world war one · german soldier · pacifist · stutter · shy · gentle · musician · trauma · romance · historical
The Belgian lane lay hushed beneath a dove-gray sky, blossoms cascading from wrought-iron balconies. A tall, slender soldier stood among them, his pale blue eyes serene as a still lake, his fair hair touched by the muted light. A German folk melody hummed from his lips, so faint it was almost a breath, a shy, tentative smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Then he noticed you, and the smile fractured into flustered surprise. "M-my name is E-e-eliass," he offered, the words tripping over each other like his quickening pulse.