Oh my! Is this a fic I'm seeing? Yes, it is! I'm finally "back," you guys! Kit-chan seems to be following up shortly as well, and then we'll be back. I hope you enjoy this writing after my super long (and unreasonable) hiatus.
And for those who is wondering who the hell I am, well then, welcome to this little fic!
Disclaimer: I do not own Eli (Hungary), Gilbert (Prussia), Roderick (Austria), Antonio (Spain), and Francis (France). They belong to Axis Powers: Hetalia. I simply own this little AU plot over here.
Lonely Love Letters
"Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else."
—George Bernard Shaw
Love is a problem. It always has been: people have searched for it with no success; people have taken it for granted; and people have cursed its name. It is the foundations of humanity and, naturally, of stories. After all, it is a complex subject with mysteries. Love is vast. It really shouldn't be written down as simple words. Nevertheless, many try to.
Eli is one of these many people. Like those before her, she is finding this task impossible. She has been sitting in front of her fireplace for over three hours, attempting at perfecting a love letter. A thick layer of crumpled parchment lies around her feet, the fruit of her attempts. After being disappointed and unsatisfied for too long, her mind feels like it has been sucked dry and roasted in the desert. Eli had set aside her quill and ink bottle and had started daydreaming about the man of her dreams. How will he react when he receives the love letter?
Eli lays her head against her tabletop with a sigh. A few strands of brown hair fall over her face, and she blows them out of her face. When they fall back down, she blows them away again, wiping her tired hands over her green dress and white apron.
When will he arrive into the town? Eli wonders, watching some brown strings drift over her nose. She groans and turns her head, frustrated. She shouldn't be daydreaming. She needs to find a way to amaze her crush. But knowing that he is very peculiar and hard to please, she has to make the letter unique and perfect, just like him. If she doesn't even complete that feat, all of her daydreams will remain as fantasies.
In short, Eli needs help.
Eli was the new guy in the small city-state. After losing her previous home, her father and she searched for somewhere to stay. Finally, this city-state accepted them. But, Eli felt out of place. No matter how many times her father assured her that she would fit in with the other boys, she still didn't belong. Nobody was willing to converse, and those who were willing only spoke the native language. She wasn't supposed to be here. Her home shouldn't have been ransacked by bandits.
A week had passed since she entered the small, close-knit city-state, but Eli was still the pariah. Feeling unwell, she leaned against a wall, crossing her arms over her chest, where all the hurt seemed to come from. "I am a man," she muttered. "I can be tough like all the other boys." However, just like her father's words, her chants did nothing. So, she turned her mind away from everything and focused on a few boys playing a short distance away.
There were three boys, each looking quite different from each other, despite wearing uniform work clothes. One was tanner than the others and he had short, brown hair. He seemed to be the happy one with his wide gestures and impulsive hugging. Another one, who was about the same height as the dark-skinned one, had blond hair tied in a ponytail and was quite pale. He was much more composed in contrast, but he seemed to fit in the group of companions nonetheless. The last person was much shorter, being only up to his friends' chests, but he held himself as if he was towering over them. From a distance, the boy looked like the combination of the taller two: his blond hair was cut short like the tan one's, and he was almost as pale as the other. He was also the loudest, and Eli had an easy time hearing every word screamed by the gruff, bossy voice.
Eli found it entertaining to watch the trio fool around. It seemed like the tree was the centre of their attention, and they repeatedly raced up the plant, committing cheap tricks to win. At one point the shortest boy stepped on a mass of brown hair to reach the top. Another game, the tan one rode on the back of the other blonde. Then the others demanded more rematches…
Eventually, the sun started its way down, the sky tinting orange. The two taller boys left and the shortest waved them away, shouting something while shaking a stick around in the air.
Eli's former diversion had left, but she continued to stare blankly. Without the entertaining trio, she felt sick again. Her chest was hurting. She was lonely, just like the little boy still under the tree.
Suddenly, the boy looked in Eli's direction. Eli immediately knew that she had been caught staring, turning her eyes to the ground at her right. She hoped that her instincts were wrong and he hadn't noticed her. Whether or not the boy would react made no difference, but she didn't want to embarrass herself. So, Eli stayed still, waiting until her instincts told her that all was well.
"Wer bist du?"
Eli yelped, jolting and whipping around. A face was shoved close to her own. The boy stood at a close distance with his hands clasped behind his back, examining Eli with curiosity. Up-close, the boy was about Eli's height, but maybe a bit shorter. His face was thin and angular, his innocent blue eyes appearing bigger. Blonde hair stuck out in every direction, as if the boy just took off a hat.
"W-what?" Eli stammered.
The boy smirked, appearing almost evil. "Hah! That is why I do not recognize you!" he declared, a thick accent coating his words. "You are from somewhere else! Right? Right? Of course I am right!"
"Uh… Yes…" Eli muttered, backing away from the strange boy. She hated how he started looking her up and down, as if he was assessing soldier. "Who are you?" she asked.
"I asked you first!" the boy exclaimed, taking a step closer. "But I understand how you want to know me first! I am the Awesome Gilbert! The one and only, in flesh!" He straightened up, his smirk spreading. "Now, who are you?"
"Eli…" she replied, trying to look away. But no matter which way she looked, Gilbert shifted himself to maintain eye contact.
"What a funny name!" Gilbert laughed, blue eyes glimmering. "I like it, but it's not as awesome as mine!" he proclaimed. "I have a very powerful name. Yours almost sounds girly."
Eli sputtered, offended. She frowned before retorting, "It does not! Look at your name! It sounds like a name for a murderer!"
"Exactly!" Gilbert shouted. "Awesome, is it not?"
Eli's eyebrow rose, giving a questioning and befuddled look. Something was terribly wrong with this boy's head. Was idiocy contagious?
Gilbert placed a hand on Eli's shoulder. "I like you," he announced. "Want to be my hunting partner?"
"What? Why?"
"Because I like you, of course!" Gilbert answered, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I need a real partner, since Uncle Fritz scolded me for going on my own last time. But Princess Roderick is the worst partner who ever lived."
