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elsanna-shenanigans · 2 years

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October Contest Submission #15: Torn Light

Words: ca. 8,000 Setting: medieval AU Lemon: No CW: tragedy, MCD, suicidal thoughts, graphic depictions of violence, angst

Torn light

The cart passed through dirty and quiet streets; it’s wheels cracked against the cobblestones, the splintered wood and nameless bodies. A few armored soldiers and scared peasants followed, marching with their heads low. The last defenders had barricaded the city, but she had burned them out; black smoke still rose from the houses.

She led the procession on foot, steering the horse that pulled on the cart. In it lay Anna’s body - still bloodied, with her hands crossed over her chest, her wild hair sprayed over a bed of hay.

When the night fell, the pyre burned bright against the horizon, the winds carrying it’s dancing sparks until they faded in the darkness. Overlooking the city, the castle’s shadow loomed over them all.

Elsa stayed until dawn, until there was nothing left but ashes.

~~~

Biting winds, heralds of winter, circled around the tall, round towers of Arendelle Castle. A thin layer of frost covered the windows; tattered banners - their colors long faded, flapped violently at the gales’ mercy.

Inside the slumbering fortress, underneath its grey walls of old stone, some life still stirred. The servants scurried around its hallways like mice; none dared to peer into the heart of the castle. But they could hear it, the murmurs behind the heavy doors of the great hall.

In the throne room, a lone voice sang.

~ In the Summerhall, round - a - round, they spun…

The Harvest was done, and so, free as doves they spun, round - a - round ~

The Queen’s voice waned. Eyes framed in copper hair looked at her. Kind, warm eyes. She didn’t meet her gaze for long.

~ Upon her head, a crown of roses placed And the Princess of Summer spun, round - a - round…

She danced with light steps, and in her wake, a thousand notes flew And fluttered, and grew ~

The last of her voice became a whisper.

~ And they all cheered and clapped… They all cheered and danced… ~

A weak echo followed; her words lost against the pine-tall columns and concave ceiling.

Elsa sat on the stone throne, hunched forward. Her long hair - flat and pure white - cascaded down the sides of her thin face, and her crown lay crooked atop her head. A simple ring of steel - kept by generations. Her father had given it to her before dying.

Take it back… he had said. His hand’s grip had been strong still, even if his body had given up. Bed ridden, his mind rotted quickly.

Anna had cried when they said their farewells, her face buried against her arm as they held hands, standing over the carved stone. She had grasped her sister’s hand so hard she almost hurt her. Her father had deserved better; instead of a king’s funeral, he had been buried in some unworthy patch of soil. Only the two of them stood witness in the lone, green field.

The Queen looked up. Kind eyes stared back at her; unmoving, unflinching. Unblinking.

“I know…” Elsa sighed. “I should visit sometime…”

She was no longer thinking about her father. Her fingers gripped the harsh surface of the throne’s arm. Talking to herself like that. Was this an illness of the mind, the same that took hold of the beggars and the bare-footed prophets that roamed the streets and swards?

She didn’t know. Concoctions and elixirs no longer fixed her sleep. Elsa slumped against her seat; its uncomfortable hardness no longer bothered her.

No torches or candles were lit, and no shadows danced under their light. There was only cold. Sharp, unforgiving. She stared at the two long tables that occupied the hall’s floor; she stared at the long rows of empty seats. There had been a time where music and warmth had filled the great chamber. A time of pretenders and false smiles. She could see through them all.

The hidden daggers in their phony gestures. The veiled threats underneath their sweet words. She was better this way. Alone.

Kind eyes refuted her.

“Smoke and mirrors…” Elsa muttered. “That’s all you are.”

Anna looked at her from the bottom of the daïs’ steps. She was as beautiful as she remembered her. Rosy cheeks, flaming hair. If only she could reach out, to touch and feel her delicate skin once more…

The Queen quickly retracted her hand. She sighed and rubbed her eyelids; once she looked again, she saw her sister’s gaze never left.

Elsa hung her head. The threads of longing - long buried, carved their path anew inside her chest.

“You used to sing a lot… back home.”

Her family’s ancestral seat - and the castle that caged her, it was anything but. Home had perished in flames, burned after the usurper had tried to quell her rebellion, decades ago.

Home was buried in the barren hill outside the city’s gates.

Blurry as muddy waters, her memories freely flowed. She remembered the sunshine, coming in dots and rays through the foliage, but she no longer felt warmth. She recalled her father’s words, but not his voice. Even the righteous flame of her purpose had died; not even embers remained. Stop it, she scolded herself. Don’t fall deeper.

She stood up, weary of the dizziness that followed.

“Some sleep…” Elsa whispered, walking down the steps. Sea-lit eyes followed her, but only her own steps echoed weakly against the tiles. By now, she seldom questioned the apparition’s purpose. There could be no sane answers. Fate’s mockery, or the crown’s weight, rooting her in madness; whatever it was, it didn’t matter.

She didn’t look back as she pulled on the heavy doors; dead silence fell on the hall after she left.

The last of the song’s lyrics stayed in Elsa’s mind long after she retired to her chambers.

But now, where has Summer gone, oh Princess? Where has Summer gone?

~~~

Even under the light snowfall - the first of many to come, the long column of peasants marched. The tip of their spears stood against the grey sky like a field of needles as they slowly made their way towards the city’s gates. Most of them did not even own a coat, nor proper steel. Nevertheless, they marched.

Some - grey, pale faces, turned to look at her under their cloaks or hats. Elsa kept her head high, looking at the procession from her horse’s height.

She didn’t see hatred or resentment: only resignation. Her father had always referred to their subjects as winter’s folk. Tough, loyal. A shred of pity still remained inside her. This was the last levy. A thousand souls she commanded to leave, urging them to spill their blood for her cause.

A last ditch effort to repel the invading forces from the South.

On both sides of the mud street, women and children gathered, offering what little they could spare to the recruits; a slice of bread, a wooden trinket. Their hands briefly joined, squeezing tight before letting go.

What else could they give, if not superstition and barren hopes?

It seemed a lifetime ago since she had led her people against the southern usurpers. She had been young - too young to understand. Neither she nor Anna had even seen the ancestral castle until they laid siege to the city. Elsa turned for a brief moment. Even a mile away, its high profile stood above them all. It was as her father had described it: colossal, ancient. Everything in the city seemed to humbly bow under its old gaze.

The last of the column finished marching; at its tail rode a handful of armored riders. The tallest of them - Captain Matthias - took off his helmet and saluted her, bowing his head before reining her horse back into formation. Only then she noticed his greying beard, the deep lines surrounding his weary eyes.

Fresh snow gently fell over her hair, over her pale cheeks. Elsa took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sharp cold, as her gloved hand absently touched her braid. Old age encroached like the shadows of the waning hours of day: slow, inexorable.

The Arendellian winter was unforgiving: the freezing winds seeped through her furs and armor.

More than twenty years had passed since she retook the throne. She had barely been of age when she took arms and rebelled. When was the last time she had wielded a sword? She couldn’t remember.

Those burning days were long gone; its memory only fit for bard’s songs and child’s tales. The long nights before battle as they lay in the fields, stargazing… the ale and the laughter in their camp, oblivious for just an instant of the bloodshed to come. Their dancing around the fire, elbows interlocked, drunk and aware under the night sky, her bright hair flaring…

Under the wuthering clouds, Elsa was sure there would be no joy this time. As the last of her soldiers left, the city gates groaned, sealing the walls behind them. The crowd murmured and dispersed, seeking shelter from the snowfall. Very few acknowledged her presence, bowing to her as they passed. She didn’t mind. She patted her horse’s neck, reining it back down the street, followed by her mounted guards.

~~~

The earth rumbled.

She was choking, but there was no air, no breath for her to grasp.

The castle’s courtyard was covered in withered ivy and deep snow. Each step forward she sunk a little bit deeper. She looked at her hands, stained with mud.

Like a dying man, the earth groaned. Then, she looked up - lightning coursed the black clouds, until it struck the tallest tower. The stone saints that guarded the gates crumbled and fell.

A thousand arrows flew above her head. She heard the cry of a young girl.

She wanted to yell, but she had no voice.

Ash drifted in the air. She caught a glimpse of light. On the snow lay a shattered blade, its pieces scattered and in disarray. As she leaned forward, the metal shone brightly. Her hands - aching and shaking - lifted one of the pieces. A horn blew in the distance; the girl cried again. She stared down.

A teal iris - deep as the sea - looked at her in the iron’s reflection.

…

Elsa gasped. She sat up on the bed, her white nightgown sticking to her skin.

Pale rays of blue light sifted through the heavy curtains. The Queen’s eyes shimmered with the same light - two fretful gems that stared into nothingness. Both her hands covered her eyes and her face; there was not a single noise but her own heavy breathing. The last remnants of the landscape of dreams now escaped her attention, vanished like the mornings’ mists.

She breathed deeply before throwing away the fur covers, sitting on the bed’s edge. The coldness of the stone against her feet’s bare soles was soothing. Her hand reached for the cup of water on her night table, but she tumbled it instead, sending it crashing to the floor. Elsa heard a loud hiss, and the strange, loud sound of cutlery had her reaching for her sword - the scabbard resting against the bed’s headrest. The sword’s edge gleamed sky blue as she pointed it forwards in one swift motion.

A cat hightailed to one of the room’s corners, holding whatever scraps it had found in its mouth. Elsa only relaxed somewhat. Still holding the blade, she cautiously walked towards the cowering animal. The cat - black as night - nimbly ran to the other side, hiding underneath her old vanity desk. Yellow eyes, with pupils narrow as slits, followed her every move.

Elsa sighed. Blackened apple cores and empty plates littered the bed’s foot. Once she got close, the foul smell made her wrinkle her nose.

Before she had the chance to try and approach the cat again, she heard a timid knock on the door.

“Your Majesty,” came a muffled voice, “do you require assistance?”

“Come on in,” Elsa replied, her voice weak, almost strangled.

The lock turned loudly, and the heavy wooden opened a sliver, just enough to let inside a lean, small woman. The young girl studied the scene with her clear brown eyes, ones that flickered downwards, looking at the blade still in Elsa’s hand. The Queen turned her eyes as well, leaving the sword on the bed before kneeling down to pick up some plates.

“It’s alright, your Majesty.” The girl said as she approached, cleaning up the mess with practiced ease; faster than Elsa ever could. A black shadow suddenly ran off, disappearing through the open door. The girl followed it with her gaze, muttering something to herself too quiet for Elsa to hear.

“What was that?” Elsa asked, not unkindly. The maid looked back at her, her eyes a little wider. Elsa tried to smile. “Is it yours?”

The girl shook her head. “My mother’s, your Grace. She works in the kitchen. I’m deeply sorry.” She bowed her head low, keeping balance on the dirty trails and plates with both her hands.

“No harm done.” Elsa said. The girl’s brown hair, wavy and colorful - covered by a white linen cloth, complimented her eyes. Her eager, attentive gaze inevitably reminded her of her sister’s.

“What’s your name?” The Queen asked.

Caught off-guard, the maid’s brows furrowed a little, but she recovered fast enough.

“Raina, your Majesty. Daughter of Almos.”

Elsa didn’t know anyone by that name, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Then, Raina, please, have someone clean this room. And ask Gerda to bring dinner to my private quarters later.” She ordered, handing her the last plates. The girl bowed once again, turning away and disappearing the same way the cat did.

Alone, Elsa used the time to rummage through her wardrobe, picking up a tight leather vest and some woolen trousers. Alone, she heard the horn’s call; she felt the mud and dried blood on her hands. After she pulled the vest over her head and adjusted the laces, she looked at the empty vials on her nightstand.

Too many.

She didn’t care to comb her hair or braid it; instead, she pulled it into a loose ponytail. Standing in front of the vanity’s mirror, her reflection did not agree with her. Her skin looked waxy, unwashed and sickly. Her old scars remained; the small one on her lip, the long one crossing her brow and reaching her cheekbone.

Stubborn locks of white hair fell down her temple. There were deep, dark circles under her eyes.

Too deep.

What would her father think? Her royal bearing, worn down to the ground. All done by her own hand, by the languid weight that dragged her down, that kept her up at night without purpose or solace.

What would Anna think? She would have worried, she would have…

Her palms slammed against the vanity. Her reflection shook. She kept expecting her to appear in it, to look at her with her warm eyes; this time, only her own glare was there to cast judgment.

Earth’s foulness, mists bereft of light, she thought.

Melancholia, her physician had called it. ‘A temporal fit of the mind,’ he had explained, some time ago. The old man had prescribed laudanum, and whatever foul-tasting concoctions he brewed on his quarters. Yet, it never got better. Her long nights prolonged until dawn, and sometimes she heard it around the castle’s hallways, soft whispers that were not wind nor murmurs. She had seen it as well, just at the corner of her vision, sudden movements that made her turn, only to find empty corridors and immobile statues.

It would all end soon enough, she thought, taking her crown from the nightstand and opening the door, walking bare-foot outside and into the dawn-lit hallway.

~~~

A spellcast of silence befell across the city; only the wind’s howls ignored it.

Over the last week, the snowfalls grew in strength. The city slowed to a halt; over most of the day, only the smoke coming from the chimneys attested to life. Few weathered the outdoors - hunters and children, leaving small trails of footsteps inches deep in the snow. And so, even from the furthest tower, anyone could see the two lone riders going through the main street, making haste toward the castle.

—

“My Queen, I must insist…”

The man’s voice echoed in the great depths of the throne room.

“We must hurry. If we delay any longer, the fjord will begin to freeze. The northern straits are already closing. In a matter of weeks…”

“And to hand the city over, is that it?” Elsa replied coldly.

The governor wriggled his fat hands. The few attendants that had accompanied him had their gazes cast down.

“Of course not, your Grace. The garrison would stay, of course, but what use are the rest of us? If we hurry, we can reach the southern coast, seek refuge…”

Everyone knew it. For how long could she keep the charade?

The Southern armies would reach them soon enough, long before the worst of winter could help her mount a defense. Arendelle’s walls were tall, it’s gates robust and firm. But if she had been able to lay siege to the city in her youth, what was stopping her foe from doing the same? The governor’s plea was not lost on her… yet it was futile. If they had started months ago, perhaps they could’ve managed to get her defenseless subjects to safety. Not anymore: winter’s jaws had closed around them. There were not enough ships, or supplies, or armed men to protect a convoy once they landed.

