# Where The Heart Is

They'd looked for him first, of course they did, but instead they found Kaeaya pacing in his room. The Captain had swung around to face the window, equally shocked as she was. "You have awful timing." He'd told her, pulling her through the window and into the room.

He wouldn't explain much and she knew he wasn't telling her the whole truth when he said he didn't know where her knight was. They played along, agreed to tell him of her travels and to start paying her debt after she sought out Jean and then Diluc.

Kaeya doesn't leave her side, _couldn't_ leave her side, except to wait outside of Jean's office while Septima found her. He listens to the surprised shouts that dissolve into crying that dissolve into remembering each other's touch.

For once, he steps further away from the door when she starts to tell Jean where she'd gone.

They both bring her to see Diluc and tell her stories of how wound up he'd been since she left. They don't believe it, walking through the city and stopping to let some of the kids welcome her back. They tug on her cropped hair and ask her if the scars hurt. She promises to tell them all of the new stories she brought back with her.

"SEPTIMA?!" Charles, thankfully, catches the glass that Diluc drops as soon as they step inside the bar with Kaeya and Jean at their heels. It's busy, the day coming to a close, but he doesn't hesitate.

Diluc rounds the bar in quick strides, knocking his hip against the bartop and toppling over a bottle that Charles, *thankfully*, catches before it can crash. He pulls them into a crushing hug, lifting them off of the ground. "You're back, you're here!" He exclaims and they laugh, hugging him as tightly as they can though it's nowhere near as tight as he has her.

"One is home." They tell him, looking over his shoulder to see Jean, wiping her eyes, and Kaeya watching her with an unreadable look.

---

*"Oh ho ho, Lady Ola it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." They spin around from the trio of graves they'd been keeping watch over. Pantalone stands along behind her, soft smile and sharp eyes trained on her.*

*"Whatever it is that you want, I'm uninterested." She snaps, "Stay away from me."*

*Pantalone is unfazed, "I imagine you may be more interested than you'd expect. My dear pet is interested in your blood. Lady Ola-"*

*She bares her teeth, "One is Frost Singer of Liyue. Tell the Doctor he's welcome to fetch one himself if there's something of value to him."*

*"You'll be taken off of any and every record that connects you to the Fatui." They pause, and turn to face him again. "You'll be free to do... whatever it is that you've been doing since your betrayal."*

*Septima doesn't hesitate, although she very well should have. They slip out a dagger, grab a chunk of their hair, and slice. She takes two steps closer and drops the clump at his feet, "Will that do?"*

*"Don't be rude, Frost Singer." His smile doesn't fade, "Hand it to me properly."*

*They sneer but squat down. How easy it would be to slice the backs of his ankles and freeze him in place. He'd bleed out before anything could be done. One Harbinger down, ten more to go.*

*"You've had Our Lady's good will for some time already. Surely you'd like to keep it that way." It's not a question. She grits her teeth and picks up the hair. He holds out a hand and she drops the clump into it. "I'm so glad we were able to come to an agreement."*

*"Stay away from me- and from them." They point back to the graves.*

*They hate how he stays completely unperturbed. "Stay well!" He tells them cheerfully and makes his retreat.*

*She stays at the graves for days.*

---

Their eyes widen and they move to rush forward, "Take m-"

Diluc winds a tight arm around her waist and clamps his hand over her mouth. She screams from underneath it, fighting against his grip. The Harbinger scoffs as he mutters, "Don't. Don't give in. Not this time."

Every inch of them feels frozen. Arlecchino eyes her haughtily. "Perhaps a leash is in order, kitten." Jean takes a tense step forward

"She could kill all of us in here before the 11th returns." Diluc tells her, voice even and low. His palm burns with frostbite. "Perhaps a *thank you* is in order." He slowly takes his hand from their mouth and it takes every bit of self-restraint they have to not spit at her. She glares at them as if they had anyway.

"Let me make something very clear," Arlecchino starts, "Anything you do in preparation for the traitor's trial will reflect *very* poorly on him. If you'd like us to even consider the possibility of letting him live, allow me to offer you some free advice..." She trails off, staring them down. She refuses to look away and Diluc holds her tighter. It's no longer a restraint but rather a comfort. "The Regrator already scratched your name from our records thanks to your... recent cooperation. Don't force us to reconsider an investigation."

Her eyes widen at the implication and she feels sick when Diluc's arm loosens. Suddenly, he feels too warm against her. She's trying to get a rise out of them and they keep their mouth shut.

She sobs openly when Aleks is taken away, loud and long and painful.

She hopes the two Harbingers have nightmares of the sound.

