Can you keep a secret? (FrUK)

7

Third pov

The night had covered the land with darkness and busy dreamers. The water hit the shore aggressively as three men stood around a small boat. "Why are we still here? Shouldn't we try and look for him?" One of the men spoke. "Yes, Wales, I know! But we don't exactly know where he went. If France realizes that he entered the country, it could end terribly, we need to come up with a plan!" One of the other men spoke.

"Mr. Ireland is right; we have to find a way to get to Paris, maybe talk to Mr. France; maybe he won't be so harsh if we explain the situation," the last man spoke. "Scotland, what if Mr. France found him before us? He might think England is trying to start problems!" Mr. Wales added in a worried tone. The three men continued to converse with each other as a young boy hid within the trees.

He glared at the men, annoyed and decided to confront them. The boy jumped out of the tree, grabbing the attention of the three men. "I knew I sensed some foul play," the boy spoke. He revealed himself to the men, and they looked nervous.

"France! We don't mean any trouble, please; we are looking for our brother!" Mr. Ireland spoke. "Your brother? I knew I sensed someone come in the other day; what are you all up to?" Mr. France spoke. He pushed his blonde hair behind his ear and glared at the men. He looked younger and thinner than the three men, but he was really strong and could hold his own easily. "He is a kid. Still, he doesn't know any better; he ran away," Scotland explained, annoyed.

"Ran away?" Mr. France asked. Immediately his thought went to the strange boy he had been with, but it would not make sense. The boy had a real name and seemed clueless about countries. "Just let us look for him, then we will be gone," Mr. Wales explained. France began to think about this, and he crossed his arms. "Fine, but if I find him first, it won't be too easy when our paths cross!" Mr. France threatened. "I know; we promise we don't mean harm! England, he is still young. Still figuring out everything, he hasn't met any other countries besides us; he could run into the wrong one," Mr. Scotland explained.

"Oh? Like me?" Mr. France smirked. He thought about how much he hated them across the straight. They always caused problems. He had not met England yet, but he figured that the kid would be just like his brothers. He didn't trust any of them because of it. "You are in my country now so know that I will be watching very closely, don't make me regret it! I will be looking for the boy as well; I figure he could make a lovely territory," Mr. France smiled.

This was his chance to finally take over that stupid island of theirs for the better. France began to wave at them, and the three men looked at each other nervously. "We are so sorry," Mr. Wales spoke. "I am sure you are," Mr. France spoke.

He began to walk away from them with a smirk on his face. He thought about how happy he would be to tell Arthur, but he knew that Arthur should not know of the affairs of other countries. Although, he could try and find the kid before they did. He knew that if the kid were stupid enough, he would find him first. It was only a matter of time.

"You better start looking; I'm giving you a seven-day head start before I go looking for him," France laughed. He was young but very strong. He had every modern country's drive, which was to build the empire they were created for.

Once France left the vision of the three men, they looked at each other nervously. "We have to split up; we will meet every day at checkpoints. We need to find him before France does," Mr. Scotland spoke. He pulled out the maps they brought and began giving his brothers each.

They began marking spots to meet at during the end of the day to ensure they still kept in touch. "Alright, brother, we will find him, don't worry," Mr. Wales spoke. The three of them held each other closely and stuffed their maps away. "Once we find him, we need to leave immediately; we don't need any of the other countries realizing that England is lost! The Holy Roman Empire and Hungary will be a little too happy to find that out. We are on a time-sensitive mission," Mr. Scotland spoke.

They all nodded to each other in agreement and began to gather their things. "See you both tomorrow! Be safe!" Mr. Ireland spoke. The three brothers waved to each other and began to go their separate ways.

Little did they know that young Mr. England was right under all of their noses. Especially Mr. France. He would go home that night to ensure that the young Arthur was fast asleep in his bed. France kept thinking about his excellent opportunity and how he wished to tell Arthur. He had grown a liking for Arthur and wanted to keep him around. Although the idea of him growing up and passing away before him made him sad, he wanted to enjoy their time together. He wished he could have been human, too, to have a close friendship with the child.

He was glad he lied to the boy and came up with the name Francis to gain the boy's trust. He liked this new name; it made him feel human. He wanted to use the name constantly and pretend that he was an ordinary boy; he met another kid who equally loved to play and waste their day in the sun together. He loved the idea of growing up with him and sharing their limited time with each other. It was a fantasy that he made up in his head to distract him from his troubles as a country.