mmmm in honor of finding a good stopping place with my newest inspirational wriitng partner, xXxBloody-BlossomxXx, I'm uploading the first chapter of VVuL~~ How exciting to have Kismet related work out again, right~! I'm excited~! Anyway, This story won't be as long or dramatic as Kismet, but it's lovely and you get to see Feliciano and Ludwig's story~!

Von Verlust und Liebe

Chapter One: The Iron Cross

Laughter filled the air as young Ludwig made his way through the trees. He'd just barely managed to escape punishment from his father for breaking his mother's old vase. He knew he'd eventually be forced to go home and take the whooping, but for now, he'd live freely as if he'd done nothing wrong. Their family, which consisted of just him, his mother and father and his remaining older brother (he had many, but only knew of a few. The others had gone off to corners of the world or had been lost to illness).

It was normal for northern mainlander families to have multiple children, in hopes of bearing strong sons to carry on the family name and continue working and hunting. Luckily, for the Beilschmidt family, Ludwig was too young to run off and Gilbert had no interest in anything but becoming strong for his father to be proud of him. Both boys had been forced south to Illonia when their father found work.

It wasn't what the boys wanted, but they did enjoy the slightly warmer winters. It seemed being closer to the southern seas meant different climates than what they were used to.

Since they had only arrived a few weeks before, Ludwig had not had much time to explore his new homeland. They lived close to a beautiful forest and both boys were itching to explore its contents. Ludwig smiled softly to himself with satisfaction, knowing he would get to be the first.

The trees were thick and tall, but the floor of the woods were covered in dead branches and thick bushes and brush. He frowned, wishing he had worn long pants rather than shorts. Too late now. He climbed over a fallen tree and tripped several times on his way through. Hopefully his father wouldn't think to follow, lest he get in more trouble for being here.

After an hour of mindless wandering, he frowned looking around. He felt lost and the noon sun was high above him. Thirst pulled at Ludwig's throat and he licked his dry lips. There was no moisture to console the aching, chapped lips and he sighed leaning against a tree. This had to be his worst idea. If he made it out of here, he swore he'd become a better child and get in less trouble and follow ALL the rules! He wouldn't break his mom's things; he'd eat everything on his plate and wouldn't give Aster the stuff he didn't want. Ludwig promised to take better care of Aster and walk the dog like he was supposed to. "Oh! I'll even clean up after myself perfectly!" he thought.

A light singing voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Draw a circle, that's the Earth. Draw a circle, that's the Earth. Draw a circle, that's the Earth. I am Illonian!"

Ludwig bit his lip and quickly pushed himself off the tree he was leaned against. If he was quiet, maybe he would be able to sneak up on the person that voice belonged to.

"All~ the world around us can be seen through the stroke of a single brush. And now~ we give a toast with our boots! Illo~ni~a!" he stumbled through the brush and onto a river bank. There was a young girl standing on the edge of the water, with her oddly short hair adorned with a flower ring.

Her mouth opened up and she began to sing her song again, "Hey, hey papa, could I have some wine? Hey, hey mama! Hey, hey mam-" she quickly turned and saw the blonde child before her. Her honey gold eyes widened and tears welled up.

"Who are you?" she whispered. Her hand came up to her chest and she started making her way to the edge of the trees.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" the young Beilschmidt called out. He was intrigued since this was the first person near his age he'd seen here. These Illonians were such odd creatures. Their skin was lightly tanned and their eyes were several colors he'd rarely seen up north, like her honey colored ones. And it seemed the girls didn't mind wearing their hair short. Of course, he couldn't blame her. Long hair must be truly uncomfortable in this kind of heat.

"Then what are you doing here? Oh my grandfather was right about me going out alone!" she started wailing.

Ludwig frowned and began to panic. How did you stop a little girl from crying like that? He walked over to her carefully and slowly and patted her back lightly.

"I'm sorry if I startled you … I just heard you singing and I'm lost and …" he didn't know what else to say, but she started giggling and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"You sound funny!" his eyes widened a little and his brows knitted together.

"That's because I'm from the north land of Gartyra …" she smiled again at the Gartyrarren.

