Chapter Text
"Dad, don’t go yet! Tell us a story!" A young girl pleads.
"Yeah! C'mon, Dad, please?" Her twin chimes.
"Storytime!" A younger boy cheers.
"Okay, okay," their father says. "Settle down. What story do you want me to tell?"
"Tell us the one about the big boar in the mountain!" The oldest boy posits.
"Yeah!" The three other children exclaim.
"Again?” He chuckles. “You all really like that story, don't you?"
The four children nod in unison.
“All right, all right,” he sighs with resignation, “I can tell it again.”
“Yay!”
It would be the third time he’d tell that story this week, but for his kids? He’d recite it every single day if they asked.
“But after I tell this story, you four have to go to sleep.”
“Okay!”
“Before I begin, everyone into bed.”
The two twin girls get into the same full-sized bed with a soft blue quilt. The older boy crawls into the other bed with a darker blue duvet. The younger boy plops himself down on the red patterned rug between the two beds.
“That means you too, Anatoly.”
The youngest sighs and drags his feet to the bed where the older son lay.
“Now children, relax. Be very still and listen. Let me tell you a tale of two archers…”
It had been an abnormally warm summer in Mondstadt. The days had brought sweltering heat, and many crops were lost. The grape harvest had yielded significantly lower numbers that year, and the cost of wine skyrocketed. In contrast, dandelion wine prices fell, and every Mondstadtian would drink it until they were sick of it.
But that was not the only issue the citizens would face.
Deep in the heart of Dragonspine was a massive snowboar, many times larger than the size of a mature male. No one knew how a creature could get to that size; some said it was witchcraft, others said it was by the will of the Archons themselves. There was a prophecy that foretold a warning; once the beast’s prison of ice melted away, it would ravage the region of Mondstadt and leave no house or human behind to tell the tale.
Until it was too late.
When the birch leaves took on hues of yellow and orange, the prophecy came true. Due to the hot summer, ice that normally remained untouched by the sun had melted away, freeing the boar from its frigid slumber. It descended from the mountain, tempted by the smell of ripened apples, and went on a rampage. The small area of Springvale was impacted the most. The beast tore down most of the peoples’ property, and their goods were reduced to a state that left them unable to be sold. Though there were few casualties, many were physically injured, and many more mentally so. The beast struck fear in the hearts of Mondstadt’s citizens.
The acting grand master of Mondstadt knew this story, just as all her citizens did. The boar took the life of the grand master before her, a beloved leader and fierce protector of his nation. After his death, she sent out a call for hunters all across the nation of Teyvat to hunt and kill the boar. It was to be a competition, and the one to slay the creature would be allowed to keep the pelt and tusks as a reward for their bravery.
Among those who responded were sages from Sumeru, ronin from Inazuma, warriors from Natlan, and even the owner of one renowned Dawn Winery, no doubt looking to make back some of the earnings lost from the poor harvest. Even a few Harbingers joined the hunting party.
The Harbingers were a band of heroes who aided their Tsaritsa in her conquest of Hyperborea, which was renamed to Snezhnaya. Though the event took a span of months, their story had quickly spread across all four corners of Teyvat within the year. The tale inspired writers to compose epics and plays that became quite popular and loved. Whether it was out of admiration for their strength or the fear of it, Ajax did not know, for he was one of those Harbingers himself.
He watched from afar as the other hunters clumped together like penguins in the cold. These were the men he was up against. With a quick assessment of those that were gathered nearby, he noticed their range in physique.
A Sumerian, tall with tan skin, with a well-built chest and arms. He held a golden polearm, crackling with white and purple energy. The weapon’s shape hindered its agility, with most of the weight centered high on its frame, and Ajax thought it to be an unwieldy weapon.
The sage that stood next to him had a better chance since he had a scimitar, green like the rainforests of his home. The thick cloak over his scholar’s robes would keep him warm, but the weight of the outerwear would only slow him down. He’d be a goner if he couldn’t swim.
Not much farther away, a Liyuean man rubbed his arms. He wasn't nearly as muscular, but he still had a lithe figure. His weapon of choice was a spear with a head of polished jade. A much better option, but there was a high risk of losing it.
Some of these men he recognized as heroes from other nations. They had tales of their own that were older than those of him and his colleagues.
