Chapter Text
Lumine pulled herself higher up the tree, her hands gripping the rough bark as she moved through the leafy foliage.
She managed to reach the branch she had in mind and crawled on all fours until she was in the middle of the sturdy branch, the branch swaying slightly as she did so, the leaves rustling.
She enjoyed the view from that height, the expanses of green grassland stretching infinitely into the horizon. Sure it was all a cool trick developed by the Abyss scientists, something to make grass grow in the underground, an illusion of the world above, emphasised by the cold dark stone walls encompassing the whole space, their presence seemingly closing in on her despite being so far away.
She enjoyed these moments of peace, of quiet bliss, where she could leave her royal heritage far behind, leave the busy yet dull royal life, hiding in the bushy leaves of her favourite tree.
Many people dream of being a royal, but Lumine dreamt of being a commoner. Even at 9 years of age, she has to go through so many things in preparation for when she would rule, so many boring meetings and classes of etiquette, politics, and much more. As the crown princess, she had to be well-versed in everything, from the arts to most Teyvatian languages. Everything was just a mundane chore, nothing interested her, and all her actions felt so robotic, just doing it for the sake of her country.
She spotted a head of tousled bright orange hair as she peered down. There was a boy around her age leaning against the tree, he was quite well-dressed, and he was fiddling with something in his hands.
How she wished she had a friend.
She never had a friend before. The royal abyss court, and the royal advisor, who were in charge of her life, kept her far away from any other children her age, saying they were not worth her time, and that she had better things to do.
She wondered how it’ll feel like having a friend.
She had seen children playing in the streets of the Abyss city, as she watched on in envy and loneliness.
A white butterfly flitted around her face and she flinched back, caught by surprise as the butterfly seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
And then she realised that she couldn’t flinch back as behind her was just air, and she fell.
As her body dropped through the air, she let out a small squeal, something she had never done before in her stiff life of proper behaviour.
But instead of meeting the hard ground, she landed on something comfier and softer.
She got up and turned around in surprise, finding the boy underneath her. He must have cushioned her fall.
Seeing that the boy was not moving, she got off him and immediately started shaking his shoulders. “Hey are you okay?” Her voice became more high pitched as she started to really worry. “Hey! I don’t want to have killed someone with my butt! I’m so sorry!”
A chuckle bubbled out of the boy as he sat up. “I’m fine, falling angel.” He chuckled even harder as her eyebrows lifted in surprise at his flirting. “Although, you are quite heavy.”
She gasped, somewhat in mock hurt, and crossed her arms. “How dare you. I’ll have you know I’m on a strict diet. Maybe it’s you that’s weak.”
Since he doesn’t seem to know she’s the princess, she might as well take a break from her manners.
“Well, I’ll have you know that I train everyday. There’s no way I’m weak.”
He had piercing ocean blue eyes, the blues swirling around like ocean currents.
“Why were you up on the tree though?”
“Why not?”
“Can you please just answer my question?”
“Well…” She trailed off a bit, before continuing in a quieter tone, “I actually snuck off from my home. Sometimes, when I get sick of the lessons I have to attend and noble things, I go to this tree, because I can hide amongst the leaves from my servants and the view is really nice. Of course, I sneak off only when there’s nothing important to do!”
She didn’t reveal that she was the princess. Everyone always acts differently around the princess, and she wanted to enjoy not having to act all prim and proper a bit longer.
“Sounds like your parents are really strict. Mine aren’t. I get to do whatever I want, which means I get to be excluded from boring things yay! Also, your servants really aren’t doing a proper job of looking for you, otherwise they would have found you already!”
He shot her a cheeky smile. Her lips tug up.
“Well, what do you know about strict noble parents? You’re just a commoner!” She just had to have a snarky, egoistic reply.
She had figured he might be a noble, but this was so fun.
“I’ll have you know that I’m a Snezhnayan noble then, in fact, the son of a Duke!”
“Oh really? You don’t act like a noble.”
“Neither do you. But if you want a demonstration…”
He stood up.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, m’lady.” He bowed in front of her as his lips grazed her gloved hand which he held.
“I thought you didn’t do boring stuff. Etiquette is boring.”
“I didn’t, for most boring things anyway. But I had to learn basic etiquette. And I nailed it, didn’t I?”
