songerein | { a bit leafy }

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{ a bit leafy }

A BIT LEAFY

More details on everything can be found here.

I. LEAF STORM

II. INFESTATIONS

COMMENTS

I. LEAF STORM

During the first week of November, a storm of leaves will pass through town. It starts innocuous enough, with just a bluster of leaves carried in the wind that looks normal for the changing of the season. But as the days progress, there are large bursts even downpours of leaves that just fall all over town. And with this storm come strange things…

A. Leaf Monsters. As the leaves pile up and people attempt to rake and blow them away, there will be some strange movement...until it's revealed that oddly shifting pile of leaves suddenly rises up to try and attack, blasting sharp leaves and even trying to "engulf" the unexpecting, trapping them in piles of leaves. Time to deal with this sudden leaf invasion! (Note: the leaf monsters will be most active during the first week of the month and then taper off by the end of the second week. By mid-month, only a few will pop up here and there.)

🔥 Burn Burn Burn! Using any kind of wind will only disperse the leaf monster and make them split into more. They need to be destroyed completely, and the best way is through fire. Dreamotion fire especially.
🪤 Trapped. But be careful with that fire! There may be those trapped within the leaf monster itself, and burning it may hurt those inside. This is the one time using wind to disperse the leaves may be warranted, but maybe a "controlled blast" will help to keep the monster from spreading.
🐌 Animal Aid. While fire is the most effective, there are other methods—mainly through certain critters. The chickens around that statue from the Dream Board could probably help scratch and break them apart. Finding some special rainbow snails from the lake just south of town will also help as their glittery slime will not only trap the leaves, but also break them down quickly.

B. Leafever. The strange leaf storm and the leaf monsters are also bringing a strange cold-like disease, likely spread through the pollen or spores attached to the leaves. Those who get caught by the leaf monsters are most likely to catch it. Fortunately the effects are mild and only last a few days, week at most, but can be caught multiple times. There is also a cure, but it requires the same leaves that brought it.

🤧 Achoo! While having the leafever overall feels no different than a bad cold, some of the symptoms and side effects are a lot more…unusual with little consistency between individuals. Some may find themselves sneezing bubbles, others secreting slime as they sweat, and all dreamotion effects going haywire.
♨ Incense Burner. One way to help ease and lessen the effects of the leafever is to burn the leaves in a special incense burner infused with special dreamotion focused on healing and soothing emotions. A special stone must also be used, and it can only be found in the hot spring caves in Dragefjell, Dragon Island.
🍂 Leaf Sap. For the actual remedy, sap must be collected from the leaf monsters. How? Well—that's for everyone else to figure out, good luck. Maybe try squeezing the leaves? Or cook them?

C. Dryad. The most severe side effect of the leafever is the individual slowly turning more tree-like, some becoming similar to dryads. There are no serious side effects and will only last for about a day or two. In fact, those who "turn dryad" will feel healthier and livelier than usual. But it may be an interesting experience regardless.

🌲 A bit stiff. As the skin turns more bark-like and limbs become a bit more "wooden," those affected may find their movements a bit more limited at first. A bit of exercise and a gallon of water dumped on them will help loosen them up.
🌷 In tune to nature. While in this state, there will be an increased sense of awareness regarding all things plant. This includes the leaf monsters, allowing them to sense and pinpoint any that may be hiding or lurking around. There will also be a brief time where they can even control and call upon plants to do their bidding.
🍃 Big shed. When the symptom finally ends, all the leaves, branches, and bark will just fall completely off the individual and they will return completely normal without a single blemish. …And clothes. Hope this isn't happening out in public, ahem.

II. INFESTATIONS

With the changing of the seasons, all kinds of critters are either passing through on their migratory route…or burrowing in to start hibernation. Usually it's not a problem, but perhaps due to all the strange dreamotion energy flux over the past year, the creatures are behaving a little differently and getting in the way more than usual. The storm of leaves isn't helping matters, aiding in some of them to travel through. While some will appear during it, the majority will cause problems from around the second week onward.

A. Bugged Trees. Those living in treehouses are going to have a bit of a time as a number of insects will be looking to find a new place to chill during winter. Specifically, their home. Those who are under the dryad effect may want to be careful of any bugs that may be attracted to them.

