Chapter Text
Zhongli has read many stories that are based outside Liyue. A prevalent one he’s read is “The Princess of Light and the Tower”. It’s a fairytale about a beautiful lady, Princess Lumine, trapped in the tower that an evil dragon guarded. Her older brother, King Aether, announced if a brave knight can slay the dragon and rescues his sister, the knight is allowed to have her hand in marriage.
Knight after knight, each one was defeated by the cruel dragon. It almost seemed impossible to rescue the princess until suddenly a knight in shining armor, Tartaglia, stumbled upon the tower. He is immediately captivated by the sight of the beautiful princess of light crying by her window, losing hope that she will never be able to escape the evil dragon’s claws.
Now that Zhongli thinks about it, these characters remind him of some people he knows. What a strange coincidence.
Tartaglia slays the evil dragon, by cutting its head off, and charms the princess with his strength and out-going personality. They get married and live happily evil after. The End.
Although Zhongli did find some things lacking- there wasn’t any explanation as to why the dragon would kidnap and imprison the princess-he did enjoy the story. It’s a simple yet entertaining fairytale.
____
So imagine his surprise when he woke up inside the fairytale. Not only that but also as a character never mentioned once in the book.
“Quickly! Inform the lord that his sister has awoken from her coma!” A familiar voice shouts out a command.
What’s happening? What’s going on? All he can remember is setting aside “The Princess and the Tower” on his nightstand before going to sleep. Zhongli blinks the sleepiness away from his eyes. He immediately recognizes the man looking down at him with relief and a bit of concern.
“X-Xiao?” Is it due to his throat feeling dry or does his voice sound different?
“My lady! Your brother, Lord Azhdaha will be here any minute now.” Zhongli blinks with confusion. Azhdaha? The dragon should be sealed under Mt. Hula. How would he be coming here? Now that Zhongli’s vision is clearing up, he notices how different Xiao looks. Instead of his usual yaksha outfit, he’s wearing a hanfu of some kind; it's similar to what cultivators in ancient Liyue used to wear. His hair is also longer and tied up in a ponytail. It all strangely suits him.
Is this a dream?
“Xiao? I-is that really you?” Something is off, but Zhongli can’t put his finger on it.
“Yes, it is.” Xiao tugs the blanket higher up Zhongli’s waist. “My lady, you needn’t push yourself.”
There it is again. Xiao kept addressing him as “My Lady.” The last time he checked, he was male- Zhongli looks down and his mind immediately stops working.
…
…
Well, that’s definitely different. It does explain why Xiao has been addressing him differently. Zhongli takes a moment to process the information. She’s taken on a female form before so it’s not going to take long before she adjusts.
Before Zhongli could reply to Xiao, scenes suddenly flooded her mind.
____
“Gege!” A young dragon called out to her brother. Struggling against the heavy nets that buried her.
“Zhongli! Stay where you are! I’ll come to get you!” A deep-voiced shouted back. A massive black dragon landed beside her. He tried to lift the nets off the young dragon but the enchanted metal burned his muzzle when he tried to move it.
“Gege, Please hurry and run away from here or the hunters will get you too!”
“No, I can’t leave you here. If they get you-”
Zhongli shook her head, “run and get back up. You can’t fight them all on your own, Azhdaha.”
“But-” The other dragon tried to protest. The sound of men shouting and multiple footsteps were getting louder.
“Please,” Zhongli begged him, “I’ll be here when you get back. Hurry!”
Azhdaha gave her a frustrated look before begrudgingly agreeing. He glances back at her one last time before flying off. Zhongli felt a wave of relief knowing that her brother would be safe from the hunters.
____
“This dragon can change forms! She’d sell at a high price in the black market!”
No, no! Get away from me!
“Hurry and tie her up with those enchanted chains! We don’t want her running away now.”
Zhongli hisses and weakly tries to swat at anyone that comes near her.
Don’t touch me! Get away!
They manage to detain her in the end.
It burns! It felt like her entire body was being set aflame.
“ She’s got a nice body and pretty face.” Those disgusting hands forcefully dragged her face to look up at the perpetrators. “Boss, do you think the buyers would mind if we used her a bit?”
Another voice laughs, “Nah, just make sure she’s nice and clean afterward.”
