Two Years Before Aether's Arrival in Teyvat

Amber came around every day, it seems, while Bennett healed from his deep wounds. The energetic Outrider perched herself on a chair by his bedside and just talked to him. It had been a long time since Bennett had talked to anyone his age since the Adventurer's Guild only accepted members past a certain threshold – which was still a year or so older than Bennett was. The other young members of the Guild certainly were not unkind to Bennett, but they treated him like a kid.

Amber was a gust of southern winds compared to that. She did not treat him like a child. She treated him like a friend. Not a colleague or a tagalong or a "drain on Cathedral resources" (that one still stung), but a genuine friend. And she talked to him as a friend, sitting across from him as he got stronger and learned how to walk and move without pain.

"Hand on my shoulder," Amber ordered, and Bennett groaned.

"I'm a big boy, Amber. I can walk on my own now!"

She laughed and stepped back. "Okay, have it your way!"

He stood from his sickbed and took a step forward. He barely felt the pain he had for the past weeks, just a tightness where his scars were. Sister Barbara had assured him that with proper exercise, his leg would stretch back to normal and he would not be discomforted for long. The…did Barbara call it sepsis? is gone, thank Barbatos, so I can finally start living again. He hoped this was true because he was sick of being bedridden.

He took a step. Then another. Then two more in quick succession because his foot fell wrong, and Amber almost rushed to grab him, but he steadied himself. "I'm…I'm walking!" He cheered.

"Yes! You're doing so good!" she praised, and Bennett's heart fluttered. Must be the exertion. I haven't been walking in a week, so I'm probably getting my heartbeat up when I try. Yeah, that's all, he told himself. No other reason I'd be feeling like this, he reasoned.

"Bennett! The floorboard!"

And suddenly he was no longer walking. He was falling. His foot had hooked the one warped floorboard and had taken him off balance. He crashed to the floor and felt a strange pop in his right ankle. He curled up a little as pain shot up his calf and mumbled weakly, "Ow, my foot."

Amber stood too and knelt by his side. "Will you be alright?" she asked, eyes wide with worry. "Should I call the Sister?"

Bennett gave her a weak smile and said, "That…might be a good idea." He tried to stand and collapsed again. "Can you…help me up?"

Amber turned her body to parallel his and looped his arm over her shoulder. "Reminds you of how I found you, doesn't it."

He grinned, which became a grimace when she lifted him to his feet. "You're always saving me," he said, genially. "My hero, the Boar Princess."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get you home, Wolf Pup," Amber teased, leading the limping boy to the sickbed. He exhaled with each step he took until he was at the edge, and she turned him just enough so he could sit down. "Feet up; let's take a look."

Bennett groaned and lifted his right foot off the floor. It dangled in the air, angled inward slightly, and she gingerly pushed his white robe up above the calf.

"Oh, Bennett, this looks horrible!" Amber exclaimed, pointing at the rapidly bruising side of his foot.

"'s not so bad," Bennett protested, but his face confirmed her concern was well-founded.

"Stop being so brave for five minutes and let me get help for you!" She insisted, and he sighed dramatically.

"Oh, alright," he said with a false theatrical flair, "go get Barbara."

Fortunately, it was just a sprain; though, without the healing power of Hydro, Barbara estimated he would be stuck inside for another month or two. As it stood, she coaxed his ankle back to wholeness in no more than two weeks.

When his sprain healed and his wounds were barely even scars anymore, Jean came to the infirmary and patted Amber's shoulder, handed her a small pouch of Mora, and said, "A little extra for the rent." Bennett's eyes tracked the Dandelion Knight until she left, and Amber laughed.

"Got a crush?" she asks, covering her mouth with her unoccupied hand. "I think she's a little old for you."

Bennett shook his head and said, "Nah, you're right; she is too old. I was gonna ask about that." He pointed to the bag of Mora and asked, "Maybe I just don't know how the Knights of Favonius works, but you're not that old, so I thought you'd live with your mom and dad. Or whatever you have," he interjected, recalling his living situation.

