Chapter Text
It has been a little over a year since the final battle against Gold and two years since the battle between the reincarnated Nibelung and Phanes that destroyed Teyvat's fake sky. The new moon illuminates the open sky and the newly created leylines—result of Apep's and Nahida's conjoined efforts—sustain both human and dragonkind. The structure that used to be Celestia was utterly destroyed—half of it during Neuvillette's fight against Nibelung, the other half brought down by Morax seven months later. Teyvat is no longer governed by the Heavenly Principles and the Four Shades, while the concept of the Seven Archons is near void.
The seven nations suffered heavy damages, but they're slowly getting back on their feet. Fontaine, Sumeru, Liyue and Mondstadt haven't had much difficulty, but Natlan and Inazuma have been struggling since the death of their archons. Even so, humans are very good at adapting to the circumstances and finding ways to move forward.
Snezhnaya is the nation that was affected the most by both battles. The Tsaritsa's plan to resurrect Nibelung was met with the final Celestial Nail being dropped on the capital, making a large portion of the country uninhabitable. With the battle against Gold also taking place there, the damaged areas expanded further. And with almost all of the harbingers dead, there was no one to take the helm. A lot of the people were forced to leave Snezhnaya and head south, leaving very few remaining in the Nation of Snow.
Neuvillette's role as Fontaine's leader didn't change, but he did have to prevent people from calling him the new Hydro Archon, just as he had done after the flood. They now knew of his identity, so all he had to say was that the Dragon Sovereigns aren't fond of the Heavenly Principles' ways of governing, which includes the archons. Going into detail about the War of Vengeance would do more harm than good, and the citizens need not bear the burden of ancient history. Furthermore, the Heavenly Principles no longer exist, so the existence of the Seven as a concept is unnecessary. It won't be easy for the people to get used to such a change though.
As for Neuvillette's own work, the load has decreased significantly, with his subordinates taking on some of the duties he previously had. It was hard to accept it at first, since he's always been fully dedicated to the work he does, but he has become aware of his body's limitations. The injuries he suffered two years ago were devastating, and realistically he shouldn't even be alive, much less be up and working.
Even now, some days are so difficult that he's in too much pain to get out of bed, so he's forced to take more days off than he used to. On particularly bad days, his body either shuts down completely, or he gets seizures that leave him disoriented and exhausted. Luckily, they have never happened in public, mostly because he can sense them as they come and he has enough time to retreat to somewhere private. But he dreads the possibility of something like that happening during a trial or an important meeting. He has been practicing in using his powers to temporarily delay them, but he hasn't had much success, so all he can do is hope that he's fortunate in that regard.
Though his daily life is more difficult than it used to be, more tiresome due to his physical issues, Neuvillette really wouldn't have it any other way. His nation is safe, his daughters are well and, strangely enough, he has found people he considers friends—true friends who accept him as he is and who have been by his side through everything that happened, even taking care of his duties during his five month long absence. This closeness is something he used to consider impossible, but now that he has it, he can't help but wonder just how he was able to live without it for centuries. But he's grateful for it and he wouldn't trade it for anything.
Neuvillette has also met people of his own kind: Apep, Scylla, Durin—all of whom he has begun to see as his family. Scylla is almost like an older brother to him, while Durin is a child he now views as one of his own. His relationship with Apep is less straightforward and slightly more difficult to define, but then again, he doesn't need to. They are all very important to him regardless. And the fact that they have used humanoid forms in one way or another makes him feel less of an outsider. In fact, he hardly feels as such anymore.
The only thing that he's missing is the feeling of being in his true form. He managed to turn into his dragon form during the battle two years ago, felt the joy of being truly complete, only for it to be taken away from him the very same day. His body is now too damaged to transform; the flow of energy inside his vessels is too messed up for it. Not to mention that with the way a lot of his bones had to be fixed with metal rods and screws, and with his left leg being a surgically attached prosthetic, such a transformation would be extremely painful and would only cause further damage to his current body. So he misses it, this blissful feeling. He misses it, but he's no longer wondering how it would be, no longer searching for something that would make him feel right... because he already experienced it. Because now he has a memory to relish, unlike before when he could only dream about such joy. He misses it a lot, but it's quite alright.
The last two years have changed him, both mentally and physically, but they've left him with a newfound appreciation for the world around him. Not that he was unhappy with his life before, but he had always felt like something was missing, like there was an empty space that was waiting to be filled. And now that it is, he's going to do his utmost to make it stay this way for as long as possible. Neuvillette is not an overly idealistic person, but he's dedicated.
He's quite stubborn too—or so he's been told. Many times, in fact, especially while he was in the hospital. He was informed that his heart stopped functioning six times in total during his stay, but he simply refused to die. The doctors said that with the extent of his injuries, his brain should have shut itself down as a last resort and he should have been in a natural coma, but he had to be in a medically induced one, because his body kept trying to regain consciousness. He's sure now that it was simply instinct—his desperation to protect those he cares about, the need to act, to fight even though his body was utterly broken. So yes... stubborn indeed.
Neuvillette doesn't actually remember any of it though. Whenever he tries to recall his first two weeks in the hospital, his mind draws a blank. He does remember the feeling of the tube inside his mouth, the thirst and the terrible dryness that came with it, along with the irritation in his throat; he also vaguely remembers the helplessness of being fully paralyzed, but he has no actual memories of that time.
