Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nobiliteased) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sranks2019-11-10 10:54 pm
nobiliteased) wrote in sranks2019-11-10 10:54 pm
and if there's love in this life, there's no obstacle
[Everyone knows the story about soulmates. They say that when two people who are destined to be together meet, they exchange words that are marked on one another. Those words when spoken by your soulmate will cause the marks to tingle and you'll know. The stories have never explained how one would know, but it's the sort of fairy tale that everyone in Fódlan buys into. In fact, it's practically a requirement to spend a great deal of time talking about your soulmate and daydreaming about what they look like, act like, sound like.
Even Lorenz wasn't immune to that, though he was very young when his father started insisting he cover up the words on the inside of his left arm. He was still an idealistic child when he was told to stop dreaming about a soulmate. A noble's duty is to their house and their lands; one cannot get caught up in wild daydreams when securing an heir is far more important. What if his soulmate were to be a man, or perhaps worse, a commoner?
So Lorenz stopped dreaming. He stopped thinking about what color his soulmate's eyes would be, or what their laugh would sound like, or even the words marked on his arm.
Noble blood alone cannot help one on the field of battle.
In truth, it was a bit hard to ignore just how strange the words were. Such a thing would be unthinkable to come from the lips of a noble at all, which is perhaps why his father was so insistent that he forget all about his soulmate. Fódlan is a very large place; the odds of Lorenz actually hearing those words from his soulmate are incredibly low.
And yet.
It happened out of the blue, after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. It was a mock battle, but one that pit the three houses against one another; one that his father had been so proud of winning and one Lorenz had done his best to succeed in. Unfortunately, the Golden Deer house wasn't the victor this time. It was not an entirely crushing defeat, but the Black Eagles house had several students still standing at the end, which was a bit embarrassing as far as Lorenz was concerned. It felt like they hadn't done enough.
But everyone had gathered together for a grand feast anyway, hosted by the house leaders. Claude didn't even cause any trouble, surprisingly, though he did insist on trying to chat with everyone and had even dragged the Imperial princess Edelgard over for a bit. Their conversation had been amicable, but ultimately nothing particularly noteworthy.
At least until those damning words left her mouth.
"Noble blood alone cannot help one on the field of battle."
He'd said something about nobility and how it tied into his desire to succeed, or something along those lines, and she'd responded immediately, with a tight expression that he couldn't quite place. He would have dismissed the conversation entirely had he not felt the sudden tingle running up his arm, as though those words were being carved into his skin anew. It wasn't painful, but his arm did twitch a bit and Claude looked at him strangely, and he had tried to hide the fact that he knew.
As it turns out, it isn't really something that can be described. You just know when you've found your soulmate. It's almost like stating a fact you've known all along; the sky is blue, water is wet, a noble's duty is to guide the commoners.
Lorenz had retired early, mostly to give himself time to think. Edelgard is his soulmate, and it seemed likely that she would recognize this as well. So where do they go from here? If he were to write his father about this, he has no doubts that his father would insist he pursue this. Marrying a commoner is out of the question, but marrying the Imperial princess? That would propel House Gloucester to heights unimaginable. Merging House Gloucester with the Empire and House Hresvelg certainly might have some downsides, but who could be more noble than a princess?
Logistically speaking, House Gloucester can only benefit. And yet he hesitated, and hadn't started writing a letter to his father about it.
He still hasn't, even though it's been a week.
In truth, Lorenz isn't entirely sure what he's been waiting for. Perhaps he's expecting Edelgard to make the first move, to seek him out and confront the inherent awkwardness that finding a new soulmate seems to bring. Does everyone find it this awkward? He can only imagine they do, especially given how little he actually knows of Edelgard as a person. But shying away from it is unbecoming of a noble, so Lorenz has decided enough is enough.
He catches Edelgard outside of the Black Eagles classroom after their lessons are over, offering her a smile.]
Edelgard, a moment, if you would?
[...And because he knows a certain shadow is always at the princess' elbow:] Alone, perhaps?
Even Lorenz wasn't immune to that, though he was very young when his father started insisting he cover up the words on the inside of his left arm. He was still an idealistic child when he was told to stop dreaming about a soulmate. A noble's duty is to their house and their lands; one cannot get caught up in wild daydreams when securing an heir is far more important. What if his soulmate were to be a man, or perhaps worse, a commoner?
So Lorenz stopped dreaming. He stopped thinking about what color his soulmate's eyes would be, or what their laugh would sound like, or even the words marked on his arm.
Noble blood alone cannot help one on the field of battle.
In truth, it was a bit hard to ignore just how strange the words were. Such a thing would be unthinkable to come from the lips of a noble at all, which is perhaps why his father was so insistent that he forget all about his soulmate. Fódlan is a very large place; the odds of Lorenz actually hearing those words from his soulmate are incredibly low.
And yet.