No!
Stop, get away from me!
Please, no
Gege-
…
…
…
____
They gave her something weird.
She can’t think straight.
She feels so numb.
What’s that buzzing in her ears?
Oh, it’s a voice.
So meone is calling her name.
“-li! Zhongli! Wake up! Stay with me, please! Stay-”
Ge…ge….
____
Zhongli quickly returns to reality when someone grabs her hand.
“Zhongli, can you hear me?”
She is able to blink away the scene and notices the man from her flashback is suddenly standing right in front of her, holding her hand to his chest. There were more people in the room now but she found herself focused only on him.
Zhongli doesn’t know if it’s from the last memories of the Zhongli from this strange alternate world, or the memories of Rex Lapis when he was forced to seal away his long-time companion. Tears blur her vision and she quickly wipes them away, afraid that if she doesn’t the man in front of her would be a figment of her imagination.
“Azhdaha…”
The man gives her a tired yet relieved smile. “I’m here.”
He pulls her into a tight hug as if he too was scared she’d also disappear from his sight. His eyes also seemed a bit watery. “Meimei… I’m so sorry. I was too late to help you…”
“You have nothing to be sorry for!”
Zhongli can’t remember the last time she cried this hard, but it felt nice to no longer be alone anymore.
____
After that tearful reunion, Azhdaha was gently pushed aside by Madam Ping (who, like xiao, looked different. She seems a bit younger than she was before) She took Zhongli’s wrists to check her something. Zhongli felt something cool wash over her body. Her mind immediately supplied her with an answer: Madam Ping is checking your constitution.
Everyone, except Zhongli, looked at her anxiously. There was a moment of silence before Madam Ping gently placed her wrist back on the bed and smiled. “Her constitution is no longer unstable. I recommend a couple more days of rest and she’ll be fully recovered.”
The room let out a collective sigh of relief.
After a couple more instructions from Madam Ping, she herded almost everyone out of the room except for Xiao and Azhdaha.
Suddenly, for some reason, Zhongli begins to feel tired once again. She tries to fight her exhaustion but Azhdaha quickly catches onto what she’s trying to do.
“Sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.” He reassures her. Xiao nods beside him.
It seems to do the trick. Zhongli slowly falls asleep with a small smile on her face.
“Gege…” She murmurs before her dreams consume hers.
____
The next couple of days is uneventful. Zhongli slept for the most part. She was occasionally awakened by her brother or Xiao to eat food and take medicine that Madam Ping prescribed her. Azhdaha had explained to her that it’s used to aid in helping her muscles stronger. If she didn’t take the medicine, she’d have trouble walking because of how unused her legs were after a long time in a coma. Xiao told her that she’s been in a coma for half a century, which prompted him to give her a horrified look when she didn’t understand why she hasn’t aged at all during that time.
“My lady? Did you forget that you’re a dragon? Dragons age slower than other creatures do.”
Zhongli blinks owlishly. “Ah, is that so?”
Xiao’s brows furrowed, “my lady, are you alright?”
Well, she couldn’t say she wasn’t his Zhongli, therefore she doesn’t have any knowledge of this world she is in. Dragons in Teyvat also aged slower than mortals. Although It doesn’t seem she’s in Teyvat anymore since the elemental energy in the air feels different.
“My apologies, there are gaps in my memory. I’m having a hard time understanding some things said to me.” Zhongli half-lied. She didn't like to resort to this, but she needed to get as much information about this world's Zhongli as she could. It might also help her understand the alternate world she's in at the moment.
Xiao’s expression goes from horrified to furious. His anger doesn’t look to be directed at her but something else. “I… see.”
“Can you please tell me the events that lead up to my coma?”
Xiao flinches when she asks. It’s as if the thought of what happened to her hurt him. He hesitates before answering, “You… My lady and Lord Azhdaha were tracking dragons that were going missing along the coast. My lady saved Lord Azhdaha from being trapped by the hunters but got herself trapped instead. Lord Azhdaha hurried back to the palace, as my lady wished him to, and rounded up enough Adepti to help. However, when we finished rounding up all the hunters,” Zhongli noticed how he avoids making eye contact with her as he talks. “My lady… she…”
__
Xiao clenched his fists by his side. Anytime he remembered what happened, he couldn’t help but feel immense rage. How dare those disgusting beasts to defile his lady. He will never forget her dull eyes when they found her. She wasn’t able to respond at all due to the strange liquid substance they must’ve force-fed her. He will never forget how his lord screamed at the sight of his precious sister lying on the cold ground, covered in dirt and among other things. How dare they- How dare they strip her of all her dignity?
