Chapter 1
Amber's muscles tense up, and the bowstring quivers, the shadow cast by fronds hiding her figure. The arrow strikes and pierces through a deer's neck. The animal falls to the ground, trembling and convulsing before its head falls to the soil, motionless, almost as if asleep. Amber jumps down from the tree, hanging her bow on her back, before she proceeds to break the arrow stuck in the deer's neck. She flings the animal's body on her shoulders.
"There, mom will enjoy this present" she smiles as she heads towards Mondstadt, the sun setting in the horizon and warming the glade surrounding the city. " I just need to do my report, then I'll be done for the day" The outrider walks and hums, while occasionally licking her lips at the thought of roast deer.
Once she reaches the city gates she greets the guards, without listening to their offer to help her carry the carcass on her back, and she heads straight for the Knights Of Favonius headquarters, only stopping once she reaches her destination.
"Most of the knights will have gone home by now, so I should be fine carrying this big boy back here". Amber enters the headquarters and she walks, almost hops, to Jean's office: she tries to go for the door handle with her right hand, but the entrance springs open before she even has a chance to touch it. The outrider looks up as she finds herself in front of a woman almost a head taller than her, with hair a light azure that reminds her of the color reflecting from the water in Dragonspine, and eyes with hues that look like the sunset light casting from the back of a mountain. The woman smells strongly of mint, which reveals in its undertones the unmistakable scent of omegas. Amber blushes lightly.
"And who might you be?" the woman hunches her eyebrows as she stares at her.
"I'm Amber, I'm here to report to Jean."
"With a dead deer on your shoulders?" Amber turns to look at the animal's snout, then looks back at her. "After I completed my mission I saw it and thought, why would I refuse a roast when it's strolling right in front of me?" The woman stares at her in silence, while raising an eyebrow.
"Let her in, Eula" Jean's voice interrupts her from inside the office. Eula looks back to her. "How is this an appropriate way to show up in front of two noblewomen? Covered in mud and carrying a carcass over the shoulder? " "Eula" Jean sighs.
Meanwhile, Amber thinks. "Eula? A noblewoman? Like Eula Lawrence? Wasn't the Lawrence clan fully made up by alphas?"
Eula moves out of the way; Amber enters the office and she gets closer to the Acting Grandmaster sitting at the desk. "Hey Jean! I explored the areas you marked out for me, I just got rid of some small hilichurl camps, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary" "Thank you, Amber, we can all rest assured" Jean opens her personal organizer and notes down the newly acquired information.
"Great job, I'll designate the areas for you to explore tomorrow, you're free to go." Jean writes a small list, rips the sheet out and hands it to Amber. "Wait, you mean to tell me she's the only outrider left?" Eula glares at Amber with the same look of disgust that a noble reserves to a cockroach. Jean groans again.
"Yes, Eula, she scouts the area first and then you clear it. That's how it's always been, or have you forgotten?"
"I won't forget this insolence."
Jean massages her temples, while still holding her pen. "Um…so, you're Eula Lawrence, right?" Amber grips her filthy glove between her teeth, as her hand slips out of it, before she leaves hanging in front of Eula "I don't think we've had the chance to introduce ourselves, I'm Amber, nice to meet you!"
The noblewoman pauses, alternating her stare from her hand to Amber's face, she exhales as she reciprocates the handshake with restraint. The difference in skin tone, from Amber's, tanned by the early summer sun, and Eula's snowy one, creates contrast.
"It's Spindrift Knight to you" Eula leaves the room with firm steps, without looking back. Amber's gaze lingers, staring at her for a couple of seconds.
"What a weird lady". Jean clears her throat, and the outrider turns to look at her.
"Pardon her she's…unusual, she has a hard time communicating with people. Don't let it get to you, okay?"
"Don't worry Jean, you know me".
Jean smiles "You're right." "I've seen a bunch of Fatuis roaming around the woods and the clearing, I don't know what they were doing there, I attempted to follow a few of them to try and find a settlement, but nothing."
Jean rubs her chin, her gaze set on the papers on her desk. "Were they the same as the other times?"
"Yes, but there were a few new ones."
Jean notes meticulously each word of the outrider.
"Anything else?"
"Nope, everything else is all right".
"Thank you Amber, you can leave"
When Amber gets home, the sun just set. She knocks on the door, the deer firmly on her shoulder. Her mother, Esther, opens the door and she goes to help her carry the animal's carcass. "So you do come home with something useful every now and then." She greets her with a smile.
"Love you too" Amber leans to kiss her mother on her cheek "I'm going to take a bath".
