Artist Feature: Fylus
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After the events of the Cataclysm, Princess Minsleif Irmindóttir changed into a hilichurl. Was there a secret King Irmin was hiding about her heritage? Who exactly was the Queen of Khaaenri’ah?
Long ago, even before the age when humanity reigned supreme in their kingdom underground, there were the Moon Sisters three: Aria, Sonnet, and Canon. They lived in the Lunar Palace in the sky and observed Teyvat with perceptive eyes. The sisters loved the morning stars almost as much as they loved each other. Every month, they switched places three times. If they failed to do so, they would surely bring about calamity for their people…
Aria was the eldest, and as such, she was entitled to her air of imperiousness, for she was responsible for her sisters. Canon was the youngest, stubborn and strong of will, always clashing with Aria but coming to an understanding in the end. That left Sonnet, the middle sister, who didn’t conform neatly to her expected role as the quiet and unassuming one. When her sisters argued with each other, she liked to sneak out of the palace through a side door and watch the continent below, the peaks of Liyue like little dots and the seas of Inazuma mere droplets.
There was one man who stood out to her above all others. He had a handsome face, a white beard, and eyes of deep sapphire blue with four-pointed pupils. She did not understand what he did each day. He would kneel at the base of the Irminsul, almost as if he was praying, then go somewhere she could not follow. Every time she tried to track where he came from, or where he went after, something would break her focus – the wind would whip her hair into her face, or her sisters would call her back inside, or she would suddenly have to yawn. As soon as she looked away, he would disappear, not to be seen until he arrived at the Irminsul the next day.
She grew weary of Fate’s constant interruptions. She wanted to meet him, to know him. She was not, under any circumstances, supposed to leave the Lunar Palace and got to Teyvat, but Sonnet had never been someone who could abide by the principles imposed upon her.
“I’m leaving,” she said in the morning, “I’ll be back by dinner.”
“What do you mean, leaving? There is nowhere but here,” Aria scoffed.
“You cannot go,” Canon chimed in.
“Regardless, I must. I’ll be back before you know it.” Her sisters exchanged exasperated glances with each other, but she was too excited to care. She kissed each of them on the cheek and jumped off the precipice, unfurling her wings to let them catch the wind and bring her safely to the ground.
The fall took ages, and when she arrived at the Irminsul, the man was already there.
“Hello,” she said.
His head snapped up, and he stumbled to his feet. “Hello,” he replied. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here. In fact, I have never seen anyone here before. Who are you?”
She smiled softly, noticing his astonished expression, as though she were the first Celestial being he had ever seen. Perhaps she was. “My name is Sonnet,” she said, and in response, he gave her his name – Irmin, like the tree. She told him all about the Lunar Palace, the beautiful yet restrictive life she led there, her yearning to find out why he went to the Tree of Life ever day.
“Regrettably, I cannot tell you,” he said, shaking his head.
“Why not?”
“You live high above the humans and keep an eye on them, and yet something watches over you, too. If you are confined, if your life is limited – think of the life of the people in Teyvat, how they must be caged like dogs, subject to the whims of one who rules them.”
Sonnet nodded, and he continued on: “It’s too dangerous, I’ve already said too much. I won’t let anyone else get involved.”
How brave he was, to stand up to a being thousands of times more powerful than him and any army. She felt compelled to offer assistance, not only to free Teyvat, but also to understand this courage, this force of will. She put a hand on his to quiet him. “I want to help.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she said, “I’ve already made up my mind. Who am I to lament my own circumstances when I have the power to help others? Whatever you are planning, your chances will be better with me.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “Thank you, Sonnet. You are exceedingly brave – and terribly beautiful. Will you meet me here tomorrow?”
“Certainly. Until tomorrow.”
Irmin felt the grass and breeze flow around him, his eyes closed to the night sky. He would open them when his love arrived. Or when he heard her ballad. He was always filled with anticipation when he could see her again.
“A gentle thief lies in the grass,” he heard an even voice say.
“This sinner only desires the moon,” Irmin said.
Irmin continued to lay in the grass, but he felt Sonnet sit down beside him and start to play with his hair. She felt his tense temples relax with her gentle massages. They stayed there for a while, both reflecting on the world around them and their relationship not only to each other, but to those in their world.
“There are whispers of an upcoming lunar eclipse brought about by a sinner,” Irmin said abruptly.
Sonnet nodded. “My sisters and I watch from the sky. The sun has an eye on us constantly.”
“They say that it was a vision of a Shining Shade from Celestia that the Moon Sisters of the Lunar Palace and the Seelie people will fall due to the actions of a forbidden couple,” Irmin continued urgently.
Irmin let out a slow breath and sat up, hair mussed all over from her actions. He looked directly at her with those deep blue eyes.
“We can’t continue,” he started, “we–” he choked, “the world cannot lose the moon to a sinner.”
Sonnet turned her gaze from Irmin to her moon up in the sky. Her heart felt as if it were broken into debris. She knew Irmin was looking at her, looking for that recognition that he was right and that they had to stop their love. Slowly the pieces of her heart were picked up with a gust of wind, and her tears fell from an overflow of emotion.
Sonnet gazed back into his reflective blue eyes and said, “Stop worrying about what you are doing! Every good thing has something that changes people’s perspectives. Roses have thorns; clouds and eclipses obscure both the moon and the sun! Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has desires that they feel they should not have, and everyone follows their heart when they no longer know what to do. Even as I say this, I know that I myself would be considered a sinner and the cause of my own eclipse, but as the one you would be obscuring, let me say this: My love for you and my hate for our situation are constantly fighting, and the only thing I know how to do is follow my heart and allow that gentle thief to continue to rob my heart and cause my eclipse!”
The two of them looked into each other’s eyes. Irmin’s eyes were raised in disbelief and Sonnet felt her jaw clench. If only he would listen to her. She sighed and started to turn back to look at the moon.
However, she felt surprised when fingers held her jaw and pulled her into a kiss. It was a long and reassuring kiss that pressed Sonnet back into the ground. They separated and Irmin held a smile that reminded her of the first time they truly met. A smile of someone who was willing to face the gods no matter the consequences.
“Let’s get married,” Irmin said.
“You mean the human tradition? Isn’t that watched over by Celestia? How could we get married when we are a taboo?”
Irmin smirked. “My love, are you not a being that is blessed by Celestia?”
Sonnet felt her head move against the grass into a tilt, “I guess, well, I’m unsure … well, no blessed being of Celestia has gotten married, but if it is to a human, I guess I can technically sanctify our marriage. I’m, just–”
Irmin kissed her again, shorter this time, and said, “Nettie, weren’t you just telling me not to worry? Let’s just go and get married, right now, while it is still your moon up in the sky.”
Sonnet took a breath to ground herself and while looking into the eyes of her love, she nodded.
—
Sonnet and Irmin looked through the forest for the proper materials needed for a human wedding ceremony. An altar to kneel at, gifts to be exchanged, and of course, a ribbon to signify their union. Irmin quickly looked through the forest and found a fallen trunk of a tree that he thought he could lift up and bring to the clearing. Sonnet quickly had to think about what could be the ribbon. Her clothes would not give anything that would be suitable and the nature around them did not have enough materials that would lend to a proper ribbon for a wedding. She then did what she always did when lost and looked towards the moon for inspiration. As she did so, she noticed the streams of moonlight around her. It occurred to her that there was a way for her to make these moonbeams tangible.
As she reached out towards the beams, they started to glow brighter and start to flutter as if affected by the wind. Slowly, she curled her hand around the moonlight ribbon and took a deep breath. Her other hand lifted up, and in one downward motion, cut off the ribbon from the rest of the beam. The sliver of light in her hand was silver, and the edges were strengthened by a glistening, thin metal. It was truly a moonlight ribbon.
