Chapter Text
It was law.
Every young woman, aged from 16 to 22 that remained unwed, were to gather every 500 years before the Great Seven. One maiden from the seven nations was to be sent down below to the Abyss, one maiden per nation. That was the law. That was the punishment from on high.
And another 500 years had come around.
In Snezhnaya, the maidens were always gathered in a white marble building. It looked like a museum with those pristine white walls, the columns that held up the towering ceiling, the ceiling held up by depictions of the Great Seven. Each temple was designed like this. In all seven nations.
You cursed your horrible luck as you were shoved around by many young women all dressed in winter-fitting clothing. Long fur coats, massive fur hats, just walking balls of fur in general, that was all you could tell of the tittering young women here. And then there was little old twenty-year-old you. Dressed in a coat that barely kept you warm enough, the boar's fur well worn, a hat you made yourself from the wool your only goat shed, and boots made with a combination of goat and boar skin. They worked well enough. For small periods of time.
Which you were fine with, you hated the cold, bleak, starving winters here in Snezhnaya. You were content to sit all cozied in your cottage with the fire roaring, the wall covered floor to ceiling with wood to last for years to come. Perhaps you prepared a little too much, but better safe than sorry is what you always thought. Speaking of that cottage, you wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up by the fire with a good book. Which by chance, you brought it with you.
It wasn't like anyone was going to talk to you, not with how dull you looked compared to them. You had as much of a chance of being chosen as a defected lamb for a holy sacrifice. And that's exactly what this entire thing was. A holy sacrifice. An over-glorified sacrifice that had been going on for Archons knows how long. Although you supposed that a maiden did have to be sent down if the royal bloodline was to retain some resemblance to humans considering what the native folk looked like. Considering what they had built to protect them.
At least the ritual gave the poor prince down there a chance to pick who he married and bore children with. A small chance for a poor reconstruction of what falling in love was like. You felt it was more like a competition to the death to see who won the heart of the prince. Not that you cared, it was a little stupid, and in your heart you cursed the Archons for making such an idiotic mistake. Why'd they even destroy Khaenri'ah in the first place?
You turned to glare at the empty throne where the Tsaritsa would usually sit, but today it was empty. At least for a small while longer. Instead 12 people stood around it, all of them looking like professional assassins and mercenaries. A blonde female seemed to be observing the crowd, more than 3 looked bored out of their minds (particularly a cyan-haired masked male), a short, ill-dressed male who seemed happy to glare at anyone and everyone who made eye contact with those indigo hues hidden by that massive hat, and a redheaded man who seemed eager for something to happen. He moved around the most, his fingers twitching and curling, as if he was trying to grab something.
You didn't take too much note of their clothing. Just the sight of that Fatui insignia was enough to tell you who they were. The 12 Fatui Harbingers of the almighty Cryo Archon, the Tsaritsa, stood there, guarding that throne.
You clenched your jaw. Could this day get any worse than it already has? First you get dragged here, then you're forced to stand here amongst hundreds of young women hoping to be sent down below to the "handsomest prince in all of history," when you could really care less. Yes you cared cause somebody would be losing a daughter, but beyond that, you had no sympathy or remorse.
It was a stupid ritual anyways. You shook your head in disgust and pulled your book out of your satchel, turning to the page you left off. You were just getting to the best part of the book, the whole thing so tense! The main character at risk of losing her life, her husband's life, all to free a single planet from the control of beings that fed off of the firstlights of their magic and then their souls when they died. It was a wonderfully constructed plot, the amount of anxiety and fear that coursed through your body couldn't have been replicated by any other book. It was so close to the end too, all had to be okay!
Your breath hitched as you bit your lips to contain your fear, to contain the squeaks of surprise and shock. You hunched forward, breathing quick, heaved breaths...
And another cliffhanger.
Your eyes widened as you checked the next page, praying it wasn't blank, and checked again, and again. And there was truly nothing. You sucked in a breath, biting your lip. So it was truly over until the third book came out. You sighed softly, closing the book and putting it away in your satchel, the book snug against the first book. You looked up, and noticed that is was utterly silent. And everyone stared at you.
