Chapter 4

As much as they didn't want to, they asked Francis to accompany them. They knew if they didn't they would never get to go the 'cool place' as Alfred called it.

"Come along children, ze soon we get to ze river, ze sooner we can leave." Francis said as they walked through the field towards the nearby river. Alfred and Rachel kept a good distance from the Frenchman.

"So where are we really going?" Rachel asked quietly.

"An abandoned battlefield," Alfred whispered back.

Rachel started to let out an exclamation on surprise, but Alfred quickly shushed her and pointed to Francis.

"Right," Rachel said, catching his drift, "So how do we ditch the frenchy?" she asked.

They finished whispering their plan just as Francis walked up them, "Look at you two, l'amor blossoming in ze trees. Ze other Leaders will be thrilled." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Alfred asked.

Francis smiled, "I'm talking about ze fact zat you are both betrothed." He answered.

Alfred and Rachel looked at each other in confusion, "What does that mean?" Rachel asked.

Francis' grin grew bigger, "It means zat one day you two will be married!"

The children made faces, "Yuck!"

"Eeew!"

"I can't marry her! She's my friend!" Alfred exclaimed.

"It'd be way too weird!" Rachel agreed.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but you two have no choice." Francis said crossing his arms.

Alfred grinned, "Well, when I'm a Leader, I'll be like a King, so that'll be first to go." Rachel smiled and nodded.

"Not while I'm around." Francis said.

"Well, in that case, you're fired." Alfred said simply.

"I'm afraid only a Leader can do zat." Francis defended.

Rachel stepped up, "Well, he's a future Leader." She pointed out.

Alfred nodded, "Yeah, so you have to do what the hero tells you!"

Francis frowned, "Not yet, I don't; and I must say you're shaping up to be a very pitiful Leader!"

Alfred grinned, "Not the way I see it!"

A: I'm gonna be the best country, so enemies beware!

F: Well I've never seen a Leader yet who's quite too small for wear!

A: I'm gonna be the main event, that no nation's been before, I'm wonderin' how I'll dominate, I'm thinking about war!

F: And zus far, a rather, uninspiring zing!

A: Oh I just can't wait to be King!

(F: You 'ave a longer way to go zan you zink!)

A: No one saying 'do this!'

(F: Now when I said zat-)

R: No one saying 'be there!'

(F: What I meant was-)

A: No one saying 'stop that!'

(F: What you don't realize-)

A&R: No one saying 'see here!'

(F: Now see 'ere!)

A: Free to play around all day!

(F: Zat's definitely out!)

A: Free to do it all my way!

F: I zink it's time zat you and I arranged a 'art to 'art!

A: Kings don't need help from annoying French men for a start!

F: If zis is where democracy is 'eaded, count me out! Out of work, out of America, I wouldn't hang about! Zis child is getting wildly out of wing!

A: Oh I just can't wait to be King!

(Musical interlude)

A: Everybody look left! Everybody look right! Everywhere you look I'm standing in the spotlight!

F: Not yet!

All: Let every nation go for broke and sing! Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing! It's gonna be young Alfred's finest fling!

All: (Oh I) Just can't wait to be King! (Oh I) Just can't wait to be King! (Oh I) just can't wait~! TO BE KING!

Alfred and Rachel ran as far away as possible from the commotion. Francis was nowhere in sight. "We lost him!" Rachel said happily.

Alfred puffed out his chest, "I am a genius!"

Rachel frowned, "Please, it was my idea,"

"Yeah, but I pulled it off," Alfred retaliated.

"With me!" Rachel shot back.

"Oh yeah?" Alfred asked and tackled her. The two kids tumbled on the ground for a while with Alfred ending up on the bottom.

"Pinned ya!" Rachel said smiling.

"Get off before someone sees!" Alfred said blushing slightly. Rachel complied only to be tackled by Alfred again for revenge. The two tumbled down a large hill and Alfred once again ended up on the bottom.

"Pinned ya again!" Rachel said proudly.

Alfred frowned and pushed her off and took a look around. It was foggy, grey and eerie and the ground was littered with rotten wood and rusted metal. The soil was dry as Alfred and Rachel walked further into the field, "This is it, we made it!" Alfred whispered.