Amber's face became pinched as her normally omnipresent smile dipped. "I used to live with my grandfather but he's…not here."

"Oh, Amber, I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd be sore about that," Bennett said, shifting on the bedside and, for the first time since his injury, not wincing from the motion.

"It's…you didn't…I'm not bothered," she lied hastily, flashing him a smile that he could tell was equally false.

Bennett scrambled to find some way to cut through the tension. Finally, an idea dawned. He laid a hand on her back and suggested, "Hey, Amber, why don't we go out to the yard and you can show me how to use a bow."

The fire in Amber's eyes rekindled, and she pumped her fist. "Alright! Let me get my stuff and you meet me outside in ten minutes."

Bennett gave her a signature thumbs-up and said, "You bet! I'll see you outside."

As Amber pranced gleefully from the infirmary, Bennett ambled to the chest in the corner that contained his clothes. He stripped off the white robes he had been placed in by the Sister and pulled on his shorts, vest, and boots.

"No, no, you're doing it wrong." Amber shook her head. "Too much of your energy is going towards straightening yourself artificially. You're forcing it. You have to let the bow direct you, have to feel it out right."

Bennett sighed and lifted the bow again. "Alright, this time I have it!" He drew back the bow and let an arrow loose from the string. It seemed to aim dead onward toward the training dummy they had set up. Then, by perhaps sheer misfortune, the arrow veered from its course, whizzing past the dummy's head and bending its tip on the stone wall of the parapet. "Missed again!" he said, dejected.

Amber patted his arm. "Come on, let's try it this way." She walked up to him and said, raise the bow again. I'll guide you this time," she promises.

Bennett squared his shoulders, bowstring taut, and he felt Amber pass to his side, reaching out and overlaying her arm on his, and her left leg in between his stance. She guided his hand to pull back the string and whispered into his ear, "Open both eyes, relax. It's harder when you try too much. Now aim, and…"

The breeze of her breath tickled the short hairs on the back of his neck, fueling his stress. His body was shaking as his mind whirred. So close…her breath is on my neck. Her hand is on mine. Oh, my gods, this is so embarrassing, and I probably smell, and my hair is messy, and –

THWANG! The bowstring resonated as the arrow rose into the air, his arms having shaken too much to steady himself. "Oh gods, I'm sorry; I probably hit someone or lost your arrow," he rambled, lowering the bow and frowning at the embarrassment of his premature release.

"Loose." He hand squeezed his arm when he startled her by shooting the bow, but she gave his arm a reassuring pat. "It's alright, Benny," she said softly. "It was your first time." She let go of him when he looked over at her. "I can call you that, right? Sorry, I should have asked before just making up a nickname." She bowed apologetically, and her ribbon seemed to droop in accordance.

His face turned crimson, and he stammered, "N–no! I–I like it! It's…unique." He internally cringed at what he assumed sounded like a backhanded slight. "I mean it; I've never really had someone give me a nickname like that before. Except my dads; but they just call me 'Son'."

Amber grinned. "I can just imagine it now! One day, when you're the greatest adventurer in Mond, you can say, 'Hi, I'm Bennett, leader of Benny's Adventuring Team!' Or," she pursed her lips, "maybe that sounds stupid. I'm sure you have a better idea."

He matched her smile with his own, blush receding. "No, no! That's perfect. It fits…do you really think I'd be a great adventurer someday? Even with my…bad luck?"

She nodded. "No doubt, you'd be great at it."

His heart seemed to fill with something tingly, similar to the dandelion juice he drank at Weinlesefest. (Never wine, though he had assured his dads that he could handle a little bit, but Ambrose had put his foot down very quickly on that.) "Hey," he ventured, "maybe I can teach you a thing or two about handling a sword. If," he drew his silver blade from the Vision he wore at his hip, "you'd want to learn."