Both Irmin and Sonnet knew what they were going to give as gifts, and as Irmin finished getting the log into place, Sonnet presented the ribbon to him.
“How beautiful, Nettie,” Irmin said in awe.
Sonnet smiled. “The moon will never leave you.”
Irmin smiled back at her and took her hand. He guided her to one side of the log and stood on the other side, opposite her. Hands still linked, the two took the ribbon and tied one end to Sonnet’s wrist, then wrapped it around their linked hands twice before tying the other end around Irmin’s wrist.
They kneeled at the log and placed their unbound hands on top of it. After a second of looking into each other’s eyes, they then both pulled out their gifts to each other and placed them on top of the log. They did not look down at the log and what they placed on it, just waited for the gifts to be presented. Then Irmin lifted his present for Sonnet up into the air.
“Sonnet Luna, when I keep my eyes during the day, they normally don’t see anything of importance. But that day when I closed one of my eyes to lock onto my target, I was finally able to see the most important person in my life. I saw you and how you glowed even without the sun. I saw how even your shadow in this place of despicable abyss was still brighter than the shadow of the trees. I nearly couldn’t look at you. In fact, I felt that I shouldn’t look at you. Now, when I have to look at life without you, everything is darker for it, and it is your light during that night that makes me the happiest to see. As my gift for you, Sonnet Luna, I present the arrow that was going to begin my hunt the day we met.”
Sonnet looked down at the arrow and saw the amount of care that had been put into it. Something that was usually seen as a tool became something so cherished that she could tell that Irmin had a hard time parting with it.
“Irmin Eclipson, let me present you with something that truly comes from my being and not only will remind you of me, but will also hopefully grow into something that you can truly cherish.” She paused and brought the stone she was holding up for him to see. “This is a stone that comes from the moon. It has been blessed with a magic that few ever see. Put it in a safe place of knowledge and growth, and slowly it will grow as well. I have only witnessed this once before, for it is a magic more ancient than those ruling Celestia, but slowly this lunar stone will become someone to cherish. Someone who can represent both of us when it is our time to go.”
Irmin looked down at the stone in wonder. The lunar stone glowed and pulsed in Sonnet’s hand. A tiny heartbeat that was waiting to be nourished.
“Let us be joined by the ribbon that ties and be blessed by Celestia seen by the Moon, Sonnet Luna,” Sonnet said, and they both felt a warm emotion flood through both of them.
They shared another sweet kiss before Irmin took the arrow and cut through the ribbon around their hands. They wrapped the remaining ribbon around their respective wrists and held each other’s hands while smiling.
“I think the eclipse that could come will be worth it, my love,” Sonnet said.
“Let it be the sign of a change and of us,” Irmin replied.
It is said that love makes one blind. The two intertwined newlyweds were oblivious to a lurking gaze from the shadows. Canon covered her mouth as she held her breath. Waves of confusion and concern entered her mind. She stole away to the Lunar Palace before first light.
“Aria, Aria, Aria!” Canon gasped out, not having a chance to catch her breath.
“What has caused such an urgent matter, dear sister, that has made you out of breath?” Aria asked, bewildered.
“It’s Sonnet, it’s Sonnet! She. I. Them. Saw. I saw them being all lovey-dovey!” Canon exclaimed.
“What? With who? What did he look like, where are they now?”
Despite her questioning, Aria could make out most of the message Canon was trying to tell: Sonnet had a forbidden love and this union spelt the beginning of their downfall.
“We must hurry!” Aria commanded.
“Canon could do nothing but be dragged along as Aria grabbed her hand and told her to take them straight to Sonnet.
–
Sonnet’s heart was full of warmth as she was held in Irmin’s embrace. Dawn was breaking and they began to say their goodbyes.
However, these goodbyes were stopped by Aria coming into sight and screaming, “Sonnet! How dare you! Who in Celestia do you think you are that you can break our contract?”
“A-Aria! I- I can explain,” Sonnet began to argue in vain.
Sonnet held her hands out protectively, as if she could somehow stop the eldest, strongest of them. Aria’s anger was slowly seeping out like a red mist, her eyes darting back and forth between the two star-crossed lovers. Her gaze settled upon Sonnet’s hand, who noticed too late to hide the forbidden ribbon. An explosion of flames left Aria as her emotions digested what act Sonnet had done.
“What have you done?” Aria’s voice, no longer a scream, still boomed. “Our moonlight, you have given away to this, this insect?”
Sonnet stood tall and stepped forward a little. She had to endure this; whatever Aria’s anger would produce she had to block, for Irmin was still behind her. The flames rose with Aria’s hand. And then they flashed. Sonnet flinched and scrunched her eyes, if only for a second, but she felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw, in horror, that Irmin had suddenly switched places with her.
“No!” A heart wrenching scream escaped her lips as Irmin’s body fell into a smoking mess on the ground.
Irmin lay unmoving, blooding cascading down his face. Aria’s fire burnt out, and she too fell. Canon caught her, and as she took her away, sh stole one last look at Sonnet, still knelt over.
“Come back. Come back. Come back! Please. Please. Someone help!” Sonnet whimpered and crying could do little to numb her pain.
Helpless and desperate, Sonnet reached to her hand, feeling the ribbon, the ribbon that made her the happiest and saddest she had ever been. If only she hadn’t used this. If only she were allowed to love. Sonnet cursed. She cursed her hot-tempered sister, whose volatile emotions had hurt her beloved. She cursed her powers, the powers that trapped her in her contract, and yet were unable to manifest in front of dangers. And finally, she cursed Celestia.
As if in answer, Sonnet found herself surrounded by the very same mist Aria had, although this time it evoked a midnight blue. Thoughts rose through her mind, and she suddenly understood how to use this power. The mist enveloped them both, and Sonnet knew in exchange for saving his life, she would never be able to visit him again. The very power to save him tied her life to his, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to take. Irmin’s wounds began to heal with Sonnet’s power. In the final moments before she would be forced to stay within the Lunar Palace to sustain her own life. She placed one last farewell on his lips and patted the little moonstone she had gifted him for the marriage.
Sonnet whispered to Irmin, “I’m sorry, my gentle thief, because I have been stolen away. Remember to let the stone grow, and let us always be together, even if we are form separate lands.”
With that, Sonnet stood and left for the Lunar Palace.
–
Canon returned to the Lunar Palace with Aria and laid her to rest. Staring at what a mess the untamed power had done to her, Canon thought she would have to be the sovereign for a much longer time. That was until Sonnet appeared, brought home in the Silver Carriage. Not needing words, Canon understood that Sonnet would take the mantle to distract her from her loss. It wasn’t until many cycles later that Aria would awaken, having been trapped in a never ending nightmare that she had brought about the Calamity. She begged forgiveness from Sonnet, a task that took – and would continue to take – an eternity to accept. It was not long after this that the final chapter in this story ended.
During her break from sovereignty, Canon had taken to traveling. From here to there, and everywhere, she continued her travels. She had met all matters of life and death, but it was a specific two that were important. A Seelie ancestor and an outlander. They reminded her of Sonnet and Irmin, as they too were forbidden yet still wished to be wed. Canon begged to host them at the Lunar Palace, a place where the three sisters believed would be averted from Celestia’s eyes. Wishing nothing but the best for them, as well as hoping that the past aggressions of Aria would be soothed, all sisters approved. The wedding was held with only the three sisters as witnesses and all was well.
