The Knight of Favonius library is a decently sized place filled with books that are open to the public of Mondstadt. The library is currently under Lisa's jurisdiction. Unfortunately, she inserted specific regulations with dire consequences, so everyone who borrows a book or uses the facility must adhere to her rules.
The library is a haven for those looking for a quiet place to study or look up information—the perfect place for Anala. Being one of the honorary knights, if Anala wasn't tagging along with her dear friend Pollux she mainly was in the library catching up on the books she had yet to read.
Both Anala and Pollux are the more "exotic" looking of the group, which was a concern at first, but most people are in awe of their melanin skin. Anala's hair is braided down her back in many different shades of browns and reds. Upon settling into Mondstadt, everyone in their group changed outfits. Anala opted to have similar clothes to outrider Amber. Anala's ensemble comprises dark brown leather shorts, a rose-colored hoodie-like top, white stockings, dark brown gloves, and black boots. Accessories include a dark brown leather belt with a tiny bag and her blade attached to her left side. Her rose gold, red, and pink blade hilt, signifying her allegiance to the Rose Knights. She also proudly wears her crest in the shape of a vision on her right chest.
Currently, Anala is catching up on her hilichurlian after being inspired by Ella Musk's undying fascination with them. Anala will try a more passive approach than slaying them down. While brushing up on the language, she also has a copy of Teyvat's Universal law volume two, which Lisa happily gave to both her and Pollux to keep. This book was written by Pollux's mother, Polaria, when she visited Teyvat a long time ago as a traveler.
Her immense detail of everything that has to do with Mondstadt and the surrounding area is enough for Anala and her friends to blend in and find common ground with the people.
Despite their otherworldly appearance, everyone seems to accept them. If Anala, Pollux, who mostly goes by Star, Eva, and Zara, all adhere to the universal law, they should navigate their journey without much trouble.
Many months ago, Anala remembered the day that Pollux told her about a dream she had of her mother reading her a bedtime story about the dandelion knight. On that same day, they encountered Jean, Diluc, and Kaeya. Then, upon approval of the Queen's daughter, the four of them embark on their journey to Teyvat to help Jean stop Stormterror's wrath.
It seems it was like yesterday. Anala recalls their first time walking around whispering woods and meeting Amber, encountering the massive dragon known as Dvalin, getting acquainted with the knights and people of Mondstadt, joining the Adventurer's Guild, and even facing Pollux's mother from time to time.
There's still so much that Anala and her friends need to learn since Pollux is the only one that can interact with the statues of seven and obtaining new powers. There's also the unexplained presence of her mother and hints that Pollux's twin brother is around.
Leaning back into her seat, being lost in her thoughts and recounting all past events, it seems the 4 of them have spent an eternity and still are nowhere close to their goal. At first, it was about helping Jean, but now with Pollux being emotionally involved in finding her family and currently having no way of getting back home,
"Guess we're going to be here for longer than intended," Anala concluded. She used her fingers to move her glasses up a bit to hide her red color irises. Her glasses change the color from red to dark brown.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Anala continues to get lost in her thoughts. Between Mondstadt, Dragonspine, and Liyue, they are not any closer to finding a way back home or figuring out why Castor and Polaria are here.
Being the preordained leader of the four, Anala is not so sure how to approach things. Since their battle in Liyue, Zhongli informed them that their next journey would take them to Inazuma, where the mighty Raiden Shogun rules with an iron fist. Getting to Inazuma at this state is complex. First, they must prepare to go toe to toe with a ruler insistent on collecting visions, invoking a vision hunt decree.
"With little information on the current state of Inazuma, how are we supposed to approach such a mighty deity?" Anala thought to herself, talking out loud. The stillness of the library only answered back, giving her much clarity on the situation before her.
"Heh, might as well go in blind and hope we don't make too much of a scene," she concluded, turning her head to look for a clock and spotting one nearby. She can see it's half past noon. She thinks she could look for Pollux and have lunch at Good Hunter or take a quick trip to Liyue and charm Childe into an afternoon of fine Liyue cuisine.
