Before we begin I would like to congratulate Ahrexo, who is no.1 in the fan Ranking in this Fanfic, and wish him Happy Birthday, May Mother Rosen Bless him with Cryo Dragon Powers.
I want your thoughts for each chapter, I put a lot of effort into them for you.
/////Chapter starts here////
A quiet stillness followed Orion's words—a hush not born of fear, but of something older. Something sacred.
It settled like dust in a cathedral.
Some students bowed with trembling grace, as if the moment itself demanded ceremony.
Some simply stared, unable to look away.
And one of them… forgot how to breathe.
Elynas sat frozen, her fingers clenched in white-knuckled silence around the pleats of her uniform skirt. Her chest barely rose, as though even breathing might shatter what she was seeing. Her eyes shimmered—not just with awe, but recognition.
That wasn't just the King.
That was him.
The boy who once flew her through the clouds of Fontaine, where moonlight wove halos in their wake.
The boy whose footsteps always faded before she could follow.
The one she waited for, even after the waiting had begun to ache.
Elynas raised her hand slowly, almost timidly—as if the very act of reaching for him might cause him to vanish again.
"Excuse me… umm…" she whispered, barely louder than the rustle of parchment.
Her voice trembled, caught between past and present.
What do I even call him now? Big Brother Orion… or King Orion…?
Orion turned at the sound, his gaze sweeping across the sea of students—until it landed on the one raised hand.
"Yes?" he said, with a gentle calm. "Do you have a question?"
His tone was kind, inviting. But his voice held no recognition.
Still facing the light, he couldn't see her clearly. And he hadn't yet seen her.
But Elynas had already seen him. And her heart was breaking beautifully under the weight of it.
She stood. Slowly. As if the very ground might reject her if she moved too fast. Her chair scraped softly against the floor—an awkward, human sound in the divine stillness of the hall.
And then Orion did see her.
Fully. Face to face.
Time didn't stop—but it stuttered.
His breath caught. His pupils dilated.
A thousand memories screamed through his mind like lightning through rain.
A paper flower on her birthday. A pink scarf she refused to take off. Laughter in the wind. Her tears when he left.
"…Elynas?"
She blinked. That name—spoken with that voice—shattered something inside her.
Her lip quivered. "You remember me?"
Orion stepped forward before his mind could catch up. "Of course I do."
And for a moment, the room faded. The throne, the titles, the years—they all fell away.
There was only a girl, grown taller but still trembling,
And a boy, now wearing a crown, but finally home.
Orion's hand reached out, almost on instinct, brushing against Elynas's cheek with a trembling tenderness. His fingers tangled gently in her hair, as if anchoring himself to the reality that she was truly there.
"I thought I lost you," he breathed. His voice was low, fragile, nearly cracking.
"How… how did you end up in Nyxhara?"
He kept his expression controlled, but the tremor in his voice betrayed the storm behind his eyes.
Elynas couldn't answer. Her lips parted, but no words came—only a stunned inhale.
From the side, Merry bit her tongue, her eyes wide.
'Damn. I know she always said she knew him... but this? This is wild.'
Beside her, Tera sat stiffly, gears turning in his head.
'She was unconscious when I carried her to Granny Suri's cottage... And all this time, I should have believed she was close to the King when she said it. I thought it might not be true.'
The realization hit like a landslide.
Orion turned toward Qinyue, still gripping Elynas's hand like it might vanish again.
"I might need to take her with me… before the class ends."
Qinyue met his gaze with calm resignation. "That's alright," he said, nodding once.
"You're not the same broken boy I treated back in Mondstadt. You've earned your freedom here."
Without waiting for permission he didn't need, Orion gently pulled Elynas forward and out of the room, his stride urgent.
Elynas glanced back once, lips pressed together, her eyes glassy with emotions she hadn't yet named.
As the doors closed behind them—
The classroom exploded.
"No way! Tera, you actually know someone from royalty?! I'm so jealous, bro," one boy blurted, mouth agape.
A girl slid over to Merry, eyes glittering. "Hey! Why didn't you tell us Elynas knew the actual King?!"
