Chapter Text
If Diluc Ragnvindr never had to look at paperwork again, it would be far too soon. All across his table lay large stacks of paper, tax forms and returns, accounts and union forms to sign and send back to the Knights, and it took everything he had in him to not grab the entire pile and burn it to cinders. The rosewood table seemed to groan and sink under the weight of them, and he too wanted to be able to groan and roll over and never have to think of the Teyvat Alcohol Regulations and Control. Truly, what was the point of Mondstadt being the city of freedom if he was trapped under his own title?
He grimaced. He had certainly not anticipated this when he had been officially given the title of the Master of House Ragnvindr; all memories of when his father used to lay crouched under mountains of paperwork as the servants tiptoed on eggshells around him for those dangerous few hours. No, he had been much more occupied with being able to sneak out of the house for once to play in the woods behind, his hand gripped in another, two voices caught in a bubble of laughter, the childish high of freedom roaring through them.
He blinked as he heard a cough, the fleeting memory of red and blue disappearing from him as soon as it came, and turned his head up weakly to look as his head maid Adeline leaned against the doorframe, a feather duster firmly gripped in her hand. She looked at him expectantly, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. “It seems like time for a dusting, Master Diluc.” She coughed again, and although she was trying her best, Diluc cringed internally at how fake it sounded.
He straightened in his mahogany chair nonetheless, his back arching comfortably on the soft velvet after being hunched over for the better part of the morning. He pursed his lips as he set his quill down, his signature still fresh on a piece of parchment. “Adeline, hasn’t it been but a day since the last time you marched in here?”
If he didn’t know better, he would have thought she rolled his eyes at him. “Yes, Master Diluc. However, it is a rather sunny day, and the warm, fresh light and the ardour brings a wave of dust along with it.” She walked in, her heels tapping across the floorboards. “And I’m quite sure you wouldn’t want such a fine line of dust on this,” She leaned over the table to read the title of the form, “Approval for the Distribution of Dawn Winery’s Dandelion Wine in Qingce Village?”
He considered it, and as grateful as he was for her keen eyes and easy excuse for a break, his duty came first. It was the responsibility he bore; the one he had taken on that night.
But as he stared through the windows, the sunlight warming him up, its rays falling on him almost invitingly, he decided to let his whims win for once.
✧✧✧
He had not planned to go far, perhaps to circle around the Winery, speak to some of the employees in a few days. Guy’s son had recently joined the Knights, and it would be courtesy to congratulate him, although personally he would much rather like to offer his condolences; and the flowers looked particularly beautiful this year, so he had to find whoever was responsible and commend them. He was barely halfway down the stairs when he heard a voice call out his name.
“Elzer?” He replied, trying to keep his voice professional. He relaxed when the pale haired man came into the view from where he had been standing next to the stairs and smiled at him; a smile reserved for him, one of his oldest friends.
“Are you headed somewhere, Master Diluc?” He asked, his voice pleasant, but his face tentative. Diluc frowned, unsure of how to perceive that.
“Just for a walk, to stretch my legs. Is something the matter, Elzer?” He said, putting on his coat and gloves as he spoke. Elzer frowned, his face conflicted. He shook his head finally, pointing to a piece of parchment in his hand.
“Not in particular, however, Grandmaster Varka has sent out a warning to all nearby locations to inform us of peculiar howling noises and rather vicious marks left in the woods, and to not venture too far into them without a Knight around. I suppose you, ah, wouldn’t have much of an issue, of course.” He added, peeking at the Pyro vision.
Diluc nodded, taking his words into consideration, stopping the frown that threatened to appear on his face at the mention of the Knights. He thanked Elzer and left the manor, his footsteps light and fleeting as he thought to himself. Wolves in the woods came as no shock to anyone who had spent more than a day near them, and Diluc had grown up with the knowledge that they were always around, circling the woods like vultures, and he knew the Grandmaster was well aware of it too. But not once, in his twenty-one years of life, had that been enough to raise any cause for concern. Something, he felt, was dreadfully wrong, and he didn’t know if he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Without much of a thought, he found himself being drawn toward the woods, the lush green grass soft under his feet, and he could smell the previous night’s downpour still dripping down the leaves. He breathed in deeply, petrichor being one of his favourite smells. He was reminded suddenly of rainy nights, thunder and lightning battling it out in Celestia above, and the slightly scratchy feel of his father’s beard on his head as he leaned in closer and shrieked every time thunder struck a blow; the feel of another tiny body next to his own, tears on both their cheeks-
Diluc continued his walk, straying around the edges of the woods, rather than into. He found a piece of Wolfhook nearby, and that was his queue for realizing he was getting too close to Wolvendom. He grimaced, and as capable as he was, one encounter with a wolf raised by Andrius himself was more than enough for him to never wish to encounter such a beast again. He kicked his boots at the grass as he turned back toward the Winery, ignoring the lump that appeared in his chest at the thought of more paperwork.
