[Fic] [Round 17] Knit Two Together, PG
Author/Artist:Crystaltear
Characters/Pairings: Conrad, Gwendal
Word Count: 540
Rating: PG
Any Warnings: None
Theme/Prompt being used: The Ultimate Challenge
Notes: Set after Dan Hiri’s death.
“And this is how you create a seed stitch,” Gwendal said as he demonstrated, moving the position of his hands for that of a knit stitch to that of a purl. “It’s important to know what stitch you’ve ended with on your row so you know to begin with the opposite when you start a new one.”
Conrad watched his older brother as he moved his hands, the yarn and knitting needles with cautious but flowing movements, making sure not to make a mistake. After Dan Hiri’s death, the oldest of the Maou’s sons had seemed to want to reconcile any differences he may have had with his younger brother. Conrad, always believing his older brother hated him because he was the son of a human, welcomed the strange new attention though it came with a loss as well: It seemed as though he was destined to only have the love of his brothers one at a time, while the other would despise him.
He shuffled those thoughts back into the furthest corners of his mind as Gwendal looked up at him expectantly. Obediently, he followed the silent command and tried to mimic his brother’s actions with his own knitting needles, successfully making a single knit stitch, but somehow unable to execute the purl. His brow’s furrowed in confusion. He’d moved the needles…
“You forgot to move the yarn to the front,” Gwendal read his expression. He took the ball of yarn and moved the string in front of Conrad’s knitting needles. “Try again.”
Conrad did so, and was successful this time. A small, satisfied smile graced his lips, and he continued with the row, making a few slip ups, but learning quickly under Gwendal’s tutelage.
They continued with the knitting lessons for a few weeks, Conrad admiring Gwendal’s skill and patience and Gwendal seemingly enjoying being able to share his knowledge of something he truly loved doing. But Conrad was a quick learner, and eventually he found himself making pieces--especially knitted animals-with skill that surpassed Gwendal’s. Although this didn’t seem to bother Gwendal in the least, Conrad found himself consciously making errors in his work so that he wouldn’t make his older brother feel bad. Gwendal, confused as to why Conrad seemed to be going backwards in his progress, would often admonish him for not paying attention to what he was doing.
The time put aside to work together eventually shifted from the light-heartedness of knitting to how to work on documentations and plans for war. The decision that Conrad would join the academy once he reached the right age had been made, and Gwendal was giving him the advantage he knew his younger brother would need to be at the top of his class. But when Stoffel slowly started to gain more and more power within the castle walls, those lessons came to an end as well, Gwendal spending the majority of his time trying to smooth over problems his uncle had created.
For a long time after, Conrad still pulled out his knitting needles during that time of the day, quietly knitting in the solitude of his room and hoping that by knitting in his brother’s stead he was somehow lessening the burden on him.
Characters/Pairings: Conrad, Gwendal
Word Count: 540
Rating: PG
Any Warnings: None
Theme/Prompt being used: The Ultimate Challenge
Notes: Set after Dan Hiri’s death.
“And this is how you create a seed stitch,” Gwendal said as he demonstrated, moving the position of his hands for that of a knit stitch to that of a purl. “It’s important to know what stitch you’ve ended with on your row so you know to begin with the opposite when you start a new one.”
Conrad watched his older brother as he moved his hands, the yarn and knitting needles with cautious but flowing movements, making sure not to make a mistake. After Dan Hiri’s death, the oldest of the Maou’s sons had seemed to want to reconcile any differences he may have had with his younger brother. Conrad, always believing his older brother hated him because he was the son of a human, welcomed the strange new attention though it came with a loss as well: It seemed as though he was destined to only have the love of his brothers one at a time, while the other would despise him.
He shuffled those thoughts back into the furthest corners of his mind as Gwendal looked up at him expectantly. Obediently, he followed the silent command and tried to mimic his brother’s actions with his own knitting needles, successfully making a single knit stitch, but somehow unable to execute the purl. His brow’s furrowed in confusion. He’d moved the needles…
“You forgot to move the yarn to the front,” Gwendal read his expression. He took the ball of yarn and moved the string in front of Conrad’s knitting needles. “Try again.”
Conrad did so, and was successful this time. A small, satisfied smile graced his lips, and he continued with the row, making a few slip ups, but learning quickly under Gwendal’s tutelage.
They continued with the knitting lessons for a few weeks, Conrad admiring Gwendal’s skill and patience and Gwendal seemingly enjoying being able to share his knowledge of something he truly loved doing. But Conrad was a quick learner, and eventually he found himself making pieces--especially knitted animals-with skill that surpassed Gwendal’s. Although this didn’t seem to bother Gwendal in the least, Conrad found himself consciously making errors in his work so that he wouldn’t make his older brother feel bad. Gwendal, confused as to why Conrad seemed to be going backwards in his progress, would often admonish him for not paying attention to what he was doing.
The time put aside to work together eventually shifted from the light-heartedness of knitting to how to work on documentations and plans for war. The decision that Conrad would join the academy once he reached the right age had been made, and Gwendal was giving him the advantage he knew his younger brother would need to be at the top of his class. But when Stoffel slowly started to gain more and more power within the castle walls, those lessons came to an end as well, Gwendal spending the majority of his time trying to smooth over problems his uncle had created.
For a long time after, Conrad still pulled out his knitting needles during that time of the day, quietly knitting in the solitude of his room and hoping that by knitting in his brother’s stead he was somehow lessening the burden on him.