Chapter Text
The preparation for the festivities was nearly complete. Music from harps and lyres floated up from the lower gallery, the ballroom aglow with a thousand flowering candles. Candies and pastries from the finest confectioners were laid out to the guests, and a growing number of gifts were piling in the center of the room. The air itself was heavy with the smoke of incense and sweet spice, but not too hazy to dim the glittering arena.
The queen sighed, admiring the beauty but irritated at the one missing piece from the set. Her son, the crown prince, had gone missing once again on his birthday.
“Dainsleif,” she beckoned, and the guard grimaced inwardly. “Find him.”
“Yes, my liege.” With a short bow, he immediately set to scouting the usual spots. Under the bed, the top floor of the library, hiding with the servants in the kitchens, the gardens-
The gardens. As soon as the thought came to mind, he found himself rerouting his path and stepping into the cool night air. Khaenri’ah was in a perpetual night time, hidden under cliffs so tall that direct sunlight never touched the nation. Every once and a while, stars and the light of the second full moon shown through a narrow opening in the tall cliffs, and tonight was one of those nights. They were perhaps the most protected, or the most isolated, nation in the universe. Regardless, it allowed for their gardens to overflow with glistening lamp grass and blooming glaze lilies, oblivious to the perils of the outside world. Ignorance had created this bliss, and in ignorance they would remain.
Dainsleif spotted the prince in a tree, climbing to reach a particularly lovely flowering branch, before gracefully falling down and adding the treasure to a handful of other rarities. He watched, amused, as the prince fluffed up some leaves here and straightened a stalk there until it was to his liking, before tying it together with a ribbon from his hair. Once the bouquet was perfect, he ran deeper into the gardens without so much as a glance back, unaware he was being watched.
The prince came to a stop at the edge of the fountain, where another boy was waiting… No, drawing. He seemed surprised someone came all this way to interrupt him. They talked lightly for a bit, before Kaeya extended the bouquet. The shock on the boy’s face grew- he set aside his journal to accept them. As he reached forward, however, he caught Dainsleif’s gaze from the hedge he was peeking around from.
“I… I think you need to go,” he said, stepping back.
“Wait, Albedo-”
“He’s right.” Dainsleif approached them, and Kaeya cursed softly, turning red. “You’ve kept the queen waiting long enough.”
“Can I have just a few more minutes- Ah!” He exclaimed as Dainsleif hefted him over his shoulder.
“You can spend any other day trying to run away when the whole kingdom isn’t waiting on you. Albedo, please give your mother my regards.”
The young artist nodded without saying anything, watching them disappear before crouching down to inspect the fallen bouquet.
“Dain, why did you have to bring the queen into this,” Kaeya whined, bouncing slightly against the guard’s back. The ride wasn’t completely unpleasant; his bodyguard smelled like sweet mint and responsibility. It was the humiliation, more than anything, that was getting to him.
“Why would you stand up your own mother on an event like this? You’re not even dressed to present yourself. You really had no intention of showing up, did you?”
“No,” Kaeya admitted bleakly, and Dain finally set him down so they could walk together.
“Rare that the crown prince isn’t in a mood to celebrate, hm?”
“There’s nothing to celebrate,” Kaeya grumbled. “I’m sick of the palace. I’m not missing out on anything, anyways…”
“Even the 200 year old vintage that Diluc has been saving for this night exactly?”
“If you don’t hurry up, you’re going to be late,” Kaeya shouted, running ahead.
Less than ten minutes later, Kaeya was dressed in his full royal uniform with golden jewels and ornaments, slouching at the head of the table. Diluc approached him instantly, elegantly pouring the deep red drink he had been so looking forward to.
“I thought you said you would cover for me,” Kaeya grumbled, washing away his annoyance with the tart drink. The subtle bitter notes aligned perfectly with his longing and distress. “How dare you work on my birthday.”
“And miss the holiday pay? Not a chance, Kaeya. Also, your mom personally requested that I be here. Albedo isn’t going anywhere though, you’ll have plenty of chances to woo him.”
“Not if Dain keeps manhandling me away from him,” Kaeya whined.
