songerein | open 🌻 a not so welcome return

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open 🌻 a not so welcome return

Who: Zelda and OPEN
Which: Open log
Where: Around town
What: Zelda returns to Song after disappearing for a canon update two weeks ago.
Warnings: Major Tears of the Kingdom spoilers in the first prompt. (opt out of TOTK spoilers here.) Also minor descriptions of choking and vomiting.

1. choking hazard

This isn't how it was supposed to happen.

They had it all planned out, Zelda and Mineru. They knew everything that needed to be prepared in advance, every task to plan or delegate so that all the necessary tools would be available to Link in the distant future. It was just a matter of getting it all in order before the end. They had only this once chance to get everything right. There would be no going back, no correcting mistakes, once Zelda swallowed her secret stone.

They had tried to plan for contingencies as well. What if Ganondorf broke free too early? What if the Temple of Time were damaged? What if Mineru's spirit faded before she could meet Link?

'What if the Princess is suddenly spirited away to a strange dream world before she could transform?'—was not among those contingencies.

Hidden away in a quiet alleyway not far from the Plaza, Zelda sits on the cobbled stone and tries to take stock of her situation. The Master Sword—more a stump than a sword at this point, its brilliant blade almost entirely corroded away—lays beside her on the ground. The princess's right hand rests protectively over its hilt, ready to grab the blade at a moment's notice, should anyone intrude on her.

'Songerein.' She knows that name. It stirs recognition somewhere deep, deep in the back of Zelda's mind. She had a dream like this once, during the long century she spent sealed away with Calamity Ganon. To think it was not (quite) a dream after all...

But that doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that matters is getting back to Hyrule, protecting the Master Sword, and--

Zelda tries to swallow a lump in her throat.

--giving up her life for the sake of the future.

For the sake of Link.

Her brows furrow. She already tried (and failed) to use her power over time to return herself to the moment before she woke up here in Songerein. But she isn't willing to give up that easily. Zelda absently rubs the stone attached to her choker with her thumb. A mortal might be beholden to the rules of this realm, but what about a dragon? Mineru said that a dragon is unbound from the shackles of time, becoming ageless—deathless—an immortal shell of one's former self. Surely such a being could not be bound by the rules of dreams either. Perhaps the transformation will be enough to wake her and free her from this purgatory so that she can do her duty.

She'll do anything if it's for Link.

Clenching her jaw, Zelda yanks the stone from her choker and cups it in her palms. Such a little thing, and yet it's capable of such great—and terrible—things. It can draw out the greatest strength in anyone, allow them to build a kingdom of prosperity and paradise. But it can also draw out terrible evil, the cruelest of ambitions, the downfall of any goodness in the world. It is capable of allowing someone to live forever—at the cost of everything that they are.

She'll do anything if it's for Link.

Zelda clasps her hands over the stone and presses her forehead against them. "You must find me, Link. I may not know it's you... You may not know it's me... But you must come for me. You must protect everyone."

She raises her hands to her lips and swallows the stone whole.

The lump sticks in the back of her throat. Zelda swallows again and again, trying to push the stone down, but it holds fast. She tilts her chin up and strokes her throat, trying to coax it to relax. Come on, go down. Zelda tries to take a breath in order to swallow again, but only manages to suck in the tiniest hiss of air. The stone won't move.

The edges of her vision start getting dark. Growing frantic, she slaps at her throat with both hands. Please, just go down...

All of the sudden, Zelda lurches forward, falling onto her hands and knees. Against her will, she heaves. Up comes the stone, along with the contents of her stomach, splattering over the cobblestones.

It takes a minute for her to stop retching and catch her breath. When Zelda opens her eyes and spots the stone, her gut clenches up again and she lets out a wrenching sob.

"Why?! Why won't you let me go?"

What a horrible scene to come across, should anyone be so unlucky.

2. about town

It's the next day.

Zelda is still playing over the events of the previous day in her mind—she went to sleep in Hyrule, assured of her plans and ready to enact them. But when she woke, she was in this strange world, Songerein. A dream from long ago, a lifetime past, when the princess held back an ancient evil all by herself for one hundred years. Sometimes she was awake, watching over the land of Hyrule, watching over her knight as he slumbered. Other times, she slept, dreaming strange dreams about people from strange worlds and magic powered by the combination of dreams and emotions.

So it wasn't a dream after all.

Throughout the day, Zelda can be found wandering around town, looking lost and hesitant. She clutches the hilt of the corroded Master Sword with both hands, never once setting it down. She walks streets she used to know by heart, trying to stir memories that have been long dormant.