The Knave had come along too, and though she wasn’t joining the hunt, the scout that accompanied her was. He was adjusting the string of a red, gold, and black bow as they conversed in low voices.
Amongst those men were many more with names unknown to him, looking to try their hand at becoming a revered figure in the history of the nation.
Ajax exhaled, his breath visible in the frigid air. He adjusted the hunting dagger sheathed on the band around his thigh. He was sure all these men were strong enough to take down a boar, especially Capitano, who stood nearby.
But everyone else? Most of them were horribly underprepared for a hunt in Dragonspine. If his colleagues didn’t get there first, Ajax may be the one to kill the beast, but he didn’t want its pelt or materials.
Just then, a gust of cold wind kicked up fresh powdered snow. He tightened the gray cowl on his head, suppressing the shivers that threatened to sink into his bones.
"Curses!" A voice shouted. Ajax's head swiveled right.
Someone had dropped their quiver. Arrows scattered across the snow, and they knelt down to pick them up.
He gave them a once-over. Their green hooded cowl was trimmed with white fur. They wore wool hunting attire that completely covered their skin from the cold. Form-fitting leather gloves plucked arrows from the snow and put them back in the quiver.
Whoever this person was, they intrigued him. They were the most prepared of all, even more so than him. He'd pick this person to be his hunting partner out of everyone present. They seemed like the only one who could challenge him, push him to be a better archer. To him, the prize meant nothing compared to the thrill of the hunt.
As he made his way over to the stranger, one sentence came to his mind.
He had to pair up with them.
Ajax knelt down, picking up an arrow. Their head was down, so he held it out to them and asked, "Need a hand?"
The person froze, startled by his presence. They reached for their arrow. A moment of hesitation, then they grabbed it. They looked up.
A frosty breeze rushed through his hair, and slightly pushed their hood back.
Golden eyes bore into his, wild and untamed, widened with fear. Strands of blonde hair framed a heart-shaped face and rosy cheeks.
A woman...
Ajax had no idea a huntress was invited. Women were allowed to hunt, but these events were exclusively for men, so her appearance would definitely cause a stir.
She nodded a silent thanks to him as she sheathed the arrow.
It wouldn't matter what the others thought. She was still the one he wanted to hunt with. She seemed like the only one who could challenge him, push him to be a better archer. To him, the prize meant nothing compared to the thrill of the hunt. He would give her the boar’s pelt and meat instead of sharing.
Besides, she looked similar to the woman described to him by the oracle of his temple.
He helped her pick up the rest of the arrows, and she refilled her quiver. He held a hand out to her, and she grabbed his forearm, using momentum to pick herself up. She adjusted her cowl again, covering the curve of her face.
Just then, the sound of a horn pierced through the cold air. The acting leader of Mondstadt stood in a tent, next to the herald who blew the instrument.
“Come with me,” Ajax encouraged. The girl replaced her hood, and followed him.
The group had clumped around the leader, partially to hear what she said, but also to keep warm from the mountain's sheer cold. The girl hung back, not wanting to be spotted by the other men. Ajax hung back with her.
“Greetings gentlemen,” the leader said with a refined tone, “I am not one for speeches, so I shall keep this short. There is a boar out there on the mountain. It has the potential to terrorize our city, and possibly all of yours. Normally, the Viridescent Venerer would have taken care of the boar, but she has not been active for quite some time.”
Ajax noticed the woman next to him flinch upon the mention of the name.
“Slay this monster, and you will be rewarded handsomely. Not only will you be regarded as a hero in Mondstadt, but you are allowed to keep the boar’s pelt and tusks as a prize. If any of you partner up, the prize shall go to the one who inflicted the killing blow. Now go.”
Everyone ran, kicking up powdered snow. Gripping his greatbow, Ajax stayed close to the girl as they tailed the group and made their way up the mountain.
To Ajax, Dragonspine reminded him of his home.
Cider Lake’s vibrant hue had bled into the sky today. There were a few clouds, but they had to be miles away. The ground was white, with patches of brown grass scattered around. Dormant trees twisted their sharp fingers up towards the sky. The nearby evergreens blanketed in white reminded him of the same ones he’d walk by in the taigas of Snezhnaya during wintertime. Ruins from a civilization that predated their current one, and even Hyperborea, were scattered throughout the snow. A white fox scampered out from a burrow by a rock, dashing for refuge in a nearby bush. The air was crisp and cool in his lungs.