Amber's eyes widened and she clenched her fists in front of herself, an infectious smile setting a fire in Bennett's heart. "Oh, yes! Let me just see if Jean or someone will borrow me one."

He shook his head. "You won't need that. Just use mine."

"Alright, I can do that," she agreed.

He handed her the weapon, and as her fingers closed around the hilt, they also brushed his. "A-alright. Lesson one."

Amber hefted the weapon and looked at the blade, looking a little awestruck. "Oh, wow, this is heavier than I expected. I mean, I only held it once before," she said, "when you were knocked out, but I forgot how large a longsword usually is."

Bennett laughed. "It's a skill that you gotta learn. I did, and look at me now; I think I have a passable handle on my swordsmanship now."

Amber laughed and said, "I'd say more than passable. You're teaching me, aren't you?"

"That's true," he smiled wide enough that his eyes crinkled in the corners. "Alright, Ambs, here's what you're gonna do. Slash downward, but slow. You gotta start this stuff slow, or you might get out of control."

She tried a slash and wobbled a little. "This is a lot harder than I expected."

"Take your time, alright?" Bennett encouraged. "It takes practice, and it really helps if you know your weapon inside and out. You just started, but you look like you're handling it so far." He talked with his hands as he paced back and forth. "Now try a couple thrust-and-retreats," he coached.

She stuck her tongue out pensively and stabbed forward, then shuffled back awkwardly. "Like that?"

"More like…," Bennett mimed the actions he was looking for, and Amber snickered. "What? I thought that was a good demonstration."

Amber shook her head, still laughing. "No, it was. It's just funny seeing someone show me how to do it."

His ears reddened and he protested, "Don't tease me!" but he soon laughed with her.

"The idea you want to aspire to is to eventually speed up your strokes, until you finally deliver your final burst of energy in what I call the 'power shot'," he said. "That's the killing hit, and the one that impresses the watcher," he clarified. "A clean sweep that delivers that final explosion. Whoever you're matched with won't be able to stand up after you hit them with that."

They practiced and talked and worked on Amber's swordsmanship until both had worked up a sweat in the summer sun.

"Oof!" Amber groaned, "my arms are sore. My back, too! And count my legs in that, while you're at it."

Bennett clasped her hand in a show of solidarity and praised, "Good job, Ambs! You're coming a long way."

She beamed and replied, "Thank you, Benny. I had a great teacher."

He slung his arm around her shoulder as they walked and said, "So, what do you say about going to get something from "Good Hunter"? I'm always hungry after practicing my bladework."

"That sounds soooooo good," she gushed. "Steaks? I'm trying not to break my bank."

"Perfect." They passed a roguish-looking knight with blue hair, who had been watching their practice session, and who chuckled as they passed.

"Go get her, little cub," the blue-haired knight said slyly to Bennett as he passed, just quietly enough that Bennett was not sure if Amber had heard.

"I swear to Barbatos, the way Sarah makes steak is blessed by the Anemo Archon himself." Amber finished her last bite, and Bennett had his chin in his hand, watching her. "Something on my face?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. No, you're clean," he said. "Shall we walk?"

Amber nodded and stood up, just as another voice called, "Ahoy, Outrider!"

The two whirled to spot a man with reddish-brown hair and a mustache waving to her.

"Oh, hi, Herman!" Amber grinned as she greeted the former adventurer. "How is your daughter?"

Herman chuckled, and said, "She's fine, growing like a weed. She's around… somewhere…," he added, looking around before lifting a hand to his mouth and calling, "Ellin? Where did you scamper off to?"

"Coming!" The front door to a nearby shop called "With Wind Comes Glory" swung open violently and a young girl ran up to Herman. "Sorry, Daddy, I was looking at the new turquoise jewelry that Marjorie got in!"

Herman ruffled her hair and Ellin scowled. She noticed the pair and Herman said, "Ellin, where are your manners? Say hello to Amber and –." He paused and said, "Actually, I don't recall meeting you before. I'm Herman, former Knight of Favonius, and this is my daughter, Ellin."

