered and looked up.
His father was standing over him, rubbing his hands together. "No, no my dear boy. Come with me. You need to be with your true family. That food is garbage. Come with me. Come with meeee," hissed his father. Alfred dropped his plate and started to cry, terrified by his father's display. "Arthur, look what you did. You made the boy start crying. Come here little one. Just for that, you can have the little piece of chocolate I've been saving. Don't worry, I won't let that scary eyebrowed monster take you away," said Francis, cooing softly at the scared boy.
Alfred happily started snaking on a piece of cake sitting on the plate he was handed before glancing toward his father. He blinked when he saw that England had sat down in a crumpled heap, hugging his knees as he started crying. What was I thinking? My father wouldn't want me to go….I'll just have to convince him to let me visit Matthew… He felt horrible for making his father cry. Hesitantly, Alfred wandered over to Arthur and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Both France and England seemed to look startled.
Arthur sniffed, rubbing his eyes. Francis looked alarmed. "B-But...mon food…" he mumbled. England looked up. "Y-You're worried about me?" he asked softly, as if he couldn't believe the concept. Alfred nodded, little hand still on his shoulder. Arthur unfolded as he turned to look at Alfred. "...Would you like to join my family? You shouldn't be out here by yourself, alone and unprotected," he said. Alfred smiled and nodded without hesitation, inwardly squealing at being so easily accepted by his father.
Arthur smiled. "What's your name? My personification name is Britain, England, or the United Kingdom, but my human name is Arthur Kirkland," he said softly, ignoring France's fake crying in the background as an attempt to guilt Alfred into coming over to him. Alfred smiled. "My name is Alfred! Alfred F. Jones! And the one who raised me used to call me Dyami but you can call me….America! Yeah, that sounds right. I'm America!" said Alfred, beaming up at his father. Arthur smiled back and hugged Alfred.
"It's good to meet you Alfred. Very good to meet you," he said before giving France a look of 'I told you so.' Alfred grinned. "It's great to meet you. I've been on my own for so long…" he trailed, looking down sadly. Arthur blinked and stood up, glancing at a France who had sobered up at those words. Arthur held out a hand. "Let's go home America," he said softly. Alfred looked up, staring at the hand in disbelief at the word 'home'. "Really?! Like...Permanently?" he asked, excited.
Something like sadness or pity flashed in Arthur's eyes before his face softened. "Of course lad. You're my flesh and blood now. It's only proper for me to treat you as such. Now, do you have any things you would like to bring you before I take you into the settlement?" he asked. Alfred nodded and dropped the hand before running to grab his little satchel from the cavity of a tree. Both France and Alfred watched as he did so, before whispering to something in the tree. "What do you have there mon ami?" asked France, curiously.
Alfred stood in front of the tree protectively. "Nothing! I was just talking to a frog!" he said quickly, wanting to protect his bunny friends from any potential hunters. "You're currently talking to a frog is what you mean," said Arthur snidely, smirking at France. Francis threw his hands up. "Fine. I accept defeat. I suppose I will find Mathieu a little friend else where. Besides, I'm sure Alfred will be begging for me to take him in by tomorrow. I just hope for his sake that he has a high tolerance for poison with the way you cook," said Francis before storming off.
"Poison?" asked Alfred curiously. Arthur forced a smile. "Don't worry about him. We've known each other for a long time. We like to fight to pass the time. It's hardly ever serious. He'll be over it by the end of the week. Now...is that all you have with you? Or is ther somewhere we should go to get the rest of it?" asked Arthur, glancing at the small leather bag of things Alfred had in his arms. "Nope! This is all of it. I always travel light because I travel a lot and taking too many things gets too hard to carry," said Alfred.
Arthur nodded and took Alfred's hand gently. "Well lad, my home is not much but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. You can even have your own room since it's just me. And I'll let all the settlers know that you're my family so they won't pester you with questions. Do you know any English?" he asked. Alfred frowned. It was a while since he used English, having prefered not to after what had happened. Arthur sighed. "Well don't worry lad, I'll be happy to teach you. We'll just tell everyone that you're quite shy," he said.