Homesickness was a dull pang in his chest. He pushed it away.
It was a good day for a hunt, he decided, trying to refocus. A good day to spill blood.
“Start looking for tracks!” Capitano barked. He was at the front of the party. Just like he took charge of the Harbingers in their conquest of Hyperborea, so too did he take charge of the hunt.
Another gust of icy wind nipped at Ajax’s cheeks.
“Hmph, The Captain's always taking the lead. Typical,” the Knave’s scout muttered, tightening the hood of his cape. A blink, and he was gone, having broken away from the party.
Ajax sent a silent prayer to the Tsaritsa, hoping he lives. Even if his colleagues would rather eat molten rock than partner up with him for a hunting party, the scout was still on the same side as him. The losses from the invasion were already too much; he didn’t want another Snezhnayan to die today.
“This way, I saw something,” Ajax said, pointing to his right. She nodded and followed. The path led up a set of old stone steps and a shallow slope. The two kept their heads down, looking for the beast’s prints.
“Have you ever hunted in a group?” He asked the woman next to him. It was an attempt to break the silence between them. A wolf howled in the distance.
“No,” she said, the first word she’d spoken to him thus far. “I’ve always hunted on my own.”
“Oh,” he replied, “I’ve hunted on my own as well, but I’ve also done it with my dad.”
“Did you hunt with bows?”
“Yes. I learned with other weapons as well. I am not as adept at the bow as I am with others.”
“And yet you chose me as a hunting partner.”
“Uh… yes?” He offered her a pathetic smile.
She looked at him with genuine confusion. “You don’t know who I am?”
He shook his head. “Should I?”
Her mouth opened. “I—”
“I sure hope that the Viridescent’s Blessed are doing well!”
From a few paces away, a Mondstadtian man with feline ears bellowed, then hiccuped.
“Enough with it Draff! Why do you care so much about them? They’ve forsaken us, just as the Viridescent Venerer has.”
“No they haven’t!” Draff threw his hands in the air, nearly tossing his crossbow in the process. “I’ll bet they’re watching us from afar, making sure we find the boar and—hic—and—”
“You drunken dullard! They’ve never even set foot in Dragonspine!”
“Not until today,” the woman muttered.
“What?” Ajax asked.
“Nothing,” she sputtered. “I just said I did not know your name.”
That was not what she said. He could roll with it, though. “Oh. My name is Ajax. You?”
“Just call me Lu.”
“Lu it is, then.”
They’d taken quite a few paces, and still no sign of tracks. Ajax saw a sprig of wild mint, its leaves browned from the cold, but no sign of the creature anywhere.
“I don’t see any,” Lu said.
“I agree. Let’s head back.”
They made their way down the path, back to the hunting party. In the quest for finding signs of the beast, no one noticed their absence. No one found anything either, judging by how everyone’s faces were twisted with dejection.
“Do you want to break from the hunting party?” Ajax asked the woman. “Seems they haven’t had any luck.”
She shook her head. “We should keep searching the other areas nearby.”
“We could do that, or—”
“I found tracks!” One of the members of the hunting party called out.
“Keep your voice down!” The Sumerian scholar retorted. “Do you want to frighten every creature around us?”
Lu scoffed. “Or attract unwanted attention.”
“I know where it is!” An Inazuman ronin announced. “That boar will fall before me!”
“No! Don’t stray from the group!” The Eremite reached out, but the warrior had already run off.
Ajax approached the tracks, kneeling down to take a closer look. They were large, with three sharp toes protruding from a round foot. The shape was deeply imprinted in the snow, having come from a heavily built creature that lived in these frigid conditions.
His brows furrowed. They didn’t belong to a boar…
A pained shriek pierced through the air.
“What was that?” Ajax asked. The ground rumbled below their feet.
“Lawachurl! Everyone scatter!”
The beast emerged from behind a snowy crag, roaring in displeasure at being disturbed from its sleep. The ronin was locked in its vicelike grip, begging for it to let him go.