All was well for thirty days. Then it came. The Calamity that overturned the heavens and earth. The lovers went on a self-imposed exile and attempted to flee, but the disaster caught up to them. As punishment, the two were separated for eternity and had their memories wiped. The heartbroken Seelie withered away, shedding parts of their former selves which then transformed into the Seelie’s current wispy forms.
Celestia discovered the sisters’ broken contract while punishing the Seelie and outlander. Their lives now belonged to Celestia. The palace of the stars now ransacked, the sisters were forced to turn on each other, and tears rand down their cheeks as they could only watch their hands cast death. Sonnet brought up Aria’s dangerous actions, Canon’s dangerous leniency, and her own disparaging sign against the contract. Sonnet and Canon both passed before Aria and the eldest could only weep as she saw her sister’s bodies begin to crumble. Thus, before she began to crumble herself, Aria had a dying wish, and she grasped at her control with all her might. She pulled the sky toward them and cast Sonnet’s body into it, praying that at the very least, her lover could see her once more.
–
Irmin woke up to emptiness. He should be dead, he thought, so why did the afterlife look so familiar? Groaning as he sat up, a fog he didn’t even notice dispersed, and his senses rushed back to him. Irmin saw that the ribbon on his wrist was frayed and split. The pain, the sorrow, the loss. His wife was gone and exchanged her life for his through the ribbon. These waves of emotions overtook his body as he recalled what had happened. Irmin felt a heavy weight in his coat pocket. He pulled it out and saw the softly glowing moonstone. His wife’s final gift. She told him to nourish it in knowledge and let it grow. A wish he would achieve to remind him of everything that had happened. The final paths between the star-crossed lovers drifted apart. Irmin returned home and began to plan. He would never be able to love another and could only look at the unchanging moon to remind himself of the reason for his plans.
Irmin pushed further, only gazing at the horizon while trekking up the worn and eroded pathway that led to his home located near the base of the Irminsul. Perhaps the man who was once blissfully in love didn’t want to partake in the destruction of the once lush and peaceful evergreen forest as he traveled with his face in a daze. Now known as “The Sinner,” he was no longer safe to stay in the land under Celestia’s rule, and his only option was to hide in the quaint village where he grew up. Memories of the village were bright and filled with peaceful simplicity, although at the time Irmin couldn’t appreciate what now would be a luxury as his fate became a labyrinth. In those days, Irmin spent his time watching people among the forest as he read “The Angel of Time’s Descent,” which his mother often read to him as a youth while he longed to explore Teyvat and its many tales. Recalling the memories now left him with a slight pain in his heart, as he had left abruptly without saying goodbye, which often led him to wonder about the people he held close.
As Irmin got close to his home village, the sky grew in a dark haze surrounded by the now decaying evergreens that once stood resistantly as a symbol of strength for the village. No animals were present in the woods that were once filled to the brim with wildlife, there was not even a blade of grass. Irmin still continued on his journey because he had nothing else left to do—or so he thought. Upon his arrival, Irmin snapped out of his dazed state and collapsed to his knees as he saw that there was nothing left except what was left of the foundations of homes and rotten crops. Desperation filled his being as he began to search for any survivors among the remains of the village, hoping that at least one person had survived, though nothing but bones remained of the people. Celestia had used Irmin as an example to the rest of its people to show what happens to those who sin. Everything he had ever loved had been taken away with a simple plague, and it had taken the lives of many innocent beings, which was but a small price to pay for the rulers of Teyvat.
The last gift Sonnet had given him was a small piece of moonstone that fell from a place beyond the heavens outside. Sonnet instructed Irmin to place the stone beside the roots of the Irminsul and wait for the stone to grow, though she did not tell him what it would become. Before departing to the decayed village, Irmin had followed his late wife’s word and planted the stone. He spent some time going through the ruins of his childhood home. He couldn’t tell how much time he spent there, but deep in his sorrow, he decided to go back to the Irminsul. Upon his arrival, he saw that the stone had grown since he had left, and what looked to be a tiny, starlit sprite was encased within. He realized what lay within was a descender. Irmin looked to the sky, saying a silent thank you to Sonnet, as she had given him another purpose, and with that his drive was restored.
His drive took him to the orders of defying Celestia, and while history might remember him as the One-Eyed King Irmin, his subjects gave him his last title: King of Calamity and Father to a starlight Princess.
Awen was always the favorite of the four from the Court of Rotri. She would spend time with the children from Teyvat, telling them stories and singing them lullabies. As much as her father, Rotri, tried to keep her in the Otherworld, Awen loved going to Teyvat. The land held a feeling of freedom that the skies of the Otherworld could not even begin to express.
She always heard the songs and stories from the Teyvatians on the wind. They had a song specifically about her that went:
Awen, Awen
Songs in the wind
Awen, Awen
Known throughout time
Awen, Awen
As the bells chime
Awen, Awen
Birds are not pinned
When she felt trapped up above in the Otherworld, she would hum along to herself while listening to the people sing it, round after round. Other times, she would pick up her lyre that she was gifted on her birthday and play the songs she heard the people sing. Her wings would sway from side to side, acting like a metronome to the song. Her father and siblings would pass by and ask what she was playing, but she could never say that it was the songs of the people from Teyvat or else she would be lectured on the importance of decorum needed as part of the Court of Rotri.
In fact, she was sitting by the fountain in the main courtyard of the Otherworld, playing her lyre, when her father passed by and paused. “What are you playing, my little hummingbird?” her father asked.
When Rotri received no response, he looked closely at Awen’s eyes. Ah, she was in a trance. Her eyes were swirling that turquoise color of the wind passing through time. So instead of expecting an answer, Rotri simply sat next to Awen on the stone bench and waited while going over plans in his head.
The music paused beside him and he heard a sharp intake of breath. Rotri turned to look at Awen and said, “Welcome back, my little hummingbird, what did you see?”
Awen blinked her glowing turquoise eyes away, they went back to a duller green, and smiled at her father, “Time cannot say.”
Awen always said the same thing when it came to people asking her about the future. However, Rotri knew that she really only said that when the future she saw involved the people she was talking to or something that could change if people knew about it.
“Ah, of course, how silly of me,” Rotri said. He smiled back at her and pulled her into a hug. He continued on with, “Remember, Awen, the Court is to meet together tonight for the eclipse. A new era is coming to both you and I.”
“Yes, father, I remember that my siblings and I are supposed to be the ones heralding it in,” Awen said, absentmindedly plucking her lyre after her father released her from the hug.
Rotri stilled for a second before reaching out his hand slightly, “And that means you do not travel to the humans down in Teyvat to make sure you are on time.”
Awen stopped plucking and said, “Of course, father. You don’t have to worry.”
He smiled and stood up. He tilted his head for a second, his ear towards the shifting wind – listening for the changes in power – and followed the wind to where he had to go next.
Awen slumped on the bench once he was out of sight and said, “But Time did not say she would tell the truth.”
…
Awen sat, perched, on the log of a fallen tree in the forest. Once again, plucking her lyre and humming to herself. The birds around her were chirping along to her tune and her wings were keeping the meter.
“Hmmm, there is a little birdie that is supposed to be in, let’s say, another world,” she heard a deep male voice say.
“And there is a dark cloud that wasn’t supposed to form today,” she replied.
Awen looked towards the man. “Hello, Myrddin Emrys.”
“Welcome back to Teyvat, beautiful Awen,” Myrddin said jokingly as he did a deep bow.
She tutted, “You know the rules, handsome Myr, if you call me that and do that silly dance.”
Awen watched him smile, one that reached his dark eyes as the sun that was streaming through the tree glinted off of his black hair. He walked forward and eventually bent down so that he was at her height where she sat.
