So, hey there! Its been awhile but I've had this idea for a year and I decided to finally post the first chapter... enjoy!
Gilbert Beilschmidt was not an example student, in no way or form. Using that term to describe him was laughable at best. No, he wasn't a good student, unlike his younger brother who would most likely qualify as a teacher's pet. And everyone certainly loved to compare him to his younger brother, even though it was him that fought and not Ludwig.
What Gilbert was? Well, a prankster, irresponsible, and very, well, self-confidant. While still being just as organized-or as much as a neat freak, depending on how nice you would prefer to be-as his younger brother Ludwig, he was anything but the model of his class.
His brother was responsible. He could be, but he wasn't. His brother stuck to all of the rules. He made his own. Everyone expected his brother to be well-organized. People were surprised when they discovered just how organized he was. His brother hated surprises or practical jokes.
Gilbert? He had a reputation for pranks, surprises, and messing with people.
While in an ordinary school, all this rule breaking and disrespectfulness would land you in a detention-or worse, for him it wasn't quite the case. You see, he was training to be a dragon rider and a few exceptions where made here and there. He didn't care much for the magic involved, but the dragons-they were pretty awesome.
He and his dragon were great together, making a formidable team, but the elders didn't approve of the chaos that they would cause in pranking and other "displays of awesomeness".
"Didn't approve" was really an understatement. To put it bluntly, they hated it. Now that the fear of his red eyes and white hair had faded in the elders and students, he was mostly a constant headache (although to most of the girls in the town and some riders, the only headache they could get from him would be if they hit their heads after swooning).
The said albino was currently landing from a flight after getting in trouble yet again with the elders. If you asked any rider, they would all agree: spending time with your dragon was the best way to cool off. There's a bond between rider and dragon that can't be compared to any other; they are connected in mind and magic.
"Ah, that was awesome Vivex. I wish we could spend our time doing that instead of getting lectured by those un-awesome Elders. They have even more of a stick up their ass than mein bruder," He said, complaining loudly.
"To be fair, it is your fault. Even it is amusing to see the elder's dragons pink-scaled" Vivex spoke to Gilbert in his mind, and she snorted in amusement. The sun reflected brightly off of Vivex's dark blue and well-kept scales.
The two had been flying high in the sky; the only communication between them was their thoughts. A mental connection like that was simply a normal part of a rider's bond with their dragon.
It was more than a little useful, whether the pair was flying at a speed where words would be lost, or in the midst of a battle in which speaking would be a waste of time and a dangerous distraction.
"Damn right! Especially Thurkear!" Gilbert couldn't help the loud laughter that echoed around the valley. Vivex wasn't sure if it amused her more – the fact that the most fearsome dragon now had feminine, rosy colored scales or that the little one was reacting in such an exaggerated way. She decided that thinking things like this over was boring, and she continued to let herself be amused without the hindrance of dissecting why.
"They won't be happy with you when you get back. We can't stay here forever, and you need to face them." Gilbert sighed inwardly at his dragon's sense of responsibility and maturity. She'd never stop him from causing trouble, but always made him face up to the consequences when they were dealt.
The Albino groaned as he got up from lying on the sun-warmed patch of lush green grass and went to pick up Vivex's saddle from the ground. It was similar to a horse's saddle, with the exception of the large amounts of straps and buckles that decorated it. He hoisted the saddle onto Vivex's back, and fastened it using the straps. It had become second nature to him, so he quickly completed the cumbersome task. He climbed onto her, leaving his feet free from the ties that would secure them.
The dragon tensed, then unfurled her wings; muscles rippling and scales flashing as she took off into the air. Gilbert held on tightly with his thighs, giving a gleeful smirk as they raced through the sky once again. All too soon, a large building could be seen on the horizon. Vivex tilts down and they make their decent, the enormous building coming into more detail as they grew closer. In the front of the property was an archway made out of stone, sizable enough for a fully grown dragon to fly through-and fully grown dragons weren't exactly small.
It was engraved with the school's crest: two swords crossed, a shield in front of it, baring a dragon design. The school itself was magnificent, extravagantly designed and lavishly decorated. It was home to over a thousand dragons and riders of all ages. It was incredible, considering not too long ago dragons were considered to almost extinct and dragon riders where the stuff of fantasies or bedtime stories and nothing more. They'd come so far since then.
Vivex landed in the courtyard, black scales reflecting the harsh glare of the sun. Already Gilbert could see the head of the elders walking up to him. Saying goodbye to whatever chance of escape from their wrath he could have managed, he slipped off of Vivex, onto the ground, and cockily sauntered up to the Elder, meeting his enraged glare with a mischievous one of his own.
"Hallo Thomas, how's Thurkear?" He said. The elder's face seemed to go purple in rage.
"Gilbert. Beilshmidt. I had ENOUGH of your troublesome tomfoolery!" He fumed.