"I'm going to be a Knight of Favonius someday!" Ellin cheered, and Herman put a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"You still have a couple years until you take the exam," he clarified.

Bennett took Herman's hand and shook it. "I'm Bennett, from the Adventurer's Guild!" He also put his hand out to shake Ellin's, but the girl shied away as crimson patches spread across her cheeks. "Sorry," Bennett said, running that hand through his cream-colored hair. "I didn't know you didn't like shaking. No hard feelings," he added with a smile and thumbs up.

Ellin's blush deepened and she timidly stepped forward and took his hand, but with her palm down on his. Obliviously, he grasped the hand and shook vigorously, and Ellin could only make a faint squeak in response. "It's my pleasure to meet you, Prince Bennett."

Oh, okay. I guess she does like shaking. Kinda funny she called me a prince, but maybe she's into fairy tales. Bennett retracted his hand and Herman harrumphed as he took in the situation. "The pleasure is mine, Princess Ellin," he said with a polite bow.

Herman scowled at the boy. "Hmmm. Come on, Ellin. I think your mother is waiting," Herman snapped and took his daughter's hand, walking toward the fountain.

"It was good to meet you!" Bennett called after them, and Herman shot him a Cryo-infused glare. He heard the man tell his daughter, "He's an adventurer. Nothing but trouble. You stay far away from him."

"But daddyyyyy!"

Bennett paled and Amber snickered. "What? What's funny?" he asked his friend.

She poked his arm. "Someone has a crush on you!" she said in a singsong.

"She WHAT?" Bennett exclaimed, jaw slack. "But she's a…a kid!" he protested.

"Benny, it doesn't mean anything. She just saw a cute boy and got a crush. I'm sure she'll grow out of it in a few days. I usually did," Amber said.

Bennett nodded, satisfied by her answer, but then froze. "I'm…a cute boy?" he asks, not sure he heard her right. Nobody had ever called him cute before. He was not sure if Amber's ears subtly darkened, but now it was her turn to blush.

"Well, yeah, I guess," she admits. "But it's not just me; anyone would say that," she adds.

Gods, I'm going to ride this high for the next few years, he thought. I wonder if she's right. Maybe I am cute!

"Like a puppy or a baby," Amber clarified hastily. Bennett shrugged.

Eh, good enough.

An awkward silence ensued, and Bennett, being very perturbed by the lack of sound, cleared his throat.

"So, Amber…you're pretty good with a glider, right?" he asked.

She looked up, her eyes sparkling in the evening light of the nearby lanterns. "Yeah, I would say I am."

"Do you want to teach me?"

"Unh!" Bennett grunted as the glider's wings bound in the wind and he tumbled down the steps to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Just my luck!

"Benny! You have to extend them the moment you feel the wind current!" Amber calls down to him. She is still standing at the top of the stone stairs to the Ordo Favonius' Headquarters, where he had also started his journey. He was glad she had not let him start at the top of the roof as he had asked, or he probably would have broken his arm from that fall.

He gathered up the still-intact glider and trudged back up the stairs. "Why did nobody tell me this was actually hard?" he says, rubbing his scraped knees.

"It's alright; you can do it, I'm sure," Amber encouraged him, and Bennett could not help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Oh, alright, one more time."

It was not one more time. It was never one more time when it came to Amber. He spent hours with her that day, diving into the wind with simple brown and black wings strapped to him. He must be insane, he thought, to leap into the air again and again, failing over and over, and yet not complaining about the discomfort he went through. And just like learning to walk again, he found that the more he tried, the better he could fly.

"I can do this!" he promised her on his last run. "Trust me!"

Amber shook her head and said, "No way! You just started flying today! You're not climbing the Statue of Barbatos to jump off and try your luck."

"But I can do it!" he protested and put on a determined face. "Just trust me." He took her hand in his and said, "If you're worried, watch me from the ground!"

