The war had officially started a little more than two years earlier, and yet little progress was being made. The Continental Army was still struggling, and General George Washington was happy to accept any troops so long as they met two conditions - a) They were of age, and b) They were willing to fight.

Never before had he come across a recruit with such odd requests as this one. He was to meet the recruit at an abandoned home, and was explicitly instructed to come alone. Washington was leery of this directive at first, but something - he wasn't sure what, exactly...told him that he could trust the writer of this letter.

As he entered the dwelling, he saw a figure seated on a chair in the main room. Assuming that this was the recruit in question, the general went on to address him. "I was instructed to meet with a recruit for the Continental Army here. I presume that you are..." Washington paused here, to take a quick glance down at the name on the letter to make sure that he said it correctly. "Alfred F. Jones?" The figure, presumably Alfred judging by his response, was a young blonde man, who appeared to be no older than 15 or 16. As he rose from his seat, Washington was surprised at just how tall the young lad was.

Alfred extended his hand to the general, whose own hand met the new recruit's. "General Washington! I'm so glad I finally got to meet you! I've heard so much about you! I think you're really going to help us win this war!" Expecting a light shake, General Washington was not at all prepared for the almost superhuman strength at which Alfred yanked his hand up and down. By the time the handshake was finished, Washington rubbed at his shoulder, half surprised that his shoulder had not popped out of his socket! Alfred appeared to have noticed Washington's discomfort, and chuckled abashedly.

"I'm sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength..."

The next bit that Washington noted was that the young man, inexplicably, was already wearing a Continental Army uniform. "Where did you get that? Did someone give that to you? Did you raid the company stores?"

For the first time in their conversation, the young blonde's facial expression registered something akin to concerned. "It's a bit more complicated than that." Looking eager to change the subject, Alfred directed the general to a table several feet away. "Would you like something to drink? I have Madeira!"

Before long, Alfred and General Washington were seated at said table, each with a glass of the Portuguese wine situated in front of them. But General Washington had barely touched his, preferring to keep his eyes focused on the strange youngster before him. Something was peculiar about the lad, though Washington wasn't exactly sure what it was just yet...

"So, what made you decide to join the Continental Army?" Came Washington's next question.

"Well, it's a long story..."

"I have all night." Washington normally wouldn't spend this much time with a soldier prior to enlistment, but again, this one struck him as strange...he needed to figure this out.

Alfred gave a light shrug before proceeding with his answer. "My brother and I have been on shaky terms as of late. He performed a favor for me, and while I'm grateful, he seems to be under the impression that he can demand anything and everything of me as a result. It's not so much that he wants to be repaid that bothers me – it's that he expects me to just take it, with no input whatsoever on my end. He refuses to listen to my side in any argument, insisting that he has every right to do what he pleases, and I've grown sick of it.

Washington raised an eyebrow. "What on Earth does that have to do with your desire to join my army?"

Alfred raised an eyebrow in return, almost seeming to mock the general. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

Okay, that was starting to get annoying. Washington decided to change the subject a tad. "You mentioned your brother. What about your parents?"

At this question, Alfred blanched. "I...don't have any. Arthur's raised me from the time I was a child..." Was it just Washington, or was there a hint of bitterness in Alfred's voice when he talked about Arthur?

"I assume Arthur is your brother?"

"That'd be correct."

Alright...so this young man was an orphan, and his older brother had raised him. That was about as much sense as General Washington could make of what Alfred had given him thus far. That still didn't explain why Alfred wanted in the army. "What does any of this have to do with the Continental Army?"

The concern was back on Alfred's face. "Well, Arthur has his Regulars, so I wanted my own army..."

Recognition (or at least what he thought was recognition) crossed Washington's face. Was this young man's brother a British soldier? That would certainly explain a lot of the animosity! Washington was about to offer Alfred a place in the Continental Army when Alfred spoke up first.

"Say...do you want to be my boss?"

Washington looked at the boy with a puzzled expression. "Your...boss?"

"Yeah! Like Arthur's boss is King George, you'd be my boss!"

Arthur's boss was King George. That settled it. "Your brother is British, then."

