songerein | open 🌻 a not so welcome return

Entry tags:

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 could only stare, her mind racing to keep up with Alastor as he spoke, taking in everything he said and checking it against the myriad memories that have begun surfacing since yesterday. 'Some time' was quite the understatement—over sixty years had passed since the princess woke from Songerein.

She flinched as he flicked a claw against her hair. One hand left the hilt of the Master Sword and went up to absently touch the offended strand. His remark, while heard, was quickly swept away in the rush of unfolding memories.

Despite the vast gulf in time, memories bubbled up with startling clarity, particularly those of an eccentric, ever-grinning demon—and they all clicked into place the moment he introduced himself.

"Alastor!" she repeated with a tone of sudden clarity.

"At your service!" Alastor gave a gallant bow. His grin widened though he closed his lips so he didn't startle her with his fangs. "Dare I hope that that's a flicker of recognition in your voice?"

Zelda nodded in affirmation. "Yes. I—"

A sudden throbbing in her head cut her off. Zelda lifted one hand to press her fingers against her temple. Suddenly recalling memories that had been long since forgotten wasn't exactly easy on the brain.

"Forgive me, it's been so long. I thought this place was just a dream."

Well, it was, but that wasn't quite what Zelda meant.

Alastor waved off her apology. "Think nothing of it, my dear! All joking aside, I expected you to have forgotten. I knew someone who left and then briefly returned before leaving again. He said he didn't remember Reverein in his waking life, not until he'd come back. He'd only been awake briefly so that might be why he remembered so quickly."

He tilted his head to one side.

"How about that po boy, hmm? Having something in your stomach may help the headache. Yes, I think that would go quite nicely with some iced mint tea."

The offer of food reminded Zelda that she had barely eaten anything that day. She nodded to the offer. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

There's that feeling of déja vu again. At first, Zelda was sure she had never even heard of a po boy before. But just as soon as she thought that, the image of a sandwich laden with shrimp popped into her head.

"You have prepared that for me before, haven't you?"

"I have!" Alastor said brightly. "Though this time it'll be a bit different. Crawdads instead of shrimp! Delightfully tasty little creatures, crawdads! Though catching them can be a bit of a challenge!" He leaned in to stage-whisper, "They pinch something awful when you reach into their holes! They make you work for the meal!"

Straightening, he started to offer her an arm before something occurred to him. He snapped his fingers.

"I suppose I should re-introduce you to my closest associate before we continue! I'd hate to give you a start!" He looked down at his shadow on the ground. "Come on then!"

He paused, ear twitching. He probably looked slightly insane.

"Absolutely not! Miss Zelda is a dear friend who doesn't deserve such ill treatment! Now show yourself before I go to the middle of the Wildlands and drag you out!"

Alastor's shadow darkened before it rose up from the ground, giving a somewhat surly grin to Alastor. However, it bowed to Zelda before retreating to its proper place.

"It doesn't like it when I decide not to indulge in a bit of fun."

Zelda lifted one hand to take the almost-offered arm when Alastor abruptly stopped short.

Hand left dangling in the air, she dropped her gaze to the ground, trying to find what he was looking at. Indeed, Alastor did look a bit insane, but Zelda was quickly remembering that he had always been the eccentric sort.

"Oh!" she let out a little squeak of surprise when Alastor's shadow finally deigned to answer the demon's call. "Your shadow!"

Once again, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, the associated memories clicked into place. Unfortunately, the princess didn't have enough time to collect herself and offer a proper greeting before the shadow gave its obligatory bow and promptly retreated.

Well then.

Zelda turned her attention back to Alastor, quirking a brow. "And what sort of fun was it hoping for?"

Asked with the trepidation of one who wasn't entirely sure she actually wanted to know the answer.

"Eccentric". That was a nice way to put "his wires were more than a bit frayed".

Alastor's grin widened as he offered her his arm again. "Oh, nothing dangerous, I assure you. However, it was looking forward to giving you a bit of a fright again. It wanted to play, but considering you sound like you've had quite the time back in Hyrule, I figured you would rather have a more peaceful reintroduction to it."

Which was a massive consideration on Alastor's part. He liked watching people jump sometimes.

"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.

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!"

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."

"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?

That got a little chuckle out of Zelda. That's right, didn't she describe Link as her shadow when she and Alastor first met? She was so accustomed to Link following her everywhere that his absence was more noticeable than his presence. It was hard to get used to his absence when she first arrived in ancient Hyrule—and in Songerein all those years ago, come to think of it. But what was worse knowing that she had gotten used to being without him now.

