Chapter Text
The kingdom of Liyue was a vast and prosperous place. Tales of gods and adepti used to paint the land, but it was now a hub for commerce and contracts - where the warriors of their everyday life were knights, and magic no more than mere tricks of the eye.
…Well, most magic, at least. Rather than blessings from the sky - and instead of magic , exactly - a person that had powers was born with it as an innate ability. One element per person, assuming they were born with anything like that at all.
The majority has learned to live with their own skills instead of wishing for a miracle. And from what Xiao could see, the people of Liyue were doing just fine without them anyway.
Even as a royal knight that answered directly to their King, Xiao rarely found the need to use his command over anemo. His weapon and instincts were all he needed, and he'd even argue that his co-workers were just as threatening without extra powers attached; royal advisor Hu Tao with her wit and proven wisdom, and secretary Ganyu, who was previously a knight that fought on the frontlines years ago.
Even after moving on to a different expertise, Ganyu was still as much of a workaholic as ever - but Xiao supposed he shouldn't talk, seeing as he was doing the same at the moment.
The Lantern Rite was one of the biggest events that took place in Liyue, currently in full swing after much preparation. Xiao still remembered the day King Zhongli approved of the Qixing's arrangements with a smile, turning to call him from where he stood guard… and ordered him to go on leave for a week.
To say that he was a little offended wouldn't be a lie; the Lantern Rite required more security than ever to make sure it proceeded without disruption. Why on Earth would Zhongli deplete the knights of manpower then?
'I'd like you to take it easy and enjoy the festival. How long have you refused proper leave in the past years? You're a good knight, Xiao, but even you need some time off.'
With all due respect, Xiao bitterly thought to himself, trying to enjoy the festival might give me more stress than you'd think.
Which was how Xiao found himself here now: not watching the event like a hawk, like he normally would, and definitely not making indents into the ground as he paced around the entrance of the marketplace closest to the palace. (At least then, he'd be able to look out for trouble and respond quickly if anything happened. Even a knight on leave still had the responsibility of protecting their home, right? Right.)
And he wasn't guarding the area. He was strolling around the marketplace (for the fourth time in a row,) just like how the civilians would.
It wasn't as if Xiao didn't want to follow His Majesty's command; he simply lived and trained as a knight for so long that he couldn't think of doing anything other than his job.
Though he had to admit that it was nice to make contact with civilians once in a while. It reminded him of what he wanted to protect. Ever since he was promoted to the King's personal knight years ago, his main company had been co-workers around the palace due to his commitment to his job.
…Wow, was he bad at taking breaks.
This year included an emphasis on the arts; more musicians and dancers were hired to accompany the floats that depicted the adepti of legend, illustrated by painters from around the nation.
At the back of his mind, Xiao was aware that some artists would attend the palace’s parties every year, so he's possibly met them before in passing.
Said event was another source of his worries as the King would be in attendance; Xiao negotiated to end his leave by the time of social events next week, which Zhongli thankfully agreed to (not without a twinkle in his eyes.)
As the parade flowed down the streets of Liyue, it neared the area where Xiao stood. He looked up to appreciate the finery of it all; the details telling stories of old and new, performers and music that played like notes dancing off paper… It was a show of lights and theatrical magic, drawing Xiao into a curious thought:
Perhaps in another life, I might’ve been something other than a knight.
The swish of a white, ribboned sleeve caught his eye, and Xiao's thoughts washed away when his eyes trailed towards its source.
Within the parade and atop a float was a dancer - one that spun and twirled with the grace of a crane, dressed with an aura of sunlight, and eyes that seemed to glimmer with the whispers of a star. The blonde smiled at the audience, a fleeting thing that melted into gentleness as he shut his eyes to consider the music.
Great Morax, he was beautiful.