From the corner, another student groaned dramatically, arms crossed.
"Wow. She never even told me. Is that all I am to her? I thought we were friends…"
"Dude," someone muttered. "You've literally never spoken to her."
"…Shut up."
Qinyue, still seated at the front, slammed a thick book on the table with a thud that cracked the chatter like thunder.
"Enough, you rodents."
His eye twitched.
"Elynas was dismissed early by royal request. You're not. So unless your long-lost sibling is also wearing a crown, sit your behinds down and focus."
Silence fell like a hammer.
Even the walls seemed afraid to creak.
Orion led Elynas through the halls like a man with purpose—his grip on her hand firm, yet careful, like she was made of glass that might shatter if he let go too fast.
When they reached the Headmaster's office, he didn't knock. He simply opened the door with the confidence of someone who no longer needed permission.
"I hope you're doing well, Father," Orion said, voice composed but edged with the strain of something urgent.
The man behind the desk didn't look up right away.
Orion the First, Headmaster of the Academy—and the last king before his son took the crown—sat amidst a mountain of parchment and quills, red-inked corrections, and faint scent of old wine and wax. He finally rose from his chair, eyes landing on them.
"Son," he said, sighing through his nose. "I think you've forgotten your manners."
His voice was gentle, but the frown he wore was the kind of disappointed only fathers could wield with precision.
Elynas flinched at the tone—but what surprised her more was the softness in it.
'That's the Headmaster? That's... the father? His voice is so much softer than before.'
The man's stern eyes shifted to her.
"So," the Headmaster muttered, folding his arms. "You're the girl my mother-in-law sent here. Do you know her, Orion?"
Orion blinked. "Grandmother sent her?"
His tone changed—surprise crackling through it like thunder rolling over distant hills.
Elynas's fingers twitched.
Too much. This was too much. The air was getting heavier, her knees locking as her thoughts spiraled.
Two kings. Two eyes locked on her.
Too many memories, too many questions, too many unspoken things.
"Umm…" she managed, but her voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes swirled with dizziness, and the world began to tilt—walls closing in like paper folding.
Her legs buckled.
"Elynas—!" Orion stepped forward, catching her before she could hit the floor.
She clung to him, breath shallow and erratic.
The Headmaster rounded the desk with surprising speed, kneeling beside them. His frown deepened, but this time it wasn't disapproval—it was concern.
"She's overwhelmed," he muttered. "Breathe, girl. Slowly now."
Orion held her close, voice low. "You're safe. I'm here."
Her breath hitched once more, then slowly began to steady. But her fingers wouldn't release his tunic.
—✦ A Little While Later ✦—
The air in the Headmaster's office had calmed, though traces of tension still clung to the corners like shadows that refused to leave.
Elynas sat on the worn velvet couch by the tall window, a steaming cup of herbal tea in her hands—brewed by the Headmaster himself, oddly enough. Her cheeks were flushed from crying, her throat a little hoarse, but her posture had relaxed. She wasn't shaking anymore.
Across from her, Orion leaned against the wall, arms crossed—not in frustration, but as if holding himself together. His eyes hadn't left her since they sat down.
They had talked.
About Fontaine.
About the fall.
About the lost years and the letters never sent.
About how much she remembered.
And how much he regretted.
"...So Granny Suri took you in," Orion murmured, almost to himself. "I thought she was bluffing when she said she still had surprises hidden in Roselight Hollow in those letters she sent in last few years."
Elynas gave a soft laugh, tired but real. "She is the type to do that."
Orion smiled faintly.
The Headmaster, now back behind his desk, shuffled a few papers before speaking, his voice less formal than before.
"Well, that clears up a lot." He paused. "Though I still think barging into my office without knocking was uncivilized."
Orion rolled his eyes. "Atleast I didn't come empty handed..."
The Headmaster snorted. "You brought me a lot of things. Drama. Emotional collapse. A near fainting girl."
There was a pause.
Elynas looked down at her tea, then up at him again. "What happens now?"
Orion's eyes softened. "Now… we make sure you never feel lost again."
And somewhere in the office, the tension—after five long years—finally began to breathe.