The first day of spring is always one to bask in. After the bitter bite of winter, the warm embrace of the sun soothes the bones and melts the coldest of hearts. While one might be tempted to take it slow, Mother Nature knows best, as the hibernating creatures crawl out of their dens and reestablish themselves into the world as a whole.
So too, does Noelle - aspiring Knight of Favonius and current Maid of Favonius - hit the ground running. Or at least, she tried to. Everywhere she went, the citizens of Mondstadt apparently decided to do the cleaning themselves, even helping each other and those that simply couldn't because of old age, injuries, or merely poor alcohol management the night prior.
She managed to help a young couple move old worn furniture out of their house and bring in furnishing for a baby room, but aside from that, nobody needed anything from her. For once, she felt completely lost. Now when people said her name, it was to greet her, not to ask for help. As she sat on a bench taking in the apparent winds of change sweeping the city, a familiar face broke her out of her slum.
The eyepatch-wearing Cavalry Captain glanced at her and jested, "I didn't know you were such a slacker! Usually you'd help half the city by now."
"Sir Kaeya! The strangest thing happened today," Noelle stated.
"What could possibly be so strange that it's got you all worked up over not working?"
She gestured to the city as a whole and clarified, "The people are cleaning up all by themselves! I'm not sure if everyone turned over a new leaf or if there's something in the wine, but something must have happened."
"Is that so? Then why not try the Church? I'm sure the nuns can't handle those huge stained glass windows by themselves." With an objective now set in her mind, Kaeya waved the maid off as he continued with the next step of one of his typical schemes.
. . . . .
Stepping into the cathedral, she noticed a group of nuns crowded around a large cloth. With them were a few paints and roses, though it seemed they used up a lot of red paint. Noelle sneaked up on a girl with blonde twintails she knew well.
"Good morning, Barbara. Is that… a birthday banner you're making?"
Barbara, Mondstadt's favorite nun and self-proclaimed idol, was caught by complete surprise and shrieked out a reply. "W-we weren't doing anything! Nothing planned behind your back or anything!" But before Noelle could press her any further, an unusually punctual Rosaria stepped in to save her.
"Come on, Babara. You know Noelle of all people is good at keeping secrets. Look at all the roses on her," the elder Sister pointed out, gesturing to the many flowers, and thus secrets, the maid wore even on her sleeve. The silver-haired girl curtsied as thanks for the praise.
"As a dutiful maid would. Need something? Perhaps a hand at painting this… whatever it is?"
"See, we are preparing for someone's birthday. We just need Valberries for the dye. Mind fetching us some? And please take it safe and slow. Freshness doesn't matter, but we don't wanna see any bruising on you." The pale woman leaned in closely to make eye contact, stressing the importance of her last sentence.
"Hmm, alright. I'll get them to you right away," she replied. Without another word, Noelle departed for Stormbearer Mountains, excited that she could finally contribute to something meaningful. Still, in the back of her head, she couldn't help but wonder, Why didn't anyone tell me it was someone's birthday?
. . . . .
The trip to the cliff tops wasn't very eventful, given her familiarity with the area and her past experience gathering Valberries for personal use. Still, given how spread out the berry-bearing plants grew, it took until sometime after noon for her to be satisfied with her haul. Having gathered a large basketful, more than enough for any amount of dye, she spotted some recognizable folks in the distance and walked towards them.
Noelle shouted, "Outrider Amber! Captain Eula! How are you today?" The two women turned to her, mildly surprised but otherwise composed.
The bunny-ear-wearing brunette responded, "Oh, nothing much. Just scoping the area now that the season's changed. Good thing no Mitachurl woke up from hibernation or anything."
"Even if that were the case, I'm sure the Knights would have taken care of it, no problem!" Amber noticed the basket she was holding, and gears seemed to turn in her head.
"Say, are those Valberries you're carrying?"
"Yes, they're for the nuns at the Church. They said they needed it for a birthday party, but didn't tell me whose it was. Would either of you happen to know?"
Amber rubbed the back of her head and admitted, "I… can't say, but we're about to head back to make our report. Let us carry them for you!"
"But I can-" Without a moment's hesitation, the Outrider snatched the basket from her. From the look on her face, she had no intent of letting go of her newfound cargo.
Before Noelle could protest, Eula quickly requested, "Since you're now free, it shouldn't trouble you to gather some Crystal Cores, will it? The ones lingering around Dawn Winery, to be precise. We'll also need some Small Lamp Grass from there."
"S-sure, but what for? Potions and meals?" Eula shook her head.
"Alice suggested something about a pocket lamp. Called it a 'flashing light' or something like that. 4th Company is looking into that to increase the effectiveness of night patrols." The silver-haired girl's eyes widened at the implications.
"That sounds really important! I swear on my honor as a maid, I'll get them to you before night falls!" The blue-haired woman grimaced, as if offended by her words.
"You better be back at HQ before the first stars appear, or I swear, vengeance will be-" Suddenly, Amber took her hand and dragged the Captain away to the city.
"Yeah, yeah, vengeance can wait. See you there, Noelle!"
As the duo left as quickly as they appeared, the remaining girl suddenly had a thought. Does Amber mean she doesn't know, or that she can't tell me?
. . . . .
