Chapter Text
Once, there was a glorious kingdom established under the heavens. The land of Mondstadt was a prosperous kingdom that was once ruled by a kind king and queen.
Mondstadt was a land of song and freedom, founded by the Anemo Archon. The heir to the throne of Mondstadt was Jean, the king and queen's daughter.
Jean was a princess of courage and dedication, putting the people first before herself. “For Mondstadt, as always” she would put it.
As she got older, Jean grew into a strong young woman who was brave and talented. She grew up learning the art of the sword, as a way of defending her kingdom from harm.
She was clever, strong, skilled, and kind. Her mother and father excitedly awaited the day that they could pass the role of ruling down to her.
One day though, Jean was given a surprise upon learning that her mother, the queen, was pregnant. She would have a younger sibling to live with.
When the long awaited birth did come, Jean was one of the first to meet her newborn sibling, a wonderful baby girl who looked just like her.
“We're gonna be best friends, I promise.” She said that day.
They named the girl Barbara, who grew up to be just as loved by the people as her sister. Like Jean, Barbara had pretty blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes with her light skin. Though Barbara proved to not have the same skill sets as her sister, she had talents of her own.
She was gentle, devoted, and kind to everyone around her. To support her sister and her people even when her sister was on the throne, Barbara took up the art of healing.
This was easy for her, as her and her sister both were born with blessings from the divine called Visions. Jean's was an Anemo Vision, a Vision of wind, almost like a sign of her destiny as heir. Barbara's Vision was Hydro, a blessing of water.
Water was a healing Element, commonly. However, it could be just as destructive. Yet water in Barbara's hands was always a healing source for wounds and a way of protection.
There was a time when a flood reached Mondstadt's city gates. If the sharp waves of water hit the city itself, many lives would've been lost, and many more homes would be destroyed.
But in the midst of the chaos, Jean was seen riding her horse to the gates, her sister with her. Barbara jumped off and stood her ground where the Knights of Favonius were trying to evacuate everyone and minimize the damage.
Barbara ignored the fears of her people, held out her hands, and the furious waves bowed to her will, not going any further than the walls of the city. For the entire hour or so it took for the storm to disperse, the princess stood there bravely, patiently taming the beasts that were the flooding waters.
When clear skies arrived once more, Barbara swirled all the access flood water into the air, where it clumped into a bubble and then burst, releasing drops of water across the city to water the various plants and wash the mud away. The clear and pure water and dewdrops sparkled in the sun.
Thanks to the brave young princess, Mondstadt was saved the disastrous floods. She had followed in the footsteps of her older sister, who had once saved Mondstadt from a devastating blizzard using her Anemo powers before calming down the Spirit of Boreas, the wolf spirit who once cast Mondstadt into eternal winter many years ago.
Both princesses were revered as heroes to the public and were greatly celebrated. Jean was always known best for her bravery, dedication, leadership, justness, and courage, while Barbara was best known for her gentility, empathy, peacefulness, determination, and kindness.
“Princess Jean is our heir, and is skilled with protecting us and leading us. She is ever so reliable.” The people of Mondstadt would say. “And Princess Barbara is a kind healer who can speak to just about anyone, she puts anyone at ease. They both have everyone's best interests at heart.”
Most commonly, after hearing as such, at least one princess would be seen on the streets, as just like their parents, they got to know the people by interacting and mingling among them, as Mondstadt was a country of freedom, so royals often interacted with the townsfolk directly.
Jean and Barbara were loved by their parents and people, and it seemed these times would never end.
But it did.
Years down the road, the queen fell severely ill. It was only a matter of time before she passed on, her beloved children in her arms. The kingdom mourned their beloved queen for many weeks.
Still, the princesses, though saddened by the loss of their mother, tried to heal the wounds on their people's hearts. But their father, the king, felt like they would need a mother's love.
A few years later, he remarried to a noblewoman from another land. The two girls, being the open and kindhearted ladies they were told to be, greeted her and treated her like their own mother.
At first, she seemed kind and accepted the family as her own. But one day, the princesses awoke to find their father cold and unmoving in his bed.
The king had passed on in his sleep from a heart attack. It was a severe blow for the princesses and their people, and the two once again tried to mend everyone's hearts.
But that was when their stepmother showed her own true, cruel nature.
It started one day, Jean walked in to find their stepmother speaking to a mirror, which turned out to be an enchanted mirror. The woman was a cruel, vain, possessive witch, who could use the dark magic of the Abyss.
Every day, the woman would ask the mirror who was the most beautiful person in the land. But the mirror instead showed Barbara interacting with the people of Mondstadt, where everyone praised her beauty, inside and out.
