fidelity || gi

act one, chapter four • an injured dragon

"ver!" a friendly figure came bouncing up to veritas as she exited the knights of favonius headquarters. "wanna help get the city back up and running? the shops are already setting back up as we speak!"

"sure! but i do have to do something first," veritas smiled, rubbing the back of her neck as she felt the sun's rays on her back. the city had returned to normal. any wandering traveler visiting mondstadt anew would never suspect that anything was amiss once the townspeople were back outside. "how about you start clearing out some of the hilichurl camps?" she suggested, as amber jogged to match her fast, purposeful pace. "not the ones that might need two people, i'll help you out with those."

"sure thing!" amber saluted, staying in step as they exited the city gates. "where will you be?"

"that would be telling," veritas replied. "nosey!"

"i was only asking!" amber huffed, a friendly smile still on her face. "don't be too long, though- you heard master jean!"

"yes, yes," veritas drawled. "and hey, amber?"

amber hummed in response.

"i visited sara today, ordered that sticky honey roast you keep mentioning- absolutely divine, by the way- and it sounds to me like sara's pining a little! she asked after you, said she missed you. care to join me there for lunch some time this week?"

"of course!" amber agreed eagerly. "i always have time for the good hunter!"

"that didn't seem to be sara's impression," veritas shrugged, "but oh well."

"well, if sara demands it, i shall! i didn't think she enjoyed my visits quite so much," amber blushed bashfully as she spoke.

"well, don't let it give you too big of a head," veritas joshed, jabbing amber in the rib playfully.

"hey!"

-

"i thought i might find you here," veritas spoke. she gazed wistfully at the dancing branches of the windrise tree as soft lyre music was carried away gently by the wind.

"where else?" venti said sadly, setting down his lyre in the soft, springy grass. he was kneeling back on his shins, his back to the world, facing the great trunk of the tree.

"well, i could have tried the statue..." veritas hummed, "but i decided on windrise. and it seems i chose correctly."

"i don't understand," venti mumbled as veritas sat cross legged beside him on the grass, clearing her throat contentedly. "what did they do to him?"

"you sound confident that this is not just the doing of dvalin himself," veritas commented.

"of course i do!" venti replied fiercely. "i would never in a million years dream that he would even think of doing something like this of his own accord! attacking mondstadt and its citizens? it goes against his very nature!"

"i understand," veritas replied stoically. "i spent my fair share of years with him recuperating when you were in your slumber." she said bitterly, and venti's figure slumped ashamedly. "but... it's been a while since we've spoken. a long while. i have no idea of what could have caused this."

venti chewed his lip. "i'm scared," he admitted softly. "whoever's behind this... if they managed to corrupt dvalin in this way-"

"-imagine what they could do to me," veritas finished.

venti nodded silently.

the pair sat in a pregnant silence for a while, listening to the wind blow through the blades of grass.

suddenly, the air began to feel cooler. venti's head jerked up sharply and he stood up, sprinting out from under the cover of the large tree. veritas followed suit, a few steps behind him, shading her eyes with her hand.

a mighty roar, perhaps better described as a pained screech, sounded from the direction of starfell lake, and the pair watched a familiar figure cruise across the horizon, disappearing over whispering woods.

"let's go!" venti beckoned to veritas frantically, and, using their anemo powers, they harnessed the winds to propel them as fast as they possibly could towards their old friend.

"dvalin?" veritas called softly. she appeared from behind a tree, and slipped into the clearing where the purring dragon lay still.

she approached him cautiously, venti hot on her heels, and she gasped softly as the pointed out something on the back of the dragon's neck.

"poison," she breathed. she took a look at the dragon's face, and saw an expression of great distress. she watched a single, red tear fall from his tear duct, and she gently wiped it away, taking it in her hand and handing it to venti.

"it's been... corrupted in some way," venti examined the tear cautiously.

"you poor baby," veritas wrapped her arms gently around the dragon's neck, gently stroking the top of his head, and he leaned into her touch, purring quietly.

"don't be afraid," venti said softly, as the dragon eyed him warily. "it's alright now, i'm back."

veritas sensed a rustling from behind them, and she jerked her hands away from dvalin, startling him greatly and causing him to lose control, roaring fiercely at the two and making a swipe at venti, who stumbled and barely dodged out of the way.

"who's there?" venti called out boldly. the dragon focused his attention on the eavesdropper, and venti and veritas took the opportunity to slip away with the wind. before they did, veritas caught sight of a head of blonde hair, and... some kind of ragdoll? a teddy bear?