Gilbert Beilschmidt was born to a family of many sons. All of his brothers were strong and loud and, from the moment he drew his first breath, it was clear that he followed in that way. He was healthy and curious. He was everything one could want in a son.
Save for one thing.
Growing up, Gilbert heard fairy tales of women who wished for children of red and white and black and gold. They wished those colors on their unborn child's lips and skin and hair, making them beautiful. Gilbert's mother must have done such a thing and did it terribly wrong, for when the boy was born, it was with skin as white as snow, hair as silver as the moon, and eyes as red as blood.
It was whispered throughout the town (though never spoken outright, naturally) that Gilbert's mother took ill when she saw the devil-child she birthed. She did not survive her next child, several years later, lasting only long enough to leave the baby with the name “Ludwig”. Days later, Gilbert's father went insane and fled his home. His sons were left in the care of their grandfather, who it was said had too much blood left from the Old Country for any demons to hurt him.
It was utter nonsense, Gilbert's grandfather always said. Frau Beilschmidt had always been a frail woman. Everyone knew that she was lucky to have lived long enough to give birth to Gilbert, regardless of any alleged demons. Herr Beilschmidt had been a weak-willed fool who never so much as raised a puppy, let alone his own children. Without his wife to care for Gilbert and his brothers, of course he ran.
Gilbert drew comfort from his grandfather's words. He grew to be just as loud and strong as his brothers. While the other Beilschmidt children were praised for their spirit though,Gilbert was shunned. He pretended not to notice, but he was well aware of the whispered accusations that his own bold demeanor was a sign of an untamable demon. No one scorned him openly, fearing savage retribution from his grandfather, but they did their best to avoid him. Mothers warned their children to avoid the red-eyed devil-child and there were few who disobeyed and included Gilbert in their fighting games. Even so he still found one friend in the village to play with - Eli.
Eli was wilder than any of the other boys in the village. The other boys would run crying after every fight with Gilbert. They gave up in the middle, just as things were getting interesting. Eli never did. He stuck out every fight until the end and never, ever cried. It was not long before he and Gilbert were close friends.
And so the years passed. Gilbert grew from a rambunctious child to a boisterous young man. His limbs lengthened and his muscles strengthened. His fights with Eli were more intense, but sadly were also more infrequent. Eli seemed embarrassed to miss so many fights with Gilbert, but was unusually tight-lipped about what was holding him up. Gilbert thought it was just new responsibilities at home, and left the matter at that.
...Until they were in the middle of a wrestling match one afternoon, and Gilbert caught Eli around the chest. He squeezed him close, trying to wind his opponent, and discovered...
Indeed.
Gilbert's friend took advantage of his confusion to wiggle free and pin him to the ground, and immediately after demanded to know what had him wide-eyed like some silly maiden. So what, if Eli had hips and a chest that curved in a way no man's did? So what if Eli had to miss fights to be stuffed into dresses and be paraded in front of deary men with drearier sons?
And, so very suddenly, Gilbert learned that his old friend Eli was Elizabeta Hedervary, daughter of Lord Hedervary, the most powerful man in town.
Gilbert felt incredibly foolish for not realizing this sooner. To be sure, a layer of dirt, trousers, and a bloody nose did wonders disguising a maiden for a man. But it had been at least a year since Lord Hedervary's daughter had reached an age where she was trotted around town like a pretty pet, in the hopes of attracting a wealthy suitor. Gilbert had seen her many times. Perhaps he even...no, he certainly hadn't found her lovely. Not Eli, no matter what dresses and jewels she wore. But he'd certainly admired the fiery look in her eyes and the bold twist of her mouth, and had more than once wondered if she truly was as fierce as he fancied she looked.
Elizabeta certainly had a grand time mocking him for his ignorance. He, in turn, mocked her for her lack of ladylike behavior. The two began to fight in the middle of the street, and between their various shouts and curses towards one another, the townsfolk came to learn that the daughter of the most honorable family in town spent her time wrestling with the demon-child.
The secret fights stopped entirely not long after. Gilbert knew he should have expected this, but could not help but feel a bit hurt. After all, Elizabeta knew who he was. If she was so occupied with dances and dinners, could she not at least send him a letter, explaining that they would never again meet? He could not believe that the ever-cocky Eli would let her parents best her entirely. Was it really beyond her means to contact him at all?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Immortalia: Story the Fourth - Rose White, Rose Red (C)
(Anonymous) 2014-03-02 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)Save for one thing.