There were no allied shores south of her kingdom; only wilderness and small towns north. They were trapped in a hole, waiting on the mercurial fortunes of war to decide their fate. But the deck was stacked; surely, the scales would not turn in her favor.

The small, pig-like eyes of the man in front of her moved around, like an erratic fly. She had to give him a sliver of credit: he had braved coming here and presenting his case. He must have known what he asked was all but impossible, and yet he tried. She couldn’t blame him. Deep in everyone lay the heart of a beast, ready to claw or chew its way out of the killing knife’s reach.

Some just had more dignity in their struggle.

What use would be denying their illusions, however? If only a hundred of them left, it would be a hundred less dead on the streets.

“Very well,” she said. “Start the preparations. Women and children first. Seize whatever ships are left in the fjord.”

Her magistrate’s eyes widened before he bowed deeply, followed by his small retinue.

“You will stay behind.” Her voice cut dry and clear as he made to leave. “Oversee the evacuation until the end.”

The brief moment in which his expression faltered and fell told her enough. Elsa arched an eyebrow when she saw him wriggle his hands, gathering his valor. Whatever he would’ve asked, she did not hear it: there was a sudden, hard knock on the hall’s doors. The governor’s round face jolted at the sound, and Elsa quickly dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

The old gate whined when it opened, revealing two cloaked figures, carrying her colors - grey and blue. Once the guards checked them, the two men - still wearing their traveling clothes - martially strolled up the length of the hall, their helmets tucked beneath their arms. Behind them, their boots left a trail of mud. The governor half-bowed and walked away, his round features appearing even more jittery than before in the last look she got of him.

Once they reached the daïs steps, both soldiers knelt on one knee and bowed their heads, making their armor clink as they did.

“What news?” Elsa asked firmly, leaning forward on her seat. Perhaps… only perhaps, a miracle had…

The oldest of the two lifted his head. The moment she met his worn gaze, she knew.

“Captain Matthias fell on the field, your Highness. Our forces were routed at the Vintr fields; very few escaped. Most either died or were taken prisoners.”

It all had been for naught. Even if she had always known, a last, stubborn flicker of hope had remained.

Her clever plans, the thousands of lives lost by her orders. Even Matthias’ life, her old guardian and mentor, was gone now. Like a lonely leaf, ripped away by the harsh winds of fortune. Useless and fragile.

“How long…?”

The veteran shook his head. “Hard to say, your Highness. A week, perhaps. Maybe more, if the weather holds.”

She sighed, pinching her nose and closing her eyes.

The news did not weigh on her. Instead, clarity rose, like the sun of spring. Speculation would no longer cloud her. The grey, ever-changing fog of the future, in one fine stroke, had lost its grasp on her. No more second guessing, no more doubt. She opened her eyes.

Now, there was only one path left, one she had come to relish and expect with the fury of old. A fitting end to a doomed tale, a final…

Elsa stared ahead, wide-eyed.

Her bottom lip quivered; her pale fingers gripped the throne’s arms.

Behind her lieutenants stood Anna. Tiny specks of light - reflections from the torches and candles - wavered in her worn armor. A long, black gash descended from her right eye all the way to her jaw.

A freezing hand squeezed her royal heart; a feeling so old, she had almost forgotten it. Almost.

“What are your orders, your Grace?” The soldier’s eyes gazed at her, greyish locks of hair stuck to his forehead.

The Queen stood up; her hands, her breath trembled.

“Away…” She uttered. No one moved.

“Your Majesty?”

“Away!” Elsa screamed, her gaze fixated dead ahead. “Away, I tell you! Begone from my sight!”

The two men exchanged looks. They rose, bowed their heads and briskly walked away. The guards left as well; the door’s whined when they did, loudly echoing in the great hall as they closed.

One by one, she began to descend the steps. Without her sword, she felt naked, but she still walked forward. Her stormy eyes narrowed. Closer, she noticed it. Anna’s chain mail was punctured below her breastplate; the tunic underneath was stained deep scarlet. A spear wound - for Elsa still remembered.

Green-blue irises, looking up at her.

The weight under her hands as she tried to lift her off the ground.

Milky, dull eyes gazed at her; there were no emotions on Anna’s face. She stood still in the middle of the room, in between the two long tables.

A swordless scabbard hung from her back - for Anna had lost her sword. Her gloves were scratched and torn. Her hair was dirty and wet - for she had lost her helmet and fell. Elsa could hear it, the hollow clashes of steel. The countless voices, their murmurs. She could see it, the bright red staining the snow, and the feeling of her tears against the cold winter’s breeze.

The Queen shook her head, turning away as she made her way towards one of the tables.

When she turned, her lips twisted in disgust. Dead eyes stared at her.

“State your purpose.” She said, failing to stave her hand’s trembles. “Speak, foulness, I bade you.”

Anything was better than the silence that rang in her ears.

Anna’s mouth did not move. Something sharp twisted in Elsa’s guts. The great length of the passing decades had worn down the memory of her voice. Only weak threads remained. Like the strange, cold echoes of the castle’s catacombs… like the whispers of the sea, speaking foreboding words in a language long lost.

“Incorporeal mists… a fever haze, no more. A fever haze…” Elsa muttered. How many times had she said those words?

Inside the great hall, no light - not even a single stray line - ventured from the outside. There were only shadows, and the dim, scarce fires around the hall’s columns. The torches flickered under an invisible hand.

Her tortured eyes looked at Anna. There was no breath, no warmth left in her. Only a corpse, like the fortress around her; a stone-boned carcass. Imperial. Empty.

“You don’t have words in your chest. No air, no spirit left in you.” Empty words too; a useless mantra. Her gaze turned upwards.

“Wind, come, blow it away! Wave what real seems, but I do know it’s not.

Break through, and taketh away!

This heartless shade… this cruel mirage…”

Anna remained still. Elsa snarled, slamming her fists against the table. A goblet tipped and fell; wine dripped quietly onto the floor. Ghostly eyes never left her sight.

There was no need for words, Elsa realized. In her chest, a black snake coiled and squeezed. She recalled the drawn-out call of the horn. Asking for help. She had ignored it once. This time she couldn’t; it’s sound rang inside her mind’s walls. No escape.

“Tyrant of the mind. What is it that you seek…?

Scream, and cry your perjuries. Cast your judgment and begone at once!”

Her cries went unanswered. Milky, dull eyes stared at her. No judgment, no rage was drawn on them. Not even the hint of a tongue, or the murmur of an incantation to damn her. Anna’s lips remained sealed, it’s corners soiled with dried blood.

Elsa knew why.

She did not deserve it. The coals of her anger soon perished, leaving only ashes inside her.

What right did she have, after what she had done.

Anna’s last words would forever be lost.

“You know…” Elsa said as her shoulders slumped. She kept her gaze downwards. It was all she could do now. All she was worth, in front of her.

“You know why I did it. I had to.”

Finally, she looked up. Dead eyes met her.

“Tell me… what choice did I have?”

The right one, she answered in her mind.

It had been inevitable - or so she told herself. The final step in the treacherous path laid in front of her. Father’s words, the trail of her lineage - each day a step towards duty. She had followed it blindly, trustingly. And Anna had followed her, as she had always done. Then, for just an instant, their paths no longer aligned. At the dawn of morning, under a clear winter sky, she made her choice.

“Speak, please…” Elsa whispered.

Her drained voice faded.

Their gazes connected one last time. Dull, ghostly eyes - soulless - did not surrender, did not abade.

In the span of a blink, deep blue eyes stared into nothingness. Elsa staggered to one side, falling into one of the empty chairs that lined the great tables.

Her sobs were so weak and quiet they didn’t reach the furthest corners of the empty hall.

~~~

Two days away from the city walls, a long camp stretched across an empty field. On the top of the tents and the tall watching posts flew the white and golden flags of the Southern army.

A group of riders - wearing grey capes, with blue details stitched to them, approached the camp from the north, holding high their royal banners. Many of the mercenaries watched with mild curiosity as the riders were met by their master - clad in his ostentatious white armor.

~~~

Above the fjord, a lone merlin calmly glided high in the sky. Elsa’s eyes followed its path as it flew into the forests that flanked both sides of the bay. The pines were all covered in snow, a white purer than any sail or cloth.

A few locks of white hair fluttered around her face, and her cheeks were reddened already. Clad in a heavy, fur coat, she stood alone, overlooking the far away sea. The days had grown shorter, and sunlight lacked it’s warmth.

The battlements of the sea wall offered little protection against the sharp winds.

If you follow the coast, Father had said the first time they had accompanied him, you will arrive to our city, to our castle. At the time, she hadn’t been interested in any of that. All she had cared about were the clear skies of summer, the cold of the sea at her feet as she and Anna splashed each other, giggling and smiling fully, as only children could.

It had been her first taste of true beauty. The orange-tinted dusk, the beach of black pebbles they sat on.

They never came back; Father soon fell ill.

Promise me, he had said. Promise me you will take it back. Since she had been a teen, her father’s tales and instruction had occupied most of her time. Orphaned at 18, she took care of her sister as best as she could. The villagers - all loyal subjects of their royal family - kept them safe. Entire families devoted to her cause, joining them in exile.

The usurper’s soldiers found them a couple years later.

Don’t be afraid, she had said to Anna, as they hid cramped in the back of a carriage. The smugglers took them to the free cities of the east. She kept them fed for most of that winter, stealing whatever she could while Anna distracted the merchants with her dazzling smile. Matthias found them a year later, after getting news of the attack. He trained them both, helped them carry their banner from village to village, and then from city to city.

Three years later, she came back to Arendelle with a militia army at her back. The last battle of the civil war was fought in the hills outside the city, as the usurper made one last, desperate attempt to break the siege.

Elsa looked down from the battlements.

She wondered how it would feel; the rush, the harsh winds against her face as she fell towards the sharp rocks below. In the longest nights she had braved the winds and the snow of the outside, and stood at the edge of the chasm like a maiden of the ancient tales - her white nightgown and hair wildly waving. Anything to quiet down the voices of the past, to regain the blissful peace of mind she had lost so long ago.

She never took that last step; she hadn’t earned her rest. Now, she had one last chance. It was better that way, even if she knew Anna would have disagreed.

Crumpled in her fist was the enemy’s acceptance of her proposition. Carelessly, she opened her gloved hand, letting the winds take away the small parchment.

“Your Majesty.”

The soft, demure voice made Elsa turn. Young Raina stood below the door’s frame that led back inside. The maid wore an old, worn coat and a shawl over her usual clothes, and a small satchel hung from her shoulder.

“It is done, your Grace. Everything is ready.”

Elsa nodded, turning back to look one last time at the fjord, to look at what remained of her crumbling reign. She finally saw through.

Neither the snowy pines, nor the sea, nor the regal merlins had ever been at her reach.

Not even her soul or her memories were truly hers. They belonged to time. What she owned was very little - the blood in her veins, the strength of her palms - and a handful of tears, unshed.

—

First came the woolen vest - with a fur neck. Above it, came the chain mail and the leather straps. Then, the breastplate and the iron-cast pauldrons, the bracers and the gauntlets. Finally, Gerda’s old but firm hands secured the slim neck plate - engraved with golden runes, resting it on her collarbone.

Her servant took the small royal cape - grey and blue - and expertly secured it as well on her back. Even after decades, Gerda hadn’t lost her dexterity.

The old woman nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied. Elsa couldn’t help the pang of pity as she saw her old maid walk around the room with her back hunched. Her hair had greyed, but it was still perfectly arranged in a small top-knot. Same as Matthias - they had grown old without her noticing.

Gerda brought a silver tray to Elsa’s bed, pointing to it with her chin. After a couple of bites of cold fruit, Elsa pushed it away. Then, she took a small sip of the cup her maid offered; bright red smeared her pale lips.

“Is that wise?” Gerda asked, her brow furrowed in disapproval.

Elsa sighed.

“Enough to warm the belly; not enough to dull the senses.” Father’s old words.

The elder nodded, walking to fetch the belt and the scabbard. She secured them around her hips. When Gerda’s eyes studied her, motherly in their worry, Elsa’s words escaped her.

“Did you meet her? Our mother…?”

Gerda narrowed her gaze. She looked around before answering.

“I did, your Grace.”

“I can barely remember her…” Elsa’s fingers played with her sword’s pummel. Her servant’s smile was weak.

“She was always kind, your Grace. Same as…”

Gerda stopped, her alarmed expression telling Elsa she was aware of her mistake. The Queen sighed, patting the maid’s shoulder gently.

“We’re done.” Elsa’s voice had regained it’s cold edge. The servant bowed deeply, taking the silver tray with her and clutching it against her chest.

“Where will you go?” She asked, her tone kind this time. Gerda stopped an inch shy of the door.

“Back to our village, your Grace.” She replied calmly.

“You could stay in the city.” Elsa stated. “Come back and serve them once it’s over.”

Old Gerda turned to face her. In her posture lay a lifetime of loyal service: strong and unwavering.

“I don’t serve the reigning family, your Grace. I serve you. It has been an honor.” She bowed her head one last time, and walked away.

Elsa stayed put for a few minutes before leaving her chambers as well. The noon bells would soon toll.

—

Unlike the humid cold of the rest of the castle, the chapel’s air was heavier, sweetened by incense and the watery smell of flowers. Built in the tallest tower of the inner bailey, the morning’s light passed through the stained glass that stood behind the altar. An angel descending from the skies, offering it’s hand to a kneeling woman.

Reds and yellows, soft blues and vibrant greens colored the walls and the wooden pews. The specks of gentle light soon reflected off her armor as she walked up the carpet leading to the daïs. On both side walls were small arrays of white flowers, sitting on round vases.

“Do you come to pray, your Highness?” The chaplain said, clad in his brown robe, sitting on the first row of benches. Elsa sat down on the opposite side of the small chapel.

“I never believed. I just… like the quiet here.”

The young chaplain nodded, as an adult would after hearing a child’s explanation. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up.

“Your choice was wise, your Highness. I will pray for your safety.”

Elsa kept her gaze ahead. The chaplain rose and tipped his head, acknowledging her.

“I begged God, once…” She said, still entranced in the colors of the stained glass. Her eyes were feverish and bright. “To take her memories away. He wouldn’t listen.”

“I tried to blame him.” Elsa continued. “For taking everyone away.”

Father’s calm gaze. Anna’s bright smile.

