songerein | [open] fear’s only a choice

Who: Link [OPEN]
Which: Interactive dream (with a passive dream option)
Where: ~it was all a dream~
What: Link sure is having some feelings about home right now
Warnings: some dark themes and big freakin monsters in prompt 2

i. it seems i have lost my way

a. [The sun shines down on you, warm in a gentle sort of way, but the more you move, the more you begin to feel a prickle of sweat beginning to bead. You remember some advice, though you don’t really remember getting it. One hand at a time. Find a place for your foot, and then a place for your hand. Make sure it’s sturdy. Your pace is slow, but manageable, and you know for certain that if you fall, there’s a gentle slope waiting to catch you not far below.

You are climbing a mountain, and you are nearly at the top. Your companion is already there, though you can’t see him anymore over the last few feet of rock. You take a moment to breathe, find another handhold, and— rattle! A few rocks come loose, clattering down the slope. Suddenly, your handhold doesn’t seem nearly as secure as it did before, but just as you start to worry that the rock beneath your fingers is going to fall, a hand reaches down for you. Finally, you see your climbing companion again: Link leans over the edge, extending his hand to help you up.]

Here. I’ve got you.

[Satori Mountain is beautiful, with its pink-blossomed tree and the small pond beneath it…but not nearly as beautiful as the view when you look outward from the mountaintop. Almost all of Hyrule stretches out before the foot of the mountain: towns, stables, ruins, and in the distance, another range of mountains. It’s picturesque and peaceful, marred only by the dark swirling shape that surrounds the castle in the distance.]

b. [On Satori Mountain or in other locations around Hyrule, you might find oddities to explore and investigate. Stumps with the shape of a leaf imprinted on them, a lone rock in a suspicious place, a red pinwheel that looks notoriously out of place, or even a weird bullseye balloon hovering in the air. There seem to be no limits to the tricks of the Koroks, and Link seems particularly determined to find their hiding spots. You’re more than welcome to join him in finding these puzzles, or any others.]

c. [Later in the evening, Link can be found outside of a town, hunkering down by a fire and a cookpot. Nothing’s on the menu just yet; for now, he seems content just to sit and watch the stars begin to light up the night sky. If you approach, he first gives you a momentary analyzing look, and then offers a nod in greeting.]

Care to join me?

[The breeze begins to turn chilly for the night; might not be a bad time to sit by the fire.]

ii. i’m being shadowed by my past

[The sky is dark, a a blackness that feels oppressive and all-encompassing. Clouds slink murkily across the sky overhead and an overlarge moon begins to rise, blood-red, casting red light across the land. Those who were here for Princess Zelda’s blood moon dream may recognize the effect, but the rest of the dream is quite different.

Link stands alone on the red-tinged field of ruins in front of Hyrule Castle, watching a dark, miasmic shape circle its highest turrets.

He’s not the tallest to begin with, but this monstrous form dwarfs him even further. For a moment, he almost seems to feel that, hanging back, clutching the Master Sword as it glows an ethereal blue. He takes a few deep breaths, steadying himself. Then, he steps forward, and the standstill is broken; the creature circling Hyrule Castle lets out a terrifying, earth-shaking roar, charging downward until it looms just overhead. The effect is menacing; Calamity Ganon is large from a distance, but up close like this, it’s utterly enormous, blotting out the blood moon above. Creatures begin to appear out of the darkness in overwhelming numbers. Link backpedals by a few steps, turning and locking eyes with you, unfortunate dream-sharer. His eyes are wide; is it surprise at your presence or apprehension at the foe in front of him? It’s impossible to say.]

You’re not supposed to be here.

[Or, if you’re not in a fighting mood, this dream can also be viewed as a passive recording, ending abruptly as the monsters and Calamity Ganon begin to swarm and outnumber Link.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[That's understandable. When Link thinks of "spirits," he thinks of...something a little more similar to them. Ghosts, perhaps. These are quite different. What would she think of Hestu, he wonders?]

They seem more like children, in a way.

[With their games and their small voices. There are old legends about children of the forest -- some make them sound like tree sprouts, and some make them seem almost humanlike in appearance. He never thought much of it before meeting them, but...there must have been some truth in it. Looking at the Korok, he nods toward Zelda. It reaches out its hand, offering her the seed.]