🪲 Giant Beetles. Some may remember these fellows from previous years. The beetles are quite friendly, but they are quite large, large enough to ride on. They can also cause some rough damage on gardens and yards, their massive size creating large holes as they burrow into the ground. However, some are really useful with their pincers, capable of pruning unwanted branches. If not chasing them away, perhaps one could use them instead? (Especially against leaf monsters.)
🐞 Ladybugs. These ladybugs are average sized (thank goodness), but they have quite the attitude. Preferring colorful and well tended flowers, they will speak their mind should they find any that are wilting. They will also drop critiques on anyone with poor etiquette and living poorly. Those who have well kept homes will have an easier time with them…and also suffer large groups coming in hosting parties in the branches.
🦗 Crickets. The crickets are of the musical sort, ready to put on a performance to try and endear themselves to receive temporary lodging. Just for a few days! Their range of music is wide, from classical to punk rock to country to jazz to even rap. And while they try to be polite, well… Sometimes music jams happen whether they should or not. Like late at night. Crickets are nocturnal after all.

B. Migration Migraines. As if dealing with bugs wasn't enough, other critters are either migrating or looking to hibernate around town. One would think the Wildlands would have plenty to offer, but some may find the easy access to food in town a bit more enjoyable.

🦡 Honeycomb Badgers. These interesting looking badgers have a honeycomb for a back. While they will dig up gardens in search of tasty flowers, they need to "shed" their honeycomb and are deliberately going to people to offer it. They are not harmed and will just reveal normal fur beneath before a new honeycomb forms.
🦒 Flying Giraffes. A flock of large winged giraffes will be flying in and roosting on various tall buildings. They act a lot like Canadian geese, so…beware.
🐻 Cotton Bears. These cute little bears look like they could be living teddy bears with how small and plush they appear. And for winter, they are looking to sleep somewhere nice, soft, and warm. Like a bed. Now they don't really care if they are occupied or not, so maybe it would be better if some dens and beds could be made for them instead.

C. Field Foes. The farms situated around the outskirts of town are preparing to harvest their fields, but there's trouble. Unless it gets sorted quick, food might be harder to come by for the winter!

🌾 Scarecrow Rebellion. Something is wrong with the scarecrows, but no one is sure what. They're either sitting in the fields not trying to shoo away the numerous wildlife that have decided to come through, or actively waving their pitchforks at the very gardeners and farmers they're supposed to help. Perhaps they feel a bit underappreciated so some word of thanks could help them get back to work. In the meantime, some help clearing out the fields of unwanted visitors, especially the crows, will be needed.
🍄 Hopped Up Hares. Among the unwanted "vermin" are some hares that have somehow gotten into some…strange green mushrooms that have made them behave a bit erratic. They're digging up tunnels, wearing carrots on their heads, and stare blankly out into the distance. Catch them and drive them away! And maybe feed them some special pellets that will help cure them of their, uh, "ailment." It's not recommended to eat the mushrooms should they be found, but if one does…well, enjoy the same dizzying, heightened experience the hares did.
🍆 Oversized Veggies. Some young "genius" thought creating a special formula mixed with dreamotion would help the crops grow larger and faster. However, it only caused the vegetables to overgrow to as large as an adult person and are now rolling dangerously through the fields. Some even get into town! Pumpkins, carrots, lettuce, corn, potatoes, cabbages—all manner of vegetables are rolling around, so stop them before they cause too much destruction.

I. LEAF STORM

II. INFESTATIONS

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ "It helps with the shedding"??? Zelda is doing her very best not to look completely alarmed by the idea that a Goddess Statue needs to shed. (Then again, this particular statue does look more like it was carved in wood rather than stone.) She nods obediently. ]

All right. Here it comes.

[ The princess lifts the bowl directly above the statue and slowly pours the icy creek water overtop of it. She takes care to ensure that not an inch of the statue is left dry. One needs to do one's very best for a vessel of the Goddess. ]

[ It cannot be overstated that Zelda is, at her core, wholly too good for this. She listens well and performs the actions with kindness, eagerly, even as her ancestor takes advantage, unknowingly, as always. The cool water rushes over her frozen body, shocking it, and it feels like everything inside of her is suddenly pulling back in on itself.