"I've never met anyone from there! I did meet this one boy from Fayldyr before, but he moved back last summer!" her dress spun around her legs as she twirled in joy.

Ludwig sighed and waited for her to stop her rambling about her big brother Francis. The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about how nice the village was and how amazing pasta was. The young Beilschmidt didn't know what pasta was, but he figured he would try it one day, just for her.

Eventually, the sun began to set over the horizon and she led him home. He took to calling her Ita, because she'd yet to give him her name. The nickname didn't faze the girl either. She just returned the favor by calling him Horoem, which confused him greatly. Where did she even come up with such a ridiculous name?

The scene changes and now Ludwig is seven. A year spent in the small village in Illonia meant the two children had become best friends. Every chance the two got, they would spend running around the trees and river playing. During the spring, Ita would take him to pick flowers and see the bunnies, which were just now coming out to play. She would sit with him and teach him to paint and draw. They would talk about how he aspired to be a great warrior who could slay dragons and other mean creatures with his mighty blade.

Summer brought quiet naps under the shade of large trees and talking time. She would tell him of her brother and how mean he was, always stuffing dirt down her undergarments. Ludwig cringed just thinking about it.

Fall was like spring. They spent the season sitting by the river, talking and watching some of the trees shed their leaves. Winter brings cold, of course, and with that, the two spend very little time together. However, when they are together, it's usually on warmer, less windy days. They spend it walking through the town with a mug of hot cider or chocolate.

It's now two years passed his arrival to the village and fall is coming to an end. Nine year old Ludwig is sitting beside his mother while she patches Gilbert's torn pants, which were ripped while he was playing ball.

His mother leaned forward to grab a new piece of cloth from her basket when a small pendant fell from her dress. A small iron cross held close with a strong woven cord dangled helplessly from her neck.

"Mutti," which is what northern mainlanders called their mothers, "what is that thing around your neck?"

She set her sewing aside and grabbed the cross with a smile, "Oh my dear Ludwig, you will find out one day, but young men who fall in love make these for their intended brides, that is, the woman they wish to spend their lives with."

"So, if you love a girl … and you want to be with her forever … you make her one of those cross thingys?"

She tucked it away again, "Yes, my sweet child. When given to the girl, she can accept your offer and you then become wed … together forever …" her smile grew warm and she rested her hand on her breast. "One day, my child, you will meet that special girl … the one you never want to part from and you'll make her the happiest."

"As if!" the two turned to see the older albino child, "I'm pretty sure, West is not the kind of guy who would fall for a girl at all~" his voice and eyes said he knew something the other two did not.

"What do you know, brother?" Ludwig stood up and glared, "I will too find a girl to marry!" the blonde child stormed up to his room.

Gilbert's laughter followed the boy as well as his mother's voice chiding the silver haired boy.

Ludwig slammed the door behind him and tears came to his eyes thinking about Ita. Is this what love felt like? Knowing there was a girl who always wanted to see you, and who never grew bored of you? He closed his eyes and imagined everything they had been through. He was always there to comfort her when she tripped and even that embarrassing time she got into the water naked with him wasn't enough to tear them apart.

He shook his head of that time. She had cried after getting redressed, so he had to go comfort her. She never did it again.

Ludwig stepped over to his desk and opened it up to find some things he was going to need. Rather than spend the next few days with Ita, he was going to make something.

The Gartyrarren sneaked into his father workshop and dug through a pile of scrapped iron and found a good sized piece.

Several weeks, swollen fingers, cuts and burns later, Ludwig sat back against the wall. He was glad his father had shown him a few things about working the metal over and it had been terribly difficult and he had been ready to give up at any moment, but Ita was worth it. Ita was the person he wanted to marry more than anyone he would ever meet, he just knew it!

He looked over the matching crosses for any mistakes and tucked them in his pocket. The boy ran back to the house and slipped into his room, hoping no one had noticed he'd sneaked to the shop again.

Winter had set in days ago and Ludwig was being forced to wait to see Ita until a later day. He sighed and moved away from his window.

This winter had been the worst imaginable for the family. Ludwig knelt beside his mother's bed and clutched her hand tightly. She smiled at him with a worn and tired smile, "My sweet Ludwig, I'm sorry … sorry that I can't watch you grow up. You're already so big! And I'm so proud. I hope you make her happy."