"'Princess Roderick'?" Eli repeated.
"The girly prince of this place," Gilbert huffed, pouting upon the mention of the prince's name. "You probably do not know him that much; he does not go around much. But trust me, you do not want to know him, and the Awesome Me got stuck hunting with him." A smile returned, and Gilbert draped his arm over Eli's shoulder. "But not anymore. You will be my partner, right?"
A grin crept its way onto Eli's face, and she draped her own arm over Gilbert's shoulders. "Of course."
Gilbert's face lit up, almost shining in the darkening skies. "Awesome!" he exclaimed, laughing again. "Now, let us give you a manlier name. Like Sebastian. Or Axel. I think Axel is an awesome name."
"That also sounds like a name of a murderer."
"Exactly!"
"You are weird. I like you too," Eli announced, giggling. Why had she not spoken to this person before?
Eli scrunches her eyes shut before blinking them back open, tilting her head to look at the dying flame. Sighing, she gets up. With one hand keeping her blanket around her, she uses the other to toss the firewood and to poke them into place.
Eli can't seem to get the image of her childhood friend out of her mind. She should be focusing on her love letter. At the rate that she's going, she will never be able to finish the letter on time. She had sent her crush a letter months ago asking him to meet her in a town on a given time, and that fateful date has already come upon her. If she doesn't make it on time, she will disappoint again.
"Hey! Axel! Are you there?"
Eli yelps, the firewood slipping out of her hands. She frowns, her brow furrowing. "What? Why is he here?" the woman asks herself. She can recognize that voice anywhere: it holds a bossy and gruff tone tinted with a heavy accent. There is only one person that sounds like that. Also, there is only one person who calls her by such an obnoxious nickname. But that one person is the last person she wants to see.
"Stop pounding the door!" she barks and dashes to the door as the "knocks" starts shaking the house. In an attempt to appear decent, Eli runs her fingers through her hair and straightens her dress before taking the doorknob, inhaling deeply. With a flick of her wrist, she shoves the door outwards.
A pop, a crack, and a scream.
"Mein Gott!" the man screeches, stumbling back with a hand on his nose. "What was that for, Axel?"
"I told you time and time again; stop calling me that silly name," Eli replies. She grins, craning her head around the door "to survey the damage."
Gilbert glares back, scowling under his hand. "I think you broke my beautiful, awesome nose." He pulls his hand from his nose, checking for blood. "Is it bleeding? I think it is bleeding. Is it bleeding?"
Eli chuckles and shakes her head. She pulls the door back into place then opens it inwards. "So, what brought you here?" she inquires, inspecting the door hinge for any cracks. She glances back at Gilbert, who is grumbling about "how she cares about the broken door hinges more than the awesome nose that she nearly broke." When Gilbert doesn't reply, Eli raises an eyebrow, obtaining a befuddled look, and rephrases, "Why are you here?"
The man opens his mouth, but he pauses. Slowly, his mouth closes into a frown and his eyes trail down from her face to her clothes. Eli's finger twitches at her side. Is she wearing something inappropriate? She hadn't been expecting visitors, so she might be.
"I'm here to ask you why you are in such a girly outfit," he articulates, emphasizing "girly." Gilbert gestures at the green dress and picks up a clump of the apron. "There is no way you can hunt in this! Come on, get into some real clothes!"
Eli slaps the man's hand from her dress, flustered. "Real clothes?" she retorts. "You are hardly in 'real clothes' yourself!" She tugs on Gilbert's short sleeves. "Look at this! And it is so thin too! Hardly suitable for hunting in the winter!"
The man pouts, brushing Eli's hands away. "I will warm myself once we are hunting. Right now, we are not hunting, so I am getting cold. So hurry up and put on some clothes and go hunting!"
Eli rolls her eyes, grabbing Gilbert's wrist and pulling him into her home. "Tomorrow, all right?" she says, kicking the door closed behind him. She drags Gilbert to the table before the fireplace. "I need to do something." Eli looks over her shoulder, noting how deep his scowl is. She shoves him into the chair, continuing, "And I need your help."
Gilbert glares. "Help with what? What's more important than hunting?"
Eli glares back. She slams her hand on the table. "Writing a love letter."
His frown softens. "A love letter?" he echoes, raising his eyebrow. "Are you being serious?"
"Very. Serious."
Suddenly, Gilbert bursts into laughter. "Eli's in love! Oh, la-la! Who is the lucky man? Who? Who?" he teases. He pokes Eli's arm, smirking deviously and adding, "And you said you would never fall in love again."
Eli narrows her eyes. Oh, he shouldn't have reminded her. She should have known not to ask for his help for something like this. With spite, she kicks Gilbert. "I am being serious," Eli grounds out. "I am in love, no matter what you do."
"Fine, fine," Gilbert grumbles, holding his hands up and shaking his head. "But thinking that you have fallen in love again is surprising." Eli remains silent, and he chuckles before straightening up. "So, you are asking for the Awesome Me's help again?" Eli nods and he turns to the table and takes the quill and a piece of blank paper. "Do not worry! For the Awesome Me is going to help you write an awesome love letter that will be as awesome as me!" he proclaims. His grin splits his face and his eyebrows do some sort of suggestive waggle. This isn't going to end well…
But Eli allows him to write whatever he wishes. It is only a rough draft anyway. Besides, she is curious about what will he write; maybe it won't be as bad as she thinks it will be.
So she retrieves a chair and sets it down beside Gilbert. Eli peers around Gilbert's arms and shoulders, but he brushes her off. She frowns. "It is going to be a surprise," he justifies. With a grumble, Eli rests her head on the table and watches the quill move across the parchment. It takes all of Eli's strength to resist from reaching under Gilbert's arm to take a peek at the draft.
"Done!" Gilbert announces, slamming the quill down. Eli jolts up as a piece of paper is shoved into her line of sight. With a suspicious glance at Gilbert, she takes the draft and starts reading.
