The two of them arrived at the Prime Minister's Office around eight thirty after a breakfast of scones and tea, Arthur being too distracted to make anything else. He led Francis inside and through the maze of rooms and corridors to the private office where he would be meeting with the two diplomats. It took him a little longer than it usually did due to Francis limping from his still injured leg but when they finally arrived his assistant met him at the door and informed him that he was the last to arrive by only a few minutes.

"Well I shan't keep them any longer I suppose," he said with a sigh, thinking of everything he had to say. "While I am talking to them can you look after Francis and keep him entertained?" He gestured to the boy next to him with a look on his face that clearly indicated that he would take no questions on the matter.

"Of course."

"Good." He turned to the boy. "Francis, come with me for just a moment and then I want you to stay with Ms. Archer until I return, alright?" The boy nodded and clutched his hand. Arthur took a deep breath and stepped into the room with Francis in tow. "Good morning gentleman," he started. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. My morning did not go quite as smoothly as I am used to." The two men were barely listening to him and were instead staring at Francis who shrank back under the attention. "As you may have noticed I have a child with me but he'll be going now."

His assistant took that as her cue to collect Francis and did so. Once he was out of the room the politicians focused on Arthur.

"Mr. Kirkland!" his Prime Minister barked. "What were you thinking bringing a child here?!"

The French President had a different reaction, his face was curious and his words soft, "Who is he?"

"I will answer both of your questions," Arthur replied coolly. "But first, Monsieur Hollande, when was the last time you heard from France?"

The man laughed.

"A few days ago, of course!"

Raising an eyebrow, Arthur responded "Don't lie to me, Monsieur Hollande. It doesn't suit you." The French President started to interrupt, indignant, but Arthur continued before he could say anything. "I know you haven't heard from him for weeks. I know that you don't know where he is." He grinned smugly. "You told me so yourself."

"I did no such thing!"

"If you had talked to France recently you would have recognized him today."

The two men stared at him blankly.

"What on Earth are you talking about, Kirkland?!"

Slowly Arthur walked around the room to sit in a chair.

"I had a feeling that something was wrong with France so last night I went to see him." Two sets of eyes tracked his movements closely. "However, when I arrived at his estate I found it in a curious state. The front door was unlocked, the heat was off, dishes had been abandoned on the dining room table. It was all quite strange. I wandered through the house, looking for clues as to what had gone on. At the end of the hall on the second floor I found the same child that accompanied me here today. And though this child does not seem to remember anything past the last couple weeks I believe that he is the same France that is missing."

The two diplomats were frozen, trying to process what Arthur had just said.

"B-But-!" Hollande stuttered, trying desperately to share his thoughts. "B-But that could be any child! He could just be an orphan who snuck into a house he thought was unoccupied!"

"I understand your disbelief. I didn't believe it myself at first but I am positive that the boy I showed you earlier is France."

At this the men started asking dozens of questions in rapid succession; Arthur doing his best to answer them with the little information he had.

Finally Hollande asked, "So if he is France, what do we do? He needs someone to take care of him."

"I will," Arthur replied, somewhat surprising himself.

"You have other duties to take care of," Cameron pointed out.

"I can do both. I think that I need to take care of him. You don't understand our needs and he needs more protection than a human can offer. Monsieur Hollande, your nation is in a very delicate state right now. Its representative has been dwarfed to a small child. It is going to be a lot of weight on his shoulders. France is a large and powerful nation and it will be painful for him as he currently is."

Confusion in his eyes, Hollande asked, "Why is that?"

Arthur sighed and stood up, starting to pace.

"When nations come into existence, the parts that will one day make up the country we'll become are usually scattered or made up of tribes. As the parts start to come together and we grow as nations, our bodies adapt to the change by growing larger and stronger. We do not age like you do. And right now France is a thriving nation in the modern world. France's normal body is the way it is to keep up with that and he is only injured from certain events. The body he currently has is nowhere near strong enough for all the pressure of being a nation like his normal one is."

When the leaders continued to stare at him blankly he pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to dumb down what he was saying. "Imagine you have a rock perpetually on your shoulders. As you grow up, the rock gets bigger but not enough that you can't handle it. Then one day you somehow turn back into a child but you still have that rock. However, the rock stays the same size. What would happen? It might crush you so you have to have someone help you so that doesn't happen."

The men nodded as they finally understood.

"So what do we do?"

"Well first of all, Monsieur Hollande. I want you to find someone to take care of France's duties until he is back to normal." He turned to his own leader, "And Cameron, I need you to relieve me of a few of mine so I can try to figure out what caused this sudden change and attempt to turn him back."

The English diplomat nodded sternly.

"Fine. Some of your work will be given to someone else so that you may attempt to take care of France." Arthur opened his mouth to speak. "On one condition. If France becomes too much of a burden for you, you must return him to his people." He extended his hand.

"I agree," Arthur replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

"Then it is settled."

AN: So Arthur is going to take care of Francis and keep working. What will he do with him and will he be a good guardian?

Italics- speaking in French or internal thoughts

No Italics- speaking in English