“Ajax, come on!” A hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him away from the monster.
They bolted.
She pulled him around a snowy boulder, and they neared a cliff. A rickety bridge extended across the gap and to another clearing.
“Do we really have to cross this?” He asked.
“What, are you scared?” Lu teased. Another tremor shook the ground beneath them.
“Looks like I don’t have another choice,” Ajax remarked.
“Just don’t look down, you’ll be fine.”
At least she had the decency to say that before they began to cross.
A gust of wind made the bridge sway under their feet.
“Uh, ladies first?” Ajax gestured to the bridge.
She raised a brow at him. He sighed.
“Okay, okay.”
He put one foot on the old wooden plank, ensuring his weight was not fully on it. It held.
Just a little more weight, and it creaked in protest. The noise was so loud, he nearly dropped his greatbow into the ravine.
“Shit,” he muttered, yanking his foot back.
A moment of hesitation, then he tried again, with all his weight.
It groaned again, but stayed in place.
Ajax took another step, onto the next plank. Once again, the grating noise pierced through the air, but he stayed on the bridge.
“Thank the Tsaritsa,” he muttered.
With careful treads, he crossed the bridge without stepping on air. Lu followed him.
“I can only hope that bridge holds if we decide to go back,” he chuckled.
“Yes, let’s hope so.”
A glint of green caught his eye, and for the first time that day, he noticed her bow. It was well-built, and its green hue would’ve allowed it to be camouflaged in any forest. Hints of gold were fashioned in the grip and the limbs, matching the color of her hair.
It really suited her, he decided.
“Your bow is green… like Viridescent’s.”
She hesitated at that last word. “Yes.”
“Do you… associate with her, at all?”
“I…”
“I saw you react to that drunkard talking about Viridescent’s Blessed.”
“I am one of them.” She holds up the bow. “This was hers at one point, before she went away on a quest.”
“You're one of her Blessed then?”
“Yes.”
So that’s why she was such a good huntress.
“So what brought you to the hunt?”
“Viridescent sent me here because I was the most capable amongst the Blessed of slaying the boar.”
“There’s more than one Blessed?”
She nodded. “There are many of us following in the Viridescent Venerer’s footsteps. Recently, she has been furious at the people of Mondstadt, and we all have felt the undercurrents of her anger.”
“Why was she angry?”
“She did not receive any offerings this year. They forgot about her.” She paused. “I think that is why the Snowboar King has been freed from its icy prison.”
“But she didn’t free the boar. The hot weather did that.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t change the fact that she was offered nothing.”
“The summer was hard on the people.”
“Yes. Just as the prophecy foretold. But as a venerated figure, wouldn’t you be angered if your people failed to acknowledge you?”
“The people of Mondstadt might have been hunting, but not finding anything worth offering to her. Wouldn’t she want only the best offerings from her people?”
“Anything that would've been worth it was not given back to her.”
“Because the harvests were poor. ”
“Yes. Either way, she sent me out to hunt the boar, kill it, and take the trophies back to her. She said that would be enough to forgive the people for not remembering her.”
“I see…”
“And you are not truly here for the boar, are you?”
He shook his head. “Just for the thrill of the hunt.”
“Hm. Out of the two of us, whoever happens to kill the boar, I will be able to appease my deity in the end. Is that right?”
“Yes, you…”
He had longed for the feeling of chasing something bigger than him, and clearing the enemies in his path was his favorite thing about it. The hunt had helped him get a taste of that once more, but he wasn’t about to say that to her.
“You may hold me to that.”
“Were we... fated to meet?”
He blinked. “What?”
“The oracle told me to look for a man with fire on his crown, and the ocean in his eyes. That he would only be here for the thrill of the hunt, not for the prizes."
Interesting. His priest had told him to seek out a woman with hair and eyes of gold. "Perhaps we were, then."
He was about to say more, but Lu walked toward a tree.
"Ajax, look." She reached for a snagged branch, pulling a clump of brown and white hair from it. “Boar fur,” she said, holding it out.
“We’re getting closer,” he affirmed.
“Look.” She pointed to a set of imprints on the snow. “Tracks.”