"Do I need to repeat myself? You are the maiden to represent Snezhnaya," a man scolded you, staring at you with a scowl on his deceptively young face. The 6th Harbinger, the Balladeer, Scaramouche, stared into your eyes, scowling heavily.
"Me?" you asked, quiet.
He rolled his eyes. "Yes you! Who else am I standing in front of?! Honestly, if you weren't so busy reading a damn book perhaps you'd actually pay attention."
This was the last thing you wanted. You could feel the burning stares of the jealous women, feel all of them judging you.
"Why her, she's the poorest out of all of us!" a woman shouted.
Scaramouche looked towards the voice, his eyes burning with anger. Violet electricity skittered off him and into the marble ground, despite the boy not having a single Vision or a Delusion. "You do not question the Tsaritsa, girl! Or I will have you thrown into the dungeons!"
Those whispers fell silent.
The redheaded Harbinger sauntered through the crowd, pushing and laughing the whole way. "Come on girlie, let's get you to your transport!"
His gloved hands grabbed your bicep, those long fingers wrapping around the muscle. He leaned down slightly to whisper into your ear, "Good luck girlie. Bring Snezhnaya some honor eh? The winner 500 years ago was a little lady from Sumeru, a real disgrace to us."
You looked at the Harbinger, your eyes wide. You didn't want this! This was the last thing you wanted! Who cared about honor, the next Sumeru maiden could have the honor! You wanted to protest, but the Tsaritsa had spoken, and her word was law. So you followed after the Harbinger, letting him drag you along. In your very bones, something protested, not right, not right, not right. It was wrong to go, you just knew it. You knew something bad would happen if you went, you could feel it! Or perhaps it was your anxiety acting up, but regardless....
The cold was a slap to the face when you finally stepped outside. A steam train puffed and huffed nearby, the passenger car already carrying 5 other passengers.
"Again, good luck girlie. Don't let the competition scare you. I know you can slaughter them all," the Harbinger grinned at you, winking an ocean blue eye. You looked at him helplessly as he pushed you towards the train, towards the open door on the train. It looked like a gaping mouth. The kind that intended to devour a person.
You swallowed, stepping onto the train and moving towards a seat farthest away from the other girls. Who all eagerly stared and watched you. Two women who sat by each other watched the most. One wore a hanfu, the other a silk kimono, and they stared from behind their silk and lace fans. You shot them both a glare before pulling your knees into your body and rummaging in your satchel. You perked up at seeing the first book to the one you just finished.
Might as well reread the book. It was a wonderful book, and always made you feel safe. Even when the first little bit was full of death and destruction. You inhaled the smell of the pages, adoring the hints of your favorite vanilla scented oils and the distinct smell of ink. You ran a hand over the worn leather cover, tracing the golden lettering and delicate filigree tastefully crafted into the leather. It was thick and supple, perfect for the amount of times you've pried open the pages.
You silently prayed that there would be time for peace and quiet, for wherever the train was taking you would have a large library, a library full of books and worlds to get lost in. You would take advantage of it while you still could. It would make this miserable competition worth it.
Inhaling the scents one more time, you pried the book open, and began to read.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The train rumbled as it breezed through a land of little to no mountains, a land of wind. A large tree stood proudly off in the distance, sheltering a small statue of the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. The city of Mondstadt stood proudly in the middle of a lake, the cathedral and large statue of Barbatos watching over the city below. It was definitely a different scene than what you were used to. Green rolling hills and grasses, forests and trees that weren't pine but were laden with apples and sunsettias, trees that actually had leaves... and were swaying in the wind. The train came to a halt in front of the city, and a young woman stepped into the carriage. Dressed in nothing more than a tunic and pants with a short cape fluttering behind her, and a sword on her hip, marking her as a swordsman.
You dared look at her face.
Green eyes peered at you through that mop of brown hair, the brown rich and almost shiny. Like chocolate. You had to admit she was pretty. You clenched your jaw and resumed your observation of the outside world. You sniffed once, the distinct smell of wine and grapes heavy in the air. Stifling a gag, you closed your eyes and tried to imagine the scent of pine and vanilla, a cup of warm cocoa with whipped cream piled on top, and failed.