She chuckled darkly, ignoring the worried look from the priest.

“You must go. Everyone must.” Elsa ordered. Then she looked down; her shoulders sagged, her long hair covered her face. She heard quiet footsteps; the loud tug and pull of the door told her she was alone. Only then she lifted her head, her gaze gone somewhere else. She didn’t need to turn and look to know.

“I blamed him… but it wasn’t his fault.”

She had seen him, the usurper, his hopeless push to break her lines. Her throat had been coarse, as she had yelled to whomever would hear her. She had lifted her sword and galloped fiercely. Not once did she look back. Through rage and steel, she pushed her way towards him.

She fell off her horse, but she kept pushing. The prize was at hand.

Then, the horn’s call ripped through the air, stopping her, freezing her limbs and tearing her apart.

Anna.

She could see him, his grey beard and thin features. One last push; it was all it would take. The horn blew again; a call for help. It would only take a moment; a brief instant, and they could reclaim everything that had been taken.

She couldn’t look back. It would all be for nothing.

Elsa had squeezed her eyes shut, shaken her head, and gazed forward, fighting her way past the last of his soldiers. The horn did not call again.

The usurper stared at her with the wide, begging eyes of a cornered animal. He looked just like an ordinary man; beaten and exhausted. Desperate. Was this truly the monster who took everything from them? Elsa willed herself to hate him again before slicing his throat. The enemy soldiers looked at her, dazed and stunned.

She dared them to try; in a matter of seconds, they began to drop their spears and their swords. Matthias soon appeared, but she didn’t hear his words over the smothering fear she felt when she saw the distress in his face.

Elsa ran, and then dropped to her knees.

Anna gazed at her. Elsa’s hands - dirty with blood and mud - tried to lift her. Her sister tried to talk, but all she had managed was a weak stutter, a bloody gargle instead of words.

Teal eyes questioned her. Elsa shushed her, her first tears falling down. Anna’s eyes never left her, even when their light and warmth faded.

No last words.

…

Elsa lifted her head. The rays of light coming from the glass stood still, coloring her pale cheeks with amber tones. For once, the quiet was peaceful, embracing.

“You deserved better.” She finally said.

The Queen stood up; she carefully touched one of the flowers. Then, she looked at the light reflecting on her gauntlets. A fake warmth, unlike the summer’s sun sneaking through the forest’s foliage; unlike the evenings of ale and songs of the village. Unlike Anna’s eyes, looking at her from the other side of the campfire.

Alluring. Inviting.

Elsa closed her eyes. She could almost feel it, a gentle caress. A determined touch. She exhaled breathily.

“It’s this all that is left?” She muttered. “Summer days, made into memories

Made into dust…”

Anna’s lips upon hers. Elsa’s second taste of true beauty.

She hadn’t denied her. Instead, she had revelled in the feeling, sweeter than anything she had experienced before. It had filled her, made her whole. Their first shared night, before their first battle.

I don’t want to live with regrets, Anna had whispered as they lay together, entangled in a nest of fur covers. A shattering touch of shy fingers. Her sister’s name, breathed and cast in the dark of night, where not even the stars could bear witness.

Elsa had never felt so warm.

“Perhaps it was meant to be,” she said quietly, “the punishment… for our sins…”

Life was unkind to those who lamented. Tears and regret had a time, and hers was long past.

A brief laugh bubbled in her throat and broke past her lips, pure, child-like.

Always too late. A single, damned choice had brought her here, standing under the dancing lights of the eleventh hour. Queen Elsa Þornvintr, First of her Name. The Thorn of Winter.

Last of her Name.

Carefully, she took off her crown - a simple ring of steel, without ornaments nor jewels. Two flattened strips of iron, weaved into each other like the hair on a braid. Elsa knelt and left it at the altar’s base, under the fractured, reddish light cast from the glass. Then, she turned and faced her.

She stood in one of the chapel’s corners; her warm eyes followed Elsa as she rose.

Anna wore a brown dress, the one she used to wear after she became of age. In her copper hair, a couple of winter lilies lay weaved in the braid that crowned the back of her head. Soft greens and oranges sparkled in her freckled cheeks as she stood at the edge of the light.

Elsa’s hand reached out; her bracers shone sky-blue. She stopped an inch away.

Anna didn’t move. Her kind eyes didn’t flinch. She didn’t lean forward to meet her touch, as she had always done in life.