He knelt down to examine them. They were definitely hoof-shaped, with blunt round edges at the toe. The massive size and shallow depth of the prints led Ajax to believe that they belonged to the giant boar they were looking for.
And it wasn’t too far away.
“Are those the prints of the Snowboar King?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Are they fresh?”
He took another look, noting the sharp, well-defined edges of the print. A bit of snow was kicked up behind the back half of the print.
“Yes.”
“Then we should be close.”
He righted himself, and a frostbitten stench overwhelmed his senses.
“Oh, by the Tsaritsa.” He wrinkled his nose in displeasure. “We are definitely getting close.”
Lu seemed to not be phased by the smell. She really was a woman of the woods, he decided.
A stamping noise got his attention, followed by a loud snort. In a nearby cave, golden eyes glistened with fury.
“Lu! I found it!”
“Ajax, get back!”
The Snowboar King thrust itself out of the cave, charging at him. He dodged, and the boar crashed into a tree. It was dazed for a beat, before turning to the two of them. It stomped its hoof into the ground again.
An arrow zipped past him, landing square in the animal’s nose. The beast yowled in pain, and Ajax prepared his weapon while it was distracted.
“Keep shooting it!” Lu was already nocking another arrow.
He followed suit, notching one in his greatbow. Holding the grip, he drew the thick string back, until the arrow’s fletching brushed the square of his jaw. Closing one eye, he aimed carefully, pointing the arrow at the head of his target. He let go of the string, and the arrow sailed over the beast.
Damn. She definitely saw that.
The boar snorted and charged again. Ajax grabbed Lu and leapt aside as the monster crashed into the boulder behind them. It stood there, stunned from the impact. It violently shook its head, attempting to rid itself of its daze.
Ajax had partially landed on her, his body weight on one of her legs. Her expression was twisted in a wince of pain and he immediately got off of her.
“Oh, shit. Can you stand?”
“I can try,” she affirmed, as she sat up. She tried to bend her leg, but her face painfully contorted once more.
“Wait, where’s my bow?”
He looked over at where they once were, and his greatbow was in the snow, bent at an angle.
Shit. He’d just fixed its string.
“Lu, can you still shoot?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay, I want you to aim for the spot in between its eyes. I’m going to distract it, then stab it in the neck.”
“Are you crazy?”
He gave her a look over his shoulder. “Possibly.”
She shook her head in resignation. “We don’t have any other options. Might as well give it a try.”
"You’ll decide when to shoot,” he added.
The creature, no longer stupefied, got back up. One of its tusks had chipped off, the bone fragment on the ground next to its large hoof.
“Get ready,” Ajax said. Lu nocked another arrow. He stepped a few paces away from her.
"Hey! Over here!"
The boar narrowed its eyes at him, and prepared to charge again.
The beast lowered its head, showing its curled ivory tusks, and ran at them once more. Ajax stood his ground and stared it down.
An arrow dug itself in the spot between its eyes, and it screamed. The creature toppled to the ground. Its screeching and hollering was silenced by that shot.
A maniacal grin formed on his lips. Ajax unsheathed his hunting dagger and dashed toward it. A familiar thrill rushed through his blood. Snow crunched beneath his boots as he closed the distance. With one fluid arc, the boar’s throat was opened.
It was bested by the two archers.
Ajax looked at Lu, and grinned. “We did it.”
It took a bit of time for the rest of the hunting party to find them, having been directed that way by the monster’s pained squeals. Ajax stayed near Lu, who was still injured from him falling on her.
“How are we going to get this thing out of here?” Capitano asked.
“We have enough men here,” the Sumerian scholar said. “We can drag it out ourselves.”
“Absolutely not! That old bridge barely held those two, it’s definitely not going to hold us and that boar.”
The two of them bickered until a commanding voice silenced them.
“Let’s worry about the logistics later, shall we?”
Everyone turned to see the right hand man of Mondstadt’s acting leader approach the two archers. His navy blue hair was tied back in a thick ponytail that hung over a shoulder.
“Enlighten me. Which one of you killed it?”
Remembering his promise, Ajax gestured to Lu. “She did.”
A middle-aged man with Mondstadtian clothing came forward. “I don’t believe you.”
“Whatever do you mean?” The second-in-command asked.
He pointed a finger at Ajax. “I don’t believe you.”
