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Ganyu picked her way across the pond toward the low stone table underneath the sandalwood tree. She had not returned to Mount Aocang since taking on the role of the Qixing’s secretary, and she nearly thought she had made a wrong turn somewhere in Jueyun Karst. Cloud Retainer’s abode, once frantic with the sound of contraptions and mechanisms being built, was now quiet, and where once the cries of mustered soldiers could be heard only the breeze rustling the leaves reached her ears.
But she was in the right place. The terrible conflict that had engulfed the land had finally ended; the people in Liyue Harbor were safe, and no one disputed the Geo archon’s rule. And so what troops remained had returned to their families, the implements of war were laid down, and only the yaksha and the Millelith now stood on guard. But though Ganyu knew this, and set aside her bow to take up the ink brush and help the Qixing build Liyue Harbor into a haven of the mortals’ own creation, there would still be mornings when she woke up with the smell of blood and smoke in her nose and the pounding of her own heart in her ears.
And so, a hundred years had passed.
At the stone table was someone whom she had only ever caught glimpses of, on the battlefield and during the Rites of Descension. He had looked at her only once, when she had volunteered to live among the mortals and become the Qixing’s secretary and he gave his assent, yet she had already given him her absolute loyalty from the moment of her birth, and never needed to doubt it even through the most difficult and desperate days of the war. At heart, they shared a deep disillusion with war and a fierce protectiveness toward those with no choice but to be sucked into a conflict they could neither understand nor affect. And a month ago, he had appeared in her dreams and summoned her to Mount Aocang. After weeks of laboriously clearing her schedule, Ganyu had arrived as he instructed.
Next to the Geo archon stood Cloud Retainer, still in her crane form. She had visited Ganyu a few times in the city, asking after her and Madam Ping, and rambling on about things back home: how Mountain Shaper had created a rudimentary mechanism of his own, or how Moon Carver had to shoo away a group of disruptive pilgrims. Ever talkative, this time she was chatting away with the third person at the table, a young-looking man with a green cap and cape, gesticulating with a cup of wine in hand and a merry laugh on his face. Though he looked like an ordinary outlander, Ganyu knew better than to dismiss someone who could drink and eat at the same table as an adeptus and an archon.
“Ah, Ganyu, you’ve arrived early. One has not finished cooking yet. Rest assured, one has accounted for all your dietary needs,” Cloud Retainer’s echoing voice sounded across the water.
“I sure hope the vegetarian cuisine in Liyue is better than in Mondstadt,” the young man said. “Otherwise, I’m going to need a second meal…or an apple.”
“Nonsense, one’s cooking is most scrumptious no matter what restrictions one is faced with.”
Rex Lapis cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming, Ganyu. I hope I did not cause too much of a disruption to your work.”
“Of course not, Rex Lapis,” she replied, “I could not possibly ignore a summons from you.”
“What’s with all the formal attitude?” the green man complained, “‘Rex Lapis’ this, ‘Geo archon’ that. How’re you running this nation, Morax?”
Ganyu opened her mouth to reprimand the stranger, but Rex Lapis spoke first. “Ahem, Ganyu, let me introduce you to the Anemo archon, Barbatos. He has come to visit Liyue, and wishes to give something to you.”
“Just Venti will do,” the Anemo archon said with a grin as Ganyu stared at him in surprise. “No titles needed.”
“Come, sit down, Ganyu. This is not a formal meeting.” Rex Lapis gestured to a seat between the two archons.
“He just wants to know me better,” Venti said, leaning over towards her. “Don’t be fooled by his stony exterior!”
“Please, do not insinuate that Rex Lapis is some kind of impulsive child,” Ganyu said reflexively. She did not mean to insult the Anemo archon so much as she was taken aback by his carefree and irreverent demeanor. Though she knew that he was also an archon, she had not expected him to treat Rex Lapis—and certainly not herself—so casually. And try as she might, she could not help being reminded of another god who was so joyful and teasing.
Cloud Retainer shook her head. “One had already reprimanded the Anemo archon on this point many times before, Ganyu. Perhaps it’s best to cease a fruitless pursuit.”
“Don’t pay it any mind,” Rex Lapis advised. “If he truly insults me, I can handle it myself.”
“Come on, you know I wouldn’t do that!” Venti protested. “I’m just a humble bard—nothing is free from a bard’s reinterpretation, is it?”
“You have made that point quite clear already, Venti,” Rex Lapis said. “Since you came all this way for Ganyu’s sake, could you perhaps spare her your less dignified side?”
“Alright, alright,” Venti said. “Miss Ganyu, right?”
“Yes, that’s me. Secretary of the Qixing.” She bit back a ‘how may I help you?’ that rose instinctively into her mind at the tone of his voice. “Pleased to meet you, Venti.”
“Ah, you’re exactly like what Morax said what you’re like. Come on, have some wine!” He offered her a cup.
Ganyu shook her head. “I should stay sober. As a half-adeptus, I do not have as much tolerance for alcohol as full adepti.”
“Aw, fine, then…” Venti pulled out a small bottle from his clothes. “How about some apple cider? A most delicious drink.”
“So, you brought some Mondstadt specialties for Ganyu?” Rex Lapis asked as Venti poured Ganyu a cup. “How thoughtful of you.”
“Thank you,” Ganyu said as she took the cup. It smelled crispy and sweet, and tasted much the same. She smiled. “It’s most delicious indeed.”
