Manfred von Bielenfeld



Spoilers: Basics contain spoilers...

Basics
AKA: Professor, Manfred-sensei, Fred (from childhood only)

Age: ~170 in year 0

Looks: 5'7", near twin to Wolfram, limped badly in early stories

Character: Pain and passion and hypersensitivity, under very tight rein. Loyal. Integrity and duty. Devout. Sarcastic. Prone to emotional explosions.

Special skills: Top fire healer.

Family: Manfred is Wolfram's father, via Cecilie, an embittering experience, though he loves Wolfram dearly. Shinou's temple ordered Cecilie to have a child by then-army-commander Manfred, and the devout Manfred obeyed. But this couple faced unanimous family damnation - Manfred's liege lord Friedrich summed it up as "a match made in hell", personality-wise, as well as age-wise. Manfred is only 20 years older than Cecilie's son Gwendal - much like a human 40+ year old woman having a child by a 17-year-old boy. Marriage was impossible, but Manfred tried doggedly to pursue a relationship, living at Blood Pledge, helping raise baby Wolfram, getting along as best he could with Gwendal and Conrad, while Cecilie continued sleeping with whoever she pleased, including her ex-husband Dan Hiri Weller. This tried Manfred's temper badly enough. Then his leg was injured in battle beyond any healing. He was in pain and rage all the time. Cecilie couldn't handle his anger, and kicked him back home to Bielenfeld, keeping Wolfram. Leaving Manfred to beg for any time at all with Wolfram. Eventually the pair got better at joint parenting - at a distance.

Manfred was the only son of Phoebe von Bielenfeld and Wolfred von Bielenfeld, who were raised as brother and sister. In fact, this was a cover-up - Wolfred had the baby, then married Phoebe, who acted as Manfred's mother. Manfred didn't know this until TwT. Wolfred was almost always away in the military. Manfred was cross-fostered with Adelbert von Gratz, and he and Phoebe spent much of their time in Gratzberg instead of Bielenfeld. When Wolfred died, Manfred arguably should have become the new heir, but he didn't want it, and Friedrich was getting too old to outlive generation after generation of heir. So Aldrich, 60 years Manfred's senior, became heir instead.

Manfred was desperately unhappy with his mother after his father died. He and Adelbert defied their families and joined the army at age 45 - legal, but only done by homeless orphans. Aristocrats joined the army around age 60, as commanders. But the boys worked their way up the ranks, befriending Teodor von Trondheim - 15 years their senior, but benefiting hugely from the boys' acceptance of him as a Trond breaking into the army.

After Cecilie kicked him out, Manfred resumed his schooling in fire healing, with a gift exceeded only by his great-grandfather-and-uncle Friedrich von Bielenfeld. He became professor, then chair of healing at the Bielenfeld Institute for Majutsu Studies. With help from Aldrich, who'd by then become his clandestine lover, he got visiting rights with Wolfram, and eventually even legitimated Wolfram as his heir. (Manfred's wealthy in his own right, as Lord Squire of the MvB plantation's rich vineyards.) Manfred supervised Wolfram's education, and Wolfram often stayed with him to study at the Institute.

Manfred and Cecilie's relationship remained something like a moth and a flame.

Manfred already had 2 more children out of wedlock by year 0, but we meet them along the way. With Aldrich incurably married, and Cecilie unattainable, Manfred played the field a lot. Actually, he fell into bed with Cecilie again over and over, too...

Stories: Manfred's a major character in all stories except Epilogue.

The Bedding of Wolfram

 * Surprise, Yuuri! Wolfram's father is alive! And he's just the first of the von Bielenfeld in-laws. Bwahaha...
 * Manfred makes the painful trip to Blood Pledge to heal Wolfram.
 * Physical healing is quick, but Manfred settles in for the emotional and mental healing.
 * Manfred's skirt-chasing ways and nasty relationship with Cecilie upset the castle some.
 * Manfred suggests Wolfram come back to Bielenfeld with him, panicking Yuuri.
 * But Manfred also helps Yuuri grow a spine and get it on with Wolfram.  'Wimp'  and pretty pink nighties explained clearly enough for even Yuuri to finally get it.
 * Manfred doesn't approve of Yuuri or their engagement, however.
 * Manfred and ex-best-friend Adelbert have been estranged since Adelbert's treason. Their friendship begins to heal over Adelbert's role in rescuing Wolfram.


 * full summary

Axel
During, and 20 years before, BoW


 * The frame of this story is Wolfram's healing talks with Manfred during BoW, trying to get his head straight about losing his troop and his first lover, Axel. Manfred insists he find the edges - the beginning and the end, and see it whole, so he can deal with it.
 * Twenty years ago, Wolfram sought Manfred's help to gain an officer's commission from Bielenfeld.
 * Manfred put Wolfram up to winning the Bielenfeld Beautiful Boy pageant as a way to catch his choice of superior officer (Gregor von Dienst).
 * Back in year 0, at Manfred's good-bye supper, hostilities escalate between Manfred and Cecilie to the point of them falling into bed - again.


 * full summary

The Pirate Wedding
Two years after BoW and Axel


 * Surprise, Yuuri! You have more von Bielenfeld in-laws! And they all dislike humans in general, and you in particular!


 * Manfred brings along another illegitimate son, Efram Zarelle, and a pregnant girlfriend, Efram's mother's sister. Manfred offers to let Yuuri and Wolfram adopt the newborn. But comes to regret it badly within hours.


 * The normally (ahem!) assertive Manfred shows strange obedient-puppy leanings toward Aldrich, heir to Bielenfeld.


 * Manfred's memory is phenomenal, and he designed and built Cecilie's yacht.