Humans are disgusting.
They are weak compared to other creatures. After winning only a few wars, they act like they are the supreme beings. How foolish of them.
Lord Azdaha command the Yakshas to hunt down every single human that dares step foot into their territory. Even if they wanted to, they were not allowed to show any mercy to trespassers. They managed to hunt every single hunter that laid a hand on Lady Zhongli. All were made sure to meet a brutal and painful death. As most of the Yaksha were busy doing that, Xiao stayed by Azhdaha’s side. It’s not like his Lord couldn’t defend himself; he is the Dragon Lord after all. However, Xiao couldn’t help but worry for his lord’s health, both physically and mentally. Ever since his sister stop being responsive, Lord Azhdaha sat day and night beside her bed. He refused to eat or drink. He hardly left his sister's side. Lord Azhdaha held his sister's hand, hoping she’d wake up one day.
He’d murmur the same thing over and over again.
“I’m sorry… I was too late. I failed you, Zhongli…”
Xiao watched his behavior continue until one day, one of the other Yakshas came with news.
“My lord,” Menogias addresses their lord. The man only gives a short hum in return. Not looking away from lady Zhongli’s expressionless face. “Our spies have brought back a very useful intel. They want me to tell my lord that the Kingdom of Light’s royal siblings can cure any curse or disease with a touch.”
The room’s temperature seems to drop when Menogias relays the message. Lord Azhdaha finally shows more emotion than he did in a decade, which was pure rage. One of his hands that was gripping the arm of the chair he was sitting in broke under his grip.
“How dare these humans curse my sister with something we Adepti are unable to cure. Yet they keep the cure all to themselves. These selfish ants. How dare they…” Xiao could only watch their lord’s demeanor change. He was no longer a gentle giant, but a beast ready to wage war on the humans for what they’ve done to his sister. Xiao couldn’t blame him. He, too, was furious.
However, with lady Zhongli now awake and well, he wonders if they should’ve done things differently. It finally hits him now that he will need to tell his lady everything they’ve done- all the sins, all the blood they’ve spilt just for her to wake up. Would she be happy they were doing everything they could for her? Or would she be horrified by all the crimes they committed?
“Xiao?”
It’s too late now. They’ve already kidnapped the princess. Many knights have fought Lord Azhdaha and none have succeeded in defeating him.
“Xiao?”
The best course of action now is to leave the princess alone since they no longer have any use for her. But what if the humans declare on the Adepti? No, even if they tried, Xiao wouldn’t let anything happen to his lords again.
“Xiao!”
__
Zhongli lets out a small sigh of relief when Xiao finally blinks out of his thoughts. She gives him a small smile. “There you are.”
“My lady?” Xiao sounded confused. As if he didn’t know he had stopped talking mid-sentence.
“You stopped talking before you could tell me when my brother found me”
Xiao coughs, “my apologies, my lady. It won’t happen again.”
Zhongli shakes her head, “no I should be the one to apologies, it must be a painful memory for you.”
The shorter adepti looked horrified that she apologized. Zhongli interrupted before he could say anything, “I do remember a bit of what happened before I went into a coma. Although I don’t remember it clearly, I just wanted to confirm. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Xiao furrowed his brow, “but My lady, we… We arrived too late to save you. We-”
“Xiao.” She gently took his hand. It was strange seeing Xiao look unsure. The Xiao she knew was very good at concealing his thoughts and expression. Seeing the Xiao before her reminded her of when she had taken him under her wing. Always trying to prove himself his worth even though he didn’t need to. Blaming himself for not being good enough.
Xiao freezes when she grabbed his hand. Zhongli gives him a gentle smile. “You have done everything you could. I’m thankful to have someone as trustworthy as you by my side.”
And she’ll say that as many times he needs to hear, just like she would with her other Xiao.