“Right?” Venti grinned. “As for you, Morax, if you wanted some, you should have just asked when I told you I was visiting! It’s not often that I tell you when I’m coming in advance, you know. I guess you’ll have to wait for the next time.”
“Humph,” Rex Lapis crossed his arms. “Cloud Retainer, is our food ready?”
“One thinks the food should be done now. Come, Ganyu, help me bring it over.”
“Yes, leave these two archons to bicker among themselves,” Venti said with a chuckle. “Although you might enjoy seeing that side of your archon.”
~
Cloud Retainer’s cooking had been to both Ganyu and Venti’s liking, and even Rex Lapis commended her work. Throughout the course of the meal, Venti jested with Rex Lapis, who did not go along with his jokes, and Cloud Retainer, who seemed to have taken most of it seriously instead. Ganyu sat, ate, and watched, though her posture relaxed without her realizing, and she found herself chuckling along with some of the jokes.
At the end, Venti stood from his seat and sighed contently. “What a delicious meal! And such good company!”
“Of course one is good company,” Cloud Retainer said as Rex Lapis crossed his arms.
“Well, I suppose I’ll see you at the usual spot later, Morax?”
“I will be there, of course. Is Egeria coming?” Rex Lapis asked.
“Yes, she is,” Venti said. “Ah, Ganyu. Think I’ve forgotten what I wanted to see you for? It's been on my mind all night.”
Ganyu nodded with a subconscious gulp. She wondered what a foreign god could want of her, or if she would be deserving of his attention at all. She stood and tried not to feel her heart beating in her chest.
Venti summoned a bow. Slick and sharp, part of it shone a bright white-blue in the moonlight, while its bowstring also glowed dimly. He held it in both hands and extended it toward her. Ganyu stepped back in shock. “Lord Barbatos—Venti, I vowed to lay down my bow after the war, I…”
“Ganyu is a pacifist, Barbatos,” Rex Lapis said disapprovingly. “She has fought enough in her life.”
“I too hope that you won’t need this bow in the future. That’s why I want to give it to you.” Venti took a small step toward Ganyu. His eyes slowly drifted up the length of the bow. “This bow once belonged to a huntress. She slew countless creatures with this bow, and honed its potency with each life taken. I can’t let it fall into the wrong hands.”
“But…” Ganyu swallowed. “Why not destroy the bow?”
Venti nodded. “I thought of that too. But the huntress was also my friend, and my comrade-in-arms. She chose to turn against the power of a god, her love, and paid for it with her life. The last person who died by her hand, by this bow, was that god, our god who imprisoned us within his howling winds.” Venti looked up into her eyes. His wide green irises, previously full of mirth and mischief, were now somber and solemn. “Of course, I don’t expect you to have followed what happened in Mondstadt while Liyue was at war, so I’ll spare you the details. Just know that…this bow’s final shot helped her earn us our freedom, and it's all that remains of her choice.”
Ganyu stared at the weapon’s glow. Her heart grew heavy. “I don’t want a weapon, though,” she whispered. “Why not someone else?”
“Because you understand best the value of peace.” Venti smiled at her and only her. “I trust you the most to hold this weapon, not the prideful clans of Mondstadt or any other mortal who forgets too quickly the lessons of their ancestors. You know the price that is paid when you bring this weapon’s sights onto a living being, and most importantly, you know when it is necessary to pay that price. But it can’t be paid if your aim is no longer sure and your bowstring no longer taut.”
Ganyu slowly reached out her hand. “I understand, Lord Barbatos. But, in my possession, this bow can only defend Liyue’s peace.”
“I know.” Venti nodded as Ganyu took the bow and felt its well-worn grip under her fingers. “I’m sorry to impose a foreign archon’s wishes onto you, Ganyu.”
She shook her head. “It’s no burden to me. I will cherish the legacy of your friend for you, even though I do not know her.”
“If we meet again in the future, I can tell you about her should you desire.” Venti turned to leave, though he kept his eyes on her. “Take care of Amos’s bow in the meantime.”
—~—
“I never would have expected the peaceable Ganyu to be busy at archery training.”
Ganyu gave a start and lowered her bow. “Lady Yuheng!” Keqing stood in the doorway to the practice range with her arms crossed over her chest. “What brings you here? Is there something I need to attend to? Are the Qixing in disagreement over the Rite of Descension again?”
“No, nothing of the sort. I’m merely fascinated by the sight of you of all people training with a weapon, when you seem like the last person to use one for its purpose. It’s difficult to grasp how such a fine bow would end up in the Qixing’s secretary’s hands, and not of an Adventurer or a Millelith officer. How long has it been sitting in your office for?”
“Oh, I take it out for practice every week!” Ganyu glanced at the targets, most of which were variously impaled with ice, but were out of Keqing’s sight. “It’s an old gift from the Anemo archon, he wished that I continue to practice with it.”
“The Anemo archon? I must say, I have never met someone so obedient to the gods, even one that has been so absent. You would break your pacifist principles for the word of a foreign archon? It’s a pity more people don’t share your obsequience to the divine.”
“With all due respect, Lady Yuheng, you must know that a sharpened sword keeps the peace better than a rusted one. I hope you also share my desire that I will never have to draw this bow against a living thing, but should a time come when force becomes necessary I would rather have a well-honed aim and an unbroken bow than toothless well-wishes.”
Keqing stared at the unusual conviction of the Qixing’s secretary, before leaving without a word, as the sounds of ice shattering rang out from behind the low wall.