Elsa took a small step back. She smiled - a sad, longing smile - bowed and turned away, the clinks of her armor disappearing as she left.

~~~

The ground crunched with each of her steps. Her banner proudly waved in the barren field, outside the city’s walls; a stone-throw away, a golden-white banner flew opposite. The sky above was immaculate, clean. To her left, crowning the snowy hill, the tips of a few twig trees swayed gently. Behind her, the castle’s profile cut the horizon in half.

Two guards accompanied the young rebel leader. He called himself Prince; supported by the southern duchies, he had made his way to Arendelle’s heart.

The noon bells tolled. It would be over soon.

With a wave of her hand, she dismissed her guards. The tall man - clad in a pristine white armor, did as well. He was good-looking; charming, even with his brown beard and thick sideburns. A charismatic leader, she was sure. She had been as well, many years ago.

Finally, they stood opposite to one another. His amber eyes studied her.

“I’m surprised you agreed.” Elsa taunted him. “I did not think you would take the chance.”

His hardened expression remained.

“I wanted to do it myself.” He half-bowed, mockingly. “For a long time, I have.”

Elsa chuckled.

“Many have tried over the years.”

The young man narrowed his gaze.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” He asked, his face showing the first hints of anger; a tight jaw, a twitch of the mouth.

Elsa’s brows furrowed. After a moment, the man shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter.” His mouth twisted in disappointment. “I have come a long way to claim what is mine. Surrender, now, and I will give you a clean death.”

She smiled, gently shaking her head.

“So be it.” The man replied.

The clean hiss of her enemy’s weapon followed; the sun shone on the longsword’s length.

“May your sword be as sharp as your tongue.” Elsa said.

She unsheathed Thorn, her father’s blade. The time for words was finally over. Elsa deeply breathed the crisp winter’s air. She shifted to favor her left side, extending her arm so her sword rested on her iron bracer.

She would force him to come to her.

He approached her cautiously, keeping his blade vertical and center in front of his body. Like a wolf, he circled her, closing the distance one step at a time, leaving tiny marks of mud in the snow. She mirrored his moves; her pulse was steady, same as her arms. She could sense it; the eagerness radiating from her adversary, like a tensed bow string, ready to snap.

Suddenly, he stepped forward. His body feinted to her right, but his sword slashed towards her head from the left. She met his strike, then she countered in an arc. The young man swung fiercely, keeping his swipes and thrusts irregular. His longsword met Thorn time and time again. He struck high, then low, then high again in a rhythmic flow. Neither could gain the upper hand; the stalemate continued for a while as their swords danced, but Elsa soon realized her mistake.

Her opponent was younger. Stronger. Each time their steel clashed, it rang loudly in her ears and her head. Her arms grew heavier; her mouth felt dry.

Her blade’s shine was blinding.

‘C’mon Elsa. You don’t have to let me win, you know?’ She smiled at her; teal eyes framed by red locks.

The Queen shook her head.

He slashed towards her chest, and when she swung to counter, his blade changed direction at the last second, tilting the blade downwards. Elsa twisted her body and jumped out of the way; his blade’s tip scratched her chainmail. His left hand reached out - he had closed the distance without her noticing - and slapped her.

Elsa staggered backwards, falling on one knee. His sword descended upon her head, but she raised her sword, intercepting his blow upwards with all the strength she could muster. His blade bounced, and she slashed down, but Thorn could not pierce his armor fully.

The young man snarled. He slashed again, his blade gracing the snow as it arched upwards. She was too late this time; too late to get up, too late to block and counter. His blow yanked her sword out of her hand.

There was no other choice. Elsa lounged forward, her right hand reaching for her left arm. The man’s eyes widened, but his blade rose in time.

She gasped.

A deep, crippling pain pierced her belly, stealing her breath. Elsa stumbled and fell to her knees, heaving. She felt the cold of her sweat, and a burning fire ripping her insides.

‘Best of three?’ She heard her laughter. Anna offered her hand to help her off the ground. Her teasing, knowing smile, telling she had bested her. She looked up.

Bright crimson glimmered in his longsword.

“You took everything from me.” He spatted, his mouth contorted in disgust. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.

Elsa tilted her head. Something pulled at her memory. She remembered desperate cries. She remembered a young child’s face, round and rosy. Scared brown eyes brimming with tears as her soldiers took away his mother. Hans, the weeping woman had called him. She hadn’t had the heart to kill him, so she let him leave the city accompanied by the old seneschal of his family.

A mortal kindness.

She was the usurper. To him, his cause was righteous. To him, she was the evil to be vanquished by his steel. Words and arguments would never sway a roaring heart; she knew it all too well.

For she had left Anna behind.

Forgive me.

“I wanted to see it…” he growled. “To look you in the eye and see life drain away.”

Behind him - leagues away - stood Arendelle’s walls, and the ancient fortress that guarded it. She smiled, and her eyes guided him. Brow’s furrowed, he looked back.

Through the last of the morning mists, thick columns of smoke began to rise from the castle, and bright tongues of fire swept from the towers. It had been her last royal order.

“How dare you…” He uttered.

He may be stronger than her, but he was a young pup still.

In one swift motion, she stood up and took out the small blade hidden in her bracer. He turned quickly, but not quickly enough: his hand caught hers after the dagger sank below his ribs.

His eyes widened, like those of an awed child.

He gasped and his teeth gritted as he looked incredulously at her, trying to pull the blade and failing. She did it for him. Grabbing his arm - so he couldn’t escape - she took out the dagger quickly and using the last of her strength, she plunged it deep into his heart. He howled. His hands clawed at her, searching for support, but she pushed him away.

The Prince crumbled to his side. He didn’t get up.

Before long she fell to her knees once again. Elsa’s trembling hand touched her belly. It was warm. She looked down.

Her palm was covered in the same scarlet that trickled down her old armor.

‘We must go back,’ Anna had said, putting away auburn locks from her forehead. The summer’s sun reflected in her flaming hair.

Elsa looked around the field. The snow’s shine was blinding, and she was all alone. The winds whistled, loud enough to overcome the sound of her heavy breathing. Her lips pulled into a weak, but serene smile.

She took one last, long breath before falling on her back. Her eyes stared at the cloudless sky.

A lone merlin flew high above her head, a tiny speck in the open, blue vastness.

One final taste of beauty.

#elsanna #submission #october 2021 contest #prompt: spirit #horror #cw:tragedy #cw: major character death #cw: suicidal thoughts #cw: violence #cw: angst

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championrevali · 3 years

Note

You said you were looking for writing prompts so how about a reverse AU type of thing where Prince Link enters a Rito archery competition disguised as a Rito (in a rito mask because the King doesn't want him fighting or competing so he does it in secret) and beats Revali (by one point) before disappearing. Now Revali is obsessed with finding out the identity of the Rito who beat him because he may or may not want to settle the score (ie court him.)

Oml I love this so much. I kinda deviated from the og idea a little bit just to work with what was going on in my head. I hope it’s okay. Also thank you to my Revalink discord friends for helping me some ideas for how to link (hehe, link) scenes, i was mega stuck for a hot minute.

I decided to split this into two parts.

(low key should I put this on Ao3?)

Italics is sign language

Word count: 1595

Ship: Revalink, Revali/Link

"Are you sure this will work?" Link asked, surveying the merchants many elixirs.

"Positive! I've tested them me'self. That elixir there will turn you into a Rito. Twenty four hours guaranteed."

Nodding, Link dropped a bag of rupees onto the counter. "I'll take five."

The merchant grinned, inspecting his new riches. "Pleasure doing business with you young man."

Link pocketed the elixirs, and hopped up onto his rented horse. The steed pulled against the reigns willfully, and Link wished Epona wasn't as recognizable as she was.

It wasnt hard to miss his royal steed, and if he had brought her he would be caught for sure.

No, he couldn't be caught. He needed to know whether his nightly training was worth it. He needed to know if he could beat the greatest archers in Hyrule.

Seeing the tall rocky formation from the stable was a great relief to the prince, as the long ride had tired him out. He dropped his horse off, and walked to a nearby pond. He squeezed his eyes shut and drank the elixir.

He probably shouldnt have been as shocked as he was when he looked at his reflection. Golden feathers speckled with light blue covered his whole body. Lifting his hand- or his wing to his light blue beak, he opened and closed his mouth in amazement.

Backing away from the pond, he stumbled a bit on his taloned feet. "How do Ritos walk like this?" Link thought, as he started his way to the village.

The older inspected the small boy up and down. "You're quite small to he in an archery competition... are you sure you can even pull back the string?"

Links feathers puffed up, embarrassed. "Yes I can..."

The Rito laughed. "Whatever you sat kid... What's your name?"

"Link." He said without thinking.

"Ah... same name as the pretty boy prince of Hyrule huh? Not exactly a common name is it?"

Link hesitated. "Right.".

The Rito waved him past the check in, towards the range. "Good luck."

Sighing, releaved, Link went over to pick out a bow. The range supplied bows so that no ones would have an opportunity to cheat.

"These are worthless pieces of crap" a voice announced near Link.

Turning to see who had spoken, Link saw a dark blue Rito, inspecting the bows.

"My bow is far superior to any of these... used bows..." the words dripped from the dark blue Rito's mouth as if he was talking about some muck on the bottom of his shoe.

"Isn't that the point though? That we all have the same quality bows?" Link inquired, curious as to why this Rito found used bows so repulsive.

"Tsk, and I suppose you also believe that it's not about winning it's about having fun." Sarcasm leaked from every word.

Link flushed, choosing to just pick up a bow and walk away. As he walked away he could feel the blue feathered Ritos eyes burning a hole in his back.

Link lined up with the other Rito, feeling utterly dwarfed by their height. He somehow kept his julian height, and was at least a head shorter than most others around him.

The blue Rito he'd ran into before was a few spaces away from him, also looking quite short next to his competitors.

The older Rito he'd talked to earlier stepped in front of the lineup. "The rules are simple. Furthest away from the target is eliminated. Missing the target is automatic disqualification, as is cheating. Good luck."

Taking a deep breath, Link adjusted his stance. This would be where he found out whether all of his training in secret was worth it.

Adjusting his stance, Link lifted the bow. It was heavier than he was used to, but his feathers seemed better adjusted to hold the weight. He pulled back the string, and let the arrow fly.

His arrow slammed in the second outer circle. Link smiled, proud that he was still in the competition.

"Tsk." Link heard to the left of him. That Rito he'd talked to earlier was looking at his target with distaste.

He had hit in the center circle, closer to a bullseye than any of the other targets. Yet he looks disappointed.

"Oh c'mon Revali, you'll get it next time." Teased the Rito next to him.

Link looked away, this Rito was too cocky for Link's taste. He nocked an arrow, preparing for the next round.

Round after round passed, Link becoming more and more comfortable with each arrow.

At last, he and one final Rito, Revali, were the only two left standing. The Rito shot him an overexaggerated, unimpressed look.

"Well I suppose we should just pack it up now... I can't imagine this will be too difficult."

Link clenched his jaw in annoyance.

"Nothing to say oh short one? Very well then." Revali turned back towards the target, tugging on the bow string lightly.

Link shook his head, turning back to the targets as well. He wouldn't let this overconfident Rito ruin this. He took a deep breath, pulling back the string.

Thunk

The echo of an arrow slamming into a tree. But it wasn't Link's arrow.

Revali was staring in shock at his arrow, stuck firmly in a tree a few feet away from his target. Link's own arrow was planted less than an inch from the center.

He had won.

"No! That was a mistake, I demand a redo!" Revali insisted, feathers fluffed up in annoyance. It might have looked cute if Link didn't know it was him the Rito was angry at.

"Revali you missed... meaning you lose... just accept it." A Ritos voice popped up from the side.

Shooting a glare that could kill, Revali slammed the bow back into the stand, and took off in the direction of the village.

After a moment of awkward silence, Link was crowded in a large mass of Rito congratulating him. He tensed, not used to having to being so crowded. Life in the castle was mostly him doing his duty of preparing to be king someday. His assigned knight and best friend Zelda and his father were the only company he was used to having.

Revali POV

Landing in the flight range, Revali cursed under his breath. "Those ridiculous bows... they're not the right adjustments... it's their fault."

He supposed the small Rito was a good opponent. Certainly was interesting compared to the usual supposed competition he crushed.

The way he held the bow was interesting as well, it resembled the bow hold of a Hylian. Perhaps he grew up near a Hylian settlement. Though that was highly unlikely. Not many Rito strayed from the village that they grew up in. Many would leave the roost and travel for a few years, but they most always returned to the village to let their family grow.

Revali smiled as an idea came over him. “Perhaps I could convince him to a rematch. Certainly he wouldn’t want anyone questioning the legitimacy of his win.”

Climbing into his hammock, Revali was satisfied that this would solidify his win, and prove that he was still the greatest archer the Rito had ever seen.

The village the next morning was buzzing with news that the great Revali had finally met his match. It took everything in him not to stop and tell the gossipers the truth, that the yellow Rito’s win was nothing but a fluke on the fault of his bow.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. Find the Rito first, then prove that it was a mistake.

“Would you happen to know where that Rito would be? I would like to apologize for my outburst yesterday.” Revali lied through his beak.

“You just missed him.” The gossiper said, looking at him with- Oh dear Hylia that better not be pity he saw in her face. “The lad checked out of the inn not an hour ago, walked in the direction of the stable.”

Nodding, the blue Rito climbed up to one of the landing decks, and flew in the direction of the stable. Surely he would be able to catch his competitor before he got too far away. After all, not all birds had his gale.

Revali was frustrated. Not only was his competitor not at the stable. But no one had actually seen him leave the stable. The only thing to go by was that apparently his name was Link.

The last sighting of him was when he arrived at the Rito stable, yet no one had seen him leave.

Eventually Revali gave up. Moved on, he claimed. If anyone asked, he would deny that thoughts of the mysterious archer graced his thoughts every day.

And it was definitely because revali was angry about his mess up, not because he wanted to know how soft the others feathers were. It definitely wasn't because he was attractive. No, definitely not.

Shakes head head, Revali turned over in his hammock. It did no good to lose sleep over someone hed never see again.

But here he was, the day before he was to depart for Hyrule castle, thinking about that elusive Rito.

As the winner of first place seemed to be long gone, Revali was supposed to show off his skills to the royalty in Hyrule castle for winning second place. Perhaps king would be impressed and offer him a place in the castle.

Who was he kidding, of course the king would be impressed, he was the great Revali after all.

Cont. In part 2!

If yall enjoyed this and wanna be tagged for part 2, lemme know in the comments.

Thank you for this prompt kasaru_chan! I had so much fun writing it, sorry again that it took so long

@kasaru-chan @silvershadowdragon39 @imofficialbabyuwu

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only-by-the-stars · 3 years

Text

the annotated Tome of the Wild

Part 6: Into the Wild!

- I have no regrets about torturing you all with that dream at the beginning. Not just because it was a bit cruel, but because it’s a nod to the series tradition of Link starting his adventure by oversleeping.

- Anjean is a character from Spirit Tracks. A game in which you use a train to explore New Hyrule. Which I put into the chapter that has a speeding train play a pivotal role in Link’s accidental fall into the river, without realizing it till after the chapter was up. THIS WAS HILARIOUS TO REALIZE.

- A pale yellow half-moon and a canopy of stars presided over it all THERE’S THAT MOON AGAIN

- Teba! I like that guy. In BOTW it’s established that he looks up to Revali a lot, and is trying to master his Gale; this is understandable, given that Revali was a legendary hero of the Rito, who fell tragically in battle a hundred years ago. But when he gets to meet him during AOC, he’s... less than impressed with Revali’s behavior towards Link. He still admires his skills, of course, but that hero worship has been tarnished a little by the actual personality of the Rito Champion. It’s like that old saying about how you shouldn’t meet your heroes. So for this, I wondered: what would he think of him if that “hero of legend” factor were removed and Revali was just an exceptional student who also happened to be a major jerk? And thus you get his veiled references to behavior he won’t tolerate regardless of a person’s skill level.

- Aryll put one hand on her hip and thrust her other arm into the air. “Experiment time! OH YEAH!” She giggled. “He says that every time we get to do science stuff.” Another reference to Robbie being Aryll’s teacher.

- And we have our first onscreen appearance of Riju and Medli! I’d mentioned them in passing in one of the letters in things I didn’t send, but now they’re here. I chose them to be Link and Mipha’s friends for a couple reasons. One is simply that I really like both of them; another is that they’re close in age to those two, so it was easy to make them all the same age without it being weird. Medli is one of my favorite characters in the series, and I really liked Riju a lot, especially after being able to fight as her in AOC, so I have a lot of fun bouncing them off Link and Mipha.