“One pat on each check is now due, Mistress Time,” Myr said. She reached up and gave a loving pat to each of his cheeks. Then just left her hands on either side of his face. Myr leaned his head into her hands and reached up with his own to stroke her hair. He said, “Your hair still reminds me of the sky I do not get to see often, Mistress Time.”
“Myr, you know that after tonight, it will be much harder to meet up?” she asked him, looking into his eyes with hope of maybe he would just whisk her away.
“Awen, you know that after tonight, the feelings between us will not change?” he answered back. He kissed her and continued, “I know, little birdie, but we will make due. All of us.”
As if summoned by Myrddin’s words, a sound came from his shoulder bag. It was a crying chirp and both of them saw the flap of the bag move up as if something was trying to push it up from the inside.
Myrddin looked at Awen and said, “Looks like someone is awake from their nap.”
Awen smiled and pulled open the bag. A hooded head popped up and looked at Awen. It babbled, “Mama, mama, mama.”
“Deryn, my little hummingbird, I hope you were good for dada while I was away,” she said and lifted up Deryn from the bag. As Awen held Deryn in her arms, Myrddin sat next to her with an arm resting behind her on the trunk while he looked at the little wind sprite.
“I’m still surprised that someone from the Void and someone from the Otherworld would create a wind sprite. A very Teyvat elemental creature,” he said.
“Well, I suppose the product of us was going to be somewhere in the middle,” she laughed and continued, “It’s been a year, why does little Deryn still surprise you?”
“Cause you gave me a gift that no one has before, I get to see elements of you everyday with him,” Myrddin said and nuzzled her head.
They both looked at Deryn who had hair that went from his father’s midnight hair to his mother’s sky blue hair. His eyes held the gem-like eyes his mother had with beautiful streaks of a darker depth.
“Excuse me, my hummingbird,” Awen said and then flipped over Deryn. She then carefully inspected his wings, “His flight feathers should be coming in soon, so be careful.”
“Oh no, is it going to be like teething all over again,” Myr said with a slight twinge of apprehension in his voice.
Awen just smiled at Myrddin which made him groan in exhaustion. She said, “Apparently, my father would put oil along the lines of my new feathers to help with the pain if that is any help.”
“Well, oil should be easy to get a hold of, the Void has an overflow of it,” Myr said.
She wacked him over the head, “Not that oil, you brat, try to get some lavender oil. Or apples, you know he loves apples.”
“Is there even apple oil?”
“Yes, it’s actually a good –”
“Okay, I love you, Awen, but I do not need a lesson on apple oil right now,” Myrddin cut her off, “However, what I don’t understand is why Deryn even has a physical form like this. All the wind sprites I know look different.”
Awen stopped herself from scolding him for cutting her off and paused. She then said, “It’s because these physical forms are our first forms. While he might be categorized as a wind sprite in Teyvat, he is first: our child and therefore he is always going to be different to pure wind sprites. So his original form will be more like ours, but I imagine that he has a more wind sprite form that he hasn’t shown us yet.”
While they were talking, Deryn was sitting up in Awen’s lap and looking at the birds around them. He would reach out towards them and babble, every once and a while laughing. Awen asked, “Has he shown any powers that come from the Void?”
“No, thank goodness, powers from the Void are hard to control and even harder to get used to feeling wise. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” he said. Myrddin lifted up his fingers and let wisps of black smoke come from them before clenching his fist.
Awen took the fist in her hand and leaned into Myrddin a little more. He kissed her on the check and they sat there, watching their son have fun watching the birds.
The peace froze when Awen felt the sun hit her eyes and she realized it was sunset. She was going to be late.
She quickly handed Deryn back to her lover and kissed Myrddin one last time. With no more time, she flew off.
Deryn started crying and his eyes started to glow turquoise. He started to cry harder. Myrddin felt tears start to fall slowly down his face and he said, “I know, I’m sorry, Deryn, we didn’t have time to ask her about her own powers. I’m sorry that you are seeing things that neither of us can understand.”
He held the wind sprite close to his chest and tried to calm his crying down. Myrddin went to stand up, but noticed something laying on the log to the side of him. It was Awen’s lyre. He knew he should leave it there, but he wanted something Deryn could look at and feel of his mother’s, so he picked up the lyre and put it in his bag. With that, Myrddin Emrys with Deryn in his arms walked off through the forest to go back to the darkness.
…
“Awen!” she heard father yell, “What did I say about remembering about the Court?”
“I’m sorry, father,” she answered back, having a lie ready at her lips, “I lost track of time.”
Rhiannon, the eldest of the four siblings, scoffed and said, “How did the Angel of Time lose track of it?”
Awen glared at her elder sister and let the wind around her stir a little, making her eyes glow the same turquoise color they did when she was seeing through time. She said, “Quite easily, nothing I think the Angel of Death could understand.”
“Enough, the both of you,” Rotri snapped, “Awen, where is your lyre, you know you need it for the Court ceremonies.”
Awen froze in her spot and felt the wind around her completely still. She had left it. Right next to her lover and child, she had left it. Oh, she hoped Myr didn’t take it. Awen, trying to be lighthearted to throw them off, “Oh, no, it fell.”
“It,” her father started, “fell?”
“Yes?”
“Awen,” Rotri said slowly, “do you want to try again with the truth this time?”
Awen took a deep breath and said, “I accidentally left it behind on Teyvat.”
“Even after I told you not to travel to Teyvat before the Court tonight?”
Awen felt a pressure in her head and said, “Time cannot change.”
All of a sudden she heard a voice next to her saying, “Beautiful Awen, what are they doing to you!?”
“Awen, Awen, come back to us,” another voice that sounded farther away said, “do not fall into a trance right now.”
Awen blinked and saw her father standing right in front of her. When he saw his eyes lose their glow, he sighed and looked at her. He said tiredly, “Awen, do you want me to get your lyre?”
“It’s ok, father,” she said, “I can go back and get it qui–”
Awen took a step and her knees buckled under her. She tried to take another step, she couldn’t let her father retrieve the lyre. She didn’t know if Myrddin and Deryn were still there. Or worse that they had taken the lyre with them.
“My little hummingbird, you have had too many trances today,” her father said while supporting her up, “Your body cannot handle it. Let me go get it.”
Her father led her to the bench and left. All the while, she feebly whispered, “Please, no, father. You don’t have to.”
She sat slouched on the bench, a hand covering her eyes and a tear escaped out.
…
Awen must have fallen asleep because all of a sudden she wakes up to shouts.
Her father yelled, “I demand you tell me why you have the Angel of Time’s lyre in your bag, you Void scum!”
Then Awen heard something that made her freeze in fear. Myrddin replied, “I’m sorry, High Angel Rotri, I– I didn’t realize what it was. It was just lying in the woods.”
Awen then heard the crying chirp of Deryn and she leapt from the bench to run where she heard the shouts. She entered the CourtRoom and saw in the center Myrddin kneeling on the hard ground. Deryn was flapping his wings and crying out in Myrddin’s arms. In between replying to her father and trying to shush Deryn’s crying, Myrddin looked the most flustered she had ever seen him.
Her father was standing in front of his throne with her lyre in his hand. He looked at her and said sternly, “Ah, Awen, you are awake, this man was stealing your lyre when I caught him. He was near the entrance to the Void.”
Awen squared her shoulders and walked into the room. She looked briefly at Myrddin’s face as she passed him and he gave her the tiniest shake of his head as if trying to say, “Deny us, please, deny us.”
What neither of them expected was that in that moment for Deryn to catch a glimpse of Awen. At that moment, he cried out, “Mama!”