The shock is enough to create a rolling cascade of moss and umber-tinted to curl away from the body of the Goddess statue. Nature is stripped away to reveal the mortal woman beneath, chunks of peachy toned skin unveiled with the same lazy unfurling as the sunrise crawling across the horizon. It takes moments to reveal someone with high cheekbones, wheat colored hair and hair kaleidoscopic hair ornaments. A bundle of twigs juts out of her head like antlers, leaves turning color, and chunks of bark are clinging to her skin as if they've made a permanent residency on her body.

After a moment, she opens her eyes— they are blue like the deepest part of the ocean. It's a slow movement, dazed and tired, as if she's been stirred from a deep, long sleep. ]

Mm... Much better. [ When she raises her head, looking to Zelda— well, Sheik the Sheikah's description suits her. Full, cherubic cheeks, a sweetly rounded and youthful face, thick, dark lashes. She's beautiful. Even her ears are adorable. Is it conceited to think they look like sisters? Perhaps. It's a warming thought, selfishly so. ] Oh, your eyes are green, like rolling hills. Just like he said. [ With a tilt of her head, she smiles softly, apologetically, and continues, ] Sheik said you'd gone... but— [ She's interrupted by a heavy, dry cough, something that shakes her body deeply. Red and amber colored leaves fall to the broken and wet cobblestone, and she looks down at her busted reflection in the water for a moment, remembering it's her fault that Zelda's had any problems in her life thus far, really.

She inhales, hums, and smiles again. ]

I've been waiting to meet you, Zelda. You came for me. I won't forget that.

[ Zelda quickly takes a few steps backwards and watches in astonishment as nature peels itself away from the statue to reveal a young woman of flesh and blood underneath. She had no idea what would happen to the statue when she poured the water on top of it, but transforming into a real person absolutely was not it.

For a frantic second, she searches the annals of her mind for any reference to Goddess Statues transforming into women that she might have read about during her years of research, but turns up no results. Then their eyes meet and Sheik's description from a few days ago jumps immediately to the forefront of the princess's mind—long golden hair ("that she's quite proud of"), sky blue eyes, and "very Hylian" features.

It's a good thing that the blue-eyed Zelda can find her words so easily, because her green-eyed counterpart is temporarily (and uncharacteristically) struck silent. Sheik mentioned to the princess that a Hylian woman who also went by the name 'Zelda' had awoken in Songerein not long after the princess voluntarily returned to Hyrule, but the princess had not gone to seek her out. Nor did she do so today, despite what the other Zelda says.

Except that's not entirely true, is it? At those words, the princess lifts a hand and touches it to her chest, above her heart. That tugging feeling, that sensation of a string around her heart pulling her toward some unknown destination, has disappeared. ]

You are... her. [ Her words come out slow, hesitant, as the princess sorts out in real time what the other Zelda learned about weeks ago. ] You are Zelda.

Edited 2023-11-29 20:26 (UTC)

[ It's strange, isn't it? The constant pull of something bigger than you, the ever tightening ribbon of fate pulling you exactly where you need to go at all times. As Zelda looks upon her in wonder, her ancestor inclines her head in a nod, a confirmation with sympathy and apology sewn into her soft smile. It's odd to look upon her and see the features they share; not just the blonde hair but the thick and straight strands, the round and wide shape of their eyes— surely, it betrays all the curiosity they hold for life, too. But most damning is the name, of course: it is an odd feeling to look at this woman and know that it's her name they share. What a horrible curse she's passed onto her. ]

Did something spoil the surprise? [ Her hands come to rest on her hips, and her voice is cheerful, even. She had expected someone... younger, somehow? But they must be the same age, give or take a few years. It's not a particularly good joke, and does nothing to really fix the stunned air between the two of them. As much as she wants to get into an apology for dooming her to a lifetime of struggles, Zelda can't just do that. ]

There's only ever been one Zelda at a time. [ Mostly. ] Things must be very calm here in Reverein, then, right? Since we can meet like this. [ Eagerly, and without any qualms, she closes the distance, getting close enough to see the individual lashes framing Zelda's green eyes, but not close enough to pick out the pores in her skin. Familiarity is just how she communicates. ] Thank you... for helping me. The sickness is very painful for me. But you seem even righter than rain, Zelda.