Alfred nodded and happily held Arthur's hand as they started to head into the settlement. As they walked, several settlers stopped what they were doing to watch the two of them come by. Alfred smiled at them and waved at a couple of them. Arthur looked a bit thrown off but smile. "Mr. Kirkland sir, where did the boy come from. Oh my, he looks just like you. I didn't know you had a missus," said an older lady, leaning down to pinch Alfred's cheeks. Alfred gave Arthur a bewildered look, wondering why he was being attacked by an old lady.
"I-I erm, don't. He's a relative, just got off the boat. The two of us must be going now. I have to get him settled in and meet with John to let him know what resources just arrived," said Arthur, lying a little as he took a step to block the lady from pinching Alfred. "Well if you ever need a baby sitter, just let me know. I'd be happy to look after the boy while you're at work," she chuckled. Alfred's eyes widened. Arthur chuckled and thanked her before leading Alfred away.
"Are you really going to let her sit on me?" squeaked Alfred. Arthur blinked in surprise before laughing. "No my boy, that's not what that term means. I'm surprised though. You understand English?" he asked. Alfred wiggled his hand. "More or less...I can understand it pretty well to some degree. I used to speak it in Roanoke. I just don't think I'll be able to speak it very well. It's been a really long time," said Alfred. Arthur nodded. "A decade at least. I suppose a ten years is still a long time for a boy your age," he said. Alfred nodded even though he had no idea what that meant.
Arthur smiled and lead Alfred to the cabin. Alfred looked around, eyes wide at the house that was so much bigger than Adam and Sarah's house. "T-This is all yours? This is amazing!" he said, looking around. Arthur nodded. "Yes, yes it is. But it's not just mine," he said. "So you have a wife?" asked Alfred, not sure how he liked that. It was his Mama that was supposed to be with England, not some random lady. "No no, nothing like that. Personifications don't really get the chance to take on partners, it's one of the few drawbacks to everything," he said. "Drawbacks?" asked Alfred softy. Arthur sighed. "Well...we get many benefits but...we do get very lonely over time. You get tired of dealing with the same people millenia after millenia," he said.
Alfred blinked. "So….who else lives here? Is it other personifications my age?" he asked, a part of him secretly hoping that Matthew was hidden in a closet or under a bed somewhere. Arthur smirked. "You're going to keep guessing unless I tell you, aren't you lad?" he asked. "Yep! What's a lad?" asked Alfred, tilting his head. "A young boy such as yourself. Now, the only other person I share this house with is you, starting now," said Arthur, smiling at the younger personification.
Alfred blinked before looking up at Arthur. "R-Really?" he asked, happyily. Arthur nodded. "Yes my dear. And your room will be right down the hall from mine. If you ever need anything, it is perfectly fine for you to come and find me. If you need to wake me, you need not fear about how late or early it is. I'll do my best to provide for the two of us but, not to brag, I am quite certain that it would be no problem at all for me to do so. I'm sure I have some old shirts somewhere around here you could borrow. If not, I can run to the neighbors and see if they have any clothes we can borrow before sewing you some clothes of your very own," said Alfred.
Alfred nodded, starting to get slightly overwhelmed. This man...was his father. HIS father. The one guy he had been trying to find all his life. The one his brother abandoned him for. He suddenly frowned, wondering if this is a dream. Maybe he had some bad berries or something. Alfred stopped following Arthur and pinched his arm hard, jumping when it hurt. "...What in the world are you doing child?" asked Arthur, having paused to see if something was wrong. Alfred looked up, blushing slightly. "Am I dreaming?" he asked softly.
Arthur blinked before blushing slightly and walking over to the boy. He knelt down. "How about this, lad? Why don't you pinch me? I promise I'm real," he said. Alfred hesitated. Arthur smiled softly. "Don't worry about hurting me child. I'm a strong country. I've faced many of great warriors," he said. Alfred nodded before pinching England's arm. England yelped before grinning. "See? I'm real. I know how it feels dearest. It's always very disconcerting to find another nation, especially one so much older than you. But don't worry, I'll do my best to guide you and raise you," he said.
