Withering Lampgrass

Chapter 1 - Oath On a Pnuerina

WARNING - mentions of death

This is just the way I like to imagine Kaeya's life to be, and just the way I would enjoy the story to go. These are my head cannons, and hopefully some of mine match with yours. :)
Luckae/Kaeluc antis, if you haven't read the description, do not interact. If you don't like this ship, get off of this fic.

In fairytales, princes and princesses each have their ups and downs, their wrongs and rights, but always moments they cherish and hold close to their heart. Kaeya holds true to these statements, but his life is contrary to expectations.

Kings and queens are expected to be, in a sense, jocular and easy to reach out to. Respectable. Thoughtful. Kaeya's mother indeed did fit into these qualities; she was loving and most amicable. She was oh so graceful, and was a sight to behold.

In contrast, Kaeya's father was menacing. At least to him. When facing his people, Kaeya's father would act humble and lenient, as if he would never hurt a fly, unless necessary. But towards Kaeya (and other specific people), he was a monster. Beatings were the usual, and so were deaths. Despite the animosity Kaeya's father showed towards him, Kaeya believed, he wanted to believe that this was just a desperate show of love, that his father did not fully grasp the concept of love and affection.

He was wrong. If he thought that his father would ever reach out to him and tell him he loved him, he was incredibly wrong.

Now, you as a reader, unfamiliar with my take on Kaeya's past, would undoubtedly question how after so many deaths Kaeya would remain alive to this day. This is where intertwined wishes come along. Khaenri'ah had a plentiful stock of these, and could be easily caught with a complex defence called the 'dream catcher'. The tool indeed stayed true to it's name, as it had taken all hopes Kaeya had of love and true happiness.

After slaying Kaeya, his father would have to take an intertwined wish, and shove it into Kaeya's mouth. Then, the intertwined wish would dissipate after an hour or so, and Kaeya would be recuperated. This did come with many consequences, such as intense pneumonia, memory loss, immobilisation, and in few cases, more severe and harsh consequences.

Of course, everyone should at least have one special person who they can confide their most darkest secrets into, should they not? Kaeya's special person was Dainsleif. Dainsleif was the Twilight Sword, the highest rank that a knight in the Khaenr'iah army could ever wish to reach up to. He guarded the royal family with his life, even if it meant being cursed in doing so. Kaeya would, in rare cases, escape from his fathers wrath and adeptly navigate his way to his and Dainsleif's special place.

This special place was their haven. If Kaeya should ever die with Dainsleif nearby, then Dainsleif should just go here and wait for him to be revived. At least that's what Kaeya told him. They even made a code for it, since Kaeya's father not being the cause of Kaeya's death was improbable.

E E L G. That was their code. It was just 'glee' but spelt backwards. This was their code as all the moments spent in their special place were of ecstasy.

"Dain!" Kaeya called out gleefully, as he finally reached the special place. Dainsleif turned, and grinned, and in turn called out.

"Kae!" Dainslief replied, as he gestured for Kaeya to sit next to him. Sitting down, Kaeya relaxed, and stared around him. It was always mesmerising. The stars in the sky, never moving, the trees and a peculiar stump surrounding him with their azure leaves (excluding the stump of course), the green grass swaying along with 'masked-pneurina flowers'. These flowers were Kaeya's favourite. They reminded him of Dainsleif, despite the patch of dark blue which Dainsleif certainly did not have on his handsome features. A green stem with a tint of light yellow at the top, with light blue petals ornate with miniature crystals planted on the masked-pnuerina won Kaeya's favour.

In a show of intimacy, Kaeya planted a pneurina on Dainsleif's hair, which Dainsleif responded with an amused chuckle. In return, Dainsleif planted a crystal core on Kaeya's forehead, to which Kaeya huffed indignantly in response. Dainsleif heartily laughed. He knew how much Kaeya loathed having a crystal core on his head, as it made him feel out of place and made him feel like he looked like his father. Which, to Kaeya's dismay, certainly did.

"Kae..." Dainsleif murmured. Kaeya hummed in response, urging Dainsleif to continue. "Can we swear an oath to one another?" Kaeya blinked, and soon recovered from his shock at the proposal. "Of course! As long as it is appropriate." Dainsleif snorted, and nodded. "Well, what is it?" Kaeya hushed, looking at Dainsleif with an expectant glint in his teal eyes. "We'll always stay by each other's sides and do our best to veer harm away from one another." To this Kaeya grinned, and agreed.

"Before we complete this dramatic compromise," Kaeya announced, "let's use a souvenir... like a masked-pnuerina!" Dainsleif tilted his head. "Why a pnuerina?" Kaeya puffed his chest out proudly as he responds with his intellectual answer, "because it reminds me of you, silly!" Dainsleif felt a blush tint his cheeks, and analysed the flower. It seemed that it did indeed familiarise with him. "Okay then." Dainsleif smiled warmly.

Kaeya beamed brightly, and started his eloquent speech, "to stay by one other's side, and to protect and to ensure the welfare of one another. To veer all jeopardy away and to remain faithful. Fidelity to Dainsleif runs through my veins, and his allegiance to me, Kaeya Alberich, prince of Khaenr'iah, runs through his veins in an equal pace. My Twilight Sword, my faithful companion. For centuries to come, homage will be shown towards one another, and others darkest secrets along with whispers in the dark will be carried to our graves. To this flower, we pledge our adherence." Dainsleif repeated the last sentence, and both grinned at each other.

The sense of being this formal and this benevolent towards each other; pledging loyalty to each other until they are both damned, seemed like a sacred covenant to both. They were both content with their pledge, though, so nothing else mattered in the world at that moment.

Placing the pnuerina on the peculiar stump, the pair continued to converse, until dawn arrived. Kaeya manoeuvred home, careless of the reprimanding he would unequivocally receive.

He had already executed the most memorable moment of his life in Khaenr'iah, a promise made on a pnuerina.