So lost in her thoughts, Zelda isn't entirely paying attention to where she's going, so it's very likely that she'll bump right into someone.

But even if she doesn't, she might stop you to ask for directions. Do you know the way to the library?—no, it was an archive. There's supposed to be a smithy around here, isn't there? Do you know of a place where they teach music?

Or maybe Zelda will make it to her destination—the smithy, the archives, dreambucks, the Plaza, or any such place. She'll linger outside, hesitant. Does she remember this place? Did she know someone here? Maybe she'll even step inside, milling around with the uncertainty of someone who knows they are looking for something but has forgotten what it is.

3. the wildcard option

Want a different prompt to meet or reunite with Zelda? Plot with me on plurk (

knighted), discord (triforce1960) or DM.

Also, feel free to reply in brackets instead of prose if you prefer.

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Zelda being aware of her location is a good sign. An equally good sign is that added tone of confidence to her voice. The distress from earlier looks to be subsiding, much to Kratos' relief.

The mention of having dreamed of this place answers another question, namely what might've caused the distress to begin with. From the sound of it, she'd gone home then and only just returned. If so, then her present state can likely be attributed to something which occurred there.

One thing she says begs another question, namely the comment about dreaming of this place long ago. "How long were you away?"

[ Oh? The correction piques Trahearne's interest, and he shifts on the bench to better face Zelda, to give her his full attention. Studious amber eyes rest on her fingers, how she fiddles with the broken sword--ah, it sparks a memory in him, and he blinks at the phantom pain across his chest--a fine distraction as he takes in what she tells him.

She had never told him this, no. He listens patiently, eagerly, as his eyes drift upward to her face. He's always wanted to know a bit more about her, and it seems he's getting his wish.

To be sealed away fighting an evil for one hundred years sounds like a tale from human mythos. ]

...A great burden has been placed upon your shoulders. [ Regardless if the fight is done or not--one cannot walk away from an ordeal so long and arduous unchanged. Dream world intervention or no.

But Link--he knew they knew each other, but it seems they are more deeply entwined than he thought. Ah. For a brief moment, his eyes drop to the ground, but they quickly return to settle on Zelda once again. ]

I assume not all has been well since the victory.

[ Otherwise she'd be...happier? Than this? ]

[ It's that obvious, isn't it? It's almost enough to make her want to laugh. ]

Not entirely.

For a long time, everything was wonderful. Hyrule had changed so much since the way I knew it before the Calamity, so I've spent a lot of my time traveling and meeting my new countrymen. We've begun modest reconstruction efforts in central Hyrule and expansions of the communities that have grown up since the Calamity.

I've formed a great many teams to tackle all of the different aspects of rebuilding, but I also got to establish a task force to study Hyrule's most ancient history.

[ Although her expression was morose at first, her usual enthusiasm begins to shine through the more she speaks. The Zonai Survey Team is one of Zelda's favorite projects that she has started, whose leaders she hand picked from among the greatest scholars in the land. ]

But there have also been new problems.

[ Her smile falters. ]

A strange substance began to appear that makes people ill when they are exposed to it. It appeared to be emanating from underneath the castle, so Link and I went to investigate its source.

[ Here she pauses, conflicted on how to continue. When she puts it into words—finding the Demon King's body, suddenly travelling back in time—it sounds too ridiculous to believe.

Zelda casts a wary glance at Trahearne. He's never made her feel like he would doubt her, but...

Better just get it out there. ]

We found some...thing down below the castle. The shriveled husk of a man once known as the Demon King. He woke and attacked us and... I somehow ended up traveling backward in time to the era of Hyrule's founding.

[ If Zelda looks somewhat embarrassed, it's because she knows exactly how absurd that sounds. ]

[ Zelda nods in answer to Sheik as he helps her sit down on a bench near the edge of the Plaza. Yes, she'll be fine waiting; he's given her plenty to think about while he's gone.

Only a few weeks... No wonder Sheik doesn't look any different from how Zelda remembers him. How is it possible for more than sixty years to pass in Hyrule, but mere weeks to pass in Songerein? It's a question she already knows the answer to, one she was readily accustomed to during her previous tenure here. Time in the dream world flows much slower than anywhere else, to the point of seeming to be at complete stand still. She dreamed that she was here for nearly two years—well, she was here for nearly two years. Then she "woke" to the seal as if no time had passed at all.