Before Anala could decide what to do for lunch, a loud explosion erupted outside the library or rather a sound of an explosion close by. The noise made the bookcases shake, and some books fell onto the floor.
Anala rises quickly from her seat, "Is there an attack going on?!"
Fearing the worse, Anala pulls out her blade and rushes upstairs to go outside. But, going down the stairs, she didn't see Lawrence and Otto at their usual post.
Hearing the explosion again, Anala keeps moving in the direction of the noise. Once she got closer, she quickly spotted the culprit. Wielding her blade preparing to fight what looks like a pyro abyss mage, she only stops midswing when she hears,
"I don't think these bombs are good for fish bombing," said an all too familiar voice.
"Klee?" Anala said in confusion as she lowered her weapon. The spark knight jumps in place and turns around with a worried face at first but smiles when she sees it is Anala and not Grandmaster Jean.
"Anala! Do you want to play with me?" Klee asked innocently despite causing a massive explosion which may have caused severe destruction and warrant chaos.
Putting her blade away with a sigh, Anala lowered herself to Klee's height and gently patted her head.
"Klee, you can't be throwing your bombs in the city like that," Anala lectured her. "Jean would be displeased, and you'll probably be locked in solitary confinement again,"
"Oh no! Klee doesn't want that!" Klee exclaimed while holding onto the straps of her backpack. "I was only testing out my bombs to see if it would be good enough for fish bombing."
Sighing again and lowering her head, Anala quickly explains why Klee shouldn't be bombing lakes. After the brief lecture, Anala walks Klee back to the library so she can help her tidy up the space before they face Lisa's wrath.
After spending half an hour cleaning the library, Anala sits back down at her table with Klee and begins to ask her what she was doing besides causing destruction.
"Oh! Klee visited Mr. Albedo and Sucrose!" her face beams as she thinks about her big brother.
Even though Klee and Albedo are not blood-related, Klee is very close to him. Albedo reflects on his relationship with Klee as a little sister to him.
"Oh? How is Albedo and Sucrose? Is Albedo still studying in Dragonspine?" Anala asked.
"Mhmm!" Klee nodded her head. " Mr. Albedo and Sucrose were doing experiments, and Klee volunteered to help!"
"Oh?" Anala said. "Did they give you a list?"
"Yep!" Klee looked through her backpack and pulled out the list Sucrose gave her while also pulling out other pieces of paper.
"Uh, Klee? That's a lot of paper," Anala pointed out.
"Oh, yeah, Uncle Kaeya gave me a note to get something, and I got more notes," Klee said as she gave each slip of paper to Anala, who sifted through them.
"Why in the world would anyone give you so many things to do?" Anala sighs. Kaeya wanted Klee to pick some flowers for him, Diluc wanted Klee to deliver a message to Star (Pollux). And Katheryne from the Adventure's guild wanted Klee to track down a missing cart with supplies.
"Well, I can complete Diluc's request for you," Anala said as she tucked the note and the envelope into her bag. "How about I help you out with these tasks?"
Klee's eyes grew and beamed with excitement as she let out a squeal of joy and hugged Anala.
"Yay! Klee gets to spend time with a princess!" she jumped happily in her seat.
Anala laughed as she got up and put her books away; taking Klee's hand, the two set out to complete the tasks. Anala decided it would be wise to tackle Kathryn's quest first since the receptionist wrote down the last place the cart would be.
"On our way to Starsnatch cliff, we should be able to pick flowers on the way and," Anala took a quick look at Sucrose's request. Albedo and Sucrose are trying to come up with a liquid to combat the sheer coldness in Dragonspine. So, Albedo and Sucrose need samples from cryo whopper flowers and cryo regisvine.
"We are going to take care of Albedo and Sucrose's request last," Anala said with some concern.
