Short one-shot of babby FrUK, in Francis' point of view ; or how he suddenly found himself alone after Rome's downfall and met Arthur for the first time.

By the way, Ewen and Genovefa are Gaul and fem!Gaul. :)

It was interesting to write in the first person, through the eyes of a child (he's about four in human age here)... Enjoy !

Do you remember when we first met ?

Do you remember ?

I had spent days hiding in the house alone, and every night, I would sit outside on the highest wall and wait for them to come home. And of course, they didn't. I had to realize that they would never come back. Papa Ewen and maman Genovefa… I wouldn't see them again.

I never forgot that night, when I was pretending to be asleep in my bed, and I heard them saying they had to leave. It was the end, they said, it was the end of Ancient Rome, and therefore they were going to disappear too.
I didn't want to listen to that, I didn't want to understand so I tried to close my eyes harder to fall asleep. It didn't work, and I heard maman going in my room, and she sat on my bed, and she kissed my cheeks, my nose, my forehead, and she was crying. And I kept pretending to be asleep, and she whispered so many things to me, and she kept saying she was sorry.
I wanted to cry, but then papa came near me too, and he laid a hand on my shoulder. He said I was going to have to be a strong little boy like he had been teaching me. So I kept my eyes closed, and I didn't cry.

And then I heard them going outside, and I thought it was temporary, they sure couldn't leave me forever, right ? I kept telling myself it was just a bad dream, and then I slept.

Nobody kissed my forehead to wake me up on the next mornings.

When I understood that sitting on this wall each night waiting for them wouldn't work, it hurt. When I understood they would never come back… I just ran. I didn't even know why, I still don't. I ran through the forest, and I started crying for good.
I was scared and lonely.
I ran until I was exhausted. Do you remember, how I was curled up against a tree, how I just fell asleep there ? When did you find me exactly ?

When I woke up, a little boy with scruffy blond hair was looking at me. You were so, so little, and you had such big, big green eyes ! I stared at you, and you stared at me, and you said something, and I didn't understand.

We just stared at each other for a while. Then I said "Francis", you said "Arthur", I said "Arzzhur" and you frowned. You repeated your name, I got it wrong again, you started pouting. We tried again, I still couldn't pronounce it right, and at the end it seemed like you were making fun of me.

I thought you were weird, but I was also glad to see you.

I know I was.

We couldn't really communicate with words, yet. After a while, I just curled up again against the tree, because I was still tired, and you understood. You decided to sleep here too for some reasons. And the night came, and some little lights came to you, like fireflies. But they weren't fireflies, they were tiny creatures, they were fairies. And I watched you talking in a language I didn't understand, and soon, I was asleep.