He looked so smug she felt so tempted to say no.
“You did fine, I guess. By the way, what were you holding before I landed on you?”
“You were spying on me? Gosh, there’s better ways to express your infatuation.”
She rolled her eyes and lightly threw a small tree branch at him.
“Oww. Girlie that wa-”
He got cut off by another branch, this time a bit harder.
“Do not call me by such flirty nicknames.”
“Okay, okay, fine. Anyways, here’s what I was holding.”
He fished an arrowhead out of his pocket, along with a sharp stone.
“You were sharpening it? So you like archery?”
“Yeah, but archery is my weakest form of combat actually, I’m much better in other styles.”
“Then why are you still doing archery?”
“It’s fun, and I obviously want to improve! I want to someday be good at all combat styles!”
“You seem quite enthusiastic about fighting.”
“Well, it’s really exhilarating and cool!”
He checked his pocket watch.
“Oh shoot, I need to get going now.”
“What for?”
“Oh, to return to the manor I’m staying in to freshen up a bit before I meet the Abyss Court with my parents.”
“So that’s what you’re here for…”
He doesn’t seem to know that she’s the princess. Good.
“Yeah! So bye!”
She waved back at him.
“By the way, you might want to freshen up a bit too yourself!”
He smirked at her as she glared daggers at him and he went off.
She checked her watch. 4.49pm.
1 hour and a half had passed since she last checked her watch sometime on the tree.
It didn’t even feel like so much time had passed, just 5 to 10 minutes. For once the tedious ticking of time had sped up. Maybe it was because she was finally spending time with a kid her age. She had to admit he was fun to be around. She hoped to see him again. Thinking of his ocean blue eyes and their interactions made her feel a little warm in her chest, like little sparks of light.
She supposed this was what friendship felt like.
It felt good to finally feel something in her dull life, like a little colour being spilled onto the grey watercolour that was her life.
It would be nice if she could see those colours again.
It was then that she realised she hadn’t asked for his name.
Childe licked his lips as he stood in the middle of the fighting arena, standing triumphantly over his opponent. Cheers from the crowd lining the arena, the voice of the announcer, and the groans of his defeated opponent as he weakly got back up and limped away were all muted and tuned out as adrenaline coursed through him, his blood pumping.
These short moments of fighting were what he lived for. Moments where his instincts took over, and he could enjoy the fun of dodging and striking, body constantly moving, the memories of his practices flashing through his mind.
When he was fighting and sparring in tournaments, he could also distance himself from his family situation, become “Childe”, instead of the young duke Ajax.
As much as his parents pretended otherwise, he knew they were worried for him, and a bit wary and cautious. He hadn’t been the same since he fell into a forbidden part of the Abyss, fighting for his life 3 months in there, 3 days on the surface.
He still remembered their relieved faces as they ran towards him, finally finding him, before their faces dropped into confusion, and a bit of fear as they took in his scrawny figure. There were scratches all over him, blood stains here and there, and he was clutching a dagger rusted with blood, swaying slightly.
He didn’t change, he told himself.
Or maybe he did.
But he was still the family-loving Ajax he was before, why couldn’t his family see that? He may have gotten a bit obsessed with fighting, but it’s survival instincts, isn’t it? He would never hurt his family. Never.
After months of fighting constantly in the Abyss, and returning to his previous carefree life, everything felt so...dull.
So in an attempt to liven up his days, and to distract himself from the wariness his family harboured for him, he sought out sparring tournaments, and became obsessed with improving himself, becoming the best in sparring. The adrenaline rushing through him was the only thing that he enjoyed anymore.
And if he became the best, he would be able to protect his family from everything. His siblings would never have to go up against the Abyssal creatures he had to fight. Even if this distanced him from his family, he still loved them.
But as much as he enjoyed fighting, it was getting boring. He had participated in this little annual Snezhnayan tournament yearly, and currently held the title of champion for 3 years. No one had come close to him yet. Sure, he knew he wasn’t quite the best in Snezhnayan yet, but he was in the top 20. However, he still won in the majority of his spars.
He wished he could lose, for once. As terrible as losing was, at least he’d finally have the chance to go against a stronger opponent and test his strengths, find his mistakes, and improve.
He glanced over at his new opponent and looked him up and down, as the announcer announced the final match of the tournament.