[ Only when she muses, "Did something spoil the surprise?" does it occur to the princess that her counterpart is noticeably less surprised by this meeting than Zelda. Before, Zelda had assumed that reason the Goddess Statue recognized her was due to the Goddess's omnipotence (even though it is questionable whether or not the Goddess's influence can reach all the way across worlds to Songerein). But now that it is revealed that the statue was not a vessel of the Goddess at all, it begs the question how she knew Zelda. Unless... ]

Sheik. [ The princess blurts out the name, a complete non sequitur to the rest of what the other Zelda is saying.

Then she realizes what she just said (and what the other Zelda was saying). ] I'm sorry. Yes, I am well; I have recently recovered from the same affliction, I believe. [ Although it apparently it didn't hit the princess as hard as the other Zelda, because the worst she experienced was a day as a sylvari. ] You are most welcome. And I—

[ Zelda stops herself. She's babbling, responding disjointedly to everything the other Zelda is saying while simultaneously trying to get a mental handle on everything that is happening. ]

Forgive me. I... [ She stops herself again. Come on, Zelda, get it together. ] Sheik spoke of you, but I had not expected to find you here, like this. If I had... [ "I would've taken more time to mentally prepare myself so I didn't end up stuttering like a fool." ]

Edited 2023-11-30 18:06 (UTC)

[ Cocking her head to the side, she regards her descendant with a half-forced smile. Somehow, there's relief in her body, the cool relaxation of nerves overtaking the need to tease her for having a stick up her butt. It's nice, in some way, to know she's nervous; while she babbles, losing herself into a twisting of her tongue to mask her mood, Zelda's just thankful she's speaking. Maybe it's something that she handed down to her.

Shaking her head, she raises a fist to half-hide a smile. ]

Stop being silly, you goof. [ A laugh, gentle, less of a whistle of the wind and more regular old Hylian, escapes her. She's glad she doesn't dwell on the fact that it's not normal for the bark to peel away from the body like this. Or maybe Zelda experienced much the same, and it's a mark of divinity. Well, a strong constitution isn't something to be ashamed of giving someone, is it? ] You're wonderful.

[ And it's true, of course. Look at her, all sweet roundness and a kind heart, eager to help. She's sure the whole kingdom loves her. The world she and Link will leave behind must be in capable hands. It's gut-churning how she's simply doing her very best. It's all she could have ever wanted from another Zelda. ]

Sheik the Sheikah is a very helpful person. [ She's teasing him and he's not even here to defend himself. ] But I also met a very serious man who claimed to be a phantom, too. He called me Zelda of Skyloft, and told me some confusion might arise from my arrival... [ Hm. It's not that bad, is it? In addition to their eye color, they have different ears... then again, most of the people here are lacking the Hylian physiology of huge ears.

But that's not very important, is it, now? ]

Would you have prepared questions for me? [ Teasing. There's a lilt in her voice like birdsong. ] But I'm sure they're already in your mind. [ She takes a step out of the puddle, purple-pink sandals glowing under sunlight as she moves. ]

[ Goof? Wonderful? The princess can't help but look somewhat surprised, somewhat taken aback, by the other Zelda's overt compliments. 'Wonderful,' yes, that's something the princess has been called by the people of Hyrule, particularly in this new era of the kingdom that she has awoken to after her century in the seal with Calamity Ganon. But 'goof?' No one has ever called the princess a goof...

But Zelda does not linger on that. Indeed, the princess has many questions for her counterpart, but at the mention of a "phantom," they've all been dashed and brand new questions have sprung into their place. ]

The phantom you met— what did he look like? Did he give you his name? When did you last see him?

[ With each question, there's a rising urgency in Zelda's voice that is reflected on her face. "A very serious man who claimed to be a phantom" could only be Somnus, the Founder King of Lucis and a man who has been (for better or worse) a source of stability and guidance to Hyrule's young princess over their years together in Songerein. He was one who always wary of the possible threats the dream world posed through its connections to other worlds, one who always worried after the fate of his star and his descendant who was Chosen to save it. Somehow, he finally managed to awaken and return to his world not long before Zelda attempted to return to hers. But if this other Zelda met him while the princess was away... A cautious hope springs up in her heart that she might see again her dear (if frustrating) friend. ]

[ A splash of consideration, of sympathy comes to grace her face as Zelda urges her to re-examine her memories of Halloween. Embarrassingly enough, she is starting to realize she's missed the name of many, many individuals that night. So her response comes punctuated with a slipping smile, brows knitted together in apology. ]

I don't remember his name... I saw him on the day the festival happened. The one with the pumpkins. [ Hmm... ] Hallows' Ween? [ That sounds right.