 * Manfred's worried sick about Efram, and Cecilie, and the newborn. But especially Cecilie. Her being kidnapped by pirates forces Manfred to face his still-unresolved feelings for her.


 * Due to Aldrich's political machinations, Manfred ends up deposing Friedrich as Lord Bielenfeld - at least for a year.


 * Manfred gives the newborn baby - Bertram - to Wolfram to adopt after all. Because he recognizes the baby is the reincarnation of Shinou. He'd actually decided Yuuram were too immature, and to keep the baby himself, but Manfred wouldn't dream of defying the clear will of Shinou.


 * Manfred and Cecilie get it on again - to near blow-up. But Manfred enlists Aldrich's reluctant help to teach Cecilie how to handle Manfred when he's overwhelmed.


 * Manfred and Cecilie wind up engaged. In the year until their wedding, she'll visit him as ruling Lord at Castle Bielenfeld. Under Friedrich's supervision. Not very good practice for their life after the wedding...


 * [[Image:NottameIcon.gif]] Men Who Are Not Tame - with Manfred & Adelbert's crew (PW)


 * full summary

Wolfram Takes a Break
One year later - three years after BoW and Axel


 * Aldrich's wife Glynda and son Dietrich make a brief appearance.


 * Friedrich and Glynda lay their grief over Aldrich's lost arm on the phoenix' pyre. The arm begins regenerating. Manfred's bad leg begins healing as well, in answer to Friedrich and Cecilie's griefs. We don't know what Aldrich and Manfred's griefs are.


 * Manfred abdicates as Lord Bielenfeld as expected. Wolfram and Friedrich turn it down, and the family unanimously chooses Aldrich to rule.


 * Aldrich offers to name Wolfram his heir, but Wolfram declines in Dietrich's favor.


 * full summary

Yuuri's Hot Date
two years after WTB, fifth year after BoW


 * Between stories, Aldrich's miserable marriage with the mentally ill Glynda ended in catastrophe. Aldrich finally decided to divorce, for his son's sake. Glynda countered by committing suicide. Aldrich and Dietrich are just starting to get over this nightmare.


 * Aldrich holds a marriage ball at Blood Pledge Castle, offering the young heiress Lady Kieran von Donaghie's hand - and the entire domain of Donaghie to the winner. Kieran is Manfred's daughter - and Aldrich was in on that from the start.


 * Aldrich's top contestant, Sylvain von Tarkenburg, wins. No surprise there...


 * The honeymoon is definitely over between Manfred and Cecilie - Manfred's fed up with being dragged around the world while she carries on with other men. When they get back to Blood Pledge, Manfred makes a beeline for Aldrich, more concerned about him than Wolfram and Kieran.


 * In flashbacks, we see more of Aldrich's strong role in Wolfram's childhood, as well as Kieran's. Aldrich and Manfred were a pretty potent role model to him, of the kind of safe and loving relationship Wolfram aspired to, rather than the scary whip-toting revolving bedroom door games his mother played.


 * Aldrich and others help Wolfram get his act and head straight over his temporary breakup with Yuuri. He agrees to do marriage counseling with the couple, but Manfred and Friedrich take over, concerned that Wolfram and Yuuri's issues struck too close to Aldrich's still raw wounds from Glynda's death.


 * Aldrich's main planks counseling the individuals and the couples are 1) get right-sized, and apologize for exactly and only what you did wrong, no minimizing, no catastrophizing; and 2) even if you marry for love, align to duty - back each other in performing each's service to the world.


 * Aldrich and Manfred finally, just once, get to have all their children on a bed together for a bedtime story.


 * Aldrich starts agitating for vassal Wolfram to get a new Lordly career outside his neurotic Yuuri-centricity. He also has plans for Efram - he's pushing him to add a nobility degree to his studies. And he's dispatching Manfred to Donaghie to do a public health and welfare survey. So Manfred and Efram leave with him.


 * full summary

The Trouble with Trolls
half year after Date, sixth year after BoW


 * Aldrich's the protagonist of this story. Short version: Aldrich meets the challenge he was born for, helping the Maou avert a second round of the Great Troll and Goblin War, and build a lasting peace with the trolls.


 * We learn lots about the other Mazoku races - including Aldrich and Wolfram's strange wood nymph ancestry.


 * Manfred annuls his marriage with Cecilie, and marries Aldrich instead. They have the seeds to grow their joint children next year.


 * It's best just to read the summary.


 * [[Image:Banana_sproutIcon.gif]] Sprout! - with Manfred and Cecilie, from TwT (by bananam00n)


 * Full Summary

The Ghosts of Trondheim
half year after Trolls, seventh year after BoW


 * Aldrich and Manfred go on a double-date honeymoon - family vacation - with Yuuri and Wolfram in Trondheim. Thing go awry when the ghost of Franklin kidnaps Murata Ken.


 * Aldrich's peculiar plant variant of the fire healing gift comes in handy - he delivers many treeborn babies as the ghosts reincarnate from trees planted from Aldrich's seeds - by Franklin.


 * Aldrich is a co-author of a new Trond religious movement - with Yuuri as Messiah.


 * Aldrich's pushing even harder for Wolfram to take up a career outside his marriage, and Wolfram finds a calling in public health.


 * Aldrich and Manfred's treeborn twins are born - Avram and Margritte.


 * [[Image:AlanameetIcon.gif]] Welcome to Trond Hall! - a double-date honeymoon (GoT)


 * [[Image:OldFriendsIcon.gif]] Old Friends - with the ghost of Franklin (GoT) - by bananam00n mostly


 * Full Summary