Chapter Text
While awaiting orders from her majesty, the Tsaritsa, Tartaglia had gotten bored. He spent his days wandering Zalpolarny Palace either looking at the decor, as after being stationed in Liyue for so long he appreciated the architecture from his country so much more, or going to the training grounds and beating the poor dummies to a pulp. He would smell of sweat and damp hay after each session, his thirst for a battle unquenchable. He didn’t bother asking the other Harbingers to spar. He knew after Signora’s funeral there would be no chance. He had almost in a way mellowed out after Liyue. Although he wouldn’t admit it out loud, the pain of betrayal had thrust him into a state of mind he found himself familiar with. Just as he was once he got out of the Abyss. On edge. He listened to every little sound, every creak in the floors, the songs on the wind. He would scent the air and keep his eyes wide to survey his surroundings. Capitano’s ‘retirement’ made him spiral as well. There was an unspoken conversation between the two of their origins and they both could scent the smell of the Abyss on each other. So here Tartaglia was wandering around the palace looking out the stained glass windows to the gentle fall of snowflakes dusting the ground. It was spring, it had snowed year round with how far north Zalpolyarny palace was, but in the summer it lightened up just a little and alongside it spring.
Tartaglia heard the quiet tapping of feet approach him, the grand tiles throughout the palace were always so pristine. They all had different colors that seemed like it came out of a fairy tale. He could remember when he first entered Zalpolyarny palace alongside Pulcinella as his guide. His neck was bent for a majority of the time they walked through the halls. His mouth wasn’t agape by any means, and even if you were to say it was childlike wonder it simply wasn’t. He had spent so much time in the Abyss that he had gotten used to the ‘ceiling’ of the Abyss. The ceiling was a comfort in his unfamiliarity of this new environment. A lower ranking soldier had approached him, bowing as waited for acknowledgement to tell his message.
“Go ahead.” He didn’t care much for the pleasantries that his position held. His easy access to everyday necessities was what he mostly cared about.
“Lord Tartaglia, her Majesty wishes to speak to you.” The messenger spoke firmly but with respect. Tartaglia nodded and swiftly dismissed the soldier and headed to the throne room. The hallway leading up to the throne room was decorated with grand details. Stained glass windows on either side, filtering in blue and gold tones from the sunlight trickling in. Marble columns on either side with carvings on the rows that perched on the ceiling. On the floor was different tiles that formed geometric snowflake shapes just like the embroidery of the traditional shirts the citizens wore.
The doors opened on their own to invite Tartaglia in. He stepped forward and followed the red carpet that led the way to the throne. In this room there were large marble columns again. There was a section on either side of the room that had a lower ceiling than the center where the columns were standing. They jutted out and near the top were banners with the pale star symbol on them. In the back sat her majesty on top of a marble throne, ice ebbed around the edges and smaller spikes decorated the bottom while larger spikes of ice shot upwards where the backrest was. Behind her was a large stained glass window that illuminated her. She wore a long pale blue sarafan that was accented by gold embroidery. Her kokoshnik was decorated in pearls with blue fabric falling down at the side covering her hair. Alongside her sarafan was a large sealskin shawl of sorts.
Tartaglia walked forward and kneeled. Anastasya’s voice always seemed to calm him down.
“You may rise, Tartaglia. I have an assignment for you,” Tartaglia couldn’t help but grin at those words. Being the vanguard for her majesty made his heart soar with pride. “You will be stationed in Nod Krai just as Sandrone is.” With that his smile turned. He glimpsed up at her with confusion in his eyes. Not understanding her orders at all.
“I know you have questions. I have been watching Dottore closely and I believe he is going to start something. I wish for you to be there to help Sandrone if anything goes wrong.” She finished giving him permission to speak promptly after.
“Your majesty, while I am aware of your reasons I am still unsure why you would choose me?”
“My Tartaglia, I understand your doubts, but as my vanguard I trust you deeply to be able to protect both the citizens of Nod Krai. And to put it a little more plainly, I wish for you to have, how should I say this.. Enrichment. There is a faction known as the Wild Hunt that I believe would intrigue you with its abyssal origins.” Her usual calm expression broke with a fond smile as formalities fell. Tartaglia was one of the few harbingers that the Tsaritsa ever spoke to in such a way. Perhaps her position of being a deity of love never went away. Tartaglia smiled happily before looking back up at her majesty.
“Thank you for this opportunity, your majesty.” He nodded and bowed slightly before raising and leaving the room.
—
The wind was gentle today. The ships in the harbor swayed back and forth as the waves lapped at the shore with eager strokes. Tartaglia could smell both the salt in the sea and the fishy scent that always accompanied it. Auklets, Skuas, and the always constant gulls flew about hovering on the winds. They perched on top of the different ships in the harbor and any nearby trees. This specific harbor was constructed close to the Zalpolarny Palace for easy use to the Harbingers, the way down from the palace was an old set of cobbled stairs into a small hall for any of the weary soldiers to take breaks in, there was a second room to the side of barracks for new shifts. After one were to exit the hall you would be welcomed to the wide harbor full of large ships. The docks themselves were on the same level as the hall to aid in getting onto the ships themselves. Some were larger than others specifically built for bringing back supplies while the comparatively smaller ones were for the Harbinger’s themselves.