Amber let his hand go and he suddenly realized the forward gesture he had made. He looked away and said, "If you'd like, we can climb it together."

She nodded and said, "No, I trust you. If you fall, I need to be there to catch you."

Tha-dunp. Tha-dunp. This feeling inside his chest, escalating – what was he thinking? What was this feeling? Was he sick or something?

"A-anyway," Bennett sang, "come on! It's almost dark and I want to see the city in the daylight as I fly."

Amber gave a nearly imperceptible nod. "I'll be right behind you."

The boy and the girl raced to the foot of the statue as joy bubbled in his heart.

The race ended with Amber pulling ahead, but Bennett was the first to start scaling the large effigy of the city's patron Archon. He knew the quickest way up was the angelic deity's flowing stone robe; a little lip on the top led in a spiral up to the shoulder, which then gave way to the god's outstretched hands, offering forth freedom and peace to his beloved nation. How poignant that his daring act of freedom would take place here, then.

The wind, completely calm up to this point, picked up a little, carrying a swirl of dandelion seeds past Bennett's face. He breathed in the sweet scent, mixed with – was that apples? Never mind, that was silly of him. He waved down to Amber, who gave him a nervous thumbs up.

"The wind feels amazing!" he shouted, and he thought he saw Amber smile. He laughed heartily when the wind swirled around him, tousling his hair and nearly lifting him off the hands of Barbatos. "There's no better time to do this," he said to himself, and he leaped.

And he fell. The cold air of twilight rushed past his ears, and the group approached so fast, faster than he expected. His eyes widened as adrenaline pumped through him. His heart thrummed in tune with the sacred song of existence for what could have been years, though he knew, in his innermost soul, that it was mere fractions of a second. The ground approached all the same.

He tugged at his wind glider, trying to extend the wings, and cheered as they sprung open. Gravity had dragged him close to the cobblestone. Too close! There was only a blurry figure in red — Amber , he thought, a strange peace coming over him — beneath his plummeting body. It was fitting that she was here, finally witnessing his greatest stroke of fortune yet. I'm glad you're here.

He felt the gentle puffs of wind from before buffeting the undersides of his wings. "Woohoo!" he cried jubilantly, and Amber ran underneath him. "You're doing it! You're flying like I knew you could!"

He swooped upward, catching the breeze, and truly soared, for the first time. No matter how much his stomach dropped, no matter how the wind mussed his hair, he was alive , and it felt glorious.

So glorious that he did not see that he had turned, and was heading straight for Wagner's blacksmith shop.

"Bennett!" Amber shrieked, and his eyes snapped open to see the signature anvil insignia rapidly approaching.

"Oh, snap," Bennett said as his head connected with the sign, sending it swinging and teetering. One of the chains holding the sign to its post loosened and it fell to the cobblestone street, cracking in half. Bennett, miraculously, still landed on his feet, dazed but generally uninjured.

Horrified, Wagner looked between the boy and his precious sign. "Schultz? Get to the engraver and have them make a new logo for us!" he called back, and then grumbled, "Ya broke my sign."

Bennett rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Sorry, Mr. Blacksmith. I didn't try to."

The man harrumphed and glared at him.

Amber soon jogged to his side and breathlessly asked, "Oh my gods, are you okay?" She touched his face, trying to ascertain any damage, and Bennett winced when she palpated his forehead.

"Yeah, that's gonna be sore a while," he confirmed, and the two started laughing.

"Don't worry me like that again, alright? Next time, we fly together," Amber said in between peals of laughter.

"I'm afraid you won't be flying for a while, son."

Bennett whirled to see three armored knights. The first was Jean, arms crossed with a stern expression. The second was a blue-haired rogue whose name he did not know, and whose posture was way too relaxed for this. But the final knight – another Bennett did not know, but Amber seemed to shrink before – was the speaker. He radiated power and prestige, but his eyes were filled with compassion.

"I'm sorry, Grandmaster Varka!" Amber squeaked, putting her arms behind her back in shame.

