Dehyarzad

"Don't worry, my guardian knight."

- Dunyarzad to Dehya, during Archon Quest Chapter III: Act II.

Dehyarzad is the femslash ship between Dehya and Dunyarzad from the game Genshin Impact.

Canon
Dehya are Dunzaryard are very close friends. Along with that, Dehya was Dunzaryard's bodyguard for many years (according to her dialogue in her story quest) until her resignation in the Sumeru Archon Quest. Both of them are from Sumeru, but they come from different regions : Dunyarzad was born and raised in the rainforest, while Dehya grew up in the desert. There is also a major difference between the way they were raised : Dunyarzad was always at home, never allowed to leave her room because of her illness, while Dehya was growing up with traveling mercenaries, so that made her wander a lot in the Desert and learn how to survive in this harsh environnement.

Archon Quests
Dehya and Dunyarzad are first introduced in the second act of the Sumeru Archon Quest: The Morn A Thousand Roses Brings. Dunyarzad is the daughter of the Homayani family, a prestigious and respected family in Sumeru City. Dehya works as a mercenary. We later learn in Dehya's Story Quest that Dunyarzad's father specifically reached out to her brigade to hire her.

Because of Dunyarzad's poor health, her parents are constantly worried about leaving her roam the city on her own, and opt to hire a significant number of bodyguards to ensure her safety at all times. As one of the bodyguards, Dehya often accompanies Dunyarzad on her trips to the city, as well as occasionally keeping her company at the Homayani Estate. The two have developed a strong friendship, even within the bounds of their formal arrangement of employer and employee.

The first time the two interact on-screen is in Lambad's Tavern, after Dunyarzad had successfully escaped from the other bodyguards looking for her. Dehya, however, is able to find her easily, and tries to convince Dunyarzad to head back home — lest she loses her job. After explaining herself, Dunyarzad is able to convice Dehya to let her stay in the City for the Sabzeruz Festival, on the condition that the Flame-Mane keeps an eye on her. Their arrangement proves to be beneficial, because Dehya will be the one who later protects Dunyarzad from being kidnapped.

After the Samsara starts, every day the encounter between Dehya and Dunyarzad's kidnappers plays out the same, with the only difference being Dehya improving her skills with her new greatsword. Since with each cycle Dunyarzad's health worsens, the Traveler and Paimon seek Dehya's help, using her unusual skill as proof of the existence of the time loop. Dehya believes them, having sensed that the Dunyarzad she was interacting with during these loops was off — way more tired and sad than she should've been. Dehya mentions that Dunyarzad's parents said that's how she used to behave long ago. Despite not being able to physically see the unconscious body of the real Dunyarzad, Dehya feels her presence, and quickly comes to the conclusion that her lady is in great danger. Wanting to protect Dunyarzad, she agrees to help and find a solution with the Traveler. This attempt does not work, but eventually the Samsara is broken and Dunyarzad is safe. After the Festival, the two part ways for a time, with Dehya leaving for the Desert while Dunyarzad is resting.

The two reunite again at the end of the last act of the Sumeru Archon Quest in Port Ormos. Dunyarzad is free from her illness, and doesn't need Dehya's protection anymore. Likewise, Dehya wants to go back to working as a mercenary outside of Sumeru City — specifically in the Desert. They both are saddened by Dehya's imminent departure, and so have decided to spend their last week together doing everything that Dunyarzad could not do while sick. The last time they're seen interacting on-screen is at Zubayr Theatre, at a feast organized by Nilou. They spend their time celebrating their victory and enjoying the food and company as much as possible.

Mantichora Chapter : Lionsblood
In Dehya's story quest, the Traveler and Paimon come across Dehya and Dunyarzad, who were hanging out together in the Grand Bazaar. Surprised, Paimon points out that she didn't expect to see them together because Dehya doesn't work for Dunyarzad anymore. Dehya answers that "their friendship wasn't over" and that "they were still the best of friends." Dehya explains that she still sometimes work for the Homayanis because the pay is good. Dunyarzad told Dehya to stay at her place whenever she was working in the city, even going as far as to say that her parents thought someone was missing everytime Dehya wasn't around.

Dunyarzad asks Dehya when will their next trip to the Desert be planned. She then admits that she only asks this because she noticed something was off with Dehya recently. We later learn more about Dehya's history and past with her father, as she shares everything with Dunyarzad.

While the Archon Quest was centered around Dehya helping Dunyarzad, this quest is the reverse.

This quest also reveals that Dehya and Dunyarzad's fathers, Kusayla and Shahzaman, knew eachother. They met when the two girls were just babies, so their story goes back a long way. Their stories are more intertwined than we thought at first, creating an interesting plot-twist.

Quotes
"My lady, who are these two?"

"I guess I'm just used to calling you "my lady." Old habits die hard."

Fanon
The pair quickly rose to popularity following the release of patch 3.0 and the first two acts of the Sumeru Archon Quest, becoming the most popular ship for both Dehya and Dunyarzad. Their dynamic of bodyguard and protected reminded fans of the popular 1992 movie The Bodyguard, which automatically coded their interactions as romantic in the eyes of the shippers. Furthermore, their canonical affection for each other fueled the ship even more. The two have also quite contrasting personalities, with Dunyarzad being cheerful and sweet despite her circumstances, and Dehya being the more cynical and jaded of the two. However, Candehya has emerged in 3.1 as a rivaling ship, and is now way more popular.

There are currently 100+ works on AO3, most of which depict the pair as romantic.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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Trivia

 * After the end of the Sumeru Archon Quest, the last time we see Dehya and Dunyarzad they're planning a trip to the desert. In the Scarlet Sand Soujourn web event, we get to see their time together on the trip.
 * We saw both Dunyarzad and Dehya as kids, Dunyarzad in the Sumeru Archon Quest, and Dehya in her own Story Quest.