Right on the first line, she finds her surprise. The rough draft is certainly not how she had expected. The creativity is there. In fact, it's so creative that a blush is creeping onto her face. Her eyes widen at the content. And the edges of the paper crumple in her fists. The letter is… sinfully interesting.
"You sodomite!" Eli screeches, crumpling the paper and throwing it in the fireplace. "What were you thinking?" She whips back around and glares at Gilbert, whose smile is twitching at the edges.
"I told you that I will give a surprise," he reminds her, raising his hands. He snickers at Eli's twisted expression.
"You perverted freak!" Eli howls. She grabs Gilbert's collar and starts shaking him. "What makes you think that I want to… to… to do those sorts of things with someone?" Her face turns a brighter shade of red as she points at the burning paper.
"But is that not what you really want to do with him?" Gilbert asks, pulling Eli's fingers off his collar.
"No!" Eli shakes her head. "Love is not all about… about… se-s-se…" she stammers, blushing more."You know what I mean! Of all people, you should know this the best! Were you not a religious man?"
"I still am."
It was all that stupid missionaries' fault. It was all the stupid Bible's fault. And most of all, it was all that stupid Gilbert's fault. Because of them, she was alone. Again.
Months after meeting Gilbert, she never believed that she was going to feel lonely again. But, there she was, curled up in a small ball against that very same wall. Gilbert was calling for her, lugging that silly, worn book around. She could hear him search for her, but she remained there, curling up tighter whenever she heard the name "Axel." Couldn't he tell that she wanted to be left alone? She didn't want to see Gilbert's face. Ever.
It had all started when a handful of missionaries travelled into the city-state. They stayed for a few days, preaching about God and this funny man named Jesus. Almost everyone was entranced in the message of these strange men. But out of all of the citizens, Gilbert became the most zealous believer. He listened to all of the preaching, and he often dragged his friends along to join him. When the missionaries were about to leave, Gilbert chased after them and pleaded for them to stay. But, they shook their heads. Instead, one of them handed Gilbert one of their books, patting Gilbert's head, and they left.
From then on, if he wasn't hunting or playing with his friends or pulling pranks on Roderick, he was listening to Eli reading the Bible aloud. Despite knowing how to read himself, he always ran up to Eli to ask her to read it for him, saying that he loved the tones of her voice, which, as he claimed, sounded almost as awesome as the missionaries'. Soon enough, Eli found herself reading one chapter a day, but she wasn't complaining. It was fun seeing Gilbert's sparkling eyes. Most of all, she enjoyed his company. Who would pass up a chance like that?
First, she read Genesis, then Exodus. Eventually Gilbert no longer needed to search for her to read. Instead, she would come to him. Chapter names counted the days away. Finally, Leviticus rolled in. She stopped reading in the middle of Leviticus. That was when she started to avoid Gilbert.
"Axel! Where are you?"
Eli froze, burying her face in her knees. She squeezed her eyes shut, hiccupping. Her hand clenched around a rock, and she threw it. She willed Gilbert to go away, give up. But she also wanted him to find her. Then she would tell him everything. She would confess, and Gilbert would hate her forever, tell her to go to Hell, and never look at her again. It would happen later anyway — better sooner than later.
"There you are, Axel. I have been searching all over for you!"
"Go away," Eli grumbled.
"Huh? Why? You've been missing for the past five days!" Gilbert said, plopping next to Eli. "I missed five chapters, and I had to hunt with Princess Roderick! He was so annoying, and I could not catch even dirt with him around me."
"I do not care!" Eli snapped. "You are probably going to hate me anyway…"
Gilbert raised an eyebrow and sighed, placing his book on his lap. "And what would make me hate you?"
"I am in love."
Immediately, Gilbert burst out laughing. Eli jolted, offended. This wasn't a joke. "You think I would hate you over something like that?" Gilbert chuckled, smirking. He slapped a hand on her back. "So, who's the lucky girl who caught my awesome partner's eye?"
She hesitated.
"Roderick…"
"What?" Gilbert was taken aback, smirk gone. "You are joking, right?" he asked, chuckling. "You almost had me tricked there. I nearly fell for it!" He inched closer to Eli, leaning in. His smirk returned, but it was stiff. "Really, who is it?"
"Roderick…"
"Eli, I know he is girlier than even the girls, but he is biologically a man," Gilbert clarified, voice shaking. "Men cannot be with… you know, other men."
"I know." Eli looked up into Gilbert's eyes. "I know that."
Her voice cracked. It was so much more painful to confess than she had ever imagined. She gulped to force the lump down, but it did nothing. Her bottom lip began trembling. Her vision blurred as liquid trailed down her cheeks. She couldn't see Gilbert's cold, hard reaction, and she didn't want to. What was wrong with her? Why was this happening to her? Why was she alone?
"I am in love with another male," Eli finally said. "What do I do, Gilbert?"
He went silent. His smirk didn't return. He brought his knees up, Bible pressed against his chest with his chin resting on his knees. The silence unnerved Eli, and she knew this was it. She buried her face back into her knees. She could already see what was going to happen. Gilbert was going to abandon her, proclaim how much he hated her, stand up and spit on the ground at her feet, instructing, "Go to Hell." Her imagination played with her mind, twisting Gilbert's normal expression into one of hatred, rage, and spite. What a horrific expression…
"Do not die before me."
The response shocked Eli. Was he toying with her? "What?" Eli peered over her arms to look at Gilbert. Much to her surprise, there was no hatred. "What did you say?"
"I said that you cannot die before me," Gilbert repeated. He gulped, averting his eyes. "When I die, I… I will talk with God's angels, saints, Son, and even God himself and tell them to reconsider. You are a good boy, so you should not go to Hell for something like this! S-so… So you do not need to worry anymore… And… And… And then…" He shook his head. He grabbed his Bible and shoved it in front of Eli's eyes. He shouted, "W-we are five chapters behind! So, today, you are going to read six chapters to make them up!"
Eli wiped her eyes and smiled. Silly Gilbert. She took the book and messed up Gilbert's hair.