"Princess Anala," Klee looks up with her big doe eyes. "What's it like being a princess? Do all princesses fight in your world? I thought princesses are supposed to be locked in towers and wait for their knight in shining armor?"
Anala laughed at the last part as they continued their walk,
"That's not a universal thing," Anala spoke to Klee, but Klee gave her a befuddled expression; thus, Anala further explains since she is talking to a child.
"I mean, every princess is different, and they all have different stories," Anala speaks honestly. "Some princesses are born into wealth, have loving and supportive parents, or were born into poverty and later became a princess or,"
Anala hesitates, thinking about her friend Pollux. Pollux was the princess of the Staruian kingdom, but after a tragic accident, she could no longer go back home.
Wandering through different galaxies and planets, Pollux found a temporary home with Anala and their friends. Anala knows that Pollux doesn't like to form friendships or create emotional bonds with others. Still, no matter what darkness lurks inside of her, she manages to be a beacon of light to others.
Pollux may not look the part, but she is the kindest and most caring princess of them all. Despite the accident, she came to Teyvat to mend her relationship with her mother and brother.
"A princess would sacrifice anything to protect those that she cares about," Anala said with a small smile. Thinking about Pollux's caring moments about Venti's and Zhongli's gnosis that La Signora stole.
"Lord Barbatos, I mean Venti," Pollux gave the Anemo Archon a gentle smile while placing her hand on his shoulder. "I know the gnosis doesn't mean much, but I am sorry for not protecting you when you need it."
Before Venti could open his mouth to express that he didn't need the princess's help, tears formed into her eyes, and she embraced the Anemo Archon.
"I'm sorry,"
"I don't give a damn about a stupid contract!" Pollux screamed at Zhongli, clutching at his dress shirt, and had her left hand balled into a fist, ready to knock some sense into him, but she instead pointed to La Signora, who had a smug look on her face.
"You're the only, the only reason that bitch is still breathing right now," Pollux kept her eyes on Zhongli before slightly moving her finger to Childe. "And you're the only reason this man is keeping his life."
There were other moments when Pollux showed humility and express signs of caring for others in her unique way. However, Anala will forever be amazed how a woman who mainly doubts others and wants to keep to herself has formed close bonds with those in debt to her permanently.
Klee momentarily becomes distracted by a bunch of flowers; Anala notices the slight tug of her hand as she looks down at Klee. Then, with a soft smile, she lets her go and gather flowers while she stands on guard for any enemies that may pop up.
"Is being a princess hard?" Klee asked while gathering flowers and stuffing them in her backpack.
"It depends," Anala said; she rubs the back of her head. "Some duties of a princess mostly rely on hard work, etiquette, and lots of reading. So, Klee, are you sure you want to be a princess?"
"Uh-huh!" Klee nodded her head and went back to Anala's side, and held her hand. The two of them continue their path to the missing cart.
"Come to think of it, Mondstadt doesn't have a princess, right?" Anala asked.
"I never met any until I met you, Princess Eva and Princess Star!" Klee answered.
"Hmm, I guess Lord Barbatos wouldn't be too keen on the idea of having a monarch since princesses are a form of authority of sorts," Anala said.
"Isn't Fish a princess?" Klee asks, looking at Anala again, lost in thought of how lax the rules are in Mondstadt.
"Fischl?" Anala raised her brow, thinking of the outlandish young woman who only pretends to be a princess. Anala remembers how Pollux pointed it out privately when Fischl joined to help them when meteorites fell from the sky.
Why would someone go out of their way to conjure up a story and a persona with a tragic background is beyond Anala and Pollux. Still, Amy unveils to them that she was lonely and often didn't make friends on a few occasions.
"Fischl is a one-of-a-kind type of princess," Anala chuckled. "Or should I say, Prinzessin der Verterilung!"