Leather groaned and the scuffle of boots sounded near you, so you turned to see, and you found yourself staring into those green eyes. She had the audacity to sit by you, and you were somebody who clearly wanted to be left alone. She blinked once, looking you over.
"I see neither of us want to be here. Snezhnayan eh?" she spoke, her accent, which you could only describe as posh and proper, it reeked of nobility. She scowled. "You're supposed to respond when somebody asks you a question."
You rolled your eyes. "You already know plenty just from looking me over. Now, if you would, leave me alone."
She blinked in surprise, her mouth parting in shock. Perhaps you were a tad rude, but right now, you could not care at all. Why should you even bother to care when you just wanted to go home.
You promptly opened your book and flipped to the first chapter, letting your brain absorb the words once again. You heard the whispers of the other girls, along with a cry, last stop, the Abyssmal Spire!
The Spire. The portal that would transport everyone from the sunny surface to the dark underworld of the Abyss. Where sunlight did not go. You swallowed, unwilling to let yourself feel anxiety. Not now. You began tapping your foot to a Snezhnayan tune, the beats quick and filled with an anger that was old. Old and true.
Your heard the music in your head, could taste the song on your tongue, the words threatening to spill from your lips. Your body yearned to move to the beat you heard alone, to dance around the bonfires you knew would be burning hot and high despite snow falling in the light of the full moon. Yearned to dance around the heavy bone drums thumping out each required footstep in the new grass peeking through the snow. To the throaty singing of the people gathered around to celebrate...
You missed home. It was less than a day and yet your heart already ached for the roaring subzero winds, for the eternal snow, for the lights that danced in the skies above. A single stray tear left your silver lined eyes, and you hid behind the pages of your book, holding it in front of your face as you silently wept.
You only stopped when the train skidded to a stop, brakes screaming and screeching. The train hissed as it came to a stop, the girls tittering and cooing about the large, gaping monument. Round and covered in gold, the stone was carved with strange symbols that you couldn't read. But they remained dim.
The girls swiftly left the train, leaving you alone in the carriage. You huffed a sigh, tucking your book away and willing your eyes to stop the waterworks before you stepped down too. You stopped dead at the bottom.
A blond male stood by the portal, dressed in black armor with golden accents crawling all over him, a dark navy blue cape draped over his shoulders. The collar of that cape extended well over his shoulders, practically hiding his lower face from view. Half of his face was masked by dark blue armor.
He glanced towards you, jerking his chin towards the rest of the women. You sighed and joined them. But remained in the back. You wanted nothing to do with anything here.
"So you are the seven the Archons chose for the Prince. I'd say it's an honor but I've been doing this for a very long time. So spare the whole talks of your plans of catching the prince and marrying him because they will undoubtedly fail," he spoke, his deep voice both bored and wise. He was definitely older than he appeared. Was this something that happened to all Khaenri'ahns?
"I will activate the portal and you will step through. You will no longer be citizens of your nations, and any titles you may have had will be stripped away. You are all Khaenri'ahns the moment you step through the portal, no matter how you may protest. You will not abide by the laws of your nation. You will live as we live. The Prince was given permission to execute any of you if he so desires it, if given a valid, and legal reason. Assaulting him is one such reason. Any questions?"
He waited for less than 10 seconds before turning to the portal with a flourish of his clawed hand. He laid it on the stone, the symbols glowing and flaring. A portal sprang to life, whirling and whispering the secrets of the dark land below.
"Go on. All of you in there," he called over the roar, gesturing everyone inside. The young woman from Fontaine stepped through first, the portal flaring with light as she vanished. The rest slowly followed, approaching the portal with wariness. The Mondstadter stepped through with her head held high. And it left you there, staring at the portal.
"Come on. Go on in. You won't die."
"I don't want to go..." you said, looking at the man, hoping he'd have compassion.
"I'm sorry, but rules are rules. If it's any comfort, the losers are sent home."
Home... Snezhnaya...
"Promise?"
He nodded once. Wrapping that small comfort around your heart, pulling your coat closer, you went through that damning portal.