Both Myrddin and Awen froze, Awen stood stock still right next to Myrddin and they both looked at Deryn who was trying to reach his mother. Rotri’s eyes widened and he looked at the baby closely then at the two of them. His jaw clenched and his face became unreadable.
“Awen,” he once again said slowly, “why did the wind sprite refer to you as Mama? In fact, why does this new wind sprite have a form like this?”
Awen did the first thing that came to her: fly away. She grabbed Deryn from Myrddin and took Myr’s hand to pull him with her. Awen continued to pull him as she ran through the Palace of the Otherworld.
They heard a roar, “AFTER THEM!”
As the teleport entered their sight, a group of guards came running out and blocked the entrance to the teleport off. They also heard the feet of guards following them.
She looked to the side of the walkway that led to the teleport. It was the only way. She yelled out, “Myrddin, hold on to Deryn and trust me!”
Awen heard a quick, “What! Don’t tell me you are–”
But he was cut off as she pulled them off the walkway into the sky.
They fell.
Or rather, they flew.
Awen’s wings opened up and she used the wind to lift some of the weight up. She heard Myrddin call out to her, “Awen, I love you, but I never want to do this again! I was not meant for flying.”
Accompanying her lover’s shouts, Deryn was laughing in his father’s arms. Awen yelled back, “But Deryn and I are!”
She laughed and continued a quick descent to Teyvat. Her laugh stopped when she heard her father yell, “Stop them! Capture them!”
“Sir! If we try, we might knock them out of –”
“Do it!”
Awen saw something fly past her and then another. She tried to control the wind and her flight so that she could avoid them all, but with everything going on it was too much and something heavy hit and broke her right wing.
She screamed from the pain and they started to plummet.
Awen and Myrddin held each other with Deryn between them as they fell.
“Awen, forgive me,” she heard Myrddin say, “I’m going to try something.”
She looked at him and saw the black smoke start to curl around them. Slowly, the smoke formed wing-like shapes and grew denser. Awen looked back at Myrddin’s face and saw the concentration set in his face. However, she also saw the growing streaks of Void black grow across his skin.
The wings flapped just in time to start controlling their descent before they hit the ground. “Myrddin Emrys, you genius, you saved us,” she whispered to him.
They touched the ground and Myrddin crouched down trying to reign in the powers of the Void. Awen heard him switch between panting and growling. She saw him shake and heave.
“Awen,” Myrddin croaked out, “You have to go, I don’t think I can control it.”
Awen shook her head fiercely, holding Deryn tighter to her chest, “No, Myrddin, you can do it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“AWEN,” he started to yell, “YOU HAVE TO–”
“You have to because he has already given in,” Awen heard her father say behind her.
She spun around and said, “What? What do you mean?”
“The people of the Void can only have wings if they give their souls to the Void. The only thing keeping from the full powers of the Void and also the full influence of the Void is the light in their souls. When they give in, they give up their own light,” her father said as he looked at Myrddin.
Awen looked at Myrddin and saw him with his head hung. He lifted his head and looked at her with tears in his eyes, “I couldn’t let either of you die.”
“Myr, my love,” she said and started to rush towards only to be stopped by her father holding onto her arm.
“You cannot go near him, my little hummingbird,” her father said, “He will poison you if you do.”
Deryn at that moment started to hold his arms out to his father and said, “Dada!”
Myrddin gave a watery smile to Deryn and turned to her father, “Please, High Angel Rotri, let Deryn stay with Awen. Let him stay with at least one of his parents.”
“So you know what I have to do to you then?” her father asked Myrddin.
Myrddin just nodded. Her father continued after some thinking, “The child can stay with her as long as he shows no sign of powers from the Void. And I cannot promise either of you how we will be treated by those who live in the Otherworld.”
“Father, what,” Awen said, “what is happening?”
“Court of Rotri!” her father yelled out, “take Awen and her child back to the Otherworld! I have to nail down a curse.”
Her father looked at Myrddin and shifted into a familiar pose. He was going to nail down Myrddin to Teyvat so that his powers of the Void would not reach up into the Otherworld. She cried out, “Father, no! Please!”
…
It wasn’t often the people of Teyvat got to see the powers of the Otherworld in such grand display. However, on this day they saw a nail rain down from the Otherworld and pin something down to the ground. They all just shook their heads and said, “Another evil is gone from the land and we can thank High Angel Rotri for saving us all.”
What they did notice is that after that day, Awen traveled and played with the children less. Instead, each time she was seen, it was with a small wind sprite flying beside her and she kept flying into places unseen. Thousands of years into a new era, a wind sprite heard the playing of a lyre that reminded him of his mother and flew into a storm that hid a civilization away.
The world would say, “You remind me of someone, your wind feels familiar.” But none would never realize why and none would realize that to his mother, the wind sprite reminded her of someone she loved. After all Time cannot say and cannot change.
There once was a sand bottle that held an Ibis and a Lion hidden in the forest. The bottle held everything the two could have ever dreamt of. The duo led to coexistence that was as peaceful and carefree as the wind itself. The Ibis could often be seen laying upon the lion’s shoulder and the lion would often pat the Ibis’s head. The days felt like a never ending dream where the music of the flowers sang from inside the bottle as its owner held it dearly.
That was until the owner of the bottle grew bored and wanted to complete her task. Then the owner shook the bottle ruining the home of the Ibis and Lion as well as happiness that rang within the bottle. While the Lion was unharmed the Ibis had touched a purple mud and became more ill as the days progressed.
The illness made the Ibis get angry with the Lion and constantly he lost his temper with his long time friend. Although the Lion was disheartened and frustrated by his friend’s worsened condition, he never left the Ibis’s side. The days grew to be increasingly longer and the once peaceful life they had were all just a distant dream for the duo.
The Lion, although his hope of the distant dream was decreasing every day, always whispered to the Ibis as he slept, “I won’t leave your side even if the better days don’t return, my dear, Ibis.” Although the Lion never expected it would be the Ibis that would break the bond between the two.
One night when the moon turned red, the Ibis grew enraged and started to attack the Lion who couldn’t fight back against his friend. Eventually the Lion fell and never rose up again. The Ibis fell asleep without fully realizing what he had done. When Ibis woke up he saw the actions of the previous night and sobbed. The bottle’s, plants and life started to wilt after the Lion’s untimely departure. The winds in the bottle ran cold as the days grew lonely without the Lion. The Ibis let his illness take over his body leaving all the life in the bottle to disappear.
The owner looked back at the lifeless bottle and smiled as she placed it back on the shelf.
A hot, sweet drink made with powdered chocolate and various spices. People are warmed by the chocolate, creamy drink when they have it and always remember good times. Whenever Time and Space take a sip, however, they are reminded of a close-call.
Dainsleif and Minsleif fought side by side with smiles on their faces. The last time they danced like this together the night had ended in tragedy, but this time they were determined to make this night end in celebration. As time flew past them, slowly the crowds of monsters, machines, and enemies disappeared or fell.
With just a few enemies left, they heard a yell. A yell that made everyone stop in their motions. A yell filled with no other emotion besides despair. The couple looked up the battlefield to a silhouette surrounded by sunlight. It was the traveler and a figure on the ground next to them, one that was a similar height and coloring as the traveler. Their twin was gone. Min and Dain didn’t know how the twin fell, but there was no doubt that nothing could be done for them.
Minsleif turned to Dainsleif, but was surprised to find him on the ground as well, hand to chest. She fell down to her knees and reached out to him, thinking he was just overwhelmed with emotions that finally their suffering was over.
