Genshin Impact: Mondstadt Alter
Act 1 Chapter 2.3:
The Gunnhildr's Motto
Arriving at the training ground, I see two figures already there, a lady and a girl.
The lady has blonde hair and wears a white, blue, and green long-sleeve shirt, white tights, and a pair of white high-heeled knee-high boots. The girl has gold-blonde hair tied back into a ponytail with a black bow, wearing a dark blue drop-waist dress and a pair of white shoes.
Those two are alike.
They are in the middle of sword practice as the two wield a wooden sword. As someone who doesn't know a thing about weapon practice, their movements seem alien to me, yet I can't help but feel impressed. The girl seems to do her best to keep up with the lady's sword swings, but there is a wide gap between them from what I see.
After a heat of clashing their weapons, they put distance between each other.
"Yo, Frederica. I see you are diligent as always, practicing with your daughter at this hour." Grand Master Varka greets them casually.
After noticing our presence, the lady speaks to the girl,
"Jean, take a break for 10 minutes."
"Yes, Mother!" She replied as I could see her panting.
"Grand Master Varka, do you need something from me?" She asked as soon as she approached him.
"Yeah. I'm not interrupting you practicing with Jean, am I?"
"Haha, of course not. By the way," She paused as she looked at me, "Isn't it surprising to see you here, Morgan?"
"Hmm? You know me?" I inquired.
She chuckles, "I do. I'm sure everyone in Knight of Favonius knows you by now. You made quite an uproar a while ago, after all."
I raise my eyebrows upon that statement.
"Is that so?" I sighed.
Grand Master quickly prompts her, asking her to apologize. The lady panics for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I was just-" I cut her.
"Please don't mind what I said." I shook my head.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Morgan. A pleasure to meet you." I bowed slightly.
"A rather polite introduction." She mumbled, "Nice to meet you too, Morgan. I'm Frederica Gunnhildr, a member of the Knight of Favonius."
Huh. That explains Mrs. Frederica's attire and vibe give me the impression of the aristocracy.
"Morgan, I need a moment with Frederica. Why don't you look around the training ground?" Grand Master asked.
"If that's what you're going to do," She paused as she looked at the girl from this distance, "Jean!"
The girl was sitting as she wiped her sweat with a towel until Mrs. Frederica's call startled her and made her suddenly stand up.
"Show him around while you take a break, will you?"
She looks at me before replying, "Okay!"
And so, the grandmaster and Mrs. Frederica walk away from the training ground. I can still see and hear them faintly from here, but I'm not inquisitive.
"Hi there." A voice suddenly spoke behind me.
When I gazed at them, I noticed she was hesitant to approach me. Looking at her closely, she seems younger than me.
"Hello." I greeted her back.
"Before I show you around, can we do a small introduction? It would be appropriate for us to know each other names."
I nodded to her request.
"I'll start first." She put her right hand on her chest to introduce herself, "Nice to meet you. My name is Jean Gunnhildr. What about you?"
She's a surprisingly polite girl. I should expect that from a prominent clan descendant.
"Name's Morgan. Likewise, Jean."
She responded to my intro with a nod and smile.
"Then let's go, shall we?"
To be honest, there's not a lot to see here. I don't even have to walk around to know the facilities here. This place is quite spacious, which makes sense because people need a lot of space for training or sparring and a few racks to place wooden weapons.
Something catches my attention, so I take a closer look at it. These are sturdy. I don't think this is something you can break easily, even with a weapon.
"That's a dummy used for training. People use them to test out their strength and skill." She explained as she came closer.
"For a dummy, it sure has a strange structure."
"Is this your first time seeing a training dummy?" She asked.
I nodded.
"There are some other kinds of training dummies that the knights use. But this is the simplest one to make, and they are pretty sturdy too. You can say it's the most efficient one for training."
"I see." I took my hand off the dummy.
When she's about to continue showing me the area, I call her out,
"Jean."
"Yes? Is something the matter?" She innocently asked.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead." She answered without hesitation.
Instead of walking around, I want to use my time to learn more about people. As one of the prominent clans, I'm sure she has a grand objective as their descendant.
"Do you plan to join the Knight of Favonius?"
"Yes, but I'm not old enough yet to enter the exam."
