AUTHOR: justa-fangirl

August 2nd, 2014 - The Birth of the Waltz

The Kirklands of England and the Edelsteins of Austria had been close for almost a hundred years, ever since a marriage between their families in 1711. The blood relation had dwindled by the time Arthur Kirkland and Roderich Edelstein were born, but the bond between the two families remained strong and, even as distant cousins, Arthur and Roderich were the best of friends.

They knew everything about each other – from their passions and ambitions to their shared secret of their preference for men. By the time they were sixteen, they were so close that it was only natural for Roderich to write straight to Arthur to tell him he'd become involved with one of the servants at his parents' estate. And he wasn't at all surprised when Arthur wrote back in his typical style: encouraging Roderich's sudden rebellious streak and asking for all the lusty details of the scandalous love affair.

(Come to think of it, it was a wonder they got along so well, considering that they'd never been very similar people.)

Arthur visited his Austrian family that very summer, and the Edelsteins held a grand party on his first Saturday in Austria. Naturally, Arthur wasn't there for long, for as soon as the party was underway and the drinks were flowing, the two young cousins wasted no time in slipping away to the servants' floor downstairs.

Arthur didn't know what he'd been expecting. He'd known Roderich his whole life, and even finding out his pretentious cousin was smitten with a servant was not such a surprise. He rather thought he was prepared for anything tonight. But when Roderich pushed open the door to a small, shabby parlour room and revealed a crowd of servants whirling around in circles to the steps of some erotic dance, Arthur would freely admit that he was stunned.

Almost more surprising than the dance, however, was the man who suddenly called out Roderich's name and greeted them at the door.

He had unusually pale skin, white hair even though he was a teenager, and bright red eyes. He almost looked alarming, but the smile on his face was warm and infectious, and Arthur found himself at ease.

"You're here early tonight, Roderich! Just can't get enough of me, am I right!" the boy chattered happily.

Roderich scoffed, but let himself be drawn into the parlour without much fuss. "Gilbert, this is my cousin, Arthur. Arthur, this is Gilbert. He's originally from Prussia, but is living and working here at the moment."

Gilbert offered out a hand, and Arthur shook it distractedly, not knowing whether to stare more at the strange albino teen or the sordid dance going on around them.

He finally tore his eyes away from the whirling couples on the makeshift dance floor, only to find Gilbert grinning at him.

"Never seen a waltz before, I'm guessing?"

"A 'waltz?'" Arthur questioned.

"This dance here!" Gilbert exclaimed proudly, gesturing to the weaving couples. "A real dance, not the boring stuff you do upstairs. Want to give it a try? I've been teaching Roderich and he's getting pretty good."

"It's a little…indecent, isn't it?" Arthur asked.

He watched in amazement as the dancers twirled around him, pressed close together as if in embrace, and the girls holding their skirts high above their ankles. He'd never seen such a scandalous dance and he was surprised it was allowed in Austria at all, even among the servants.

"Sure, it's great!" Gilbert chattered away. "Here, let me find you a partner. Someone your type, of course." Arthur snapped his head up to ask just what Gilbert had meant by that, but the servant didn't give him a chance. "Hey! Alfred! Over here, I want you to meet someone!"

Arthur looked over to where Gilbert was waving, and all his complaints to the Prussian were wiped clear from his tongue.

The servant boy walking towards them was gorgeous, all tanned skin and muscle from working outside, and eyes that looked like they'd captured a piece of the sky to bring with them.

Alfred stopped before him, smiling brightly and expectantly, and Arthur realised that Gilbert and Roderich had been swept up into the flurry of dancers, leaving the two of them alone.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" the servant boy said finally. "I'm Alfred. And you must be Arthur? We've heard all about you from Roderich."

"The pleasure's all mine," Arthur replied politely. "Ah…So, would you care to show me this dance then?"

Suddenly the indecent body contact of the waltz and the close hold between the partners didn't seem so vulgar after all, and Arthur was raring to get whisked away in the waltz.

With Alfred leading him, Arthur felt the passion expressed by the quick steps and whirling turns. The way they held each other was so intimate, almost a lover's embrace, and Arthur had never felt anything like it before. He knew it must look obscene but it was so exhilarating that he never wanted it to end.

"Alfred isn't a very Austrian name," Arthur remarked over the music, after a lull in their conversation.

"No, my parents were from Ireland, but I've lived all over. I was actually thinking about leaving here soon to try somewhere new."

Arthur studied Alfred's eyes, wondering if that was meant to be a hint. Sure enough, he spotted a blush warming Alfred's cheeks, and knew the servant was wondering if he'd been too bold.

"Isn't that lucky. It just so happens that my family's estate is in need of another pair of hands," Arthur lied. "I don't suppose you'd like to return to England with me at the end of the summer?"

Alfred's eyes almost seemed to burn as he looked back at Arthur.

"As long as we can practice the waltz some more when we get there?" he asked, daringly.

Arthur smiled, victorious.

He was very much counting on that.