“Dain,” Minsleif called out to him as she knelt to the ground beside him. They both haven’t found a way to clean themselves in days and were caked in all kinds of filth. This end was not a glorious one, nor was it a noble one.
“My princess,” Dainsleif said breathlessly, “I feel so cold… It’s to my bones, the deep ache that has always been there since the beginning of the curse… It’s become like ice.”
Dainsleif Yggdrasil, last member of the Yggdrasil line and last Bough Keeper of Khaenri’ah, laid on the ground, looking up dazedly at the fading red sky. He lifted his hand ever so slightly towards Minsleif.
Minsleif Irmindóttr, last of the royal line and Timekeeper of Khaenri’ah, quickly held fast to his hand. Time and Space once again connected to only possibly be split apart once more.
“Dainsleif, please,” Minsleif said, “feel my warmth. Feel this connection, this love, you are right here and you are not going anywhere else.”
Dainsleif smirked a little and whispered, “I can’t go to my own wedding to be married to my princess?”
Minsleif choked on a sob, “I guess, I can make an exception for that.”
He lifted his hand from hers and raised it to her cheek to wipe away the tears. The Bough Keeper’s hand was cold, deathly cold.
Dainsleif said as he looked at her, “Please don’t cry, Princess. We are here together. Nothing can sepa–”
He spasmed. The mighty Dainsleif curled into a ball to try and warm his frozen core. Min tried to warm him up by wrapping herself around him, rubbing at his arms and sides, but it wasn’t enough. The cold of the curse was stronger than any warmth she could generate.
Min listened to his teeth chattering and said, “How about some hot chocolate? That always warmed you up, yeah?”
“I’ve missed your hot chocolate for the longest time now,” Dain whispered.
Min tried to say brightly, “Perfect, I can make you–”
“Kiss me, Princess?”
She paused, “Of course.”
Minsleif moved her head towards his and whispered, “May this be one to give you warmth.”
Minsleif pressed a kiss on his lips, on his cold lips.
Wait.
Why has his teeth stopped chattering? She opened her eyes and looked at him. Dainsleif was completely still, no longer shivering or chattering or… breathing.
“Dain,” she yelled while nudging him, “Dain, you are supposed to stay right here! Twilight Sword, you are supposed to serve your princess!”
Min paused in her actions. The Bough Keeper looked as if he was frozen in space and would never move from that spot. “DAIN, PLEASE–”
“Minsleif Irmindóttr,” someone said behind her, “Timekeeper and last Princess of Khaenri’ah, please move so that I can help.”
She looked towards the new voice and saw the Traveler standing there. While the sun had set, they were shining as if there was still a sun behind them.
The Traveler looked at Dainsleif then started chanting in a language she had never learned. Then the Traveler switched languages, “Time and Space move together, to separate them would end in devastation. Time and Space are connected, to separate them would bring the end to knowledge. Time and Space are here, may they be here forever.”
A bright light filled the whole battlefield and no one could keep their eyes open.
It would be better to say that whenever Time and Space take a sip of Hot Chocolate they are reminded of when they were finally able to be together after nearly losing each other over and over again.
A thin and light pancake that is filled with whipped cream and a choice from the selection of fresh fruit. The most popular flavor is sweet sunsettias as it adds a bit of an extra sweetness. The crepes often remind customers of a time when life was much sweeter.
Another Natlan inspired dish that Esperay brought in. Some meat or vegetable equivalent (of your choice), cheese, and pico de gallo with extra toppings of your choice that are all wrapped in a corn tortilla taco shell. If you don’t get a little messy while eating it are you even eating it correctly?
A classic Natlan dish with a Mondstadt twist. A mixture of beef, cheese, onions, and potatoes wrapped in a corn tortilla covered in a salsa made with chile de árbol. This was a dish that Esperay’s parents made all the time and was the first recipe she gave Minsleif when she came to work at the cafe.
This dish was personally selected by Minsleif to be on the menu because it was made for her on every birthday by King Irmin. The dish consists of a rice cake made with glutinous rice, fresh coconut milk, freshly grated cheese, and muscovado sugar. The cafe also allows guests to select coconut shavings as an additional topping to get a taste of this dish beloved by the owner.
Although these are the fluffiest pancakes in all of Teyvat, they are still pancakes—no yeast for extra rising action, and no cake. Still, they’re absolutely delectable and best served with a pat of homemade butter and real maple syrup.
Dain sighed. He stood in front of his old ceremonial armor, still unable to come to terms with it not fitting anymore. It was neither the fact that his weight had changed nor signs of his age, in fact one might say that this right now is the prime of his immortal life, if it weren’t for the curse he received as punishment all those years ago. But that curse did not just take away his ability to rest in eternal slumber, no, this curse stole something far more valuable, the true ASSets of Khaenri’ah people that even history has forgotten, their cake. What was once a beautiful, full and shiny behind, Dain felt hollow without those succulent, hand filling cheeks. Even his beloved, Min teased him about it, poking fun at the curse and creating the one menu item to commemorate the loss – pancakes. She would giggle every time a customer would order it, and cupped both sets of cheeks fondly and a peck on his face to remind Dain that she loved him with or without his main ASSets.
A colorful assortment of fruit tarts. Four in total, each sweet treat is a delight to eat. The first is a scarlet strawberry tart, its ripe and sweet taste filling your mouth. A lemon and passion fruit tart fills the second slot, the tropical passion fruit paired with the lemon is a refreshing flavor. The third belongs to the kiwifruit custard tart, the creamy and rich custard lightens and softens the sweetness of the kiwi, perfectly balancing them both. Finally in fourth is the humble blueberry tart, a classic that is just the right sweetness to be enjoyed with a hot drink.
So rich and delicious, it’s no wonder this is what Dainsleif would request on his deathbed. These cookies are soft in the center with perfectly chewy edges, and chock-full of huge chunks of chocolate that melt in your mouth. They come in pairs because no one could possibly stop at one.
A Sumerian twist on the classic snickerdoodle, these cookies are made with cinnamon and Harra Fruit. They’re puffy, bursting with flavor, and just a little spicy—perfect to go with a glass of milk.
A slice off the bottom layer of a circular triple layered cake. The outer icing is made of a rich ocean blue that looks like a protective layer, encasing the cakes’ inner contents. While at first glance the inside looks to be a plain black slice with a dark purple vertical stripe, on better inspection one notices the shiny reflection that it gives off, almost making time move at a different pace. Staring deeper into the blackness an ominous feeling runs down your spine, as if something is staring back… As for the vertical stripe, you notice not only are there multiple shades of violets and purples twisting amongst themselves, but do they spiral downwards, or is that upwards?
A slice off the middle layer of a circular triple layered cake. The outer icing is made of a rich ocean blue that looks like a protective layer, encasing the cakes’ inner contents. A playful slice that somehow depicts a colourful landscape. Greens, yellows, reds and browns make up the land portion, from vast forests, rolling fields into towering mountains, all the way into soft sand beaches welcoming the sea. The creative use of different mixtures and dyed slime condensate to create realistic water and sky is a feat only a skilled baker could accomplish. Many days and nights went into planning out and creating this spectacular slice.
A slice off the top layer of a circular triple layered cake. The outer icing is made of a rich ocean blue that looks like a protective layer, encasing the cakes’ inner contents. Tiny white fruit pieces decorate the inside, a bright contrast to the deep midnight blue colour of the slice that gives it its name. Notably this slice contains a half sphere that seems to be made of pomegranate that stained the orb blood red.