But knowing of this phenomenon and fully understanding it are two different things. It's hard to comprehend what this meeting must feel like for Sheik. For Zelda, it feels as though a lifetime has passed, maybe even two lifetimes. She feels like she's changed so much from the girl she used to be, the girl who struggled with her powers and shouldered calamity for one hundred years. How jarring that must be for Sheik...

And it's so strange seeing him again—seeing this entire world again—after so long. Just looking around at the Plaza stirs a deep sense of nostalgia, like one might feel when visiting one's childhood home. She used to love this place, didn't she? It was an escape from the hardship she endured—an adolescence of struggle and failure, of a looming threat, of shouldering everyone's hopes and then crumbling under the weight.

When Sheik returns from his gofer run, he'll find Zelda still seated on the bench where he left her, looking out over the Plaza while absorbed in her thoughts. The stump that is the Master Sword rests across her lap, her hands folded overtop of it. Once Sheik comes into her field of view, Zelda break from her musings and turn to him, greeting him with a gentle but tired smile. ]

Zelda continues to massage the side of her head with one hand as she tries to find the answer to Kratos's question. Her overtaxed brain protests the effort, but she pushes forward in spite of the headache. She only dreamed of Songerein early in her century inside the seal with Calamity Ganon, perhaps forty years into her imprisonment. And even then, it was a relatively short dream by comparison, a fleeting respite from a century of confinement.

"It is difficult to know for certain," she says, brows knotted in concentration. "Sixty years, perhaps more."

"I do appreciate it," Zelda said with a nod. "Returning here has been... jarring, to say the least."

She placed her hand on Alastor's arm and allowed him to lead her to (presumably) his home.

"I hear that only a few weeks have passed since I was here before," she ventured. Of all the strangeness of this world, the time discrepancy was one of the most difficult things to wrap her head around.

[He can't even begin to guess how long "long ago" would be from Zelda's perspective. Time kind of feels strange when you've been dead or holding back a Calamity for a century, and it's not as if Zelda herself looks significantly aged to give any sort of visual clues. Not that it stops him from looking over Zelda just in case there were something more than the obvious he might pick up on.]

Whatever it really is, it's real enough for the moment. How long is long ago for you?

She was correct: He was leading her towards his home. After all, he had all the ingredients there that they'd need.

Alastor nodded to the implied question. "Time moves strangely here. Why, when Angel arrived, I'd been here a year but from his perspective we'd only seen one another a few hours before!"

Sixty years, perhaps more; but most of that time I spent sealed away with Calamity Ganon.

[ Time does feel strange in situations like that—it didn't pass as slowly as it would if she lived it, but it didn't pass quickly either. What most makes Zelda feel like a long time has passed is how long she has been free from the seal. ]

It has been four years since we defeated it.

[ Besides her (extremely cute) haircut, the princess probably doesn't look that much different than Revali remembers. She's grown only slightly, still just an inch or two taller than Link, and her figure is still petite and youthful. The strangest thing about her is the corroded stump of the Master Sword that she holds in front of her. In the 24 hours or so that Zelda has been in Songerein, she has barely let go of the sword for a moment. ]

I've heard that only a few weeks have passed here since I was last seen.

Edited 2023-07-29 17:22 (UTC)

About time it got what was coming to it.

[The state of the sword in Zelda's hands makes it difficult to feel much lasting pride or accomplishment in knowing Calamity Ganon was eventually destroyed. Sure, they had fulfilled their promises, and Zelda herself was finally free from her confinement, but the state of the Master Sword can't mean anything good. He might be critical of the sword and its connection with Link, but decay like this on a sword meant to seal the darkness seems like a bad omen. He'll get to that in a bit, though, don't worry.

He nods in agreement, since it truly hasn't been that long since he last saw Zelda here. A few weeks at best, not that he's kept particularly close track of her or Link.]

How has Hyrule fared during those four years?

[She's not left to wait for long. Sheik doesn't know what happened to her before he heard her coughing in that alleyway, but the threat of it happening again while he's not at her side nips at his heels and his patience in ways that are probably moderately concerning to the people working in the cafe he dips into.

He returns shortly with the promised water bottle in hand, as well as a small cup of something with a plastic utensil sticking out of it. His gaze lingers on the broken sword in her lap as he approaches - something he can only hope she doesn't fault him for, as it's a very difficult thing to tear his eyes away from - but he offers her both before he takes a seat himself.]

... They called it "gelato." [He explains, presumably about the cup of apparently frozen cream he also brought.] It is apparently very cold and sweet, so...