"You'd better." The woman laughs. Amber heads to the bathroom, she fills the tub, leaving her clothes on the floor, and dips into the hot water; she feels her muscles relax, enveloped by the warmth. She rests her head on the smooth surface and sinks lower, enough to let the bubbles caress her cheek. Her tan lines delimit the bounds of her garments as they create a curious effect where the darker and lighter extents of her skin alternate all over her body. She looks down and stares at the organ between her legs.
"Luckily it didn't seem to be awoken. Eula was really hot".
Amber sighs from under the water surface; some bubbles pop around her.
"This reminds me of when mom told me everything…"
It was a sunny morning. Amber had recently turned five years old. She had skipped across the woods, accompanied by her grandfather, and when they got back home, both of them were covered in mud and blood. Despite the pain, the little girl's face was stretched in a big smile. "Dad! I told you to be careful with Amber" Esther had welcomed them.
"Sorry dear, she saw a bunny and she started running after it so fast that I managed to catch up to her only after she slipped and fell" his lips curled up into a smile. "I humbly ask for your forgiveness." He attempted to bow. Esther bent down towards Amber and used the hem of her skirt to clean her face from the mud,
"Don't be mad at grandpa, momma! He wath good, he showed me a giant thunthettia tree! And he told me how deerth live! I wath the one that ran away, I'm thorry" Amber's tongue frequently hit her teeth when she spoke, making her s sound more like a th.
Esther put her hand under her chin, as if she was deep in thought. "Okay, if you say so I'll forgive him, but keep this as a warning for next time"
"I promithe!" Amber straightened her back and puffed her chest.
"Thank you, Amber" Grandpa stroked her hair. "Did you at least make sure she ate her candy?"
"Yes, she complained for a bit because of the bitter taste, but apart from that she was great".
Esther nodded.
"I have to go now, I need to finish a few things for the Knights of Favonius and then I need a bath, see you soon Amber." The man leaned down and kissed his granddaughter on the cheek. Amber turned to hug his neck with the little strength she had. Grandpa also gave Esther's cheek a kiss, and then he left. "Okay Amber, it's time for a bath now, so I can also put a band aid on your knee"
"Yeth!" The child hopped towards the bathroom, leaving a trail of small grimy footprints behind her. Esther sighed as she followed her,
Her mother filled half of the bathtub. Amber splashed the water around as it rose and Esther grasped a basin.
"Close your eyes"
Amber obeyed; the woman poured water on her head; the little girl's hair, the barely reached her jaw, looked slightly longer because of the water's weight. Esther took the shampoo vial. "I'm going to wash your hair, if you feel any soap in your eyes tell me so we can wash it out, okay?"
"Thure!"
Esther began to massage gently her daughter's head. "Momma, there'th thomething I wanna athk you." Amber rubbed her thumbs together keeping her eyes low.
"Yes, dear?" The little girl was quiet for a bit, as she lowered her head slightly, Esther stopped and looked at her.
"Honey, calm down, you know you can ask anything to your momma." The woman patted her back so delicately that she was barely even touching her.
"I trutht you momma, it'th jutht… Why do I have to eat thothe candieth every day? Why do I need to hide what I have between my legth? Why do we have different thingth if we're both girlth? Why are we different? Why am I different?" Esther inhaled deeply a few times and rested her hand on Amber's shoulder.
"You see Amber, it's true that we're both girls, but we don't share the same dynamic."
"Dynamic?"
"That's right, dynamic is a sex, like male and female, but it's a different category. We're different because you're an alpha and I'm an omega, and then there's people like your dad, who's a beta."
"Ith that why I have a thauthage between my legth?"
"Exactly. Your grandpa is also an alpha, so we could say you got it from him." Esther smiled at her. Amber's eyes shimmered. "But if being an alpha ith normal, why can't I thay it? Ith it because there are no girls like me?"
Esther's smile soured. "Because a long time ago, a majority of the alphas in Mondstadt were very bad people, and they decided to make betas and omegas their slaves. When they rebelled, they ruled to exile every alpha to avoid slavery ever returning to Mondstadt"
Amber put her hand under her chin and she gazed at the small waves in the water, as if they could help her better understand the information she just received. "Tho me and grandpa have to hide that we're alphath tho we don't get exiled?"
"Sadly yes, you wouldn't be the only ones to be exiled, it would involve the whole family, to avoid the birth of another alpha in the future."
Suddenly, Amber found herself on the brink of tears.
"I won't let them momma! I'll be a thuper good girl and no one will ever know, I promithe!" Tears started streaming down the little girl's rosy cheeks. Esther bent down to hug her daughter.
"I trust you, Amber, I don't need you to promise, I know you'll make it"
Amber nodded against Esther's dress, dampening a good portion of it. They only separated after the child calmed down. "Are me and grandpa the only alphath in Mondstadt?"