He knows that he had a period of delirium, when he was seeing and hearing things that weren't there, having hallucinations and horrible nightmares that have stayed with him still. He saw his own failures, he saw everyone important to him die in gruesome ways, heard their screams of pain and terror. But he can recognize now that they were just that: nightmares. Even though for the first few months in the hospital he had trouble remembering the events that transpired, as of now, his actual memory stops at the moment of his fall and restarts again two weeks later.
It's probably better that there's this gap in his memory, but he can't help but wish he had also forgotten about the moment he hit the ground. He remembers it clearly—the loud cracking of his bones shattering, his vision going dark and the last of his air being knocked out of his lungs before he stopped breathing completely. He remembers the desperate struggle to draw a breath through his collapsed lungs, he can recall his throat and mouth filling with blood, his limbs spasming unwillingly and then going completely numb. But most of all, he remembers the agonizing, excruciating, unbearable pain and the way he was begging for it to end. Feeling his consciousness slip away moments later was the biggest relief he has ever felt in his life. And he truly wishes he could forget it.
He has nightmares about it—dreams of falling to his death, dreams of trying so hard but still being unable to breathe, dreams of his body breaking, slowly and painfully. It follows some of his waking moments too. There are times when he freezes in place and almost forgets how to breathe. On particularly bad days, the pain makes this feeling even worse and he just wishes to pass out until it's over. Sometimes he feels like he's being pathetic, like he should be way stronger than this, but... isn't that being slightly unfair towards himself? Clorinde told him once that despite all his impartiality, he tends to be unfair towards his own self.
"Are you alright?"
Neuvillette blinks. "Hm?"
"Is something wrong?" Scylla squeezes his arm, staring at him worryingly. Rain hits the windows of Neuvillette's house in a soothing rhythm. It is a natural drizzle, completely unrelated to his own emotional state this time around.
"It's nothing. I was simply lost in thought."
He understands Scylla's worry. When he gets like this, it's usually a sign that he's going to have a seizure. He stares off into space, drifting further and further away from reality before losing consciousness altogether. But it's not the case this time. He really was lost in his thoughts. Not pleasant ones, but thoughts nonetheless.
Scylla hums. "I've noticed you float away sometimes." He leans in and bumps the side of their heads together—an act of companionship that makes Neuvillette's chest warm.
"My apologies."
"That's not it. I want to know how to help you."
Oh. "It's– I am fine, really." And he is fine; today is a good day. It's just that he keeps... remembering.
"If you say so, my Lord." Scylla softly touches Neuvillette's horns with his own.
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Should I not?"
"I– you're very important to me. There's no need for titles. We–"
"I see. Don't you think you're using human standards when it comes to such things?"
"What do you mean?"
"I recently found out from your human friends that for them, using titles shows distance. But you know... I really don't see it this way. You can be my Sovereign while also being my family. Is that so bad?"
"Ah, no, not at all. I understand now." Maybe he has been living amongst humans for too long and he has started seeing some things the way they do. Neuvillette isn't sure how dragons would refer to each other in a similar situation. Do they use titles for their own friends and family members? Or it this just Scylla's preference?
"It simply comes more naturally to me. But I can stop if you dislike it."
"It's not that I dislike it, I simply– hm. Nevermind."
They stay in silence for a while, listening to the rain falling steadily outside the house. Scylla purrs, and it's a soft sound that helps chase away the memories that threaten to rise to the surface of Neuvillette's thoughts.
"Do you feel like going outside? We can take a walk around the city."
"I would like that," Neuvillette always enjoys walking under the rain, "but... I am feeling a little tired." Even though he didn't do much today, his daily work now leaves him with little energy.
"I see. Let's stay inside then. I can make us dinner," Scylla offers.
Neuvillette turns to look at him. "You cannot cook."
"Of course not. But I can go catch us a large fish and serve it with a side of tidalga."
"Ah." Neuvillette smiles in amusement at the mental image of Scylla diving to catch a fish with his bare hands. Well... he would probably use his dragon form for such a thing, but it is still quite funny. "I'm afraid that I have become used to human cooking and cannot stomach raw fish very well."
"That's unfortunate." He pauses. "Wait... then what do you do with the fish the vishaps offer you?"
Neuvillette looks almost offended. "I take them home and cook them." Did Scylla think he throws them away? He can't eat them raw in front of the vishaps the way they do, but he always appreciates the offerings and takes his time savoring them. "I usually make fish soup and invite the melusines over for dinner."
"So whenever you get hungry you have to wait until the food is cooked? You can't just eat it the way it is?"
"That's right." Does Scylla think it strange for a creature of water to be unable to eat raw fish? Does he consider him less of a dragon for it? No... of course he wouldn't. Neuvillette is unsure if his dragon form would have different taste buds and like to consume things raw. Alas, he may never know now, since he lost the ability to transform.
Scylla raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "It sounds inconvenient." Then he shrugs and leans back. "I might try it sometime. Do you find cooking enjoyable?"
"Not particularly, no. But some people do. I know that Navia enjoys and is quite skilled at it."
"Maybe I should get her to teach me."
"I'm sure she would be glad to." She did seem to get along well with Scylla during the few times they met.
"Then next time I'll catch the fish and cook it for you."
Neuvillette smiles. "I shall be looking forward to it."