But she pauses now to look out into the landscape, to take in the sight of the old cobblestone that functions more as a tripping hazard than a pathway now. Zelda, blue eyes no longer meeting the green of the other's, eventually presses a fist to her chest as she recounts the man's appearance. ] His ears were short and rounded, cropped dark hair that still framed his angular face. He had an appearance like iron, and a voice to match. Hehe... He said we hail from "different Stars," whatever that may mean, but he knew about Hyrule, which Sheik told me is the name of the Surface. [ ... Although, she can't remember it being called as such in any of her father's texts. She'd scoured them, hungry for more information, the pulling allure of a world beyond what she knew always just slightly out of reach. Turning back to Zelda, she smiles wider, though it is tighter. ]

Should I be calling you Princess? Hehe. Or maybe... Your grace?

Edited (typo. typo. typo. and anotha) 2023-12-02 03:43 (UTC)

[ "An appearance like iron, and a voice to match." Zelda nods in affirmative as her counterpart unmistakably describes Somnus. She finds herself wondering what that meeting was like. The Founder King is intense, to say the least. Did the other Zelda find herself intimidated in his presence, as the princess sometimes has? What did he tell her?—It seems like Zelda of Skyloft already knows some things about the princess.

But before she can ask more, the other Zelda throws another curve into the conversation and knocks the princess off balance. ]

Y-Your Grace?! [ Zelda stutters, taken aback. Why in the world would she suggest the same style of address as one uses for the Goddess? ]

No, no, Princess will be perfectly sufficient. [ A beat. ] In truth, you need not use my title at all, if you prefer. [ Then a smile, an attempt to mirror her counterpart. ] But I will understand if my title is preferable to my name in our particular instance.

[ Such a curious reaction. Zelda almost thinks of Link, and the way he wears his emotions on his face with surety and sweetness. Briefly, she considers the lineage of this girl, and... Girlish fancies are very inappropriately timed, always, but this one is particularly bad timing.

It's fun, thought. She'll have to tease Zelda again. ]

It doesn't bother me. [ It's a name. Why deny someone their name? Perhaps she feels strongly about it for the simple reason that it would be easy for her to be denied her name; she doesn't tell Zelda that she had asked Somnus to call her by her name alone, with no title or anything attached. She is, you see, best introduced as Zelda of Skyloft, because it's true, and there's barely any reason for her to have a surname on that little island in the sky...

Ah, but maybe she just really doesn't want to be Hylia, if she can help it. ]

Which do you prefer? [ She wonders if it's simply too strange to pose this question, but she desperately wants to know, too. Girlish whims take the form of heartfelt desires to know that someone could be happy with their lot in life, despite it all. ("It" being you, of course.) ] Do you like being Zelda, or Princess?

[ (It was a struggle for Zelda, as well, to get convince Somnus to use a form of address that didn't make the princess uncomfortable. "Daughter of Hyrule" has been infinitely more tolerable than the "Daughter of the Goddess" he first addressed her as. For one who grew up seeing herself as a failure to her bloodline, Zelda couldn't bear to be addressed as such.)

"Do you like being Zelda" makes the princess's smile soften with nostalgia. Just Zelda. Before Songerein, her royal title weighed on her like shackles, a constant reminder of everything she was supposed to be and, ultimately, everything she had failed to be. In her adolescence, Zelda hated her title, just like she hated her divine powers. They were the sources of her misery growing up and symbols of her failure to protect her country from Calamity.

So when she awoke in the dream world and a chance encounter presented with the opportunity to be "just Zelda" for a little while, the princess took to it with gusto. Though she has long since stopped hiding her royal heritage, being "just Zelda" still holds a special place in her heart. ]

I like being Zelda.

[ She eventually answers in a tone which suggest she's talking about more than just the form of address. In the years since the defeat of Calamity Ganon, in a way she never did in her adolescence, the princess has grown to love being Zelda. ]

[ How can she do it?

