The Final Chapter

Not The Princess

Chapter 9

The night had set over Mondstadt and the winds had calmed down. Lumine still stumbled forward without a destination, her feet doing their own thing. Her eyes wandered around searching for something without finding it. Nobody was here right now, everyone was at home. Just the guards doing their duty and even they were more sparse then usual. Still, she felt like being watched. Almost paranoid the Traveler turned around and around without perceiving anything around her. The feeling wouldn't go away. With a deep breath she sat down on a bench and looked around again. Why would there be someone? The war was happening far away from here, nobody would come here to spy on her. It surely was the guilt taking a toll on her psyche. She looked at her hand that still had blood on them. His blood. It was her fault, he died. Her fault, the war was raging in Inazuma. Just because she couldn't convince her brother to stay back then. Because she let him go. Tears came down her face again, even though she thought there were none left. This was all her fault. She did so much, but not enough. Not enough to save them.

"Don't cry, your Highness...", a voice in front of her spoke. A voice normally filled with rage, now soft and gentle like a friend. Lumine looked up startled then jumped to her senses and drew her sword. In front of her stood an Abyss Herald. He seemed to have taken out any guards around here, without her noticing.
The Traveler wiped her tears scoffing: "Don't call me that. I'm not your Princess..." She took a fighting pose. But the Herald didn't seem willing to fight. "Oh my, so hostile, please your- Lumine. I do not wish to fight. I am here to escort you to your brother..." He made a motion with his hand opening one of those portals, she had seen before in the Chasm. "Why would you think, that I would come with you? We have been enemies before!" This was suspiscious. Kaeya told them, it was his mission to watch over her and that Aether did not wish to bring her into his plan, only to tell her everything once it happened. What made him change his mind? Did he know of Kaeya's berrayal? Was he in danger? She shook those thoughrs of. There was a potential danger right in front of her, no time to overthink stuff. "His Highness feared you saying that. He allowed me to use everything at my desposal to escort you, under the condition to do no serious harm. So...", he prepared for battle.
Lumine charged at him. The Herald countered it and threw her back on Mondstadt's market place, which luckily was empty due to the time of day. Some guards down there noticed and were alerted. They prepared to come to help. Quickly she stood up again and shouted: "Stay back! I can handle him. Get someone to arrest him!"
She ran towards the wall, placing one of her Geo constructs to get her back up there, where her enemy was located. With the lightning of her Electro power, she crossed the Hydro infused blades of her enemy, which caused him the take a few steps back. She took the opportunity to stab her sword into the ground letting plants errupt out of it capturing the Herald. But it did not manage to hold him as he cut himself free and attacked her once again. Using Geo Lumine let a wall emerge from the ground blocking his attack and then took her Anemo power to create a blade with it to strengthen her weapons. Then she attacked him, injuring the Herald. He took a few steps back, trying to catch a breath, but the Traveler didn't give him that mercy. She caged him, using the same Geo power she used as a shield before, making it it impossible to move for the Herald. Threatening she held her blade at his neck: "What does my brother want from me? Can't be that important if he is not here himself..." The Herald did not look impressed. He looked down on her, saying: "His Highness did not give me a reason. He gave me an order and I took it. As to him not being here, he is currently in Snezhnaya going about important business for the war" Her blade pressed harder against his neck almost cutting it. "And you would tell me that important information, why?" He chuckled, leaning down as much as he could, attempting to bow before her. "You are our princess, the sister of our royal leader. Why wouldn't I?" She decided to not question that further. Behind him, Lumine saw Lisa and some troups arriving at the scene. "That portal leads towards him?", she asked looking back at him. "Not directly, but it leads to Snezhnaya, where His Highness currently is", he responded nodding. The Traveler put away her sword. "Take care of him", she said to Lisa who stood right behind the Herald. Then she turned around without a word and stepped through the portal.

The snow on the other side flew in her eyes. She put her arms around her as the bitter cold hit her. After a moment of being startled by the cold she looked around. Before her layed a wide land with nothing but snow. Quite like Sumeru's desert but snowy. Off to the east she could spot a city. This had to be Snezhnaya. It was built on hill with wall surrounding it. High on that hill a castle with large towers. The residence of the Tsaritsa. Slowly she turned around looking forva hideout a cave or something, but all she could spot were the lights of a small village the distance. Maybe they hid there? For a short moment she pondered her options before deciding to head to the village. It seemed much safer to go there first, maybe getting a coat or something for easier travel. Going back did not seem possible, since she couldn't see a portal back. Out of her bag she took one warming bottle for the way to the village, which she hugged tight. Then she made her way through the high snow to her destination. After a few minutes even her warming bottle got cold and she felt her body freezing to death. Now she was done for. Just because she headed into this without a plan or at least thinking about it. Paimon would have thought about it. Steps got more and more difficult and her vision flickered. But she had to endure this. Just a little more. She wished for Paimon by her side. Lumine missed her. Hearing her complaining. It always made her day. A strong gust of wind knocked her over into the snow. That's it. That's how she would die. Lonely in the snow, because she hadn't thought through it. The mighty Traveler was defeated by snow.