Growing up, Gilbert heard fairy tales of women who wished for children of red and white and black and gold. They wished those colors on their unborn child's lips and skin and hair, making them beautiful. Gilbert's mother must have done such a thing and did it terribly wrong, for when the boy was born, it was with skin as white as snow, hair as silver as the moon, and eyes as red as blood.
It was whispered throughout the town (though never spoken outright, naturally) that Gilbert's mother took ill when she saw the devil-child she birthed. She did not survive her next child, several years later, lasting only long enough to leave the baby with the name “Ludwig”. Days later, Gilbert's father went insane and fled his home. His sons were left in the care of their grandfather, who it was said had too much blood left from the Old Country for any demons to hurt him.
It was utter nonsense, Gilbert's grandfather always said. Frau Beilschmidt had always been a frail woman. Everyone knew that she was lucky to have lived long enough to give birth to Gilbert, regardless of any alleged demons. Herr Beilschmidt had been a weak-willed fool who never so much as raised a puppy, let alone his own children. Without his wife to care for Gilbert and his brothers, of course he ran.
Gilbert drew comfort from his grandfather's words. He grew to be just as loud and strong as his brothers. While the other Beilschmidt children were praised for their spirit though,Gilbert was shunned. He pretended not to notice, but he was well aware of the whispered accusations that his own bold demeanor was a sign of an untamable demon. No one scorned him openly, fearing savage retribution from his grandfather, but they did their best to avoid him. Mothers warned their children to avoid the red-eyed devil-child and there were few who disobeyed and included Gilbert in their fighting games. Even so he still found one friend in the village to play with - Eli.
Eli was wilder than any of the other boys in the village. The other boys would run crying after every fight with Gilbert. They gave up in the middle, just as things were getting interesting. Eli never did. He stuck out every fight until the end and never, ever cried. It was not long before he and Gilbert were close friends.
And so the years passed. Gilbert grew from a rambunctious child to a boisterous young man. His limbs lengthened and his muscles strengthened. His fights with Eli were more intense, but sadly were also more infrequent. Eli seemed embarrassed to miss so many fights with Gilbert, but was unusually tight-lipped about what was holding him up. Gilbert thought it was just new responsibilities at home, and left the matter at that.
...Until they were in the middle of a wrestling match one afternoon, and Gilbert caught Eli around the chest. He squeezed him close, trying to wind his opponent, and discovered...
Indeed.
Gilbert's friend took advantage of his confusion to wiggle free and pin him to the ground, and immediately after demanded to know what had him wide-eyed like some silly maiden. So what, if Eli had hips and a chest that curved in a way no man's did? So what if Eli had to miss fights to be stuffed into dresses and be paraded in front of deary men with drearier sons?
And, so very suddenly, Gilbert learned that his old friend Eli was Elizabeta Hedervary, daughter of Lord Hedervary, the most powerful man in town.
Gilbert felt incredibly foolish for not realizing this sooner. To be sure, a layer of dirt, trousers, and a bloody nose did wonders disguising a maiden for a man. But it had been at least a year since Lord Hedervary's daughter had reached an age where she was trotted around town like a pretty pet, in the hopes of attracting a wealthy suitor. Gilbert had seen her many times. Perhaps he even...no, he certainly hadn't found her lovely. Not Eli, no matter what dresses and jewels she wore. But he'd certainly admired the fiery look in her eyes and the bold twist of her mouth, and had more than once wondered if she truly was as fierce as he fancied she looked.
Elizabeta certainly had a grand time mocking him for his ignorance. He, in turn, mocked her for her lack of ladylike behavior. The two began to fight in the middle of the street, and between their various shouts and curses towards one another, the townsfolk came to learn that the daughter of the most honorable family in town spent her time wrestling with the demon-child.
The secret fights stopped entirely not long after. Gilbert knew he should have expected this, but could not help but feel a bit hurt. After all, Elizabeta knew who he was. If she was so occupied with dances and dinners, could she not at least send him a letter, explaining that they would never again meet? He could not believe that the ever-cocky Eli would let her parents best her entirely. Was it really beyond her means to contact him at all?