Shit. He revealed Lu was a woman. The stray clouds in the sky grew darker.
“Women are forbidden from joining hunting parties.” Another older man stepped forward. “They’re not allowed to get the trophies, especially if men are involved!”
“According to whom?” Ajax challenged.
“Our acting leader of Mondstadt!”
More clouds rolled in, blanketing the sun and sky in whites and grays.
“I did not say that,” the named person said, stepping to the group. “I said that whoever slayed it, gets the trophies. If she killed the beast, she shall keep the tusks and pelt. That was the rule.”
“But she did not kill it. He did!” The man pointed at Ajax.
“Is this true?” The acting leader asked.
“Look at his gloves! The boar’s blood is on them.”
He looked down at his hands. Brown gloves were splattered red, and so were the sleeves of his shirt. Lu didn’t have a single speckle of blood on her.
He then looked at the corpse of the Snowboar King. Her green-tipped arrows went through both the beast’s nose and the spot between its eyes. His hunting dagger was still buried in its neck, its hilt coated in the beast’s blood.
The acting leader approached the corpse, and gestured to the weapon. “Is the dagger yours?”
He nodded.
“Then it is decided. Ajax has slain the Snowboar King, and the prizes will go to him.”
He shook his head. “No. I want her to have them.”
“But she did not kill the boar. Are you certain of this?”
He peeked back at her, and the same question could be found in her eyes.
“I’m certain.”
“Then it belongs to the Archons!” The middle-aged man shouted. “Traditions should not be overstepped.”
A low rumble came from the clouds above. The acting leader sighed, and looked at the two men who challenged her.
“I understand there is a desire to conform to our nation’s traditions, however, if the victor decides to give his spoils to his partner, then that should be respected.”
The man’s fists shook. “I have noble ancestry! That boar is responsible for the downfall of my family! I must help my family regain their reputation!”
He ran for the carcass.
Ajax blocked his path, towering over the man. “Don’t even think about touching it.”
“Get out of my way! It belongs to me!”
A bolt of brilliant lightning came from the sky, striking the man in front of Ajax with a direct hit. When the light vanished, nothing was left of him but ash.
Lightning never struck Dragonspine unless the Electro Archon was executing the will of the fates.
After that, Lu was allowed to keep the boar’s pelt and tusks as prizes, as the Archons had interfered in the hunt. She returned to her fellow members of the Blessed, where she was welcomed with open arms. The other young women celebrated the return of their famed huntress with a feast of tenderly roasted boar meat, cooked vegetables, and crisp apples from the season’s harvest.
When Viridescent returned from her quest, Lu was there to give her the materials. From the pelt, the Venerer fashioned herself a new cloak for colder weather, as well as half-length hooded cowls for the other huntresses amongst the Blessed. With the tusks, she carved leaf-shaped pendants, invoked a protection spell on each one, and gave them to her Blessed as necklaces, keeping one for herself.
Ajax left Mondstadt from time to time, but whenever he came back, it was when he was in a mood to hunt. His presence was always welcomed in the forests, and sometimes he was joined by the golden-haired woman he hunted the boar with.
And all was well.
“Wow, Dad! That was an amazing story.” One of the girls chimed.
“Yes! It was so good!” Her twin agreed.
The older boy nodded. “It was quite interesting. I think it bored Anatoly, though.” He gestured to the younger boy, who was sound asleep. “Who was the huntress?”
“A woman who was abandoned in the woods of Wolvendom after her birth. Her father left her there to die, but she was saved and cared for by a she-wolf. When she was a child, a band of huntresses found her and took her in, raising her and training her to be one of them.”
“Okay, that’s interesting.”
“You three aren’t tired yet, right?” The father asks. They shake their heads.
“I think we need another story,” the boy teases.
“Atlas no!”
“Another story, huh? Well, I can do that, but this is going to be the last one, okay? You three need to go to sleep soon.”
“Okay Dad,” the girls say.
“All right you three. You know the tale of the Snowboar King well enough, but I think it’s time I tell you the story of the race.”
“The race?”
“Yes, children. This next story involves your mother.”
"Is this the time when Mom beat you in a race?”
“No, Zorya. This is the story of the time I beat your mother in a race.”