He steered clear of the few slimes that came his way, and most were willing to leave him alone as well, so all in all, it was a rather uneventful trip back.
Had he been hoping for something out of the ordinary?
Diluc preferred not to entertain that thought. He had reached the manor, his boots slightly wet but they were soon to dry in the sun that basked the manor in its light. He paused at the entrance, suddenly desperate to go somewhere, anywhere else. Perhaps a walk into Mond- No, he would be forced to present the papers on arrival. Springvale, perhaps? Or even just around Galesong Hill seemed lovely to him, although he would have to take his claymore to ward off hilichurls.
Mind made up, he walked back toward the house, tracing his footsteps in a child-like manner on the steps leading up to it, when his ears quirked toward a conversation two of the maids were having near the door.
“How terrible!” One of them cried, bringing her handkerchief up to her mouth with her eyebrows pulled together in horror. The other nodded, her face sympathetic, but when she spoke again, Diluc couldn’t help but feel the pride in her words at being the messenger of such gossip.
“I heard it right from Noelle, you know, the maid at Favonius? She seemed real worried, too. Said she heard it right from the Acting Grandmaster, and you know that girl, wouldn’t tell a lie to save her life.”
The other nodded, apparently much more familiar with this Noelle person than Diluc was. “But- Surely he’s not alone? He’s just a boy! Who feeds him and looks after him and- and- He’s just a boy!” She repeated, sadness aching through her voice.
That piqued his curiosity, and as he made to ask them what they meant, the first maid spotted him and nearly jumped out of her skin. It was only then he realized he was eavesdropping on a private conversation - between his employees. They bowed and apologized and made a fuss about being sorry for slacking off during work, but he waved them off, his mind still caught on his words as he opened his door to pick up his Prototype Archaic, a birthday gift from his father.
A boy? By himself? With no adults or parents around? Diluc’s mind whirred. How old was said boy? There was no way in Teyvat it was safe for a child to be out and about by himself, and judging by the maids’ speaking and reactions, he must have been under seventeen. He grimaced, determined to get to the bottom of it, perhaps write a letter to Jean after he came back from Galesong Hill-
“You’re back, Master?” Elzer questioned, not looking up, glasses on his face as he stood, sorting through stacks of paper on his own desk near the door. Diluc felt guilt boil up in his chest again at having ignored his duties for so long, and even though he felt nothing but fury at the work that lay before him, he still felt shamefaced at having the Winery keep working while he slacked off. So, he set down the claymore, and walked back up the stairs to hell. “Yes, Elzer.”
The strongly worded letter to Jean could wait until after he got done renewing his deed for the Tavern.
✧✧✧
It wasn’t until later that night, as he lay in his bed, draped in red and black sheets and mahogany wood all around, that he remembered the strange story. The faint light of the candles illuminated what little of his room he could see, albeit there not being much to see. A bed, a writing desk, a closet and an extra weapon just in case. The carpets were finely done, plush warmth digging into his toes whenever he stood, and the walls were an inviting burgundy, but all of that felt impersonal to him; something that simply came with the life.
He wondered again if it had been gossip or if there lay some truth in their words. Diluc felt uneasy, but he assured himself that the Knights weren’t so inefficient that they would allow an actual child to wander around on their own. He mulled it over once more before bed as he settled into bed and set out the candle on his desk. His hair lay aflame on the pillow, his body comfortably draped under soft blankets, and as he felt himself dozing off, he was shaken awake by the thought that there was a perhaps a child out there who did not even have access to that much; to a warm place to sleep, or the feeling of a cushion under his head. He tried shaking the thoughts out of his head, and for the life of him he could not understand why the mere thought of a simple rumour brought so much turmoil to his heart.
Perhaps, a small, traitorous voice in his mind whispered, Perhaps, the thought of a child, helpless and alone with nowhere to go is familiar to you?
He ripped off the bed sheets, his mind an angry blur as he tried to block out the betrayal of his own thoughts, and snatching his nearly burnt-out candle, walked over to the small wooden desk to finally write the damned letter.
