open 🌻 a relatively more welcome return and some other nonsense

[multidisciplinary]

Who: Zelda and OPEN
Which: Open log, backdated to November 9
Where: Plaza, Lakeside, Dreamscape
What: November catch-all kind of thing. Zelda returns to Song (again) after trying to go home and do [spoiler] things, gets leafever and experiences a day in the life of a sylvari, and dreams about fashion
Warnings: Minor Tears of the Kingdom sidequest spoilers dreamscape prompt. (opt out of TOTK spoilers here.) Threads with major TOTK spoilers will be marked.



1. a not so welcome return the redux

Like most new arrivals, Zelda awakens in the Plaza. When she opens her eyes, she sees... nothing. Darkness, muted colors, like the insides of one's eyelids. Her heart skips a beat. Has she done it? Has she finally returned to Hyrule and fulfilled the plan she has so ardently strived for? Is she free from Songerein?

As if in answer, the wind picks up and gusts over Zelda. The darkness rustles loudly all around her, like dried leaves in an autumn breeze.

...

The princess sits up abruptly, shedding leaves from the pile that has formed on top of her. Wait a moment. What are all these leaves doing on the ground? It's still summertime in Hyrule. Zelda looks around, casting her gaze over the nearby Plaza, abustle with activity as dreamwalkers patronize the many shops surrounding it. This doesn't look like the town near the castle. Then that must mean...

She's back in Songerein.

Zelda slams her hands down in the leaves and screams out a curse at the top of her lungs. Back in Songerein? Already? But she only just left! Last night, she snuck out of the treehouse home she and Link share and went to the Wishing Well. She planned to use three of her baubles to go home. Link came to stop her—

Her mind stops abruptly as the memory plays in her mind—Link, stepping between Zelda and the well, kissing her...

A hot flush rises to Zelda's cheeks. She shakes her head roughly to get the image out of her mind. Stop getting distracted. Focus!

The princess roughly digs herself out of the pile of leaves (more of which have accumulated in the mere minutes she's been sitting here) and gets to her feet. Time to go to the Plaza and get some answers.


2. dryad ailment

It's been four or five days since Zelda returned to Songerein and she's been feeling... pretty terrible, actually. Somehow, waking up in a pile of leaves in the Plaza has caused the princess to fall ill. For days, she's been laid up at home or at the clinic, suffering fevers and body aches and the worst case of dry skin anyone has every experienced. Her body has become strangely plant-like, with skin like bark and hair like yellow leaves. If not for how miserably she's been feeling, Zelda would be fascinated by the changes.

But today, she inexplicably feels... fine. No, better than fine. Wonderful, actually. The moment she steps outside and the cold autumn sunlight shines on her leafy hair, Zelda feels her miserable affliction vanish. Her lethargy fades in an instant and she suddenly feels more energized than she's felt in days—no, in months. Suddenly, all of the worries Zelda normally carries around fade from her mind and all she can think about is soaking up more sunlight, drinking clear, cold water, and finding some delicious nutrients!

Zelda can be found at the lakeside all day, romping about in a state of undress unusual for the cold weather and uncharacteristic of the princess. She might be conversing animatedly with the nearby trees, wading knee-deep in the icy lake waters, or even (ugh) eating dirt. Really, you should have a taste of this dirt. The flavor is exquisite!


3. Interactive dreamscape - Hyrulean haute couture

Intentionally or unintentionally, tonight's dreamwalking has brought you to a town on the outskirts of Hyrule known as Hateno Village. Once a sleepy little village, Hateno has grown into a bustling township in the century since the Great Calamity, on account of its distance from Hyrule Castle. In the four years since they defeated Calamity Ganon (and when they aren't busy traveling the kingdom), Zelda has lived in Hateno Village with Link. Hateno is the 'home' she thinks of whenever she hears the word, so its little wonder that a homesick dream take place there.

Lately, Hateno has been buzzing with excitement, ever since haute fashion designer Cece opened her shop there and began selling her latest designs. Fashion-forward Hyruleans from all over the kingdom have flocked to Hateno to get their own Cece-brand clothes. Though Zelda may not be a fashionista, she isn't immune to the charm of Cece's unique designs.