Zelda tried to offer a smile to Alastor in return for his pretty little lie, but the expression came out more wistful than she intended. A lovely thought, but wishful thinking nonetheless.

"It would probably be for the best if he stayed awake." She twisted the hilt of the Master Sword in her grip. She wanted to see him, more than anything.... but she also didn't.

Alastor tilted his head curiously at that as he opened the door to his treehouse, motioning for her to go first.

"Do make yourself at home. It'll only take a few moments for me to fix our lunch."

He stepped into the kitchen, his shadow setting the table for two. As promised, it didn't take long to finish the meal and set the hearty sandwich down in front of his guest.

Yet something had been niggling at him that he'd only realized while frying up the crawfish.

"That weapon you're holding. I saw it before when Link and I fought a shadow of your 'Calamity Ganon' a few months back, but it was whole back then. What happened to it?"

Even if lunch had taken awhile to prepare, Zelda would have been content to wait. Milling around in Alastor's home unearthed more memories of her previous life in Songerein and waiting for lunch gave her time to parse through them on her own. Memories of previous meetings with Alastor, of previous visits to his home, came back to her with startling clarity, despite the gulf of time that had passed for the princess since she experienced them. They brought a bittersweet twinge to her heart. How she would miss these memories when she became an eternal dragon.

Fortunately, lunch arrived before Zelda could get too wrapped up in such thoughts. She gratefully accepted the seat offered to her, but hesitated for a moment. She had brought the Master Sword with her, having barely let it out of her grip since arriving in Songerein yesterday. She was reluctant to set it down, even in the company of someone she trusted. Forgoing good manners, Zelda turned the blade sideways and set it across her lap as she sat down.

Little wonder Alastor was curious about its current condition.

"It something of a strange story," she prefaced, though she knew that would probably only serve to intrigue the demon further rather than deter him. (Not that she was trying to deter him.)

"Some months ago, a strange substance began appearing throughout Hyrule. Anyone who touched it became ill or plagued by feelings of despondency or hopelessness. It came to be known as Gloom." As she said it, Zelda realized the Gloom sounded kind of like nightmare energy. How ironic.

"Link and I tracked its source to the ruins of Hyrule Castle and journeyed underneath to investigate. The underground portion of the castle is positively labyrinthian, you see, and my father strictly forbade me from going down there. When we got down there, I understood why."

Zelda hesitated, casting a cautious glance at Alastor, before continuing her story. "Deep beneath the castle, we found the remains of a man known as the Demon King—if you can truly call such a monster 'a man.' The Gloom was emanating from his shriveled corpse." Her lip turned up in disgust. "When we approached, he woke up and tried to attack me. Link tried to protect me, but he was injured in the process. The Gloom destroyed the Master Sword and nearly burned off Link's arm as well."

Edited 2023-09-08 15:28 (UTC)

If she became an eternal dragon here in Reverein and lost her memories, well, that just meant that Alastor would have to reintroduce himself again and make new ones while privately mourning the old. It only made sense.

"This 'Gloom' sounds disturbingly like nightmare energy or the Malice that your world's previous threat used." He raised an eyebrow. "Though perhaps more potent than the Malice. Link told me not to touch it -- and I didn't -- but I did prod it with my magic. Rather unpleasant, but I didn't think it would burn through my skin if I couldn't avoid it."

Zelda nodded in affirmation of Alastor's assessment. "The two share numerous similarities, which I am certain is not coincidental, as they also share similar sources. Visually, they are difficult to differentiate from each other; at a cursory glance, they appear identical. In fact, when the Gloom first appeared, I mistook it for Malice.

"The Gloom is... rather more malignant than the Malice, in some ways. Link's direction was correct—had you touched the Malice, it would have caused you injury, but as soon as you broke physical contact, it would no longer be able to harm you and you could be treated. The Gloom, it is more aggressive. If it touches you, it clings to you like a leech, and even when you remove it from your body, it leaves behind burns that sap your strength. Those burns cannot be healed by conventional medicine."

Zelda had taken a few bites of her sandwich, but once she started talking about the Gloom, she immediately tucked her right hand under the table to rest it on top of the Master Sword. Even though she could feel the sword on her lap, the thought of how the Gloom had shattered it made Zelda feel uneasy. It was as though the sword, too, was mortally injured, and the princess empathized with its pain.

"A not-unreasonable assumption." Alastor nodded his agreement with her initial assessment.

He listened carefully, idly reaching out to refill her drink as needed. An ear twitched thoughtfully the whole time.