To any sane person this would be completely frightening, paralyzing. The man was large. Old, but he had a harsh glint in his eyes, and a loud bellowing voice. But then again, maybe Gilbert wasn't all that sane.
He laughed. Laughed at the man's rage, the way his face was an eggplant purple, and at how badly he was screwing himself with this whole situation.
The livid man grabbed a yelping Gilbert by his ear, pulling him all the way inside the building and to the meeting room of the elders, leaving Vivex behind.
It was empty other than the two, and the room had no windows. It was lit only by the light of candles, and the light streaming through the still-opened door.
"Your behavior is unacceptable, Beilshmidt! Even if you are the famous 'Teutonic Knight'! Being a celebrity gives you no, hear me, no excuse to cause chaos on a whim!" Suddenly a smirk came onto his face, and a glint to his eye.
The albino couldn't help it, he gulped. This guy could really be scary sometimes, when frustration changed into cold anger… He almost looked vengeful.
"You've violated nearly every rule this establishment has put in place, and your utter lack of respect to authority is appalling. I think there is more than enough grounds for you to be banned from this school, forever." He paused to let the words sink in.
It did. And fast. "What? Nein, you can't be-"
Gilbert was interrupted.
"I am. In fact, I'll begin your letter rejection to this school now. If you wouldn't mind, head home now. You'll be excused from any classes you'll miss, not that you would have gone to them anyways."
He opened his mouth to let some awesome comeback tumble off of his tongue, but then thought better of it. He really was in enough trouble as it was…
The younger rider bit his tongue instead, and stormed out of the room in his frustrated. He was kicked out? Just like that? How much more unfair could you get, mein gott!
He felt a slight burning in his eyes, but ignored it. He was way too awesome to be crying over something like this. He didn't cry. That was for sissy-pants who couldn't deal with anything, not for someone as awesome as he. Yes, those where is thoughts as he exited the building for what may be the last time.
"Gilbert?" The dragon called, sensing his overwhelming frustration.
'They kicked me out´ he replied in thought over their shared mental link. He was in a state of disbelief, shock that they'd do this over a prank. To HIM. There was a silence as Vivex thought about what her rider had said, and more importantly, the best response.
"Foolish humans… Ride with me back home" She snorted, unimpressed by the elders and their superiority. He rider may be an idiot sometimes, but that didn't mean she would side with anyone else, so of course she decided that the elders where far too uptight without a decent sense of humor.
Gilbert walked through the spacious stone halls, the light filtering in from outside and dappling the floor. He was heading back out into the courtyard. 'I don't want to go back to that. What, go back, be lectured, und have mein younger brother be held as better than me?' He thought huffily.
"Oh, so you want to do what, then?" Vivex questioned, and her doubts obvious in her thoughts.
'I don't know… I'll think of something. I am the awesomest anywhere, so it shouldn't be too hard for me'
Vivex internally rolled her eyes. Why she chose to hatch for such an egotistical rider, she'll always speculate on. She forgave it-after all, the little one's pride had just been trampled on.
Gilbert reached his dragon, climbing on to her. "Where to, O Awesomest Anywhere?"
Though Vivex was clearly being sarcastic, it didn't stop him from smirking narcissistically.
'Now that I think about it… home first, I need something so that I can survive. Und I don't want to leave without at least leaving a note…'
The dragon let out a snort in agreement before taking off into flight, her strong muscles rippling under the saddle in which Gilbert sat. Soon, they were above even the clouds. The wind was fierce, and the air was frigid. Though the albino wore a thick coat, he still shivered.
This flight was longer than the last; it was nearly an hour before they arrived. They landed half a mile away from the house he lived in with his Grandfather and younger brother. While his father was out at work around this time, there was no doubt Ludwig would be at home.
You see, while Gilbert happened to be a dragon rider (and quite a well-known one, after The Great War-a vicious battle between elven kind and humans-he became known as the Teutonic Knight, or Teutonic Rider) his younger brother was nothing of the sort. He tending to act much more logically, and therefore thought that magic was impractical. He would much rather focus on the strict reality in the world. He worked under government officials, and would move up to play a larger part as he got older.
Gilbert personally thought that he was crazy for wanting that much paper work. He himself would just sneeze and get bored of it.
Shaking the thoughts of his little brother from his head, the pale-skinned rider began the short walk to his house, walking on a well-worn trail amongst the ferns. The forests around this area where tall, but clear, so there was less brush and more trees. Soon his house could be seen, and a light coming from the room next to his shone through the window confirmed that his brother was indeed home as he had predicted.
Instead of risking the creak of the door when entering the house or the creaky ascending of the stairs, Gilbert decided to take a more direct path. As silently as one can, he climbed a tree close to his house, and scooted his way to the end of a branch, the tree tremoring.
"Don't be too foolish, little one" Vivex warned through their connection.