That's how you find yourself inside Cece's shop, trying on the hottest new style—mushroom couture. Zelda, also dressed in a full mushroom outfit, stands before you, carefully scrutinizing your outfit.

"No, I think it needs the hat," she says. "The ensemble simply isn't complete without it."


4. the wildcard option

Want a different prompt? Feel free to surprise me or plot with me on plurk (knighted), discord (triforce1960) or DM.

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

Comments

[skyglider]

[The mug is warm in his hands, and with that warmth, the slight sensorial memory of his hands on her face, her determined gaze, her lips--

...

His hands move to the table.

Link watches Zelda as she watches him, quiet, his expression somewhat passive. He has so much he would like to ask, so many things to say, and all of it is so hard to even begin to put words to. It's too big. He has done much soul-searching over the last few weeks, has interrogated his own heart and pulled his thoughts apart only to put them back together. He should say something, He should say anything.

... But he doesn't.

She takes those moments to compose herself, and it gives him the space to take a breath. He can't sort himself out as easily, can't sort through the dozens of thoughts very well in order to make sense out of them. What do we do now? It's an excellent question; one that, in the moment, is difficult to answer. His mind is still reeling, a bit, realizing that she's back, that she's really here, and--

... Oh.]

I think... [A pause. His hands clasp together on the table, his thumb tracing circles across the knuckles of his other hand. Dare he ask? He lifts his eyes to meet hers.] ...for a while, perhaps we allow ourselves just to live.

[It's a hard suggestion to make, especially for him. He is so action-focused, constantly moving forward. But the breakneck pace of their lives has been exhausting almost from the moment of their birth. They know what the future will bring -- or he does, at least. For now, could they possibly take the time to just be in the moment?

If he's being honest, he's not entirely sure. But he'd like to try, at least.]

iirc this was how our headcanon went...

[multidisciplinary]

[ "Allow ourselves just to live." Zelda lets those words hang in the air, heard but unacknowledged. Drawn by the motion of Link's thumb against his knuckles, Zelda's gaze drops to his hands. Two mismatched hands, the dark Zonai skin tone starkly contrasting Link's (comparatively) fair Hylian complexion. It's a poignant reminder of one of the losses he has suffered since that fateful day beneath Hyrule Castle... and the Master Sword, just outside the periphery of her vision, a reminder of another.

How can Link—Link, specifically, after everything he has been through—suggest that they just live for awhile? By rights, shouldn't Link be the one who is the most upset by Zelda's failure? Shouldn't Link be the one pushing her to keep trying, to find another way to complete the transformation?

But the image of a Link who would say such things, do such things, is as alien as his new right arm. ]

Just live...

[ Zelda repeats his words, testing their taste on her tongue. Then, all of the sudden, recognition sparks in her mind and is immediately reflected upon her face. ]

Isn't that what you told me before?—After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, while we were recuperating in Kakariko Village.

[ Her mind rewinds four years of time in an instant. They went first to Kakariko Village after defeating Calamity Ganon, after Zelda was released from the seal and tasted air and daylight for the first time in a century. It seemed the most logical place to rest—and the princess sorely needed rest. They stayed in Kakariko for awhile, while Zelda acclimated to simply being alive again.

As probably surprised no one, her mind bounced back much faster than her body. It didn't take long for Zelda's thoughts to turn to the reconstruction of Hyrule, a monumental task nearly as insurmountable as the prospect of defeating the Calamity. She agonized over it, made herself sick with worry over what to do and how to do it. And it was Link who steadied her, Link who encouraged her to slow down, Link who tempered her. ]

yes i think so too!

[skyglider]

[As her eyes move to his hands, Link's eyes remain on her, watching the minute changes in her expression. His mind has been rewired, somehow, picked apart and then put back together in some strange new way, because he has the most absurd desire to reach out and take her hand, to feel the warmth of it, just to appreciate the sensation of touch, to revel in the fact of her tangibility...

The tips of his ears burn at the thought, and he tries to dash it away, focusing instead on her words.

It does sound strange, coming from him, doesn't it? Link has always been the picture of action, of enacting change, of questing. He rarely sits still and even more rarely enjoys it when he does. But they don't have to sit still, here, not really. Because that's not really what he means at all.

To focus on what you cannot change, to fixate on it...isn't it better to think of what you can do? Kratos had said something similar to him, when he first came back. Do what you can, when you can.]

