Disclaimer - I do not own Hetalia, all of this is fiction. All of it.
Francis took Arthur's hand in his and looked him in the eyes. "I tried to murder you…twice…" He uttered. "Twice … once when you were asleep, and I could have just taken your life easily, it was three days after her death. You were on a ship back to…to Andover… and I stowed away just as it was pulling out of the dock… when you were resting, I drew my sword and I would have killed you there and then…but I didn't. I threw my sword down and stopped myself from killing you and believe me that was the hardest thing I've ever done… and the easiest." He said "I was all ready to do it… and you moved in your sleep and mumbled something… I don't know what… and I couldn't do it." He said, and Arthur was going to say something, but Francis shushed him. "I also once took a pot shot at you from a distance, in revenge for killing Jeanne… and I missed… deliberately I think…" He uttered. "I couldn't do it then… or now… and you didn't have to say what you said…Arthur… because I have already forgiven you." He said softly.
"I am sorry Francis… for the way things were back then. I had no choice…"
"I understand that Mon Cher… I really do… its just… talking about her upsets me, because she did love me, but I couldn't give back her that love… she was a human being… " He said as he calmed down. "However… there is something you should know, and I have kept it secret for a very long time. You must also keep it a secret, and you must promise me that you won't tell a soul… before I divulge it…"
"Francis…what?"
"You promise."
"I promise…"
Francis moved a little closer to him and cupped his cheek to kiss him softly on his lips. "Thank you for caring…" he uttered. "I can see that you care… it shows in everything you do."
"I love you…" mumbled Arthur in reply as he returned that kiss, closing his eyes as he did so.
"Now I know I can trust you, and what you learn now, you keep to yourself Mon Cher…" said Francis. "Joan of Arc…didn't burn…" he began as Arthur listened, his eyes widened in surprise.
30th May 1431. The pyre upon which Joan of Arc is standing tied to the stake, gives off a lot of smoke, and no one can see anything. Francis jumped up on the platform and ran to Jeanne, who was by this time unconscious, from breathing in too much smoke.
"Jeanne!" He cried as he untied her as quickly as possible. "Jeanne… please … oh no…"
As the flames grew higher around him, Francis carried her away from the fire as quickly as he could even though his coat burned a little, he managed to put that flame out and he took her away, before anyone could stop him. Then the pyre burned ferociously behind him whilst he ran with her in his arms and no one saw what had happened. When the smoke cleared and the fire died down, everyone just thought her ashes would be in there and didn't think twice about gathering them up with the intention of scattering them in the Seine.
Francis took Jeanne to an abandoned millhouse to try to revive her, but she would not wake up. He tried to resuscitate her but it was useless, for she had breathed in too much smoke.
Present day:
"I honestly thought she was dead. I um… couldn't revive her no matter what I did." Francis struggled to say. "She breathed in too much smoke but… Arthur… she didn't burn. I didn't allow it…" he uttered.
"She was still alive?" gasped Arthur, feeling his heart lighten a little. "You're saying she didn't die?"
"I'm saying… you'll never understand unless…."
"Unless what?" Arthur replied with a frown. "Did she live or die?"
"Come with me…" Francis said as he stood up and took Arthur by the hand. "Remember I said to you never to tell another soul what you find out today… promise again… for good luck."
"I promise…" Arthur replied puzzled. "Where are you taking me?"
They walked along towards a mystery location, and Francis seemed agitated as if he was making sure no one was listening to them or following them. "I have kept this a secret for a very long time Arthur… not because I don't love you or trust you but because no one is to find out about it… you do understand that I am telling you because I trust you…"
"Why didn't you tell me until now?" Arthur asked. "What is it?"
"Please don't make this difficult…" Francis replied.
"But I thought you already trusted me and now I find out that you don't?"
"No it's not like that… it's just the nature of the um…secret…" Francis replied. "And you are the only person I will ever tell … because I love you. "
Francis walked quickly, hoping that no one was following them, and Arthur struggled to keep up with him.
"Have you ever wondered why Gilbert didn't die when he should have?" He asked as they walked along. "I mean… he stopped being a nation a long time ago didn't he? He should have dropped dead on the spot… kaput … no more Prussia… but have you ever stopped to wonder why he survived and continues to survive?"
"Ah…" Arthur replied "You've got a point there…I have no idea…" He uttered. "Incidentally… is there a reason?"
"He survives because Germany keeps him alive." He replied quietly. "The Prussian people still exist… in Germanic countries, and so the memories of those people keep Gilbert alive… do you understand this Mon Cher?"
Arthur thought about it for a while and couldn't get his head around it, or what Francis could possibly be getting at. "Well I never thought about it in quite so much detail…" he replied. "Where are we going?"
Francis didn't answer him, he just took him down an alley near to the Notre Dame Cathedral and found a set of keys in his pocket. He opened a little arch shaped door in a nondescript wall that seemed to be a part of the Cathedral, and immediately there were old steep medieval stairs that went straight down.
"Be careful… these stairs are steep Mon Cher, and I wouldn't want you to fall…" He said going down first, then turning to see if Arthur needed help with the stairs. "Are you alright getting down them?"
"Yes… but… what is this place?"
"This is what you have to keep secret." He replied as they went down deeper and deeper underneath the Cathedral. "There are a set of ashes and clothes and wood from a pyre which are kept in a museum…" he uttered being careful as they continued to descend deeper still. "And most people believe them to the her remains. I ask you Arthur… how they can be so certain when I personally watched them throw everything into the Seine… tell me how they can be so sure?"
"Are you saying that they aren't her remains?" Arthur said as he tried to go down the stairs. Francis had a small electric torch which he lit up so they could see where they were going. Ahead there was another door which he opened, into a chamber, and then another door where there were more stairs going down and deeper underneath Paris.
"You didn't kill her like you think you did." Francis uttered "You might be shocked by what you are about to see… but I hope you are strong enough to handle it."
"Handle what?" asked a puzzled Arthur. "What's going on…"
"It's behind this door…" Francis said as he got out a larger key to unlock it. "Try not to be too shocked…"
Slowly Francis unlocked the door….