____
For the next couple of weeks, Zhongli was slowly able to get out of bed and walk around. It’s only when she’s done bathing that she finally sees her reflection. Her appearance isn’t as different from her male form. She just looks more feminine. Zhongli notices the horns on her head and the long scaly tale with golden fluff at the end dragging behind her on the tiled floor.
She’s rarely taken this form before, only the adepti have witnessed it a few times. However, it seems these horns and tail are here to stay permanently. It’s going to take a while to get used to them.
Zhongli was lost in thought, watching her tail sway back and forth, and flinched when a familiar voice brought her out of her reverie.
“Lady Zhongli? May I come in?”
Zhongli blinks, “Ah- Yes, you may.”
A shorter lady with goat horns and blue hair walks in. Zhongli vaguely remembers seeing her when Azhdaha appeared the first time. Ganyu bows her head before speaking again. “Lord Azhdaha requests to have tea with you. I’m here to escort you to the garden.”
“I see.” She hasn’t seen her brother in a day. Xiao had told her that he was busy so she didn’t want to bother him. Zhongli couldn’t help but feel excited to be able to go outside today. Maybe she could visit a library to learn about the world she’s in later.
“What would my lady like to wear?” Ganyu’s eyes were still concentrated on the tiled floor.
“Hm?” Zhongli looks down at herself and her face suddenly felt very hot.
Ah. She’s still only wearing a towel.
“A-anything is fine.”
“Right away, my lady.”
____
Zhongli couldn’t help but feel shocked at how beautiful the garden was. There were Sandbearer trees along the tiled path. Glaze lilies covered most of the garden. As she was led deeper into the garden, she noticed Azhdaha sitting under a Pavilion: Stargazer’s shelter which is surrounded by Bamboo trees. Xiao is standing beside him with his hands behind his back.
Azhdaha immediately stood up when he sees her approach. He helps sits her down before pouring tea into her cup and then his own. Ganyu stands beside Zhongli and takes the same stance as Xiao.
“How are you feeling?” Azhdaha asks.
Zhongli blows on her tea before speaking, “I can feel my strength coming back. It’ll be a matter of days before I’m fully recovered.”
Azhdaha sighs as if he’s been holding in his breath. A warm smile spreads across his face. “I’m glad to hear Madam Ping's medicine is working.”
“How about you? What have you been up to lately?” Zhongli asks after she takes a sip of her tea.
She notices how he flinched at the question. Even Xiao’s scowl is slightly darker than it usually is. There is a long awkward silence between them but Zhongli is patient and waits for her brother's answers.
“Zhongli… I-” Azhdaha hesitates. He is swirling the tea in his cup as if he’s thinking of an answer.
“Is something wrong, Gege?” Zhongli tilts her head. It’s strange watching her brother's demeanor shift from happy to anxious.
There is another long pause before Azhdaha finally speaks again. He now suddenly seems determined to answer her question. He abruptly stands up from his chair and kneels beside her. Zhongli blinks rapidly and was about to tell him to stand up but he interrupts her.
“Meimei. I’ve done something unforgivable.” Azhdaha had his head bowed. It was weird seeing how he’s thrice the size of her yet he is here trying to look as small as possible. “When you went into a coma, I lost myself. For years all I wanted was for you to wake up and it drove me to the brink of insanity. I’ve done many things. Too many of them were immoral.”
Zhongli didn’t know what to say. She watches him take in a breath before speaking again. “I was angry and many people were hurt by it. Zhongli… I’m not sure what to do. I did all those things just so you can wake up. I’ve even kidnapped the princess of light, hoping to cure you. But now that your awake, I’m not sure what to do anymore. How do I repent?”
Wait, what?
Princess of what-
Zhongli’s brows furrowed. Why did that name sound so familiar?
“Meimei?” Azhdaha took her expression as something bad. Maybe even disgust at his actions. He bowed his head to the ground, “Zhongli, I... I’m so sorry I did those things in your name. I’m sorry for thinking my actions were for the greater good when in reality I’ve done no good at all.”
Zhongli looks down at Azhdaha, with an unreadable expression. She didn’t know what to say. Xiao and Ganyu watch the two nervously. As if expecting Zhongli to scream or yell at him. Instead, after a long tense silence, Zhongli gently places her hand on Azhdaha’s head before standing up. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can forgive you.”
