In His Bones - Part 1
anonymous
December 10 2009, 15:45:19 UTC
His first memories are of the earth, dark and warm and nurturing - And so, when the time comes, back to the earth he goes, heedless of the voices of the servants calling him.
" - Ludwig." His brother calls to him, hugging him and picking him up, later.
"Ludwig Ludwig Ludwig. - You'd been hiding out in the gardens again, I hear?"
Ludwig nods, a bit shame-faced. He wasn't hiding, after all.
Not really, not truly.
"...So what do you do out there, hmmmm?"
Ludwig looks down at his feet, pushing the dirt around with his foot.
"...Dream."
" - You take naps?" Gilbert snorts, grinning.
"And here I thought you were chasing after a pretty girl or something! Ahh, well..."
Ludwig shrugs, the image of a young servant girl with a brush flickering in his mind for some strange reason he can't really understand. He makes a note to himself to try asking the people in his head if they can find anything about her, later.
Not that he thought there was much of a chance that they'd succeed, really - The inside of his mind could be an annoyingly disorganized place, once one looked beyond the workrooms, as he'd discovered much to his dismay...
"Well, alright, then! - Time for ya swordwork now, brat - "
"How does it feel like?" Ludwig dares to ask him one day, sitting next to Gilbert, looking at the sun going down together.
"What? To transform?"
Gilbert laughs. "It's - Just the best feeling in the world, brat. To change, to fly - "
"Mmmm." Ludwig mumbles. That wasn't what he was trying to ask at all, frankly.
" - Oh. To kneel, you mean?"
" - Ja."
Gilbert smiles at him, patting his head.
"Well, in my case - When it was Old Fritz - this was before he was actually Old Fritz, you know - it sort of turned me into a squashed bird pancake, if you get my meaning. I mean, he'd just tried to dump me and run off to ole Brow's place of all places, and then von Katte got executed, and he was raving at everything and everybody then hey, squashed bird. I couldn't even get up from the ground till he Choose me back, and it took three bloody days, I kid ya not. I thought that brat was going to be the death of me, honestly..."
Ludwig blinks, amused to hear his brother call Frederick the Great 'that brat' of all things.
"But really - He turned out to be not just the best Chosen I ever had, but one of the best Leaders, period. I could fly so high when he was with me - "
Gilbert looks happy, remembering his most beloved Leader and King.
" - So I'll know? When it's the - right one?"
Ludwig asks. He has to.
"More like - You wouldn't have the luxury of not knowing. - Really. I mean, bird pancake."
Gilbert grins, taking a swig out of whatever was in the winebag.
" - But hey, brat? Look here - real Chosen only appear on the scene once in a blue moon at most, alright? The great majority of our Leaders are just plain Placeholders, no matter how blueblooded or not, no matter what - certain idiots - say. And good Placeholders are worth a hell of a lot, they can make or break a country, so don't go around putting them down even just inside that blond head of yours, alright?"
"I know, Bruder." Ludwig smiles back at him.
"Good, good." Gilbert smiles back at him. "It's a shame you still can't transform, though - You should be able to manage a basic transformation by now, at least..."
" - I'm sorry, Bruder..."
"...Don't be. You'll get the hang of it one day, you'll see - "
And then his brother picks him up and carries him over his shoulder, and Ludwig squeals and laughs.
He knows that he is growing swiftly, and he will soon be too big for thin and wiry Gilbert to carry at all.
" - Ludwig." His brother calls to him, hugging him and picking him up, later.
"Ludwig Ludwig Ludwig. - You'd been hiding out in the gardens again, I hear?"
Ludwig nods, a bit shame-faced. He wasn't hiding, after all.
Not really, not truly.
"...So what do you do out there, hmmmm?"
Ludwig looks down at his feet, pushing the dirt around with his foot.
"...Dream."
" - You take naps?" Gilbert snorts, grinning.
"And here I thought you were chasing after a pretty girl or something! Ahh, well..."
Ludwig shrugs, the image of a young servant girl with a brush flickering in his mind for some strange reason he can't really understand. He makes a note to himself to try asking the people in his head if they can find anything about her, later.
Not that he thought there was much of a chance that they'd succeed, really - The inside of his mind could be an annoyingly disorganized place, once one looked beyond the workrooms, as he'd discovered much to his dismay...
"Well, alright, then! - Time for ya swordwork now, brat - "
"How does it feel like?" Ludwig dares to ask him one day, sitting next to Gilbert, looking at the sun going down together.
"What? To transform?"
Gilbert laughs. "It's - Just the best feeling in the world, brat. To change, to fly - "
"Mmmm." Ludwig mumbles. That wasn't what he was trying to ask at all, frankly.
" - Oh. To kneel, you mean?"
" - Ja."
Gilbert smiles at him, patting his head.
"Well, in my case - When it was Old Fritz - this was before he was actually Old Fritz, you know - it sort of turned me into a squashed bird pancake, if you get my meaning. I mean, he'd just tried to dump me and run off to ole Brow's place of all places, and then von Katte got executed, and he was raving at everything and everybody then hey, squashed bird. I couldn't even get up from the ground till he Choose me back, and it took three bloody days, I kid ya not. I thought that brat was going to be the death of me, honestly..."
Ludwig blinks, amused to hear his brother call Frederick the Great 'that brat' of all things.
"But really - He turned out to be not just the best Chosen I ever had, but one of the best Leaders, period. I could fly so high when he was with me - "
Gilbert looks happy, remembering his most beloved Leader and King.
" - So I'll know? When it's the - right one?"
Ludwig asks. He has to.
"More like - You wouldn't have the luxury of not knowing. - Really. I mean, bird pancake."
Gilbert grins, taking a swig out of whatever was in the winebag.
" - But hey, brat? Look here - real Chosen only appear on the scene once in a blue moon at
most, alright? The great majority of our Leaders are just plain Placeholders, no matter how blueblooded or not, no matter what - certain idiots - say. And good Placeholders are worth a hell of a lot, they can make or break a country, so don't go around putting them down even just inside that blond head of yours, alright?"
"I know, Bruder." Ludwig smiles back at him.
"Good, good." Gilbert smiles back at him. "It's a shame you still can't transform, though - You should be able to manage a basic transformation by now, at least..."
" - I'm sorry, Bruder..."
"...Don't be. You'll get the hang of it one day, you'll see - "
And then his brother picks him up and carries him over his shoulder, and Ludwig squeals and laughs.
He knows that he is growing swiftly, and he will soon be too big for thin and wiry Gilbert to carry at all.
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