They climbed a small hill and beyond it, were the remains of an old war base. It was quite small, but still emanated a creepy aura.

"It's so creepy." Rachel said as they walked towards it.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Alfred asked.

"We could get in big trouble." Rachel added with a mischievous smile.

"I know." Alfred said.

"I wonder if there are any dead guys in there." Rachel wondered as they neared the entrance.

Alfred smiled, "Only one was to find out, let's go."

"I don't zink so!" A familiar French voice cried. Alfred and Rachel looked up to see Francis standing in front of them, "Ze only 'going' you'll be doing is out of 'ere!" he said.

"Aw, man!" Alfred whined. They had been so close and now Francis was gonna spoil it.

"We shouldn't be 'ere! We are outside American territory and-" He was cut off by Alfred's giggling, "What do you know, Frog face is scared!" (Arthur would be proud:) )

"Zat's Monsier Frog face to you!" Francis snapped pointing right at Alfred's face, "And I don't know if you realized it, but we are all in terrible danger!"

"Danger? Ha!" Alfred said as he walked towards the entrance of the base, "I eat danger for breakfast 'cause I'm a hero; and the hero laughs at the face of danger! Ha ha ha ha!" he laughed.

His laughter was joined by three other sources of laughter. Alfred gasped and he and Rachel ran behind Francis as three figures emerged from the base; two girls and a boy whose voices dripped with Russian accents. Francis recognized them almost immediately as Ivan, Natalia and Katyusha; the Leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

"Vell vell vell Ivan, vhat have we here?" One of the girls asked the boy.

"I'm not sure Natalia, what do you think Katyusha?" the boy asked the other girl.

The girl called Katyusha giggled, "Well it looks like a man and two cute little kids." She said.

Ivan nodded, "In other vords, three trespassers!" he said.

"A-and quite by accident! We simply got lost," Francis said nervously and started to lead the children away, but was stopped as the girl called Natalia grabbed his shoulder,

"Vait, I know you; you're Lugvig's little messenger!" she said.

"I actually am just 'is fellow ally!" Francis said frowning, tearing away from her grip, not bearing to get his clothes dirty.

The three Russians began to circle Francis and the two children. Ivan looked at Alfred, "Den, dat would make you-"

"America's future Leader." Alfred finished.

"Do you know vhat ve do to Leader's who step out of deir countries?" Natalia asked.

Alfred snorted, "You can't do anything to me," he said.

Francis laughed nervously, "Actually zey can, we're outside our country so..." he trailed off,

"But Francis, you said they were nothing but Commie Soviet freaks." Alfred said, much to Francis' horror.

"Who're you calling a freak?" Ivan demanded.

"Oh, look at the time, it's time to go!" Francis said quickly, pushing Alfred and Rachel, but were stopped again by Natalia, "I don't think so; we'd love for you guys to stick around." She said dangerously.

"Da, please stay so we can torture you as our prisoners," Ivan said with a normal expression and holding a pipe in one hand.

Natalia laughed, taking her eyes of the the children. "Now Ivan, let's not scare zem, let's just-"

"Guys! Guys! They're…!" Katyusha blubbered, pointing her hand.

Natalia rolled her eyes, "Vhat Kat?" she asked, not liking to be interrupted.

Ivan saw where she was pointing and his eyes widened, "Sis, did ve order these prisoners to go?" Ivan asked.

"No, vhy?" Natalia asked.

"Because dere dey go!" Ivan shouted pointing his pipe at three figures running deeper into the battlefield.

Alfred and Rachel, being as small as they were, ran ahead of Francis. Francis tried to catch up with the children only to be stopped by a hand grabbing the back of his cloak. The children failed to notice this and kept running until they had to stop for breath.

"Did we lose them?" Rachel gasped.

Alfred looked around, "I think so….where's Francis?" He wondered, finally realizing the absence of the Frenchman.

Just then, they heard a familiar cry in the distance as well as maniacal laughter. They ran towards the sound causing them to climb a small hill. They got there just in time to see Ivan and Natalia holding Francis by his wrists and ankles and swinging him back and forth while Katyusha winded back what looked like a catapult.

