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Kaeya Alberich, Calvary Captain of the Knights of Favonius, was well acquainted with death.
There was a ‘joke’ spread throughout Mondstadt, that he would often waltz with death.
He would chuckle, “A waltz? How interesting… are you sure it is a waltz? Or a fight?”
“Oh Captain Kaeya, if anyone could seduce death herself, that would be you.”
They lift their cups into the air, requesting a toast, to ‘the one who made death fall head over heels’.
They cheer, they laugh, and Kaeya sits, smirking into his glass of Death After Noon.
‘If only they knew,’
He would think,
‘Death is a jealous lover.’
He once was a little boy from Khaenri’ah, a destroyed nation.
He was meant to be dead.
His father laid a hand on his shoulder,
“This is where you must stay.
You are our only hope.
Forgive me, Kaeya”
He was left in the rain.
He was meant to die.
Kaeya Alberich, Quartermaster of the Knights of Favonius, was well acquainted with banter.
It was part of his charm, after all.
He's a handsome man with a skillful tongue - good for persuasion, lies, and jests.
It was always put to work when talking with Rosaria.
Sitting side by side, they would chat, throwing in the occasional insult.
“I must say, your claws are starting to dull, you may want to sharpen them up, Sister Rosaria.”
She would smile,
“Is it just me or are you starting to get lazy with your quips, Captain Alberich?”
He laughs,
“Perhaps I’m feeling less vicious today.”
And yet, some days, banter felt like a stranger.
Not a tool, but a weapon.
One that could slice through him, piece by piece.
He overheard her conversation with the traveler.
“Was that Kaeya with you earlier? Did he give you any trouble?”
To her, he was dangerous, unpredictable.
Who was to say that others did not feel the same way?
Perhaps they only kept him around because he was fun to ridicule.
At least he was of use.
Kaeya Alberich, previously Kaeya Ragnvindr, was well acquainted with loneliness.
After the drinks were drunk, and once he was kicked out of the tavern, he would make his way home, alone.
He would enter his barren one-bedroom apartment, kick off his shoes, and lie on the small couch.
His feet would hang off the end, dangling slightly.
It would be close to two in the morning, and he would hear nothing.
He would wake up at seven, force himself into the shower, and head to work.
He would ignore the ache in his bones, or the rumbling of his stomach, and put on a smile.
Greet the citizens, be courteous, offer to help with mundane tasks.
For brief moments, he would forget the ‘friend’ that tailed him wherever he went.
The constant reminder that, no matter how much help he provided, he would never be quite enough to be somebody’s person.
Always second place, never first.
It was a blur.
Blades crashed.
Fire burned.
Screams, grunts.
He knew this would happen.
He was hoping that this would happen.
This was the ideal situation.
And yet…
And yet…
“You lied to me!”
He did.
The sword came down.
“You lied to fa– my father!”
He did.
Blade against blade.
“Everything about you was a lie!”
Indeed.
He stepped back.
The other charged.
“How DARE you!”
Fire engulfed the blade.
“How dare you stand there, where he died! How dare you smile!”
He was racing towards him, a haze of red.
“Was all of this just a game to you?”
He raised his sword, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to parry this blow.
He also knew that the next words would be his last.
“Brother, I-”
“You are no brother of mine.”
The guillotine struck down.
Justice had been served…
At least that’s what was supposed to happen.
He was cold.
He opened his eyes, expecting to either see the flames of punishment or the gates of triumph.
Instead, an orb of light.
He cursed Barbatos.
Kaeya Alberich, a traitor of Mondstadt, was well acquainted with fate.
It occurred one day, while he was on patrol in the city.
Mona Megistus pulled him into an alleyway, frantic.
Besides the rare glimpses that he gets of her at Good Hunter, he had never really had a proper conversation with her.
“Pavo Ocellus, Captain Kaeya-”
He tried to stop her.
“Sorry, but I don’t have the time or the funds for a fortune reading right now, perhaps later?”
She held onto his arm.
“You have to listen to me.”
Without a choice, he stayed.
“You’re in grave danger.”
Internally, he sighed.
“They’re coming for you, soon.”
He shook his hand out of her grasp, turning around and waving away.
“Thank you for the warning, I’ll make sure to keep it in mind.”
She shook her head, attempting to reach out for him once again.
“Captain!”
He stopped.
He could hear her heavy breathing.
“Don’t…”
He held his own breath.
“… Don’t do anything rash.”
He nodded, but couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Kaeya Alberich, traitor of the Abyss - of Khaenri'ah, was well acquainted with death.
Every day that he lives simply acts as a countdown to the day that he is reunited with his lover, the day that death decides to claim what is hers.
He was supposed to be hers from the beginning, he was not supposed to make it so far.
But he was young and naïve. He believed that he could run from fate. He believed that there were those that could protect him from her.
It was only a matter of time.
When the time comes, the day he will fall into her loving embrace, there would be a stack of letters sitting on his desk.
“To Noelle, the best knight-to-be”
“To Barbara, the sweet deaconess”
“To Bennett, the energetic adventurer”
“To Diona, the best bartender of Mondstadt”
“To Captain Eula, my fellow cryo captain”
“To Ms. Lisa, the most beautiful librarian”
“To Captain Albedo, a man of incredible talent”
“To my dearest clover, Klee”
“To Jean, my trusted friend”
“To Venti, the man who extended my life”
“To Sister Rosaria, my favorite drinking buddy”
“To Outrider Amber, the clever and righteous knight”
“To Mona Megistus, the astrologist who knew too much”
“To Diluc, my brother”
He loved them.
Yet, he knew that they didn’t love him in the same way.
He knew that, even with these letters, the memory of him will soon fade.
He knew that, in the grand scheme of things, he was just a drunk, a slacker, and a traitor.