Ah, the Grandmaster. I'm done for, Bennett thought.

"Gliding within the city limits is, unfortunately, a violation of your gliding license. We'll have to confiscate it for the next week to file the incident," Jean said, stepping forward. "Your license?" she added, hand outstretched.

Bennett gave Amber a sideways glance before he said, "I…I don't have a license."

Amber jumped in and added, "I was teaching him how to glide, and I didn't think before –,"

"You're right."

Amber stopped as if she had been slapped.

"You didn't think. Amber, I'm disappointed in you. I know you and…Bennett," Jean paused as she recalled the boy's name, "are close friends, but the rules are in place for a reason. A lot worse could have happened than just smacking his head." She purses her lips and crosses her arms. She looked as if she was about to speak when Varka raised a hand.

"Gunnhildr, while I appreciate your enthusiasm for the job, you are not the Grandmaster. Stand down."

Jean blanched and nodded quickly. "Yes, sir!"

Varka strode forward and patted Amber's shoulder. "Young Outrider, your passion will serve you well as a Knight of Favonius. But you must practice restraint. And you, young man. I recognize your passion for both Amber and for life, but you could have hurt many, yourself included."

Bennett hung his head, too. "You're right," he sighed.

Varka patted his shoulder as well, his broad shoulders allowing him to comfort both teenagers. "I will have to submit a disciplinary action and restrict your duties for the next week, and for you, I'll have to hold you for this infraction. I figure that community service will do you well."

"Hold me? Community service?" Bennett said, swallowing as if his throat were full of honey. "For how long?"

Varka's eyes filled with mirth, and he chuckled warmly. "Then again, I may have a solution that satisfies both of your sentences." He held up two fingers and said, "A ten-day gliding course to get you a license. And you," he pointed to Amber, "will be his instructor. Kaeya here, he gestured to the knight with blue hair, "will chaperone to ensure that proper instruction occurs." He put his hand to his beard, and Jean looked like she had just had a stroke. "Is that satisfactory, Outrider?"

Amber's sad face turned to joy. "Oh my Archons, really? Yes! One hundred percent, yes."

"And you, young adventurer?"

"Oh my gods, absolutely!" Bennett grinned, rubbing his forehead. Anything to get more time with her!

"T-that's it, Grandmaster?" Jean stammered, shocked.

"It is getting late," Varka conceded. "So we will have to still hold you in solitary confinement for one night. You do need to learn your lesson, after all. Jean, I think you would be a good emissary to notify the Adventurer's Guild of what happened and give them a timetable for when we will return their little prodigy."

Jean, still slightly slack-jawed, nodded and said, "Yes, sir! Shall I tell them that he will be back tomorrow morning?"

Varka hummed in thought. "That should be enough time to sort this out."

As the trio of knights escorted Amber and Bennett back to headquarters, Varka chuckled again. "Young man, what you did today was bold. If you ever want a job, the Knights could use someone with your courage." When Bennett opened his mouth, Varka held up a finger and said, "Ah. Consider it, but you don't need an answer now. The offer will always stand so long as I am Grandmaster."

Bennett lay on the cot in his cell, which was far nicer than he ever expected jail to be. The floor was polished wood that shone dully in the few lanterns still burning late at night. His ears perked up as he heard the sound of jingling keys. Though he couldn't see out of the solid oak door, the small window above the lock betrayed the identity of his savior by exhibiting the twin tips of a hairbow. He sighed in relief as his rescuer fumbled at the lock. Finally, the door creaked open.

"Amber?" he whispered, "What are you doing here?"

She smirked and said, "Breaking you out! I got some food and a perfect hideout; if you want to escape, that is."

Bewildered, Bennett stumbled from the cell and looked around. It seemed nobody was watching, and that confused him even more. "Where is everyone?"

"Night guard is relatively small since we don't get a lot of low-level prisoners here. We'll sneak out pretty easy cause I know where they all are," Amber explained, taking his hand and pulling him along. "But come on, hurry!"