Once again Alfred blanched, tracing around the top of his wine glass with his finger. "It's a bit more complicated than..."

Alright, that was it. This duck and dodge was getting really annoying. If Alfred F. Jones wanted in HIS army, he'd answer the general's questions. "Really? What is so complicated about it? If you wish to be accepted into my army, you will answer my questions."

There was a long pause. And then, with considerable effort, Alfred finally spoke. "Arthur...is England."

The general of the Continental Army stared at the young recruit dumbfounded for at least one minute. Then he rose to his feet without a word and headed straight for the door. However, just as Washington reached the door, he felt a jerking motion at his neck. The doorknob seemed to descend, just out of reach.

It wasn't the doorknob that was lower, however. Washington's feet were dangling in mid-air. One quick glance behind him showed that he was being held off of the ground by the collar of his uniform, one-handed, by one Alfred F. Jones.

The general said nary a word as Alfred carried him back to the table, still dangling him one handed by the collar of his shirt. The fact that Alfred was doing this with what appeared to be no effort (he wasn't even showing any physical signs of exertion), coupled with the fact that Alfred had just stated that his brother was England, had Washington in so much shock that he barely even moved as he was being carried across the room. Alfred placed Washington back in his seat, before taking his own seat once more.

Aaaaaaaaand insert incredibly awkward silence here.

Awkward for General Washington, at least. While Washington stared stunned across the table at Alfred, Alfred for his part didn't look bothered at all. In fact, he had his eyes closed happily, all the while humming the tune for Yankee Doodle!

Washington cleared his throat. "If your brother is..."

Alfred held up his pointer finger to Washington to shush him, then continued humming. His tone increased in pitch toward the end of the tune, and at the last note, he thrust his fist up into the air in a sort of victory gesture. He opened his eyes to Washington staring at him bemused. "So, what were you saying?"

"Are you done?"

"For now, yes."

Washington blinked, then continued with his prior question. "If your brother is England, then who...or what, exactly...are you?"

"Well, guess I've put it off long enough, and if you're gonna be my boss, you might as well know anyway. I'm the United States of America, but you can call me America for short. Or Alfred. I'd prefer Alfred when we're in other company."

Washington wondered if perhaps he'd had too much to drink, but a quick glance over to his glass reminded him that his alcohol remained almost entirely untouched - as opposed to Alfred's glass, which was entirely empty at this point.

Though at the rate this meeting was going, Washington would probably start drinking heavily soon enough. "I...I see."

Alfred rose to his feet and placed his hands on the table, leaning toward Washington. "So whaddaya say? Do I have a place in your army?"

Washington's first instinct was to say no. This was just too weird for his liking! But then he looked at the figure before him. His enthusiasm was undeniable. That whole super strength thing would be an asset. And if, by some odd chance, this really was the nation that he was fighting for personified...he smiled in spite of himself. Despite how utterly insane this was, this just felt like the right thing to do. "Alright. You have a place in my army."

Alfred let out a whooping sound and patted Washington on the back. "That's great!"

Unfortunately, what was a small clap on the back in Alfred's book registered as a shove, the likes of which General Washington had never seen before. He was literally pushed off of his feet and sent airborne, landing uncomfortably a few feet from where he previously stood. Alfred was there to help him up almost immediately, apologizing profusely for what would account to more than a few bruises the next morning.

Yes, this super strength thing would definitely come in handy.

When Washington was finally back at his feet, he smiled in an almost paternal fashion at the young nation that stood before him. "I think you will be a wonderful addition to the Continental Army."

Alfred's eyes lit up at once. "Really? Thank you so much!" Alfred pulled Washington into a back-crushing hug that left Washington rubbing his back. He still wasn't sure how he was going to explain this to the others in the army, but he had faith in this kid. He had a lot of enthusiasm, and he could go far as a country. If there were any prior doubts in the general's mind, they were now absolved. Alfred's voice drew him from his thoughts.

"Hey General Washington, look! I can balance this hat on my nose!"

...this was going to be one long revolution.

There we have it! My first fanfic posted on here in a LONG time. I may post more chapters, I may not, but be forewarned – Most of my future chapters will likely consist of more crack than this one. Hope you enjoyed!