Legend of the Snowman-Mancer 1

Euri Lawrence

"There is something wrong with this family, brother," my beloved twin said, her icy-blue hair framing a set of dazzling, sunset eyes that gleamed with determination. "I'll change it all. This family's ridiculous notion of nobility, the people's opinion of us. One by one if I must. That will be my vengeance!"

"Sure, that sounds lovely, sis. And how are you going to do that?" I asked. I was lying atop a nearby hill, just outside Mondstadt's gates. On the ground next to me was my violin. All around, windwheel flowers bloomed merrily. I'd always been more laidback than my all-too-serious sister. "What? Are you going to join the knights?"

"Yes! Splendid idea, brother! We shall join the Knights of Favonius. What better way is there to show our sincere desire to protect the people than to join the knights?"

"Woah, woah, I don't have any interest in those uptight pricks, Eula. Those guys are almost as bad as our family."

"Euri! You must! As my twin brother, we are destined to tackle this journey together!"

I sighed. She was doing it again, giving me those irresistible puppy eyes. She'd grow up to be an absolutely stunning beauty one day, a woman who embodied both the nobility of our house and the icy determination of the Favonius Reconnaissance Captain. She would be beautiful and mighty in equal measure, so much so that save Grandmaster Varka himself, few among the knights could claim to be her better.

And yet, here and now, this was not Eula Lawrence, the Spindrift Knight. This was Eula Lawrence, my adorable younger sister. I caved beneath her puppy eyes as a lone snowman falls before the avalanche. I never was good at denying her anything.

"Fine, I'll join the knights with you," I promised.

"Pinky promise. On your name as Euri Lawrence, heir of our house."

"Really? You're going that far, dearest sister?"

"Yes!"

"As you wish," I smiled ruefully, holding out my hand. Our pinkies crossed and our thumbs met to complete this solemn oath. "But, won't you dance for me? Show me the Flickering Candlelight."

"Alright, for you, brother. But you must play the melody."

"My dearest sister is a shrewd negotiator," I said. Still, I picked up the violin and began to play.

Art was the "second soul" of nobility. Where I lacked Eula's skill at the dance, I excelled in other forms of expression. Though I preferred sculpting above all others, this was a melody I learned by heart.

She stood and began to dance. The Flickering Candlelight was the third act of the Dance of Sacrifice, a dance created by all the noble houses of Mondstadt, back before our bloody reign. The third act was said to represent House Lawrence and traditionally, it was performed by the eldest daughter of the house.

Eula loved this dance. At first, she did it because our father demanded it of her, but dancing quickly became her favorite hobby. It had been the only recreational pursuit that did not clash with our family's delicate sensibilities. The day we found out she had a knack for dancing, our father spent countless sums to hire the greatest tutors for her.

She spun and twirled with a supernatural grace that threatened to take my breath away. Though standards had laxed over the generations, Eula had insisted on learning the original, no matter how difficult. It was a dance I'd seen a thousand times before, but one that never failed to impress.

Perhaps it was because she looked so happy and lonely at the same time. The dance was a reminder of her nobility, her isolation. It was also her sole outlet for expression.

Or perhaps it was because I knew what she would one day become. Those delicate hands would one day hold a claymore taller than its wielder. Those elegant twirls would become the death's dance for monsters, bandits, and hilichurls all over Mondstadt. Already, I could see a bit of the deadly grace that would define the Spindrift Knight.

A part of me wanted to stop her. Her path would be a bloody one, with few true friends and the constant scorn of those who she'd gladly die for. And yet, as I saw the determination in her eyes, I couldn't help but give in.

Really, what kind of older brother would I be if I didn't support my sister?

X

Eula Lawrence

I was a knight of Favonius, one of two recently inducted into our order. This was to be the start of our ascension. My brother and I would defend the City of Freedom and chart a new course for House Lawrence.