It happened out of the blue, after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. It was a mock battle, but one that pit the three houses against one another; one that his father had been so proud of winning and one Lorenz had done his best to succeed in. Unfortunately, the Golden Deer house wasn't the victor this time. It was not an entirely crushing defeat, but the Black Eagles house had several students still standing at the end, which was a bit embarrassing as far as Lorenz was concerned. It felt like they hadn't done enough.
But everyone had gathered together for a grand feast anyway, hosted by the house leaders. Claude didn't even cause any trouble, surprisingly, though he did insist on trying to chat with everyone and had even dragged the Imperial princess Edelgard over for a bit. Their conversation had been amicable, but ultimately nothing particularly noteworthy.
At least until those damning words left her mouth.
"Noble blood alone cannot help one on the field of battle."
He'd said something about nobility and how it tied into his desire to succeed, or something along those lines, and she'd responded immediately, with a tight expression that he couldn't quite place. He would have dismissed the conversation entirely had he not felt the sudden tingle running up his arm, as though those words were being carved into his skin anew. It wasn't painful, but his arm did twitch a bit and Claude looked at him strangely, and he had tried to hide the fact that he knew.
As it turns out, it isn't really something that can be described. You just know when you've found your soulmate. It's almost like stating a fact you've known all along; the sky is blue, water is wet, a noble's duty is to guide the commoners.
Lorenz had retired early, mostly to give himself time to think. Edelgard is his soulmate, and it seemed likely that she would recognize this as well. So where do they go from here? If he were to write his father about this, he has no doubts that his father would insist he pursue this. Marrying a commoner is out of the question, but marrying the Imperial princess? That would propel House Gloucester to heights unimaginable. Merging House Gloucester with the Empire and House Hresvelg certainly might have some downsides, but who could be more noble than a princess?
Logistically speaking, House Gloucester can only benefit. And yet he hesitated, and hadn't started writing a letter to his father about it.
He still hasn't, even though it's been a week.
In truth, Lorenz isn't entirely sure what he's been waiting for. Perhaps he's expecting Edelgard to make the first move, to seek him out and confront the inherent awkwardness that finding a new soulmate seems to bring. Does everyone find it this awkward? He can only imagine they do, especially given how little he actually knows of Edelgard as a person. But shying away from it is unbecoming of a noble, so Lorenz has decided enough is enough.
He catches Edelgard outside of the Black Eagles classroom after their lessons are over, offering her a smile.]
Edelgard, a moment, if you would?
[...And because he knows a certain shadow is always at the princess' elbow:] Alone, perhaps?
no subject
[That's more or less what he was expecting from her, honestly. Edelgard isn't the sort of person to accept sitting still when there's an alternative - that's how it seems, at least. So he's not bothered by her decision to press on, and he nods, guiding the horse back in the direction they came from.]
We should start seeing familiar surroundings soon. [He hopes.] We didn't chase the bandit that far. [Did we??] Please keep an eye out.
[...This is gonna suck, already none of this looks familiar... He was so busy focusing on chasing the bandit, he didn't stop to look at their surroundings...]
no subject
[It's a bit blunt and full of irritation with this whole situation, but Edelgard sighs as she follows Lorenz and his horse. Edelgard does her due part in staying vigilant, but she's...recognizing absolutely none of this, um.
...The longer this goes on, the more tense Edelgard starts to get. She starts running her fingers through her hair, though it's only brief before she forces herself to stop. She can't let him see her nervous. She can't let anyone see her sweat, she won't, she's the future emperor for goddess sake!]
Do you believe we're getting closer?
[Edelgard doesn't look to Lorenz when she asks that. She's hoping that he gives a favorable answer.]
no subject
I would hope so, but I'm afraid I can't say with any certainty...
[Surely the rest of their classmates would be out looking for them? It's a bit surprising that he can't hear any of them. Caspar was with their group, shouldn't they be able to hear him by now?
This really isn't looking good. Lorenz's grip tightens on the reins, though he's careful not to pull or cause any discomfort to his horse.]
no subject
...As long as we keep pressing forward, then we're certain to find them. I simply hope they're not getting lost looking for us as well.
[She knows better than to think they're not looking; Hubert is likely worrying himself into a frenzy and either getting lost himself, or being held back by one of the other members of their class. This is already so far out of their control, and...
Wait. Edelgard looks up when she feels something drop on her head, and that's...when she realizes that it's starting to rain, and what the fuck--]
Of all of the things-- [Yeah, Edelgard's stress is starting to hit the breaking point.] Lorenz, we need to hurry. Now.
[She doesn't have any intention of running off without him--he is her responsibility to keep safe, as it stands, but this situation is going from bad to worse at a speed she wasn't even expecting.]
no subject
...Oh. [Oh indeed.] Yes, of course. Come on, let's keep moving.