... Yes, [he says after a short, thoughtful moment, nodding. She's right -- it's eerily similar to those first few weeks after Calamity Ganon was defeated. He knows the unrest she must be feeling in this moment, in contrast to back then. He feels it, too. But the situation isn't entirely dissimilar, and he's relieved to hear that she understands, at least a bit.

All the same, he doesn't want to leave anything unsaid. Not anymore. So he feels he must clarify, as well. It's a struggle, and that shows in his expression: a small, thoughtful frown. He's never been particularly good with words, and it shows at times like these, when he tries to say something important and stumbles over it.]

... I no longer wish to dwell on things that can't be changed. [Her wish for him, after her departure...hadn't that been the spirit of it? To move on and find a way through? To find some modicum of happiness, in whatever way he could?

It's something he wants for her, as well. He doesn't say as much, but -- who wouldn't want that?]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Link may feel like he struggles with words, but the things he does manage to say are always poignant to Zelda.

"I no longer wish to dwell on things that can't be changed."

Link may feel like he struggles with words, but Zelda often finds the things he does say to be remarkably poignant. Dwelling on things that can't be changed... That's what they've been doing, isn't it? All this time that they've been back in Songerein together, the shadow of their future, of the ultimate sacrifice that Zelda will one day make, has loomed over them like a curse. The princess has chased it single-mindedly, as if the opportunity might be lost if she doesn't grab onto it fast enough. But she knows from Link that it is an inevitability; he has seen the dragon she will become, along with the Master Sword safe in her care. The dragon, and the crisis that necessitated her sacrifice to become it, is suspended in time in the waking world. As long as they are here, dreaming, Hyrule remains as it is, as if in stasis.

(Distantly, Zelda wonders if this state of being is anything like the one she will experience as an ageless dragon. To take that form is not only to shed her mortality and her sense of being, but to break free from the shackles of time. A dragon exists outside the flow of time, unbound by its rules, not unkillable but functionally immortal.)

Tension she didn't know she was holding in her shoulders slowly seeps out of her. Her features soften, lines in her forehead fade. Just live. Just be in this moment—not the past, not the future, simply this moment right now. ]

I... I would like that.

[ Already, her heart feels a bit lighter for those words. ]

I would like to just live for a little while... with you.

[skyglider]

[Truthfully, to say any of this -- it makes him somewhat nervous. Link has always been pulled toward action, toward doing things, making things possible... This is part of his character, and it's difficult suggesting otherwise, even for him. And yet...he cannot help but think back to her letter. Her request. Because it's something they both deserve, not just him.

He finds himself watching her expression as she works through this idea, his own expression an affected neutral. At first, he doesn't realize he is holding his breath. Waiting for her response. As the tension melts from her stance, he, too, finds himself able to exhale, able to start thinking about what might be next.

And then she adds those two small words. With you. Long ago, they might have been an amusing surprise from someone who more often wanted to be rid of him. More recently, they might have had a businesslike tone, as if it was just the way of things, some unspoken truth agreed upon by both of them.

... But with her parting words in mind...he doesn't know what to think.

His thumb traces the handle of the mug in front of him as he tries to fight back the heat threatening to spill over his cheeks, his ears. He's certainly overthinking this. And yet--]

That...that's what I want, too.

[However murky his feelings are, this is a truth with which he is acutely familiar.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ As she watches Link fiddle with his mug, a little smile blooms on Zelda's lips. It's this easy, isn't it? Easy like their words, their simple wants and simple needs. No ancient wars, ancient evils, or lonely eternities—just here, now, together.

Her eyes flick down to her teacup, half full with rapidly cooling tea. She rotates the cup on the saucer, so the handle is parallel with her. Here, now, together...

Zelda's eyes flick once more to Link. What does 'together' mean to him? Because she specifically said 'with you,' hoping he would catch her implication, and he specifically agreed, as though he did. But does he really know how she meant that? Because she's lived her life with him long time; they've lived their lives together for many years. But that's not the kind of 'together' she meant. She wants to be together.

The muddiness of her own feelings makes Zelda want to sigh in exasperation, but she manages to hold it in. Link has had an entire month to sort through their goodbye, but Zelda has had only this single day. Maybe a month is enough time to sort through confused feelings forced into the open by the finality of her departure.

