"Have you decided on a place yet?" Switzerland demanded, talking to Germany.

Germany was looking at a map of Paris as they walked down the street. "Let's see…" Then he quickly found a place. "How about this park?" He said, pointing to it on the map.

Switzerland looked over Germany's shoulders and nodded. "That looks nice. And pretty big too."

Germany closed the map. "OK. Then it's decided." He said and put the map back into his bag.

He had chosen Parc des Buttes-Chaumont as their destination. Germany is known to be environmentally friendly. In fact the Green Party was born at his place. That's why he likes parks.

"Are you OK with that Lily?" Switzerland asked.

Lichtenstein nodded. "Yes. I love parks!" She replied.

After taking the bus – and earning themselves a few awkward glances because they were foreigners – they had arrived in front of one of the many entrances of the big park.

"Wow! It's huge!" Lichtenstein commented. "I wasn't expecting it to be this big." Then she noticed something else. "And look; there are even swing-sets!" She pointed to them.

"Yes, but you have to pay to use them." Switzerland told her. And they're for kids. He added in his head.

They entered the park and started walking down the path.

Lichtenstein jumped a few paces ahead, looking around. "This is a really nice place." She commented as she walked.

Germany found a map of the park and went to look at it to see where they were.

Switzerland was calmly walking with his hands in his pockets, quietly enjoying the fresh air and warm breeze. But suddenly he saw something in the corner of his eye that caught his attention; A few feet away was a little boy who was standing at the edge of the path, crying. The little boy didn't look older than 4.

Switzerland immediately walked up to him. When the boy saw that someone was approaching him, he stopped crying, but his eyes were still red and tearful.

Switzerland knelt down and inquired in a soothing voice "Qu'y a-t-il mon petit ?" (What's wrong little guy?) When the boy didn't answer he added: "Tu t'es perdu ?" (Are you lost?) The little boy nodded.

Switzerland frowned. "Où sont t'es parents ?" (Where are your parents?) He asked.

The little boy started crying again. "Ché pas…" [Je ne sais pas] (don't know…) He whimpered and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

Switzerland gently stroke the little boy's head. "Shhh. Arrête de pleurer. Tout ira bien." (Shhh. Stop crying. Everything will be alright.) The boy sniffed a few times but stopped crying, looking down at the ground, feeling miserable. Then Switzerland continued, "Je vais t'aider à retrouver tes parents." (I'll help you find your parents.)

The little boy instantly looked up at him in astonishment. "C'est vrais ?" (Really?) He said, hope lighting his eyes.

Switzerland nodded. "Bien sur ! Je ne vais pas te laisser là tout seul." (Of course! I'm not going to leave you all alone here.) Then he got up, presented his hand to the little boy, and said "Allons les chercher." (Let's go look for them.)

The little boy gave him a toothy grin and took his hand. Switzerland started walking down the path again to join the others.

Germany was the first to notice Switzerland's new companion. "Who is this?" He asked, once he had joined Switzerland.

Switzerland turned towards the little boy and asked "Comment t'appelles-tu ?" (What's your name?)

"Lucas." He answered.

"But what are you doing with him?" Germany questioned.

"He got lost. I'm looking for his parents. Will you help?"

Germany stared back at him in surprise and then answered "Yes. Of course."

Lichtenstein had wandered off a little farther than she had intended. When she noticed that her brothers weren't following her, she stopped and looked back. She noticed three figures walking towards her instead of two. When they had gotten close enough she asked who the little boy was, and Switzerland gave her the same explanation.

"You're so kind grosser Bruder!" (Big brother) Lichtenstein commented, which made Switzerland blush a little. Then she added: "I'll help out too."

"A quoi ressemble tes parents ?" (What do you're parents look like?) Switzerland asked Lucas.

"Ils sont très grands !" (They're really tall!) He replied.

That doesn't help me… Switzerland thought.

"C'est quoi leur noms ?" (What's their names?) He asked.

"Maman et papa." (Mom and dad.)

I guess we'll have to figure it out our selves. He sighed.

