Chapter Summary: France asks questions, makes observations, and gets to see some familiar faces.

"Suffering, pain, misfortune–he'll have to get used to it all," said Prussia. "Sure, he's freakishly strong, and ridiculously resilient, nobody's doubting that about him. But America needs to learn use his head once in a while if he wants any hope of getting the best of England."

"Those are some noble values." said France, standing off to the side of the training field next to Prussia, "Although, if half of what I've heard about him is true, that boy and his company have already endured more hardship this winter than many men alive will ever face."

"Well, the war isn't over yet. The worst might be yet to come." said Prussia, carefully observing the American troops at their exercises. "But hey, that's why we're both here, aren't we? To help set him on the right path."

"That's one way of looking at it."

By posing under the admittedly flimsy cover of being a trade negotiator from his Caribbean colonies, France had managed to gain permission from his bosses to visit the new, volatile United States. He hadn't personally seen the state of the army before the Baron's arrival, but he had heard word of it, from his own correspondence as well as from the American ambassadors in France who for the past two years had vied for aid against Britain. Now that he was here, it was the little details that made such a big difference indeed–such as how the men marched and stood at attention–that reflected the newer, more disciplined mindset overtaking the army that only a few months ago had been in danger of succumbing to starvation and disease.

"He certainly has a way with soldiers." said France, watching as the Baron, dressed in full military gear, marched back and forth in front of the army, commanding in a garbled mixture of German, French, and multilingual profanities while his interpreters relayed their translations. America stood somewhat further away the middle of the crowd, partially hidden from view by a couple of taller soldiers flanking him. "Although one just has to ask, if he's as brilliant a tactician as you say, why'd he get discharged from your army?"

"Oh, there's plenty of gossip back home." said Prussia. "I was actually getting kind of sick of everyone jabbering about it, which is kind of why I offered to tag along. True, he's always been a bit vague about his personal details; I'm not even sure he's actually a Baron! But I do know one thing," he said. "He's one of the best there is. It's a damn shame if my own people have to lose him just because the higher-ups don't take too nicely to self-described sodomites. It's the least i can do to help him out a bit at his new job."

After the drill was over, soldiers all around took their leave, some returning to their tents to return their equipment, others going to relieve themselves at the newly–installed latrines that the Baron had ordered built on the edge of the encampment.

"At least they're not shitting everywhere and leaving dead animals to rot in the middle of the roads." said Prussia, watching the group disperse.

"Sounds like that's your proudest accomplishment to date."

"You bet it is," Prussia snickered. "Why are you laughing? I mean it, you know! Even simple things like taking a crap can affect the entire system. You should have come here when we first arrived. Completely disgusting! But we sorted that out, along with everything else."

"Hey, Prussia!" a familiar voice shouted, and they turned to see America running up to them, with his typical wide grin. "How'd I do today?"

"Tolerable, I suppose." said Prussia. "You all seem to actually be taking advice nowadays, which is a relief."

"So… does that mean you think we're improving?" he asked, a hopeful look on his face.

"Yes, indeed." said France, cutting in. "At least, you seemed to be doing better since the last time I got to see you fight, and that was back when I was fighting against you."

America turned in surprise, as if noticing him standing there for the first time. "Oh! Haha, hi there France!" he said. "And oh yeah, no hard feelings about that, right? I mean, I was just helping Arth–I mean, England, at the time, but that's all over now. Super great to see you! You gonna go see Washington and Lafayette later?"

"That's why I'm here," said France. "Although I thought I'd slip in and get a good look at you first. You've sure grown since the last time I saw you!" America was indeed a lot taller and leaner than the tiny kid who'd brutally tackled France several times during the Seven Years' War, but he still wore the same mischievous expression that he'd always had.

"You really think so?" said America Haha… thanks, I guess." He shifted self-consciously and lacing his fingers together–still not quite used to his new stature, France deduced. Prussia cleared his throat, and America immediately straightened.

"As I was saying," said Prussia, putting himself between them. "Before we were so rudely interrupted–" he shot a warning look back at France. "Is that yes, you are doing much better than before. You've even impressed the Baron with your progress. Now that he's implemented his methods across the entire army, this extends to them as well ."

"Well, that's good right?" America grinned again, blue eyes sparkling with the early-morning energy. "I got to see some of the newest translations from that instruction book he's putting together! I mean, it's not done yet, but I talked to Hamilton and he let me see some of the drafts!"

"Now don't get too excited," said Prussia. "You've still got a long way to go. True, your formations have been clean, and you've tripled in efficiency and organization. But I've noticed that you break rhythm sometimes to turn around or look back. Remember, you've got to remember to actually concentrate on the task at hand."

America looked at him blankly for a second, then snapped out of it and nodded vigorously.

"…Yes sir."

"See?" Prussia poked America in the forehead. "That's what I mean. You've gotta be on top of it. There's a million things to worry about on the battlefield, and if you can't focus you can't function. Understand?"

"Yes sir!" he replied, quicker this time. "I'll do better, I won't disappoint you!"

"That's the spirit," said Prussia, smiling for the first time that day. "Although you gotta remember it's not about me. You've got to do this for yourself and your men."