[ Children, huh? Now that he puts the idea in her mind, Zelda can see what Link means. The little puzzle, the fanfare, the mask—it's all very childlike.

The princess, too, is familiar with some of the legends about the children of the forest, but she always took the "children" part fairly literally. Sometimes, when she would pray at the Springs, her mind would wander to thoughts of forest children, all dressed in green. What fun those children must have, playing all day in the forest without a worry.

The Korok extends the seed toward Zelda. ] What? For me?

[ Her eyes sparkle as she accepts the seed, holding it in her cupped hands like it is some sort of treasure. It must be something very special, if a spirit of the forest is entrusting it to her. ] Thank you so much. I will take good care of it.

[Link is quiet as he watches the interaction, noting the expression on Princess Zelda's face, the Korok's excited fidgeting as it hands her the seed. He's conscious of a feeling that builds in his chest, but is unable to name it -- sadness? longing? determination? It's hard to say, for certain, but at once he finds himself thinking about how things could have been as well as how things certainly will be...both at the same time.

This could have been their lives, once. It will be, someday, when --if-- he defeats Calamity Ganon. Is he ready to face that?...

He's begun to think more seriously on that question since his fight with Asura. In a way, perhaps this is another reminder of the fate that awaits him at home...and what might come after it, if he is successful. He realizes quite suddenly just how desperately he wants this life to be real, and how much he owes it to Princess Zelda, and everyone in Hyrule, to face his destiny at last.

That thoughtful moment is brief, but important. For now, though, the dream continues, and Link says goodbye to the small forest spirit with a little wave, turning and looking out on the countryside. As much as it is his dream, he feels a bit like it belongs to Zelda, as well. So when it comes to what they should do next, he glances in her direction, head tilted thoughtfully.]

What else would you like to see?

[ "Everything," is what Zelda wants to say as she carefully places the incredibly special, one-of-a-kind seed in her hip pouch and gets to her feet.

It's an impossible answer, but looking out over the sprawl of Hyrule from Satori Mountain, it's truer than any other answer she could give. Before the Calamity, the princess used to think that she had seen a lot of her beloved kingdom. She traveled all over Hyrule during the year before the Calamity. But it feels like she only barely scratched the surface of the kingdom, so to speak. There are acres upon acres of land she's never set foot upon and eons worth of history waiting to be discovered.

'Everything' eventually, but for now, one step at a time. ]

Well, since we're already here, there is a legend regarding Satori Mountain that I am curious about.

[ She turns and casts her glance at the mountainside. She and Link aren't too far from the tremendous cherry tree that dominates the mountain. ]

It is said that there is a creature that lives on this mountain, or perhaps a spirit, that watches over the other animals. It is so wary of humans that few people have every seen the creature itself. But every so often, a strange green light can be seen glowing on this mountain.

Did you ever hear about that during your travels?

[Listening to her speak, taking in some of the knowledge she shares as easily as he draws a sword...Link can't help but wonder what things will be like, when they're able to travel together. How much about the kingdom of Hyrule does she know that he could only begin to guess at? What other legends might they be able to find? He's quiet for a moment, thoughtfully going over that question in his mind, before he nods.]

I did.

[He's seen it, too, but...he's unsure of whether to share that part. Would she be disappointed? Instead, his eyes go upward. The faint shape of a crescent moon hangs at the lowest point of the sky.]

It's supposed to come out on nights like this, but... [Glancing around, they do seem to be awfully close to that tree, don't they? And the small pond beneath it.] ... It might not come out if we're this close.

[Maybe they can find a nearby place to wait. He gestures at the rocky crest near the tree.] Maybe if we give it some space, it won't feel so wary?

[ Rather than disappointment or envy, there's a flutter of excitement in Zelda's chest at Link's words. If he knows this much about it, then he must have met someone during his travels who has seen the creature, or perhaps even seen it himself.

The princess has only ever read about the Lord of the Mountain in books of Hyrulean legends and seen artists' renditions of what it might look like. If it's actually real, she might be able to see it herself!

Zelda nods to Link. They are really close to the tree and the pond. ]

That's a good idea. We don't want to frighten it.

[open] fear’s only a choice

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