The birth of a hero

A final goodbye

Preface:

Notes:

I wrote this story ages ago sometime in 2020 after the Liyue Arc. I'm not going to take it down now. Some things hurt, but deleting it completely hurts even more. Harbinger Trailer... Faces reveal... well cursed... damn it ><. Thought I had still a little more time before too.

It bugs me if some of the story parts are/sound -wrong- now, but it was just my idea of things at the time. And I don't feel like being ashamed of it or deleting a whole story now because of it or rewriting everything -____- (I wouldn't know how either. Should I switch Pulcinella with Capitano, but that also seems questionable and wrong to me).

Please no stupid comments about Pulcinella. Just don't say anything at all. Okay, thanks.

I just hope you all have read the story before already... if you are new to the story... just think to yourself.... he could've been handsome. I'm so sorry but truth to be told, mhy should be.

Here we go.

//

The snowflakes danced around in front of the nose of the boy who was watching the scenario hidden behind a corner. In this small snezhnayan village an incident had happened in which several villagers had been injured. The mayor was upset and was talking to a man who appeared to be the guilty.

"I am sorry for the incident. I will talk to my son," he said with his head down.

"I hope so. Because it can't go on like that," the village chief replied sternly. "You know the rules."

"Yes, i'm aware of that. I'll make sure it doesn't happen ever again."

"And how you gonna do that. Dismissed."

The boy behind the corner wrinkled his little nose and ran his fingers through his ginger hair. With a sigh, he then disappeared into the old barn, which had been empty for years. From there he peeked over to the house. He heard his father's now loud voice over here clearly, too.

"You tell me where Ajax is right now!" he shouted.

"I don't know. How am I supposed to know? He was still here a minute ago!" he heard his younger sister's upset voice.

"Tonia! Don't lie to me!" the father threatened, and heard a whimper in response. It was not the first time. Actually, he should have come back to protect his sister, but if he did that.... Far worse was going to happen to him.

"I really don't know where he is!" he heard Tonia and the next moment a slamming door. Maybe he would stay here for a while until his father's anger had faded.

But he would soon realize that this time it would not be so easily settled. Yes, he had started a fight with the men, but only because they had provoked him. And anyway, everyone in this village looked at him as if he wasn't quite normal. Life here was terrible because everyone was watching everyone. Still, he loved the house and his family more than anything. As long as the old man didn't get angry. But lately it was not so easy. And so, if he wanted or not, he had to endure a long lecture from his father:

"Ajax. You know that it's not okay at all that you beat up any people. And then you just ran off. I never thought my son would be such a coward. Yesterday I had a conversation with the mayor. I think we'll face serious consequences if this happens again, which could affect our whole family as well."

"I told you it wouldn't happen again," he muttered, rubbing his arm sullenly. Before this conversation now, his father had grabbed him roughly, shoved him into the chair, and yelled at him at first.

"No. It won't happen again anyway. I've decided to put you in the care of the Fatui," his father said sternly.

"What!!?" asked Ajax in shock. Now this really came off as a surprise and it meant that he had to leave this place.... His father was going to send him away?

"Yes, you understood it right. You're leaving in two days. I have already settled everything. You will then receive military training at Fatui headquarters. Then your apparently uncontrollable lust for battle will at least be of some use. And they will teach you proper discipline and order, where I obviously failed as a father," the father explained and shook his head.

"But... But father, please don't send me away! I'll never do it again either, I promise!" said Ajax desperately. Tears came straight to his eyes at the thought of having to leave his siblings hurt badly. He was also afraid of the Fatui. One did not tell only good things about them.

"That's what you said the last few times. No. This time it's decided," the father replied and looked away.

No matter what he said now, his father wouldn't listen to it. And Ajax knew that he could not change his mind anymore. Defiantly, he wiped his face.

"All right. If it's your decision, then I'll go," he said stubbornly and left the room. He had no other choice, after all. But how was he going to tell the others?

#

The next two days Ajax tried to spend as much time as possible with his siblings. He used the few hours, which remained to him to spend a nice time with them. He did not tell them that he would go away soon. He didn't want them to be sad and crying with him in the end. This was not how he wanted his brothers and sisters to remember him.

The night before he left for the capital of Snezhnaya, he wrote a letter to each of his siblings and put it under their pillows while they were still asleep. He himself did not sleep a wink. He simply wasn't able to. After all, he didn't know what to think when he might not see his family again for a very long time. But eventually his tears were used up and everything faded into indifference.


When his father woke him up the next morning, the whole house already knew about his departure. But the father had also concealed it before and so all seemed overwhelmed and shocked. Ajax had already finished packing his things and stepped into the hallway, where his crying mother hugged him tightly.

"You can't just send him away. Look at him. He's much too young after all.... My child," she said in exasperation.

"I knew you would say that. That's why I kept it secret from you. But you also know what happened in the village and that the mayor won't tolerate it any longer. Either Ajax goes, or we all go eventually. You know very well that we depend on the village. If he received a decent military training, he can come back," said the father sternly.

Ajax remained silent. He did not want to do this kind of training. But to contradict him now would be of no use. One day, his father would see...

"How can you just give away our son? You don't even know what the Fatui will do to him. I will never forgive you for that," the mother said, but dressed up for leaving. She put her arm around her son's shoulders. "Come, Ajax. Come..." she said to him and to the siblings in her motherly gentle voice before they all left the house.

"Yes I know. That's where he learns discipline and order," the father murmured, striding ahead. They walked to the village square. There, a small delegation from the Fatui was already waiting to take Ajax with them. The ginger haired teenager folded his arms. They were armed men, but none of them seemed particularly frightening. Almost all were skinny fellows ... Except... the only fat one with the ice rifle made a particularly untrained impression. And such were recruits of Fatui? Ridiculous...

And now he had to participate in this organisation. He was close to puke.

"Why are they taking Ajax?" he heard a voice from the background. He looked over his shoulder and saw his three-year-old brother running towards him with his face covered in tears. He was retrieved by Mother before he could reach him.

Now, as the Fatui dragged him along by the arm after saying goodbye, their grip felt extremely light compared to his father's....

Ajax had a spontaneous idea... for a particularly unforgettable farewell also for his brothers and sisters... perhaps he could also stay, if he frightened these Fatui properly?

"Hey, don't touch me, you lousy guys. I have no intentions of joining your club," he said cheekily, slapping his arms away. The eyes of all the villagers were on him, but he was ready for a show. He wasn't going to leave so easily. And after all, he had promised his siblings to become a knight at the Fatui headquarters. Now what he saw did not correspond to what he had expected.

"You're coming with me now. This is an order from Sir Pulcinella and the mayor," the recruit said, gripping tighter.

"Oh yeah, more like child abduction," Ajax replied boldly, wriggling out of his grip. The next moment a fight had developed, which Ajax had planned. All the villagers watched in shock, especially the father. No one intervened, it all happened so fast, while Ajax battled with chosen moves all the soldiers, who afterwards just lay down defeated in a corner.

His little brothers and sisters cheered as he proudly returned to them. The whole village, however, was just shocked.

"And you really want to send me to the Fatui?" said Ajax cheekily smiling to his father. The latter, however, only turned away disappointed. The citizens treated the Fatui, who then departed. Ajax returned home with his family, with the difference that his parents did not speak to him for the time being. But the happy smile of Teucer had all been worth it.