AN

Hey there, it's been a long time since I've been on FF. For those of you who still might possibly happen to watch me, welcome back! I posted a story about a year or so ago called "I'd Rather be in Hell", but after I was already 15 or 16 chapters into it, it got taken down for having an "inappropriate title". So needless to say, I was pretty upset and left FF for a while. But I'm back! Although this isn't a South Park fic (which is what my other story way) I hope you'll enjoy this one :)

Let the story commence~

Francis crossed his legs and leaned against a wide oak tree. The town was spread out far below him, and the sky was a clear blue. He watched as people went about their daily lives. A couple of cute girls would walk past him, and he would give them a wink or two. Not many people came out this way though; it was on the outskirts of town, and the only thing past it was farmland.

Francis felt his eyes drifting shut, but he refused to fall asleep. He had been up all night trying to find a suitable place to stay, but unfortunately he didn't know anyone in Belgium, let alone Ghent.

Soon his stomach started to rumble, and he sighed. He would have to make his way into town again. He didn't like it here. They all knew he was an outsider, and if they didn't know it, his French accent certainly gave it away.

Francis stood up and brushed off his worn pants. He desperately wished for a bath and fresh clothes. He tied his blond hair back with a ribbon and made his way for the nearest market.

Not as many people were on the streets as there were yesterday. Francis tried to think what day it was, but he couldn't remember. The markets were open, so it couldn't have been Sunday, but where was everyone?

He stopped by an open fruit stand being run by a young man, about 15. He was busy sorting out apples.

"Excuse me, I-"

The man looked up sharply, narrowing his eyes. Francis hesitated. "I was wondering if-"

"What do you want?" the man asked, standing up. He never took his eyes off of Francis.

"Some apples would be nice," Francis said angrily. This man was treating him like a thief.

The man turned up his nose. "4 Euros."

Francis gaped at him. "It was only 2 yesterday!"

"Well now it's 4."

Francis pinched the bridge of his nose. He reached into his pocket and pulled out 3 Euros. "This is all I've got."

He gave it to the man, but he shook his head. "I said 4."

"And I'm telling you, I only have 3."

"Well then you can go find yourself another place."

Francis scowled. "Fine." He looked around, but the place was deserted. "Where is everyone, anyway?"

The man scoffed. "What's a Frenchman like you doing here?"

"That certainly didn't answer my question," Francis sighed. "I'm just passing through. I'm heading towards the Netherlands to visit my sister."

The man didn't say anything more. Francis started to walk towards where the sun was setting, since he knew the ocean was that way. He was tired of this place, and he figured he could stow away on a merchant ship and travel somewhere else.

He passed by a couple of other markets, but they all treated him the same way. At least the place wasn't as deserted. When he got to the edge of the town, the sun was low in the sky.

"Young man!" someone called out. Francis turned to see an older woman, waving in his direction. He looked around him before walking towards her.

She was behind a stand with piles of fresh meat and fruits. She had grey hair, and a white bandana held it out of her face. She smiled at him, the first one he had seen all day.

"How much?" Francis asked, nodding towards the food. The woman looked puzzled for a second.

"Oh, well everything is 2 Euros right now! Except for the meat, that's 3."

Francis held his stomach as it growled loudly. He fished 3 Euros out of his pocket, his face red.

"Oh you're going to want more than just a slab of meat, aren't you?" the lady laughed. When Francis didn't join in she stopped. She grabbed a brown sack and started to wrap some meat for him.

"Why did you call me over?" Francis asked.

"You're a foreigner," she shrugged. "Foreigners don't do well out here. French ones especially."

She handed Francis a bag full of meat and fruits. Francis shook his head and handed it back to her. "3 Euros is all I have."

She pushed the bag back towards him. "Take it."

Francis didn't argue. He set the bag by his feet, thanking her.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, still curious as to why the place looked empty. The place was packed yesterday.

The lady looked around and sighed. "They've all gone to the Oostende and Zeebrugge. It's about a day's trip from here, just head west up near the coast. Word has it that there's war brewing over in France, and a British army has come looking for recruits. For a small place like Belgium, that's pretty big news, and this is all pretty exciting. Some say the king himself is coming! Those who didn't go up there stayed here and locked themselves inside. They're afraid the Brits are going to come steal them away at night and force them to fight."

"A war…" Francis muttered.

The lady grabbed a piece of fruit and started cleaning it off with her apron. "Shouldn't a Frenchman at least know there's a war in his own country? What are you doing in Ghent, anyway?"

Francis picked up his food. "Visiting my aunt. She's deathly sick, and her daughter's all alone."

"How tragic," the lady sympathized. "Here, take another apple for her. They say that a couple of these will cure a sick woman to the bone."

Francis had never heard that before, but he thanked her and left to go west. He ate an apple and a slice of bread, more focused on trying to find a place to stay before sundown.

Soon he found an empty shop, and easily broke the door in. He set his food down and rummaged through the place. Unfortunately, there weren't any beds or spare rooms. He placed some of the chairs together and lied down, staring at the dark ceiling. He figured no one would be back anytime soon, because if word just got out yesterday that meant people wouldn't be arriving near the docks until tonight or tomorrow.

Francis figured he'd head west to gather more information. Besides, with the town deserted there was no place to work or stay without breaking into houses and stealing. And he was not about to become a thief. Except for this one night.

He settled down and cut anther slice of bread. He found some strawberry jam in the back along with some cheese and milk. He ate a nice dinner and drifted to sleep. He had a long day ahead of him.