Chapter Text
It took an entire day for Furina de Fontaine to travel from the Court of Fontaine all the way to the edge of the desert. Undetected, that is. Most of the time spent traveling was making sure nobody would notice her escape.
To be fair, most of the Fontainians were still recovering and marvelling about the prophecy not ending in tragedy (all thanks to their Chief Justice) to even notice her.
Still, she decided it was best not to take any chances, so she took the longer route by traveling on sea rather than by aquabus.
Gasping and panting, she finally touched the grainy sand of the Sumeru desert where Fontaine's waters ended. Her damp cloak fluttered in the coastal wind. It was dusk the day after judgment day, and though exhausted, she couldn't rest here and risk being spotted.
She had to keep going despite shaky legs, aching chest, and a pounding head from those many hours of crying (She will never cry again, she's decided, but she also wanted to be true to herself. "Truly a predicament I am in!").
She made it some distance before collapsing again, body unable to move any further. She was not weak by any standards, but today was especially draining for her.
She hadn't slept yet, considering just yesterday she was in Poisson and until earlier she spent her time weeping on that throne.
...Just thinking about it could make her emotional, but she was too drained to even feel anything at this point.
She was on top of the sandy mountain overlooking Fontaine. Nobody from the nation should find her here, and she can continue moving on in the morning. Furina sat up from where she fell, and took the time to observe the place she once called home.
The nation of Hydro looked like it's seen better days. All the structures appeared wet, even from her distance. She could see people moving around by the entrance, helping one another in the aftermath of the disaster.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed some foreign vessels approach the city and dock at the port. Furina had to squint- and realized it was Fatui exiting the ships. Ah, the Knave called for extra help, she thought.
She thinks, as her beloved country is now repairing itself, what use would she give? She's no longer their Archon, never has been from the start. Perhaps she could be a verbal punching bag for people to throw tomatoes and laugh at, for being a fraud and a liar.
She shook her head, no. That's the whole reason she ran in the first place, so she could live her own way. Now that the prophecy was over and that the people of Fontaine were saved, there was no need to stick around and pretend for another 500 years. She couldn't bear to do that again, even for just a bit longer.
Where should she go now, though? She looked back at the vast expanse of the desert. Surely, she could find refuge before making it to Sumeru city? Perhaps she could become a bookworm and dedicate her life to research here.
Maybe she could go to Liyue, since there's a number of quaint villages that wouldn't draw so much attention to her.
Mondstadt was a good choice, to live on her own in her own little cottage, away from any people.
She heard Inazuma had lovely scenery, and it was finally open for outsiders to visit.
Thoughts like these, lovely and hopeful, went through her mind. For her future, imagining these different scenarios where she could live without the hanging dread of the prophecy. It could be her drained body contributing, but she was starting to doze off.
She laid on her side on the sand, still watching Fontaine from atop that cliff. She huddled into her cloak, and began to close her eyes. She could rest now knowing that she has her real life ahead of her.
Lesser Lord Kusanali worked in strange ways, he figured. He's always known this, actually. Not too long ago she was released from the sages' grasp to rule Sumeru on her own. Of courseshe would be a bit inexperienced in ruling over a nation.
Still, every time she would ask him of something, whether it'd be insignificant or odd in nature, she always seems like she knows what she's doing. He guesses this is due to her being the God of Wisdom, but that doesn't stop him from questioning said wisdom.
Raiden Kunikuzushi, now known by all as Hat Guy (at this point he'd rather be called the Balladeer again, please anyone just call him 'wanderer'), was tasked to go out into the desert to report on Fontaine's current condition.
Desert dwellers claimed that the nation's 'prophecy' did come true, and that it was flooded by a strange water for the entirety of yesterday. The water had indeed died down, but that did not stop Kusanali from asking him to check on the people and provide aid if needed.
"Why me?" He asked, absentmindedly turning the page of a book he wasn't paying much attention to, if only to distract himself. Kusanali smiled from the archway of the Sanctuary, walking over to where he sat on the floor. "You're the fastest person I know. What happend is so sudden, and it's urgent we lend our help!"
He furrowed his brows. "I don't see why I should get involved. Can't you ask the General Mahamatra to check?"
"Unfortunately, Cyno and the other matra are working on a case with the Millelith in Liyue's borders. As I said, this was very sudden, so I can't exactly ask him to come back immediately." Kusanali sat on the ground beside him, causing him to scoot away slightly. "I promise I'll send them as soon as they get back, but for now, I'm relying on you."
"Damn it." He muttered, floating over sand dunes, over scorpions waiting for him to descend for their attack. He had many complaints in his head, but figured it'd save him a headache by just complying with her request. Damn Kusanali... if only he could say no to her.
According to the map he memorized, he should be approaching the end of the desert. Thank Celestia, he was tired of blinking sand out his eyes. He could practically hear the rushing sounds of the waterfall.
He had never truly visited Fontaine for himself. During his harbinger days, he was usually stationed around Inazuma and Liyue, only ever going back to Snezhnaya once in a while. He's seen Fontaine, a around a century or two ago.
It was grand in its presentation, opting for things fancy than practical. It was only when they established the institution and leaned into more mechanical aspects that the Fatui had started to take interest.
He was supposed to go in and check for himself, if he wasn't stopped by the Knave at that time. He stopped caring about the political aspects going on in that nation after that.
Now he was finally here, approaching the cliff to marvel at the sheer scale of the waterfalls. In the night especially, the water practically glowed with the reflections of the bright lights above it. He supposed this view wasn't bad, he wasn't used to grandeur things just yet.
When he got closer to the edge, he noticed a someone laying there, a musty cloak covering their body. Curious, he approached them. Maybe they were one of the victims from the drowning? He heard from Kusanali that the Traveler could stay underwater for extended amounts of time from a blessing of the statue. He guesses the flood was probably as bad as he thought.
He crouched down to examine the person, pushing them so they're laying on their back. He lifted their hood- only reveal a unconscious human girl. He opened the cloak even more to see intricately detailed blue and black clothing. Fontainian, he thinks.
He checks her neck for a pulse and sighs. She was alive at the very least, but that doesn't explain why she would be laying here.
Perhaps she ran away during the flooding? He wanted to just leave her here, but a young voice in his head told him not to. Damn, he was even subconsciously hearing Kusanali's voice. How irritating.
He shook her body in an attempt to wake her up. "Hey, hey." He tried again when she didn't stir. This time, her body acted on her own and she swatted his hand away, mumbling, "Hgn... 5 more minutes..."
He was, obviously, fed up with this. He wanted to wake her up as soon as possible, but doing it by force clearly wasn't helping. He could move her to somewhere safer, but she'd only wake up in a panic being somewhere she couldnt recognize. The thought of dealing with that made him sigh. That was it then, he had to wait for however long she'll be asleep.
He sat down comfortably on the sand, watching her chest rise and fall. He couldn't exactly sleep, so he spent this time watching the waters below.
Glancing at her face again, he couldn't help but feel like he's seen her before. Perhaps she was famous? Or maybe he heard about her when he was still the Balladeer? It was all still a fuzz to him, so he figures he could just ask her tomorrow.