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TRAVAILS OF TEYVAT: Princeps Cretaceus
The Clover Under The Moon
“Do you think my mom misses me?”
Out of all the questions Albedo expected Klee to ask in hopes of prolonging her bedtime, this wasn’t one. His fingers worried a loose thread in the bind of one of her favorite storybooks, The Fox and the Dandelion. Unsure of how to broach a topic he’d been dreading since Klee was left in their care, and relieved that it reared its head now. As Albedo tucked the book in its space amidst others on the small redwood bookshelf nestled in the corner of her bedroom, he snuck a glance out the corner of his eye.
Klee was fairly small in stature. Yet draped in the thick red quilt she dragged off her bed, she was impossibly tiny. He was painfully reminded of when he first laid eyes on her. Caught in the throes of sleep and oblivious to her mother’s imminent departure. Her leg stuck haphazardly outside the red, threadbare blanket she’d been cocooned in. From Alice’s descriptions, he knew his work would be cut out for him with how rambunctious her daughter was. But in that moment nothing else mattered than the bit of peace Klee could have before her world was upended.
“Albedo…?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper but shattered his thoughts with the force of a Mitachurl’s swing. Albedo blinked to focus then came to join her on the window sill where she’d curled up to hear his story. Her protests that she’d fall asleep too quickly if she were in bed blossomed warmth in his chest. Nestled on the small ledge, Albedo lifted an arm and waited for Klee to inch over to him, curling tightly against his side. It was a bit of a squeeze but worth it. Content, lilting hums filled the air and he pretended not to notice how she tried to cover his lap with her blanket.
“I think she does,” Albedo intones softly as he combs his fingers through her hair. Outside of its usual twintails, it falls in waves around her shoulders only to be bunched up beneath the blanket. Almost reminding him of her mother who had a fairly distinctive if not unkempt appearance. Klee blew at her bangs, nose scrunched when the hairs fell over her eyes. Amused, Albedo brushed them back with a curl of his fingers and added, “So much in fact, she couldn’t help but write about you.”
Those words bring about the desired effect. Klee’s eyes widened as she clambered over Albedo’s lap, almost slipping over her blanket til he caught her around her middle. “The Teyvat Travel Guide..! Did she send a new one, Albedo?”
Albedo sighed contentedly. There went the hope of getting her to bed at a reasonable time. Though, perhaps this distraction was necessary. Klee’s eyes shined as he swept her up, blankets and all. Pitched giggles rang in Albedo’s ears but the sweet dulcet tones were far more endearing than irritating. With a little bounce, another peal of laughter filled the room and Albedo smiled.
“She did,” he said once Klee’s laughter died down and her arms were draped over his shoulders in a loose embrace. “But only a manuscript. Which means…”
WIthout him having to prompt her, Klee recited in almost perfect cadence, “It’s a secret.”
“... That’s right,” Albedo arced an eyebrow and bumped his forehead against hers. “... I’ve said that before, haven’t I?”
Klee couldn’t even hide her skeptical, almost world-weary look. He’d seen that look on his own face many times before. “Just a little,” she recovered gracefully. Exposure to Jean was making her a master at changing the subject seamlessly.
Rolling his eyes, Albedo tucked the blanket around her then dulled the light filling her clover-printed lampshade. “It’s in my study, but we’ll have to be quiet.”
“Is Sucrose staying again?” Klee asked, tugging at his collar then pointing toward Dodoco who sat imperiously upon her pillows.
Albedo nodded, ambling over to her bedside. “She has some trouble falling asleep and breaks aren’t very easy for her,” he said. His hand hovered over Dodoco’s face and he could have sworn the woodland creature’s sewn eyes were narrowed further than usual. Mouth scrunched in a frown even more poised, almost aristocratic. Was it dismay at being forgotten, or separated from Klee, Albedo couldn’t tell.
Why was he entertaining such a thought at all? Alice was creative, sure, but not even she could give sentience to a doll.
Could she?
Warily, Albedo scooped Dodoco in the crook of his arm and presented the pompom to her. Klee smiled brightly while telling him of her adventures with Dodoco and Outrider Amber. He winced at a particularly interesting exchange concerning loading points, Klee’s treasures, and Baron Bunny. Albedo considered keeping a closer eye on the two girls in the coming days, half-closing Klee’s room door then hoisting her up on his hip as he walked through the halls of their home. Small as it was, there was a certain coziness to the lack of extra space.
Unlike the quarters he’d been outfitted with in the Ordo, which could have filled an entire half of a floor, where he had his workshop, his reading spaces, his achievements and observatorium but it wasn’t a home.
Certainly not one to house a child.
Silence echoed when Sucrose and the others weren’t present to distract him from the labyrinth of his mind. Whirring machines, groaning gears, and the occasional sizzling concoction could only fill the gap for so long. Then she came along.
Albedo glanced at Klee out the corner of his eye, illuminated by the light from the windows but her radiance outshone even the moon. She trailed at his heels with a mountainous array of questions, filling the lull vigorously. Oft rousing him from abysmal musings when she came bearing her newest achievement for his scrutiny, but he could give little else but praise and pointers for her next breakthrough.