Her eyes drop. She rotates the teacup again, this time so that the handle is perpendicular to her. Her eyes return to Link. She yearns to know—is he still thinking about that kiss? Because if she had been the one left behind in Songerein for a month, that kiss would have haunted her every waking moment.

Her eyes drop. She reaches out to turn the teacup again... then lets out the exasperated sigh she's been holding in. This is silly. She's being ridiculous, constantly glancing at Link and wondering after his inner thoughts—it's like she's sixteen again!

Picking up the teacup and saucer, Zelda rises to her feet, marches around to the other side of the table, and sits herself purposefully down beside him. ]

I-I would like to talk— [ She announces, with courage quickly dwindling from her voice. ] —about the night I left.

[ The night he kissed her. ]

[skyglider]

[They are both being silly, and Link knows it, in a way, at least in the sense that he understands the role he's playing, here. The added discomfort. He hasn't been easy to read since he was a child, since he honed a mask of opacity that he thought was required of him for the burdens he bears. Now-- it's like a security measure, a fallback, a habit he's not always aware of. Zelda can so often see through some of his thoughts and actions, but...

...he doesn't make it easy, does he.

Zelda's purposeful march has him lifting his eyebrows, and beneath that opaque expression, there's a hint of confusion, amusement, maybe even that same fondness. She is a woman of action, his Zelda, and he is reminded time and time again never to doubt that about her. They sit side by side, their shoulders a width apart, and yet he feels as though a great distance has been bridged.

It's not as though Link doesn't want to talk about any of this -- he does, and he anticipated this conversation the moment he laid eyes on her in the doorway of the Wild Harvest. But where does he even start? What could he possibly say? He searches for words, and they elude him, vanishing like the mist within the Lost Woods. Perhaps that's the silliest part of all, because he knows, in some small corners of his mind and heart, precisely how he feels. He knows what the sum of those feelings are: the time he wants to spend with her, the stories he wants to listen to, the adventures he'd like to share. They fit neatly into a description, and he's been teasing out the meaning of that description for weeks, but he still hesitates.

Is he... is he scared? Of what she might say? Of how she might react?

This-- this is truly the foolish part. He has spent weeks lamenting that he could not speak his heart, and now, the opportunity laid bare in front of him, he is frozen from fear and indecision. Legends tell of heroes in the past who held in their spirit a vast wealth of courage. Link wonders, sometimes, how he stacks up against them; where the measure of his own bravery falls by comparison. In this moment, that comparison feels unfavorable.

He summons what he can of his friends' spirits, borrowing from their courage. Mipha, so clear in her intentions and the desires in her heart. Sidon, with such strong convictions, such straightforward passion. Urbosa's spirited pragmatism and honesty. The people he's met in Reverein, all pulled together despite different backgrounds, different circumstances...]

... Did you mean what you said back then? [Ah. Too blunt. Heat rises in the tips of his ears immediately, flashing over his cheeks.] That is to say-- I mean...

[This is so hard. She had such ease and care with her words, somehow, and he stumbles all over them. Action suits him much better, but he needs to say it. She deserves to hear it. He swallows, forcing down a nervous lump in his throat.

Courage, Link. Have courage.]

--I love you. I... think I have for a long time.

[multidisciplinary]

[ That... is not the response she was expecting.

Or, at least, not the second part.

The first part, yes, she absolutely expected. It wasn't just a kiss that she left him with, but a bold declaration of her love. At the time, Zelda hadn't thought too carefully about it, hadn't scrutinized her words beneath a microscope over and over again until she was sure they were the ones she wanted. Instead, as she sat upon the precipice of their last moments together and those words welled up in her breast, she followed the instincts he had awoken in her and spoke freely the truth of her heart. She didn't consider the ramifications of those words, only knowing that they felt right in the moment and that moment was her very last...

...Until it wasn't.

Does it make those words any less true, waking up today when she didn't expect to wake up ever again? She's barely had a chance to think on them, shoving them down repeatedly while trying to keep herself focused on more pressing matters.

But now those pressing matters are resolved and it is only her. And him.

