Chapter Text
Chapter One
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It had been a year since Crepus had found the small, one eyed boy alone near the winery. Back then he'd been soaked to the bone, terrified and quiet. Thin too, Crepus remembered feeling the boy's ribs even through his sodden clothing.
A lot had changed since then. Crepus winced as a crash sounded not far from his office door, followed almost immediately by Adelinde's outraged shout. Ah, so they'd been stealing treats again. He glanced at the clock; it was a few hours to the next meal, he'd let it slide. Maybe a word later to soothe his housekeeper.
“Master Kaeya, you bring those pies back right now!” Adelinde stormed by the door and Crepus bit back a laugh. Ah, so it was the apple pies that Kaeya had made off with. He didn't blame him. The chunky, cinnamon doused apples and rich, buttery pastry made the treats irresistible. They were his favourite too. And besides, it wouldn't do Kaeya any harm. The boy was still too skinny and he was likely going to share with Diluc anyway.
That made Crepus smile. He'd always dreamed of a large family, but after losing his wife when Diluc was barely a toddler, that dream seemed shattered. And then Kaeya had arrived, blown in on the winds of the storm, a veritable blessing from the Anemo archon. With his arrival, the family Crepus had dreamed of had come true.
Not that it had been easy at the start. Diluc, having spent his whole life as an only child, had been wary of the new addition to his life. And Kaeya had been a skinny bundle of nerves, who flinched if you so much as looked at him. The bond between the two had been made harder by Kaeya's near constant nightmares, causing Crepus to spend many a night soothing the boy, leaving him tired and less open to Diluc's antics. It had only changed when, after being called away overnight, it had been Diluc who soothed the nightmare. Neither boy had ever gone into the specifics of their conversation that night, but ever since, they'd been nearly inseparable.
And now, here they were. With Kaeya confident enough to steal pies from the kitchen and run laughing through the house. Crepus knew he probably allowed Kaeya to get away with a little too much, but the boy was no real trouble and it was good to hear him laugh. He was well aware that there were many unanswered questions about Kaeya. Small, blue haired, one eyed boys didn't generally just appear. Kaeya's reluctance to talk about his past only added to his suspicions. But it didn't really matter. Whatever his reasons for ending up on their doorstep, Crepus saw only a child in need. A child who had become as much his son as Diluc.
He hummed as he turned back to his paperwork. There was a large shipment to Liyue due to leave soon and the import procedures alone were at least half a days work.
He paid no attention when the bell at the front of the Manor rang. Guests were not unusual and Adelinde would come for him if it was urgent. He wasn't expecting anyone, so it was most likely to be a trader or merchant.
As such, he was mildly surprised when he heard a knocking at his office door. "Come in…"
Adelinde entered; and Crepus froze at the look in her face. She looked troubled and unsettled in a way he didn't recall seeing before. "Adelinde? What's wrong?" His mind started to race with possibilities. Was someone hurt, or ill?"
Quietly, the maid closed the door behind her and approached the desk. "There… there's a man here, Master Crepus. He… he says he's… young Master Kaeya's father."
The world stopped.
"His… father?" How could that be? After all there had been no sign of any of Kaeya's original family for over a year and it was hardly a secret that he lived here. "Are you sure?"
"He looks enough alike, sir…" Adelinde looked utterly miserable. "And he knew all about him. I… I truly think he is."
Crepus took a deep breath. "Where are the boys now? I heard them a few minutes ago."
"They ran into the garden, sir. Their little den with my… with the pies." There was no more irritation in her voice now, the stolen treats suddenly unimportant.
"Okay. Make sure they stay out until I ask you to fetch them, okay? I need to speak to… him first." He sighed, fighting back the roiling in his stomach. Kaeya was part of their family now, the thought of losing him was incomprehensible.
"Of course." Adelinde nodded. "Shall I show him in?"
"No." Crepus rose from his seat. "I'll go to him. We'll use the sitting room. Have some tea sent in." Wine was tempting, but he felt the need to keep a clear head. There were many unanswered questions about how Kaeya had ended up with them, and he wasn't about to let alcohol dull his senses.
