Chapter Text
The weather had taken a turn for the worse overnight. As the sun set, rolling fog and windswept snow soon arrived. Once darkness descended, it became a blizzard that left Amber seeking refuge in a cave, desperately fumbling with her flint to start a fire as the snow accumulated outside the entrance. Exhausted yet secure, and with a fleeting source of warmth below her freezing glove-clad palms, Amber had little to do but sleep, wait out the storm, and take her bearings again in the morning.
Unfortunately, she’d awoken that next day to two threats pressing down on her.
First, judging by the waning light provided by the embers of her fire, the entrance to the cave was now almost completely blocked by a thick sheet of fresh snowfall, pinning her within. She could dig herself out, probably, but by then it would likely be night once again, and the weather may just bury her again.
Second, just beyond that entrance, muffled by winter, her sensitive ears could just barely make out the sound of footsteps crunching a path through the snow and ice. More than one pair, too. Undoubtedly belonging to the Hilichurl minions of the Abyss Mage she’d been trailing across Dragonspine for the last few days. Amber counted her blessings that she was such a light sleeper; she’d managed to wake before they were practically on top of her.
Amber silently grabbed her war bow, clutching it to her chest, half for comfort and half for defence, as she began planning her escape. As a weapon, within the cave it would be nearly useless. The powerful bow was slow to draw and slow to fire. It was suited for a scout, an Outrider, used to ambush her enemies from a distance, not to fight within closed confines and at close quarters. Against multiple opponents charging through the entrance, she’d down one, maybe two if she was lucky, before they reached her. But perhaps being snowed in would be her blessing. Maybe they’d not even notice the cave’s entrance. Yet with a glance around as her eyes adjusted to being awake, she spotted all the signs of previous habitation. Hints of the danger that awaited her which, amidst exhaustion and cold, she’d failed to notice yesterday. Gnawed bones, ash and fragments of wood were scattered over the bare rock. The Hilichurls were no doubt using this cave as shelter themselves, and now they’d returned home from their hunt to find an intruder taking up residence within.
If she had a vision – any kind of vision – Amber was sure she’d be able to force her way out of this situation. But without... No, Amber thought, shaking her head as she did her best to calm her nerves. Her grandfather had never needed a vision of his own to lead the outriders. If she were to follow in his footsteps, she’d make do without, just as he did.
Amber froze, holding her breath, as she heard a muffled voice from beyond the cave’s entrance.
“There’s no way they got up this cliff,” A woman’s voice came from outside. Were the Abyss Order working with some humans, perhaps? “It’s near vertical.”
“Yet that’s where the trail goes. Freshly broken branches on shrubs lead to the base of the cliff.” Another voice. Were they searching for her? She had been pretty reckless with scrambling for cover last night. Those were probably branches that she broke.
“What if they moved along the base of the cliff? We wouldn’t see the rest of the trail because the fresh snowfall has built up along the edge.”
“No. That would be quite unlike the typical behaviour of any Hilichurl tribe that Mondstadt has encountered.” Another woman’s voice. Harsh, formal, commanding, and very familiar. It was Eula! “If they have taken to stealth tactics, then mark my words, I will – ”
“Eula!” Amber cried out as loud as she dared.
Though the Outriders, consisting only of Amber, and the Reconnaissance Company, Captain Eula leading a small squad of knights, had been given the same objective by Jean, they were not working together. Much to Eula’s continued frustration, the Outriders, unlike the other knights, were trained to operate entirely independently. They learned the bow, not the sword. They trained to soar through the skies with a glider, not ride through the meadows atop a horse. And there was only one, her, not dozens. Scouting was faster working alone, her grandfather had said, and Amber agreed, though Eula often challenged that claim by pointing out the risks of such a method. She was sure that once Eula dug her out, she’d be getting another earful of that.
“Amber?” A muffled voice came through the cave’s blockage. “Where are you?”
“I’m in here! In this cave,” Amber said, hoping that the snowfall hadn’t been so intense as to completely obscure her position from her prospective rescuers. “Snow has covered the entrance.”