His opponent was wearing a hood and a mask, which wasn’t that uncommon in this tournament, because this tournament was quite shady sometimes, and therefore had shady participants. He, too, wore a mask.
He was sure he’d beat him in a flash. He had quite a small figure, and to be honest, he was quite shocked how he made it so far without breaking a sweat at all. Well, regardless, he’d still beat him. Piece of cake.
Or so he thought.
He was now regretting his previous thoughts, as he held his polearm in front of him, being pushed to defence, as his opponent slashed their sword mercilessly at him. He wondered how anyone could be that quick, as the hooded person relentlessly slashed their sword, pushing him back.
His new opponent was good , constantly forcing him on defence, constantly challenging him, constantly managing to attack his weak spots, and he only managed to evade defeat by a hair’s breadth as he swerved away. For once, he had found someone who could keep up with him, and he savoured every moment of their fight, never having had so much adrenaline pumping through him.
The hooded person somehow managed to swerve through all of his attacks, seemingly as fluid as water, slipping through attempted advances gracefully. His attacks had a sort of elegance too, like he was dancing, and yet they still contained great strength and power. A beautifully brutal dance disguised as a spar.
Eventually, Childe was forced down upon the floor, his opponent’s sword pointed at his neck, both their chests heaving up and down.
He had not had such an exhilarating battle in forever.
He was also quite flabbergasted. He had lost, finally. Did his thoughts from before the match jinx him?
Regardless, he was astounded by his opponent. He had never met someone quite like him. Relentlessly merciless in their attacks, having such brute force, yet still maintaining graceful elegance, each attack like a dance move in his deadly dance of swords.
“An amazing finish! The champion of 3 years, Tartaglia has finally met his match and been overturned by Ying! Seems like our newcomer here is quite talented indeed!”
The announcer’s loud voice resounded through him as he watched “Ying” approach the announcer, telling him that he didn’t need the prize money, and to just donate it to charity. He then walked away, almost nonchalantly, as if all the fights before were nothing. And perhaps they were.
He caught a glimpse of his face though, shrouded in the shadows of his hood, glistening with beads of sweat. It filled him with such satisfaction that he was able to make such a formidable opponent at least break out into sweat. Perhaps, one day he would be able to beat him.
He got up and chased after the hooded person as he walked out of the fighting stadium. He couldn’t miss out on such a chance to know an amazing fighter. Based on his code name, he would assume that he wasn’t from Snezhnaya, and he might not chance upon him again. Perhaps he was from Liyue? He had to catch up to him, maybe get an advice or two about fighting, and possibly have a rematch.
He had to at least know his real name, as everyone in that tournament used code names.
He picked up his pace as he watched “Ying” in front of him walking into a darker alley beside a building, and taking off his cloak, his back still facing him.
He abruptly stopped in his tracks.
With “Ying”’s cloak gone, he could see a head of dazzling golden hair, and a simple white dress with leggings. He, no she, was a girl.
Her golden hair was shining so bright on that frigid night that it practically was like a light source, casting a warm halo around her. And for some reason, that particular colour of golden felt weirdly familiar, bringing a certain warmth up to his chest. He watched on in stunned silence as she pulled on white gloves with a blue thread around her wrists and white boots adorned with a single blue flower, matching her white dress with blue lining and white leggings.
She then hurried off briskly, not looking back once, quick but still poised.
When he recovered from his shocked daze, it was too late. She had slipped out from within his fingers, like water, always so fluid.
He hoped to meet her again, this “Ying” who was able to defeat him. Perhaps they could fight then. He knew it was near impossible to meet someone who didn’t even live in the same country as him again, considering how massive Teyvat is, but he still hoped.
She had ignited a fire of curiosity within him and he yearned to see her dazzling golden hair woven from starlight and gold again. He could not let her slip through his fingers again.
“So, if fate would be so kind, please let me meet her again.
At the very least, let me know her name.”
Princess Lumine, no Queen Lumine, is walking through the palace gardens.
As she is turning 18 years of age next month, the throne is being passed to her, after being in the care of the Abyss court and advisors since her parents died in a tragic accident 12 years ago. Her twin brother had gone missing not long after that, leaving her as the only member of the royal abyss family left in the desolate palace.