'Tch, foolish, me? I'm way too awesome for that!' He thought, smirking in determination as he made the leap to the windowsill of his room. There was a dull thud against the window and Gilbert froze, mentally wincing at the noise that could possibly alert his brother.
After a few seconds of waiting with no apparent movement from inside the house, the young man decided it would be safe to enter. His windows weren't locked because of instances such as these so it was only a few seconds until he slid into his room with something a little less than grace.
After tumbling on to the ground, he picked himself up grabbing some bags from his room. He began the process of packing the necessities from his room: clothes, money, a bit of dried food, and weapons.
"Fit in there…" he grunted while attempting to squish one last piece of clothing into the leather bag. When he was satisfied he slung the sack over his shoulder and searched his desk for a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill. Once he found them, he began messily writing
'Dear Ludwig and Vatti,
I'm way too awesome for this lame school, so I'm going to go adventuring! Sounds awesome, right? Well now that I can't go to some stuffy school, it probably will be. Some people just can't appreciate a pink dragon…
Anyways! Don't worry about me or anything, I'll end up sending letters or something to Luddy (hi Luddy! It's your awesome older bruder!) so you'll know I'm not dea'
"Gilbert?" came the gruff voice of his younger brother.
'Shisse! Luddy caught me…' Gilbert panicked slightly. He didn't really plan on that.
"Did you really think he wouldn't?" The dragon questioned. Gilbert reprimanded himself for not realizing that it's hard to be sneaky when jumping in a window while someone is awake and working in silence in the next room over.
'Alright maybe I didn't think so, but what am I supposed to do now?!' he questioned his dragon. He was met with silence; his dragon was leaving it to him to figure out.
"Hallo Luddy! Nice day today, ja? Don't mind me, just being my awesome self und being totally innocent." He had most definitely nailed that one.
"What's in the bag? Why are you home early? What is the letter?" the blonde wasted no time in beginning his interrogation of the elder, being used to his antics.
"Sheesh, Luddy, why the questions?" Gilbert tried to play it off. "I'm just home early so-"
Yet again today, he was interrupted, but this time by Ludwig snatching the letter out of his hand. It would be easiest for him to take the more direct approach.
"What happened." He practically stated, tone demanding an answer.
"Well I got this amazing idea to-" Gilbert began
"I already don't like where this is going…" Ludwig commented.
" -dye Tommy's dragon pink!"
" Pink?!"
"Turns out that may have not been the best idea-"
"May have?!"
"- but don't worry about it!" The albino finally finished. He was holing a smirk on his face, while the blue-eyed younger brother seemed to get angrier and angrier. Steam could have been blowing out his ears, and he looked almost ready to blow. However, he commented in a controlled (though it was shakily controlled) voice.
"I'm awesome so I'm just going to move onto other stuff! Like before!" The albino finally finished. He was holing a smirk on his face, while the blue-eyed younger brother seemed to get angrier and angrier. Steam could have been blowing out his ears, and he looked almost ready to blow. However, he commented in a controlled (though it was shakily controlled) voice.
"So because you screwed up, then you're running away?" Ludwig said.
"Maybe." Was the reply the younger received. Gilbert's answer was defensive.
"Why? I'm sure if you at least apologized-nein, if you had ever apologized for anything that you've done you'd be accepted gladly." Gilbert's eyes narrowed as his brother spoke, the red flashing with something akin to anger.
"Ja, und why would I want to apologize to stuck-up unawesome people like them?" he questioned arrogantly.
"Gilbert, just because you led fights in the war doesn't mean that you can't be at least a bit more respectful! Running away isn't the solution, und you know you'd never be able to get away with it. Vatti would be furious! What would you do if you ran anyway? The world isn't the same as it used to be, and you know that! Hell, you helped create that!"
"First of, I'm not running I'm leaving. Und I'll figure it out! Geez, give me some credit! Someone would want this awesome skill!" Clearly he hadn't thought that far, but he figured working quests here and there would be easy for someone like him. He could work something out.
"I thought the Teutonic Rider would be a little braver than this. Would people that knew you then think the same? Eli?" The blue-eyed blond with the slicked back hair knew he was crossing a line that normally he wouldn't cross. This wasn't usual for his personality, but he was determined to get his older brother to see reason. Even if it meant bringing up old wounds.
The effect was immediate. Gilbert's air changed from a mischievous arrogance to a something colder. "Eli is dead, Ludwig, und you never knew him. I'm leaving." He said, and readjusted the straps on his pack. He heard his voice crack and he knew that Ludwig did as well.
'Vivex. Fly by. I'm ready to leave.' He notified his dragon through his thoughts.
"Gilbert…?" She said, a concerned question in her voice.
'Now, Vivex!' the said rider snapped, leaving his dragon in a moody silence. Either way, she would be there in a matter of seconds.
"Nein, Gil-" Ludwig tried to stop him.
Gilbert turned away, angry tears not falling. "I'll write"
And with that, he jumped
A review would mean a lot to me! Thanks!