On the way out the door, he caught a flash of blue hair, and turned white when he saw it was the other knight – Kaeya, was it? – in the doorway of Jean's office. His and Bennett's eyes met briefly, and the smirk on Kaeya's face was paired with a very subtle, but very apparent, wink.

Bennett's face reddened as she squeezed his hand, and he was thankful she wasn't looking at him.

Amber squirreled Bennett away to the base of the cathedral, and whispered, "Climb up to that rafter, and if you get tired, rest up there. Then you'll move across to that flat portion, and climb onto the roof. From there, it's a straight scale up the tower. Got that?"

"Uh, yeah!" Bennett said, not having retained a word, and decided to wing it. "I'll meet you up there."

The two began to scale the grand Church of Favonius, and Bennett found it easier than he had expected. In no time, the pair reached the top, and Amber took the knapsack she had on her back off, laying it on the ground and pulling out two foil-wrapped pieces of meat. "I hope you're okay with chicken and honey."

Bennett's eyes grew wide as plates. "Sweet Madame? Gods, I love this stuff!" He dug in, using his fingers to grasp the sticky meat and wolf it down.

"Wow!" Amber laughed and tucked into her own. "I didn't know you were a fan."

"Not just a fan," he clarified. "It's my favorite food probably of all time."

They ate and laughed and talked about their childhoods before the conversation lulled. By this point, the only thing left of their dinner were the two foil wrappers, flattened and folded, and Bennett was telling a story about two of his dads and an ocean voyage they had embarked on. When he finished speaking, he looked over at her and said, "Eh, that's enough about me, though. I'm sure you have way more interesting stories to tell than me!"

Amber thought a moment before she said, "You asked about my grandfather, didn't you?"

Bennett raised his hands in defense and said, "But I'm not gonna poke around in that if you don't want to talk about him."

"No…no, it's better to get it out," she said quietly, so quietly Bennett had to strain to hear, and she finally continued. "The current story is that he died on a journey into one of the temples."

"I'm really sorry," Bennett said, and she shook her head. "Is that why I overheard Barbara mentioning that you visited one of the graves behind this church?"

She nodded but looked even more forlorn. "They gave him a hero's burial. Flowers, a casket…a closed coffin," she added with a shuddering breath. "But, that's the thing they got wrong. He didn't die – or, at least not when everyone thinks he did."

Bennett did not want to pry, but he was very curious. "Did he…,"

She sniffled again, eyes moistening. "He defected. Or something. I saw him come back to the house the midnight after the funeral. He took his things, and…just left. Didn't say goodbye, nothing to provide for me, not even a…not even a letter."

"Oh, Amber, I'm," Bennett took a deep breath, considering what to do, and then wrapped her up in a hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's like he didn't even want me!" she cries, and he hugs her tighter.

"Ambs, you deserved so much better. I'm sorry. You deserved more, and I wish little Amber could hear me say that."

Amber's eyes welled up with tears and she sobbed, "She just did." The floodgates opened, and she wept onto his shoulder bitterly, with Bennett shushing her gently, petting her back until she no longer shook with grief. "You're strong, Amber. So much stronger than you know."

Sitting next to him, feet dangling over the edge, she rested her head on his shoulder. "T-thank you, Benny," she said, breaths returning to normal. "Sorry you had to see that. I know it's not the happy-go-lucky Amber you usually see."

"Aw, Ambs, it's not like you have to be perfect all the time around me. I mean, we're friends, right?"

She giggled as she wiped her eyes. "Of course we are. More than that even."

Bennett's heart thumped in his chest. He opened his mouth but found no words would come out.

"I'd call us best friends."

He shut his mouth. "Yeah. You're my best friend, Ambs. And nobody can take that away."

I can…I can live with this. What did I expect anyway? With my luck, it's a miracle that she even wants me around!

"Here!"