"Today, I am going to read you seven chapters."
"Right…" Eli sighs, falling back into her chair. "Geez… You are the most frustrating man alive…"
"Change 'frustrating' to 'awesome' and I will agree with you," Gilbert suggests, nudging Eli with his elbow. Eli glares back and he chuckles. "Fine, fine. I will be serious now," he surrenders, "so let us start." The man leans over the table again, taking two sheets of parchment and the extra quill in the ink bottle. He hands one of the slices along with the extra quill to Eli and scooches himself closer to Eli so his shoulder touched hers.
"So who is the man in interest?" Gilbert interrogates.
Eli's faces heats up again. Such a direct question! Immediately, her mind conjures up the many mental "pictures" of her crush, and one particular memory seems to have sprung out of the sea of thoughts. It is such a sweet memory, one that had gotten her to fall in love in the first place. Oh, that small, almost unimportant event… How beautiful it is… How she wants to live that memory through again and again.
"W-why do you want t-to know?" Eli asks, hands on her cheeks.
"Because I have to know the 'audience,'" Gilbert answers blandly. "Why are you so nervous on answering?" He leans in, his nose almost touching hers. "And why do you look so ashamed?"
"It… It is nothing!" Eli responds, shoving Gilbert away from her. "I… I was just thinking about something… It is nothing important." She turns herself to her paper, and starts scribbling something. "Let us begin. T-thank you so much for taking your time to help me," she laughs nervously, hand trembling all over the paper.
Gilbert pouts. "I cannot help you if you do not tell me who this man is, or at least what he is like." He peers at the paper, wondering about what sort of language Eli is writing in. Well, whatever she is writing, it isn't helping his or her cause.
"Oh… r-right…" Eli stops, clammy hands placing the quill back down. She gazes at her paper — what a waste! — and sighs. Her hands clench around the cloth of her dress. "So… can I just describe him instead?" she asks. Gilbert nods from her peripheral visions, leaning against his arm. Her blush starts to fade. Inhaling, she stutters, "W-well… he is… perfect, I guess…" She pauses, glancing at Gilbert. He doesn't seem to be reacting. "He is really kind… handsome… and very wise… He knows his way around people, and… and is really considerate. Really… really considerate. Really…"
"Okay?" Gilbert sits up. "How considerate? I mean, how do you know, exactly?"
"U-uh, I know because… because… he has done so many things considering my feelings," Eli specifies. "He is there when I get lonely. He is there to cheer me up… It is almost like he is willing to do anything for me." Oh, God, I sound so dependent! Eli wails internally. Why does this always bring the worst out of me? Kill me now!
Gilbert nods, chewing on the fuzzy end of the quill. "Right." He slumps in his seat and grumbles something. Why did he take this job up again? How is he supposed to help write a love letter — of all the challenges! — for a girl who seems to have changed, and to a man he doesn't even know? He can feel the apprehensive stare of that girl, and the pressure is choking him.
"Why not format it like a 'Thank You' note?" Gilbert suggests.
"What?" Eli perks up, but slumps back into her seat. A thank you letter? Seriously? Of all things to base a love letter off of, it has to be a thank you letter? Love letters are supposed be mushy, sentimental, emotion-filled. That's why they are so hard to write!
Isn't it?
Gilbert sat on the branch of the tree, munching on a piece of bread. It was such a nice day: clear skies, kind breeze, clean air… Everything was perfect, and nothing could ruin it, not even bad forecasts. Gilbert felt like he could do anything, except…
He had nothing to do.
Francis and Antonio were off somewhere as escorts; Uncle Fritz was attending a town meeting with Roderick's father; and Eli said she was busy. It was horrible. Gilbert would have run off to bug Roderick, but that wouldn't be fun without a partner-in-crime. Gilbert would have grabbed his beloved Bible and read it, but he didn't want to read it without Eli. So what was he to do? Go hunting? By himself? It had been a long time since he had run off to go hunting without a partner or with Roderick either, and he almost didn't want to go alone. But he wouldn't tell anyone that.
Gilbert sighed, finishing his bread. He slumped in his seat, leg dangling. He had to find something to do, or else he was going to explode! Must, must—
Was that Eli?
Gilbert sat up, peering through the leaves. The person had brown hair loosely tied in the back. Judging from the clothes the person was wearing, the maybe-teenager was a girl. She seemed to be a bit flustered, handing something to another mysterious person. Gilbert squinted. The girl was Eli! But who was she with? Gilbert crawled his way further from the trunk, careful as to not break the branch. He leaned forward and moved some leaves out of the way. Immediately, he recognized who the other person was.
Eli was talking to Roderick!
"So she took my advice," Gilbert huffed victoriously, smirking. He sat back down. There was a cold, wrenching feeling in his stomach as he watched the scene unfold.
Eli was talking, babbling her mouth off in her flustered manner. She had just given her love letter to Roderick and he was opening it. As Eli fidgeted, Roderick was reading. Eli kept glancing hopefully between her fingers and her love. The act of fawning made Gilbert feel uneasy. It was almost like a dark, disgusting serpent was swimming in the pit of his stomach. Spiteful, resentful, evil… it was eating at the stomach walls, writhing and wanting to chew away his heart.
Suddenly, Roderick crumpled the parchment up and shoved it back to Eli. She reacted with shock, and the parchment fell from her hands. Roderick was saying something and it made Gilbert feel worse. Leaves crumpled in Gilbert's hand, and his other hand turned white around his branch. He ground his teeth, preventing himself from uttering words his uncle would kill him over. Eli leaned forward and picked the parchment up. Then she and Roderick parted; nothing was said afterwards.
Even though the scene had long since ended, Gilbert kept staring. He could still see the events playing. Apparitions re-enacted, turning everything darker around them. Gilbert could see the smile on Eli's face, which radiated with hope. Then Roderick's expression twisted with disgust. And Eli reacted with shock, hurt, and disappointment. It was horrible…
"Hey, Gilbert, what are you staring at?"
Gilbert yelped. The branch snapped from underneath him, and he tumbled down.