He looked at his mother confused, but followed her line of sight to his pocket, which had the crosses he'd made sticking out. His face turned scarlet red, "It's not … I mean … she's just a …" he shook his head, "I love her. She's perfect and cute and even though she's an absolute mess sometimes, she's always there to listen …"

His mother laughed softly, "Take good care of her," she kissed his hand, "Now go get your father for me …"

Ludwig nodded and kissed her forehead, "Okay." little did he know, that was the last time he'd see his beloved mother alive. The burial was short and Ludwig's toes and fingers were frozen by the time they made it back inside. Gilbert sadly made his way to his room and their father disappeared, most likely going to drink himself into a stupor.

Sure enough, neither boy saw their father for weeks. Spring was trying to edge its way into the village, but the Beilschmidt family still felt cold. One pretty, warm day, Gilbert rushed into Ludwig's room, "West. Pack your things. You and I are heading back north."

"Why?" Ludwig sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

Gilbert sighed, "Just do it. We're leaving in about two hours so pack what you can." the albino closed the door and left Ludwig to panic.

"But Ita!" he rushed to throw some clothes and books into a bag before making sure he had the crosses in his pocket. He had to find her before it was too late. He already hadn't seen her in nearly three months.

The trip was quick, but it felt like an eternity. He could only hope she had not forgotten him and would be waiting there with a smile on her lips.

He came to the water's edge and his eyes searched frantically for her. She was not there, nor was there any sign of her being there. Tears pricked his eyes and he chewed his lip, wondering if he should write a note in the sand and leave the cross for her to find. He would explain that he would come back for her.

After locating a sharp stick, he began to scratch into the earth.

"Horoem?" his eyes widened and he'd never been so happy to hear that nickname.

"Ita!" he turned to see her. She'd grown an inch or two since he'd seen her last. The same pure white dress she'd always worn, hugged her tightly, showing that she would probably need to get a new one made for her, "I'm so happy to see you! I'm so sorry I haven't been around so much … I was busy and then winter and my mutti …"

She smiled, tears streaming down her face. The girl tackled Ludwig to the ground and hugged him tightly, "I thought you hated me …" she cried.

"Never!" he frowned, "I could never hate you!" he stood up and pulled out the crosses and slipped one over his head, "Mutti said you give these to someone special … like a promise you can never break. When a man cares about someone a lot, he's supposed to make this in hopes that they will one day get married and never have to be apart again." he frowned, "Ita, I have to go away for a while. I'm going back up north, but I promise I'll come back to you!" his face became red, "I love you …" he whispered, leaning his forehead to hers.

Tears streaked her face, "But … I don't want you to go! You can't leave me!" he muttered that he had to, but held up the necklace, "You'll wait for me, right?" she nodded vigorously at his question. Ludwig smiled happily and slipped the necklace over her head. He held onto the cord, lingering in the happy moment. Ita would forever be his! She picked up the cross and smiled, "I love you, too …"

He looked up and smiled happily, "Is this what being married is like?" he asked.

Ita shrugged, "I guess so, except one thing!" he looked at her confused, "You can now kiss the bride!"

Ludwig blushed a deep red again, but leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft, tentative kiss. He pulled away and she smiled.

"I'll be waiting for you! When you get back, I'll even make you some sweet treats and stuff!"

Ludwig nodded and tucked his necklace away, "I'll be back, I swear it!" tears streamed both of their faces as he ran back to meet his brother.

Ludwig shot up in his bed and groaned at his headache. This was the third time this month he'd had that strange dream about the girl. He gripped at his neck and found the necklace. The girl in his dream always received one from him.

"West! You awake?" Gilbert rolled over in his make shift blanket bed.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry if I woke you brother. I just had that dream again."

"Again?" Gilbert sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Ludwig nodded, "Something tells me she's real and not just a figment of my imagination. Every time the dream comes it gets more detailed. This time I saw the face of the woman, the one who tells me about the iron cross." the nineteen year old rubbed at his head, "Long blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a round face and a small birth mark beside her left eye."