Switzerland turned towards Germany and Lichtenstein. "We'll have to ask the people around and see who is looking for a lost boy."

"We should separate." Germany stated. "I'll continue on this path. You two can go the other way. Let's meet back here in an hour." He said, addressing Switzerland and Lichtenstein. And with that he walked away.

"Let's go." Switzerland said and they started walking in the direction they came from.

As Switzerland walked he scrutinized every person's face to see if they looked distressed, but non of them did. He hoped that his parents weren't any of them because he wouldn't want to give the little boy back to people who didn't take good care of their child and, worst of all, who didn't even care if they lost him.

He wasn't going to randomly ask people if they lost a child because surely he shouldn't have to; they should be the ones asking people if they saw the kid. Not the other way around.

At some point the path they were on split in to.

"I'll take the right side." Lichtenstein said.

Switzerland looked back at her in surprise and concern. "I don't think we should separate."

Lichtenstein smiled back at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I know where the meeting place is." And with that she left without waiting for his reply. She knew that if she waited he would never agree to let her leave. But she really wanted to fine the kid's parents and knew that they would have a better chance of finding them if they split up.

Suddenly, after only a few minutes of walking, Lichtenstein saw a man running down the path towards her. He was so panicked it looked like he was being chanced by 100 devils. Lichtenstein thought that he looked desperate enough to be looking for someone, so just as he was about to pass her, she called out to him. "Monsieur !" (Sir!)

He instantly stopped and whipped his head around to face her; his eyes big and round with worry. "Oui ?"

"Est-ce que vous cherchez un petit garçon ?" (Are you looking for a little boy?)

"Oui! Oui!" He exclaimed nodding his head vigorously. "Vous savez où il est ?" (You know where he is?)

She nodded and said "Suivez moi." (Follow me) before walking back the way she came from. As they walked she explained to him the situation. "Mes frères l'on trouver. On est tous entrain de chercher ses parents." (My brothers found him. We're all searching for his parents.)

"C'est très gentil de votre par. Je vous doit énormément!" (That's very nice of you to do that. I owe you big time.) He smiled.

Meanwhile Switzerland was still searching for the boy's parents.

Suddenly the boy stopped walking. Switzerland looked down at him. "Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?" (What's wrong?) He inquired.

"Je suis fatigué…" Lucas replied, looking down.

"Tu veux que je te porte ?" (Do you want me to carry you?) He asked.

Lucas smiled and nodded. So Switzerland picked him up.

As he walked the boy studied him in silence, which made Switzerland uncomfortable. "Quoi?" (What?)

"Tu veux être mon grand frère ?" (Do you want to be my big brother?) Lucas asked.

That question took Switzerland by surprise. He looked back at the boy inquiringly. "Pourquoi tu me demande ça ?" (Why are asking me this?)

"Parce que t'es trop cool come grand-frère ! Je veux que tu sois le mien !" (Because you're way cool as a big brother! I want you to be my big brother!) He replied, grinning.

Switzerland blushed and looked away. "Peut-être…" (Maybe…) He was glad the little boy wasn't feeling down anymore. And he didn't want to discourage him again by saying no.

After a few minutes of walking Switzerland noticed a woman who looked distressed. She was searching her surroundings and would go from person to person. When she saw who Switzerland was holding, she gasped and rushed towards him.

"Mon bébé !" (My baby!) She called out. "Vous avez volé mon bébé !" (You stole my baby !) She glared back. "Rend le moi !" (Give him back!) She was ready to punch Switzerland in the face.

"Calmer vous !" (Calm down!) Switzerland retorted, swiftly dodging the blow. "J'étais juste entrain de cherchez ses parents ! J'imagine que vous êtes sa mère. Je vais vous le rendre." (I was just looking for his parents! I'm guessing you're his mom. I'll give him back.) As he finished he put the boy down and presented him to her.

She immediately took the little boy in her arms and held him in a tight bear hug. "Je te retrouve enfin." (I find you at last.) Then she glanced at Switzerland. She hesitated before saying "Désolé. J'avais juste tellement peur..." (I'm sorry. I was just so scared…)

"Je comprend." (I understand.) He replied and gave her a curt nod. "Faite plus attention la prochaine fois." (Be more careful next time.)