"Okay, into de French Flinger you go." Ivan said calmly as he and his sister threw Francis into the holder of the catapult.

"No! Not ze French Flinger!" Francis cried and scrambled to get out but Kat pulled the lever and with a loud cry, Francis was sent flying into the sky. The three Soviet Leaders laughed at the amusing sight.

"Hey!" Alfred yelled, cutting off their laughter, "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

"Oh, like you?" Natalia asked evilly.

"Oops!" Alfred said, realizing his mistake.

Alfred and Rachel ran down the hill away from the crazed Leaders. They ran a few feet with the Soviets nowhere in sight, but they got an unpleasant surprise when they turned a corner.

"BOO!" Natalia yelled causing Alfred and Rachel to cry out and skid to a stop.

The Soviets reached towards them, but the children managed to slip away. They ran faster until they reached a high cliff. Alfred found an old shield on the ground, put it on the ground and got on it on his knees. He yanked Rachel on behind him and they slid down the cliff using the shield as a sled. It was bumpy, but they managed to cover a lot more ground, until the shield hit a hole in the ground and sent them flying. They landed on the side of a steep hill of mud, but they didn't stop to look. As they climbed, Alfred was nearing the top until,

"Alfred!" Alfred turned just in time to see Rachel slipping down the hill, and the Soviets were catching up fast! Alfred ran towards his friend and reached her just as Ivan was about to grab her ankle. Acting purely on instinct, he threw out a small fist and landed a hard punch on Ivan's cheek. Perhaps he really did have his father's strength. Ivan growled in anger as a small red mark appeared on his cheek. Alfred pulled Rachel up the rest of the hill and they continued to run until they reached a cave.

With nowhere else to go, they ran inside, soon realizing that that was a big mistake. The cave led to a dead end. There was a ledge about six feet above them leading to an exit, but they were too small to reach. They turned around in horror as the three Leaders walked slowly towards them with toothy grins on their faces.

"Now come here little children," Ivan said softly as he hit his pipe into the palm of this hand. Alfred got in front of Rachel protectively and glared at the oncoming Leaders as they towered over the children.

"Aw, is de little boy going to be de hero? Let's see vhat you've got!" Natalia taunted.

Alfred opened his mouth, but another voice was heard that defiantly wasn't his.

"STAY BACK!" A loud booming voice yelled.

The three Soviets were confused for only a second before they were knocked to the ground by none other than Ludwig. Francis climbed down from the ledge to check on the children; luckily, the catapult had launched him right near the mansion so he was able to warn Ludwig. They watched as Ludwig threw the Soviet Leaders against the wall of the cave where they cowered at the tall man.

"Please don't hurt us!" Katyusha pleaded.

"SHUT UP!" Ludwig roared, causing the three Leaders to jump.

Ludwig knelt down to their eye level, "If you ever come near my son again," he said firmly.

The three Leaders nodded vigorously, "Ve'll never do it again ve promise!" they said in unison with anime tears running down their faces.

"GET OUT!" Ludwig yelled. The three Soviets sprang up and zoomed out of the cave. Francis, Alfred, and Rachel walked towards Ludwig as he faced way from them.

Alfred knew this was his fault, so he was the first to speak up, "Dad, I-"

"You deliberately disobeyed me!" Ludwig said angrily, facing his son.

Alfred flinched, "Dad I-I'm sorry-"

Ludwig held up his hand to stop him, "Ve're going home." He said as he began to walk out of the cave with Francis close behind.

Rachel and Alfred walked slowly behind, "I thought you very brave." Rachel said quietly as she took his hand in comfort.

Alfred smiled slightly, but it was soon replaced by a frown.

Little did they know that up on the ledge, a pair of red eyes were glaring down at the children in anger.

AN: Well, that was fun AND scary! I hope you liked the song! I mean who hasn't wanted to see chibi Alfred sing that song? I would die from the sheer cuteness! As for what they do (this applies to all the songs) just imagine how they're dancing to this! Let your imagination run FREE!

But man, Alfred is in trooooouuuuubllllle! I would not want to get Ludwig mad if he was MY dad! *shudder*

Hope you liked the connections between Alfred and Rachel (Seychelles) ;)