“Found it. We’ll get you out,” Eula called from the other side. “Everyone, clear that obstruction. Quickly.”
The combined efforts of everyone clearing the snow meant that Amber was soon free, scrambling through the narrow passage they’d dug and out into the blinding whiteness of the morning daylight. Eyes taking a few seconds to adjust, she squinted towards Eula, her face already bearing its customary scowl at the sight of Amber’s latest fuckup. But despite the ominous warning, Amber pulled the taller woman into a tight hug, squeezing her arms around Eula’s waist in sheer relief at seeing a somewhat friendly face.
Eula untangled herself from Amber’s embrace and pushed the touchy outrider away. “Get off me, Amber!”
“Aha, sorry, it’s just... I’m so grateful to see you here!” Amber mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. “Thanks. You helped me out of a tight spot there.”
“Do you know just how much trouble you’ve caused us again?” Eula folded her arms over her chest. “We’ve just wasted the entire morning thinking we were trailing the Abyss Mage, only to discover that we were following your foolishly clumsy footsteps instead. What’s more, you could have gotten yourself killed!”
“You wouldn’t have been able to follow them after the blizzard anyway – ”
“That doesn’t excuse this mess you’ve caused us again. Hmph, when I get back to Mondstadt, Jean will have to face my vengeance for refusing to put you back under the command of the reconnaissance company. Should have happened a long time ago.” Eula paused. Amber knew Eula would never actually challenge Jean, only ever threatening to do so. As much as the acting Grand Master was an exceptionally kind knight, and would more than welcome her feedback, the former noble was too terrified of her family’s notorious past to dare to forcefully oppose Jean’s decisions. “And until then, while we’re on the mountain, you take orders from me now. I can’t have you further jeopardize the mission. Understood?”
Amber gave a weary sigh. Officially, as a Captain, Eula did outrank her, even if Amber was not her subordinate. “Yes, Captain.”
“Very well. Knights, we make for the camp again. Move.”
After so long travelling light and alone, Amber was grateful to be at Eula’s camp, the captain doing everything she could to offer a warm fire, food, bedding and more to the Outrider. All sorts of luxuries that Amber often had to do without, as the process of setting up a long-term base of operations was simply too slow to be befitting an outrider. Grabbing some of her rations, Amber sat down to eat the miserly, dry meal as she observed the camp and the knights as they went about their duties. Eula delegated tasks with lightning efficiency. Smaller scouting parties were dispatched. Messengers were sent back to Mondstadt with a hasty letter detailing their lack of success and Amber’s rescue. Everyone was given their role to play, it seemed, except for Amber herself... And this wasn’t the first time Eula was being excessively protective of the outrider, either.
Far too restless to wait around, Amber went to demand something to do from the Captain. Tilting her neck up as she approached the knight, Amber realised that Eula was the very image of the mountain she stood on. Tall, pale, a stern face framed by icy-blue hair. Strong, too, muscles carved like rock atop her frame. Eula was equal parts beautiful and intimidating. But most important of all was the Cryo vision she wore as a brooch on her right shoulder, granting her the ability to chill her enemies with the force of a blizzard with every swing of her mighty sword. The true source of her strength and rank, Amber enviously believed.
“Yes, Amber?” Eula said.
Amber eagerly perched on her toes, rising to address the taller woman. “You have an assignment for me too, right?”
“No.”
“Eula...” Amber pouted. Just the answer she was expecting, unfortunately. “At least let me do something for once. Anything! Even foraging, if that’s all I can be useful for.”
Eula folded her arms over her chest. “Very well, but do not cause me any more trouble than you already have. Understood?”
Amber quickly gave the Knight’s Salute and set off from the camp to forage along the nearby ridge. It wasn’t as exciting as anything else she could be doing, but outriders were skilled in travelling light, and that meant taking just as many provisions from the land as they carried on their back. The less you had to haul, the more you could scavenge, the faster and quieter you could operate. That’s what her grandfather had always told her. And though the Fourth Company had brought plenty of rations with them, they’d surely still benefit from eating something better than dry bread and drier meat for once.