"Bien sur." (Of course) She replied and with that she started walking away.

"Où est papa ?" (Where's dad?) The little boy asked.

"Il est à la maison, tu te rappelles ?" (He's at home, remember?)

Switzerland walked back towards the meeting place. On the way he found Lichtenstein walking with a guy. He instantly tensed up.

"Who is that?" He demanded as he reached them.

"This is the boy's dad." She replied. Then she noticed that Switzerland wasn't with the child anymore. "Where's Lucas?"

"I gave him back to his mom." He stated.

"Vous avez trouver ma femme ?" (You found my wife?) The man asked.

"Oui." Switzerland said, then frowned. "Mais elle a dit que tu étais a la maison." (But she said that you were at home.)

"Comment ?" (What?) The guy's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Hey! I found the mom!" Germany called. They all turned their heads towards him.

Germany was waving at them. Next to him was a woman. Switzerland instantly froze when he saw who was with Germany; it wasn't the lady he had given the child too, it was someone completely different. How can he be sure that's the mom? Switzerland thought. But… if it is… then… who was she?

"Claire !" The man exclaimed and rushed to join the woman. He stopped right in front of her and frowned. "Où est Lucas ?" (Where is Lucas?)

Claire shook her head. "Je ne l'ai toujours pas retrouver." (I still haven't found him.)

The man looked over his shoulder, towards Switzerland, giving him a quizzical look. "Mais…" (But…)

"Qui est cette femme ?" (Who is this lady?) Switzerland asked, feeling anxious.

"Ma femme." (My wife) He said, turning completely to face Switzerland. Since Switzerland was staying silent, he added "À qui avez vous donner notre enfant ?!" (To whom did you give our child to?!) He retorted, losing his patience.

Switzerland was frozen on the spot. He stared back at them blankly. He couldn't believe the mistake he had made. He was completely lost for words.

"Alors ?!" (So?) The man demanded, taking a step towards Switzerland.

"Calme toi Jaque." (Calm down Jake.) Claire soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Il ne pouvait pas savoir qu'on était les parents de Lucas. C'est déjà gentil de sa part de lui venir en aide." (He couldn't know that we were Lucas' parents. It's already nice of him to come to Lucas' assistance.) Even though she was just as worried about Lucas, she felt bad for the young man who was just trying to help.

All at once, Switzerland made a mad dash down the street he had just come from. He was desperate to find the little boy again.

"I'll follow him." Germany stated. "Stay here Lily." He ordered and ran after Switzerland.

"Comment a-t-il pu donner notre enfant à n'importe qui ?!" (How could he have given our child to some random stranger?) The man exclaimed.

Lichtenstein turned towards the couple "Vash n'est pas quelqu'un qui manque d'égard." (Vash would never be inconsiderate.) She stated sternly. "S'il pensait que la dame était sa mère, c'est qu'il doit y avoir une bonne raison." (If he thought the lady was his mom, there must be a good reason for it.)

"Je sais." (I know) Claire smiled reassuring at Lichtenstein. "Ton frère à l'aire un homme bon." (Your brother seems like a good man.) Suddenly her expression changed into one of horror, and she brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh no… serait-ce elle ?" (Oh no… could it be her?)

"Qui ça 'elle' ?" (Who do you mean?) Jake demanded.

"Ma soeur." (My sister.)

At the mention the word 'sister', both of them turned gloomy. Lichtenstein found that curious so she asked them "Qu'est-ce qui ses passé entre ta soeur et toi ?" (What happened between you and your sister?)

Claire turned towards Lichtenstein and hesitated before answering. "Ma soeur ne peux pas avoir d'enfant. Et depuis qu'elle sait ça elle n'arrête pas d'essayer d'enlever le notre." (My sister can't have kids. And ever since she known about it, she's been trying to kidnap ours.)

Lichtenstein fell silent. Not knowing what to say to that.

