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SCENE I ⊹₊꒷︶꒷꒦‧₊˚⊹
Noise.
That was all that you could comprehend at the moment— loud sounds and blackness. You weren't sure if you had gone blind or you just simply had your eyes closed. Whatever the case, your paralyzed body didn't even have enough strength to open your eyes and find out. You had no feeling, no vision, and no sense of smell, so it was likely you couldn't taste either.
From what you could tell, it seemed your consciousness had just awoken for the first time in awhile, though time works differently while sleeping, so maybe it had only been a few seconds?
"Ugh... so noisy."
Since your only functioning sense was hearing, even the quietest of sounds seemed significantly louder than they actually were. What's worse, despite the constant noise, you couldn't pinpoint or process any of it, for your ears were ringing too loudly to even think.
"Are they even talking? Or are they just making noise..?"
All you could make of it were the obnoxious mumbling, blabbering mouths of humans.
One finger made a slight twitch, which meant your sense of touch was finally coming back to you. At least being completely paralyzed could be crossed off the list of worries.
"Agh!" You let out a pained cry as you attempted to open your eyes, the unforgiving sun blinding you through the window of an unfamiliar room. This sun was much different than the sun you were acquainted with as a child— it was too bright. The sharp stinging had forced you to shut your eyes again, but after an excessive amount of blinking, you found them adjusting to the atmosphere.
You glanced around to comprehend what was happening and where you were. It seemed you had been unconscious on a bed in some sort of hospital wing.
"A bed? Why am I in so much pain? Why am I—"
You jolted to a sitting position, with an agonizing pain flowing through each of your joints. You're head pounded but you couldn't care any less, for you realized the truth of where you were.
"I'm finally out... I'm finally..."
Shaking because of an almost hysterical amount of emotion, you brought your now sensible hands to your face, hoping it would help cope with the overwhelming sense of feeling real again. Hiding underneath your hands were your shocked and desolate eyes. They were paired with a helpless smile, one which couldn't help but let out a quiet, breathless chuckle in response to your current situation.
"I'm free? It can't be..."
The sudden urge to vomit rushed through your body, which ironically enough brought the color of a living human back to your face.
It was warm, but it was definitely not the normal kind of warmth. This nausea-inducing heat inside you acted as if its purpose was to replace your brain, for you knew exactly what you needed to do.
"I have to get out of here as fast as possible."
You noted the most effective route of escape and silently slid your legs off of the hospital bed, taking care not to be heard by a busy nurse. There were only two in the hospital wing at the moment, and even though they were tending to other patients, it was still surprising that they hadn't noticed you'd woken up yet.
Reuniting your bare feet to the floor, you were planning to make a run for it. That was the only idea you had— the genius idea to bolt through the front doors as fast as you could before anyone even had a chance to notice.
Obviously, you had to act quickly if you wanted to free yourself from the hospital, for the two healthy nurses now examining something in the corner were sure to outrun you (someone who is not healthy) in a chase. Luckily, if worst came to worst and you got caught, you already possessed the perfect means for this type of escape job. Back in the day, you were a master at running from authority, so it should be easier than pie to free yourself.
Standing was accompanied by a pang of intense light-headedness, but you waited it out and pushed through, succeeding in not falling unconscious once again. You stretched your arm out in front of you, hand open, as if you expected something to magically appear out of thin air and land right into your grasp.
But nothing happened.
"Where is it?! Where the hell is it?!"
On the verge of boiling over, you had a hunch as to why your only means of power was gone. This was his doing. He must've taken it from you— just like he took everything else. It pissed you off and you wanted to flip hospital beds because of it, but you knew must remain composed if you wanted any chance to escape this unfamiliar place.
Now, fleeing was truly your only way to get out, so you readied yourself.
"Three."
"Two."
"One—!"
"She's awake!"
The jovial voice of one of the nurses bounded towards you. She appeared happy to see you conscious, for her sand-colored curly twin-tails bounced joyfully with each step she took. This girlish hairdo was also fashioned with a quaint blue and white hat, which seemed to mark that of her specialty: a healer. She wore a fluffy dress that reached her knees and her neck was adorned by the biggest bow you had ever seen.
She was definitely from the Mondstadt Cathedral— the crosses across her attire was proof of that. It bugged you.
"Good morning!" She smiled gently to show her friendliness, now fidgeting with the supplies on a table near your bed. It was code for the sisters at the church to treat their patients with kindness. "How are you feeling? My name is—"
Without a second thought you bolted, leaving the nurses absolutely dumbfounded. You slammed your arms against the massive wooden doors that kept you from freedom and heaved them open, already gaining some of your strength back.