"No, there's a noble family left that is made up only by alphas, The Lawrence clan, they negotiated a deal with the Knights of Favonius, where in exchange of steady economic support and with the surrendering of any right to govern the city they were allowed to stay. But they're not really well liked by most of the common folk, many would have them exiled like the rest of the alphas to avoid them propagating alphas to other families in Mondstadt." "Got it, tho even if I wanted to athk thingth about being an alpha I would be hated too, right?"
"Exactly, you're very smart. Alphas, betas and omegas aren't only set apart by what they have between their legs, but also by their scent. That's why you and your grandpa need to eat those herb candies every day, they're made to turn your scents into a beta's, when you go to sleep you can rely on the flowers in your room"
Amber nodded vigorously.
"I underthtand momma, I won't complain about their bitter tathte anymore! And I won't forget to eat them, ever!"
"I know, now I'm going to finish your clean up, okay?" Esther resumed on kneading her hair. "Anyway, I don't get the bad alphath, I could never enthlave you momma! They were dumb!"
"That's why they were bad, while you're my sweetheart, Amber, but thank you." The woman took the basin, filled with water, and rinsed her hair.
"Momma, do you…" Amber returned to rubbing her thumbs together "think you'd been happier if I wath a beta or an omega?"
Esther smiled and stroked her hair.
"No, because if you'd been a beta or an omega you wouldn't have been the Amber I love so much to gift the entire world to."
Amber doesn't think about that day very often, the only thing that messes with her head is the knowledge that her mother would have had way less problems if only she had been born a beta or an omega.
"I know she doesn't think like this, but… it's undeniable that she would have had much less to worry about if she didn't have the prospect of me being found out to concern her…" Amber lets herself slip enough to sink completely into the water. While submerged the only noise she can perceive is the hazy rustle and the silence so strong that it numbs her thoughts. She emerges abruptly, all at once, and takes a deep breath.
"NO! I can't let stuff like this bring me down! I'm a Knight Of Favonius and I help people everyday! Me being an alpha is just one of many of my characteristics! I can't let intrusive thoughts beat me! Not again…UGH! Amber! What did you just say?! No intrusive thoughts!" Amber gets done washing herself and exists the bathtub, taking a towel and wrapping herself in it, as she extends her hand towards a second one and starts using it to dry her hair in front of the mirror.
"I think I have more freckles now, nice." She heads to her room, wearing the first pajama she can find and going to the kitchen. The first thing she sees is her mother busy cleaning off the blood from her hands.
"You worked fast on that deer."
"No, you just took years to get done with your beauty bath." Amber laughs.
"I just lost myself in some memories."
"The good kind, I hope"
"You were in them, so the best."
"Oh my, what do you want in exchange for such flattery?"
Amber pretendend to think about it.
"A good roast will do." After the dinner was over, Amber got back into her bedroom, observing Jean's itinerary, scribbling viable routes to make exploring faster on a sheet of paper; once satisfied, she goes to sleep with her hair still damp, as she drifts off in mere minutes.
On the other side of the city, Jean is still in her office, checking the daily reports.
"Jean, come to sleep." Lisa caresses her shoulder.
"Just a few more minutes, I need to think about how I can solve an issue regarding the Reconnaissance Company." "The one captained by Eula, right?"
Jean strokes her own head.
"Yes, she's the issue in question, she can do her job perfectly when it's about taking out enemies, but when teamwork and communicating gets into the conversation her competence takes a significant hit. She managed to be unmannerly even with Amber." "Even with Amber?" Lisa's surprised voice accompanies a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, she was here to report to me and she had a deer on her shoulder, which is not that unusual if you know Amber. But Eula still managed to be the rudest woman in Mondstadt."
"I confess I'd have enjoyed seeing this scene unfold."
"Lisa!"
Lisa giggles as she strokes Jean's back. "Knowing Amber, it's impossible she took it to heart".
"I know, that girl is way too agreeable when people are unpleasant to her, but when other people fall victim to this kind of behavior she's first in line to get involved." Lisa falls silent for a moment. "Well, if one of them is the rudest person to ever be and the other is way too lenient why not pair them up on a mission? Even Eula won't be able to resist Amber's puppy eyes."
Jean turns perplexed to Lisa, as she then returns to check the reports.
"I think you're right, I'm going to quickly revise tomorrow's schedule, so that Eula goes with Amber during the exploration process." "Seems perfect, Jean, now come, the bed's cold without you." Lisa kisses her on her check, then she winks at her, inviting her to follow through. Jean blushes and she averts her gaze, after a little while she stands up and she leaves in the same direction as Lisa.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hi there, this is my first ever multichapter fic to get posted, I hope you all like this idea! If you could spare a moment to give me some feedback I'd be grateful ;) Italian is my first language, follow my translator/trusted beta ;) Without them this fic wouldn't exist so give them some love over here you bitchessss: @nyarasss is their twitter nick!