Klee brought a new hint of color to his world, and with some luck, clarity.
“... Albedo, what’s that sound?”
Pulled from his thoughts, Albedo blinked slowly and opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, til he heard it. Muffled thumps echoed down the hall as if something were being beaten against the walls. Frames trembled on their hooks as they passed and Albedo’s brow furrowed once they stood outside the umber door leading to his study. For a beat, the thumps stopped and Albedo shared a curious look with Klee until a sharp thwack gave the girl a start. Her yelp buried against Albedo’s shoulder as he staggered backwards from the trembling doors. One hand curled in Klee’s hair while the other tucked beneath her, shielding her with his body as he eyed the quivering wooden frame.
“Sucrose is in there..”
If the unfamiliar sensation of a stranger being in his home wasn’t unnerving enough, then Klee’s faint fearful whisper did. Fear and uncertainty crystallize then shatter. Possibilities scattered before him as he set Klee down feet-first, bundling the blanket around her shoulders. This could be a misunderstanding or an accident with an experiment - both his assistant were prone to making - but either paled in comparison to the potential endangerment of Sucrose’s life.
Albedo smoothed down the flyaways in Klee’s hair, settling his hands on her shoulders to direct her attention to him rather than the trembling doors. “Stay behind me,” he said, catching her eye before he repeated. “Behind me. Okay?”
Only after Klee nodded did Albedo rise to his feet and usher her behind him, eyeing the door rattling on its hinge. Pressure from Klee’s hand curled tightly in his pant’s leg reminded him to be cautious. Air gathered in Albedo’s lungs as his Vision’s subtle glow became brighter. Studs of Geo-infused nails illuminated in the door’s frame, creating a dimly lit square archway above them as each one lit up in response to his VIsion’s call. The final piece caught in the handle’s screws clicked at his command, slowly turning as he braced himself and held a hand out in front of Klee.
Now.
The door flung open with a loud, howling screech. Powerful wind gusts nearly threw Albedo off his feet but he turned quickly to cover Klee with his arms, tucking her head against him to shield her from the sharp gales pelting his back. Pain stung the corners of his eyes, and he shut them tightly to center himself against the onslaught. Klee’s scream forced them open in time to catch the pale aquamarine luminescence drifting overhead.
His vision swam, cleared by a few blinks but the spectre hadn’t changed. It was much larger than the average crystal fly. Form translucent and wings slowly beating, striking up wind currents that shook the walls and whipped Albedo’s hair back.
Klee wiggled free from his grasp, her eyes lighting up as she alternated gleeful glances between the creature and Albedo, “It’s a wind spirit, Albedo!”
Albedo nodded, numbed by awe. Sucrose’s wind sprites could grow exponentially but he’d never seen one in such close quarters before. Usually, she was so careful to not—
“M-Master Albedo! Klee!” Almost on cue, Sucrose’s voice pierced the momentary peace. The wind spirit’s wings flapped vehemently as it ricocheted off the walls, frightening Klee to hide against Albedo’s chest. Sucrose hurried out into the hall, eyes wild and widened in horror as she took in the rampaging spirit. “Oh no, no no no…”
Albedo shakily rose to his feet and bundled the blankets around Klee, pushing her into Sucrose’s arms. “Sucrose, Sucrose, listen to me..” He squeezed her forearm to ground her, heartstrings tugging at the frantic look behind her glasses. Albedo couldn’t imagine what his own face looked like and tried to muster a smile, his heart battering against his chest as he hauled them both to his chest to avoid a gale slicing over their heads. “Both of you inside, now.”
“Master A-”
“Inside!”
There wasn’t any time for regret or guilt when Sucrose flinched at his raised voice, but a mental note was applied to apologize to her later. Albedo tried to shut his ears to Klee’s confused cries as he hastened after them, closing the door. Her questions turned to pleas tipped with his name as small fists banged against the door. Albedo drew in a ragged breath then turned around, centering what strength he had left to his legs.
The wind spirit collided with walls and banisters in search of something. A trail of destruction wound from the upstairs down to the sitting room and Albedo followed the sound, nearly tripping over his feet on the last few stairs.
“Miserere inanis,” he groaned, struggling up to his feet only to drop down with a yelp as the spirit came swooping overhead. Wind scraped past the hairs on the back of his neck. Slapping a hand against his nape, Albedo grimaced and tipped his chin up. Disbelief and concern doused him in ice as he noticed the other houses on the street beginning to light their windows.
“Archontes,” he moaned, teetering up on shaky legs. His hands cupped around his mouth as he shouted, “Huc!”
The spirit’s wings flapped once more before it turned toward him and Albedo dove for the front door, avoiding another down-gliding swoop. He’d never undone the locks as quickly as he did but upon throwing the door open, he was glad he did. A fraction of a second passed before a zephyrus, mightier than the others before, barrelled past him. Translucent green wisps danced before his eyes as the spirit fled through the open doorway and streaked off into the night sky. Neighbors who’d peered out their doors and windows stared, transfixed upon the spectre ascending into the heavens, til it was naught but a glimmer amidst the stars.