[He offers her a hand so she can join him on horseback again. Barreling through the woods on horseback isn't exactly going to help them determine their position, but it will make enough noise to draw attention from their classmates. Hopefully. That's really all the plan he has, and it doesn't seem like Edelgard's got any other bright ideas, so here we are. We're probably going to be soaked by the time we find the others...]
no subject
This day is simply going from bad to worse-- [Ohhhh great, now it's coming down at a steady clip. Great. Peachy. Perfect. Edelgard lets out a noise of frustration, her composure slipping by the second.] Let's be on our way, then, before we get too soaked.
[Edelgard winds up grabbing onto Lorenz's shoulders, waiting for him to take off once she's secured. This is embarrassing. How could she have let such a thing happen? Oh, she can hear Ferdinand now, crowing about this on the way back, and it's going to be abject suffering until Hubert likely threatens him into silence, but--
It's an impulsive move on Edelgard's part, one she'll be even more embarrassed about later, but she winds up burying her head against Lorenz's back. It's mostly to hide her embarrassment with this entire situation, and she's absolutely going to regret this later, but for now she just. Needs a moment. She'll apologize later.]
no subject
He certainly doesn't expect her to bury her head against his back and it only occurs to him then that maybe Edelgard isn't the perfectly poised princess everyone thinks she is. Maybe she's just a young woman forced into a role she has to play, with little choice in the matter. Maybe she's doing her best to act like the princess everyone wants (needs?) her to be. Maybe she's still just a young woman, trying to adapt to the world as best she can.
He can't understand exactly what she's been through - even if he knew all she's been through, he wouldn't understand it. Being a princess is very different from being the heir to a noble house. But he at least has some ideas of what expectations placed on her head can do to her, and in this one moment, she can be an annoyed young woman instead of a princess.
Maybe it's just their bond, but he loves her even more for it.]
We'll find them soon, I'm sure. [His tone has settled into something more confident now, as he urges the horse forward. This still doesn't look familiar and the rain is lowering visibility, but at least they're fairly loud.] It's certainly frustrating right now, but everything will be fine.
[He does believe that, because it's not like they can let the imperial princess go missing, after all. But even more than that, he wants to reassure her.]
no subject
Lorenz sounds so confident in all of this. Edelgard doesn't bring her head up quite yet, seeming to mull over what he says; he can obviously tell she's frustrated, and while there's a part of her that doesn't like being read so easily, it feels...different, when Lorenz does it. He's not trying to prove he's better than her for keeping a cool head (though he certainly is), he's not trying to admonish her and tell her that she's better than this. (though she feels she deserves it) No, he's reassuring her, and Edelgard...
She doesn't know what to do with that, or what it's doing to her chest, but there's definitely something warm taking root in there. Even if they're getting soaked by the rain, there's something about this moment that's...precious, almost. As if the entire world has stopped all at once.
Maybe there is something to this whole soulmate business after all--he hasn't spoken whatever has been written on her wrist, and yet, for this brief moment, that reassurance is making her feel like this situation isn't so bad.]
You're right. We must be getting closer to them by the second, but everything will be fine.
[...]
Thank you, Lorenz.
[Though she speaks with that usual assured confidence when she speaks up at first--though still a little muffled because she's...comfortable where she is, okay--those last words are soft. More than Edelgard allows herself, and yet full of appreciation for this brief moment.]
no subject
Not to mention expressing them would be exceptionally rude, given that they still aren't really sure what to do about the whole soulmate thing. But right now, in this moment, he allows himself to take pleasure in the feeling. This feels right, despite the circumstances.]
Of course. I'm happy to assist...
[He trails off there, frowning as he turns his head.]
Did you hear that?
[She probably did; there are voices in the distance.
Lorenz immediately steers the horse toward them, though he's still got a good grip on his lance in case they aren't friendly voices, but...]
See, what did I tell you? Everything's going to be just fine!
[He's pretty damn sure that's Caspar's aggressive yelling...]
no subject
I did. I think that's...
[The closer they get, however, the more Edelgard recognizes the voices all too well; she'd recognize Caspar yelling aggressively from miles away.]
It looks like you were correct. I'm certain we'll have much to explain to the Professor, but we're back with our class and have ensured that those bandits won't be bothering the village anytime soon.
[...Edelgard is absolutely going to need some tea and a warm set of clothes because dear goddess fuck this rain, but she's back to her dignified demeanor and with all of the confidence that oozes from it easily.]
Let's reunite with the others; I imagine they're worried for us.
[Edelgard's not looking forward to getting lectured, but she can at least take responsibility for the situation.......]
no subject
Lorenz nods at Edelgard's words.]
Of course! Let's not waste any time!
[He pushes the horse onward, and they locate Caspar soon enough. His sense of direction isn't terrible, at least, and they make it back to the others fairly quickly.
Lorenz remains with his horse as he watches Edelgard return to her classmates, and after reassuring Ferdinand that he's fine, he's free to watch them.
Edelgard's shown another side of her - the real version of herself, perhaps? - and Lorenz can't thank her enough for trusting him with that. Getting lost and drenched isn't fun at all, but he's learned something very valuable today and he feels closer to Edelgard.
Maybe everything will work out just fine.]