And yet, he was already keeping secrets from me. Yesterday, as soon as the knighting ceremony was over, he dragged Grandmaster Varka out for a drink, saying he had information only for his ears. Not even my finely honed puppy eyes were enough to get him to spill the beans!

"Eula! Eula!" I heard Jean call. Jean Gunnhildr was my senior among the knights, a friend and rival I'd made since our training days.

We were of similar age, perhaps I was even a little older, but she'd been knighted first. I'd thought it was because of the Gunnhildr name, but her skill with the blade was nearly unmatched. Already, my brother had taken to calling her the "little lion cub." By his estimate, it wouldn't be long now before she was crowned the new Dandelion Knight.

None of that distinguished legacy could be seen on her face now though. She ran to me, eyes wide with panic. I shelved the practice claymore. She did not strike me as the sort who lost her cool easily. If she was looking for me, there was only one possible cause: Euri.

"What has my foolish brother done now?" I asked, dreading the answer.

I loved him. Truly, I did. He was the light of my life, my best friend and rock. He'd always been on my side, supporting me and guiding me with his strangely wise sayings. He'd always seemed larger than life, older than our youth would suggest.

He was brilliant, artistic, laidback, and maybe just a touch insane or prophetic, it was hard to tell sometimes. Where I struggled to find my place in Mondstadt, he'd always acted like he knew, with a surety of purpose that I envied.

But sometimes, I couldn't help but think I'd love him a little more if he wasn't also a self-professed "chaos gremlin."

"H-He's committing blasphemy! In front of the Favonius Cathedral!" she yelled, face red with anger and frustration. "You have to stop him!"

Sighing, I made to follow her. I didn't want to. Trying to stop him tended to end poorly for all involved, usually with him gathering humiliating blackmail somehow. Alas, he was my brother, which meant I was his keeper.

When I arrived, I had to suppress the urge to tear my hair out. Or laugh. One of the two. Genius or folly, there was seldom any in-between where my brother was concerned.

"See? This is heresy! Eula, stop him!" Jean yelled, waving frantically at the throng of snow golems.

Euri was… unique. Where I'd excelled at dance, he excelled at the visual arts. Oh, he was taught a great many skills as heir, but he loved making things with his hands the most. He could paint most things from memory and design clothes that made my father look like a pauper.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

But most of all, he was a sculptor without equal. His creations were so lifelike that I'd frightened myself more than once as a young girl wandering the estate at night. And that incredible flair for the creative arts only increased with his Cryo Vision. He now insisted on being called the Snowman-Mancer, the greatest sculptor of Mondstadt.

As ridiculous as the name was, I couldn't deny it was fitting. He created golems, snowmen of all shapes and sizes. They were clumsy and cute at first, but then they began to practice the sword strokes he'd learned at my side. Pale imitations they might be, but when faced with dozens of snowmen with my own expertise, all of which could regenerate so long as my brother fed them mana, even I had to admit that my brother's unique combat style was effective.

And those golems were out in force today. Where he found the time to craft the dozens of snowmen, I had no clue, but here they were. Snowmen on the outer ring carried thick shields looted from the knights' armory, holding back the incensed crowd and nuns of the church.

Those snowmen inside each held picket signs. I didn't need to read them; the snowmen were happy enough to shout their contents to the city.

"Reject Barbatos! Down with the false god!"

"Embrace Bard-Batos, god of drunkards and beggars!"

"Embrace Diluc, his great high priest! Through him, the tap shall never run dry!"

"Pray for the coming of Diona, whose brews shall be divinely inspired!"

And, in the middle of it all was an extra-large snowman. My brother stood on its shoulders, a megaphone made of ice in hand, and led his "protestors" in the chants. He was as tall as me, with the same eyes and hair. Where I preferred to wear my hair short, he kept his in a long ponytail. On his head was a thick, fur cap with his personal sigil over his forehead, a stylized snowman holding a bomb with a lit fuse.

Rather than something sensible, he preferred to wear a thick winter coat that hung down to his ankles. The coat was a pristine white, with silver clasps that caught the light. How he kept that ridiculous thing clean while in the city was beyond me.

