stranger [C. TARTAGLIA]

END [cryo archon route]

a/n: if anyone can recall, i said that i'd post two endings for this book. in the end, i scrapped one of those and decided with the other one called END. however, this was actually the original ending i thought of of this book. i decided to publish it since i saw some ppl askingg for it :D

in this ending, [Y/N] became the cryo archon. note that this isn't canon to the main story, so think of it as an alternate universe :)

°

"your majesty, your majesty?" you blinked, snapping out of your daze. your most trusted maid, natasha, called out to you.

"yes?" you asked.

"we are about to board the ship."

"alright, i'll be there in a sec." you smiled as she nods, exiting your room.

you were staring out the window of zapolyarny palace, watching children play on the streets throwing snowballs at each other, merchants passing by, and some people simply chatting with one another.

you had nothing to do at the palace for the mean time so you decided to set sail back to liyue harbor in disguise as a mortal. no one knew of this plan of yours except for natasha, who was more than happy to help you. you grabbed your bag from the table and walked out of your bedroom.

snezhnaya has improved quite a lot ever since you became its archon. the once gloomy palace was now full of joy, redesigning it a bit to your liking and adding some color. the guards no longer wore their signature mask, ones that the fatui's once wore.

speaking of the fatui, you ruled over them as well. it was now more of an honest organization, one that doesn't deal with sneaky business anymore. however, there were no more harbingers. you didn't need anyone to do dirty work for you after all.

you paced down the palace stairs, being careful not to get seen by anyone wearing common clothing. once you've sneaked pass the guards you saw natasha waiting for you outside your carriage.

"your majesty, inside!" she gestures for you to go in.

you nod and did as you were told, hopping into the vehicle followed by her after. you set your bag down to your side and sighed, "thanks natasha."

"anything for you." she bows slightly.

"also, can we head to moresepok? there's someone i need to visit."

"yes of course."

you clasped your hands together the entire ride. its been a while since you saw him after all, you didn't have a chance to visit because of your busy schedule.

a few hours later, you've arrived at the small village. you made sure to cover yourself before going out of the carriage, wary that someone might recognize you.

you ran pass anyone you saw, making sure to not make any eye contact. soon, you saw a familiar looking house which just so happened to be your destination.

you knocked on the door, a few seconds later it was opened by a familiar face. "your maje– i mean, aunt [Y/N]! welcome." a small girl greeted you.

"yana! how are you?" you ruffled her ginger hair.

"i'm good! papa's at the backyard." she smiles, giggling as you pat her head.

"alright, tell your mom i'm here okay?"

"okay!" she ran off after opening the door , probably to inform her mom.

you walked towards their backyard, seeing another familiar ginger kneeling at the ground. "hey there big guy."

he whips his head around, a wide grin plastering on his face. "big sis!"

"come on teucer, it's weird if you still called me big sis especially when you're already in your late 30's." you laughed and gave him a hug.

"right, sorry. old habits die hard." he chuckled. "how've you been?"

"i've been great. i just saw yana, she's grown so much since the last time i saw her." you pulled away from the hug.

"she looks up to you, y'know." he smiles.

your eyes darted towards the ground he was kneeling at earlier, your lips turning into a frown. teucer noticed this and got the hint, "i'll head inside, okay? call me if you need anything."

you nod and watched him walked back to the house. you turn your gaze back to the ground, eyeing the stone that had a name carved on it.

you knelt down, grabbing something that you've been hiding behind you and placing it beside the tombstone.

"i forgot to give you your mask back." you let out a half hearted laugh, "it's been with me for... more than 20 years maybe?"

you ran your hands along the marbled stone, tracing your fingers at the name carved on it. "i'll be going to liyue for a while, hopefully that doesn't count as leaving you right?" you joked, but it only pained you.

"i'll visit zhongli on my stay there. i'll tell you all about it when i get back, i promise." you stood up from the ground, patting any dirt that got on your clothes.

"well, i'll get going then." before you get to walk away, you suddenly remembered something. "oh, i almost forgot."

you took the mask off your hip and placed it right next to his red one. "there, thought your mask would've been lonely." you chuckled.

"i miss you my love."

°

you were now at the boat on your way to liyue harbor. natasha watched you spacing out again as you started onto the ocean through the window, your head resting on your palm. it was already dark out when the ship had sailed, so all you could do was watch the stars twinkle above the drifting waves.

"your majesty..." she frowns. there was never a time you weren't like this, and she had a hunch as to why.

she wasn't working for you yet when it happened but there was a rumor that the present cryo archon married a mortal. no one knew if it was real or not, but most people chose not to believe it.

natasha didn't at first either, that was until she actually met you in person. there was a mask in your room that you treated like a treasure, a mask that belonged to someone of the fatui harbinger.

she knew this because the fatui harbingers were in her mother's book. it was a history book, one that revolved around the old snezhnaya. there were 12
harbingers that once served the previous cryo archon, they were proven to be dangerous and powerful.

in the book were drawings of each of their masks and titles. one of the masks was the same one that was in your room, and the other was the one you wore on your hip when you were in private.

it wasn't hard to put two and two together, she figured you were once a fatui harbinger who fell in love with someone of the same title. tartaglia, was it? she couldn't recall the name.

she felt sorry for the lone god, knowing that she longed for her love.

natasha left the room to give you privacy as you continued to stare at the ocean, the waves being music to your ears.

as you watched the water, a horned mammal emerged from the waters. your eyes widened, a small smile forming on your lips. a narwhaal, you wondered.

"i've always said i loved the stars. in fact, you grew too love them too." you chuckled, looking back up the sky. "funny how they seem to shine brighter now that you’re amongst them."