Choose from green, black, and oolong tea, with almost any flavor you could ever want. Osmanthus is a customer favorite, but mango and jasmine are also popular. The real star of this drink is the crystal boba—they have a satisfyingly soft jelly texture, but despite their squishiness, they look just like real crystals, glimmering when they catch the light.
“Traveler, you were tasked with finding the truth of this world. This is the truth of my world.”
The Traveler stepped forward, and the branches of the Irminsul parted to allow access, as if the world tree has been protecting something under its canopy.
They first saw the capsule, translucent blue topaz that was dull and dusty. A flick of the Traveler’s wrist, and Hydro power cleaned and polished the gemstone, revealing what was encapsulated within: the last Princess and Timekeeper of Khaenri’ah, her body withered away, just like everyone else who had been hit by the Khaenri’ah curse.
Despite her abyssal transformation, she was still beautiful – luminous, even – as if one could feel the kindness and warmth of her spirit radiating outward, enveloping them in a soft cloak of light. In that moment, the Traveler somehow understood just what she meant to Dainsleif, and to all of Khaenri’ah. Did she have a smile on her face, or was it a trick of the light?
“She didn’t always look this way,” Dainsleif said in a low voice. “This all happened becau-“
“She’s lovely,” the Traveler said, cutting him off. “What was her name?”
“Minsleif.”
“I’m so sorry, Dain. I had no idea.”
“Your sibling knew her, you know. They were quite close, actually. Your twin loved her. Everyone loved her.” Dainsleif, usually so stoic, began to choke up. “I loved her. I still do.”
Her white dress, though ripped, was clean. There was no bloodstain where the wound in her chest was, and as the Traveler walked around the capsule, the wound itself seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
“When I revive my nation, I am going to revive her too. The Irminsul took her when she died, and I know it gave me a way to save her. Whatever it takes, I am prepared to do it.” There was an edge to his voice now, his earlier display of emotion replaced with determination.
Dainsleif reached behind himslef and pulled out the Eye of the First Field Tiller, letting it spin as it hovered in his hand. The Traveler gasped.
“You didn’t forget about this did you?” he chuckled, “It has been many years.” He tossed it in the air lazily, then put it back where it came from. “There is a vast power in that eye, and as you already know, it isn’t ordinary elemental energy. I’m not even sure its power is abyssal. I think it’s something else entirely. Whatever it is, when I understand it, I’m going to harness its power to revive her. And if that doesn’t work, I will spend the rest of my days searching for a way to reach her. I will implore Irminsul itself to give her back to me. I will slay gods, I will turn back Time. I will do anything. Anything.”
He knelt beside her, placing his gloved hand on the stone next to her face.
“We will be reunited, my love.”
As he stood and turned to leave, the world tree grasped her in its branches and tucked her away again.
“Come, Traveler. We have more to see.”
The Banquet of the Eclipse was the most celebrated holiday in Khaenri’ah. The halls of Irmin’s castle were opened to the common people and music permeated throughout the land. No one felt that their voices echoed off the enclosed land like it sometimes did, but instead amplified their joy.
The food and drink were on dishes picked out by the beloved Princess as part of her duties as the Timekeeper of Khaenri’ah. While she handled the events and customs, her counterpart the Bough Keeper worked as the captain of the royal guard and protector of Irminsul. As is tradition, they were expected to dance together to start the ball off.
“My Princess, I believe it is time to put the cup down,” Dainsleif said as he stood to the side of her and looked towards the orchestra.
She looked at her father who nodded at her. She put the pristine cup down and said with a smile to Dainsleif, “Well, you are the one who leads, my Twilight Sword.”
Dainsleif smirked, then made a show of turning and bowing to her. His hand stretched out, “Minsleif Irmindóttir, Timekeeper and Princess of Khaenri’ah,” he said loudly, “please accept my hand for this dance and allow me the honor of leading you in these steps.”
Minsleif curtsied while accepting his hand, “Dainsleif, Bough Keeper and Twilight Sword of Khaenri’ah, it is my pleasure to take this dance with you.”
As they gracefully stepped onto the open dance floor, the people paused in their actions to look at the pair. Time and Space stilled, waiting for the music to start their waltz.
Of those who attended the ball, all would agree that the dance between the Timekeeper and Bough Keeper was the most beautiful sight in the Eclipse Dynasty. The people swore that the clothes of the dancing couple shined as the unseen night skies did. King Irminsul was seen with the biggest grin on his face as he watched the young couple and in his heart wished them a future full of many dances just as great as, if not better than, this one.
As the music of the first dance came to a stop, the room held its breath as Time and Space turned to greet them to the banquet.
“My beloved people of Khaenri’ah,” the Princess called out to those at the banquet, “Please, enjoy yourselves on this night of celebration! Let us all dance and fill the halls with joyous sound!”
The pair bowed towards the people, with hands held, and turned to the King with the same respect. After following tradition, they left the dance floor as to let all of Khaenri’ah enjoy the night. However, Minsleif was surprised when she felt Dainsleif continue to pull her towards the balcony doorway.
“Dainsleif, the festivities,” she started to say, “what are you-“
He just looked back at her with a small smile and shook his head. As if to say, ‘Not yet, my Princess, not yet.’
They reached the middle of the balcony and he spun her as if to start dancing again, but this time she landed in his arms facing him. He began speaking, “My Princess, Minsleif… my love.”
Minsleif gasped at the unexpected endearment and looked up at him. Dainsleif continued, “I hope we will have many more dances and eclipses together.”
He dipped his head down and kissed her. A short, sweet kiss that could last an eternity and Time felt as if she stopped. Dainsleif chuckled as he began to move into what she thought looked like a kneeling position. His eyes never left hers and all she saw was an infinite number of ways to say ‘I love you.’
Suddenly, Time rushed forward and she felt unprepared.
Dainsleif’s heart felt like it was ripped out of his chest, chewed up, spat on the floor, and stomped on. Hope can’t heal this feeling. This feeling of lost time, hope, and love. The people he vowed to protect were leaving him one by one and for some reason he was never taken himself.
He still had one duty that the had to make sure was followed through: keep watch of the Irminsul. He passed underneath the balcony he last saw his Princess on and couldn’t even dare to look at it. For if he looked at it, he would not be able to leave it. Continuing on the well-worn, but rarely used path to Irminsul, Dainsleif noticed marks on the ground. It was as if something dragged, perhaps even crawled, down the path. He immediately brought out his Twilight Sword and slowed down his pace as he neared the entrance of Irminsul.
What made these marks? The first thing that Dainsleif had done when the attack started was check on the Irminsul as was his duty as Bough Keeper. Was it an abyssal creature? That would spell doom for all knowledge as it was.
He entered the area of the Irminsul and dropped his sword at the sight. His Princess, Minsleif… his love. She was there. Her dress – that was once something that only accentuated her bright being – was covered in grime and torn to pieces. The only thing that Dainsleif could do was stand there as he took in her state. He couldn’t see much of her as she was curled into a ball, but she was shivering.
Her shivering caused him to rush forward to take care of her. Dainsleif slid onto his knees with a rushed, “My love… please… what’s wrong, let me help you, please… my love.”
When he touched her shoulder as gently as possible, she screamed in terror and moved quickly. Scrambling backwards until her body hit the trunk of the Irminsul, all while she yelled, “Ika ya! IKA YA!”
Dainsleif saw his worst fear. His Princess was cured and feared him with eyes that no longer recognized him. She held the dagger, the one he had personally gifted her, closer to her chest.
“Princess, my love,” Dainsleif choked out, “It’s me, your Twilight Sword, Dainsleif.”
“The Irminsul glowed a little brighter and something changed in Minsleif’s eyes, “Dain?” she said, “No, that can’t be. Everyone was lost.”