Gilbert's eyes glazed over sadly, "West … that's our mother. You don't remember her, do you?"

The blonde growled lightly. All his memories were dated back to when he was thirteen and had woken in a medical home. Apparently he'd been injured badly in a fight against a Naga, a creature with the head of a human and the body of a snake. Such creatures could be very deadly, especially when they could shift between human form and that of any sized snake smaller than their body.

Gilbert tried to fill him in on missing memories, such as living in Illonia for a short time, where they lost their mother and father, but it had been for naught. Ludwig remembered nothing but his own name and the fighting skills he'd acquired. He'd accepted the fact that Gilbert was his brother, but still did not remember anything about him from before he'd awoken.

"West … you think …" he frowned, "You think maybe these are you memories coming back? I mean, the doctor said they might come back one day, right?"

"Why would it be the same handful of memories, though? It makes no sense, brother."

"She's real." Gilbert muttered.

Ludwig looked at him, "Our mother? I know." what had gotten into Gilbert.

"No … the little girl from you dreams. I never met her … but I overheard a conversation you had with mutti once. I think … I think you gave the other cross to the girl. Who knows, maybe if you find her, you'll get your memories back." the albino laughed heartily before settling back into his makeshift bed, "Anyway, we'll be passing the northern border of Illonia to-morrow, so you'd best get some sleep. We still have a long way to go before we reach Sverran."

Ludwig nodded, but a plan was soon forming in the fighter's head. What if Gilbert was right? What if he should return to the village, maybe see if she really did exist? He knew, based on traditions he'd learned, that a man only wore this cross when he was either married or had promised to marry, which meant someone had to have the matching piece. What better place to start than the village in his dream?

He relayed his plans to his brother as they walked the next morning.

"You sure about this West? I mean, I've heard a lot of dragons and naga have been springing up down there because the climate's getting warmer."

Ludwig nodded, "Yeah. I know I can handle myself."

Gilbert nodded, "Okay. I'll meet you in the Sverran capital. Just don't make me have to come save your ass, West." he pulled his little brother into a tight hug.

The blonde shoved him away and smiled softly, "I will be fine, brother." and with that the two parted ways.

Ludwig had made it to the edge of a town after a few weeks of traveling, and was licking his lips, staring as the visible heat rising off the ground. This looked familiar to him, so it must be it.

As he walked through, he noticed many people giving him strange looks. He had expected this. This was the typical treatment he and Gil got every time the entered a village. People seemed to always see his sword first before the man. He ignored the gaze and ran a finger through his slicked hair. The further into the village he walked, the worse it became. Houses and shops were either partially or completely burned down. Trash and debris lined the streets and even blocked some pathways. People were still hiding indoors, rarely willing to walk outside.

This was troubling. He hated that they were afraid to leave their own shops and homes. This was definitely not the same kind of people from his dream, but then again, dragons hadn't inhabited this area before.

"Ve~! Help me!" Ludwig had learned never to turn down a cry for help so he pulled his blade and ran toward the screaming voice, leaping over a pile of fallen trees, "Get away!" blue eyes fell upon a young man lying in the street waving a white flag rapidly. A naga stood before him.

"Jussst come with me and nothing bad will happen to you." the snake like creature hissed.

"Do you serve pasta?" he lowered the flag. Ludwig frowned. How stupidly dense could someone be? The snake would only tear him apart for her children or something.

"Yesss, we ssserve lotsss of passsta!" the snake grinned.

Ludwig glared and rushed over, stepping in front of the man. "Get out of here! She's lying to you!"

"You mean there's no pasta?" tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. Ludwig raised a brow and shook his head before returning his attention to the naga before him. The thing hissed angrily, obviously mad she wouldn't get her meal as easy.

"You are going to pay for that!" her face slowly changed from that of a human woman's into a large python's head. The snake reared back and launched its fanged face at him. Ludwig hated these creatures with a passion and had become his favorite to kill. His blade rose to the challenge and caught her in midair, slicing down her side. The now dead naga hit the ground and Ludwig moved quickly to slice her head off, just in case she wasn't actually dead.

"Ve~! My hero!" the man stood up and wrapped his arms tightly around Ludwig's neck, "That mean creature has been giving us a ton of trouble lately and you got rid of her!"