Being stressed from all the responsibilities of all the planning for her coronation ceremony and preparation from her rule, she decided to take a short stroll through the gardens. Not too long as she had work waiting for her.
The gardens are her destressing place, where she goes to to relax in the overpowering, but not unpleasant, calming aroma of the flowers all around her, the feeling of being enshrouded in nature, the mostly quiet atmosphere with little chirps and flaps of wings here and there. The palace gardens, despite being superficial, are a beauty to behold, the “fake” plants all too similar to the real ones up on the surface.
She spots an oddly familiar figure hunched over a row of Inteyvats, her favourite flowers. She always wears Inteyvat blossoms in her hair, and her typical colour scheme is white and a little bit of blue, like Inteyvats.
Childe is on a diplomatic visit to the kingdom of the Abyss when he decides to walk through the palace gardens, having quite a lot of spare time on his hands.
He has also heard of the exquisite beauty of the flowers, and the amazing genius minds of the Abyss scientists for having figured out how to make living flowers exactly like the ones on the surface, yet able to thrive underground.
A row of pure white flowers with pale blues sprinkled all over catches his eye and he wanders over.
Realisation dawns upon him as his face lights up with slight amazement and wonder. “These are…”
“Inteyvats. The national flower of the Abyss kingdom, being the only flower able to thrive underground. They become hard and unchangeable like stone when they leave the Abyss kingdom, and yet they turn into dust when they return. Truly a depiction of how we Abyss people have unmoveable determination, yet always a soft spot for our dear homeland, so touched that we turn to dust. It also speaks of how we must always remain loyal to our motherland, for if we are to betray it for other kingdoms, when we return, our lives will crumble into dust.”
“Truly a delightful flower isn’t it?”
A rather pretty voice interrupted him, not unkindly though.
So this is who those footsteps belong to. He had heard soft footsteps behind him as he was about to say what flowers those were.
They stand in comfortable silence, as neither of them moves to look at the other, absorbed in their thoughts as they gaze upon the Inteyvats.
Lumine stretches out her hand to touch the soft petals of an Inteyvat, gently rubbing a petal between her thumb and forefinger, precious memories from her childhood flooding back as she remembers the sweet aroma of the Inteyvat from so many moments.
She sighs, drawing herself from her thoughts. It is time for her to properly address her guest. It seems she cannot escape from the duties of a royalty, even in the gardens.
Childe blinks as a hand moves slowly into his vision, tenderly caressing an Inteyvat. He realises how rude it was of him to not acknowledge the presence of the person beside him, considering how he is a guest in their country.
Childe and Lumine both turn to face each other coincidentally at exactly the same moment, their mouths open to say something, but immediately closes as shock flits across their faces.
“Y-you’re the boy I met 9 years ago...at that tree...in the meadows outside the palace!”
“You’re...you’re the person who claimed the title...of the champion of the Snezhnayan sparring tournament...from me!”
They blurt out at the same time, their sentences both coming out wrangled by the surprise.
A tense silence followed as they gaped at each other, taking in each other, too stunned and not knowing what exactly to do.
The light from his eyes are gone, and yet his eyes are still the very same ocean currents, so strong that if she allowed herself to be pulled into them, she would never be able to get out of the whirlpools.
She wonders what caused him to lose the light in his eyes. They look so empty, so lifeless, without the light twinkling within the whirlpools of blue, like the reflection of the moon shining back from the surface of the ocean has disappeared.
He had grown a lot since that time under the tree 9 years ago, and yet his orange hair and eyes are almost exactly the same, still so similiar to his younger self.
She also recognises him as that ex-champion from the Snezhnayan sparring tournament she sneaked off to 6 months ago. No wonder his messy head of bright orange hair felt so familiar.
Childe subtly sucks in a breath.
Had the gods actually answered to his words?
Her golden tresses shine so bright under the fake sunlight of the Abyss, reflecting the dazzling rays of the light, that he would be blinded if he looked at them directly.
But not only is her hair coloured in a shade of beautiful gold, so are her eyes.
Molten pools of gold swirling around. He can feel the tug and pull from them, as though daring him to find out the story lying behind them, yet still concealing that very story so deep in the well of gold.
Her dress is a simple shade of white, and she had a blue cloak draped across her shoulders. White and blue are very much her colours, it would seem.
