The sun was slowly setting over the wooded horizon. The sky painted itself in stunning waves of red, pink, and orange, and the child could feel the gentle breeze whistle through the trees.

Alfred had never been able to get good views like this back at his old home. It had been in the valleys, and for years England made sure he stayed there. Now the Revolution was finally happening, and General Washington had sent him away for safe-keeping.

Here at the Homestead, he found it hard to think of revolution. It was so peaceful – like a safe haven for any who longed for peace.

The young nation gazed over at his bodyguard who stood watching the sunset. For once his hood was down, letting his dark chestnut hair flutter in the breeze. They hadn't known each other for more than a few months, but Connor had proven himself to be more than capable of protecting him, and was teaching him how to fight and defend himself as well.

"Connor?" The Assassin turned sharply at the call. For once he didn't look as tense as usual.

"What is it?"

Alfred leaned forward in his seat earnestly. "Tell me more about your…our people. The Kanien'keha:ka."

Connor raised an eyebrow as he sat down opposite him, surprised he was able to pronounce it. "Why do you wish to know?"

The child sighed faintly. "My mom, Native America…she was in charge of all the tribes. She raised me and Canada when we were small. But I haven't seen her in so long…my life back then feels more like a dream now. I can barely remember it." An understanding look crossed Connor's face. "I guess I just thought if I learned as much as possible about her, I'd be able to remember."

A spark of an idea flashed through his mind. "Can you teach me the language? If I hear some of it, maybe I can remember the rest."

Connor looked doubtful, but he nodded. "Alright."

"First, how do I say your name?"

The Assassin cleared his throat gruffly. "Ratonhnhaké:ton."

"Raydoon…hack…"Alfred stumbled over the unfamiliar syllables.

"Ra – don – ha – gay – don," Connor repeated, stressing each accent slowly.

Alfred took a deep breath. "Ratonhnhaké:ton." The Assassin nodded in approval. "How would I introduce myself?"

"You'd say, 'Alfred ióntiats.'" A small smile played on his lips as the child repeated the phrase.

"I think it's becoming easier," Alfred said excitedly. He glanced back outside. "How do you say 'tree'?"

"Karón:ta."

"Karón:ta…what about horse?"

"Akohsá:tens."

"Squirrel?"

"Aró:sen."

"Eagle?"

"Á:kwe'ks." A slow grin grew on the Assassin's face. "Sa'nikonhraién:tas ken?"

"Hén," Alfred chirped. His eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth. "I actually understood you…I can't believe it! It's coming back!"

Connor couldn't stop the smile from lighting up his face. "Well, it seems you are my country after all," he commented. "That was much faster than I expected."

"Teach me more," the child begged, pulling his chair closer to the Assassin. The sun continued its descent through the sky as the two kept talking. They soon discovered Alfred could understand quite a bit but had a harder time speaking it himself, so Connor carefully went over the pronunciation and basic grammatical rules until he got it right. That was the advantage of being a Nation – it was a lot easier to learn a language for them than for a regular human.

It was already dusk by the time the two got up again. Alfred yawned and stretched his back. "Are you going on another trip tomorrow?" he asked. Connor usually retired early whenever he had a mission to begin the next day.

"Iá. I have some matters to discuss with the Old Man concerning our next target. But in two weeks I have to make a trip to New York for more supplies; you may come with me if you wish."

"Good. It's kinda dull being here just with Achilles. Plus he makes me train a lot."

"You need it."

"You're just as bad."

Connor lightly smacked the back of his head and began heading inside. "Perhaps I will take you with me the next time I visit my village," he said softly. "My people deserve to meet their new nation."

Alfred's head shot up. "You…you really mean it?"

"What do I have to gain from lying to you?" The Assassin shrugged in an attempt to look nonchalant, but even the child could see he was nervous.

Alfred grinned. "I'd love to. I've always wanted to meet a Kanien'keha:ka tribe again."

Connor's shoulders slumped as the tension left him, relieved. "You should return to your room," he said, changing the subject. "It's getting late."

"Alright." The two entered the manor and headed up the stairs to their rooms. Alfred's was several rooms down from Connor's, which was opposite Achilles'. It had become a routine of sorts for Connor to escort the young Nation to his quarters for bed, wait outside until he was asleep, then continue on with whatever was on his night schedule.

Alfred didn't like to bother the older boy and he told him so, but he stayed all the same. And if he was to be completely honest, it made him feel safe; he could sleep soundly knowing nothing would get past the Assassin outside his door.

Arthur may have been his big brother, but he never gave him that kind of security.

"Hey, Ratonhnhaké:ton?" He liked how the foreign sound rolled off his tongue.

"Hén?"

"How do you say 'big brother'?"

They arrived at Alfred's room. "Rahkt:si," Connor replied.

"Okay." The child opened the door. "Kwah tokén:'en sén:ta'wh, rahkt:si."

Connor halted in his tracks. For a few moments he said nothing, then he reached down and ruffled Alfred's hair like he did the rare times he was happy.

"Goodnight…ri'ken." An echo of his gentle smile graced his features as he closed the door behind Alfred.

A warm feeling tingled in Alfred's chest as he kicked off his boots and started getting ready for bed. When he'd begrudgingly agreed to Washington's suggestion of a bodyguard, he hadn't thought of the possibility of getting a new friend in the process.

And what was the best thing about being a Nation?

It was that you had a blood bond with every single person that was born on your earth.

So I guess, in a way, we really are brothers.

The End.

Hey y'all! I hope you enjoyed my first crossover one-shot!
Connor is probably my favorite Assassin's Creed character, so it was fun to write a little drabble featuring him. I have this crossover series with Hetalia where he becomes Alfred's bodyguard and they become close friends, as well as have various adventures. This was the first time I wrote a one-shot for this series, so let me know what you think and I just might write more!

Kanien'keha:ka words used (that were not translated in-fic):

**** iontiats - My name is ****
Sa'nikonhraien:tas ken? - Do you understand?
Hen - Yes
Ia - No
Kwah token:'en sen:ta'wh - Goodnight
Ri'ken - Little brother