Behind them was a series of hallways, which luckily for you, you knew how to navigate. Sure, the paint-job and decorations had changed drastically to fit the day and age, but the structure of the Cathedral itself couldn't have, right? And that structure was permanently burned into your memory.
"This ancient building hasn't changed one bit!"
You huffed, swiftly maneuvering in and out of the rooms and hallways. It had been awhile since you last ran, so your heart sped up too an abnormal pace, proving you were quite out of shape. What's worse, you didn't have to look back to know you were already being chased, after all, the echoing footsteps of the nurses' heeled shoes sounded closer and closer by the second.
"Stop! Stop running!' One of the running nurses panted. "We are here to help! Please stop running!"
You didn't listen, of course.
Solidifying a successful escape, you had finally reached the entrance gates of the Cathedral. And with the sweet taste of freedom so close, you tilted your head back to gift the lovely ladies behind you a cheeky smirk, implying that they had failed their mission.
Personality wise, you were always pretty snarky, so it was practically a requirement for you to rub your success in the nurses' faces. You wouldn't have been able to live with yourself if you had missed such a great opportunity to ruin someone's day.
So as the cherry on top, you winked. Then you slammed the Cathedral gates in their faces, claiming your victory.
"Hahh..." You breathed out and closed your eyes, toppling your hands onto your knees to catch your breath. Of course, you weren't stupid— you knew your escape wasn't over. Any second the nuns could come bursting back through those doors and grab you— and effortlessly, for now you were completely vulnerable.
After so long with no cardio, not to mention being unconscious only ten minutes ago, you were not prepared for the aftermath of that workout. You were still very weak and needed a rest, so even if you wanted to keep going you couldn't. This forced you to support yourself against one of the many marble pillars adorning the outside of the Cathedral.
Your head spun as you fought the blackening stars in your vision. You were no going to pass out here— no way, no how. After all, you were finally free from that wretched place you'd been trapped in for so many years. Not a chance you would let this chance at freedom get away from you.
So, resting your head and hands sideways against the smooth marble, you panted and prayed to regain enough energy before the healers returned (even though a healer is likely what you needed).
You let in one last inhale to prepare for the next onset of running, then opened your eyes to see—
Nothing.
Someone had blocked your vision— someone had caught you.
Your first, most logical thought was that a nurse had grabbed you to take you back to the hospital wing, but why would she feel the need to cover your eyes? Furthermore, you never heard the Cathedral gates open up behind you, so who was it— and why?
"If this person is working with the nuns then... there wouldn't be any need to keep themselves hidden, right?"
It was highly suspicious, after all, it almost seemed as if your captor didn't want to reveal themself to you.
"Wait..."
"Am I... being kidnapped?"
Unfortunately, before your mind could comprehend the threat, your kidnapper had already wrapped their free arm around your waist and rendered you immobile— completely under their hold.
That confirmed it. You were in danger.
Luckily, and probably unknown to your captor, you knew how to fight. Your many experiences in similar situations had well trained you in the art of self defense and escape.
Your only sense of sight being the twinkling rays of light which peeked through the fingers of your opponent, you swung your arm upwards, hoping to land a blow to their head.
They dodged.
It looks like they knew how to fight too.
After failing, you struggled in their tight grasp for a few seconds, but it was to no avail. Your kidnapper seemed determined not to let you go. Their goal impeded on your freedom.
Sounds like someone familiar.
You had so many questions. After all, if this wasn't some random kidnapping and you were a purposeful target, that means they knew something about you or your past. You were quite old, so if they have been alive long enough to know about you, that means they were probably not human— and more powerful than you originally thought.
"Who is it? Why are they hiding their identity? Why do they want me? How do they know who I am? What do they know exactly?"
You had so many questions, but those would have to be saved for a time when you weren't being held hostage. The current priority was setting yourself free.
But it got worse. All hope vanished when you felt the attacker rapidly move their arm from your waist to you shoulders, now preventing you from any arm movement whatsoever. Your back was now locked against their chest and your arms no longer capable of swinging at them, you resorted to speech.
"Do you know who I am?" You grunted, assuming that had to be the case. "What is it you want with me?"
Silence— your enemy didn't even bother to respond.
"Shouldn't there be hundreds of knights and nuns guarding this area? This is one of the most important buildings in Mondstadt! How did a suspicious person like this get this far without being noticed?!"
