Work Text:
The knock at the castle gates was a surprise for Beidou. She was asleep, the sun barely new in the sky, when the noise came. As she was the ruler of this castle, Kazuha, her royal assistant, went out first to assess the situation before returning pale in the face.
“Your Majesty, you should see this.”
Beidou grabbed a robe, hastily throwing it over her body as she followed Kazuha through the stone corridors to the throne room where a group of four outsiders waited with their backs turned. Upon her arrival, they all spun to face her, except for one. One woman stared out the window at the sea that the castle towered over, her crimson eyes filled with sorrow. Her long hair, as white as fallen snow on a moonlit night, cascaded down her back in gentle waves as she clutched the makeshift cloak wrapped around her.
“We apologize for the early arrival,” one of the other women spoke as the three of them bowed. “I am Yanfei, a magician. We have come seeking shelter. Next to me is my apprentice, Ganyu. We have Lady Keqing on the other side, and by the window is…uh… Lady Ningguang.”
Lady Ningguang.
Beidou’s thoughts were captivated, enchanted, and completely overtaken. Yanfei’s words were lost on her as she worked Ningguang’s name over her tongue. It was as beautiful as its owner.
A sharp elbow to her side brought her back. “Your Majesty, they are awaiting a response,” Kazuha hissed.
Beidou nodded, still distracted. She made her way over to Lady Keqing, grabbing her hand and pulling it up to her lips for a kiss. She continued down the row, pressing a delicate kiss against Yanfei’s hand and then Ganyu’s. Her feet moved without her knowledge, bringing her closer to Lady Ningguang. The woman turned sharply at her arrival, caution on her face.
“I am Beidou, the one who rules over the Sea of Clouds.” She reached out, carefully bringing one of Ningguang’s hands into hers to lift it gently to her lips. “You are our welcomed guests for the foreseeable future. Please enjoy yourselves.”
There was rustling behind her, but her eyes were drawn to what she saw in Ningguang’s eyes: a forest pure and flourishing. The animals were safe from hunters, and the babbling creeks were clear of contamination. She gasped as Ningguang looked away, her eyes focusing on the sea once again.
As she moved, Beidou caught a glimpse of the star marking on her forehead, hidden by her bangs. Questions flooded Beidou’s mind. Just who was she? Where did she come from? Why did Beidou have an overwhelming urge to protect Lady Ningguang with her life?
“Have you ever seen a unicorn?” Lady Keqing asked Beidou during their morning meal.
“A unicorn? Aren’t they just a fairy tale?” Beidou replied casually.
When she was a little girl, she’d fall asleep to stories about unicorns. Magical creatures so pure that people who had evil brewing in their hearts could not see. Her mother told her that if someone possessed a unicorn, they could live forever. A unicorn’s favour was the most sought-after magic in all of Teyvat.
Yet the uncertainty of their existence spread far and wide. How could humanity believe in a creature that was never seen? No remains, not even a glimpse. Perhaps unicorns existed at one point in time. But if they could not prove themselves beyond a doubt, truth would turn into fiction.
Keqing slid a hesitant glance toward Ganyu. “We understand that you’re a very accomplished adventurer. Not even during any of your travels have you heard anything?”
Beidou shook her head. She’d see her fair share of immortal beings. One had even taken her eye. Yet never had she ever stumbled across a unicorn. Whispers of them were even more scarce.
“Are you ladies seeking a legend?” Beidou asked, leaning her elbows on the table. From her peripheral vision, Lady Ningguang examined the food fervently as if it were a new experience. The chopsticks in her hand were held wrong as she poked the food curiously. “Is the food to your liking?”
Lady Ningguang paused, the chopsticks clumsily falling from her hands. “Yes. I have never seen something quite like this before.”
Beidou faltered. It was a simple meal of mora meat.
“Is it a legend if it exists?” Yanfei replied quickly, distracting Beidou from Lady Ningguang’s odd behaviour.
The response caught Beidou off guard. Just what were they after?