Speaking to Sheik had given her resolve and an understanding that she bore a responsibility. The nuggets of information he blessed her with were helpful, but she had selfishly held onto what she knew. After all, burdening another with the truth of her existence, of her soul, seemed cruel to her. He, too, should live away from Hylia's curse as long as possible, and so she wouldn't blemish his soul with her truth. Even so, it was not hard to put two and two together to come up with the fact that the Sheikah being present here and associating with a girl named Zelda, part of the royal family, would be dealing in matters of the goddess. Seeing her face, then, was just confirmation: sisters. They might as well be sisters. The smile on Zelda's face is her own.

So how can she do it? Break a smile like that, with the whispers of fondness tucked into the corners of it...

She wants, more than anything, to give her a normal life. So in return for being blessed with the smile of someone who is just Zelda, she decides that for all intents and purposes, it is a secret that Hylia's spirit possesses her body, that she is the poison infecting Zelda's life. Hadn't that been selfish, anyway? To tell the truth? Look around— the world here is untouched by Demise, and by Hylia.

She's not selfless enough to feel guilt for being able to be a normal girl, the daughter of a simple man who devoted his life to Hylia in ways he couldn't even understand. But she isn't selfish enough, either, to tell Zelda that the origin of the curse has manifested before her. So it is a secret, then, for all of this dream they share. This is her burden to bear. ]

See? You know what you want to be called! Zelda, then.

[ She approaches, closing the gap between them, so she can take Zelda's arm with a level of unwarranted familiarity, intent on leading them back to town. Anything to make sure she never picks up on the expression she had worn for just a moment. ] What's it like?

[ Her ploy is a rousing success, because although Zelda picked up on a curious undercurrent in her counterpart's expression (hesitation, misgivings, and conflict, as she has seen worn on Sheik's face many times), the way she suddenly takes the princess's arm immediately banishes that observation from the princess's consciousness.

Zelda lets out a gasp, flinching in surprise. In all her life, only Purah has ever dared to do something like this to the princess. Anyone else would fear the repercussions of such familiar contact with the royal family (even though the princess would never dream of punishing someone just for touching her). ]

Wh-What? What is what like? [ There's a startled quaver in her voice, the sound of one thrown off balance. ]

[ She takes the lead, then, arm lacing itself with her descendant's as naturally as a cloud cries swallowed up lake water. Perhaps some day Purah and she will be in the same room, and Zelda will have nothing more to do but simmer under their obnoxious joint gazes, red to go with blue as it always seems to. ]

Oh, come on. Focus, Zelda! What is it like being Zelda! [ Her tone is simple, flippant, and a giggle leave her mouth as she tilts her head back and then to the side, giggling with unbridled mirth. ]

"Being Zelda?" [ Zelda repeats stupidly as she finds herself being lead back towards town by her precocious counterpart. (Will there ever come a time when the princess isn't on the backfoot with Zelda of Skyloft?) ]

It's... [ An impossible question to answer, so broad that Zelda doesn't even know where to start. Is the other Zelda asking what it's like to be a princess—(Sheik did say that she didn't call herself one)—? Or what it's like to be Hyrulean—(Sheik said she only knows Hyrule as "the Surface")—? Or is the question more philosophical, the kind of thing a bard would be better to answer?

Each second that the princess spends thinking is a second for her counterpart to needle her for an answer, so she decides to simply go with the first thing that comes to her mind. ]

It is lovely, I think... being Zelda. I didn't much care for it when I was younger; it is a lot of responsibility, you know, and I was not very good at it. But after I figured it out—after the Calamity and everything—I started liking it.

[ "And I'm going to miss it." But she stops short of saying so. Instead, she offers an apologetic laugh: ] I suppose that isn't a very clear answer.

[ Truthfully, that's not at all what she means, but she finds herself empathetically listening all the same. They walk, then, shoulder to shoulder— she's much shorter than her descendant, but this is hardly a surprise to her. Even Link had been taller than her, you see, so it's no trouble to her to raise her head and look up at Zelda, blue eyes rapt and attentive. ]

It's not, [ comes her soft agreement, steps in time with Zelda's. Despite this, she giggles again, and then sways her head side to side, golden locks swaying. ] I was curious if you had a job, or how you spent your days here... But this is nice to know, too. [ If, at the end of it all, her descendant can find some kind of blessing in being herself, then it's worth it, isn't it? ]

It's never very clear, though. I didn't understand what meant for me until the end of my journey... Because even though I'm— [ Ah. Hm. ] Zelda... and all that entails, I'm still my father's daughter, and the girl my friends know and grew up with... My classmates' classmate, the pupil to my teachers... And my Loftwing's friend, you know? Link was still— ...I was still his Zelda.