"Ow, ow, ow…" Gilbert groaned, rubbing his sore hip. He looked up and saw a shadow looming over him. Wavy, brown hair tumbled down into his face. Gilbert couldn't help gulping, letting recognition hit.
"Are you okay?" Eli asked. She brushed some of the twigs and leaves out of his hair.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," Gilbert complained. He rose to his feet and frowned, brushing dust and dirt off his tunic. Eli rolled her eyes and placed her hands to her hips, sighing, "Well, you are the idiot who broke the branch." Gilbert huffed and blew his hair out of his face. "Why are you here in the first place?" he asked, kicking the broken branch away. "You told me not to bother you, and here you are."
Eli's expression fell. She looked at her twiddling fingers, murmuring, "Well, my plans did not go as expected, so…" Eli paused before looking back up at Gilbert. She quickly shook her head and put her hands on her hips again. Her smug smile returned. "So I got bored! And I knew that you would be lonely without me!" She laughed.
"I will not be lonely without you!" Gilbert retorted.
Eli stopped laughing. "Oh… Is that so…"
Gilbert gulped. The depths of his stomach twisted. He almost wanted to go crawl under a rock and stay there forever. "Uh… Uh… Uh…" He glanced about, looking for something to say, or something to do. What was wrong with me? Why do I feel like I did something wrong? Gilbert thought. Have to think…! Think!
"Let's go hunting!" he shouted.
Eli raised an eyebrow. "Hunting? Why? There are almost too many rabbits stacked up for storage. The only thing anyone would accept would be deer, but we all know that we cannot hunt those," she stated. "Besides, I cannot go hunting any longer."
Gilbert frowned. "Why?"
Eli rolled her eyes and gestured at herself up and down. "Well, I am a girl, first of all. And I am no longer," she explained, bunching up the hem of her dress to prove a point, "considered a man anymore."
"Since when?"
Eli sighed, dropping the hem. "Seriously? Are you that dumb? Since the time I was born!" She started to smooth her dress before continuing, "Now, if you will excuse me while you get that into your empty head, I will be off to do something girly now. Like learning how to make clothes or something boring like that." Flicking her hair back, she started to walk away, nose directed towards the sky.
The boy looked down, shoulders sagging. No more hunting? That thought seemed almost sinful to his ears. If Eli wasn't allowed to hunt anymore, then whom would he hunt with? He could always hunt with Roderick, but that little princess-boy was nothing compared to Eli. Actually, nobody would compare to how well Eli hunted. There would be no other. So Gilbert couldn't lose that one partner simply because some idiot made up a rule that she couldn't hunt with him anymore. He needed to stop her. And he did the one thing that would grab her attention.
He grabbed her wrist.
And she turned.
"What do you want?" Eli asked, frowning and glaring at the silly boy.
Gilbert stood there, awkwardly holding onto Eli's hand. He could feel himself turning red in the ears. Immediately, he let go, chest puffed out as he laughed, "Hah! I simply cannot see how you want to follow the rules all of a sudden! Have we ever followed any rule? So why should we start now?"
Eli sighed and smiled. She looked over her shoulder for a brief moment. What she was looking at, Gilbert did not know. But did it matter? "Fine," the girl replied with a spreading grin. "So what is your master plan?"
Once again, Gilbert gulped. He really needed to learn how to think before he spoke. But, in the long run, he didn't care. Eli had her eyes on him and that was more than he could ask for. Quickly, his mind formulated something, flicking through ideas like files in a cabinet. He needed something big. Something that would catch Eli's attention. And maybe kept her attention on him. Yeah, that would be the best idea. That would be his dream.
"We are going to hunt a deer."
"Why not?" Gilbert asks, kicking his legs up onto the table and crossing his arms across his chest. "It doesn't have to be mushy or anything like that."
"Yeah… But…" Eli grumbles. She looks down at the empty papers and her quill. "It is not… conventional, is it?"
Gilbert laughs, and Eli blushes. "Since when did you follow the conventional, huh?" he inquires. "If it works, then it works! It is that simple."
The woman gives Gilbert a sceptical glance before sighing. He does have a point there, but she almost feels uncomfortable with this idea. She shifts in her seat. "So, how will we go about this… 'thank you' letter?" she asked, reaching over the table for another piece of paper and picking up the quill.
Gilbert rolls his eyes. His sneer is quirked to one side, giving him a haughty look. "Really, Axel? I thought you were smarter than that," he provokes. The woman glares at him, but he is clearly unfazed. "Just list a few things that you are grateful for him doing, and that will be it. Oh, and scrawl something romantic in the end, like a short 'I love you' or something. And then you would be done."
"Oh, yeah? When did you become the romance expert?" Eli inquires. But Gilbert merely shrugs. Again, she sighs. Well, even though it isn't "orthodox," it is possible that it would work. Besides, she doesn't have any bright ideas. After staring at Gilbert to wait for a response, Eli turns to look at her blank paper. It is quite painful to look at. She has to do something to it!
Eli leans forward and starts writing.
Thank you for being there.
Thank you for accepting me.
Thank you for standing with me.
Thank you for helping me.
"Are you sure this is all right?" Eli asked, hands grabbing the cloth of her pants. She had borrowed Gilbert's clothes, which were a bit baggy on her. But they were much more appropriate to hunt in than her girly brown dress and dirty apron.
Gilbert scoffed, hands on his hips. "When were you so unsure of yourself, Axel?" he asked.
Eli opened her mouth to answer, but Gilbert turned away. Before the two, there were large horses taken from the stables. One was large and brown with white patches. It was clearly stronger than the other one, muscles rippling as it jittered and whinnied about. Powerful legs contracted and stretched as it pounded the ground with its hooves. It kept throwing its head about, shaking its short mane. The other one was smaller and much calmer than the brown one. It was probably as powerful as its fidgeting companion, but it appeared almost elegant as it stood there, shaking its long mane to get rid of the gnats flying around it.