The sea was wrathful that night. It raged against the rocks down below—crashing and roaring. Thunder crackled overhead as the sky rained down its frustrations. Osial, the ancient sea god, must have been angry.
Beidou slid out from her bed, a tight feeling in her stomach. She grabbed the candle from her bedside and made her way into the hall. A golden hue from the flickering candle lit her way as she moved. It wasn’t long until she crossed paths with Lady Ningguang staring out the window at the sea. Her nightgown was a pale blue and she had her hair done up by a single hairpin.
“Lady Ningguang,” Beidou greeted. “Please move away from the window. The ocean is angry tonight. You will be much safer in your room.”
“Your Majesty…” Ningguang replied distantly. “My sleep is plagued by nightmares. Dreams that I cannot understand. I fear I am forgetting something—something important to me that has slipped through my grasp.”
“Perhaps I can help,” Beidou replied. Her heart ached to give Ningguang what she wanted. She was considered a hero by her people. A hero helped those in need. She reached out, grabbing Ningguang’s hand, which was cold. It was so small and delicate in her hands that were the opposite—battered and bruised many times over that white scars sullied her skin.
Ningguang shook her head. “I fear… I do not yearn to remember. Whatever it is I have forgotten, it terrifies me.” Her gaze lingered on the waves down below. “Do you hear the cries of the ocean? The pleas and desperation that oozes from the waters?”
Beidou followed her gaze, staring at the ocean. She didn’t hear the cries of desperation.
“Lady Ningguang…”
“Apologies, Your Majesty. I will retire to my room as you have suggested,” Ningguang said. She turned on her heel, but, before she left, she turned her head to say one last piece. “I can sense your kind heart. Your actions are in the right place, but you don’t have to trouble yourself.”
She bowed once, her white hair tumbling down her shoulders as her hairpin fell to the ground before she left Beidou in the hallway, alone in the flickering candlelight and the roaring of the ocean.
“Please, trouble me,” Beidou whispered into the dead of night. She bent down, picking up the forgotten hairpin. “Trouble me to your heart’s content.”
A week passed by since Lady Ningguang and her entourage arrived. Lady Keqing spent most of her time cooped up in the library, scouring through the many books. Beidou had learned the hard way that Yanfei was more of a second-rate magician. Her singed eyebrow was, unfortunately, the latest victim.
As for Lady Ningguang, she spent most of her time staring out at the sea. Beidou tried engaging her in conversation, yet she barely replied. Instead of being discouraged, Beidou’s curiosity only grew. There was something about Lady Ningguang. Something magical that Beidou couldn’t put her finger on.
As she strolled through the hallway, back from her latest patrol, she was stopped dead in her tracks when loud voices could be heard from around the corner. Beidou pressed herself against the wall as she listened in.
“The longer we wait here, the less time we have! She’s becoming more human every day! Soon she won’t be able to return to her original body!” Ganyu said worriedly.
“If Beidou can’t help us find Azhdaha’s base, I fear we will lose her forever,” Keqing added.
“Now, now!” Yanfei reassured, “This is all we can do! It’s safest for her to stay in that body.”
“She’s dying,” Keqing said. “You’ve subjected her to a fate worse than her being at the hands of Azhdaha!”
“He was going to kill her!” Yanfei hissed. “It was all I could do to save her!”
Were they talking about Lady Ningguang? Beidou’s heart was in her throat. Lady Ningguang was dying?
“We’re just going in circles at this point,” Ganyu said. “We need to focus on how to find Azhdaha.”
The Earth Dragon? What did they want with him? Beidou only grew more and more confused. Why they were hesitant to ask her for assistance was beyond her imagination.
She stepped around the corner and out of the shadows. Enough dancing around one another; she wanted answers. “Azhdaha, eh?” she spoke the name slowly, enunciating each syllable. “I know where he resides, yes. He has a cavern in the cliffs. Why are you looking for him?”
The women looked at one another hesitantly. Yanfei looked torn. Beidou cleared her throat, making Ganyu jump.