- “Yes, we do see.” Riju sounded like she could barely contain her glee. “Thank you, Aryll. You've just helped us solve a very irritating mystery.” And thus is Aryll inspired to play at being “Detective Aryll”, thanks to Riju’s thanking her for this. She and Medli have been just as confused as Mipha about Link’s disappearing act, and very angry, particularly on Mipha’s behalf, as they’ve seen firsthand just how hurt she is by his behavior. But now, seeing that he made a mixtape for her? That changes everything. As soon as they see it, they finally understand: he’s been acting this way not because he suddenly dislikes Mipha, but because he’s got romantic feelings for her and is unable to talk to her about them. And as I established in Mipha’s second letter in things i didn’t send, they’re also aware of her love for Link, and so they really want to get the two talking to each other so this can be sorted out at last.

- “Don't they have to be somewhere wet?” Link glanced back at where the school was getting smaller and smaller as they kept walking. “I know they need a lot of water.” Yeah, like the river you’re about to fall into very soon.

- “You're right! I almost forgot! It talked about that in a show Mom was watching last week about people who catch frogs for making medicine and stuff. Did you know some people actually like to eat them, and think they're a delicacy?” A reference to how you put them in elixirs in BOTW, as well as the Akkala Buns that Midna loves. Link’s disgust here is a callback both to that and to his refusal to eat a frog in that memory in BOTW with Zelda trying to get him to eat one for science.

- Could this night go any more downhill? It can, actually. Literally, in your case, Link. Another bit that was completely accidental and I found myself laughing about later when I realized during the editing process.

- Look. Riju and Medli absolutely want their friends to get together, and they’re more sympathetic to Link now that they know what’s behind his recent actions. But they haven’t completely forgiven him yet, and so they kinda got their revenge by fucking with him a bit when he came back for the tape. Which they did genuinely put in Mipha’s pocket as a way to try to help the two start talking to each other and confess their real feelings.

- “Just think of us as mail carriers!” Medli piped up. Also this is a reference to how the Rito delivered mail in Wind Waker.

- Link's heart skipped a beat as he saw who was standing next to it, her sweater stuffed into the elephant's head-shaped basket as she put her helmet on and climbed onto the seat. Mipha’s bike is Vah Ruta.

- Bazz and Gaddison are, of course, two Zora who were friends with Link in the Domain when he was a kid there, who along with Rivan all formed the Big Bad Bazz Brigade. So naturally, they’re his fencing team teammates.

- “Oh yeah, that fucking guy.” Gaddison rolled her eyes. “Mr. 'I'm the best at everything and don't you forget it, you chumps can't hope to keep up with me, wah wah how asinine'.” She flapped her hands in a mockery of wings, and Link had to struggle not to choke on his water. Two things here. First, I really enjoyed writing Gaddison mocking Revali and using his ‘asinine’ catchphrase. Second, Link seems to keep choking on water, doesn’t he? First when Midna reveals her favorite meal, and now again. Hmmm...

- She laughed too, but something about it sounded strangely off. There was a long pause, as if she was weighing what to say next, and then she took a deep breath. As I established in the final letter in things i didn’t send, Mipha is well aware that Link was at her practice, and is trying to find some way of asking him about it, figuring that the walk to the graveyard will be a good opportunity. She’s also been trying to hide how hurt she’s been at Link’s behavior, so that’s why her laugh sounds off: she’s startled by him acting like himself for that brief moment, but doesn’t want to let it show, so Link is unaware for now of just how deep her pain goes. He’ll find out soon enough, though. And of course, Mipha is also unaware of the tape that’s so, so close, something she later feels a lot of horror and pain over.

- “... Oh. I see.” He looked up in time to see Mipha turn her head away, an unreadable expression on her face. “I understand, of course...” This is the moment when she all but gives up on him, which shatters her heart. It’s perhaps the most agonizing missed opportunity in the whole chapter, as the tape is right there and she doesn’t know, and Link fucks up by pulling away again. He does reach for her, which might have changed things if Revali hadn’t picked that exact moment to walk in and interrupt. If not for that, Link would’ve touched her arm and started a conversation that would’ve led to a breakthrough that didn’t require a near-death experience. All these points of divergence are going to haunt them both later.

- Mipha tries to be outwardly polite, but she can’t stand Revali because of how he treats Link and never would’ve dated him. She goes to the graveyard because she wanted to try and get a reaction out of Link, even if she can’t bear to look at him for fear of what she’ll see on his face, something she feels ashamed of later, but that attempt at politeness just feeds into Link’s insecurities, unfortunately. “The love is requited, they’re just idiots”, indeed.

- To fill out the graveyard group, I chose Yunobo and Komali. As a descendant of Daruk, it stands to reason that he’d still be related to him here, and attending school with Link and the others. Plus his anxious personality makes for a perfect fit for such a scene. And Komali is another Rito from Wind Waker, who is friends with Medli, so that was another no-brainer.

- Mipha's expression was closed off and neutral as she stared down at her own hands in her lap She is trying her hardest to conceal how heartbroken and miserable she is, the poor girl.

- “Give it a rest, Revali!” Riju, sounding remarkably like her mother. I went ahead and made Urbosa Riju’s actual mom in this AU, and this is my little hint as to that.

- “Hey, what's all this ruckus, then?” bellowed a loud, croaky voice. “Buncha Poes sneaking into my graveyard? I'll show you what for!” Another reference to Poes, and though I don’t mention his name, the gravedigger is of course Dampe from OOT, MM, ALBW, and the LA remake.

- “Link, look!” She held it out as he walked over to join her. “I got a frog!” Which means you’re close to water! ... oh shit.

- Which brings us to the cliffhanger, with the reveal that Link and Aryll are drowning while the events in the Wild are happening. I was so excited for this, it’s what so much foreshadowing has been leading up to. I even stuck it in the first letter of Link’s in things i didn’t send, when he compares the effect Mipha has on him to drowning. Which is easy to mistake for yet another use of water imagery in connection with our lovely Zora princess, a recurring element in my work, but becomes more sinister when you know what befalls him here.

and that covers part six!

#annotations

3 notes · View notes

iblue-kitzune · 4 years

Text

Of Rising Calamities Beyond the Cosmos: Chapter 10

A/N: And now we have arrived at the final chapter guys! This one is a bit special because it serves as both a regular epilogue (NOTE: There’s a bit of time-skip in here just to let y’all know) and a Halloween chapter, so it’s a half-and-half kind of deal if you want to look at it that way.

So, with that out of the way now, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Happy Halloween everyone!

Droplets of water fell from the air and onto the rocky floor below, which was littered with puddles in every direction Jane looked. And the young woman took care to avoid stepping in one as she walked deeper and deeper into the darkness, a single blue flame lit in the palm of her hand to light her path up ahead.

“[Tell me again why are we exploring this dingy and damp dungeon?]”

“[Jane said she wanted to investigate this place a little bit more thoroughly this time.]”

“[Then why did she send a clone in place of herself and have the three of us accompany it?]”

“[Maybe she thought the monsters and wild animals wouldn’t dare approach her at the sight of us being by her side? I don’t know! I’m not exactly a mind reader or know the woman’s thoughts like you two think I do just because I spend more time with—]”

“Raiden! Gale! Inferno!” the three great spirits went quiet at the sharp voice of the clone and looked up. “I can hear you three you know...despite your whispering,” the trio sweat-dropped and turned their heads away from the moody half-spirit.

‘Finally...’ Jane let out an inaudible sigh when her great spirit companions switched to a different topic. Thank god for that. She didn’t have to listen to either of them complain anymore—even though most of it came from Raiden.

But she wasn’t focused on that. Right now, she just wanted to pass this section of dungeon and get to the next level.

And sure, it’s been a while since she’s last been down here, but it’s not like Jane had forgotten the layout of the cavern.

The floor above her, she knew by heart now. This one, however, not so much.

‘All the more reason to check it out.’

When the young woman found this cave two months ago and started to explore it, she made sure that she memorized all of the pathways and secret crevices in this area—well this floor at least, before she left. But now that there weren’t any pressing issues at hand here or any type of commotion happening outside of the cave, she was free to investigate this place without worry for the time being.

There was just so much energy she could feel in here, and so many shiny objects she could see around her, twinkling within the cracks embedded into the walls, and ceiling. All of them had an iridescent glow to them, and all of them were glowing a different color—from golden white, seafoam green, and baby blue to periwinkle, alexandrite, and coral pink. Any one of these could a rare item or ingredient for something; however, Jane wasn’t so sure about that.

‘Maybe I should take a look first.’

The young half-spirit stopped to pull out an empty transparent container with a handle on the top, and set it on the ground. She kneeled, and with her free hand, Jane tapped on it. A small section of the container glowed white and opened up with a chilling swoosh. Then she carefully stuck her fireball inside before pulling her hand back out, watching the hole close up and disappear.

Satisfied with her work, she moved away from her makeshift lantern and stood halfway up, making sure to crouch on the balls of her feet. And once she did, the clone of Jane bounded high into the air with just a single leap and latched onto one of the stalagmites hanging from the ceiling.

‘Wow!’ her eyes turned into stars at the sight of many items and gems staring at her right in the face. ‘There’s so stuff...huh?’ she trailed off with a silent gasp. But that didn’t last long as the look of excitement entered her golden brown-amber eyes, and replaced her awe.

‘Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?!’

She was in heaven right now, and rightfully so because she could see a bunch of stuff on the ceiling and higher end of the walls ranging from bottle based items:

Holy Bottle, Dark Bottle, Life Bottle, Panacea Bottle, and Syrup Bottle

To tool based items:

Banrea, All-Divide, Hourglass, Spectacles, Dried Peels, and Goat Horn

And medicine based items:

Lemon Gel, Melange Gel, Miracle Gel, Pine Gel, and Elixir

It was hard to believe that she was seeing all of this in one place since they would normally be spread out throughout the cave, or just be hidden in some obscure spot no one would bother to check, especially if it’s not sticking out in the open. But Jane wasn’t like others, and she wasn’t the type to pass up on stuff like this just sitting out here.

She was like a collector of sorts, and sometimes she likes to stock up on these items for future use. And whatever’s left that she doesn’t use, she mixes them together—much to the surprise of her friends who thought she was crazy for doing something potentially dangerous like that.

To her and everyone else’s shock, the mixed components come out looking totally different. They become a completely new item, medicine, or tool. One with brand new properties that changes after each use. It was something her and her friends had never seen before, and Jane loved it—so did Tony, Bruce, Peter, Shuri, and Strange (to some extent), who were like scientists in their own way as they, too, tended to experiments with things from time to time, magic or not.

Plus, it’s not like she can help it. She was a scientist—and a brilliant one who won the Nobel Prize many years ago at that!

And as such, Jane felt obligated to mix components with others and see what comes out of it. If the experiment turned out to be a successful one, then the next logical step would be the test the bad boy out and see what it does. If she likes the results of her fruits of her labor, she will keep the finished product and think about making duplicates in the future—which, nine times out of ten, she does.

However, if the whole thing turned out to be a failure in the end, then Jane saw no reason to continue working with the components. She would just dispose of them in the biohazard bin she keeps in her lab.

‘It’s a good thing I found these things. I was just beginning to get low on all of this stuff,’ the clone said as she proceeded to pick them all out of the cracks of the walls and ceilings with her telekinesis.

Two minutes later after gathering all sixteen items and arranging them in a giant ball, the young half spirit took out a black-light blue accented bag that had a star shaped zipper on it, and unzipped the thing. The pile fell neatly inside, and Jane zipped the bag up before making it vanish back into her pocket dimension.

“[Are you done with collecting items, Jane?]” she heard Gale ask, and looked down at him and the other two great spirits, who were all patiently waiting on her.

“Yeah!” she answered and let go of the stalagmite. “For now I am,” the young woman quickly added once she landed safely on the rocky ground.

Raiden pinched the bridge of his nose while Inferno and Gale sighed to themselves.

The clone gave them an apologetic smile before she picked up her lantern, turned on her heel, and took off with a light dash, then heard the three flying after her seconds later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thousands upon thousands of miles away from Snow Lunar Island, and somewhere in London, two animals sat on the front lawn of a huge two-story, thirty-eight hundred square-foot home that had a large walkway area leading over to the garage on the other side, and leading down to the sidewalk where a mailbox stood in place.

The first animal was a large midnight blue and pale yellow dog with extra fur that was colored black on its back and fluffy tail, which was tipped magenta at the end, black hind paws, black tipped pointy ears, and magenta eyes while the second animal was a large royal purple and white bird with teal colored markings on the sides of its cheeks, the inner lining of its wings and the tips of its feathered tails, which were also tipped white, yellow talons, and teal eyes.

The two were currently playing a game of fetch with Darcy, who decided to come out here and play with Jane’s pets. No offense to her friend or anything, but she got tired of waiting in the lab on Jane to finish streaming the mini expedition her clone, Inferno, Gale, and Raiden were on.

As exciting as it was to see what the inside of that mysterious cave was like on one of the three twenty-four inch screen desktop computers of Jane’s, she got really bored thirty minutes into the video when nothing of interest was happening. And so, she told Jane that she’ll be outside with Luna and Raymond, who is called Ray for short, sometimes—but only by his owner and her closest friends.

And that happened an hour ago.

“Luna!” she shouted, grabbing the dog’s attention, “Fetch!” and tossed a red ball with a white strip filled with black diamonds on it up in the air.

Luna barked and ran after it; however, Raymond, who she thought of like a little brother to her, swooped down and quickly yet carefully caught the ball with his talons. She stared in disbelief at the bird, who gave her a bird-like cry of laughter, and flew over to the human woman.

Darcy sweat-dropped and caught the ball Raymond dropped in her right hand. “Sorry Luna! I guess Ray beat ya to it!” she said to dog and almost rolled her eyes at the display of Ray puffing his chest out in pride. “Wanna try again?”

Luna narrowed her magenta eyes and nodded in determination.

“Woof!”

Before she could get ready, however, her ears perked up at the sound of an engine from a vehicle pulling up in front of the house. When she turned around and saw a dark haired man and light haired woman get out of a red SUV, her eyes lit up at the sight of them and three other people climbing out from the backseat.

“Woof, woof!” she ran over to them with Raymond flying overhead not too far from her.

Darcy looked up to see the two getting petted by Kagome, Sota, Morgan, Pepper, and Tony. Then all of a sudden, she remembered what today was and what was supposed to take place at the Devil May Cry shop tonight.

‘Oh shit! I totally forgot about that!’ she panicked a bit on the inside, and before she could say anything, the Stark family walked up to her with Luna and Raymond in tow.

“Hello Darcy. How are you doing this evening?” Pepper, who was dressed up in a modest-looking devil costume, greeted her with a small smile.

“Splendid,” she answered part truthfully before looking down to see Morgan, who was in a cute little fairy costume. The little girl ran up to her and hugged her. “Oh you look adorable, Morgan!” she cooed.

“Thank you Auntie Darce!” the little six year old said with a big smile on her face.

The young woman grinned down and patted the young girl on her head with her left hand. Though she laughed when Morgan pulled back and gave her a pout before deciding to turn away in the other direction, as if she was saying “don’t look”, to fix her hair.

“So are you, Jane, and Lady ready for the Halloween party yet?” Tony, who was dressed up in a handsome pirate costume, asked, raising a brow at her casual state of her appearance.

Darcy sweat-dropped. “Eh, not exactly,” she said with a slow shrug until she brightened up and waved her hand in reassurance. “But you guys can wait inside the living room while Jane, Lady, and I go get ready.”

The Stark family looked at each other then back at the young woman.

“That’s fine with us,” Pepper replied.

Darcy nodded and led the family along with Jane’s pets up the walkway to the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane stared at her desktop monitor, watching her clone and the three great spirits arrive inside of a brightly lit room filled with shiny gems that were embedded in the stalagmites hanging from the cavern ceiling. There was also some kind of runes, black in color, etched onto the walls, giant potholes that were either filled up with water or had a large glowing gem stuck inside of it on the ground, and a bunch of floating platforms gathered around a circle of sharp pillars that contained an unidentified rune inside.

“I sense a large amount of mana and some other kind of energy in this room,” she heard her clone speak.