"Are you ready?" Gilbert asked, turning back to grin at Eli. "You are going to ride old Francis' horse, okay?" He reached up and patted the white one, which shifted away from him. "His is easier to ride."
Eli pressed her lips together and raised an eyebrow. "And you know this, how?" she asked.
"Because it is calmer than Antonio's," Gilbert replied, smirking. "Here, I will help you up." He grabbed Eli around the waist and hoisted her up.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Eli screeched. She kicked her legs under her and flailed her arms. "I have never ridden a horse before!"
Gilbert laughed. "Do not worry! I have not either!" He gently slid Eli into her saddle. The girl was screaming by then. Her arms shot around the horse's neck. Gilbert had saddled this horse! With the previous comment, Eli wasn't so happy with this decision. What if he had done something wrong and she ended up sliding around to the belly of the horse? That wasn't something she would have liked.
He steadied Eli, waiting for her to let go of the horse's neck and slide her one leg on the other side of the horse. "Geez, calm down, Axel. You almost sound like Roderick right now," Gilbert remarked.
Eli shot her friend a glare. Slowly, she pulled her arms away from the animal's neck, waiting for herself to slide off the horse. When she didn't, she swung her leg over. And then her arms shot back around the horse's neck.
Gilbert rolled his eyes. Eli looked quite comical on the horse. She was folded on herself, squeezing her eyes shut. Her legs were stuck out forward as stiff as sticks. Her arms were wrapped so tightly around the horse that Gilbert was worried that she was choking the poor animal. So, he tapped Eli's leg. "Loosen up," he said, "or else you will end up killing yourself."
"Be quiet," Eli squeaked, peering through one eye. She slowly let go of the horse's neck and let her legs drop to the sides of the horse. She scooted back a bit, so she would be sitting comfortably in her saddle. Gulping, she reached down to grab onto the reins. Her grip was awfully tight, but she didn't care.
"You look so pathetic, Axel!" Gilbert laughed.
Eli stuck out her tongue at him as he struggled to get onto the bigger horse. He jumped a few times before flinging himself onto the saddle. The horse tipped slightly. The animal's head turned around to look at the silly boy kicking his legs. After clawing his way onto the saddle, Gilbert finally was sitting, reins in hand.
"Well, that was adventurous," the boy panted, chuckling softly. Eli shot him an evil look, and Gilbert beamed back. "Are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
With a sinister leer, Gilbert kicked the back of Eli's horse. Whinnying, the animal shot off, carrying a screaming Eli.
"Curse you!" the girl wailed. But her words were drowned by laughter and the wind.
Eli clenches are fingers around the quill as she stared down at her work. Oh, God, her stomach is churning with absolute disgust. The letter is nothing like how she had imagined it. Is it even appropriately nice for a love letter anyway? It's short and lame, and it hardly has the same mushiness she had been aiming for. She highly doubts that it has the amount of "power" either. With a sigh, she runs her hand through her hair and glances over at Gilbert.
"Looks nice to me," Gilbert remarked with a shrug. "I am sure that he will like this." He smiles, and Eli slowly smiles back.
"Maybe…"
"So, is there anything else you want to add?" Gilbert asks.
"Maybe a short 'I love you' at the end would do…" Eli turns back to her paper and moves to write the last sentence. Well, if Gilbert likes the letter, then it should be all right. After all, he is a man; he is probably well-acquainted with what men like. And then after that, she will be done, finally. And she can finally give something to her love.
But Gilbert stops her.
"What is his mother tongue?"
Eli looks from her hand to the blonde man. She furrows her brow. "The same as yours," she replies. "Why?"
Gilbert's smile turns into a smug smirk. "Then why not write the last line in it?"
Eli's expression immediately brightens.
"Sure! How do you write it?"
The forest seemed vast to Eli and Gilbert. The wind rustled the leaves, and the sky peeked through the trees in specks. A bird flew above a few times, whistling some song to another bird. Twigs broke underneath the horses, and dried leaves cracked and crinkled. Despite all this movement, the forest seemed to be completely still, like it was holding its breath for something to happen.
The partners had been riding around for quite some time. Both armed with a crossbow and a sheathed sword at their sides, they searched for some unfortunate deer to kill. They had grown used to riding on their horses, although they still had quite a bit of trouble. The white horse seemed uncomfortable with an amateur on its back. It often disobeyed Eli but it made sure that the girl would be safe. On the other hand, Gilbert's horse seemed completely comfortable with him and followed Gilbert's command instantaneously. However, Gilbert wasn't experienced enough, and both he and the animal had run into trouble many times. Moments before, the two nearly ran into a tree due to Gilbert's command and the animal's misunderstanding. Additionally, the horse was fidgety, so the two never really stopped moving.
"Found anything?" Gilbert asked, bored as he rode through the trees. He glanced about, searching for any movement other than his and Eli's.
"Nope… Nothing at all…" Eli sighed, riding right next to Gilbert. Her hands were no longer on the reins, since it seemed like the animal wouldn't listen to her anyway. She glanced at Gilbert, who was lolling his head around on his shoulders. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Of course!" Gilbert exclaimed, perking up and looking at Eli. "Once we catch one, we'll be famous!"
Eli's lips pressed together. She wasn't so sure about this idea. She doubted that they would even succeed, and the only attention they were getting would be the attention of punishments for running off on horses. In fact, Eli was sure that they wouldn't even be able to spot a deer. But, she didn't say anything. It was nice to be around Gilbert again while doing the things she loved. Slowly, the ends of her mouth tilted upwards.
Francis's horse dashed off.
"Huh? Axel!" Gilbert yelled, head snapping in the direction the white horse ran off to. Eli wasn't screaming, and that worried Gilbert. After a swift kick to his horse's side, Gilbert was after her.
In front of him, the white horse weaved around the trees and leapt over roots. Eli obviously wasn't controlling it, since she was clinging onto the horse's neck for dear life. On the other hand, Gilbert's horse couldn't seem to catch up. It dumbly needed Gilbert to tell it which way to go. Eli's horse had the upper hand. And the narrow misses with the trees were slowing Gilbert down. A few times, Gilbert was nearly thrown off.