She opens her mouth as Link stumbles over his words, frantic to stop him from having to say the thing she absolutely positively desperately does not want to hear—that somehow, despite kissing her, he doesn't feel the same. That she moved too fast and he doesn't know how he feels. That, since she's been gone, he's had time to reflect and realized he made a mistake.

But then she hears it.

And she freezes, mouth agape, panic still written on her face as she grappled with her fears.

He....



He loves her?


There's a long second of silence Link must endure as Zelda picks her jaw up off the floor. His words echo off the walls of the princess's mind, struck momentarily silent. He loves her? He loves her??

Her panicked expression melts away and she stares at him, dumbstruck. ]

You... you do? [ She half laughs, half exhales a pent up breath, a relieved, incredulous, hopeful smile tugging at her mouth. ] You do?!

[skyglider]

[The moments between his admission and her response are not long, objectively speaking. Seconds, brief, fleeting-- but they feel so long, so long, and he feels as though his heart may burst, as though his lungs are on fire, as if he's spinning in an endless void until he can gauge her response. Has she realized, in the short time she was gone, that she spoke foolishly, rashly? That her feelings for him are something different? The kiss had come as a surprise for both of them; did she regret that he had done it? Should he?

It's hard to breathe, and hard to hear her response with his heartbeat thundering in his head.

How do people do this? He has never really understood love, but he knows it exists. He knows it's deeply felt, treasured, longed for. But this-- it's a horrible feeling, this ache that resonates throughout every fiber of his being, and yet, does not have a real source. There is no wound to heal, no illness to cure. It's-- it's all--

... it's all in his head, and that is a difficult place to be.

Her expression changes, from panic into something else, mouth open. Surprised, perhaps. It seems this was something she was not expecting, but he cannot tell whether that is a good surprise or a bad surprise. Color flushes through his face, spreading out from his nose across his whole face, all the way to his ears.

Oh, Goddess, it was hard enough to say it the first time, and now-- she wants him to confirm?]

I... [He swallows, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck.] Is that okay?

[For a brief flash of an instant, mortification takes over his expression; did he really just ask permission for that?? And then...and then he just looks nervous again, red-faced, unsure of what more to say.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda's incredulous expression remains firmly in place as she watches Link... turn red? Hylia above, is he blushing? Link? She's seen him look embarrassed before, self conscious on occasion—each probably only a handful of times—but never so plainly as this.

It's... cute, actually. It's really cute. Link has never been someone to be visibly moved by emotions, even in the most tense or tragic situations. But since he kissed her—since the two of them first reawakened here, actually—Zelda has seen more of Link's heart reflected on his face than she ever really has before. Even in their happiest times in Hyrule, Link has always been restrained. Not because he doesn't feel things, but because that's simply the way he is, an enduring effect of the burden of destiny he shouldered throughout his adolescence.

Seeing him like this now, plainly flustered by their conversation, pulls at Zelda's heart so fiercely she's gripped by the sudden desire to lean forward and kiss him. (Minutes ago, she thought 'love' was too strong a word for her feelings for Link. How foolish.)

The look on Zelda's face as she regards him is such a confusing one—incredulous, overjoyed, on the verge of laughing and crying at the same time, her forehead deeply lined but her lips curved in a smile.

In fact, she does laugh, an amused snort escaping her mouth as he asks if it's okay. Is he really asking such a thing?—After taking the liberty of kissing her without a hint of warning? Now he asks if it's okay? ]

It is more than okay.

[ Zelda leans forward slightly, angling her head so that she's looking upwards at him. Let him see plainly the expression on her face, the adoration in her eyes, the rosy color in her cheeks. ]

I love you, too, Link. I... thought maybe I was being too hasty when I said that at the wishing well, but... [ A shake of her head. ] No, it's how I feel. For awhile now, I think.

[skyglider]

[Link has climbed tall mountains and fought terrifying creatures; he has flown through the sky and faced down death more times than he can count; he is strong, capable, and he does not back down from a challenge. But-- this? This is so far outside of the realm of what he knows, so deeply strange and foreign, that he feels, for once, completely out of his element. Lost, in a sense; adrift.

And beyond that, exposed. He feels exposed and vulnerable in a way that cannot be matched even by the trials he has been through. Perhaps that is the most frightening part.