“[Yes, I sense it too. And it seems to be coming from both the rune behind those pillars and further down the path I see up ahead.]”

‘In that case...’ Jane narrowed her eyes before pressing a button on the side of the wireless headphones she had on her head. “Alright, listen up you four!” she spoke into the built-in mic of her headphones. “Inferno, I want you and my clone to stay there and check out the rune. Run an analysis on it with the Magi Analyzer Spectro-Rod. And in the meantime, Raiden and Gale can go further into the cave and check the other sections out with the other six MASRs. Got it?”

“Yeah! / [Yes!]”

The young half spirit watched her clone pull out twelve intricate-looking silver and violet colored rods with shiny red gems on top of them, and distribute the items amongst her companions evenly.

With their equipment in hand, the group fanned out and got to work.

‘This will take a while.’

Jane pushed away from her computer desk and leaned back in her rolling chair. Seeing as the young woman had no further instructions to give to the group, she was in the mood for a little break. Maybe she can sneak in a small nap while she was at it too?

“Hey Jane!”

Well so much for that idea.

‘Aw screw it! I’ll just have another me take over.”

With a few simple gestures of her hand, Jane summoned another clone, making it appear by her side in a flash of red flames. Then she took off her headphones and turned to face the second clone. “Since there’s a high chance that Darcy is calling me to either come do something for her or drag me out of the house with her somewhere, stay here and watch the video and the other desktop monitor. Give more instructions to the group if you have to, okay?” she told her and handed them over to her.

Her second clone nodded and took the headphones, putting them on right away.

“Jane!”

A small sigh left the young astrophysicist’s mouth as she rolled around in her chair and faced her ex-intern and best friend, who was standing in the doorway of her lab and panting out of exhaustion.

“I thought you said you were going to be outside with Luna and Ray for a while? And why in the world do you look so out of breath?” she frowned at her.

“I was at first but then Tony and his family stopped by, so I told them they can wait in the living room while I come get you,” Darcy answered. “Oh and the reason why I’m so tired is because I ran up the stairs to put your pets in your room then ran back downstairs and came over here.”

Jane sat up. “Huh? Why didn’t they call—oh...” she leaped from her chair, her eyes wide in shock. “Oh god! They came to pick us up for the party at Dante’s place tonight, right?” the young woman grabbed her clone, who was looking so puzzled by what was going on, and sat her down in the chair. “Darcy! Why didn’t you remind me?” she moved away and rushed past her best friend.

Thankfully, Darcy moved out of the way in time to avoid getting ran over by her former boss who already bolted out the door and into the hallway.

“Hell if I know! Look, how the heck was I supposed to remind you if I forget about the whole thing myself?” she whined at the older woman and ran after her, but not before shutting the lab door closed.

“That’s surprising to hear coming from someone like you who loves parties,” Jane said over shoulder at Darcy, who caught up with her.

Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Let’s just hurry up and get dressed in our rooms then see if Lady’s up yet—”

“There’s no need for that,” came the muffled voice of Lady.

The two women looked up to see their other roommate standing at the end of the hallway, already decked out in an elegant kitsune costume she was wearing for the night. And to complete the look, she had a mask on her face that came with it too.

“You two are the only ones that are not ready. We have three hours until the party starts at seven. I suggest you hurry up on upstairs to your rooms and get dressed so that all eight of us can leave the house and get there on time,” she continued and turned around. “I’ll be waiting in the living room with Tony and his family in the meantime.”

Then she was gone.

“Let’s go before she comes back here and yells at us.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

The two quickly made it out of the hall, passing through the lobby area, and headed up the long stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours have gone by since Lady had last seen her two roommates on the first floor hallway, and she was starting to get a little anxious now. They were starting to run out of time. Sure the drive from here to the shop wasn’t far—just a thirty minute drive...if you don’t count running into any traffic along the way, but she rather be safe than sorry, and show up at the party on time. It was a routine of sorts she got into since she started working as a devil hunter all those years back and had to meet up with her clients at the destination on time, something that they —and even Vergil, who teamed up with her a few times in the past on missions, and he always made a point to meet up with her halfway so that they can head over to their client’s destination together— appreciated her greatly about.

‘Unbelievable...what are those two taking so long for?’ Lady thought to herself in irritation as she sat on the couch in between Kagome and Sota, who were watching and laughing in joy at their little sister standing in the middle of the living room, posing for the pictures that Pepper and Tony were taking on their phones.

Just when the devil huntress was thinking about getting up from the couch to check up on Jane and Darcy, she felt both of their presences walked into the room.

“Okay guys, we’re ready!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the two, a collective gasp leaving their mouths at the sight of them.

First up was Jane. The young woman wore a long dark robe with pale yellow accents and a star symbol on the hood over a midnight bluish-black skin tight sleeveless tunic that had a glowing white star (with a black diamond inside of it) marking on top of an upside glowing white crescent moon sitting on her chest, which had a few stars scattered about. She also wore a full lavender and glowing white accented waist cape-like cloth —that had a slit in the front, back, and both sides— with an intricate pale yellow metallic belt on top, some black tights that were tucked into her tall brown heeled boots, and a long light purple vest with a pale yellow accented high collar that also had a transparent vest in the form of a cloth attached to it on top, and it stopped just a few inches above her ankles.

Then finally, to top the whole look off, Jane wore some large curled dark horns on top of her long stylized white wig, pale yellow contacts over her eyes, and fake elven midnight blue ears over her real ones. She also painted her eyebrows white, painted both her face and whole body midnight blue, and painted some white stars on her bare arms, hands, cheeks, and the bridge of her nose.

“So, what do you think?”

Up next was Darcy. She wore modest-looking one-piece black tube top and purple tights outfit that had small violet bat symbols on her legs, brown arm warmers with white fluff over her bare arms, and some black high-heeled boots on her feet.

Then to top the whole look off, Darcy wore some black-purple bat wings on the sides of her long stylized green wig and her waist, and green contacts over her eyes.

“Beautiful / Pretty costumes!” Pepper and Morgan cooed in unison.

Sota, who was dressed up in a jester costume, and Kagome, who was dressed up in a witch costume, looked at the two with impressed eyes.

“So cool! You nailed that one star-touched dude from The Dragon Prince down pretty well, Auntie!” Sota said with a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes at her brother, “His name was Aaravos I believe, Sota...” and turned to her other aunt with a smile. “Anyway, your Morrigan looks wonderful, Auntie Darcy.”

The two said nothing as they beamed under their praises and compliments.

“Well...” Lady began as she and the Starks stood from the couch. “I think it’s about time we head out now.”

They all nodded and headed out of the living room, making their way over to the front door. Jane opened it, letting everyone else out first before stepping outside herself and locked the door behind her. Then she ran to catch up with the others who were waiting for her by Tony’s rental SUV.

It only took a few minutes for everyone to pile in the vehicle and buckle themselves in before taking off down the road.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The made it to Devil May Cry, which had been heavily remodeled since anyone’s (except for Lady) last been there, with two minutes left to spare. And the group met up with Nero along with Jude, Elize, Teepo, and Alvin, who were all wearing costumes, inside.

Then after walking further into the shop, they came across the Sparda twins, Trish, Patty, Nico, Nero’s wife: Kyrie, Jude’s childhood friend: Leia, Kagome’s friends: Shippo, Miroku, and Sango, Clint and his family, Bruce, Bucky, and Peter hanging out in the huge living room.

And since everyone was here now—at least the ones who were invited and able to attend, music started blasting through the speakers that were set up by the wall, signifying that the party has begun. It was also at this time the kids and teenagers went upstairs on the second floor to have their own party in one of the back rooms while the adults stayed downstairs and had their own.

Throughout the whole night, Jane and all the other adults played many games:

First, they bobbed for apples. And Dante was the only one out of everyone else that was able to snag the most apples from the bucket with Nero coming in second place, Clint in third, Tony and Jane tying in fourth, and everyone else following up after.

Second, they had a drinking contest. And surprisingly enough, Jane and Lady —who weren’t really casual drinkers compared to some of their friends— along with Bucky drank those who participated (Nico, Nero, Alvin, Clint, Tony, Miroku, Sango, Leia, and Trish) under the table.

Third, they all participated in a dance off competition that was held in one of the rooms next over after drinking some water and eating some snacks, which were laced with magic, that sobered them up. Too bad the whole dance thing ended up being awkward for some since they weren’t dancers; however, Dante, Darcy, and Sota slayed the competition with their smooth moves. So in the end, they ended up out dancing them and the ones who already knew how to dance.

And finally, they held a quick costume competition to see who had the best one of them all. It was no surprise that Jane ended being first place winner with Lady coming in second place and Darcy coming in third place.

The party started winding down near ten o’ clock, and by the time eleven o’ clock rolled around, everyone started cleaning up their mess. Due to their combined efforts, the whole group finished putting everything back where they belonged twenty minutes. Then everyone said their goodbyes to each other, and the Sparda twins along with Trish escorted their friends out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Hey Jane...”

The young woman stopped in her tracks, letting Darcy and Lady walk past her towards their home, and turned around to see Tony rolling the passenger window down.

“Yes?” she asked, walking up to the vehicle. Then she blinked in shock when the man picked up a metallic case and held it out to her out the window. “What’s this?” the young half-spirit took the case and looked at it curiously. “What’s in here—” Jane trailed off with wide eyes when she felt the familiar presence of a certain infinity stone inside.

“Think of it as a “trick-or-treat” from me. I want you to look after the thing from now on—at least for a little while until we find a better place to stash the stone...” at Jane's confused look, Tony went ahead and told the woman point blank, “Reindeer Games’ been looking for it. Well, only after he left that morning before you and the others did and came back two weeks later.”

“I see...” Jane mumbled, taking a look around the area to make sure there weren’t any lurkers nearby. When she sensed none, she vanished the case away and asked, “Has he been causing you guys any trouble or bothering you?” in a serious voice.

Pepper frowned from her spot in the driver’s seat. “Other than the few unannounced visits he’s made here and there at our home, no. He’s been strangely compliant with us after Tony and I discovered him playing with Morgan out in our front yard, disguised as a black cat with green eyes no less, one day. Then, we sat him down before he could make his escape and had a nice, long chat with him after that,” she explained.

“That is strange,” Jane looked down with a muse.

“We haven’t heard anything “disastrous” on the news this past month-and-a half, so we assume the guy isn’t causing any trouble,” Tony added. “Then again, as long as Rock of Ages isn’t trying to cause chaos anywhere, take over a city, or kill anyone, Pep and I don’t care what he does in his free time. He can stay here on Earth without any complaints from us. And we won’t take any action against him either as long as he doesn't do any of those three things I listed there.”

Jane nodded. “Do the other Avengers know? And did they agree with this decision?”

Tony gave her a sly smile. “They do now. I told them during our little “get together” kind of meeting we held at the Tower last week, but that was only after the guy appeared and played a little harmless prank on us before disappearing. The gang weren’t too happy about it in the beginning, which I can understand. But in the end, they reluctantly agreed with my wife and I’s decision,” he explained. “I have no idea what Reindeer Games wants with the Tesseract—which the team also knows about too by the way. But anyhow, that’s not the point! From what Nero, Lady, and Kagome told me, he seems to gets along with you pretty well...” there was something in his tone of voice that made Jane want to glare at him.

But before she could do so, Tony continued on—and in a normal voice this time. “So, if you happen to run into him in the future, can you try to get an idea of what his motives for the stone are?”

Jane looked up. “I was already thinking about doing that actually,” she replied, repressing a sigh back.

“Oh good!” he sighed in relief. Then he cheered up and gave her a grin. “Well, have a good night Jane!”

“You too! And thanks for dropping me and the girls off, Pepper!” she waved at them both with a smile on her face. “Have a safe trip back to the hotel!”

The two waved back before the window rolled up and the SUV took off.

Three minutes passed by with nothing but serene silence. And once she no longer saw her friend’s rental vehicle in the distance, Jane turned around and started walking towards her home, the one she shared with Lady and Darcy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The clone slowly looked up at the sound of door opening up behind her, and she turned around to see Jane, who was still in her Aaravos costume, standing in the doorway of the lab.

“Did you capture anything good?” she asked, watching over to her.

Without saying anything, the second clone nodded and stood up from the chair, removing the headphones from her head as she did so with a sleepy look on her face.

Jane took the headphones from her then walked right past the clone and stopped in front of the desk. She raised a brow and leaned down to take a closer look at her screen monitor. Even though there was no video showing now, she could see that it had been downloaded and saved right to her desktop along with a new file that she never seen before right next to it. “Hmm...” her eyes narrowed at the title typed on it. “Data Findings from The Cave on Snow Lunar Island,” she quietly read out loud.

‘This will be interesting to look through...’

The young woman placed her headphones down before straightening herself back up. And she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, slowly going over what she read in her head. ‘But I’ll do that another day. Too damn tired at the moment to do really anything productive,’ she said to herself while covering up a yawn. ‘Now then...’ she uncrossed her arms and turned her attention back on the silent clone. “Since I felt my first clone dismiss herself about an hour ago, I’m gonna assume that Inferno and the other two went home already. Am I right?” at her nod, Jane continued. “Alright then, nice work. I don’t need you anymore for the night,” she said to the clone before sending her off as well.

Once she vanished, Jane shut her computer down and turned it off. “Time to go shower now then head to bed,” she mumbled, sleepily, and walked away.

However, in the midst of her wanting to hurry up and leave the room, there were a few strands of black fur and faint claw marks left behind on the floor, sitting oh-so innocently next to the computer desk that she completely missed earlier.

CLICK!

The door shut closed.

7 notes · View notes

triumphorce · 5 years

Text

under stars that feel as far as

real does..

at the moment.

at any moment..

kidnap me.

any chance presented

& in moments prior.

spent alone

zone.

far from progress.

stasis,

stationed next to

hope & regret.

on either side.

stamina. breathe now

to breathe more.

no free will.

i got to survive.

i got to make it,

especially if i just change aim

change rim-height,

relate with reality

change chin height,

keep head up,

lower expectations

keep pen up.

can’t make shit up,

so i make this shit up

dig deep, drain soon as i wake up

from sleep, or conscious nap..

break up

buildup

of words

that

feel

millions.

euphoric

ultimatum;

write,

or just

waste.

can’t wait

to post, create.

post haste

long ass roads that really dont have

an end, or means to.

I just become more of

whatever comes;

whatever emotions

i allow;

however

i react;

whoever,wherever,

when tf ever

‘cause all i am

is now, here.

a little more conscious..

that’s it.

&the more i remember,

the more i forget.

gotta pick and choose.

careful.

careful, please.

carefully

cut ties, choose way

‘cause by the time it's time to remember

new knew's

once was' just can’t keep up

and i accidentally

delete something

important,

or distort it..

gotta

slow down

life...

ssssshhheesh

i once was in less pieces,

&I at least, once, knew peace, but didn’t know it,

more than likely still do

staring at sky blue.

so blue..

eyes find it soothes

waiting on.

bus late.

contemplating, mind rages

sea

lost in deep

hue pool

sharp, wind wrapping body.

waitin on,

waiting on.

contemplating. gone.

daydreamin way thru life.

thru the little things

i always belittled.

cause I thought I had what i needed. or what I had was mine to keep.

...just because.

i need a little more somethin

a little more new, more original stop cliches, tropes,& archetypes in general

droll,

repetition equals learning, well i'll just lurn-less

beg to differ, by beggin questions, even when forced to tread slow,&only do so in head.

we’re all middlemen.

just fiddlin’

‘round in world,

in universe,

riddled withh riddles,

that

trickle,

drip

complex

descent

from cognitive

beginnings.

ephemeral glimpses of outside-nighttime-world,

through blinds in bed, as a child to now, still just as far from.

as far as real feels.

feelin nothing like how I do now.

but pain passes,

so it just must be my brain's capacity for trust shrank. & elaborates time taken for to cross neural pathways,

not get lost, and make it back safe save, all at the same time, while i attempt to ignore age