Suddenly, a tree came into view. Gilbert wrenched the reins back. The horse neighed. The horse's front legs went up, flailing in the air before going back against the ground. They had come to a complete stop.
"W-wait up, Axel," Gilbert gasped. His hands clenched around the reins as he peered around the tree.
Eli was gone.
Gilbert cursed under his breath. The horse raked its hooves against the leafy ground, turning to face around the tree. Gulping, he called out for Eli. No answer. He called again. No answer. He was terrified. Not only had he lost Francis's horse, but he also lost Eli as well. What was he to do? Turn back and tell people what he had done? He never had thought that things would turn out like this!
With a sigh, Gilbert slowly let go of the reins. He stroked the mane of the horse. Then he wrapped his own arms around the horse and muttered, "What are we to do, buddy?"
Then Antonio's horse started to run.
It was almost immediate. The horse hit top speed before Gilbert could scream. Powerful legs spread and contrasted, pushing off the ground and even against the trunks of trees. Muscles rippled as they leapt over the roots. There was nothing stopping the horse. Even the sharp turns and the slippery moss ground couldn't keep the horse back. It was clear that it knew what it was doing, and where it was going. Each turn and swerve was sure.
But that didn't stop Gilbert from screaming. The wind blew at his face. Twigs and branched grazed his arms, face, and legs. The sword and the crossbow bumped against his side. His inner thighs were starting to hurt as he clung on. His eyes were screwed shut. And his mind was running through millions of thoughts per second, but he wasn't thinking at all. Or he was, but he was too afraid, too confused, to register it.
"Hey! Gilbert!" a girl called from his side. "Relax!"
Gilbert peered through one eyelid. Sure enough, a giant spot of white was dashing beside him. Slowly, he opened both of his eyes, blinking a few times.
Beside him was Eli. She was grinning, ducked down a bit to avoid the branches and twigs. Her legs were bent to avoid hitting her feet against something. The crossbow was on her lap, and the sword was positioned so it wouldn't bounce against her or the horse. Her hands were loosely holding onto the reins, but for the most part, the horse was moving independently.
"Come on! Just relax! Loosen up!" Eli repeated over the rushing wind.
Gilbert glared at her, frowning. "Shut up!" he snapped. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms. He kept his head away from the horse's mane, afraid to get his chin hit by the animal's neck as it moved up and down with each lunge. Shaking hands reached for the reins and loosely held the rope. His legs loosened their hold on the horse's sides.
Gilbert grinned and started to laugh. "This is awesome!" he cheered. He ducked down to avoid a branch. He glanced back at Eli before looking out in front of him.
He noticed something. Flashes of brown jumped around trees. Gilbert narrowed his eyes, wondering what the heck it was. He leaned forward a bit. The way the brown leapt around was as skilled as horses', although it was much more graceful than the horses. The other creature was much smaller as well, and it had a tail that was perked up, as if it alerted others of danger. But, those features weren't the most noticeable ones. They were the antlers protruding from the head.
The creature was unmistakeable.
It was a deer.
Gilbert's eyes widened. No wonder the horses dashed off on their own! Francis and Antonio obviously had trained these two animals to hunt down something like this. Gilbert glanced at Eli. She had the same expression as he did. And the two grinned. They knew what to do, and no words were needed.
Gilbert pulled the reins to the right. He parted from Eli and the deer, disappearing a little further into the trees. Cautiously, as the horse continued to run, he pulled the crossbow out and loaded it. He wasn't used to using a weapon on a horse — he never ridden a horse before either — so he lost two arrows before being able to pull the arrow in. Then, he ducked down, holding the crossbow out. He knew that he was still running along the route of the deer and Eli. It was the same way Gilbert and Eli had chased rabbits. And it was a hunting plan Francis and Antonio taught Gilbert. There was no doubt that the horses knew what to do as well. Gilbert was well-prepared.
"It's all yours!" Eli's voice called through the trees.
The deer leapt out of a bush, directly next to Gilbert. He fired the crossbow. But the arrow whizzed over the target's head.
"Curses…" Gilbert hissed through his teeth. He brought his crossbow down to reload. His eyes glanced between the weapon and the running deer. His clumsy fingers dropped another arrow. He took out another one. He strung it in and sat up, glancing around. Where was Eli? She should be on the other side of the trees, but on which side? Left or right?
Well, it didn't matter. He had to shoot the animal down. He needed to prove himself to Eli. What for, he didn't know.
He straightened up and brought the crossbow close to his face, aiming for the deer's wild, wide eye. He leaned out towards the deer. He steadied his hands, adjusting his aim to move with the horse. One eye closed and his teeth gritted together. His finger reached around the trigger, ready to fire.
Something hit his side. The horse moved out from under him. The ground, the sky, the trees, the leaves — they all moved too fast. He couldn't see what was happening. His finger fired the crossbow. He curled up and rolled on the ground. His side throbbed with hurt. Pain blossomed in his stomach.
Then everything slowed to a stop. Gilbert was on his back, staring up at the sky with blurry vision. His side hurt, but his stomach hurt the most. The horse had skidded to a stop, and it clopped to his side. It seemed nervous for whatever reason. It threw around its mane, whinnying and hitting the ground with its hooves.
"What happened?" Gilbert groaned. He tried to sit up, but his abdomen wouldn't let him. God, he had quite a hit. But he didn't know what he got hit from. His hand wandered down to his stomach, searching for whatever was wrong. Then, he felt something woody. It was a thin, smooth stick protruding from a very bloody patch of cloth. Gilbert frowned. Wait, that wasn't supposed to be there.
Immediately, Gilbert looked down. An arrow was sticking out of his stomach. Well, that certainly wasn't supposed to be there. Definitely not. Huh, no wonder his stomach hurt so much. But he still didn't know how it got there.