I laughed, a note of hysteria infecting my voice. "Oh… He figured out how to give them voices…"

"That's all you have to say?" Jean demanded. I'd never seen her so infuriated before. Then again, I did remember that her younger sister had joined the convent recently. "W-What he's doing is sacrilegious! Blasphemy! Heresy!"

I looked at her with hollow eyes. "Would it make you feel better if I said this is still not the dumbest thing my brother's done?"

"No! Get him down from there before he starts a riot!"

"It seems we're too late for that… He's not likely to get hurt."

"It's not him I'm worried about! The sisters look like they're going to pass out!"

I sighed. Jean was right. I'd dreaded this day, the day all of Mondstadt would learn just how eccentric my brother truly was.

Just as I was about to leap to him and knock some sense into the moron, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. "Wrangling your brother shall not be your task today, Eula."

"Grandmaster Varka!" Jean shouted, relief evident.

"Indeed. Now, I believe I've allowed him his fun."

So saying, the grandmaster of our order strode forward. He drew his sword, and with a single slash, cleaved a path through the throng of snowmen. A howling gale of force impacted the square, yet such was his control that no one had so much as a scratch.

The square fell silent, Euri's surviving snowmen and the enraged people both. Everyone could feel it, a sense of finality that accompanied the grandmaster. Whatever had happened here, it was over now that he'd arrived.

"I see you've been enjoying yourself, recruit," the grandmaster said with a stern frown.

"Oh, you're here, grandmaster," my idiot brother said with a beaming smile. "Can I interest you in a sign? Do you have a spare moment? I can tell you all about the greatness of Bard-Batos."

"I think I'm quite alright, Sir Euri. Do you realize how serious your actions are?"

"Me? Why, I believe I am peacefully protesting the evils of Barbatos, sir. The people mock me now, but there will come a day when a crimson hawk soars where I have walked, bringing with him a flood of wine. Together, we shall herald the feline prophet, whose miracle mixology shall spread the name of Bard-Batos all throughout the land."

I had no idea what to do here. My brother couldn't possibly be serious. He wasn't just rabble-rousing anymore! He was talking back to a superior! And only a day after we joined the knights!

And yet, Grandmaster Varka looked amused by it all. His lips twitched upwards and his eyes crinkled in good humor. Was… Was this something they'd talked about yesterday night?

What the hell was he planning?

The senior knight coughed into his fist. "Right, I think I've heard enough. Euri Lawrence! For the crimes of heresy against the Anemo god, rabble-rousing, unauthorized use of Knights of Favonous equipment, and disturbing the peace, I demand that you relinquish your knight's crest, effective immediately."

"No!" I didn't even know I'd spoken up. I was already there, running to my brother. We promised we'd be knights together. We would…

"Stand down, Eula."

"Grandmaster Varka, please!"

"It's fine, sis," Euri said. That same, infuriating smile hadn't left his lips. He hopped down from his oversized snowman and caressed my face in his hands. "Being a knight has always been your dream, you know, but it's not mine. I promised I'd join the knights with you and now, I've kept that promise. Grandmaster Varka wouldn't accept my resignation so soon after I joined, so I decided to get creative."

"This isn't what I meant!"

"Of course not. But don't worry. I've kept the letter of our promise, and I'll keep the spirit also. These fuckwits don't deserve it, but for you, Mondstadt will always have a protector in me, no matter how far I am."

It struck me then. "Y-You're going away."

"Not too far, just up to Dragonspine."

"Why? Why are you leaving?" Euri was my rock, my best friend and dearest confidant. He was the other half, the person who meant the world to me.

And he was leaving. Leaving Mondstadt. Leaving me.

"There are things I want to do, things that a knight can't do," he said gently. He wiped tears from my face, tears I hadn't known I'd begun to shed. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, like he used to do when we were children. "The world is about to get very dangerous, little sister, but don't cry. I'm not leaving forever. If nothing else, I'll have to come down for supplies once in a while."