[He thought it would help. Is it obvious he's not accustomed to caring for people like this yet?]

[ She has the stone. The stone enhances power. She sought to swallow it. Logic tells him this means she had meant to acquire more-- more than she already has at her disposal. Divine power in his realm kills those who are mortal. It is not the same in her world, but he has his doubts that too much would be a good thing.

Or perhaps he's wrong. Perhaps being a descendant of a goddess makes her an exception, and she's perfectly capable of handling it.

His lips press together, and a hand raises to his jaw, rubbing it before he speaks. ] The power you seek to amplify... [ He begins to ask, his tone equally careful. ]

It is that? [ Not the power of her light, borne of divinity, that which he's seen her use before. No. That, what she just did. ] Manipulating time.

A small flash of surprise crosses his face at the response. Given how immediately she replied, it's likely an accurate estimate. Any human who would've been gone 60 years would've been old and grey. Zelda, on the other hand, hardly looks a day older than Kratos had last seen her, some changes in hair style and clothing aside. Several questions play on his mind, but none of which feel appropriate to ask now.

Those questions thus get pushed to the side. Kratos instead refocuses his attention on what matters most right now, namely Zelda and her well-being. "Getting reacquainted with things may take you some time then." He pauses briefly before adding, "If there's anything I can do to assist with that, let me know."

[ Zelda's expression darkens into a frown. She didn't expect him to put all that together with just the few things she's told him. He's not quite at the answer, but it'll probably only be a matter of time before he gets there. ]

In a sense.

[ Zelda fiddles with the stone on her necklace, hesitant to elaborate. The act of draconification was taboo in Zonai society (for good reason) and was a subject Mineru rarely wished to discuss, even in a hypothetical manner. Few writings mentioned the subject and even fewer explored it in depth. Mineru only ever agreed to Zelda's plan begrudgingly, likely in part because she didn't have the strength to put up more of a fight. How would anyone else react if Zelda explained that she had been trying, in a sense, to end her own life?

But she also has the feeling she won't be able to keep the truth from Somnus for long, even if she tries. He's already much closer to the answer than Zelda realizes. ]

Simply having it on my person is enough to amplify my powers. Consuming it has... a different effect, one that I believe would be strong enough to break this world's hold on me.

[ The memory of how it felt to choke on the stone viscerally returns to her mind. The hand on her choker begins to tremble. ]

It should have transformed my body into a form stronger than a dream could contain.

[ He does not believe her to be someone who craves power for power's sake, to say nothing of the amount she suggests. So when she mentions that consuming the stone would transform her, his expression is, notably, concerned.

Power, he's found, does not corrupt, but instead reveals; and he can only imagine (and fail to imagine) for what she needed such an amount.

Nevertheless, it is evident she wishes to break from this dream, and the stone she sought to use was the key. Except, now it is... inert? malfunctioning? Whatever is going on with it, it's not working as she'd believed. No wonder she is devastated. Reverin does not abide by one world's rules, but by calling her back, it seems the dream has taken not only power from her, but the hope it symbolized.

She does not deserve this cruelty placed upon her. Resentment for her circumstance charges his words. His tone cools to something low, powerful, and rumbling like a glacier carving through a valley, with a quiet, ancient intensity reflected in his gaze. ]

By taking the stone's power, this dream robbed you of choice.

[ Zelda accepts the offerings with a grateful nod. For someone who isn't accustomed to caring for other people, Sheik is certainly doing a good job. A cold sweet sounds appealing on this miserable, hot day.

She sets the cup of gelato in her lap before opening the bottle of water and taking a drink. The cool water immediately eases her aching throat. She's careful not to drink too fast, lest the sudden jolt of cold water upset her already unhappy stomach. ]

Thank you. [ She finally says. There's still a bit of a rasp to her voice, but she definitely sounds better.

Zelda looks out at the Plaza again. It still feels so strange looking at it, seeing it look exactly how she (now) remembers it. She's tempted to simply sit and enjoy the view for now, to let the nostalgia wash over her and grant her some measure of peace for a moment (something that has been sorely lacking in her life lately). But she also figures that Sheik must have questions (he's not the only one), but doesn't want to rush her.

So, Zelda ventures: ] From my perspective, over sixty years have passed.