Alfred's face turned pink and he gently reached out for England's hand, making the older nation blush as well. "Well then…let's go see your room. And feel free to go ahead and decorate it however you wish. As I said before, this is your home as well. I want you to feel comfortable. If you need anything that could help you transition better to this kind of living, don't hesitate to ask. There will be a few rules in place, but I'm sure we can worry about that later. They won't be too strict. I just want you to feel safe and happy here," said Arthur.
America glanced up at Arthur and smiled shyly. "I already do. Are we close to seeing my room? This weird hill is hard," said Alfred as he tried to climb up the stairs. England blinked before bending over and picking up the boy, carrying him up the rest of the stairs. Alfred blinked but relaxed. If having a father meant being carried around all the time, he was totally for it. The only thing that could make it perfect would be if his mama was alive and Matthew wasn't such a jerk.
Arthur opened a door and smiled, showing Alfred inside. "There you go boy. There should be a chamberpot under the bed, a washing bowl and pitcher on the vanity, and extra blankets in the closet. Feel free to explore while I try to find some extra clothes you may be able to use," said Arthur before ducking out of the room. Alfred blinked and looked around. He has never seen a room so big for just one person. And the bed was humongous! How was he even going to be able to climb into it every night?
Alfred took this time to climb over to the vanity thing, at least it was the table with the shiny part holding the bowl and pitcher. He climbed up onto the chair, took off his satchel, and placed it on the table space. He then pulled out a dream catcher and hung it on the corner of the table before taking out a single eagle feather and placing it on the counter. When he was done arranging the few possessions he had, he put his hands on his hips and looked at them proudly. Won't his father be happy to see how pretty his things were?
Arthur came in and blinked. "..Where did all these feathers come from? Did a bird get in here somehow?" he asked, holding a small bundle of clothes. Alfred looked up cheerfully. "These are my things!" he said happily, holding up the bracelet his mother had left behind for him. Arthur blinked, deciding that he didn't want to scare the kid off. "Well dear, I found these clothes for you. I know it isn't much and they may be a bit big, but I will do my best to find some time this week to tailor them," he said.
Alfred walked over and took the bundle he was handed before smiling. "Thank you!" he said politely. England smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see you have good manners. Now, are you hungry? I'm certain that Frenchman's food left an undesireable taste in your mouth. I can make you some delicacies from my home. Perhaps you could try some tea even. I believe I brought a couple of packets with me. I'm sure you'll like it. It's one of the many things my home is known for," he said.
Alfred hesitated before a yawn interrupted his train of thought. Arthur blinked. "Pardon me, I am so sorry. It never occured to me that you may be tired. How about this? I'll make us a nice stew. In fact, I'm certain I already have one on the fire. After that, we can get you to bed. Do you like being told stories before bed or do you prefer sleeping on your own?" asked Arthur. Alfred looked confused. Told stories before bed? What did that mean? Sarah and Adam just kinda let him do his own thing and Aiyanna never really remembered he and his brother were around.
"I think I can sleep on my own...But I am hungry!" he said a bit eagerly. Arthur chuckled. "Alright boy. Let's go get you some food. Come down when you're done putting all of your things in order. I'll have the soup done by then," said Arthur, turning to go downstairs. Alfred beamed. His dad seemed pretty cool. When his father had left, he turned to fix the dream catcher before putting on one of the oversized shirts and going downstairs. "Thank you for the food Mr. England," he said.
"You don't need to thank me. And feel free to call me England. No need for Mister. Just remember to not call me by that name in front of humans, alright?" said Arthur, tending to the stew. He was quite nervous about it due to wanting to make a good first impression on his newest charge. Alfred nodded and climbed up onto a chair. Arthur turned around before chuckling. "I see I have a bit of adjusting to that shirt to be done," he said. Alfred lifted up his hand, which was burried in the sleeves.
"I think it fits. See? My hands aren't sticking out really weird," said Alfred, wanting to be polite just in case this is what they wore in his father's place. England tried to keep a straight face but started chuckling. "You won't hurt my feelings if you admit it's a bit big. I'm certain it'd make a good sleeping shirt just as well. At least until I finally get around to making it an appropriate size for you," said Arthur. Alfred blushed brightly. "Oh..Okay. I wasn't sure. I thought that maybe you wore your shirts like this in your house," he said shyly.