No doubt she’s the Abyss Princess and soon to be Queen that he had yet to formally meet.
He felt a bit light-headed. He had sparred with a princess. No wonder he had lost then. The royals, unless corrupt, are always amazingly adept at many things, including fighting.
But the thought of having had the opportunity to clash blades with a royalty, those so above the rest, so untouchable, made him feel quite very proud of himself.
She recovers from her shock and breaks the silence first.
“I am Princess Lumine, soon-to-be-crowned ruler of the Abyss Kingdom. Nice to meet you.”
She dips into a shallow curtsy.
“Duke Ajax, son of a Duke of Snezhnaya. It’s a pleasure to meet you too, revered princess of the Abyss Kingdom.”
He bows, and taking her gloved hand, kisses the back of it.
“Shall I call for a servant to prepare some tea, and we can have our conversation in the pavilion over there, instead of standing by this row of Inteyvats?”
Her expression is entirely unreadable and guarded, as a polite, but not genuine smile, is plastered over her face.
“Yes, that would be preferable, thank you. Your highness is a very welcoming host. Though I’d prefer if you can drop the formalities a bit. Too much formality can be quite stifling.”
He thinks he sees her lips quirk up momentarily in a hint of a smile.
“I do agree.Thanks for allowing me to converse more freely.”
“No problem at all. It’s quite beneficial for me too.”
They walk in silence to a nearby pavilion, soon-to-be-Queen Lumine waving up a servant along the way, and requesting them to prepare some tea at the pavilion.
“Sooo we’ve met unintentionally twice.”
Childe tries to start a conversation, leaning forward slightly, clasping his hands together and resting his face upon them.
“It would appear so, yes.” Lumine’s eyes peer pensively back at him from above the teacup she is holding to her mouth.
“Although I suppose both incidents were...something we should not mention to others, considering that I did sneak away…” Lumine’s previously confident tone drops to something a bit more like mumbling, as her cheeks flush slightly from embarrassment.
“Well...this would make great blackmail material…” Childe started, the edges of his mouth pulling up into teasing smile.
Lumine’s head snaps up, her golden eyes flashing, momentarily becoming the same blinding brightness as the sun. “Don’t you dare!”
“I would never go against your request, m’lady.” Ajax’s eyes light up with a joking twinkle, as he smiles easily.
Yet still without the light in his eyes.
Lumine wonders how he manages to smile and joke around so easily, almost so that she forgets that his eyes are still very much lifeless. She just shuts herself off from other people. Everyone has only nice things to say about her, but she still has that unbridgeable chasm between her and other people, so distant from them. They don’t understand her anyway.
“Why did you sneak off both times anyway?” Childe asks, curiously leaning forward a little.
The future Queen seems a bit more relaxed now, her guard lowering down a little more, and he can see hints of genuine feelings on her face, so he decides he can poke a bit more into her personal matters now.
“Didn’t I tell you why the last time?”
“Yeah, but you’re the Princess! You didn’t have to sneak off, you can basically do anything you want.”
“Yeah, well as the future ruler of the Abyss kingdom, I have expectations to live up to. I have responsibilities. And...I can’t really run away from them, not when the Abyss council and Abyss advisors constantly remind me of my duty to my kingdom.”
“Then why did you run away?”
“Because well sometimes I get tired. And it’s just for a short while anyway. I think everyone at the palace have gotten somewhat used to it, even if the Abyss council and advisors always seem disappointed in me. It’s just a brief escape from this stifling royal position.”
“N-not that I’m complaining or anything! It’s a great honour to lead my kingdom, and I hope to bring it to a brighter future!”
“Uh huh. Seems like you’re complaining a bit, m’lady.”
Her lips tug back into a frown, her mouth opening to refute his statement.
“And that’s fine you know, because as great as your position may be, it definitely comes with its own sets of responsibilities and no one always enjoys responsibility.”
He sees her eyes peer down into her teacup, as though pondering something.
“You know...I kind of relate to you. At least in the escaping part.”
Her interest piqued, she lifts her head up and peers at him through her lashes.
“You see...well my family and I don’t have the best relationship. It’s just some incident that happened some time ago and they’re just kind of wary of me now. So I guess I just join sparring tournaments and fight to forget these things, like how people drink away their sorrow I suppose.”