He searches her expression, confusing and difficult to read as it is, trying to figure out how to brace himself for what comes next, whatever it may be. He will be alright, he thinks; looking at her face, he feels certain of it. No matter what. But the truth is, he hasn't thought past this moment, this quiet confession. He has no idea what to do after this. He...he's hoping it'll come to him in time.

Her words should not come as such a surprise; she said it before, plainly, with an honesty that he cannot always find within himself. Nonetheless, it blindsides him a bit, and he has to retrace the sound of them, reassuring himself that he did hear what he thinks he heard. Goddess, what is this strange feeling tugging at his heart? Some sort of giddy fluttering, maybe a little like excitement, overwhelming in its flustered affection. He has little idea what to do with the swell of it, so he stops thinking so hard, focuses on actions instead.]

Zelda-- [His expression is all surprise, perhaps a little starstruck, but there is a bewildered, dazed smile tugging on the edges of his expression, clinging to the cadence of his voice as he speaks. He reaches out with one hand, cupping her cheek, draws closer until he can press his forehead to hers, meeting her eyes.]

May I kiss you again?

[multidisciplinary]

[ He says her name and her heart trips over itself, like it does every time she hears her name in his voice. In the past, she thought this reaction was just because it was so strange to hear him call her anything but 'Princess.' But years have passed since she asked him to do this and she never doesn't feel a flutter in her breast when he does.

The signs have been there for a long time, haven't they... just waiting for the pair to figure out how to read them.

Her gentle smile curls up into a girlish grin as she hears his question, her face heating up. May he kiss her again? The prospect makes her stomach tie itself up in giddy knots. He must have somehow read her mind a moment ago and known that she was just thinking about how she wanted to kiss him too. ]

Yes. [ Her voice comes out small, an embarrassed mix of eager and self conscious, and she nods against his forehead. ] I'd like that a lot.

[skyglider]

[And so he does, closing the gap between them until they're breathing the same air, his lips ghosting over hers for a moment, almost whisperlike, before he gently kisses her.

It-- it's so very different from last time, somehow, more delicate than desperate, filled this time with feelings said, rather than unstated. His fingers slide through her hair as he breathes in her scent, pressing in just a little closer. His free hand finds hers and rests atop it, as if he's seeking more ways to be close to her.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Her eyelids fall closed as he leans in and she feels the faint brush of his lips over hers, but before she can chase him for a proper kiss, he gives her one.

It is different from last time, as different as night and day. There is no frantic desperation between them as the scramble to give form to feelings that have been burning in their hearts for a long time. There are no tears stinging her eyes, no voice in her head telling her to stop, to push him away. There is only the soft, warm pressure of Link's lips on hers, his fingers slipping into the tangles of her thick blonde hair.

Zelda leans in, tilting her chin, and returns his kiss with the same softness. A warm feeling spreads through her. Her hands, placed on her knees, and his free hand settling over them. She releases his lips for a breath, then returns again for another kiss. Steady, unhurried. Her thoughts quiet and her mind is filled with only him, only kissing. ]

[skyglider]

[His heart is full. There is no other way to describe it, the deep, nameless emotion that wells up in his heart, overflows until it feels like it's spilling into his throat. It...it is not correct to say that he never knew how he felt about Zelda. Since the moment they met, he knew, somewhere in his heart, in his spirit, that she would be his whole life. He knew their fate was tied, inextricably, permanently. It's just...

... he never quite imagined this.

The first kiss is soft, but fleeting, filled with nerves and jitters, delicate in the way that only a first kiss can -- even though it is not the first. The second is unhurried, natural, and this is the one he leans into with his whole body, their thighs pressed together as they sit side-by-side.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda feels Link lean in against her, closing the last of the distance remaining between them as they sit beside each other. The warmth of his body beside hers, shoulders and thighs touching, as well as the warmth their kiss is spreading through her, is enough that she doesn't need the blanket around her anymore. Without breaking the kiss, she shrugs it off and lets it fall behind her on the seat.

The restaurant is quiet and mostly empty today, the perfect place for two new lovers to tentatively explore each other. The gentle, languid pace of their kissing is nothing short of blissful to Zelda. One of her hands slips out from under his and wanders to his knee, settling lightly there.

Just living for awhile. Just being, and being together. This is enough. For however long it lasts, this will be enough. He is enough. ]