Dragonspine was, however, the rare exception among the otherwise fertile, mild climate of Mondstadt. The only edible plant that could sprout in the frozen soil and survive the harsh snowfall on the mountain was mint, and she could hardly make a pleasant, warm meal from the cooling herb. But there was an alternative. Boars. Fresh hoof prints in the snow led her on a trail that took her further from the camp, deeper into the unknown, and closer to a source of fresh steak. Already her mouth was watering at the prospect. A whole boar would be far too much meat to deal with if she were travelling alone, but for the whole camp? It would be quite a treat. Eula was sure to be impressed. And, maybe, Eula would stop trying to hold her back after she saw what she was capable of alone.
When she crossed each ridge, travelling away from the camp, she’d crawl over a snow bank at the top and peer into the depression below, scanning for any sign of the boar. Those that lived on Dragonspine were confident, and not easily startled, but it would still be much easier for her to take it down if it didn’t spot her first. The next ridge greeted her with nothing more than tall pines and wild mint. She’d grab some to flavour the boar on her way back, perhaps, but for now, she stalked past them and continued along the trail of hoof prints up the next ridge.
As she surveyed the ground below, Amber spotted rustling amidst some shrubs. Perfect. It was in there. Now she just had to knock her arrow and wait for the perfect time to strike. Only, as the beast emerged from behind the obscuring foliage, she realised it was no boar. It was a hilichurl, the same that the Reconnaissance Company had been trailing across the mountain for days, staring straight back at her. Spotting the outrider, they let out a roar, alerting at least a dozen other hilichurls to ready their weapons, emerge from the bushes, and charge her.
She’d found them. What she was searching for the whole time. And it couldn’t have happened in a worse way.
“Oh, darn it!” Amber cried out, jolting to her feet and turning to run.
There was no use trying to lose them. Every bound and leap would leave a clear path in the snow, drawing them to her exact position no matter where she hid. And though there was a cliff nearby she could launch herself from, she had been travelling so light she didn’t even bring her glider with her. So the only option was to run. Run as fast as she can, make it back to her camp, and alert the other Knights so they could prepare a defence. At least she’d have the head start from the elevated position.
So she ran. She ran past trees and shrubs, scrambling up slopes and then tumbling down the other side in a blur of scattered powdery snow. She ran until her legs and lungs burned with every step, her feet numb and her shoulders heavy. And the whole time, the hilichurls behind kept pace with her, their intimidating cries providing all the motive Amber needed to keep running. Three or four? She could deal with that herself, just about. A small army? No chance. Not without a vision of her own. The deep snow made every bound all that much harder, but soon, she crested the last ridge separating her from the camp, her wind-swept eyes gleaming with hope as she sighted the Captain.
“Eula! Eula! They’re here!” She cried out with the last of her breath, practically stumbling her way towards the tents. “The Abyss Order! They’re pursuing me!”
“You found them?” Eula asked, raising her sword.
“They found me...” Amber said, collapsing into the snow, onto her hands and knees before the Captain. “H-help... They’re here.”
Eula looked down with confusion on her face, and then looked to the horizon behind Amber. Massed on the hill, charging down towards the camp along the same trail Amber had carved through the snow, Hilichurls had begun their assault on the Knights.
“Weapons, everyone! To me!” Eula commanded, striding forward to take the lead in the counter-charge.
Exhausted, yet with adrenaline fuelling her back onto her feet, Amber scrambled for cover behind boxes of supplies, clutching her bow much as she had done back in the cave. Only this time, there really were Hilichurls after her. Peering above the cover with an arrow knocked in preparation to fire, she observed as Eula confidently strode towards the middle of the approaching pack.