pay mind solely to the idea i can do, &I don't have to prove.

to become honest, so potential growth is optimum to be one with me, and know I can't ever be anything but and no idea is ever done, no matter finished, no grey matter greyer, no more dr. bender's, no more directions, no more winners, reflect on self, &what it means-to be better, i deflect defects w/ skylark teeth,

a truer sense of.. truth

a higher level basic

newfound fundamentals

that all the world and creation in it,

then, now, or later

are truly small

no life was ever finished

nobody wants to give it up,but we learn to

and as a consequence return to world what we wish to see beyond our existence

to find trust again love again feel again believe again hurry up, clock's tickin

get it, grind look and find get inspired go inspire go perspire run a mile two three four

five seconds six seconds

gotta go for it gotta get better,

never listen only instrumentalz for me

in a room aspire to be able to define my every rhyme and reason behind thoughts had,

itchin to stay consistent, keep on writing and don't worry about why, keep on filing tomes of dreams, ordering guides to self, from one idea to a whole library of shit I did,

like,

"oh, damn kid, you wrote that?"

damn right I did.

conversations that I have in my head

while I reread pieces

an elixir, a pensive remedy

for when I feel reluctant toward

reality, when in reality

it's really just the people around me that I trusted, busted ass for, gave up past for filled up gigabytes, sticky notes, notepads for designed a whole world for,

put off parties, friends, a part of me I never gave a chance for. became an outcast for. put on mask for.

to be compared and not contrasted warned and not encouraged critiqued but not heard

made me want

to tell, create a story and not give a damn about glory.

although i worry how i come off..sometimes..

made me

change style time after time for some time, now..

made me have

to boost own confidence, own own ego; inflate like raft, & float to shore,

common ground with action &

focused on

how I'm amounting in life.

..apparently

im just climbing up invisible

mountains

but i don't let it make or break me,

used to,

but no more ,& nowit's just me.

&that's just crazy..

so im focused

on how im a mountain lion to moles tryna troll, but most the time, tho I'm...focused on settling score with where I've failed

& failed to respond to failure well

let go

of initiative, hung to anger

in orbit around regret towards doors left unopened, words unspoken to people gone, that could've changed life, if only They could hear these thoughts.. if only I had someone to talk to besides myself, & people that talk to high-five themselves; given approval never sought, advice for battles never fought, in a room for most of youth, stuck in head, so much to see, explore lore of stories never written, so much done even before i decided to pick pen up, before i decided I was ready for commitment decisions in head turn to an every 5 minute thing,

stuck in holes deeper than before

tell-tale signs around sub-subconscious that Im chasin nothin..

apparitions..

in front of people

waitin somethin fierce

for me to

summon what's already there

a mirror image of miracle from thinnest air from holes put in life for pride in pages of jumbled thoughts gaps in memories for drafts that define ironic, describing fine lines I believe are there, in thinnest mirror, between me and experience in eyes that remind me i am less, i am more i am worse, i am better everything in between all and nothing, not objective, but an object capable of observation, own purpose assigned no more worth than yours, no more than I have dealt my self chances missed to live for product tossed or lost in the end

x's & lines through a mind confused, backspaces scribbles procrastinating daily, delaying the inevitable, staring at.. ...coffee steam and letters linked in ink curves and ink in nerves

on nights only sleep's deferred as vivid as yesterdays and scenes in head of tomorrows mixed in with skips in consciousness obvious options almost always missed second guesses linger in gut like wtf

what the fuck am i doing everyday, if I don't contribute to future

to believe, or not to believe i was in control of will was the whole problem let go of all it hone on goals. fly low, that is...

as far a stretch as breath of desire to contribute to the world believing if chance exists, i will succeed I will fulfill promises thru notepads & audience

a caged bird singing

do or do not.

seems all I've done is try, it seems to try isnt good enough, seems what they want from me wasn't what I was told they want, which is for me to want from me & instead what they want to see is what they want to see

me to become this and not my own, no matter how many hours spent, no matter the font, text, or etiquette formed to gain attention, but apparently a proper use of improper use of prose prospered overtime & i kept my posture, keep me from losing self, going crazy, letting people make me think something's not okay, or wrong with me, or out of whack off top, not taken seriously

priorities of the majority of society made it difficult to captivate eyes, and garner respect, because of conflictive internal contradictions to set out for what I thought was spreading message, but was embedding judgment of self, & effort, looking at motives that been made a home in heart like they suspect, but they was who fucked with me when I wouldn't even fuck with me, wanna be someone else, something else, like what you want clave?

to wait for mine..

psh, nnn’eh, thinking I was good enough to be taken seriously ..

thinking there was nothing to do, but to do, but something changed course, one day,

one day atta time

thinking that I was right behind, could just lift up arm and touch but that wasn't the case, ever, constant race

couldn't hold on, couldn't hide the pain to psyche out greatest opponent, me

didn't want to, saw no point

repeating and repeating, over and again

so on and so forth, thus forth destroying self convinced I couldn't help it and still am

and still can't

accept I ever gave in, broke under pressure, buckled under what some would chuckle over, no pity, just recognition of jimity's petition to push when pushed, with thoughts into written gale force, in a position to always hope, so when foundation crumbles, there's another one up under

if not, I use earth to wander.

whether with excess of momentum or subsiding in subtle realization of sustenance behind life's work

purpose on course set to find reward I'm told I'm looking for..

fin

#poem #dps #clavevesari

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bettsfic · 6 years

Text

masterpost of my fics arranged by fandom

ok so since i anonymized half my fics i thought i’d make a masterpost of them for you with like. real summaries. pls bookmark or tag or something to find later if you want to keep track of them since you can’t get to some from my works page anymore.

* indicates it’s one of my favorites

here’s my fic tag for tumblr ficlets and rebloggable fic posts

star wars

*honeycomb (kylux, modern au, novel) -- emotionally unstable ben solo meets sugar daddy hux

*something about volcanoes (kylux, modern au, novella) -- fake dating romantic comedy set in hawaii

*little scarlet (reylo, modern au, short) -- rey meets caretaking daddy dom ben solo on reddit

ace of spades (benarmie, 90s au, novel, wip) -- hux and ben are bffs and the world keeps wrenching them apart

just a tramp, just a trick (kylux, abo, short) -- emperor hux is an alpha who hires omega courtesan kylo ren

pretty young thing (kylux, modern au, ficlets) -- sadist ren fucks barely legal hux

*riptide (reylo, modern au, short) -- post break-up banging it out

jedi mittens (gen, canon divergent, short) -- teenage ben helps baby cousin rey cope with her missing parents

*bonded (anidala, canon divergent, short) -- jedi padme saves anakin’s ass

marvel

*bucky barnes has his shit together (and other lies he tells himself) (stucky, modern au, short) -- veteran bucky begrudgingly babysits baker steve’s kid

venus in vibranium (stucky, canon divergent, novel) -- bucky gets hired as steve’s professional sub

*hard to say (stucky, canon divergent, novella) -- the winter rehabilitates at clint’s farm

friday i’m in love (stucky, modern au, short) -- bucky comes home from five years abroad to a secretly broken steve

where the devil don’t go (widowhill, modern au, short) -- hill is a cop who gets a lap dance from stripper natasha

jealous assholes (widowhill + stucky, modern au, short) -- sequel to the above with stucky included

*physical education (stumlow, modern au, short) -- senior steve gets under pe teacher rumlow’s skin

vices (stucky, canon divergent, short) -- tbh i don’t remember what this one’s about

his unspeakable mercies (stucky, modern au, short) -- veteran bucky gets a tattoo from tattoo artist steve

the ass championships (stucky, canon, short) -- a competition to see who has the finest of asses. there are middle school games involved

harry potter

the lord’s work (gradence, modern au, short) -- credence is a jehovah’s witness who knocks on ex-cop graves’ door

*albus potter and the elixir of erised (dralbus, canon, novel) -- criminal albus goes into hiding at malfoy manor and seeks the help of lawyer draco

misc

*patience on a monument (game of thrones, braime, modern au, novella) -- alcoholic jaime needs to crash with bff brienne for a bit

*once upon a pair of wheels (baby driver, baby/debora, post-canon, short) -- baby meets up with griff

*the baker’s son (hunger games, katniss/peeta/gale, post-canon, short) -- peeta gets katniss to give gale another chance

hard day’s night (firefly, kaylee/inara, modern au, short) -- established relationship kaylee and inara have sex on their couch

the side of the angels (sherlock/supernatural crossover, johnlock + caslock, canon, short) -- first thing i ever wrote, something about sherlock becoming death for a day

supernatural

*adoration of the shepherd (jo/john, canon divergent, short) -- jo pesters john into fucking her

sex 101 (destiel, canon, novel) -- the fic that started it all. idr what it’s about. dean is a stripper i think? cas is learning about sex?

words with friends (destiel, modern au, novella) -- dom cas throws dean into some gay panic

detention (destiel, modern au, novella) -- cas blackmails dean for wearing panties i think??

dean winchester is a gay virgin (destiel, modern au, novel) -- i was addicted to adderall at the time. something something hula party something cas is in the mafia

too wise to woo (destiel, modern au, novella) -- based on much ado about nothing

big hands i know you’re the one (destiel, chatfic, short) -- dean gets the wrong number on new years eve

he came in through the bedroom window (destiel, modern au, short) -- they figure out they have a thing for each other on a summer afternoon

standing there (destiel, modern au, novella) -- dean is a sex worker; cas is his first client

impala sex because reasons (destiel, canon, short) -- impala sex because reasons

second take (cockles, canon, short) -- destiel goes canon

being dean winchester (destiel, canon, novella) -- cas’ grace borrows dean’s brain for a minute

coffee & donuts (destiel, modern au, short) -- rival coffee shops

if i run (destiel, modern au, short) -- dean and cas meet on a fitness app

shopping with castiel (destiel, canon, ficlets) -- they go shopping maybe??

the first five times (destiel, endverse, novella) -- sad stuff in endverse

this is what dean wants (destiel, canon, short) -- tickle fic i think??

mile high club (destiel, modern au, short) -- sex in an airplane

entrelace (destiel, modern au, short) -- something about ballet?

the man who would be santa (destiel, christmas, short) -- cas is a runaway elf

linger on (destiel, canon divergent, short) -- cas gets addicted to drugs

the happiest place on earth (destiel, canon, short) -- something disneyworld something

constellations of scars (destiel, post-canon, short) -- end of series

fics i’ve taken down

links to pdf -- idr why i took these down but i did

unplugged (marvel, evanstan, canon, short) -- sub chris has anxiety and sebastian helps him out

cut you down (supernatural, destiel, canon divergent, short) -- dean makes a deal with crossroads demon cas

original fic

i posted these on ao3 for a hot minute before taking them down but i kept the pdfs. i have a ton of other original stuff but i don’t know where it’s going to go so i can’t post them. these are the only pieces that i’ll probably never do anything with.

candy tongue (het, novella) -- listless grocery clerk meets insomniac handyman. there’s some weird shit with his mom involved

other kids (m/m, short) -- sex worker finds out his mom killed herself and comes home to go through her hoarded apartment, meets up with childhood bff/ex-bf. this is what i used for my grad school application

#my fic #my fic masterpost #masterpost #good thru 2017 #2018 and forward not included

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amica-aenigmata-naboo · 2 months

Text

Sunwalker

Astarion x Y/N - drabble - 2.2K WC

Masterlist

Warnings: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, near death experience for y/n, Astarion crying, companions featured!, visiting Avernus (yikes), the Underdark, guilt, fear

--------------------------

Astarion smoothed his thumb over the ring on your finger. No matter how long you had been married it was still as if you had just said “yes” to him. 50 years have passed since the elder brain. 40 of which you have been married for. And every day you woke to those scarlet eyes and fell in love all over again. You remained yourself, Astarion never pressured you to turn into a vampire like him. He knew the loneliness it could bring and he didn’t want that for you. You managed to cultivate an elixir that froze your mortality. It nearly cost you your soul to get all the ingredients, most of which you had to beg, borrow, or just flat out steal from some very prominent gods. But you did it. You froze your aging, remaining as young and beautiful as you were when Astarion met you.

You watched the glow peer through the sheer curtains, leg thrown over Astarions waist as he held your waist in his sleep. Holding you close as always. You looked out into the Underdark, the strange landscape had been your home for quite some time. Beautiful as it was, you missed the sun. The fresh air, the occasional breeze. You never let onto it, knowing Astarion would spiral, envisioning himself as some sort of leech who kept you trapped with him. You would trade the sun for him any day. But still, the heart longs for things it once knew so well.

“Your face will get stuck like that if you frown any harder.” Astarion whispered.

You looked up at him, his eyes were closed still, the ever perceptive bastard. “Bad dream.” you mumbled as you relaxed your face, snuggling into his chest.

“Tell me?” he asked while gently massaging your scalp.

“Sleepy…” you said with a yawn before kissing his chest.

“Then sleep my love, I’ll see you in the morning.”

-------------------------------

You awoke feeling refreshed. Your house was still bathed in darkness. You had grown accustomed to this, but still, sometimes you missed being greeted by the golden rays of the sun.

“Darling,” you started as you stretched your rigid limbs, “I was thinking… Maybe we could go to the surface for a few days? Gale has been begging to see me ever since we moved to the Underdark. I miss our friends. And Jaheira isn’t far off from Waterdeep. Neither is Shadowheart. And I’m sure Karlach would slip away from Avernus for a bit if she knew everyone was top side.” you picked at your nails, you hated talking about the surface. You alway wondered if it made Astarion feel bad.

Astarion kissed your forehead before pulling you up so you could be eye level with him. “My sweet, you may go to the surface whenever you wish, you know that. But… somebody has to stay with the spawn. Especially the younglings, they’re still so unpredictable.” his eyes held a sad look. He would never admit it, but he missed your companions too, even Gale. But he knew what he signed up for when he released them. He kept balance between he spawn and the Underdark’s natural inhibitors; drow, myconids, duergar, etc.

You let out a small sigh, “Only a few days, I swear it.” you kissed him, thumbing over his cheek as you held his face.

He leaned his forehead against yours, “I know, you can’t live without me.” he said with a smirk but you could hear it in his voice. The waver that held uncertainty. He knew you loved him, but it is so easy to leave and never return.

------------------------------

You opened a portal early in the morning. You left Astarion a jar of your blood on the kitchen table along with a little love note. He knew you were leaving early, giving you a small kiss before he watched you go.

The sun was blinding and took your eyes several minutes to adjust. The soft glow of the Underdark didn’t compare to the ball of fire in the sky. It almost felt oppressive. However - feeling the warmth on your skin, the wind in your hair, the smell of the grass. Gods how you missed it all. You ran your hands through the tall grass as you walked towards Gale’s tower you saw off in the distance.

He captured you in a bone crushing hug as soon as he saw you. “Y/N! My dear friend, how I’ve missed you.” he said fondly. “Come, come! Everyone is inside!”

As promised everyone was inside, even Lae’zel. You hugged them all, holding each of them a little longer than normal. God’s you missed them all. Everyone looked just the same, a few new scars and wrinkles here and there, but the same. Gale had managed to pull something off similar to you, ingesting dark fire to keep his soul bound to this plane of existence thus his body remained as well.

“No Astarion?” Karlach asked with sadness evident in her voice.

Your friends all looked at you sympathetically, “The spawn… they need him. And the sun… tends to be an issue.” you said with a slight laugh, trying not to bring the mood down.

“Did you never find the Sunwalker’s ring?” Shadowheart asked.

“Our leads stopped years ago… we made a home in the Underdark. It’s not so bad, we never get sunburned.” you shrugged with a lopsided smile.

Your friends nodded, quickly changing the subject as they noticed your mood dropping. You talked, drank, ate, and laughed. It felt identical to when you traveled together, regaling each other with new and old stories. Eventually though, bedrolls called to everyone.

You looked out the window of Gale’s tower. You had almost forgotten about the moon. You felt a pang in your chest, you missed your husband. You twisted your wedding band around your finger, trying to feel close to him in the dark.

Gale walked up to you slowly “Missing someone?” he said as he passed you a chalice of wine.

You smiled softly, “You only get one great love in life… it hurts to be away from him.” you said looking into the deep red of the wine.

Gale nodded in understanding. “If I may, I might know of another way.”

“Way for what?” you said with a confused look.

“A way for Astarion to walk in the sun again.” he said, his eyes shining with hope.

Your eyes widened, “Go on…” you said.

“In Avernus, there is something called “The Eternal Pit "; it is a hellish void. A portal really. To a realm of the unknown, but if you survive it, those who have returned alway return with their hearts desire.” Gale said with excitement.