The clack of his boots under his feet continued as he boarded his ship. Tartaglia was all bundled up in his overcoat and underneath a modified uniform similar to what he wore while in Liyue simply adjusted for the cold climate. A red scarf wrapped around his neck and tossed about due to the gusts of sea air. He spots the ship’s captain, having been used to his presence because of his trip to Liyue and Inazuma after being given a leave. He nods and greets him. Oksana Zayetsev, she was headstrong but caring for her crew.
“Captain Zayetsev,” Tartaglia addressed first. Getting formalities out of the way, he knew her personality well enough that if he skipped them she would go into a frenzy. “I assume you know the destination?”
“Yes, my Lord, Nasha Town in Nod Krai.” She nodded and with a flick of his wrist she was dismissed to start undocking. She got to work immediately, the shouting of orders starting, the anchor being rung back up to its rightful position. Most Snenzhayan boats didn’t have the huge sails that fishing boats would. Steam boats were the most common alongside ships that were able to be run on elemental power that different scientists around Snezhnaya had been able to figure out. Dottore had adapted the power cores he had once used in Sumeru into a renewable source of energy. Although this ship was one of the kinds that seemed to look more traditional due to it being built out of wood, it was powered on one of those improved power cores, something about keeping up traditional appearances as Pulcinella told Tartaglia.
Tartaglia stood near the railing watching as the horizon of Snezhnaya and Zalpolyarny Palace fall out of eyesight. The squawks from the seabirds faded out as the ship carved its way through the ice with ease. The harbor underneath Zalpolyarny was so frequently visited that the ice never seemed to freeze together again, even with the Cryo Archon so close by. It wasn’t as foggy as it could get but the visibility was different. Tartaglia could just barely make out purple streaks in the fog. Turning around he was able to figure out that it was coming from Nod Krai. Hm, something to keep me busy.
Tartaglia’s hands glided across the wooden railing, even with his gloves on he could both feel the carving work underneath and the rough texture in the wood due to being beaten by the salty winds practically everyday. Finding his way to his quarters he sat down in the old desk chair. Sifting through the papers that had been dutifully left there by his request. He had known about Nod Krai of course, it was not quite Snezhnaya but their culture was extremely alike. Figuring out more about the different factions within Nod Krai would come to his advantage. While Tartaglia did in fact have etiquette classes, an insistence by Signora after seeing his poor literary skills, and this included history about Teyvat he knew that with the tides everchanging, something had to be different there. The first thing he read was about the enemy factions to the Fatui, ah so the evil streak continued. Frostmoon Scions, actions against their deity turned them aggressive as well as the mining of moon marrow in Paha Isle. The Lightkeepers, they were a protection force of soldiers whose goal was to rid Nod Krai of what they called the Wild Hunt, and from the descriptions Tartaglia felt a chill run down his spine in glee. A version of abyss creatures that seemingly have crawled their way out and adapted. Knights of Favionus, wonderful. The Fatui had planted spies in Mondstadt when Tartaglia had just become a part of the Fatui himself meaning any trouble the Fatui created was now relayed onto him. Dottore had played his little game in Mondstadt with that drake but Tartaglia could not remember anything else. The Knights of Favionus had been stationed in Nod Krai with the goal of keeping peace as well as aiding the Light Keepers in a place called Piramida. Hm, so a larger scaled abyss infection was situated there, meaning Tartaglia had an easy access to battle and train against the abyss. Other factions were mentioned such as intelligence gatherers and of course the Adventurers Guild.
What intrigued him most was the Lightkeepers, somehow without elemental aid they had figured out a way to quell the abyss. Whether or not it was their founders being from the time of the Cataclysm he didn’t know. He’d have to figure it out while he was there. Even if Tartaglia was being sent to Nod Krai to help protect Sandrone and prevent any scandals when it comes to the Fatui he would have fun in his own ways.
Passing through the different papers he was given he found some particular sheets that needed his attention, following him from his desk in Zalpolyarny Palace. All a different manner of simple documents that needed his signature to approve requests of leave for his underlings or what was papers from higher ups. It felt like such a chore trudging through these timewasting things. He could feel his eyes ebb with sleep and yawned. Rising from the desk to get up and walk around. Leaving his large overcoat on its hanger near the door. He could feel the sun slowly set from the internal clock he had adapted from the abyss. He opened the door to his cabin to climb up the stairs to the deck. Moonlight already crawled its way through the nooks and crannies of the surface. Standing at the railing again he could see the islands of Nod Krai appear in the distance, spotting the Kuuvahki research building or whatever it was called. Tartaglia, as clever as he is, didn't like the particular details behind science. Growing up in a poor seaside village meant education was both a privilege and uncommon. Children would be taught to read and write but not in the common language. When Tartaglia had gone to Liyue he had to learn the local language and common Teyvat. His own home had a dialect that seemed improper when he first spoke to her majesty, the Tsaritsa, Pulcinella flushing in embarrassment while she chuckled. Nod Krai’s language was sure to be different and familiar all the yet.
Tartaglia watched as the moon shifted ever so slightly. Almost dimming in glow, Tartaglia blinked quickly to see if it was simply the fact he needed to sleep and yet a violet fog appeared under the soft moonlight. He could just barely make out new lights appearing from in the fog.