Arthur managed to restrain himself from smirking at the child's expense. "No Alfred, it isn't. But I appreciate you trying to respect the way I do things and my culture," he said. Alfred smiled slightly before looking confused as to what to do with the sleeves. "Here, let me help," said Arthur before crossing the room to help roll up the sleeves. When his fingers were freed from the cloth constraints of the shirt, Alfred gave his father a wide grin. "Thank you! Now I can eat!" he said.
Arthur chuckled. "You're very welcome. Let me go ahead and get the stew. I'm sure you're quite starving," he said before turning to portion the stew into two bowls. He placed one in front of Alfred. "Let me know what you think. I hope you like it. It's been cooking all day, so it should hopefully have a lot of flavor," said Arthur, albeit a bit nervously. Alfred nodded and started digging into the stew, pausing as he did so. Arthur froze, already coming up with excuses for how Francis must have poisoned it.
Alfred smiled. It was the nicest thing he's had to eat since he'd returned to wandering the country side. "I like it a lot! It kinda reminds me of Sarah's stew!" he said, happily returning back to his food for another bite. Arthur blinked in surprise when he realized that his food had been approved. There might have even been a tear of joy glistening beneath his giant brows. "You like it?!" he asked incredeously. Alfred nodded, looking a bit confused. "Yes...Should I not? Is this a test?" he asked.
Arthur grinned and ruffled the boy's hair. "You get extra dessert tonight. No, it's not a test," he said. Alfred didn't understand what was going on but just returned to his food. That's when Arthur frowned in realization. "Who's Sarah, Alfred?" he asked the small boy. Alfred's face fell slightly. "No one...just someone who made really good stew. I don't want to talk about it," said Alfred, shoveling a spoon into his mouth before Arthur could ask another question. It wasn't as though Arthur could tell though, Alfred was eating as if he was afraid where his next meal was going to come from. This wasn't far from the truth.
Arthur sat down across from Alfred, unsure of what to ask. He decided not to. The child hadn't even spent a single night at his house yet, although Arthur did desperately want to know what exactly happened to Roanoke. It was his pet project, one that he had to beg the royals to allow. He wasn't quite sure why he was so enthusiastic about the project, asides from it being one of his first in the new world. All he knew is that he was absolutely devastated when he had arrived from the supply run to find nothing but ash and old graves. Not a single living being to be found. The animals even abandoned it and it had the strangest aura.
"Well if you don't want to talk about it, I'm hardly going to pry. Though, some may find that talking about what troubles them will help them feel better in the end, but that's only me. I understand that I'm still quite a stranger to you at the moment, but I do want to, once again, emphasize that I'm here for anything you need or want help with. We're family now. It's what families are supposed to do," said Arthur as he sat down and took a sip of his soup. Alfred hesitated but nodded. "Thank you!" he said before returning to his meal.
Arthur sighed. This child was either strongly against talking about Roanoke or couldn't take a hint to save his life. He sighed. If the lad saw what made those ashes...and if he was linked to the coloney...there's no telling what kind of hell he went through or saw. It was better to let the child decide to approach him. "So, what's your favorite fruit lad?" asked Arthur, wanting to get to know the new personification a bit better. Alfred thought about it. "I like blueberries...any berries honestly," he said.
Arthur smiled. "I prefer raspberries myself. What's your favorite animal?" he asked. Alfred smiled shyly. "I like bunnies...They're really nice. They stay by me when I'm all by myself. You don't hunt rabbits do you?" he asked. Arthur made a mental note not to serve Alfred any rabbit meat and to tell the villagers not to set traps for the rabbits in front of the boy. "Don't worry dear. I don't. Want to know a secret? I actually have a bunny friend. He's mint green and flies," said Arthur.
Alfred looked a bit confused. "What?" he asked. Arthur simply laughed. "I know it sounds ridiculous but trust me its true. He's back in my home. He can't venture very far from my home. Especially since he's a bit afraid of running water. Quite shy that one," said Arthur. Alfred simply accepted it. Maybe it was a weird British animal. "I'd like to meet him. Maybe my bunnies can meet him too?" asked Alfred. Arthur chuckled but said it would happen.
Yep, I'm still alive. Writing a story based on history is a bit tedious. Reviews welcome!