Then, all was quiet.
Albedo smoothed his hair back from his forehead and ignored the idle chatter from those nearby discussing from their front steps, balconies, and windows on what that might have been. He shakily pushed the door shut behind him and locked it, pressing his head against the wood.
“.. Albedo.. Ma..Albedo..?”
Rex Lapis must have lined his bones with a resilience hard as stone to be able to wrench himself free of his temporary resting place. Dizzily, Albedo turned on his heel and shuffled to the foot of the stairs, grasping the banister to keep himself from falling over. From the top of the staircase, Klee and Sucrose peered down at him with dual worry-filled expressions.
Troublesome as it is to walk himself upstairs, it’s even harder to decipher the frantic explanations Sucrose tries to give in between asking him whether or not he’s well. Her arms support him when he reaches the top of the stairs and Klee hurried to match their strides as she walks him back to his study.
“... And I wanted to see if a closed space would incite any changes.. but I remember using candles near anemo-charged entities is.. well.. disastrous.. so I didn’t but I’d lost sight while trying to write in my journals and…”
Albedo sighed, collapsing on the sofa when Sucrose walked him near it. He held up his hand as she took a breath to start another onslaught of words he could scarcely keep up with. “It’s fine, the house is still standing and the wind spirit has likely gone back to join the winds..” His hand fell to his lap when she exhaled, eyes downcast. “Though let this be a lesson, anemo does not like to be contained. You do so at your own risk and I would rather you not risk yourself.”
Sucrose nodded slowly. “I… apologize, I’ll be sure to… clean this up.”
At that, Albedo looked around and grimaced at the room’s state. Only a few pieces of furniture were spared the spirit’s ire. Contents of bookshelves spilled out to the floor, picture frames and tapestry hung crookedly while others were tossed to the carpet that sported a now strange glowing turquoise spot. Klee yanked her blankets up on the couch beside him and settled down, also taking a look around the room. Her nose wrinkled and she cast an anxious look up to him.
“No need,” Albedo sighed, patting the space beside him. “We’ve all had a bit too much excitement tonight. Why don’t we rest and see what tomorrow brings?”
Likely a better view of the catastrophe and a grinning Calvary Captain who seemed to rise with the rumor mill, but another morrow nonetheless. Sucrose settled on the couch beside him, curling herself against the armrest while Klee nestled against his side.
Silence lulled for a sweet, ephemeral second. One where Albedo was certain he could have closed his eyes and drifted off but a little tug brought him back to reality, tragically-so. Tiredly, Albedo opened his eyes then glanced down at scarlet red eyes unabashedly wanting.
“Story…?” Albedo mumbled.
Klee preened. “Story.”
Love was a truly terrifying thing. He felt drained, expended of all energy and reason, but somehow found it in himself to get up if only for the sake of her smile. Sucrose flashed him a sympathetic look. Her earlier apprehension eased when Klee scooted over to hug her, sharing her blanket without question although Albedo could hear Sucrose explaining why she was turning down Dodoco for the evening.
Relief flooded through him as he searched his desk drawers and found the manuscript with Alice’s scrawled handwriting across its top. Albedo remembered when he first started receiving these. Deciphering her handwriting was almost as impossible as understanding the old writings left in Liyue’s ruins. But time and a few lectures on the fine-writing skills only available to few brought some clarity.
He skimmed through the pages, eyes flickering tiredly from left to right with only the dim lighting from beyond the windows to guide him. A small clover drawn in coarse black ink drew his eyes to the upper right corner of a page. With a little tug, it slipped free from the others and settled atop neatly.
“To my dearest spark,” Albedo began, trailing off when he heard Klee’s excited gasp and shifting fabric. Once it settled, he glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “I’ve heard you’ve taken up blastfishing on your own and learned how to make gunpowder. Take care to wash your hands after you finish so you don’t rub any in your eyes, or leave a.. trace..”
Klee’s giggles couldn’t be stifled in Dodoco’s fur nor could Sucrose muffle her own behind her hand. Albedo wondered if he looked as scanadlized as he felt but truthfully, it was sound advice. Clearing his throat, he shot a glance toward the giggling pair then continued reading the letter. Questions of certain parts were explained as if Alice was speaking herself but using him as a mouthpiece. Occasionally, Albedo glanced up from the page and saw Sucrose hugging Klee close while the girl marveled at her mother’s words.
Eventually, he’d settled on leaning against his desk chair, skimming over the last few sentences.
“The world is much bigger than plains, forests, mountains and lakes. There’s ice-capped peaks and marshes teeming with animals you wouldn’t believe. Someday, I want you to see all of this but until then, continue growing until you’re a blazing inferno. Don’t worry and remember what I always said…”
Albedo mouthed the familiar phrase but another voice, sleep-warm and soft, whispered. “Start with a spark…”
His gaze flicked up to Klee, half-dozing against a lightly snoring Sucrose.
“... And you’ll make fire,” Albedo finished gently, a smile curving his lips as he watched them fall into slumber together. “... Goodnight, Klee.”