One aggressive Hilichurl, perhaps the leader of the pack, moved forward to meet Eula first. Raising its club, it charged towards the knight, Eula remaining motionless as the Hilichurl bore down on her. Briefly, Amber considered loosing her arrow and striking the Hilichurl before it reached Eula, but as Eula effortlessly stood aside, letting the wayward swing of the club collide with nothing but air, she knew the Spindrift Knight could handle herself. Exploiting the momentum of her dodge, Eula brought her mighty sword around. Charged with the cryo of her Vision, it collided with the Hilichurl in an explosion of ice, sending the small creature’s now-frozen body flying through the air before limply landing in the snow. And then, maintaining the momentum as she spun around, her second blow smashed through another Hilichurl’s shield, similarly smashing it aside. One by one, as if in a dance, Eula’s swings swept aside the core of the attacking group. More knights soon joined to fight by her side, holding the flanks with the more conventional shield and sword.
With each blow, the Hilichurls fell one by one, frozen, shattered and slashed beneath Eula’s deadly dance of steel and ice. The skill of years of training as a knight, combined with the elemental powers of her vision, meant the attackers were no match for her, and soon, the Hilichurls began to flee before her prowess. Half-heartedly, knowing her help wasn’t truly needed, Amber plinked a few arrows towards the enemy, though already the fight seemed to be won. How could she possibly compete with Eula, when the Captain had a vision and she did not? Even the knights at her flanks seemed to barely land a blow before Eula had already struck their target, let alone an outrider firing her warbow from the back. For all Eula did to protect her, she couldn’t help but feel pangs of jealousy as she watched the effortless power of her attacks.
“There!” Eula pointed towards the peak of the hill as the last of the Hilichurls fled back up the slope, their comrades now lifeless heaps spoiling the once-pristine snowfall. “The mage, after it!”
As Eula charged forward, the Abyss Mage prepared its shield, an icy orb entirely surrounding its diminutive floating form. Weak to pyro, and also vulnerable to electro, but impervious to the elemental powers of Eula’s cryo vision. Regardless, the Knight swung at it, her blade harmlessly glancing off the shield in a burst of scattered snow and shattered ice. Then again, and again, Eula recklessly threw her blade into the shield, seeking to batter it down rather than melt through it before the Abyss Mage could use another spell. Her initial grace turned into desperation, slamming the side of her sword down against the impervious sphere of cryo as she tried to break through it. Cracks spread across the icy surface with each blow, yet it still did not yield.
Eula took a step back, panting, anger drawn across her face. She did not like to see an opponent that couldn’t simply be pummelled into submission. Raising her sword once again, with all her might Eula slammed it down against the shield, and finally, it shattered, the magic that held it together dissipating as Eula’s sword recoiled from the impact. With a smirk, she aimed her blade towards the panicked Abyss Mage, bringing the edge of her sword to bear against her target and...
She missed. It was as if the Mage had simply vanished.
The Abyss Mage appeared behind her, and Eula twirled in place to meet her foe once more. Yet before she could counterattack, a bolt of Cryo, swirling with the Abyss’s corruption, surged towards the Knight. Bracing behind the flat of her claymore, Eula blocked the blow, groaning in pain as it passed through her blade and hit her in the stomach.
“Eula!” Amber cried out, climbing over the cover to charge the Mage.
Dropping to her knees, propping herself up with her sword, the tip of her blade buried in the snow, Eula looked up in fear as the Abyss Mage loomed over her. But then, two knights arrived at her flanks, putting themselves between the wounded woman and the Mage. Seeing that its defences were shattered, and its teleportation trick already exhausted, it fled, floating away as fast as foul magic could take it. Not that the knights were in much of a position to pursue, as now they had to take care of their injured comrade.
“Captain, are you hurt?” one of the knights said.
“Y-yes...” Eula stammered, looking down, clutching her stomach where the blow landed. There was no blood or other obvious signs of physical injury, but Eula was clearly in pain. “Somewhere? I feel like I’m freezing up inside, but how?”
With another yelp of pain, Eula doubled over, collapsing amidst the snow. Amber gasped, redoubling her pace to catch up with her wounded ally.
“We need to get you back to camp, Captain. Your injuries must be tended to.”
“No!” Eula groaned through gritted teeth, trying to stumble back onto her feet only to fall back into the snow. “I must have... Ugh... Vengeance for this!”