Bennett snapped out of his contemplation to see Amber handing him a ribbon. The same ribbon she had been wearing in her hair since he had met her.

"You're…giving me your bow?" Bennett asked, awed. "But that's your thing!"

She giggled with her hand over her mouth. "Oh, Benny, I have others I can wear. Besides, I should want to give my new best friend a gift so he'll remember me!"

He took the orange ribbon and gazed at the silky article. His fingers traced the delicate cloth, and he cleared his throat. "Hey, Ambs. Can you tie it on my arm?"

"Tie it," Amber paused, confusion etched on her face. "Um, sure. Why, though?" she asked him as she took it back.

"We're best of friends, and I always want to remember this moment. So if I carry it everywhere with me, I'll never forget you!" he reasoned, and his face grew warm. "Unless that's…unless you wouldn't want me to."

He noticed Amber took a while to respond, and in the darkness, he couldn't see her face perfectly. But when she spoke, he heard a small waver in her voice.

"That's," she sniffled, "the sweetest thing ever." She reached for his arm, and he held it out for her. Her long and lithe fingers danced across his skin, and each delicate tug of the fabric, each press of her fingers to his arm, sent shivers toward his core. "It should be…almost…there."

She withdrew her hands, and Bennett immediately felt the absence. He swallowed hard, his tongue suddenly feeling too heavy to speak, and stammered, "G-good! Thank you, Ambs." They stood facing one another, and Bennett opened his mouth to speak, the words he wanted to say to her so close to utterance, before faltering.

No. You're just some adventurer and she's…Archons, she's a Knight of Favonius. It's…this is better, he assured himself.

"Wanna race? You and me," he said instead, only the slightest tint of sadness in his voice. Amber tilted her head, and he wondered if she had heard his undertone.

"But, Bennett, you got arrested for gliding," she reminded him.

"Awww, sounds like someone thinks she'd lose," he teased, and she puffed her cheeks out. He had played her like a lyre, and she knew it.

"Fine, one more race," she conceded.

He pumped his fist and cheered. "Alright, then. We start at the top of the tower here and fly down to the bottom of the statue."

"Bet you I'll make it before you!" she challenged him.

"You're on!"

Amber strapped on her goggles and flashed him a winning smile that caused his heart to flutter.

"Three, two, one, go!" He yelled and pushed off.

The feeling of flight never ceased to make Bennett whoop in joy. He extended the wings straight outward, and turned his head to look at his gliding companion. Amber, his best friend, and himself hurtled through the air toward the God of Freedom.

He was so enthralled in his reverie that he did not notice his right wing crumpled in the shearing forces of the wind, and suddenly he was no longer flying. He was falling.

Falling.

Falling.

He hit the stone hem of Barbatos' robe and yelped as he heard a sickening crunch. His arm dangled limply and felt strangely numb. Amber stumbled to a stop and ran to his side, not even taking the time to shuck off her glider.

"BENNETT! Please be okay, please don't be dead," she prayed, fear striking her lovely face.

Oh. She looks amazing, doesn't she. I think I…no, I know I like her. I'm…ow…certain of it. His eyes opened and he smiled weakly. "I won," he said simply, and gave her a thumbs up with his non-injured arm.

Windblume Festival, 9 months after Aether's arrival in Mondstatdt

Bennett watched his best friend holding the hand of the Traveler, laughing at some comment he had made about one of the booths they had all visited.

"Benny, I'm so glad you got to come out today! I've had so much fun with you two," Amber said, giggling as she fed Aether a piece of some purple pie.

Aether bit the pie gently from her nimble fingers and chuckled. "Thank you, sweet Outrider. Have I told you how much I love you?" Aether rested his chin in his hand, gazing at his girlfriend adoringly.

Bennett could not help but smile, even as he ached. He could not be angry, or dejected, or even disappointed. This is everything he wanted for her.

She's happy.

Which means I'm happy…right?

For today and tonight, the answer would have to be yes. He did not think he could bear to allow himself to feel otherwise.