Suddenly Claire jerked her head towards her husband "On devrait les poursuivre pour en avoir le cœur net! " (We should go after them to make sure!)

"Allons-y !" (Let's go!) Jake replied, and they both ran off. Lichtenstein followed.

After a few minutes of running, Switzerland finally found the lady. He sped up.

"Attendez !" (Wait!) He called. The lady turned around and when she saw him running after her she started running too. She was still holding the little boy in her arms, so it was harder for her to run. And Switzerland easily caught up to her.

He went to stand right in front of her, blocking her way.

"Que me voulez-vous ?!" (What do you want with me?) She shouted, her distress clearly showing on her face.

"Rendez-moi le garçon." (Give me back the boy.) He said, walking towards her. She backed away for each step he made.

"Jamais !" (Never!) She screamed and started running back in the other direction but Switzerland easily stopped her. He gripped her shoulder.

"Je te le répète une dernière fois; rend le moi." (I'm asking you one last time: give him back.) He voice grew cold.

"Lâchez-moi !" (Let me go!) She yelled. People were starting to stare.

Switzerland would have snatched the boy away if only she hadn't been squeezing him in a tight grip.

Germany had just arrived when he saw Switzerland struggling to get the boy back.

"Vous voulez que j'appelle la police, c'est ça?" (Do you want me to call the police, is that it?) Switzerland exclaimed, trying to get her to let go of the boy.

"Non ! Non ! Lâchez-moi !" (No! No! Let me go!)

Germany knew he had to step up. He walked over towards them. "Si vous lâchez pas ce garçon ça va mal finir pour vous." (If you don't let that boy go you're going to regret it.)

The lady instantly froze and turned her head to look at the new comer. Then she glanced back and forth between Switzerland and Germany. "Vous n'allez tout de même pas me tabasser ?" (Don't tell me you guys are going to beat me up?)

Germany opened his mouth to retort but just then a loud voice rang out above all else.

"Arrêtez !" (Stop!)

Everyone turned their head to see who had said that.

Claire and Jacque were running towards them.

"Claire!" The lady whispered, here eyes widened with shock.

Germany jerked his head towards the lady with the boy. "Vous la connaissez ?!" (You know her?!)

"Oh nonononononon!" The lady tried to make a run for it but Switzerland stopped her.

"Vous allez nul part." (You're not going anywhere.) He stated.

"Alors c'était bien toi… Anna" (So it was you… Anna) Claire said once she was close enough to get a good look at the lady with the boy.

Anna tensed up. The little boy in her arms was starting to feel uneasy, wondering what this whole commotion was about. He wasn't scared, because he knew Anna was part of the family, so when she took him he didn't protest. But now he was starting to feel worried when he noticed how anxious his mother and father were.

"Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?" (What's going on?) Germany demanded.

"Anna est ma soeur." (Anna's my sister.) Claire explained, which took Germany by surprise.

"C'est vrais ?" (Really?) He wondered aloud.

"Anna?" Claire took a few tentative steps towards her. "Peux-tu me le rendre ?" (Can you please give him back?) She inquired, reaching her arms out slowly. "Je te promet que je ne me fâcherais pas." (I promise I won't get mad.)

Anna shook her head and took a step back.

"Ne nous oblige pas à appeler la police." (Don't make us call the police.) Jake warned.

Anna, seeing that there was no way out for her, reluctantly put the boy down and sighed. The boy jumped into his mom's arms. And Claire gave her a nod in acknowledgement.

"Ne t'en fait pas, tu le reverras." (Don't worry, you'll see him again.) Claire stated, then she turned towards the countries. "Je vous remercie pour votre aide." (Thank you for your help.)

"Je suis désolé pour ce qui est arriver…" (I'm sorry for what happened.) Switzerland apologized.

Claire shook her head "Ce n'est pas de votre faute. Et puis l'essentielle c'est que tout aille mieux maintenant." (It wasn't your fault. And what's important is that everything is better now.) She smiled back.

They all said goodbye and started walking away.

"Bye bye grand frère! Tu viendra me voir?" (Bye bye big brother! Will you come to see me?) Lucas called back, waving goodbye.