Keqing spoke first, “We do not mean to keep secrets from you, Your Majesty. We couldn’t find the right way to bring up our request. You see…”
“Let me get this straight. Osial has stolen all the unicorns in the land,” Beidou summarized as she led the group through the rocky terrain to Azhdaha’s cave. Her heavy claymore rested on her back, preparing for the fight before them.
Their story was utterly ridiculous! Beidou had to hold back a laugh, but the somber way Keqing told the story made something within her hesitate. Which eventually led her to agree to help their cause.
Osial’s wife, Beisht, one day fell ill. Unable to watch his lover suffer, Osial set out to find a cure. He searched every inch of Teyvat only to find nothing. At his wit’s end, he sought out a legend.
Unicorns were the purest form of magic. They were Osial’s last chance to save his wife. Azhdaha led a unicorn to Osial, who trapped the creature. Beisht’s condition started to improve, but it wasn’t enough. Osial ordered more and more unicorns until the forest where they resided was empty. He held them captive, refusing to let them leave.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Yanfei replied.
“Azhdaha is the reason they are unable to leave. He’s their prison guard,” Keqing explained. “We need to defeat him.”
Beidou looked behind her at Lady Ningguang. Her focus was on the sea, her long gown blowing in the wind. She’d only grown more depressed and quieter as time went on. Even the others would shoot each other worried looks whenever she began to steer off course. Beidou couldn’t help but remember Keqing’s words, “She’s dying. What had she meant by that? They never explained Lady Ningguang’s part in all of this. To reach Azhdaha’s cave, they had to enter during a certain time of day. The tides around the entrance were vicious, able to carry a human out to the sea in the blink of an eye. There was a small window every day when the waves settled enough for someone to slip inside.
They arrived early, not wanting to risk missing the small opening. When the waves began to calm Beidou led the group through the cavern’s entrance. The cave was dark, forcing Beidou to light a single torch to light the way. The walls rumbled and shook, rocks falling from the ceiling as they approached the dragon.
Ganyu grabbed onto Keqing’s elbow as Azhdaha came into view. Yanfei gasped, putting an arm out to stop the dazed Lady Ningguang from walking any further. The dragon was as large as Beidou’s castle. A hard shell, made from the core of the earth, covered his back. Glittering rocks shaped like tree branches poked out from his forehead.
Azhdaha’s eyes snapped open, a low grumble rupturing from his throat. Everyone froze. Beidou pulled her weapon, gripping it tight. “Get behind me,” she urged the group, raising her blade at Azhdaha. She should have expected something to go wrong. Something always went wrong, didn’t it?
The dragon roared, the ground shaking beneath their feet. Beidou lunged forward. She’d defeated sea monsters with her bare hands before. A dragon should be a breeze!
Her claymore hit rock, vibrating against the hard surface. The force of the impact threw Beidou back. She dug her heels into the ground, her teeth clenched. She had to find the dragon’s weak spot. Azhdaha ignored Beidou, his eyes locking on Lady Ningguang. Her knees wobbled before they gave out, her dress billowing as Lady Ningguang hit the ground.
“You have to change her back! She can’t run in that form.” Keqing yelled at Yanfei. She pushed Ganyu away from her and toward Yanfei. “You help too. This is urgent!”
Yanfei’s eyes were wide with fear. She nodded slowly at Ganyu before they raised their hands and mumbled a series of words that made no sense to Beidou. The room exploded into a bright blue light, forcing Beidou to cover her eyes. When it dulled, Lady Ningguang was still on the ground.
“Try harder!” Keqing screamed.
Yanfei furrowed her brows, pulling up her sleeves so the fabric bunched at her elbows. She closed her eyes, repeating the spell along with Ganyu. The blue light reappeared.
This time when it dulled, Lady Ningguang was gone. Beidou blinked. Perhaps Lady Ningguang had never been real in the first place. Where she once sat was now occupied by a unicorn, fur as white as fresh snow. The last piece of the story clicked in Beidou’s mind. Lady Ningguang was the last unicorn, the only one who could save her species.
