Arthur watched as Cameron poked around the crime scene, fuming.
"This is tragic," he said solemnly, turning to him. "Completely tragic."
"This is all your fault!" Arthur yelled at him. "I told you that he wouldn't be safe if you took him away but you did it anyway! You are responsible for the deaths of all these men and Rachel Archer!" He took a deep breath, still glaring. "And if they kill Francis, you will be responsible for the deaths of millions of Frenchmen and French citizens all over the world!"
"Kirkland!" his boss shouted at him as he stormed away. "Come back here!"
"No! I am going to find Francis and solve the problem you created before anyone else dies!"
Jeffrey held open the door for him, slamming it closed once he was inside the car. He also glared at the Prime Minister before slipping in the car and speeding away. As they drove, Arthur pulled out his phone and called Alfred and Matthew to set up an emergency meeting. He was going to find Francis, no matter what.
"I call this emergency meeting to order," Germany began, drawing everyone's attention. "England has the floor."
Arthur thanked him and walked to the front of the room.
"I called this emergency meeting so we could discuss one of our own who is missing." He clicked a button on the remote in his hand. A picture of Francis that he had taken only a week ago appeared on the screen behind him. "This is the most recent picture of our missing nation."
A few snickers and confused whispers broke out at his words.
"And who exactly is that?" Australia asked with a laugh. "A new micronation?"
"No," Arthur replied, voice hard. "It is France." There were several quiet gasps. "He was turned into a child several months ago by an unknown person and has been staying with me until yesterday." He clicked the button again and a new picture appeared, showing the inside of the armored car. "He was on his way to France when he was abducted. We need to work together to find him and safely retrieve him so he may be returned to his normal age and body. If you know anything about this, please let Germany or myself know."
Several nations stood up, saying they knew nothing or they did not care and left. A few came up to Arthur, trying to help but not saying much useful. Slowly the room cleared until Arthur, Alfred, Matthew, and Ludwig were left.
The North American boys walked over to Arthur to discuss what had happened. Alfred's eyes were filled with tears while Matthew was openly weeping. The American had an arm around his brother's shoulders.
"We will do whatever we can to help," Alfred said quietly. "Just let us know."
"I will," Arthur responded, voice tired. "I am sure Francis would be happy to know that you two want to help him."
Ludwig and Arthur took charge of the case to find Francis. They talked to a few of the nations who had approached them during and after the meeting but had not learned much that had been helpful. Alfred and Matthew stopped him every day, wanting any updates on Francis. Unfortunately he had none to give them.
Days passed with no news about the missing French nation. He was starting to grow suspicious of the nation who was meant to be helping him. Ludwig kept slipping away as soon as each meeting ended, silently leaving to an unknown destination. A few times Prussia had tried to barge into the meetings but was swiftly removed by Ludwig for no longer being a nation and therefore not allowed to attend. The older had thrown a fit every time he was removed to the blond's annoyance.
After nearly two weeks of almost no progress, Arthur entered the meeting room to find a clue waiting for him. He was exhausted from too many late nights trying to decipher any information about where Francis could be. Yawning, he pushed open the doors and drowsily stumbled to his seat. He sat down and, since no one was around, laid his head on the table.
The sleep he so desperately desired did not come to him. Instead, his mind was filled with theories, ideas, and impossibilities on an endless loop, just as it had done since Francis had disappeared. Giving up, he opened his eyes and spotted a small, brown box he had missed when he had first entered the room. He stood and cautiously approached the tiny box. The outside contained no markings or any writing to explain where the package could have come from or from who.
At that moment Ludwig walked in, making Arthur jump and fumble with the box he had just picked up.
"What is that?" Ludwig asked as Arthur tried to calm his racing heart.
"Well it is clearly not a bomb," he shot back bitterly. "Otherwise you would have just killed us both!"
Ludwig inspected it before handing it back.
"It might be safe to open then. If it contains any other weapons we should have the immunity to resist them."
Agreeing with his logic, Arthur pulled out his pocket knife and carefully slit the box open. He peered inside and was overwhelmed by what he saw. The box tumbled back down to the table, spilling its contents across the polished surface. Long, golden locks lay in piles, some stained red in small patches.
"Th-That's…" Arthur panted, enraged by the sight. "Th-That's Francis' hair!"
"We will have to have it tested to be sure but it definitely seems that way. We might be able to learn about his captors as well with this."
Growling in anger, Arthur held up a little, white card that had also been inside the box. Scrawled across it in messy writing was a short note that identified the person whose hair was now on the table in front of them.
'Your little dove is about to have his wings clipped. If you don't hurry, this is all that will be left of your ray of sunshine.'