The other knight tried to hold her back. “Don’t. You’re in no state to go chasing after them.”
“I must. It’s my mission,” Eula huffed, shivering, sweat dripping down her face as she stumbled forward. “I must have... Vengeance.”
Amber finally caught up with Eula, pangs of guilt running through her as she observed the awful state the once-proud knight was in. Feverish, rivers of sweat running down her body, Eula’s reddened face was wrought with the agony that was burning up inside her. And yet, she was shivering, her extremities pale as if she’d just been dragged out of an ice bath. Her breath was quick and hoarse, her words weak, and her determination to take revenge on the enemy that bested her was soon overcome by the pain of her mysterious affliction.
“I’ll take care of her,” Amber said reflexively, thinking of some way to make up for all the trouble she’s caused. “You two chase down that abyss mage for her, I’ll make sure she stays in the camp and recovers.”
“No, this is... Insubordination,” Eula groaned. “When Jean hears of this, she’ll...”
Amber pouted. “She won’t hear of anything if you just get yourself killed. Now let me help you for once!”
Pulling Eula to her feet, Amber pushed her shoulder underneath the taller woman’s arm, straining under her weight. Between the height advantage and her muscle, Amber had already learned just how heavy the Captain could be. She’d had to drag Eula back to her home after she got way too drunk on more than one occasion. But instead of the usual ridiculous, flirtatious comments she’d usually get from her, she could only hear her pained gasps and complaints. At least this way, she could contribute to the mission.
“You two, I’ll take care of Eula. Round up everyone else and finish the mission, understood? Do whatever you need to do.” Amber commanded the knights. She didn’t outrank Eula, but while the Captain was incapacitated, as leader of the Outriders she did outrank the junior knights.
“Take them alive, I want my... Vengeance...” Eula’s words trailed off with her waning consciousness.
The knights gave a salute and then scrambled away to fulfil Amber’s task however they saw fit. The outrider wasn’t much interested in how they did it. She was more interested in caring for Eula, who for all her faults, was still someone Amber couldn’t bear to see hurt like this. Helping Eula back to her tent, the largest as befitted the highest-ranking officer on the mountain, she lowered the wounded woman onto the makeshift bed and set about locating the medical supplies.
This would be so much easier if she had a vision like Master Jean, where her Anemo could blow away any wounds with the healing blessings of Barbatos himself. Or perhaps one like Barbara’s, the idol-deaconess of the church, with the hydro vision that soothed any pain away in its deluge of holy, curative water. But no. She was just the useless, visionless outrider, with barely enough medical training to bandage up any scrapes she might get in a gliding accident, let alone diagnose whatever was wrong with Eula.
“Amber, hah... What are you doing?” Eula groaned as she slumped atop her bed. “Stop wasting your time and... Damn it, leave me be!”
“Looking for something to heal you with,” Amber said, tossing aside the bandages as she rummaged through the camp’s first aid kit.
“Do you have even the slightest idea what’s wrong with me?”
“Well, it’s a fever, right? No?” Amber sighed, shutting the lid of the box. “What do I do?”
“I’ve been hit by a huge amount of cryo. Not enough to, hah...” Eula groaned, clutching the focus of the pain where the blow had landed against her stomach. “Not enough to kill. Just to leave me half-frozen. It just wanted to slow me down so it could get away, the damned thing. I’ll have my vengeance soon enough, mark my words.”
For how much every word, every exhale, seemed to pain her, the retribution-obsessed Captain still wanted to utter her pledges of comeuppance through her chattering teeth. “Eula, you don’t need to keep rejecting everyone’s help all the time. Especially mine. Forget about vengeance for once and let me help you.”
“Ugh. Fine. There should be a potion somewhere at the bottom. Fragile. Hexagonal glass bottle. The liquid inside will be about the same colour as my hair. Pass that here.”
Soon locating the cerulean vial, Amber uncorked it and handed it to Eula. The Captain grabbed it from her, shakily bringing it to her shivering lips and downing the contents. With a few sputtering coughs, each swallow painful in her state, she finished the vial, tossed it carelessly aside, and then collapsed back into the bedding.