"You're an idiot," I said, trying and failing to keep the snot from running down my face. He always did say I was an ugly crier.

"Maybe. Remember, when a legend whose name you've forgotten brings forth a storm not seen since the Cataclysm, when the Fair Lady schemes with poison in the shadows, when a golden-haired Traveler from a Distant Star arrives, carried upon the winds of change, come find me atop the Skyfrost Nail. I think, by then, I'll be in a position to help."

"W-What are you talking about? Don't go, you idiot!"

"Promise me, Eula."

What else could I say? My brother just willingly exiled himself for Barbatos knew why. "I-I promise."

"And you, little lion," he said. Jean had followed me, lurking awkwardly while we spoke. "Take care of her, okay? Eula likes to act all tough but she's a very tender girl inside."

He didn't wait for an answer. He swept his coat behind him and stood, hopping back atop his snowman.

It bent forward and morphed into a horse. Behind him, all the other snowmen that Grandmaster Varka hadn't destroyed became soldiers. They fell into lockstep with each other, spear butts of ice crashing rhythmically against the cobblestones.

"Grandmaster Varka! We shall not see each other again until you return from your expedition!" he shouted.

"What expedition?" the great knight asked.

"Ah, right. Don't worry. Leave as you please, for by then, the little lion shall sharpen her fangs. She will have earned the mantle of the Dandelion, and a bolder knight nor a more beloved leader you shall not find in all of Mondstadt, except my kid sis of course."

"Hahaha! Very well, young man. I shall remember those words. Farewell, Euri Lawrence, the Snowman-Mancer. May the winds guide you."

"Don't say that, sir. If that drunk moron guides me, I'll never get anywhere."

"Hah, a heretic to the end."

"Please tell Capitano I said hi when you see him. Oh, and Godwin is a dickless coward."

That was the last I heard of him. He faded from the rumor mill eventually, but never fully disappeared. His speech to the church, and to me, was rather public after all. Snippets would occasionally surface, usually between men who have had too much to drink and thought it was fine to mock my brother. He became known as the "Lawless Lawrence," the laughing stock in a house of disgrace.

He'd arrive in Mondstadt on occasion, always bringing with him a horde of snowmen. The way people described it, he came and went like the winter storm, always with an icy retinue that marched to a different song.

Unfortunately, I soon joined the reconnaissance division and was seldom in the city proper. I never did manage to catch his visits, much less discover his hiding place up in Dragonspine.

Whenever I returned to the city, I'd make my way to Jean's house. We'd spar, have tea with Lisa, and they would catch me up on whatever utter nonsense my brother had been up to. I missed him terribly, but he'd always been a free spirit. Simply knowing he was well was enough.

Until Diluc returned from his travels. He took over the Dawn Winery, sold his family home, and, as Euri predicted, brought forth a "flood of wine." It took me longer than I'd care to admit, but I realized after sparring with him that he was the "crimson hawk" that my brother had been talking about. When I brought up the possibility that my brother hadn't been spewing nonsense to Jean and Lisa, they dismissed it as an impossibility.

Then the Cat's Tail bar hired a new bartender, an exceptional young mixologist by the name of Diona. Her feline features were unmistakable, as was the accuracy of Euri's predictions.

The words that had been repeated mockingly suddenly took on a more somber note. Though validated only years after his self-imposed exile, his warnings had not been jests after all. At least among the knights who remembered, my brother's name gained a little more respect.

Quietly, Jean increased the training regimens of all the knights. Vision-wielders especially were encouraged to find new ways to fight, to protect. My brother had been right about Diluc and Diona. We had no reason to deny the coming of a storm, one not seen since the Cataclysm.

"Euri, what are you up to?"

Author's Note

If it wasn't obvious, this is basically a prologue before Aether/Lumine arrives in Mondstadt. I decided to make a series of flashbacks for the giggles.