"Oh gods, Feliciano! Are you okay?" a woman with long light brown hair ran up, holding her dress up off of her legs so she could run raster to the man.

"I am now that he's here! He saved me from the naga, big sister!" she smiled warmly and pulled Feliciano into her arms.

"I was so worried that that thing would take you away and hurt you!" her piercing gaze felt on Ludwig and began scrutinizing him, "Thank you for saving my Feli."

"Um … no problem … it's what I do."

She tilted her head, "Your accent, you're from up north, right?"

The blonde Beilschmidt nodded, "Yeah, my brother and I lived there until recently."

The woman smiled, "My ex-husband is from the north, not as far as you, I'm sure, but still. I'm Elizaveta Hédévary." she said, holding out her hand.

Ludwig took it, still confused by the strange woman. She was strangely familiar. "I'm grateful that you saved my little Feli, why don't you come back to my ex-husband's house and we'll get you fed and cleaned up. The man nodded and followed them back to a rather large house. Part of it was broken and burned up, but had been boarded up to separate it from the rest of the house.

"I'm guessing there are dragon problems here?"

Elizaveta nodded, "Unfortunately, they came about in the last several years and started breeding. It has been terrible. And there's naga to the west and north, so we're all stuck here, really."

Feliciano bit his lip sadly and placed a hand on his chest, "Yeah … we're stuck here."

The woman placed a hand on his shoulder, "You're the first person in this village in a long time. Most people don't make it passed the naga defenses." Ludwig nodded, remembering a few hours ago, he'd cut through at least five before the rest would leave him alone to travel to the village.

"They were a handful." he growled, walking into the building behind Elizaveta and Feliciano.

"Roderich, dear, we have company." a man walked into the room and nodded lightly. He then turned and took his cup into a different room that suddenly filled with music.

"Ve~! I love this song!" the man ran off down the hall to go listen to it.

"Sorry about him, he's a very sweet and hyper young man. We saved him and his brother from a terrible fate. They were to be sold off when their grandfather died, but Roderich managed to buy them. We could only afford to keep Feliciano so his brother was sold to a wealthy family in the north." she got a little quiet, "However … the boy ran away before he made it to his destination and we haven't heard from him since. I haven't told Feliciano, so please … don't mention anything."

Ludwig nodded and frowned lightly. Just the thought of one person owning another angered him. He accepted her offer to let him wash his face and then join her in the study for a late lunch.

He slowly walked down the corridor and into a small room. There was a large basin filled with water and rose petals. The Beilschmidt washed his face and hands and dried off on the small hand towel. The house was truly lovely, with expensive looking decorations lining each corner and wall. Even the hall way was filled with crystal vases that looked like the money they could fetch would feed an army.

Elizaveta was sitting in the study humming softly to the music floating around the house, "I'm sorry if it seems Roderich is being rude, but when it comes time for his music, he can become a little disgruntled." she poured a small cup, "Try this. It's a rare drink imported from the deep forests of South Alverynia."

Ludwig picked up the cup and his eyes widened at the strong, but alluring scent that came off the cup.

"It's better with some milk and sugar," she stirred a little bit into her cup before taking a sip.

He followed suit and mixed a little of each into the cup before sipping at it. The drink was really unique, slightly bitter but good. It burned his tongue a little.

"Good, right?" he nodded and continued sipping at the drink. The flavor was strong. He personally preferred his brother's brew over this, but it would make do for now.

Elizaveta's eyes fixed themselves outside of the window, "Pardon if I'm not exactly … making good company … we've just been under terrible stress as of late …"

Ludwig nodded, "I've heard some things about this land becoming overridden with dragons and naga?"

She nodded and set her cup down, "It's much too dangerous to stay but far too dangerous to travel away. We're all doomed here." she smiled sadly, "I only want what's best for Feliciano. He's especially young to be dying like this."

The blond man nodded. Elizaveta gave him a room for the night and Ludwig collapsed on the bed, letting his exhaustion take over him. He just hoped tonight he was too tired to dream.

TBC

Aaaaand there you have it :33 the first chapter of VVuL~~

~Lady Pyrien