Diluc refuses to let go of her until long after she's passed out. Jean insists that they both stay in the city and he doesn't argue, not this time.

Kaeya doesn't say anything.

---

*Blood burns and dries against their skin, cloak torn off to cover the child in their arms as they sprint away from the flaming plains behind them.*

*"Mommy!" The babe cries out, coughing from the smoke around them.*

*"She's up ahead, don't-" They choke, "Don't worry, little one."*

*They pass the child off to the first person they can and move to run back into the fire. "Wait!" He calls behind her, "Everyone is out already. You- you saved us."*

*She's given medical attention, a hearty meal, and a bed for the night. They lay awake with the burn in their chest. It's been... nine, ten months? They've lost count. Their list of names and wrongs to right had run dry months prior. They're... grasping for something, anything, to keep running towards.*

*There's nowhere else to go... except home. Not Mondstadt, not yet. They swore they were going to return better. Perhaps they already are, but if they're going to stay there this time...*

*Come morning, she accepts breakfast and rations for the road. They begin the trek to Liyue.*

---

If Septima isn't sleeping in Jean's room- or in Aleks' on the nights they can't sleep and don't want to risk waking Jean with her pacing, Kaeya is sleeping in his old bedroom in the winery.

They become something almost like best friends. Where she lacks the extra edge, the analysis, he picks it up. Spins each lead around until they've exhausted every angle and always knows the right next question to ask. Where he lacks in finesse and knowledge of Teyvat, she fills it in. They always find a way in and there's very few names they don't know. They make... An unexpectedly impressive team. There is not a single day that passes without them trying _something_.

Diluc works alone until she finally takes up the mantle again. They talk about it for weeks before Elzer refits her for the costume and they agree it's for the best. She needs something else to do too. A life of some kind, stability. They tell him the nights where they consider leaving again. It's not about running away, but it doesn't matter. They returned, ready for Mondstadt to be home, proper home and it wasn't right to let go of that- he wouldn't want her to, she tells herself. _When_ he returns, he must be able to see that they would have waited forever for their dearest friend.

They never discuss it, not really, but they know the Captain knows she knows he knows they know- they never discuss it. It's not something that needs addressing.

Diluc hands them envelopes and notes with a frequency that the duo can't always keep up with. She thanks him for his help, he tells her she doesn't need to. He would do it for anyone, but they both know what that truly means.

And Jean, poor Jean, steadies them all. She's their face, the leader who corrals the people and spreads word of his good name. The knights that want to help, do. The knights who don't are sternly reminded of each time he'd helped them and of the values the knights uphold. It would do them good to take notes, she tells them, or to mind their station. There's little she can do herself and it eats her up until she overworks herself and Septima argues with her for days to let them take care of her long enough that she can get back to work.

There are nights that they stay in Aleks' room to give them both space. By the middle of the night Jean has come to her to bring her back or they've returned on their own. It takes time for things to return to what they were before they left.

It's for the best, they both know, it would have been so if none of this had happened. She assures Jean of her feelings and it's repeated in turn. Eventually... They fall back in. They still argue from sundown to sunrise on the nights when either or both of them are overworked. There are regrets to atone for and resentment to discard- it isn't easy. They do it anyway.

None of it is easy, for any of them. They do it anyway. They must, there is no other option. Not until he returns.

---

*She smells the campfire long before she crests the top of the mountain where her village lays. Not even a few days of climbing could make up for so many years without old practice. They lay against the rock taking deep long breaths. The air always feels clearer up this high, not even the smoke can ruin it.*

*"'Tima? That's you there, isn't it?" They sit up quickly, twisting around to look. "It's your string after all."*

*Septima stumbles to her feet seeing her eldest brother grinning out just over her head. "Marius!" They rush forward, hugging him tightly.*

*"Hey! It is you!" He laughs, twirling her around. "Hurry up, we got to show everyone else. You've got great timing."*

*She lets him pull her along, yelping when he shoulders both of her bags in the process. "Who else is here?" She asks, trying to peer over the peak into the village as voices come into their range.*

*"Everyone!" He announces happily.*

*"Everyone?!"*

*Marius doesn't answer, just hoisting her over the peak and shouting, "Look who's here! Told'ya I wasn't losing my touch."*

*The noise halts all at once and they look out at their family. Their father and parent, Joayn and Jida, stand over the fire, each staring shocked. Joayn shoves a basket of fruit into their younger brother's arms before rushing over to them. A woman takes it from him and passes it further to another man both of their ages. Jida covers their mouth, dropping a plate of fresh meat in the motion.*

*The plate is barely caught in time, a controlled bubble appearing underneath it as their eldest sister, Vanda, reaches for their youngest sister, Leila, as she storms off.*