"That too!" said America. "I mean–of course! That's what I meant to say. When I said that, that is."

He stood there for another awkward couple of seconds. France was considering interrupting again when Prussia spoke up.

"Well, you'd better get going before the whole army finishes up lunch without you."

"Alright then, I'll see you later today!" he waved goodbye to France as he ran off to catch up with the rest of the hungry troops. Once he was out of sight, Prussia seemed to relax a bit more.

"Not quite the scrappy farmhand he used to be! At the rate he's growing, he'll soon pass England in stature. No wonder the old fart's so upset. Imagine having a little brother who's taller than you." he laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea, then continued. "You know, I might be getting pretty fond of that rascal despite myself."

"Hm," said France, remembering Alfred's beaming face and those awkward half-second pauses earlier. "And I'm quite positive he'd say the same about you." It was a simple enough reply. France harbored a faint hope that Prussia would pick up on the implied message encoded within his intonations, but he had no such luck.

"Anyway, you'd be better off going to see the the Marquis," Prussia said, starting to head off. "He's been excited ever since he learned you were coming over. I'm gonna grab something to eat and maybe have a chat with the aides. Need anything?"

"I'll be fine."

When Lafayette saw France approaching, he immediately ran over and wrapped him in a firm embrace. "Francis! It's been too long since we've seen each other, mon ami!" he said. "Any word from the court? How has my nation been all this time?"

"Fatigued," said France truthfully. "It's been a long journey and Pruss–I mean, Gilbert–has been dragging me all over this encampment since I've arrived. But you! You've been busy. I received your letters. Where's this Washington fellow you keep raving about?"

The young noble brightened at the mention of Washington. "I just know he'll be glad to see you! He probably won't look very happy, but that's just how he is, you'd understand if you've spent as much time with him as I have. I mean, he's been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders since this thing started, just like Atlas."

"Where can I see him?"

"He's busy now," said Lafayette, pointing over to a large house at the edge of their vision. "He's been holed up in the Potts house all day talking with Hamilton and the others, but you can probably see him tomorrow, or even tonight if they finish early, although I doubt they will. I can't wait for you to meet him!"

In the meantime, Lafayette decided introduced his "good friend and ally of the people" to some of his aides and fellow American soldiers. After talking for a few minutes, France casually brought up the subject of Alfred F. Jones and was greeted by a chorus of responses.

"Alfred! Such a charming boy! So energetic, you'd never guess he's more than a hundred years old!"

"Honestly? He reminds me of my brother, when we were younger."

"I've been missing my son back at home since I joined, and it's weird, but I swear he looks just like him!"

"The way he talks and laughs–it's so strange, as he's younger than me, but it's just like the way my Uncle used to tell jokes when I was a kid."

"He seems like he's quite popular with his people." Said France once they'd left the soldiers to continue fawning and arguing over who was really Alfred's best friend in the army.

"Of course he is! He's young, energetic, and their nation after all. "

"Does he get along well with Gilbert?"

"Get along with Gilbert?" the Marquis laughed. "Oh, he's always running off and looking for an excuse to accompany him and see what he's up to, even outside of training. Not that Washington or the others mind too much; he's here to help teach him good habits after all. I don't think I've seen Alfred in such high spirits since that Prussian Baron and his nation came to camp."

"Is that so?" France muttered to himself.

"Hm? What did you say?" said the Marquis.

"Nothing," said France. "I just get the feeling this is going to be an interesting visit…."

Thank you for reading! I've been planning out this fic for a while now and I'm glad to finally get a first chapter up.

Historical notes:

(there's a lot on Von Steuben bc wow he was actually super interesting?)

-The Winter at Valley Forge was one of the lowest points in the Revolutionary War, where more than 2,000 American soldiers died of sickness, starvation, or hypothermia due to lack of resources. There will be more on this later...

-One of the first changes Von Steuben made at Valley forge was to make basic hygiene mandatory–he had latrines built on the side of the camp that sloped downwards, and demanded that kitchens be as far away from aforementioned latrines as possible.

-One of the reasons why Von Steuben ended up serving in the United States in the first place was because of allegations of homosexuality back in Prussia, which most likely had led to his being dismissed from the army despite his very impressive military record there. The allegations (which he never denied) followed him back to the states, but overall Washington decided that the need for his skills outweighed any accusations of "sodomy" that he might have. Also worth noting that the word "homosexual" didn't even exist yet at this point, which is why Prussia uses "sodomite." Bosses might be fine with nations in same-sex relationships, but not for humans...

-Von Steuben's military manual (known as "the Blue Book") that served to standardize training procedures throughout the Continental army, which had been horribly inconsistent before. He wrote them in French, and Alexander Hamilton and Nathaniel Greene would translate them into English. Alfred probably gets first dibs on the fresh copies! Also, the principles of the Blue Book are still in use in the US military today.

-The Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington were very good friends throughout the war, despite their wide age range and very different personalities–the Marquis was known for being very warm and sociable, while George Washington was more aloof and serious...

-The Potts house–where Washington had his headquarters during his time in Valley Forge.

If you feel like adding any info as well, please comment!