✧✧✧
The letter ended up useless in the end, he grimaced to himself, as he ended up having to go into Mondstadt himself when he woke up the next morning. Usually, he would send Elzer or one of the maids on duty, but it was a busy time for the Winery, and most, if not all the maids were occupied with housework or processing, and he didn’t want to disturb them. (He was definitely not slightly terrified of interrupting Adeline when she was in one of her focused periods, nope, definitely not.)
Elzer had been whisked away to Qingce along with the letter of approval and a few giant vats of wine to test, which left just him to have to make the treacherous journey into his most detested place in all of Teyvat; the Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius. He soothed himself by repeating, over and over again to himself, that he had enough time to go into the Tavern tonight and get away from the stress of the Winery, but he couldn’t stop the scowl that appeared on his face as he heard the distinctive training shouts of the new Favonius recruits. It was time for the annual shipment, he realized, of fresh meat ready to sell their souls and humanity away in exchange for a façade of peace, and he felt pity for the young, excited expression on the face of each recruit as they followed what the instructor at the front did.
Diluc did not have much time to waste, but he found himself standing to stare nonetheless, leaning on one of the pillars, his bundle of papers grasped tightly in his hands so as not to get blown away by the wind Mondstadt was so famous for. His chest ached slightly as he thought back to only a few years ago, when he had stood in line at the exact same place, his head a few metres shorter than everyone around him, but his chin held just as high. He had been proud, of himself and the expression on his father’s face from the crowd, and the words that followed from his favourite pers-
“Careful now, wouldn’t want to be mistaken for a common thief, would you?”
A silky voice, the voice of his nightmares, teased from beside him, and he paused, keeping his voice and feet steady as he slowly turned around. A twinkling blue eye stared back at him; mischief evident in his smile. A sword lay sheathed at his waist, and he was obviously on duty, his patrol boots shining.
“Captain.” Diluc greeted, with as little venom as he could muster, even as his heart roared out for him to stab the traitor, to do to him what he had done years ago. Diluc stamped out the violent thoughts, doing his best to keep his eyes clear of any emotion. He was tired, he convinced himself, and needed to go home for a nap after this; nothing more, nothing less.
Kaeya cocked an eyebrow at him and smiled. “How polite of you, Master Diluc. Certainly a step up from last time. Last I recall, you were telling the people of Mond that I was not worthy of trust for even half a word I said?”
“Indeed, I did, Captain. Why? Am I wrong in any way to be addressing you by your earned title? Or is that, too, an untruth?” Diluc replied, his voice dripping in poison but his tone as polite as ever. From the outside, he was sure it seemed as though the two were having a pleasant conversation, but anyone who knew the two would know that they were perhaps five syllables away from punches being thrown.
Kaeya’s eyes flashed, but before Diluc could decipher what emotion it was, a yellow hurricane seemed to descend into the Cavalry Captain, and down he went, like a stack of cards. Diluc had to choke back a smile at the sight, although the sight of The Captain Kaeya, youngest of the Current Captains, One of the Heroes of Mondstadt, favoured and blessed by Celestia themselves, struggling to get out from under a blonde child who kept profusely apologizing made it quite difficult.
The aforementioned captain’s eyes turned soft as he finally picked himself up and then the child, who upon closer inspection could not have been more than twelve, his face and arms a patchwork of bandages and gauze. “Is today the try outs, Captain? Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, and Diluc really had to stifle a laugh at the high pitched, child like voice, a complete contrast to his outraged demand.
Kaeya looked at the child, a surprising amount of affection in his face. “Not yet, kiddo. Maybe next year, okay? For now, we have to keep practicing; you don’t want to get outshined by the others, do you? Not after you’ve been working so hard.” He added, rufflingthe child’s fluffy hair.
The child grinned, and procured a sword from a sheath that Diluc noticed for the first time. “Look, I even managed to keep the sheath on this time! Did you get even a little bit stabbed today?”
Diluc really did end up choking back a laugh, wondering whether to send flowers to this boy who had somehow managed to stab Kaeya not once, but multiple times, and both heads turned, as if noticing him for the first time.
Kaeya’s face shifted ever so slightly, one most people wouldn’t be able to tell, but Diluc wasn’t most people, but he watched the curves of his cheeks settle into the barest hint of annoyance, obviously reigned back in for the benefit of the child. Said child was looking at Diluc as if he held the stars in his palm, and frankly, he was starting to get uncomfortable.