Traveling from one corner of Mondstadt to the opposite proved to be a long journey, long enough that the sun had begun to set by the time she set foot on the Ragnvindr estate. She greeted the workers on the field and went about her business, plucking Crystalflies straight out of the air without leaving a chance for escape. Soon enough, her presence attracted the attention of the owner, who stepped outside to greet her.
Diluc approached her and hailed, "If it isn't Noelle. What brings you here? A message from the Knights?" The maid swiftly turned to attention and shook her head.
"Master Diluc. Pardon me for intruding, but I was told to gather some Crystal Cores, with great emphasis that they'd be from here."
He smiled warmly and replied, "They chose well. You're doing us a favor by stemming their number. Too many around, and the Crystalflies starve the grapes of Anemo while the wind from their flaps threaten to knock our trellises over."
"I'll be sure to ask you directly in the future. After all, too few to consume Anemo, and Anemo Slimes are sure to form, isn't that right?" He set his sight to the fading light, deep in thought. With a wave of his hand, he had her join him in taking in the sunset.
The redhead confirmed, "Precisely. You've studied well. So, you still plan to take the Knights of Favonius selection exam?"
She frowned. "I've made my point before, Master Diluc. I don't know what happened to have soured your opinion of the Knights so much, but I owe everything to them. I wouldn't be half the person I am today without them to save me." He didn't seem disappointed with her obstinacy, but rather accepting of her decision made long ago.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to repay a debt. I don't mean to dissuade you today of all days. I just hope they'll take care of you the way you take care of them."
"I know they will, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them for whatever they did to you." Another grin worked its way up his typically serious face.
"With good-hearted people like you in their ranks, I hope I will, too. Thanks, and tell the birthday guest I said 'Happy birthday', alright?"
"Thank you, Master Diluc. I'll make sure they know." She knew better than to question how Diluc knew. After all, any celebration in Mondstadt called for plenty of stiff drinks, and what better place to order in bulk than the pride and joy of the alcohol industry, the Dawn Winery?
As she headed back into the city, it occurred to her that nobody sent her an invitation or anything like that. Oh well, she hoped, since the Church is involved, maybe it's open to everyone. Ah, but then why wasn't I asked to help out? Don't they know how much work it is to accommodate that many people?! With that realization, she broke into a sprint.
. . . . .
By the time she returned to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, the sky had quickly turned dark. Thankfully, the stars had yet to shine, sparing Noelle from the 'vengeance' Eule spoke of so often. In fact, by the time she reached the front doors, two more Knights had just arrived as well: one blonde-haired man and one girl with green hair and animal ears.
The future knight exclaimed, "Albedo, Sucrose! What brings you two from Dragonspine?" Albedo nodded, gesturing to a large cloth-covered rectangle he tucked under his arm.
"The warmer weather, for one. I also finished a painting I was working on, and just in time, too. The party's about to start, after all."
"Really, here? But I thought the Church was the one setting up the celebration. And whose birthday is it anyway? Why won't anyone tell me?!" Noelle was normally a patient girl, but even she had her limits. Effectively being teased by an entire populace would push even the most holy saints to the brink, after all.
Sucrose suddenly spoke up, "W-why don't you just open the door and see?" Thankfully, this suggestion placated the super-strong maid.
"Okay…" She gently opened the doors, and a blast of sound suddenly assaulted her.
"Happy birthday, Noelle!"
In the main halls of the HQ, many Knights, nuns, and citizens of Mondstadt stood and welcomed her in. Even the Honorary Knight and Paimon were here! Above them, a banner bearing the same message spanned from wall to wall, and if one were to inspect it, they would find the lingering scent of Valberries. Any leftover berries she picked must've ended up in the massive cake standing in the center of the room.
Noelle blurted, "My word, is this all really for me?!" Noelle slowly took in the sight, half-believing she was in a dream. Her hands covered her face as blood rushed to her cheeks.
The floating pixie cried out, "Don't tell Paimon you forgot your own birthday of all days!"
"O-oh, I guess I have. But that means, all of the work you gave me was to buy time?"
Albedo confirmed, "That, and because despite our best efforts, with last-second preparations. As for the drawing I finished a few hours ago…"
Unveiling the painting, the canvas depicted the maid and her custom-made Favonius Greatsword, her back to the viewer as she stood defiant against two massive Ruin Guards and a Ruin Hunter.
Noelle could only sigh in exasperation and mutter, "Not this again…"
"Zhenyu- ah, Xingqiu, as you know him by, told me of a story that's made its way throughout Liyue and the other nations. I thought resemblances to any person were merely coincidental, but I guess not. Is there something wrong with it?"
"N-no, rest assured, it's magnificent, I'll be sure to hang it in my room! It's just, I wish that story would stop spreading. I mean, 'Maid-Knight of Favonius'? Come on, I'm not even a Knight yet!"
The entire room had a laugh, but the Traveler and Paimon chuckled to themselves, being the only ones to know about Xavier's plans to make a movie about the birthday girl. But that was a story for another day, and tonight was the knight-in-training's to revel in.
A/N: And so the march of roses comes to a momentous resolution. Thanks for joining me on this journey of exploring the life of our favorite Maid of Favonius.
And thanks to everyone on the MarchOfRoses subreddit for setting this event up and supplying their fantastic works! Though I haven't had time to comment on most of them, each one was a feast for the eyes! I hope we'll meet again soon!