Barbara would try to bring joy to her people by singing in the middle of the town square, even in rain. It warmed everyone's hearts whenever her voice echoed from the statue in the middle of Mondstadt. The people of Mondstadt praised Jean for her grace and strong will, Barbara was known as an astonishingly beautiful and gentle young lady.
The vain queen wasn't having it, however. Frustrated by Barbara's beauty and popularity, she aimed to bring the girl down and become more beautiful.
As a result of her stepmother's oppression, the young princess's life changed for the worst. Forced to become a servant and wear ragged clothes, Barbara was no longer treated the same way her mother and father did.
The queen did not care about Jean, and made no influence on her lifestyle. Hence, Jean was forced to watch over the years as her sister was subjected to servitude in her own home, no longer allowed outside the palace walls despite the rejections of the people.
Barbara did not resent Jean for this, however, and the two remained close despite the unfair treatment between them. Jean provided clothes, food and the like to her little sister, and Barbara would then listen to and support Jean throughout her life. Even though the princess was no longer able to leave the palace, people would still be warmed by the sound of her voice on the wind and waters.
One day, Jean was going to the courtyard to visit her sister, when she heard the sound of Barbara singing a melody in the distance. She found her sister leaning on the well outside.
Jean sat down and joined her, handing her a breakfast sandwich. “Here, I swiped this for you.”
“Thanks!” Barbara accepted it and took a bite, smiling at the spicy taste. “Mmmm!”
Jean grinned. “Still like the spice, huh?”
“Yep! I still make my favorite Chilibrew on occasion! It helps me with my voice.” Barbara answered cheerfully.
They enjoyed the quiet in the gardens, though Barbara soon filled the silence by humming a tune.
Much to Jean's surprise though, a new sound joined Barbara's melody. Down flew a finch that, to her and Barbara's surprise, landed on Barbara's knee.
Curious, Barbara stopped singing for a moment and held her two fingers out. The bird went and perched on them, before repeating Barbara's melody back at her. Surprised, Barbara hummed the tune again. It repeated.
“You certainly have a wonderful voice, little finch!” Barbara giggled softly.
The finch chirped at her, prompting her to stand. “Why, of course I can get you something to eat! ...Wait a minute. Did you just... Talk?”
The bird chirped at her.
“But... I don't speak 'chirp'.”
Another sound.
“Well, I don't know if you're the only bird I can understand.”
It tweeted loudly.
“Oh no! Please don't call your friends!”
Too late. Several birds of different species flew down and landed on her, perching on her arms, shoulders, and the base of her twin tails.
“It's... Nice to meet you too.”
Jean stood, puzzled. “Are you talking to the birds...?”
Barbara paused awkwardly. “Ummm... Yes?”
“I didn't know you could do that!” Jean giggled.
Barbara shook her head. “I didn't either!”
The finch chirped loudly again, and Barbara said, “Um, he says that you've got something on your face.”
Jean wiped the side of her face with her gloved hand. Upon looking down to see the red sauce on it, she said, “Did I get it?”
“Not quite...” Barbara answered, trying her best not to giggle as she used Hydro to create a mirror for her.
Seeing the sauce left from her food, Jean grabbed a napkin to wipe it off before something made her jump with a loud “AAHH!” and scare the birds into a nearby tree.
“What is it?!” Barbara asked.
Jean was shuddering. “T-there's... A bug. A huge bug, and it's... It's squirmy!”
“Oh, don't worry! I'll deal with it.” Barbara easily took the bug somewhere else. When she came back, was mortified.
“Barbara, please. You must teach me how to conquer my fear of bugs. It's so embarrassing!”
Barbara giggled. “It's fine, Jean! A little weakness can be good sometimes, you know?”
A buzzing sound.
“GAAHH!” Jean jumped back again. “Is that a bee?!”
Barbara noticed it and allowed the creature to land on her hand. “Oh, it's a carpenter bee! The females sting, but only if you agitate them. They normally tend to just leave you alone, though I think this one was probably attracted to the food.” She grinned big. “Pretty cute, right?”
A small buzzing sound, and Barbara spoke to the little thing in her hand. “Oh! You're welcome, sir.”
“I... Guess so...” Jean managed, but as soon as the bee moved again, she said, “Ah, nope! Nope! Still scary! Sorry!”
“It's fine.” Barbara assured. “It's so funny, the only things that actually scare you are bugs of all things! You can't seem to put a brave face on for them at all.”
“Please don't remind me, Sis. It's embarrassing!” Jean begged.
Since then, Barbara has put her talents of communicating to use again. She learned how to understand all kinds of animals, whether they were a fierce predator or meek prey.
Because of this, she was never lonely in the palace when her sister wasn't around. On the contrary, she made many new friends and learned about the world around her through them.
The animals became her companions in her lonely world, though she still held onto her dreams of a better life, free from her oppression.
But she didn't have to wait long.