Continuing with their journey, they have reached the final spot where the cart was last seen. In the note Kathryn gave Klee, a merchant was transporting goods and got lost and was suddenly attacked. The merchant flees without thinking of saving some of the goods. Kathryn wants Klee to check the surrounding area to see if anything was left behind and salvaged before reporting it stolen.
"Klee, you check over in that area, and I'll be over in that area," Anala instructed the little girl. "If you see any enemies, please let me know, and I'll come and rescue you."
Klee nodded her head before she took off while saying, "Da Da Da!"
Anala turns in the other direction and begins to comb through the area with a keen eye. There was nothing out of the ordinary as she kept moving along at a slow pace. Finally, Anala noticed something shiny out of the corner of her eye and went to that area.
Hiding in some tall grass beneath a tree is a small money pouch. Anala investigates the bag further and notices that only a few coins of Mora spilled out, but it seems like everything was there.
"Well, we can rule out it was thieves," Anala said to herself as she took the Mora pouch and put it in her bag. "It's odd that I haven't come across any remnants of the cart or the supposed goods,"
"Princess Ana! I found something!"
Anala looks in the direction of Klee's voice and hurries to where she was. Klee bounces up and down, pointing to a spot where the cart is. The cart is destroyed beyond recognition, only leaving a wheel and a few boards behind.
"That's odd; whoever chased away the merchant destroys the cart and steals the goods. Whatever the goods may be," Anala said. "I don't see any traces of the goods, so we can tell Kathryn that we have retrieved the merchant's money."
"Does that mean we're done?' Klee asks.
Anala nods her head and takes Klee's hand, and guides her along the path to the cryo regisvine. Anala has fought alongside Klee before, and knowing her fighting style, Klee doesn't play by the rules.
Anala likes to plan out her course of action before encountering an enemy. When working in a group of others, she would like to familiarize herself with their fighting style and techniques before determining the best course of action when defeating the opposition.
Anala works well with Pollux since they have been fighting together for years. In Teyvat, she has observed the other knights and warriors alike, factoring in their fighting style and how they would like to tackle a foe. For example, Anala knows that Klee is a catalyst user and uses specialty bombs. Klee's bombs implode on impact, so it's best to throw them at or near the enemy.
"Princess Ana?" Klee tugs on Anala's hand to get her out of her critical thinking.
"Yes, Klee?" Anala smiles down at her, coming to a complete stop.
"When I grow up, I want to become a princess just like you," Klee says as she looks down shyly. "I will try hard every day to become the princess of Mondstadt."
Anala smiles softly while lowering herself to Klee's height and pats her head.
"I think what's best for the spark knight is to enjoy her childhood," Anala says honestly. "Every day, every moment is precious. Don't waste your youth buried in books and countless fighting exercises,"
Anala spent most of her childhood engulfed in intensive reading, training, and fighting exercises as a child. Being a princess of the Fire Kingdom is no joke. Her mother, Queen Helia, is a ruthless leader hellbent on overthrowing Queen Eve. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise as both of her daughters went to pursue other things.
Anala's sister Mirri is a traveling musician. Anala is currently a rose knight, serving and protecting the Queen of Gaia, Queen Eve. Her mother had every right to be mad at Anala for the betrayal. Still, Anala is only pursuing something that would make her travel and see other worlds, then planning dominance over everyone else.
"Your childhood is important. The people you meet and the friendships you form are more valuable than you will ever know," Anala smiled, letting out a small laugh.
Anala never made a friend until meeting Pollux; Anala considers both Star and Dwynwen her only two friends.
"In all honesty, I don't regret my choices."
Klee looked at Anala in confusion, not understanding what she was talking about. Anala notices this and quickly stands back up, trying to hide her embarrassment for opening up to a child.
"It's nothing really; what I meant to say is just be yourself, Klee," Anala says while hiding her face with her hand.
"Princess Ana, are you going to cry?" Klee asks her with concern making Anala yelp in response.