"And this Gloom was what damaged that sword. From what I saw when I fought alongside Link, that blade is made to withstand a lot and has the ability to channel energy quite well. Assuming it doesn't just contain its own energy in addition to what could be added." He waved a hand. "Magical artifacts aren't my area of expertise but I'd be a fool not to put in at least a little study of them.

"You said they share similar sources. I take it that means you defeated the true Calamity Ganon. I don't suppose he turned out to have a close relative who was more powerful...?"

Again, Zelda nodded in affirmation to Alastor; he had the right idea about the Master Sword, though the truth of its abilities ran much deeper than he was aware. (Did the princess herself even know the full extent of the Master Sword's abilities? Probably not.)

"In a manner of speaking, perhaps." Said with all the seriousness of someone who didn't catch the jest.

"We defeated Calamity Ganon, yes, but what we discovered beneath the castle..." Zelda paused. "I believe that the Demon King may be the source of everything—the Calamity, the Malice, the Gloom, all of it."

"I'm afraid you'll need to explain who this 'Demon King' of yours is. My Hyrulean history is rather piecemeal for obvious reasons," he lightly teased, trying to offset some of the grim topic with humor.

Expect an encyclopedia of Hyrulean history for Christmas, Alastor.

But even then, the history of the Demon King would likely not be covered in it. Said figure was hardly more than a legend in modern Hyrule—and a long forgotten one at that. Zelda had never even heard of him before she met the scholars who would later make up the Zonai Survey Team.

"He was once a man named Ganondorf Dragmire, the King of the Gerudo tribe." She said his title with a level of derision that few people, if any, had ever heard in the princess's voice. "He lived during the era of Hyrule's founding, an ancient time long before the first Calamity. He feigned loyalty to the King of Hyrule, but then murdered the Queen and stole an object of great power from her. He used that object to transform himself into a monster, calling himself the Demon King, and waged war on Hyrule.

"We were no match for him and his armies of monsters. Our only hope was to end the war in a stalemate. The King of Hyrule gave his life to seal Ganondorf away. They have been locked in that immortal impasse for millennia."

There was a level of familiarity in Zelda's explanation that one normally wouldn't expect to hear from someone recounting ancient history. The way she spoke of these ancient figures was as though she actually knew them.

"With a name like 'Ganondorf', it does seem rather reasonable that he's connected to Calamity Ganon as well. But how did you end up fighting in that battle?"

He took a sip of his drink before explaining, "Some of the magic I regularly work with back in Hell requires careful attention to tone and phrasing. One could explain away your disdain for this Ganondorf as a natural distaste and anger at him for the Gloom that currently plagues your kingdom but your tone when you used the word 'we' implies more than simply referring to the people of your kingdom even if they were in the past." His gaze flicked over her dress. "I'd originally mistook your ensemble as being from some sort of special occasion given you typically wear something more in line with more modern sensibilities, but that isn't the case, is it?"

Ah, he caught onto that. While Zelda wasn't trying to intentionally hide her time travelling adventures, she was skirting around them on purpose. Of all the things she has been telling people about since returning to Songerein, she feels like time travel is the least believable.

"It is not," Zelda said with a nod. "This is the style of garb from the era of Hyrule's found.

"When Link and I found the remains of the Demon King underneath Hyrule Castle, the foundations of the castle suddenly crumbled away under our feet." She paused for a moment to sort her thoughts. "It all happened very quickly after that. One moment, I was falling, and the next, I lying in the grass outside."

She shook her head. It sounded like such nonsense. "In the moment that I was falling, I somehow transported myself backwards in time to the era of my kingdom's founding. I was found by the King and Queen, who sheltered me and tried to help me find a way back home. That was not long before the war."

"Interesting." Alastor steepled his fingers. "I can't say I've heard of anyone actually successfully time traveling, but if a non-magician like Wells could imagine it, it's not outside the realm of possibility with the right magical resources and proper preparation. Not that I'd want to do so, mind you. I'm quite fond of how this timeline has turned out thus far and I'd rather not set it off the rails."

He refilled her drink.

"I take it you're still back then in Hyrule? Or did you find some way back either via reversing the spell or the..." He thought for a moment for the right words. "...well, I suppose 'the slow path' would be the right term for it. Though if it's as far back as I suspect, that wouldn't guarantee you returning to your proper time alive."

Zelda might notice the note of concern in his voice and how his smile shifted just enough to reveal a hint of the same emotion. Alastor liked her, but he understood the toll eternity could take on a person.

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open 🌻 a not so welcome return

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