“Are you sure? I hear some people are into that.”
Kaeya would have tossed his drink at Diluc, but that would have been wasting the best gift of the evening. “More wine, servant,” he demanded after downing his empty cup.
“As you command, your royal pain,” Diluc obliged.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Queen Alberich announced, clinking her glass. The noise of the crowd died down, leaving the sound of harps to gently fill the room. “We are gathered here tonight in honor of my only son, Kaeya!”
Kaeya beamed slightly as applause from the emissaries surrounded him. He never jumped into the spotlight, but he wasn’t ashamed of it’s warm gaze, either.
“And in his honor,” Alberich continued. “We have procured the finest talents in all of Khaenri’ah. Please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest.”
“I plan to,” Kaeya muttered under his breath, beckoning Diluc for another glass.
“Above all, this evening,” Alberich continued. “We welcome with open arms, the Traveler of Nations who has elected to share this celebration with us.”
Kaeya sobered immediately, forgetting about the wine and his little heart break. At the other side of the table, a small girl in white robes stood, accompanied by Hafdan. Even from across the room, he could tell she wasn’t Khaenri’ahn; her eyes were a glowing gold and her smile friendly, yet wild and irreverent, distant from his customs and history.
“I thank you for your invite, your highness,” she said with equal parts gratitude and confidence. “For the young prince, I bring a gift of my home world. I hope it guides you in your journeys to come.”
The gift appeared to be a piece of diamond on a necklace, or some other rare gem. He was less impressed with it than her words; for all his eighteenyears in Khaenri’ah, he had never escaped from the palace grounds.
“I thank you humbly.” He accepted the necklace from her small hands and draped it over his neck. “May I request your presence after the celebration?”
“It would be my honor,” she bowed, and the mischievous glint in her eye pricked a little bit at his heart.
They met at the balcony overlooking the gardens as the guests began to die out. The horizon was mostly blocked by the cliff side, but a few stars shone their faces as the night grew deeper.
“I sense you have a question or two,” Lumine smiled, amused by his wonder struck gaze.
“Am I so easy to read,” Kaeya bantered back, turning his head slightly away. He knew he was naive, but he blamed his dreams of adventure on the fact that he experienced so little of it. Protecting him had been his father’s dying wish, but he was at the point where he felt his confinement was doing him more harm than good. “Tell me, dear Traveler. What is the land beyond the cliffs like?”
Lumine shrugged and sipped her wine. “There are forests made of rock that cut through shallow rivers. Mountains are covered in crystal pure snow, and islands are shrouded in fog and lightning storms.” All of these were words Kaeya knew, but never had the chance to experience firsthand. “You don’t have it so bad here though, little prince.”
“I know that,” Kaeya mumbled. “I have many people to thank for the luxury I share, but-”
“A bird in a room full of gold is still caged,” Lumine agreed knowingly. “I don’t envy your situation, but the world outside is falling apart.”
“How so?”
Lumine’s cheerful gaze darkened and she took another rueful sip. “Khaenri’ah was right to separate from the gods, rather than fight them. The Heavenly Principles are being challenged, and many nations are at war with each other. My brother and I were sent here to mediate after Rex Lapis, god of contracts, was killed. Currently, Aether is in the nation of Liyue.”
Kaeya couldn’t hide the surprise in his gaze. “I didn’t know you could kill a god.”
Lumine laughed darkly. “Mortals can’t. That’s why others think it was the work of Celestia, themselves. Khaenri’ah is perfect, little prince. The world outside of these walls is filled with heartbreak and betrayal. Know that if you leave, you might never find your way back.”
Kaeya’s hand made it’s way to the small diamond on his throat. “Is that why you gifted me this?”
Lumine didn’t respond, just smiled widely. “Happy birthday, little prince!” She swirled the wine around, but passed him the glass. “This is lovely, but really not suited to my taste. Have you ever had Schneznayan fire water?”
“Imports are rare here,” Kaeya explained.
“If you live a year, that will be my next gift. Until then.” She bowed deeply and left him to a glass half empty and a sky half full of stars.