“So you’re admitting you have an unhealthy obsession with fighting?” Lumine smirks.
“Hey!” He sqawks.
Fine it may be true but it’s not really unhealthy, it’s just a coping mechanism...
“You know, you seem like the type of person who has a carefree life with no problems whatsoever.”
“Appearances can be deceiving m’lady.”
Lumine’s voice softens. “Anyway, I hope you solve this issue with your family soon. Maybe try communicating with them...?” Her voice trails off a bit and Childe looks at her, concerned.
“It must b-be nice having a f-family…” she mutters shakily under her breath but he catches her words anyway.
A tear slips out from under her thick lashes, dropping into her cup of tea with splish.
Her eyes widen as Childe leans forward, hand stretching out towards her, concerned.
“Hey, are you okay? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up this topic.”
He had forgotten that her highness was orphaned since 6 and lost her brother soon after, leaving her all alone. Speaking of a family, even a slightly broken one, must have been painful for her, who didn’t even have one anymore.
“N-no, it’s not your fault. I-i guess I was just a bit more sentimental then usual, because of the Inteyvats.” Her voice has smoothened, but it was still wobbly, as she picks up her hankerchief daintily to wipe at her eyes.
Ajax has tilted his head slightly in a questioning manner.
“Inteyvats...were my brother’s favourite flower. We used to play in that particular area of the garden a lot...It’s why their my favourite flowers…”
She falls silent.
She remembers every memory like a shard of glass, once making up a beautiful stained glass, now broken and stabbing at her heart.
Aether’s laughter as they played amongst the flowers and delicate fragrance of Inteyvats, sweet and twinkling.
Aether’s smile as she presents an Inteyvat to him, large, warm, like the sun gracing the earth.
“I’ll protect you forever, and we’ll stay together forever and ever!”
Naive promises they exchanged along with crowns woven from Inteyvats.
“I’m sorry, Aether.”
“I couldn’t fulfill my promise.”
A tear threatens to squeeze out of her eyes.
They were inseperable.
Until they weren’t.
And it hurts, it hurts, to have her other half stolen from her, leaving her with nothing.
After all, what is the moon without the sun, and what is yin without yang?
She didn’t even know if he was still alive, and then again maybe that’s a good thing. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
She shakes herself out of her thoughts to find Ajax gazing at her worriedly.
“I’m fine, really. Just got caught up in some thoughts.”
He looks skeptical but didn’t press further.
“Your highness!”
Lumine turns to find Noelle panting, running to the pavilion.
“You have a meeting with the Abyss council in a few minutes!”
Oh archons. Has it been that long?
She was supposed to walk just for a bit before finishing some work, then meeting the Abyss council.
Oh well, she could always do her work later.
“I’m sorry, but my presence is required at a meeting soon. Farewell, Duke Ajax.”
She stands, and leaves, her dress swishing a little as she does so, but not before she turns her head to have one last look at Ajax.
She had never revealed so much of her personal life with someone so quickly before, much less break down in front of them. As embarrassing as that may have been, there is just something about Ajax that makes her trusting of him, enough to make her open up a bit she supposes.
She hopes to meet him again soon, too. It was fun talking to him, quite a relief in fact, from the responsibilities she always has to shoulder, probably because of the lack of formalities.
And she still haven’t gotten the answer to why he lost the light in his eyes born from the ocean. She didn’t know why she was strangely curious about that, but she just wanted to know.
The sparks inside her chest from before, now ignited a little fire of warmth.
It feels good to have someone who understands her.
Childe’s eyes follow the future ruler of the Abyss kingdom until her figure walks out of his sight.
It is nice that he finally found someone to confide in. As little has they have interacted, he has already opened up significantly.
Perhaps it’s because she opened up first, and seeing how she didn’t have much of a happy life either helped him feel more comfortable.
Whatever it was, he felt a strange desire to see her and her molten gold eyes and hair born from the shining sun once more.
The fire she ignited from before blaze brighter, flames licking the sides of his heart.
Maybe this is the start of something new. For this world. For their countries.
For them.
After all, the Archons have blessed them (if you call it a blessing) to meet each other 3 times. With their fates so interwoven, the gods must certainly have a plan for them. A destiny.