[ Perhaps unexpectedly, Zelda's eyes light up at the question. When she was younger, she found herself always more aware of the bad things that were happening than the good. But in recent years, the princess's attitude has shifted. ]

The kingdom has grown so much, you would hardly even recognize it. Ever since the last of the corrupted Guardians were decommissioned, travel and trade have increased exponentially all across the kingdom—even to Death Mountain, of all places. The eruptions ceased after Link vanquished Calamity Ganon and the lava flows have cooled so much that you can actually travel most of the mountain without needing protective clothing. Lately, I've been spending a lot of time working with Hudson Construction in Tarrey Town to distribute raw construction materials to different parts of the kingdom to encourage resettlement. Oh, Elder Kaneli recently passed on the mantle of leadership to Teba. [ Laughs. ] I don't think Teba is entirely happy with his new position, but he has done an exceptional job thus far.

[ Zelda chatters on brightly, barely giving Revali a space to interrupt. Notably, all of her good news about Hyrule doesn't explain her unusual outfit or the terrible condition of the Master Sword. ]

[Yes, he's concerned about Zelda herself, but he also does genuinely want to know about Hyrule and everything that's happened since the Calamity's apparent defeat. That was the real point of their stand against Calamity Ganon, after all. There would be little point of Hyrule didn't take the chance to thrive after their victory.

It's strange to imagine a dormant Death Mountain, not to mention hearing of Zelda's shift toward leadership, whether she realizes what she's saying or not. Zelda was so rarely confident in herself before everything went wrong, and hearing that she's personally helped take up the mantle to restore the Kingdom, seemingly not just because it's another burden on her she's expected to carry out, is refreshing to hear.

But of course, she's right; it's Rito Village more than the rest of the Kingdom that he cares about.]

From what I've seen of Teba, Rito Village is in good talons under his leadership. He has the right amount of courage to lead, whether he appreciates it or not.

[ Zelda is much more interested in telling Revali all of the good things that have happened since the defeat of Calamity Ganon than the bad things that have been happening recently. The Champions, of all people, deserve to know about how their homes have prospered thanks to their sacrifices. ]

I believe so too. He claims that he's "just a warrior," but he's quick to take charge when the situation calls for it and he is mindful of everyone else in the village. I actually feel like there is a lot I could learn from him.

[ Despite everything she has been doing in Hyrule, Zelda doesn't entirely see herself as a leader. Not a leader like her father, the sovereign of the nation. The people call her "Princess," but she feels less like royalty these days and more like... something else. Another citizen of Hyrule, perhaps—working as hard towards its future as any other citizen. ]

Oh, and speaking of learning, I believe Elder Kaneli intends to take over stewardship of your flight range. He has made mention something about the training of new Rito warriors being lacking in some way. Or so I hear.

The path was starting to look familiar to Zelda as she walked with Alastor.

"It rather similar for Link and I," she replied. "I had been here for a year or so before he arrived, but there was a gulf of sixty years between our respective memories. He had memories of things I had not yet experienced."

As she talked about Link, her countenance fell. "I was surprised to find that he is no longer here, given that only a few weeks has passed."

There's a lot you can learn from an extended stay in Rito Village.

[It's less that he thinks Zelda now, after everything with the Calamity and how she carries herself now, has a lot to learn, and more that he thinks it's just beneficial in general to have more of an idea how the non-Hylian races in Hyrule live and behave. The Rito, of course, being a great place to start if you ask him.

At the mention of his flight range, for just a moment, a wistful sort of look crosses Revali's face before he tamps it down. He does miss that flight range; it's in the perfect area with the wind blowing in just the right way for aerial combat practice.]

I don't know that Elder Kaneli is best suited to lead those lessons with example at his age, but I don't disagree with him. The Rito have a reputation to uphold, and the flight range is the best spot I've found to practice in more difficult gusts.

Zelda nods in understanding. It doesn't occur to her at this moment how odd it must sound to announce that sixty years have passed for her, even though she doesn't look much older than when she was here before.

She considers his offer for a moment, absently rubbing her thumb over the smooth surface of the stone in her hand.

"Do you know how much time has passed hear since I woke?" Zelda finally asks. "Approximately. It need not be to the day."

Her question is a rather easy one to answer, at least. Kratos does take a moment to recall when he had last spoken with Zelda. It hadn't been all that long since they'd worked together to try to fix that guardian, "I last saw you a few weeks ago so it hasn't been too long."

"He might yet turn up," Alastor assured her. "Shadows tend to return to their owners sooner or later. Though it certainly is possible that he might be awake for quite some time."

Not all that reassuring in the grand scheme of things, but better than pretty lies, right?

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