Gilbert moaned and laid his head back down to stare at the sky. He sighed, wincing. Well, this was a failed mission. He had let the deer go, unharmed. Or maybe, Eli had got it. She always did have his back, after all. But where was she? He hoped she wouldn't find him. That would be embarrassing. He closed his eyes. The adrenaline was fading, and he became tired. He would fix this problem, maybe a bit after some rest. It was peaceful. The sun did feel good, also, even through all the leaves overhead.
It was a perfect place to fall asleep in.
"Gilbert!" somebody shouted, rustling through leaves and snapping twigs. Gilbert's finger twitched at the sounds. That voice was unmistakeable: Eli. Great, did she find him? Already? He wasn't ready! He still looked like a failure. Not awesome. Not awesome at all.
"Oh my—!" Eli ran to Gilbert's side and kneeled down. "Gilbert!" A new set of clopping hooves followed her to join Gilbert's horse.
Gilbert shifted, opening his eyes. He grinned. Eli looked as much of a mess as he did. Her brown hair was wind-blown and tangled; a few twigs and leaves were caught in the brown mess. She seemed pretty beaten up as well, and she had a few scratches. Maybe she took a fall as well. But overall, she looked as usual.
Except her panicked look.
"W-what happened?" Eli asked, pushing her hair around her ear. Her wide eyes looked him up and down.
"I decided to take a nap," Gilbert joked.
Eli glared at him. "That's not how you take a nap!" she screamed, placing her hands around the arrow to help stop the bleeding.
"Oh, come on, Axel. It was just an accident," Gilbert pouted. He shifted to sit up and grabbed hold of the arrow. Eli started shouting something, but Gilbert ignored her. Instead, he pulled the arrow out with a small jerk. "There," he said, setting the bloody arrow on the ground beside him. "See? It was not in too deep. I do not know why girls worry so much."
Eli stared at Gilbert's stomach and then at Gilbert. Her mouth was agape and her hands were clenched at her side. Slowly, her mouth closed and she began to glare at Gilbert. "I was really worried, you idiot!" she shouted. "I thought you were dead!"
Gilbert scoffed, blowing air through the gaps between his teeth. "You really thought one arrow would take down the Awesome Me?"
"Yes! You said that you would die before me, did you not?"
Gilbert paused for a bit. Pouting, he looked away. "Yeah? So? What does that have to do with anything?"
Eli started to rub her eyes. Some of the blood on her fingers smeared across her forehead, but she paid it no mind. "I… I thought you were fulfilling your promise."
Gilbert still didn't look at Eli. "What did you think? Of course I will fulfil my promise," he said, scratching his cheek, "just not now. It's too early."
Then Eli slapped him.
Gilbert yelped. His hand shot up to his reddening cheek, and tears sprung from his eyes. He glared at Eli, frowning. "What did you do that for? That hurts!" he exclaimed, rubbing his ailing cheek. That was going to leave a mark.
"Do. Not. Ever. Die before me."
"But—"
"Ever."
Gilbert slowly closed his mouth, furrowing his brow. He remembered promising this, and Eli had appeared to be glad about it. What had brought about the change in opinion? He couldn't just change his promise though. He had sworn it on the Holy Bible! He couldn't possibly break a promise like that, no matter the circumstances. But he wouldn't want to hurt Eli either, if her opinion on his promise really had changed. After all, he had promised because of Eli's feelings. What was he to do?
Slowly, he started to smile.
"Then, I will die with you instead."
"Ich liebe dich."
"Ich… liebe dich…" Eli repeats, writing the three words on the paper. Her tongue sticks out when she tries to write the first letter in calligraphy, but she gives up and simply writes in her neat print. "How is that?" she asks, pushing the paper towards Gilbert.
He nods. "It looks good to me!" he exclaims. "I would say that you are done! If I were the receiver, I would immediately fall for you right here, right now!"
Eli smiles at the compliment, blushing. "Thanks…" She picks the paper off the table and reads it over. Slowly, she starts frowning. "But it is so short…" she mutters, "and so plain."
Gilbert scoffs, blowing his fringe out of his eyes. He waves his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "It does not matter! When you are writing a letter to a man, you have to be short, simple and to-the-point. There is no need for some flowery mush."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I am sure! I am a man, right?"
Eli's smile returns. "Thank you, Gilbert." She slowly folds the paper into a square, and then slips it into a small envelope. She stares at the envelope for a bit before sealing it and casting Gilbert another glance. Beaming, she repeats, "Thank you so much." She stands up, leaning towards her friend's face. Their faces get closer, and Gilbert's cheeks immediately flare red. Pulling his head back, he squeezes his eyes shut. And, she pecks him on the nose.
"W-wha—" Gilbert blubbers, covering his nose.
"Well, I will be seeing you later," Eli says, bringing the little envelope up to her mouth and winking. "As a reward, you can stay here for as long as you like until I get back. And I will make sure I will go hunting with you." Without another word, she ruffles Gilbert's hair and walks right past him to the door.
Gilbert wipes his nose with his palm. "I am glad that I can help!" he calls. Then the door opens and shuts, and Gilbert is left alone in the house. He grins victoriously at the door, leaning back into his chair. "I knew she would appreciate my help!" he laughs.
But, the smile fades with a sigh. Gilbert glances around at the papers all over the floor, and then the fireplace. Nobody had added firewood, so only a few flickers of flame are present. He should walk over and throw a piece of wood in, but he doesn't. Instead, his hands push aside all the papers, ink holders, and quills. Some papers flit to the ground, but he doesn't make any move to pick them up. Then he leans forward and rests his elbows on the table. His head bows, and his fingers run through his blond hair as he stares at the blank table.
"It is good to be alone…" he sighs, surrounded by love letters Eli had rejected.
As I was writing and proofreading this, I've realised that there are some "other things" that are missing, and have not been subtly implied. Even though this is supposed to be a one-shot, I am willing to make this into a chaptered fic formatted in a series of one-shots differing by point of views from different characters. What do you guys say?
So, hit me with a review, please! I'd love to hear from you guys, especially if you're going to comment on my writing. I hope my writing hasn't died all that much in my hiatus.