Azhdaha looks up at her with wide eyes before nodding. He gave her an accepting look. “Y-yes, I understand.” The older dragon says before bowing his head again.
“Please, Azhdaha, stand up.” She tries to help him stand. “I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed.”
He nods but still refuses to meet her eyes. Zhongli notices how watery his eyes have become. “Gege...” She gently wipes his tears with the edge of her sleeve which seems to shock him.
“Azhdaha look at me, please.” It’s only when she asks him to, that he finally looks at her. He looks absolutely terrified and heartbroken. The image reminds her of when Azhdaha back in her world managed to regain his sanity and realized he broke his contract with Rex lapis. He didn’t fight it when Rex Lapis was forced to seal away his long-time friend. The last words Azhdaha spoke were to beg Morax for forgiveness.
Zhongli sighed, the dragon in front of him never changes. “Please, I haven’t finished speaking yet and you’re already jumping to conclusions.”
She grabbed a napkin from the table to dry his eyes when her sleeves weren’t enough. “Gege, I’m not the one you should be asking for forgiveness, that’s why I can’t be the one to forgive you. It’s the ones you’ve hurt that you need to apologize and make up to.”
Azhdaha sniffs, it makes Zhongli almost forgets that he’s older than her when he looks like a kicked puppy, “But I’ve tarnished the reputation of the Adepti. How could I- How can I- Where do I even start?”
Zhongli gives him a gentle smile before pulling the older dragon into a hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out together.”
Azhdaha slowly melts in her hold before hugging her back.
__
Azhdaha never in a million would have thought of this outcome. He hadn’t dared to.
He doesn’t deserve her.
He doesn’t deserve such a kind sister.
He could feel another wave of tears gathering in his eyes as his sister gently pats his back. Here he is, Azhdaha, the great Dragon Lord of the Adepti, crying like a child. Yet, he’d rather be here than anywhere else; in the warm arms of his sister.
__
The two adepti with them watch the wholesome display, glad to see their Lord happy. Ganyu wipes away her own tears. Xiao can’t help the small smile that replaces his usual scowl. A peaceful silence settles upon them this time.
Until it was suddenly ruined by a loud distance explosion. It causes everyone to jump. A servant suddenly rushes into the garden. He’s already having trouble catching his breath when he rushes to them. “My- My Lord and My Lady! There is an intruder in the castle!”
Azhdaha’s face darkens as Zhongli tilts her head curiously. “Intruder? Who is it?”
“It’s-”
Another explosion rings out and one of the walls surrounding the garden collapses. A hydro arrow is shot at them but Azhdaha manages to pull out a claymore to block it. Azhdaha pushes Zhongli behind him as a blurry figure charges at them. Their weapons clash and Zhongli is shocked to see another familiar face. There, locked blades with her brother is a man with ginger hair and eyes as blue as noctilucent Jade; Tartaglia.
Except he looks different from what she knows. He’s wearing black armor, his red cap flowed gracefully behind him, and his hair is combed back. Targalia still wears the same bloodthirsty grin Zhongli remembers him for.
“Tartaglia!” Azhdaha growls.
“Well if it isn’t my favorite evil dragon.” Tartaglia laughs before swinging his hydro polearm down Azhdaha. Huh, there doesn’t seem to be visions in this world, but people still seem to be able to command the elements. They also seem to be able to summon weapons out of thin air just like vision users in Teyvat. Zhongli thought as she observed the two. Ignoring how Xiao and Ganyu are trying to usher her away from the battle.
Azhdaha blocks the blow before swinging his claymore up to put more room in between them. It works, Tartaglia backflips and lands a few feet away.
“You have no right to barge in here! ” Azhdaha’s voice is now darker as he speaks.
Tartaglia tilts his head. “ I have no right? Where was your right when you kidnapped Princess Lumine!” He asks in a mocking tone. “The King has sent me to kill you and take your decapitated head back!”
Zhongli blinks. She no longer pays attention to the fight. Suddenly everything makes sense; the reason why everyone is different than she remembers, why there are no visions, and Azhdaha’s immoral actions.
She’s been transported inside the book, “The Princess of Light and the Tower.”
Archons!
I’m the evil dragon’s sister?!