Minsleif started to curl into a ball again and brought her hand to her face as if to bite her fingernails, “Dain is supposed to be doing his duty to the King. I need to find papa, have to protect the peo-“
The Irminsul stopped glowing as brightly and Minsleif lost the spark in her eye. She clutched at the dagger tighter as she looked at Dainsleif once again, poised to strike.
“IKA YA!” she screamed and rushed at him. Dainsleif froze as he did not want to hurt his love. He grabbed onto her arms as they came down to swing the dagger at him.
“MINSLEIF, PLEASE!” Dainsleif cried to her while trying to overpower and not hurt her. They struggled until he was able to knock the dagger out of her hands.
As if the dagger held the last bit of her strength, Minsleif crumbled. Dainsleif caught her and held her as he sank to the ground himself. He held onto her as tightly as he could without putting too much pressure on her new skin. His tears streamed onto the top of her head as he whispered to her. “Please, my love, I am not the bad guy here. I know I was late in protecting you, but I am here now. Please, know my voice, my love, me.”
“Ika ya, ika ya, ika ya,” Minsleif mumbled to herself while weakly trying to push Dainsleif away.
Dainsleif, confused and scared, tried to keep a hold of her, “Min. my love, I don’t understand, what are you whispering?”
“No, no, no, muhe, da dadada,” she continued to whisper as she switched between pushing against Dainsleif and not.
“Min,” Dainsleif said as he now sobbed, “please, come back to me.”
He heard her breath catch in her through and he looked at her quickly in fear the she could no longer breathe. Instead, she looked at the Irminsul with eyes that did not register the world around her. She whispered, “Dain… my love… I don’t want to be a monster. Please save me, where are you… if we could only turn back time.”
Dainsleif looked at her as she continued to stare at the Irminsul. He wanted to scream at her that he was right there, but he knew that she would not hear his words. Instead he rubbed circles into her arms as he brought her closer to his chest and stared at the Irminsul himself.
No knowledge in the world can save the couple’s last dance from ending in absolute despair. Dainsleif felt this in his heart as held her for what he knew to be the last time.
One howl after the other, one slash after another, one more abyssal creature fell. Minsleif felt herself grow tired with each attack that she made and each attack she was hit by. She had to keep her people safe. Where were the Field Tillers? Where was her father? Where was-
A tail of a creature hit her shoulder causing her to stumble into a pillar. She felt as if she had been fighting for days and maybe she had. Minsleif felt a growing shame inside – she was the Timekeeper of Khaenri’ah, she could manipulate time and yet she had no clue of whether it was day or night, tomorrow or yesterday, if she had been fighting the same, continuous battle or different one that have been blurred into one in her mind.
Her body ached and as sounds of cries surrounded her, she looked at the state of herself. The dress she wore to the banquet no longer gleamed like it had, she lost her shoes long ago, and why-
She looked closer at her hands. Were her hands covered in so much blood that they appeared to be darkening? She rubbed her hands together to see if that would change anything. To her horror, it did, but not in the way she thought it would. Flakes of her skin came off with an even darker color appearing underneath. This new skin was sensitive and made fighting even harder.
Minsleif heard a roar and saw another abyssal creature rush towards her. As she was about to make a desperate attempt of defense, another sword fended off the creature.
“Princess Minsleif,” a familiar, but hoarse voice called, “I am so glad I found you. The King has ordered me to take you somewhere safe.”
She looked at the one holding the sword and cried out, “Halfdan! You’ve see my father? What about Dainsleif?”
Halfdan, who was covered head to toe in grime, killed the abyssal creature and took her hand causing her to yelp as he came into contact with the new, darkened skin. His eyes widened as he looked at her hands. “Oh Princess,” he said, “please, not you too.”
“Me too? There are others with this sensitive skin?” she questioned him hurriedly.
“He looked at her with despair in his eyes, “Yes, your highness, and the outcome so far has not been good, but hurry, Princess, we may have time yet.”
This time he grabbed her arm and pulled her after him. They raced through the abyssal creatures as he shielded off their attacks and she slowed down their enemies as much as she could with her power.
“Halfdan, please,” she yelled behind him, “how are my father and Dainsleif?”
He yelled back, “Last I saw your father, he was giving orders to the knights and trying to save as many as he could,” he paused to look at her quickly before continuing on, “And as for… Dainsleif… I can only assume my captain is doing his duty as Bough Keeper.”
They reached the banquet hall, the place of the last dance, and all the windows were broken, the decorations were scattered into debris on the ground, and the bodies of her people strewn across the floor.
She sobbed and her knees buckled under her. Luckily, the abyssal creatures had left the area, but Halfdan was still alert waiting for their return. Minsleif cried out, “Halfdan, why? Why are the people who have done nothing wrong the ones who are acting as if they are carpet for the Proud Celestians?”
Suddenly, there was a gasp and a stumble of feet. Minsleif looked up and saw Halfdan clutching at his chest, over his heart. She tried to stand up and reach him, “Halfdan!? What’s wrong!?”
“Princess, you need to run,” Halfdan said while seemingly out of breath, “Something is happening, changing my body. I don’t know what will happen. Princess, you have to run.”
“No, Halfdan!” Minsleif said, trying to grab a hold of him, “I can’t just leave you here!”
Halfdan pushed her, hard enough that she nearly fell to the ground again, “NO, PRINCESS! YOU MUST GO! I was ordered to take you to safety and that is no longer with me. You must run to Irminsul. If there is any safe place left in Khaenri’ah, it will be there. The Captain will be there as his duty to the King! Run to him, Princess!”
Minsleif hard his final wish as he crouched, fighting off something unseen, and decided to grant it. Not able to open her mouth to say a goodbye, she nodded and ran towards Irminsul where Dainsleif hopefully was. Leaving behind the last protector of Khaenri’ah, surrounded by the bodies of those he failed and all he said was, “Stay safe, Princess, and thank you.”
“I- I need to go. I’ll be back soon.”
“Princess, wait!” he called after her. But she had already rushed past him out of the Great Hall, holding up her skirts so she wouldn’t trip as she made her way to the washroom. The Twilight Sword watched her leave, bewildered.
In the washroom, the Khaeri’ahn Princess looked at herself in the mirror. Noticing how flushed she was, she splashed water on her face. Like everything else in the palace, the elegant copper faucet was gleaming and beautiful, polished clean for the Banquet of the Eclipse.
She wasn’t sure why she felt so ill at ease. This certainly wasn’t her first dace with Dainsleif, nor was it the first time they had kissed. But when he brought her onto the balcony alone – that heated gaze, the way his eyes searched hers longingly, when he took her hand and slowly moved to the ground – she was certain he was about to make a huge declaration. And although she loved him just the same, she couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom.
Luckily, the washroom was empty now, she could clear her mind and slow her breathing. She appreciated the scent of fresh inteyvats that a gardener must have picked specifically for tonight. She flushed her anxiety down the porcelain commode and washed her hands, feeling her heartbeat calm down. She would rejoin the love of her life, allow him to ask for her hand in marriage, and dance the night away with her beloved citizens.
As she was about to leave, she heard a loud crack elsewhere in the palace and the sound of a horn. An abyss creature’s battle cry. She felt the ground shake, the thunder of a thousand feet as they raced through the halls. Automatically, her hand went to her thigh, unsheathing the dagger she always had strapped there, but she wished she had her trust spear at a time like this.
Something was at the door to the washroom. Dogs? No, wolves, like none she had ever seen before. Electiricty cracked between them.
Minsleif jumped into the fray, fearless and ready to tear asunder any beast that stood between her and her Bough Keeper.