“Lord Barbatos, are you Master Diluc?!” He shouted excitedly, and Diluc would have cringed if not for Kaeya’s face screaming bloody murder at him from behind. “The youngest captain of the Knights ever!” He stiffened, though the boy kept rambling, “You- You were a prodigy, one of Mondstadt’s best! And-And, you took down the Fatui all on your own, even the big scary, delusion ones! I can’t believe it’s really you, I- I’m-”
“Late.” The silky voice cut in, “And I’m sure Master Diluc is too; must be dreadful work to run a winery, no? Running up and down the city, signing cheques inside the comfort of your own home, being tended to all day. Come on, kid, let’s not waste any of Master Diluc’s precious time anymore.” Kaeya tutted.
Diluc bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes surely blazing the same fire that adorned his Vision on his thigh. “Indeed, some of us do have actually useful jobs to get back to.”
He ignored the pang in his heart at the sight of the boy’s face when he insulted the Knights, the confused, bewildered frown, as Kaeya gently tugged him away, and made his way into the headquarters, every footstep leaving a trail of flames in his wake.
✧✧✧
After he dropped most of his files off at Varka’s secretary’s desk and checked in with her that it was all to date and regulation, he picked up his final file to set off to the ground floor where Jean’s office was. He nearly collided with Alice’s daughter on his way, but he greeted her with a nod and she blew a raspberry at him after she told him Jean was in fact in her office.
He knocked tentatively, and a quick “Come in,” followed. Jean sat at her desk, hunched over at her desk, papers arranged in neat rows around her, somehow parallels with and dimensions away from how he usually was - collected, responsible, hard-working, and in complete frazzles over carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
She looked up and raised her eyebrows as she saw him, “Diluc?” She exclaimed, putting down her quill.
He usually allowed her a brief smile too, but the …. encounter had left him agitated. “Hello, Jean. I'm not bothering you, am I?”
Jean shakes her head, her fatigue evident in the tight set of her shoulders. “What brings you here today? Is something the matter?” She asked, concern imminent in her voice. Before his friend, she was the Acting Grandmaster of The Knights, ready to step in at a moment’s notice on behalf of the Grandmaster to solve any and all of Mondstadt’s problems.
He shook his head, placing the stack of papers on her desk. “Approval forms for Dawn Winery to be the official sponsor of this year’s Windblume Festival, signed.” He inwardly chuckled at the sign of relief she let out, grateful to even be able to help take off what little burden he could from her.
“We do this every year, Jean, why the surprise?” He questioned, curious. He found himself relaxing in a way he didn’t around anyone else when he was with her; one of the last intact remnants of his childhood; sweet, determined Jean and her little sister Barbara, and just being around her brought forth memories of beach playdates, and paper sword fights; excitement over visions and promises and wars over who would be the Grandmaster of the Knights, and if it were possible for three people to share the role while Barbara stared on in infantly glee-
“The Winery has been,” she sighed, as if reluctant to speak, “brought under new management, recently, of course.”
But they were all just memories, shadows of a life long gone.
Diluc settled himself onto a chair in front of her. “Acting Grandmaster, I would never turn my back on Mondstadt, as neither have generations of forefathers, and neither will the generations that come after me, and I am frankly insulted you would suggest such a thing.” His tone was professional, and he slipped back into the businessman his father had shaped him into.
Jean’s eyes widened in panic, and he felt guilty for bringing even more stress onto her. Stupid, stupid- “I did not mean that, Master Diluc. I was simply wondering if the change of hands would require more time to settle, but it seems to me everything is fine.”
“Yes.” He managed out, “Everything is fine.”
Jean looked at him, her lips pursed, before she pulled the papers toward her. “Is that all?”
He blinked, pulling at his gloves under the table, a nervous habit he was occasionally chided for. “This might come off as unprofessional, but I heard tales of a boy, all alone? Wandering by himself?” He threw in for good measure, why, he did not know. Perhaps to see if she would react at all, but alas, Jean was a trained professional and she shook his head before he was done talking.
“That is a classified case, Master Diluc, one I would not be at liberty to tell you of even if I knew. Indeed, I would assume you knew better than to pay such heed to the stories of maids.”
He frowned. “But does that mean there is something to know?”
She didn’t reply, instead turning her focus back to the papers in front of her. “Get some rest, Master Diluc. Your eyes are lidden.”
He scowled as he stood. “I would tell you to do the same; but we both know it would be a fruitless endeavour.”
She really did laugh at that, however, her face morphed into something resembling concern as he opened the door. “Are you alright, Diluc?”
He paused. “I just said-”
“No, I know. The Winery is doing splendidly, business is booming, revenue is wonderful. But, you, Diluc Ragnvindr, are you ok?” Her voice came, although she did not seem like she was expecting an answer, and he did not dignify her with one.