People underestimate him, even as they speak his name in hushed tones of awe at what he can do. Some of the rumors and legends about his abilities are blown way out of proportion, and still, the fools underestimate him. But he rather likes it like that. After all, it's ever so much fun to play with puppets who can't see their strings.
And the strings are really only for those of whom he has tired of, who have, somehow, realized his manipulation of them and think they have shrugged free of his control games. The idea is laughable. The Puppetmaster never lets anyone free of his game. Once they start playing with him, they are in the game for the rest of their lives. Some, even longer.
Especially her. Esther. He delights in manipulating Esther. Every time she thinks she's finally freed herself of his influence, he surfaces in her life again, and he can hide the childish grin for only so long as her eyes plead with his own to let her go. It's amazing. On some level, it almost seems as though she still holds some measure of trust, and love for him, as though he is the puppet and she is praying that his master will cut his strings and he will go back to her, friends again. She knows that his strings are not his only weapon, and yet she falls for him again and again and again, almost willingly tripping herself into his traps.
It's almost boring, except that Esther is never boring in herself. Had it been anyone else, he would have grown tired of the prey offering itself up to him at every encounter. But Esther is the only one who seems to think it is a good idea. Isaak, Cain…now they never let themselves fall into his traps easily. They fancy they never fell into his traps at all, but that's okay.
They think his strings are his only weapon, and he wants them to keep thinking that. He wants them oblivious to the charm and charisma that is ever so deadlier than the strings that earned him his name. He's the cobra in the basket, they're the guy with the flute, and he wants them to think he dances to their tune. The Puppetmaster can also sell salt water to a sailor. He's done it once, as a child, his first foray into manipulating the minds of the people around him. He'd convinced a seasoned sailor that salt water was the only thing he needed to buy before a long voyage. He'd woven his words carefully, a beautiful illusion where everything he said was truth and everyone needed desperately to believe that because he could do no wrong. The sailor had bought the salt water. Isaak and Cain still think they control him. Esther still thinks he has a good heart and that he will come back to her.
The fools all underestimate him, but that's fine, because he likes it sometimes when the puppets don't realize he holds their strings.
Author's Note: So, after seeing most of the anime and reading the first volume of the manga, as well as reading numerous fanfics, Heron realized that people tend to forget what makes Dietrich von Lohengrin so dangerous, and what makes him dangerous is not the strings. It's that charm, that charisma, where he can make anyone believe anything he wants them to. This probably isn't the best work, but it's a little tribute to the Puppetmaster, because try as she might, Heron can't seem to hate him.
Oh, and the bits about Esther were not meant to be rude. It just seems like she wants to see the best in people, and if we couple that with the fact that Dietrich is a part of her old life in Istavan, a part of her life that she had a lot of love and faith invested in, it stands to reason that he would still have some hold over her. It's kind of like the relationship between Ion and Radu, actually. Ion didn't want to believe it was possible when Radu betrayed him, like Esther didn't want to believe it when Dietrich turned on her.
So, uh, watcha think? Heron knows it could use a little refining, but for right now it has written itself, and Heron's too fried to think of how to improve. Criticism would be quite welcome, if you've the time.