After that horrible destructive day, I had been forced to sit down and listen to an hour of yelling, arguments and a never ending discussion that ended up in a tight sentence. "I hope you've learnt your lesson." But I didn't care, whatever my punishment was, I was just glad Zhongli was safe. If that dragon really had come to save Zhongli, then that meant that he was staying with his kind and he wouldn't have to be afraid about being captured by my humans.
My punishment lasted a few weeks; I had to do my neighbors chores, clean the horse shit and fix the roofs that had been burnt to a crisp. It was a pain in the ass, but it was my duty. I was warned and cussed by those who witnessed the event. I was told that if something like this was to ever happen again, that they'd have me banned from ever coming back. That I risked the lives of everyone here.
But that wasn't true.
I told them that Zhongli wasn't evil and nobody listened. Pierro on the other side had calmed down, he wasn't as happy with me anymore but this was the last time he'd come visit for a while, since he only came to visit only so many times. My father on the other side didn't speak to me for a week, furious at me for even thinking of such a thing. Yeah bummer, I don't blame him.
Course I didn't really care, but it did hurt a little.
Eventually the years moved as quickly as the chaos had ended and days moved to months, then months to a couple of years. Then to 23 years old I was headed, packing my bags and preparing to live to Liyue.
The city of lights one trip away from my hands. I felt incredibly excited.
"Tartaglia, do you have everything?" The old man smiles at me and I nod. He's not ready for me to leave but this has been my dream forever. I know that Zhongli is a fond memory in my head but I hope that one day I will be able to find him and maybe that'll be in Liyue, where we both promised we'd go. Im scared he won't remember me.
But I'm not just going to Liyue, I'll be living there. Of course Liyue has changed a lot and it's not the same thing that it used to be when I was 6. So I'm nervous and excited at the same time. "Yup, everything, clothes, money–" suddenly my words get interrupted with a big hug from my father, he hugs me tightly. I remember that a few years ago he was so much taller than me and now I hover above him like a tree.
"Send me a letter, okay? Promise me that young boy!" he sighs, leans back, gives me one big pat to the back and walks over to the door where a horse carriage awaits me. "I promise" I say my last goodbyes and walk out the door. I'm not sure when I'll visit, maybe after I've settled, but now that I'm inside this carriage I'm really fucking anxious. Today is the day. The carriage starts moving and the horses neigh on their way. To stone gate, a long path that crosses a small river but leads to Dihua Marsh. It's a hot summer day, the birds are chirping, the water is full of life, fish are bouncing across the river in pairs. "Everything alright there lad?" The young boy's voice settles to my ears and I reply with a quick yes, adjusting my feet a little as the carriage shakes from the uneven pavement.
Then we passed by Wangshu inn and my eyes widened. I had heard of Wangshu Inn before, but to see it in its original form. It was huge and nothing like I imagined. Was this what I was missing from life? Excitement, the thrill of being alive again. Reawakening a small shrill of child-like excitement in me. Ripping magazines my father brought from his trips to glue on the walls.
By the time we reached the Guili plains the landscape had turned more grassy, the sun shined stronger like nothing before. Old architecture falling to pieces, beautifully covered in grass and wrapped in vines like a soft embrace. I felt at peace with the world. The breeze on my face, the subtle rubble to the side.
After a long journey, the carriage stopped by Luhua pool and I made my way from there, walking through pavement and grass. Admiring the scenery that unfolded before me. Waving at people who watched me walk by, attending to their crops and holding these weird square things to the pool. I was confused why everyone had these things. My village had always been something more secluded in the mountains and therefore late to technology, but I couldn't understand what these square things were and why they kept clicking them. Was this a normal thing?
YOU ARE READING
The Rebellion〚Childe x Zhongli〛➷
Romance"What do you think you're doing?" his breath hitches, he's struggling when there's so much going on, our scents, his breath on my face, my hands on the knife he's holding. "Getting to know your body language, getting to know you. Getting to know why...
