Chapter Text
Furina sat alone in her room, soft music playing, interrupting the unbearable silence that came with late-night contemplation. Laying on the bed in front of her was an open diary, if she could even call it as such. It was more of a journal full of all sorts of things, usually her day-to-day plans, busy as they may be. But every now and again, she’d lay down on a night like this, and have things to talk about outside of the almost mechanical precision she used when planning out her days.
It's already been a year since I was freed. I've been loving it of course, but I've been having recurring nightmares that I'm still in that cage, in that prison. In a metaphorical sense, of course.
I've reconciled a lot since then, in bits and pieces, here and there. The Knave, scared of her as I am, is very supportive. She understands how I feel. We talk at tea parties while the children play, and she makes the most amazing tea.
Neuvillette is of course always there. I've had to burst into his office after a tough day. Sometimes his embraces, cold as they may be, warm my heart. I know he does his best, and he always has. But this change, it’s all been a lot for him as well. It has been for all of Fontaine.
Neuvillette and I - we have planned to go to a meeting of the Archons this year. It will be my first time facing them after all this has gone down. Since my identity’s been revealed.
I'll probably just sit in the corner and steal snacks. I’ll hide my face from the questions I know they’ll all be asking of me.
Lazily, Furina closes her diary, fingers still draped over the cover of it. She taps them in an uneven rhythm, her other hand serving as a resting place for her head. The days had gone by in a blur as of recent, but she feared that tomorrow would not be the same story.
Sometimes, she could forget what had happened. In small glimpses of genuine happiness, she found herself simply appreciating life for what it should be. Joyful. But small moments of reprieve did little to paint over the gloom and absolute despair she’d had to live through for five hundred years. It was during nights like this one, before a major obligation that brought her straight back to reality, that one thought plagued her mind incessantly, never letting up for even a moment.
‘There must be no one out there who feels the same way that I do.’
The meeting of the Archons, though a most exclusive affair, still allowed for the attendance of a few other select members. Fontaine’s situation was particularly perplexing, given that the nation didn’t have an Archon anymore, or even a figure playing the part of that role. When it came to deciding who would represent the nation’s affairs, the decision was unanimous, but it came with dismay from both selected parties.
Furina, though not the Archon nor the face of Fontaine any longer, still knew the most about the nation’s recent affairs. In future years, the same might not be said, but the other Archons, along with Neuvillette, agreed that for at least this one time, she should not be absent from at the very least attending said meeting.
Neuvillette, the other individual at play, was invited to attend to help relieve some of the burden off of Furina’s shoulders. Of course, not without some pushback first.
“Do they really think I’m so incompetent as to not be able to hold my own there? I was the Archon of Fontaine for centuries, was I not? I appreciate your efforts, Monsieur Neuvillette, but do you have to come as well? It feels insulting that they would assume I am in need of assistance!”
Neuvillette stopped listening to the previous Archon’s ramblings pretty early on.
While Fontaine’s situation was by far the most complicated, it set a stage for the other nations to follow in the path of. If one nation was allowed to have two representatives, couldn’t the rest? With no complaints from any of the other Archons, several other nations chose to have two people represent them.
The least willing of all of these additional guests was a sharp-tongued man with more insults up his sleeve than common sense. While the Archons and all other guests who were invited rested, or we perhaps travelling by now depending on how far they’d have to travel, the Wanderer paced back and forth in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, muttering words under his breath that the Dendro Archon would likely not be very happy to hear.
As part of Nahida’s goal to try and immerse Wanderer in the wonderful world that was Teyvat – Tevyat when you weren’t actively trying to rule over it , anyway – was introducing him to new places and interesting events. Suggesting that he joined her tomorrow for the Archon meeting was less of a suggestion and more of a requirement, much to the puppet’s distaste.
“I’m not even an Archon… Why does she insist that I spend my time socialising with all of them? I'm not one of them,” Wanderer muttered to himself, perfectly aware that no one (at least he hoped no one) was around to hear him. It was late, much later than Nahida would have liked him to be awake, but he couldn’t care less.
Wanderer wasn’t one to think about the positives in any given situation. Quite the contrary was often instead the case. However, if there was one good thing to come out of this, Nahida had informed him that his creator, or known by everyone else as the Raiden Shogun, was to be absent at this event.
‘Go figure that she’s a no-show. Of course she wouldn't want to see her own son again. Not as if I’d ever willingly choose to see her again in the first place. It's good riddance.’
On the other hand, the hand that for sure Wanderer was focusing on more, was the more prevalent fact at mind. He hated events, parties, and anything else of the sort. At this point, he was willing to bet she’d have to drag him out of Sumeru just to get him to come along.
‘Why does she keep insisting I go to this ridiculous event? She claimed to intend on giving me a second chance. Is this really what that pitiful statement entailed?’
He knew though, with as much hesitation and grievance an individual could give, that he had little choice in the matter. If he really pleaded, begged even, to not go, Nahida would perhaps change her mind, but he wasn’t about to stoop to such a low point just to get out of a one-day party.
With nothing left to really do or say about what would happen the next morning, the puppet retired for the night, even if he felt no need to sleep in the way that mortals did.