You thought to yourself, astonished by the utter failure of security. Of course, when there is a problem in the government, you blame the governor— that governor being someone you absolutely despised.
"This is all that stupid bard's fault." You grumbled, accidentally letting it slip from your mouth.
Surprisingly, that off-handed comment resulted in a reaction from your culprit. It seemed to have affected them, for the figure behind you had slightly jolted, just enough to move their hand from your eyes for even a second.
Making the perfect move, you took advantage of the slight release and flung your elbow around towards their side, wanting not only to give them a taste of their own medicine, but also to get a glimpse of what they looked like.
Successfully jabbing them in the side with your elbow, the enemy grunted in pain and toppled over.
You spun around to analyze your opponent, but to your surprise, they had vanished.
There was nothing except the chilly breeze of the Mondstadt wind.
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SCENE II ⊹₊꒷︶꒷꒦‧₊˚⊹
"What were you thinking?! Don't ever think about pulling a stunt like that again!"
Once again, you sat on one of the hopeless little hospital beds in the Cathedral healing wing, but this time your ears were ringing for a different reason— you were being lectured by a group of panicked nurses.
"You could have hurt yourself even further! You have to be careful, do you have any idea what you've been through?!"
"Haha. Do you even have any idea what I've been through?"
Lost in your own irritated thoughts, you held a blank expression and listened to the scolding. As much as you wanted to argue with the nuns, you understood where their worries were coming from— in their eyes you were a young human girl found critically injured at the bottom of a cliff. Of course they were worried! In any situation, someone as injured as you were would be their top priority.
So, to grant them their deserved respect, you focused all of your attention to form the most convincing 'listening' face.
No, of course you were't truly listening, but you were smart. You knew that if you didn't show at least some remorse for putting them through so much stress, the scolding would just go on for longer— and you didn't want that. You wanted to get out of that Barbatos-worshipping cult prison as fast as possible.
"Sisters." The cheerful blonde nun from earlier interrupted her colleagues' sermons. "Please, let's not get so upset. She's shocked— that's all. The very last thing she needs right now is a scolding."
With the obnoxious nuns finally putting a cease to their constantly blabbering mouths, the calm one handed you a glass of liquid, which you assumed to be some sort of healing tonic.
Honestly, it looked rather disgusting.
"Drink up. You'll feel better."
You made an mistrusting expression.
"It's alright. We're here to help you." She grinned and gently rested a hand on your shoulder. "You can call me Barbara! If you remember your name, I'd love to know it."
"[Y/n]." You swiftly answered and gulped down the surprisingly tasteless drink.
"She made something that disgusting-looking capable of not making me vomit? She must be good at her job."
Internally, you approved.
"You have a very pretty name, [Y/n]."
"Why is she talking to me like I'm a child..?"
Now you disapproved. Your moods change pretty easily.
Her noticing the fact that you just completely and utterly ignored her compliment, she preceded to the next question. "Alright. Well... do you know where you are? If so, can you tell me about it?"
You answered without wasting a second.
"The Cathedral... in Mondstadt... in Teyvat. This region was founded by the Anemo Archon—" You almost gagged at the mention of his name coming from your very own mouth. "Barbatos... the god of freedom. Although he founded this land, he soon left, declaring he would let the people of Mondstadt live in true freedom."
"Bla bla bla— whatever. I think it was just an excuse to laze around."
Being in the Cathedral, you had to watch your mouth and make sure your ill thoughts remained inside your head.
"Wow! It seems the injury to your head didn't shake up too many memories." Barbara clapped her hands together with a smile that couldn't be broken. She was like the embodiment of joy and honestly, it was kind of adorable.
"Barbatos must like you! You healed at a miraculously fast rate, so it seems you've been greatly blessed by him. What a kindred soul our Archon is!"
"Nevermind..."
You rolled your eyes and gagged again, fighting the urge to vomit.
"I have a few more questions for you." She continued, snapping out of her inspiring love for the ever-so-humble-and-good Anemo Archon. "Which of the seven regions are you from? Are you a local?"
You nodded.
"Oh?" She curiously turned towards one of the surrounding nuns and made a gesture. You weren't exactly sure what it meant. "Do you have a family or... perhaps any friends that you stay with?"
You thought for a moment before constructing a lie. "Yes. I stay with my husband and his friend."
Obviously, that was a lie. After all, you had absolutely no intention of telling these ignorant nuns your real identity. That would cause nothing but panic— especially since this very Cathedral is the prime place of worship for your mortal enemy. So you lied, and effortlessly too— mentioning a 'loving husband' seemed like an easy way to win over a bunch of (probably) hopeless romantic nuns.