“Better?”
“No. It will just, ugh, slightly increase my resistance to the cold.” Eula groaned. “Still feel freezing.”
Amber brought her head to the Knight’s forehead to confirm her words. There was no warmth in the skin contact, even as a blush began to form Eula’s cheeks. She was just like her vision, in all the wrong ways. Frozen.
“W-what are you doing?!” Eula said, swatting Amber’s hand away.”
“I... I need to find more stuff to warm you up with.” Amber said.
She knew that whenever she got a cold, which admittedly hadn’t happened in quite a few years, she wanted all kinds of warm comforts. Hot food and coffee, a water bottle, a roaring fire, and as many blankets as she could pile onto her bed. She lacked the first two, and it would be far too dangerous to leave Eula on her own to rummage for extra firewood beyond the camp. But an extra blanket? She had her own, and since it seemed she’d be watching over Eula all night, it was hardly like she was going to get much use out of it.
“I got something for you. Wait right there.”
“Not like I’m in any state to move, even if I wanted to.”
Amber retrieved her camping supplies where she’d left them in the centre of the camp. Travelling light, it was only a small, modest bedroll, quite unlike the full bed and elaborate tent that Eula was using as her quarters. But it would still provide some extra warmth for the ailing Captain. Soon, she returned, approaching the weary knight and throwing the combined sheets over her, waiting to see if she’d warm up at all.
“Still too cold?” Amber said, putting her hand on Eula’s forehead once again.
“Yes,” Eula said, that blush rising on her cheeks again. “But I’ll tolerate it. Please, leave me be.”
“No, you won’t just tolerate it,” Amber said, her hands on her hips, irritated that Eula was trying to refuse her help again. “I want to be sure you’re well. Besides, if I help you recover faster, you might be able to join the rest of the squad so you can take revenge on that damned mage tomorrow!”
But as much as the outrider wanted to confidently help Eula, she was not sure what else she could do. Between settling in at camp, then searching for the boar she never found, it was getting fairly late. The icy chill of the night would soon set in, and though the double layer of blankets would keep the warmth in, Eula’s cryo-afflicted body barely seemed to produce any heat in the first place.
There was only one thing for it. She’d have to share some of her own body heat to keep Eula from freezing overnight. And as much as she was blushing at the idea of sharing a bed with another woman, especially one as notoriously attractive as... No. Amber shook her head. It’s got nothing to do with how beautiful the tall, strong Captain was. This was only to warm Eula up. No further meaning to it. Definitely not. Besides, there’s no way Eula would be interested in her like that. When it comes to Amber, all Eula seemed to think about was her oft-promised vengeance for all the trouble the outrider caused for the knights. The ridiculous comments Eula would make whenever she was drunk were just that, drunken comments, nothing more.
Rushing through the motions of preparing for bed in an effort to stave off her embarrassment, Amber slipped off her boots and threw her jacket to the floor. There was no way she’d ever undress any further in front of the Captain, so still wearing most of her uniform, she slipped into the icy bed beside Eula and pulled the covers to her chin.
Eula gasped. “Amber? What are you doing?!”
“Helping you keep warm.”
Eula stared at her for a few seconds, crimson decorating her pale cheeks, and then let a weary sigh of defeat escape her lips as she rolled over, away from Amber. “Whatever. Just watch where you poke your elbows.”
Tucked in, the exertion of the last few hours finally caught up with her, and Amber couldn’t help but collapse into the bliss of the warm bed. So many days of sparse bedding, barely sufficient for the frigid mountain, had left her craving the comfort of an actual bed. Though this was still nothing like home, it was enough of an upgrade to leave her hopelessly yawning as adrenaline gave way to exhaustion. But she didn’t let herself sleep. Not at first. She waited until she was certain that Eula had fallen asleep at her side, lest the stubborn Captain try sneaking out during the night. And once the pained huffs from Eula’s lips slowed into the gentle, slow breaths of sleep, Amber finally submitted to her exhaustion and let her eyes fall shut.