"No, no, no!" she says, turning around to wave her hands in front of Klee. "I'm fine! I'm not sad! See? Look at my face, not a tear in sight,"
"Oh, ok," Klee nods in approval before smiling happily at her. "Jean told me it's ok to cry and feel sad sometimes, so if Princess Ana needs to cry, Klee and dodoco can cheer her up with a big hug!"
"Thank you, Klee. Now, we must farm a few materials for Albedo and Sucrose, so you will have to listen to me, ok?" Anala informs the spark knight, lowering herself to her level to make direct eye contact with her.
"It's imperative and crucial to follow my directions so that we're both not hurt, understand?"
"Uh..., I think so?" Klee tilts her head, not understanding the words imperative or crucial. Taking note of her slight confusion, Anala repeated herself,
"Please follow my instructions so we can farm these materials correctly. One bad move, and we'll probably be in trouble, understand?"
"Klee understands!" she giggles as she takes off in the direction towards the cryo regisvine. Anala sighs as she follows behind Klee.
After spending hours farming materials from the cryo regisvine and whopperflowers, Anala carrying a sleeping Klee on her back walks to Mondstadt. Anala handed over materials to Timaeus to deliver to Sucrose and Albedo. The sun is setting, signifying that the end of the day is near.
Anala is exhausted, starved, and in dire need of a soak in the bathtub. But first, she wants to return the sleeping child to her quarters before going to her place that she shares with Pollux. So, entering the Knight of Favonius Headquarters, Anala walks directly to the stairs leading to the bedrooms, dining hall, kitchen, and other rooms that are not accessible to ordinary folks.
The childlike drawings can easily find Klee's bedroom outside of her door. Anala enters her room and carefully works her way in. Various toys, crayons, papers, and books are in her path to Klee's unmade bed.
Once she reaches her bed, Anala gently maneuvers Klee off her back and lets her lay on the bed. Klee sleeps soundly as Anala gently removes her hat, backpack, and her boots.
Taking off her last boot, Anala begins to tidy up her room quietly. She gathered all the paper, which consisted of drawings of Klee on various adventures. She puts away the toys in her toy box and picks up all the books to set them on her table with her papers and crayons.
"Ok, that should be all of it," Anala says quietly as she looks at the now tidy room. Then, with Klee still sleeping peacefully, Anala makes her exit.
"Princess Anala, good evening," says a voice behind her, making Anala jump in place and quickly close the door. Then, turning around, she could see the voice belong to Noelle, one of the maids to the knights.
"Oh, Noelle, it's just you." Anala gasps as she clutches her chest where her heart is. "You gave me quite the scare!"
"My apologies," Noelle bows respectfully. "I was doing my nightly routine to make sure that Klee's room was in order before she goes to bed."
"I took care of her room," Anala answers. "As for making sure she brushed her teeth and putting on her pajamas, I am also fatigue, so I apologize for not doing so."
"No worries," Noelle smiles at her. "I'll be sure to get Klee ready tomorrow morning. Thank you for returning her, and have a good night's rest,"
Anala said her thanks and took for her place. Returning home, Anala calls out for Star,
"I'm home! Pollux? Star?" Anala calls out for her friend. Their home is a small townhouse like the other buildings that can be seen surrounding the marketplace. Anala took her boots off and left them at the door as she walked around the place for any evidence of her friend.
The living room and kitchenette are tidy, just like Anala left them this morning. Anala walks up to the stairs and calls out for her friend again,
"Star? You up there?" she calls out. Not hearing back, a response, she figures that Pollux could be out on a mission or hanging out with someone. Anala shrugs it off and prepares to spend the rest of the evening relaxing.
Taking off her belt to put it back by the door, she notices a note slipping out. Picking up the letter, Anala observes that it came from Klee due to her clover-like insignia on the paper.
Thank you for spending all day with me! Klee hopes that we can spend more time together and you can teach me how to be a princess!
Anala smiles, reading the note repeatedly before putting it away.
"Guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow then,"