Switzerland smiled back a small smile. "Peut-être…" (Maybe…) He waved back.

Once they were out of sight, Switzerland turned back towards his companions. "Quel aventure…" (What an adventure…)

They all started walking down the walkway. Lichtenstein felt a drop fall on her cheek and looked up at the sky. Clouds were slowly gathering together, casting shadows down on them.

"Do you have an idea of a place we could go to?" Spain inquired. "Because if you don't, I know the perfect place!" He grinned.

"I was thinking about le Passage du Havre. Apparently it's a big shopping center. Should we go there?" Hungary said.

"Sure." Spain shrugged.

After an hour walk they had arrived in front of the entrance to the passage. The street was crowded with people rushing in and out. They went in, walking side by side.

"There are sure a lot of people for a week day." Hungary commented.

"France told me that this was a very popular place for tourists. I bet half of these people are foreigners." Spain replied. Just as he said that a group of people speaking Chinese walked past them. He smiled at Hungary. "See?"

They were looking at the different shops as they walked past them when suddenly Hungary stopped in her tracks.

Spain noticed and looked questioningly back at her. "What's wrong?"

"I think I felt something… but I'm not sure." She looked down at her purse and let out a gasp when she saw that it was open. "Oh no!" She immediately started rummaging through it and quickly noticed that something was missing.

"Someone stole my wallet!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Spain blurt out. He whipped his head around to find the culprit and a person caught his eye; he was looking back at Spain anxiously. Spain instantly knew it was him. He made a mad dash towards the man who also immediate started running away. "I found your thief!" Spain called back.

Hungary raced to catch up to them.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Spain called out to the people so that they would let him pass, but he had to push through a few of them.

"Fait attention !" (Be careful!)

"Qu'est-ce qui lui prend ?" (What's gotten into him?)

"Il est complètement taré celui-là…" (He's completely nuts…)

The thief was running in zigzags, trying to ditch them, and it was working; the two countries were slowly losing sight of him.

"Damn it!" Hungary cursed under her breath. "If only I had my frying pan…"

Suddenly, the thief completely vanished from sight into the crowed. Spain and Hungary stopped at an intersection, trying to guess which way he could have gone. But it was no use; there were 4 different directions he could have gone to, and this one moment of hesitation would have already given him time to escape.

Hungary's mouth hung open. "I don't believe this !"

"Well, you better believe it." Spain remarked flatly. He crossed his arms and glanced back at Hungary, angry both at himself and at the fact that Hungary could have been so easily duped.

"What should we do now?" Hungary inquired, looking miserable.

"There's not much we can do." He paused, thinking about their options. "Let's head back to France's house." He said finally.

They walked out of the Passage and started walking down the street. Spain looked up as he noticed the clouds slowly gathering up in the sky and frowned. The first few droplets fell from the sky.

"So where are we headed of too?" Italy inquired excitedly.

"Do you have a place in mind?" Romano added.

"We're to going Abbesses." Austria replied. "There's a piano over there."

"Oooh! I didn't know they had outdoor pianos here!" Italy exclaimed. "That's going to be fun!"

"Hmph! I don't see anything fun in that…" Romano retorted.

"Don't be so gloomy, fratello (brother). I'm sure it'll be great!" Italy said. Then he turned towards Austria. "I love Mr. Austria's piano playing." He smiled.

After taking the metro, they had arrived at their destination. The moment they were out of the underground station they were immediately greeted by the sight of the piano.

"Well, that was easy to find." Romano commented.

A crowd was gathered around the piano, for there was already someone playing it. It was a beautiful calm soothing melody that seamlessly entered your mind, making your worrisome thoughts vanish the moment the music reached your ears.

"Chopin Nocturne Opus 9 number 2." Austria stated and closed his eyes to concentrate on the music.

Every one seemed mesmerize by the song. Both Italian brothers also couldn't help but quietly listen to the music, watching the young girl swaying back and forth to the melody of the music, her fingers delicately moving across the notes.

