╰┈➤ ❝ Relentlessness is one of the most defining traits of humanity. To persevere even in the face of adversity. To thrive in even the harshest environments and succeed despite the failures of the past and against the expectations of others. To suff...
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The Captain was feared by many. From his current homeland of Snezhnaya to the far edges of Teyvat, he was known to be a menace on the battlefield. Mysterious, never revealing his face or true identity and never leaving any traces that could have you guessing at who the man was behind the mask truly was. If there were more witnesses to his missions aside from the loyal Fatui soldiers, the Captain mused he surely would have become some sort of boogeyman by now; a story to tell your children to make sure they don't just go running off on their own or; considering the creative liberties some of their parents might take making up stories about the fearsome warrior; dont leave the house at all for at least three weeks.
Everyone was always wary of the Captain. They kept their distance from him unless they were called closer. After all, wasn't it better to be safe than sorry? Granted, a lot of the commonfolk would fear the harbingers given their position in the Tsaritsa's court. But even among those who were regarded as brave by their peers, few would be mad enough to willingly get closer to any of the high-ranking ones. Such was the path fate seemed to have laid out for Capitano and he was sure that he was meant to walk it alone. To do his duty, follow his principles; even when others were quick to disregard them and believe the tall man had no such thing as values or a sense of kindness in his heart.
It was easy to brush off the unknown and the powerful as monsters and killing machines. It was a familiar response to that which people struggled to grasp, even when Capitano handed out soup for all his subordinates in the cold dead of winter nights, when they had been sent on a mission. Even when he sent the injured home rather than using them as cannon fodder on the battlefield. Even when some of the Fatui soldiers walked by to see Capitano tend to the palace garden, trying to give some life back to the soils of Teyvat after all the deaths that had occured in the wars and conflict he led his subordinates into. One could always find an explanation for his behavior without having to jump to the conclusion that the Captain was capable of caring and nurturing life other than his own.
And then there was you. You, who caught him off-guard by simply approaching him as if he was just one of the many souls you met in your day-to-day life. You showed no sign of fear towards him. He'd have brushed you off as naive if he didn't know better. But then again, what was so bad about giving a chance to someone like him?
Capitano always tried to appear less intimidating when he was around you; scared of losing something he never even noticed he was lacking. Kindness and attention from another. Someone who genuinely wanted to get to know him. And so, how could he not indulge you? Over the passing of days and months you learnt many things about him he hadn't shown to anyone in a long time. Maybe he would have, if someone had only dared to ask.
You learnt that he liked taking care of Zapolyarny Palace's vibrant garden a little once in a while; although he admitted that sometimes he messed up and destroyed some of the flowers on accident because of his sheer physical strength.
You learnt that he liked collecting trinkets from his travels; the walls of his room being ornated with several ships in bottles, ancient maps, trophies and photographs of places he had been to. Death seemed to follow a man like Capitano like a shadow at his heels; his shoes seemed to be made to pound the pavement and trample everything in their wake. The objects he brought home with him reminded him that life was also all around him. That almost every place he went to had been touched by humans and their unwavering curiosity and relentlessness. He quite enjoyed telling some of the stories behind them to you. Relaying what he had learnt and observed about civilization to someone he hoped considered him a kindred soul.
You learnt that he made some crafts in his freetime and enjoyed reading biographies of famous travelers.
You learnt that behind that mask; behind his power and status, Capitano was just a man. From the first time you saw him, Capitano felt like that was the only thing you ever looked at. The man behind the mask. Like you beckoned him to come closer and tell you his story; to rest his weary bones from battle and enjoy the moments you were able to spend together.
Ever since he became a harbinger, Capitano had never seen much reason to take off his mask in the presence of another person. For what were they to see, but another face of evil?
Besides, it protected his identity and gave him an additional aura of authority; not that he particularly needed it.
But when he took that mask off before you for the first time; when he showed you the raw emotion his face never had to hide for as long as he was wearing his helmet; showed you the battle scars that lined his features and the face so many had theorized about and feared despite never having caught a glimpse of it; all you did was call him beautiful. Accepted him as he was and affirmed to him that you liked what you saw.
When you cupped his face for the first time; the first touch he had received like that in many, many years; Capitano melted into your touch as if you were his salvation.
Now, after years of fighting and wandering the earth, he had finally arrived at a place he could call home.
He chuckled at how you handled him as if he was the one needing protection.
It's something different, he mused, I needed something different.
He readily accepted your love and affection with open arms; from the featherlight kisses you blessed his face with to the way you'd cherish the flowers he had grown himself in the garden and the stories he told you about the world.
Now, even in his hardest battles, death was nothing but a distant voice; for life resided in the heart you had given him to protect and he was reminded of you a little by almost everything around him. Of the nights you spent resting in his arms, the evenings you had danced with him through the empty ballrooms of the castle; teasing him with a reminder to not step on your feet; and of the taste of your lips.
One day, he knew, he'd bring a ring home to you to ask him to stay by his side forever.
"Thank you", he told you as he pressed a warm, soft kiss to your cheek, "for not seeing me as a monster. For taking the time and patience to get to know me. For loving me as I am, just as lost as anyone, really." And you had taken his hand and sworn that you would always love him. Even in this ever-changing world, when the sun has set and risen again a million times, the storms had raged across the land and the sky had shifted; still your love lived on.