"I heard the Knight of Favonius' entry age requirement is 12 years old, right?"
"That's correct. I have a year ahead of me before I can take the exam. That's why I want my preparation to be as flawless as possible."
She's already preparing at this age. I won't be surprised if she manages to pass the exam in a single try. I can see her potential, furthermore with her background. I don't know what kind of people in the Knights of Favonius are, but I'm sure someone like her is uncommon.
"Can I ask why you want to be a knight?"
She seems to be in deep thought as I wait for her response.
"Do you know the Gunnhildr clan's motto?" She asked me back.
Mondstadt aristocracy is common knowledge for people in Mondstadt. Though, for me, I was curious about Mondstadt's history itself. Families like Gunnhildr and Ragnvindr are well-known for their contributions to Mondstadt in the past. There are plenty of books in the library narrating about them and their good deeds, including the Gunnhildrs' motto.
"For Mondstadt, as always." I answered.
"Yes, that's true. The Gunnhildr clan always gives all for this city and protects this city. By joining the Knight of Favonius, I can contribute as a Gunnhildr. My mother helps me by training and teaching me the knowledge and skills a knight must have."
She seemed to be very passionate about the idea. That makes me slightly envious of her.
"I see. Thank you for your answer."
"Don't mention it. I also want to ask you something, if you don't mind."
"Uh, sure. What is it?"
"Do you intend to join the Knights of Favonius as well?"
"Sorry, but I don't think I do."
"I- is that so.." She stammered.
What's with the disappointing reaction? She isn't expecting me to be interested in joining the Knight of Favonius just because I'm asking her about it, is she?
When I was about to ask her, Mrs. Frederica returned.
"Hey, kids." She faced Jean, "Sorry, Jean. Something came up, so let's end our training session today."
"Are you headed out on a mission?" Jean asked.
"No, I just need to check on something. Since we ended our training session earlier than usual, I want you to study while I'm away."
"Yes, Mother!"
"Good girl." She smiled.
Mrs. Frederica turned her attention to me, "What about you, Morgan? What are you going to do?"
"I don't want to bother Jean anymore, so I'll take my leave. I'm here because Grandmaster Varka invited me." I answered honestly, "Speaking of Grandmaster Varka, where is he?"
"He will be attending a meeting soon." She answered, "If you have nothing to do, why not join Jean studying, Morgan?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in a Knighthood."
Mrs. Frederica gives me a curious look.
"Really? That's shocking. It's the first time I've known someone in the city who isn't interested in joining the Knights of Favonius. Why's that?"
"I… simply not interested." I sounded indecisive because I didn't know how to answer her question without raising another question.
"Well, make sense. I must leave now. See you later, kids." She turned as she bid her farewell.
"I guess I'll go too."
"Okay, see you next time, Morgan. Have a nice day." She waved her hand.
"You too." I nodded.
But before leaving the training ground, I stopped my step. I forgot I have something to say before I go.
"Is something the matter? Did you forget something?" Jean inquired.
"Thank you for today. I'm glad I talked to you."
"Huh?" She got confused, "Did I do something for you?"
"Yeah. I'm thankful for what you did for me today."
"Y- you are welcome." Despite her best efforts, she failed miserably to maintain her composure. It's kind of cute.
"Good luck with your study, Jean. I wish your efforts pay off when the time comes."
"Ah, thank you!" She rejoiced.
A/N: I wasn't sure how old someone needs to be able to become a squire in Knight of Favonius. Generally, it varied based on factors like background, skill, and connection. Which, to me, it makes sense, but at the same time, I prefer not to discriminate like that. Because that means someone like Diluc, Jean, and Lisa should be able to enter squirehood earlier than others. So, I set the bar based on age, which is 12.
Why?
In canon, or to be exact manga, Diluc became the youngest-ever Cavalry Captain at age 14. In that sense, I figure at least becoming a squire at 12 should be reasonable enough. No matter how talented Diluc was, I doubt he instantly became a captain right after he joined in. Two years of training and hard work sound pretty convincing to be a captain.
However, I do agree to treat kids like them a little more special. You know, like a recommendation, like a scholarship IRL.
Frederica is canonically Jean's mother. But since we haven't met her yet, this is how I picture her character.
Thank you for reading, and carry on!