"Oh, you have a husband? What's his name?"
"I'm afraid, he is far away from Mondstadt at the time... but I can give you his friend's information." You feigned disappointment, 'sad' that your perfect husband was currently away from home, where in reality, he didn't even exist.
Luckily, his existence didn't matter— it was his 'friend's' existence that did. There was someone you needed to see.
Barbara nodded and pulled a stool beside your bed. "That'll do perfectly as well!" She energetically plopped herself onto the wooden seat and rested her hands on her lap, waiting.
"Well... He's got golden hair, and— Oh! It's in a braid— a very long braid." You averted your eyes, desperately racking your memory for the appearance of that man. "Erm... His eyes are also gold, and well..."
Suddenly it hit you. All you had to do was mention that small floating creature he was with and even a blind man would recognize him!
"Surely you've seen his little friend!" You lifted your arms to demonstrate in hopes it would help them understand. "Ya know... she's about this tall." You stretched your arms to match her height. "And she floats! And—"
"What?!"
With that, each and every single nurse in the hospital wing bounced up, almost simultaneously.
"You are friends with the Honorary Knight of Favonius?!" Barbara exclaimed, genuinely shocked. They all made eye contact with each other, apparently having a hard time comprehending your claim.
"Ah... yes! That's him! He's friends with my husband." You chuckled like the complete fraud you were and gave your company an innocent thumbs up.
"Are you sure..? It didn't seem like he knew you when he brought you here." One of the nuns mumbled, while collecting your empty tonic glass from earlier. "Then again... it also didn't seem like he didn't know you. He's not very talkative about his personal life."
The nurses wondered amongst themselves, then after a few seconds of silence, Barbara's hearty voice once again echoed through the Cathedral halls.
"Don't worry, [Y/n]. We will bring him here and he'll take you home once you're all ready to go." She mentioned, now dragging away her stool from beside the bed and returning it to its original place. From the looks of it, she had finished her line of questioning.
"Um... about that. Exactly how long will that be? How long until I can leave?" You questioned and scratched your cheek, hoping for an answer with little to no time involved. You couldn't bare to be in this Barbatos-infested building any longer.
"You're injuries have healed themselves at an alarmingly quick speed. It's a shock to all of us that you're even alive right now— much less conscience enough to try and race us all through the Cathedral halls. Haha!" She giggled, making a friendly elbow jab at you. "Unfortunately though, it's still too early to tell—"
"She'll be leaving now. She's fine." A deep, slick voice rang from one of the more distant corners of the room. It was soothing in its own mysterious way— like scraping a sharp blade along a thick lake of ice.
"Her ride is here."
Upon nearing this, the nuns switched their focus from you to the chilly voice. It sounded like it came from the entrance.
"Oh! Sister Rosaria? When did you get here?"
You attempted to look for this 'Sister Rosaria,' but the wall of stupid Barbatos-lovers blocked your vision. Nevertheless, you could see through it enough to notice Barbara shuffling her way through the small crowd towards the front. Then, she was out of sight.
Since you couldn't see, your only option was to listen, so you laid back with your arms behind your head, crossed one leg over the other, shut your eyes, and relaxed while keeping your ears sharply peeled on the conversation.
"I've brought the Honorary Knight." The cold voice explained thoroughly, obviously wanting to leave. She sounded quite bothered, so you assumed she didn't enjoy conversing with the other nuns. That's something the two of you definitely had in common— maybe you and her would get along well?
"She'll be going with him."
"But she's not—"
"I said she'll be going with him." She interrupted, her stern voice overpowering that of Barbara's. "It's the Acting Grand Master's orders."
Barbara went silent for a minute. "Well... If it's her orders then I surely cannot go against them." Obeying orders, she shuffled her way back to you.
"[Y/n], Sister Rosaria is going to bring you to your friend." Even though Barbara didn't seem very trusting of Rosario, she tried her utmost to remain positive. Laced with sincerity, she clasped your hands in hers. "Promise me you will be careful, alright? If anything feels funny or you come to find yourself in a lot of pain, come back here right away. We will take care of you from there."
She then helped you off of the bed and formed another gentle smile. "Do you understand?"
You nodded.
"Alright, then follow me."
Barbara handed you off to the slightly frightening Sister Rosaria, whom from there, led you out of the hospital wing and through the maze of the Cathedral.
To meet your...
Husbands friend..?
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