Azhdaha recovered first, charging toward Ningguang. Beidou swung her claymore again, grazing the hard shell. It gave Ningguang enough time to rise to her hooves, and then she was gone, running toward the beach. Azhdaha chased after her, moving slower due to his large size. As he passed Beidou, she saw her opening—a small section of exposed flesh under his shell.
Beidou followed the dragon to the beach with Keqing, Ganyu and Yanfei close behind. Azhdaha had Ningguang trapped against the sea, the waves dancing against her hooves as she trotted in place, desperately looking for a way to escape.
He was distracted, focused on the last unicorn. Pulling a vial of poison from her pocket, Beidou poured the liquid over the blade of her claymore and snuck up, pushing it through the dragon’s weak spot. Azhdaha roared, rapidly spinning around to get Beidou’s weapon off. His tail swung, taking Beidou with it. She flew into the rocks, her back snapping against the hard surface. Pain coursed through her in waves as Beidou gasped for breath.
Azhdaha thrashed about, his movements slowing with each step. He let out one last earth-rumbling roar before he crashed against the sand—dead.
Once she realized she was safe, Ningguang raced to Beidou, whose body was becoming numb. When Beidou pulled her hand away from her stomach her fingers were painted dark red. Beidou could only let out a hoarse, hollow laugh. So this was her end.
“The unicorns,” Beidou began, her eyes focused on the waves. “Where are they kept?”
“The sea,” Ningguang replied. It was the first words she spoke that day. “Osial keeps them trapped in the sea.” A single tear slid down her cheek.
It broke Beidou’s heart to see a unicorn cry. Her mother once told her that if a unicorn cried it meant the creature was tainted. Corrupted. She kept her hands to herself. She couldn’t further sully a pure creature with her blood.
Ningguang’s head bowed, her horn grazing Beidou’s chest. Warmth spread across her body, feeling returning to her lower half. “You saved me from my fears, I will return the favour,” Ningguang said. “I will end this. It’s my responsibility.” She returned to where the sand met the sea, shining like the last star in the universe that refused to burn out. Her horn glowed once again.
The sea was angry, waves growing higher and higher as Osial rose from the murky waters. But without his guard dog on duty, there was nothing to keep the unicorns trapped. They appeared, transforming from the seafoam into magnificent creatures. Nothing Beidou had dreamed of would ever compare to watching the unicorns swarm Osial, leaving nothing but water raining down from where the serpent once stood.
The unicorns continued to move, oblivious to Beidou and the others. They forged a path for themselves creating a rainbow bridge, finally able to return to their home, the forest. Ningguang looked at her kind before she returned to Beidou’s side. Yanfei, Ganyu, and Keqing also approached. An ending was in sight, one that was inevitable.
“Thank you,” Ningguang said, bowing deeply. Tears welled in Yanfei’s eyes as she apologized once again for getting Ningguang stuck in a human body. “Unicorns don’t experience human emotions. After this, I am now burdened with the feeling of regret. But I have also learned to love, thanks to my time with all of you. I am no longer a unicorn, nor am I human. I am now… something else.”
“Is that bad?” Beidou asked.
Ningguang looked at her, her gold eyes gleaming. “No, I suppose it’s not. It’s just different.”
A smile played on Beidou’s lips. She grunted as she pulled herself to her feet, body stiff. “Different can be good. It was a pleasure to serve you for a short time, Lady Ningguang. I wish you the best.”
Keqing cried, wrapping her arms around Ningguang’s neck. Ganyu patted her back compassionately, wiping away her tears. Yanfei stroked Ningguang’s mane fondly. Beidou stepped close, her forehead resting against Ningguang’s. They stayed like that for a moment—time flowing as their memories sunk in. When they parted, Ningguang didn’t look back as she ran off, slowly becoming smaller and smaller as the horizon swallowed her up.
It was an adventure Beidou would never forget.