[ Her other hand rises to rest on Zelda's elbow, walking pace slowing slightly. ] That's enough. Isn't it?

[ As the other Zelda speaks, the princess makes mental notes of all the little details and tucks them away in her mind. The end of a journey. Her father's daughter. Friends. Classmates. Teachers. A Loftwing (a what?) and— ]

Link.

[ The name comes out before she even thinks it, the rest of her counterpart's words going unheard. Link. She knew a Link.

It's not something that deserves such a reaction, really. Just as there have been almost as many Zeldas as there have been generations of the royal family (and probably multitudes more of common descent), there have been as many Links—heroes immortalized by legends and unassuming boys growing into unassuming men living unassuming lives. Common Hylian names. Common Hyrulean names.

And yet it catches the princess by the heart. Another Zelda, who knows another Link. But more than that— she is his Zelda. Not just the Zelda of his era. His. The thought makes the princess's heart skip a beat, and she places her free hand over her sternum as if to calm it. What must that be like, being his Zelda? The princess... would like to know what that feels like.

She nods in answer to her counterpart's question. Yes, that is enough. Being his Zelda would be enough. ]

Link is...? [ Zelda lets the question trail off in hopes that the other Zelda will supply the appropriate term. A friend? A schoolmate? ...A lover? ]

[ There's going to be plenty of time to talk about Loftwings, which Zelda still is convinced that the bird she had forced to carry her on Halloween night might be descended from, the lack of fur aside. They will have plenty of time for her to talk her descendant's ear off about her father, to tell her all about the village in the sky, and how part of it landed on the surface to seal Demise.

But. She, too, is a Link Liker. ]

...My childhood friend. [ Zelda says it, holding onto the words for the other to process. It's a gentle admission, one she chews on for just a moment too long. Link is... her hero? Her best friend? Her knight? All seem appropriate. She's confident when she says, ] Link and I grew up together. But it was being his friend, his Zelda, that made the burden of my life that much easier to bear.

[ Simple as that, and yet— she knows the complexity must be clear to her. ]

He was Hylia's chosen hero to me, but still my friend who I woke up every day. If it weren't for me, he probably would have missed his classes in Knight Academy every day, hehe!

[ There's a little pang of jealousy that pricks at Zelda's heart whenever she hears her counterpart refer to herself as "his Zelda." To have that kind of relationship with Link... In a way, the princess did sort of grow up with Link; they were introduced to each other after he was chosen by the Master Sword, when they were still just kids. But it would be a lie to claim they were friends. Forced acquaintances, perhaps. Rivals, at least in the princess's mind.

A remorseful sort of envy clings to Zelda's expression, even though she smiles as she listens. It's bittersweet, like imagining a life she and Link could have had if not for the Calamity. ~~If not for the pressures heaped upon their small shoulders that stifled their childhoods.~~ Could they have eased each other's burdens back then, if he had not been so distant and she not so cruel?

But it gets a laugh out of her, particularly the image of Link being late to Knight Academy. ]

Oh dear, did he have a habit of oversleeping? I can hardly imagine Link being late to anything.

[ Her Link. Because he can be "her Link" in her mind, right? ]

[ The pang of jealousy that surges through the Princess is unknowable to the girl from the sky, who just looks over at her with a smile on her face. Obliviousness gives way to simplicity, because she can only laugh at the question, but a myriad of things go unsaid: The fact Hylia is with them now, that She had planned both of their lives before they go walk, and that try as she might, even a simple life amongst the clouds was tainted by Her: Link is only her Link because Hylia chose him for a certain virtue he possessed.

But that burden is unspoken, unsaid. Unwelcome. ] Oh, yes. He loved to sleep. I think he could have slept for a century if I let him.

[ Whether the irony of what she says goes unnoticed, or responded to is lost in the moment: Next, Zelda calls the Link of the Princess' era "Your Link", and prattles on about him for a moment more, teasing him even if he's not there to defend himself. Perhaps, she thinks, Zelda will do it for him, and they can continue their little dance until they get back to town and inevitably split up: Not before, of course, the Sky-born one of the two insists they play together again some time sooner. ]

Edited 2023-12-23 22:04 (UTC)

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