Leaving the office, he strode to the main hall. There, a man waited, with two other maids nearby. They didn't need telling not to leave him unattended.
Looking at the man, the resemblance was clear. The dark blue hair was streaked with grey and there was a scar along his cheek, but the face shape and the star shaped pupils were just like Kaeya's. Even the way he moved reminded him of Kaeya.
Crepus hated him on sight. Nonetheless, he plastered a smile onto his face as he approached. "Mr… Alberich? I am Crepus Ragnvindr." He tried to follow up with a welcome, but the words died in his throat. The man wasn't welcome, especially considering the disruption he had come to cause.
"Ah, Mr Ragnvindr. It is good to meet you." The voice was smooth, collected, and put Crepus on edge. "I'm told I have you to thank for caring for my son." He smiled. "I do apologise for the situation, but I am very grateful to find he has been well looked after."
"Oh it's no bother. He's a delight." Crepus waved the man towards the sitting room. "Come and sit. Kaeya's out playing with Diluc, it will likely take the staff a while to find them." He smiled. "And I am most curious to find out what happened to you. Kaeya couldn't tell us much, you see, but he was terribly upset."
"I'm sure. Well, he's just a boy, he likely didn't really notice what was going on and I didn't want to scare him."
"Scare him?" Crepus repeated, sitting back as a maid poured the tea.
"Ah, yes. You see, as we were passing through, I noticed we were being followed. By treasure hoarders, no less. I didn't want him to be afraid, so I told him to wait by the winery while I went to scare them off. I did not think I'd be more than an hour. Sadly I was overpowered and they carried me off. I took a head injury and lost consciousness; when I woke I did not even recall my own name. It's only recently that I recalled all that happened, otherwise I'd have been here much sooner."
Crepus sipped his tea to hide his expression. He was quite sure that every word the man had just uttered was a lie. There had been an extensive search that went on for days after Kaeya was found and there was no evidence of treasure hoarders, or any undesirables nearby. Had there been a fight, there would certainly have been some evidence.
That the man had vanished so utterly had always bothered Crepus, but now he could hear the alarms ringing in his head. Nothing about this was right.
"That sounds quite terrible, I must say," he responded. "We did search for you after we found Kaeya, but we found nothing at all. Eventually we had to stop, we thought you had passed, you see, and we wanted Kaeya to have the chance to move on. He's very young and needed that closure."
"I understand, of course, and I think you for your diligence. Do you think they are back yet? I am quite anxious to see him."
Quite anxious. Crepus knew that had he been separated from his family for a year, he'd be tearing down the walls to get to them, not calmly drinking tea.
"Let me check. You won't mind if I tell him? I'm sure it will be quite the surprise."
"Of course. I have no doubt that he trusts you."
Crepus stepped out of the room, quietly instructing a maid to make sure their guest didn't go wandering. He saw Adelinde lingering by the back door and made his way over to her.
"They're just over there, near the cecilias, Sir…" she said quietly. She looked close to tears. "Will Master Kaeya be leaving?"
Looking across the garden, he could see the two boys near the flowers, laughing and fighting playfully over the last pie. "I don't know."
Stepping into the garden, he wondered what Kaeya's reaction would be. Perhaps he'd be overjoyed? After all, the man was his father. But remembering the skinny, sad boy he'd found, the boy who refused to talk about his past, he somehow doubted it.
"Diluc, Kaeya!" He called to them, trying to hide his nerves. He'd never truly thought Kaeya's father would come back, that was why he… well. Never mind.
The boys ran over, Diluc hiding the last bit of pie behind his back. "It was Kaeya's fault!" He declared, cheerfully throwing his brother to the wolves. "He wanted the pies!"
"Was NOT!" Kaeya protested. "You just wanted me to go because I'm faster!"
"You are not!"
"I am and you know it!"
"Boys, boys!" Crepus interjected before the spat could get out of hand. "This isn't about the pies. We… have a guest."
"A guest?" Diluc blinked. "Who is it?"
Crepus kept his eyes firmly on Kaeya. "He arrived just minutes ago. Kaeya… it's your father. He's come back."
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