*Joayn steps in front of her. He exudes nothing but pride. "Who are you?" He asks her, loud and commanding.*

*Her chin trembles, "Septima, Frost Singer of Liyue." They get out quietly.*

*He takes a step closer, holding out his arm, elbow at a right angle and fist clenched. "Who are you?" He asks again, louder.*

*"Septima, Frost Singer of Liyue." She says, louder. They're crying but refuse to break from his gaze.*

*"WHO ARE YOU?" He shouts, voice echoed by the rest of their family.*

*Septima takes the last step forward, hooking her arm around his and shouting. "SEPTIMA, FROST SINGER OF LIYUE!"*

*He pulls her into another tight hug as her brothers cheer loudly and Zephyr, their sibling, begins a soft tune on their lyre and people, their family's new friends and loved ones, move to begin greeting them. "That's my little snowflake." He whispers against their hair, "Welcome home, Septima."*

---

It takes convincing from Diluc and Jean- even Albedo, Lisa, and Amber need to step in -but Kaeya and Septima agree to maintain their lives. There are days, plenty of them, where neither of them uphold it. It's slowing them down and the right path to him is always just out of reach. One more connection, one more letter, one more lead and they'll have made it.

They never fight. In the same breath that he could accuse them of blaming him for not knowing the fatui were coming they could accuse him of blaming her for leaving in the first place. Neither of them need that, too.

For every time they went back and forth before she left, they've tripled it over with trading nights of breaking down. Kaeya holds them up when the guilt weighs so heavily they can't bear to carry it any longer. Septima keeps knights away when he's pale from panic and heartbreak and can't see to them himself.

When it's noted, they both simply say that they're too busy to fight. That much is true, certainly, but the deeper truth is they need one another. That need breeds truth, honesty, and apologies that by the time they exchange them it's a matter of setting the right tone.

They become, almost, something like best friends.

---

*"Will Father understand?" She asks Jida, bag half packed.*

*Their parent watches them, amused, "Likely not, but I'll make sure he gets over it. It's his own fault for saying he'd be gone a day and letting it become three. We both knew you'd be off again soon." They open the chest at the base of their old bed. "I have something for you, before you leave."*

*Septima watches, guilty at the thought of when he'll return home and find their bed empty and bags gone. She wrote notes for all of them, Jida assuring her they would pass them along. They'll visit, all of the notes say, and they hope that one day they'll visit them in return.*

*"My Mondstadt is beautiful," the notes say, "though the sun's rise and fall will never rival that of our golden home. Please, come see it one day soon. Please, come see me one day soon."*

*Jida stands up and holds out a carved wooden box. "Your father wanted you to have these some day." They explain as she takes the box. She opens the box to find two thin gold rings. Her face burns and she blinks back tears. "They're beautiful, aren't they? They're yours, whether you offer one to someone else or not."*

*She looks at them and quickly pulls their parent into a tight hug. "Come see one soon, please."*

*They chuckle, "Never forget, my snowflake, we would have followed you anywhere. We'll see your Monstadt soon enough."*

---

She runs out of things to try, all of her roots are planted, but he's still not home. They're too tired of screaming at the gods to bring him back. She swaps nights between the winery and Jean's house and Aleks' room and everyone worries too much when she returns, throat raw and hoarse.

So, she starts singing again.

They climb to the highest point in the Brightcrown Mountains in the hopes that the archons will hear their songs. She knows they aren't listening- Jean can tell her stories of Barbatos' will all she wants and they *know* the Tsaritsa lays in pain for her grieving and Morax is wandering the new world as a mortal -but she tries anyway.

*"A knight's duty is home*
*A promise, an honor to atone*
*The prince lays cold and alone*
*Waiting, sleeping, a curse and tome*
*Dandelion breezes, a night long*
*Glaze lillies, my lady Guizhong*
*Sakura blooms, the lightning's song*
*Roses and Harra fruits, a night long*
*Steam and fire mix, my lady Justice and War*
*The Old Cold, my grief rings far*
*A knight's duty is home*
*A promise, an honor to atone..."*

Nothing changes. It's been raining since the morning but the clouds stay exactly where they are. She's long since let go of the disappointment.

"You have a beautiful voice... Septima..."

They spin around, eyes wide but betraying their hope. "Aleks? Is that- are you real?"

She doesn't get a proper answer as exhaustion and fever from trekking through the rain has him face first into the muddy cliff. He would have needed to divert his path to climb up the steep hill.

Their eyes glow, icy tears spilling. She summons strength she'd sworn to use properly this time, and carries him back to Mondstadt- back *home.*

It's time for them both to go home.