She ended the song on a last majestic movement and held the notes for a few seconds before letting them go, slowly placing her hands on her lap.

Everyone started clapping and complimenting her. The girl turned around and gave the people a shy smile. Happy to see that people had enjoyed her music.

Austria opened his eyes and walked towards the girl. "Vous jouez merveilleusement. Je vois que vous vous entrainez depuis longtemps." (You play wonderfully. I can tell you've been practicing for very long.) He commented.

"Merci." (Thank you.) She smile back.

"Puis-je ?" (May I?) He inquired. The girl instantly got off the seat and signaled for him to take her place. "Bien sur !" (Of course.)

Austria took a few seconds to make himself comfortable and did a few practice notes to get used to the keyboard and get to know better the piano he would be playing, since every piano is different and has a life of its own.

Then he started his piece. It started out quite simple, with his finger playing the same note over and over again. People started snickering at this simplicity and how it was nothing compared to what the girl was playing.

But in an instant it became a raging storm of notes rushing one after the other. It was going so fast you could barely see his fingers. And now everyone had stopped making fun of him and watched with mouths gapping open.

The girl gasped in surprise. "Le Vent d'Hiver de Chopin !" (Chopin's Winter Wind!) She exclaimed. "Ce morceau est presque impossible à jouer !" (That piece is practically impossible to play!) She looked at Austria in awe.

And in fact it was true; this piece was practically impossible; only a few minority were capable of playing this piece flawlessly.

The moment Austria finished playing, people instantly started clapping really loudly, showering Austria with compliments.

"C'était extraordinaire !" (That was amazing!) The girl stared back at him with big round eyes. "Je n'ai jamais vue quelque chose de pareille !" (I've never seen anything like it!)

"Merci." Austria replied, smiling. He got up and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Je suis sure que tu va réussir à le jouer un jour." (I'm sure that you'll be able to play it on day).

"J'espère." (I hope.)

He gave her a curt nod and went back to join the Italian brothers.

"That was amazing!" Italy proclaimed.

"Not bad." Romano added. He was trying to keep his cool but inside he was actually feeling very jealous.

"Thank you." Austria was about to ask them where they wanted to go now, but suddenly he felt a drop touch his cheek and looked up. The clouds were started to gather up in the sky; it was clear it was going to start raining soon.

"How about we head back?" Austria suggested.

The Italian brothers - also realizing it was going to rain - nodded their heads in agreement.

Dark grey clouds gathered together in the sky as a heavy rain started pouring. Footsteps splashed in the small puddles that were forming. People immediately took out their umbrellas or hoods. However, one person in particular was letting himself get drenched, seemingly not caring what was happening to him. After a while he stopped walking and stood in front of an old church. He slowly lifted his absent gaze and stared at the lonesome edifice that didn't seem to fit in with its surrounding environment.

France was standing in front of L'église Saint-Denys de la Chapelle, also known as La basilique Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc.

[To be continued…]

History

Parc des Buttes Chaumont took its name from the bleak hill which occupied the site, which, because of the chemical composition of its soil, was almost bare of vegetation- it was called Chauve-mont, or bare hill. The area, just outside the limits of Paris until the mid-19th century, had a sinister reputation; it was close to the site of the Gibbet of Montfaucon, the notorious place where the bodies of hanged criminals were displayed after their executions from the 13th century until 1760. After the 1789 Revolution, it became a refuse dump, and then a place for cutting up horse carcasses and a depository for sewage. The director of public works of Paris and builder of the Park, Jean-Charles Alphand, reported that "the site spread infectious emanations not only to the neighboring areas, but, following the direction of the wind, over the entire city." Another part of the site was a former gypsum and limestone quarry mined for the construction of buildings in Paris and in the United States. This not-very-promising site was chosen by Baron Haussmann, the Prefet of Paris, for the site of a new public park for the recreation and pleasure of the rapidly growing population of the new 19th and 20th arrondissements of Paris, which had been annexed to the city in 1860.

Author's Note: Next chapter will be all about France and Joan of Arc.

I encourage you to check out the piano pieces I mentioned (especially winter wind).