“I’ll do it.” you said immediately, “Now, we go now.” you said as you jumped down from the ledge of the window. You rushed to Karlach’s room, knocking lightly before you rushed in. She laid on her bed, resting but her eyes met yours as soon as the door opened.

“Hello?” she said with confusion on her face.

“I need you to take me to The Eternal Pit.” you said quickly.

Her face was dripping with shock. “I’m sorry, what? You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack.” You said sitting on the bed next to her. “Please, it’s the only way Astarion can walk in the sun again. He deserves it, Karlach.” you begged, your eyes becoming glassy. Your lover deserved the world, and you’d do anything to give it to him.

She sighed, her eyes searching yours. “I have a feeling you’ll go with or without me… fine.” she sighed.

She started to put her armor on. You dawned your mage armor along with your simple chain mail. “After you.” she said, opening the portal back to Avernus.

----------------------------

“As requested, The Eternal Pit.” Karlach said, cringing as she looked into the swirling black void in the center of the burning, abandoned monastery.

Your gaze never broke from it, “If I don’t return…”

“Don’t” she said sternly.

“If I don’t… tell Astarion I’m sorry for leaving him alone… I just wanted to give him everything he deserved. And that I love him more than he could ever know.” you finished your sentence before letting yourself fall forward into the pit.

Heat enveloped you, thick and sticky like tar. It felt fluid and yet molten at the same time. You walked through a sea of nothingness, just emptiness for what felt like ever before you arrived at a shimmering mirror. You gazed at yourself, skin melted, bone showing. You touched the shimmering surface of it before you were thrown backwards. A devil slowly made her way out of the mirror. Her imposing figure looming above yours.

“What dost thou want?” her voice echoed in a sinister whisper throughout the void yet her lips never moved.

“The Sunwalker’s ring.” you stuttered out as you lay in the blackened tar like fluid.

“Why?” she asked.

“My lover needs it.” you said simply, not wanting to overshare in case the devil was trying to form some sort of trick.

“What whilst thou sacrifice?” she asked, outstretching her hand.

You thought hard. What could you give of equal value? “Take whatever you wish, just not my soul or immortality.”

The devil smiled, “You’re brave. What are you willing to endure for this boon?”

“Anything.” you said. Suddenly you felt all your skin peeling off. Your nails being removed one by one.

“Pain is your price. If you say stop, your soul stays with me.” she smiled wickedly.

The pain was unlike anything you’d ever experienced. Searing. Melting. Evil. You writhe about, feeling every part of you be ripped apart just to be put back together and torn apart once again. You screamed and cried but never said stop. You remember everything fading, slipping deeper into the tar like water before you felt… nothing. There was an absence of everything in this abyss.

--------------------------

Astarion rushed through the halls of Gale’s tower, not caring if the sun scorched his skin every time he walked past a window. He made it to the laboratory in the basement. He stopped when he saw your body resting on a gurney.

He rushed to you, “What happened?!” he yelled, demanding to know.

You had been missing for three days before you reappeared in Waterdeep. Fainting as soon as you materialized, Gale kept you in the laboratory. He watched your vitals day and night, Karlach blaming herself for taking you despite knowing your stubborn heart would have gone no matter what.

“OUT! Both of you get out!” he screamed. Feverish tears rushed down his cheeks as soon as he knew he was alone. He held your limp hand, kissing over your face “Wake up, please… you promised…” he held your forehead to his. His sobs wracked him, he kept his head on your chest for hours, listening to the only sign of your life. Your heart beat was weak but steady. He didn’t meditate for days.

“Astarion…” Karlach said as she entered. She left a cup of fresh blood next to him. “They… I know their heart and mind was filled with only you when they stepped into that pit.” she patted his shoulder.

He didn’t move, he was practically catatonic. They had told him what happened. Why you went. Your last words. Everything. He couldn’t be without you so this is where he would stay until he too faded into nothing.

Astarion was sure he hallucinated it, a twitch of your eyebrow. Then your finger. He saw your eyes shifting beneath your lids. His head shot up despite the dizziness he felt due to lack of feeding. “Little love?” he whispered.

You shot up bolt right, leaning off to the side to throw up black liquid that scorched the stone flooring. After coughing and gagging for a solid minute you regained your sight a bit, “Astarion?” you mumbled, unsure if he was really there or if this was a fever dream.

“Darling?” he said, kissing over your face.

You sunk back down feeling weak.

“GALE!” Astarion let out a booming yell which had the wizard running in. As soon as he saw you were awake he rushed a bottle of antidote and superior healing to your lips. Color returned to your face quickly.

“Don’t ever do that shit again.” Astarion said with a watery tone.

“I know, you can’t live without me.” you mumbled with a smirk as your shaky hand reached for his face, cupping his cheek.

Astarion let out a shaky laugh before he kissed you. The healing potion tingled against his lips but didn’t distract him enough to feel a warm sensation slide up his ring finger. He begrudgingly pulled away to look at the cause. A golden band with a golden gem softly glowing.

His eyes widened, “How did you…”

You softly smiled at him dragging him back into a kiss. “Let’s go home.” you whispered against his lips as you carded your fingers through his hair.

“No…” he shook his head, “My brothers and sisters will manage without me. We’ve lived in the shadows long enough. Let’s make a new home.” he said.

You nodded quickly, pulling him into a crushing kiss as you pressed him close to you. He held you tightly, responding with just as much urgency and passion. “I love you.” he said.

You kissed him over and over, “I love you. Now, Sunwalker, let’s go make a home for ourselves.”

------------------------

Naboo's Note:

Hello all! This was based off a request so thank you for sending that in. This was awesome to write! Had a lot of fun with it, got the creative juices flowing. I hope everyone is well. I work an overnight tomorrow so expect another fic to be out soon! Thanks for everything!!! TTYLXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!!!!!!!!!!

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feywildrecap · 6 years

Text

Feywild Recap 8/20/18

Hello again friends! I’m back from hiatus and (hopefully) caught up with the big plot points that’ve happened in the last 2 weeks. Remember when I said these were going to happen more regularly? I’m clearly not fey because that was a lie. ANYWAY, here’s short version of what we missed since then.

Malachite and Hyacinth (among others) have figured out that the rocks take memories. Hyacinth can’t remember meeting Elise, but Mal isn’t quite sure what he’s lost. He is asking the important questions though: Why DO the rocks need their memories? (queue ominous music)

At Luna Park Quinn bullied a fair few folks into riding the cyclone with her. And probably has photos of it all.

Emmet managed to overhear Peridot complaining about the queen and the recent death of an Unseelie. Whoops. Not to worry, the best defense is a good offence so Per may or may not have accused Emmet of being a murderer.

Gale and Malachite are discussing the lack of glamour and how that affects 99 production and price. Gale thinks the price needs to triple which is going to be a real kick in the teeth to the top customers. Did I say teeth? I meant wallet. But who needs to eat or pay rent as long as you’re pretty, right Nadia?

Lacha and Gale are reunited and it feels so good. Despite dumping his ass in the Wood, they’ve put their heads (and other bits) together to try and find a solution to their current problems. Make up sex is the best sex, right kids?

Marigold has gone back to Maynooth looking for Slane but ran into Brielle instead.

Yvette and Patrick are discussing elixirs. This can’t end well.

Flashback to Gale and Lacha in the 80s, sadly with not a shoulder pad or scrunchie in sight. It’s not that kind of flashback. Nope, instead they’re arguing over Camellia.

Malachite is pulling his best Morpheus impersonation and inviting Yvette to see how deep the rabbit hole goes -- he’ll answer her questions and she’ll tell him about Slane and other things she’s discovered.

The night of the eclipse was particularly rough for Lark, for obvious reasons, and she had a bit of break down with Forest. You know it was bad because Forest actually offered to try and find Nadia for her.

Ember, rather than be caught with someone else’s husband, decided to flee via the floo network straight to Hogwarts, but she miscounted fireplaces and ended up in Oleander’s room half naked.

Knox decided to show back up at Oakenfold and Forest, true to his word, let Adare and Willow know about it.

Lunasgad has begun and Queen Aster has been named the fairest of them all. Folks are all set to compete in “friendly” competitions and get hitched, Vegas Fey Style. There’s several competition starters out there so be sure to jump on your fav and compete. There’s also competitions still up for grabs.

Zinnia is bitter that she’s not queen, but that doesn’t stop her from being confident she’ll win her competition.

Nickel and Hyacinth are both hoping to be Robin Hood like in their archery competition, even if Hyacinth claims to be out of practice.

Willow and Zinnia are swordfighting. Careful, ladies, glamours are a thing of the past and swords are sharp.

Don’t forget, humans are invited to hang out with the Clann and their own version of the holiday!

--XOXO

#recap #recap6 #recap 8/20/18 #this one is actually kind of short because I HAVEN'T been around #so if I missed something PLEASE let me know and I'll update the recap

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todonintendos · 7 years

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Top 5 Best and Worst Shrine Quests in Breath of the Wild

A few days ago I listed my favourite and least favourite shrines from Breath of the Wild, however I focused on what was inside of each shrine itself rather than what players must do in order to get to them, and this is where Shrine Quests become important. There are 42 of those in the game, and they’re missions that need to be completed in order to reach or unlock a shrine. For this list, I will be excluding all quests in which the shrine is already accessible before triggering the mission, as I’ve found a lot of those by just randomly exploring, so here it begins!

Also, spoiler alert, just sayin’ you may want to complete all of these quests by yourself before.

#5 (Best) - Shrouded Shrine

To kick off this list I could have picked any of the three mazes, but instead I went for that dark forest north of the Great Hyrule Forest because it’s more original and better designed than any of the three labyrinths. The gimmick is pretty much using whatever you find or is in your inventory to light up your way to the shrine in a completely dark forest. There are many treasures spread around, but nothing too interesting on the chests except a ruby. As you advance, you’ll begin to hear growls that become louder and louder, and when you get to the end the mystery unravels: someone at Nintendo decided it would be cool to put a Hinox right there, but you can just skip it and enter the shrine.

This shrine adds a sense of mystery and, why not, fear to the game, which you won’t see anywhere else in the vast wilderness of Hyrule, which is mainly why I like this quest.

#5 (Worst) - The Ceremonial Song

I know most of you actually don’t find this quest to be that bad, but it straight up confused me to the point I had to give up and come back way later in the game. The quest triggers when you talk to a Zora girl, and she sings a song containing all the clues you need to solve the quest. I was a bit early into the game so when I read “scale of light” I immediately thought of one of the three dragons, but which one? The question answered itself when I tried putting all three scales on the pedestal without success, only to find out later “scale” referred to the weapon, so I began looking for it when that old Zora told me he dropped it off a bridge... but what bridge? I looked under every bridge on the way to Zora’s Domain, didn’t find anything. He was actually talking about the “bridge” he was standing on, which I don’t even consider a bridge in the first place.

But this doesn’t end here, the final step was going to the pedestal and doing what the Mipha statue was doing. I don’t think I have to mention how much time it took me to figure out what she was actually doing and what I had to replicate... and that I had to do it from a certain height. As soon as I saw the shrine pop up... ugh... screw this quest.

#4 (Best) - Recital at Warbler’s Nest

Despite the urge to talk about how terribly cute the small Rito are, I’m gonna have to focus on the quest. It triggers when you talk to one of the five sisters at Warbler’s Nest. She will tell you that her four sisters met up to sing with her, but didn’t come, so you’ve got to look for them. All of the missing Rito are in Rito Village (shoutouts to the one sitting on the cliff that literally took me ages to find) and each of them will give you an ingredient, as the green bird won’t go sing unless you prepare her favourite meal: salmon meunière, which you do by mixing the three ingredients you get from the other sisters.

Once this is done, the five sisters will be finally reunited at Warbler’s Nest and they’ll play their song. Now the player must memorize the order in which they sing, and use a Korok Leaf to enter that pattern using the numbered rocks as a reference to reveal the shrine. This quest mixes two of the main attractions of any Zelda game: exploration and puzzles, and the shrine you get is not a blessing one... but it has a huge staircase.

Now that I’m done talking about the quest... please take a minute to appreciate the cuteness of the five sisters, specially during the cutscene in which they fly back to Rito Village. Also my apologies to the blue one for being an unhatched egg, never forget.

#4 (Worst) - Watch Out for the Flowers

The fact that this is one of the first shrines you’ll encounter after exiting the Plateau doesn’t save it from being among the worst. I’m talking about that infamous quest featuring the mad flower woman, who literally takes away part of your health is you step on her flowers too much. And by stepping, I mean just touching one single flower a little bit. Or you can also wait until you get Revali’s Gale and screw all the process up, but that still makes it too cheap. Get frustrated or skip everything, you decide what to do.

And don’t forget to burn all of the flowers from a certain distance when you leave using bomb arrows. She somehow won’t notice and you’ll feel like you’ve recovered all of the time you may have wasted with this one.

#3 (Best) - The Stolen Heirloom

Unlocking this one takes some time, as you don’t just need to defeat Master Kohga in order to trigger it, but also complete every secondary quest in Kakariko Village. Once you do, you’ll notice something strange at Impa’s house: that big fat orange ball is missing and that girl that gets shipped with Link way to much called Paya will tell you, sobbing, that someone stole it. After falsely incriminating a random woman who just wanted to cry the death of someone he loved (this is your fault Nintendo), if you head to the pedestal that’s next to the Great Fairy Fountain, everything gets suddenly real. Even more if you consider the lore of Kakariko Village.

Basically, the big fat ball was stolen by a big fat Yiga who is suspiciously stronger than the other big fat Yigas. I could talk about the fact that you just have to defeat him in order to unlock the shrine, but it’s the lore what gives the bronze medal to this quest on my list. Dorian, one of the guards in Impa’s House, is a former Yiga member who left the organization to look after his family, so the Yigas killed her wife as a revenge, and as they weren’t done yet they came back to steal the big fat ball which the game likes to call heirloom.

After kicking the Yiga’s butt, the first thing that came to my mind was that boy who was seemingly playing hide and seek with her mother for like, forever. You could think it’s just another NPC cliché, but everything changes when you find out that’s one of Dorian’s children. Then you’ll come across the game’s lore silently cutting onions in a distant corner.

#3 (Worst) - The Lost Pilgrimage

If you’ve played the game, you know what I’m talking about. All Koroks are cute, I must admit, but this one gets on my nerves, Scolting missions in videogames are generally bad, and this one is no exception. This mission is one of the three trials in the Korok Forest, and you have to follow a Korok without letting it notice you and, of course, trying not to lose track of it as he knows the way. And you don’t. The way becomes more and more dangerous as you progress, to the point where he runs back after getting scared without even telling you, and there’s a wolf ready to make things harder. And it’s not a short way.

The first time I did this quest I somehow managed to get to the shrine, but not complete the quest because I didn’t talk to the Korok once I was there. All I can tell you is that I tried again like 100 hours of gameplay later.

#2 (Best) - The Spring of Wisdom

Though you don’t really need to trigger an actual shrine quest in order to unlock the shrine, I just couldn’t miss this one. You’ve probably already seen Dinraal and Farosh flying around Hyrule, but what about Naydra? All the pieces of the puzzle put themselves on its place when you get to the summit of Mount Lanayru: the big blue dragon is possessed by that purple goo thing with eyes. And suddenly, a boss battle appears!

To defeat the evil forces taking over Naydra, you just have to fly next to him and shoot the malicious eyes with any arrows you have. Not too hard, yet not too easy, as Naydra moves and turns pretty fast and you can’t touch its freezing body. Despite the apparent simplicity of the battle, the setting is what makes it unique and different of anything we’ve played so far in any Zelda game. Once Naydra is defeated, you have to take a scale from its body and put it on the fountain to reveal the shrine. Make sure to say hi to Naydra whenever you find it while exploring!

#2 (Worst) - Test of Will

The main attraction of this shrine is three Gorons that don’t even know who you are and aren’t aware of you possessing either Fire Elixir or an entire suit that protects you from extreme heat in your inventory. This quest requires a bit of exploring to find, so you may already have any of the stuff required in your inventory... or you can rely of food, as it somehow prevents you from burning to death.

Now, just stand still for way too long until the Gorons notice you can handle heat better than they do. Don’t worry, they won’t notice you’re technically cheating, but they won’t give you back the five minutes you wasted by simply waiting.

#1 (Best) - Stranded on Eventide

Like if there were any doubts. Stranded on Eventide is the only quest where it just doesn’t matter what weapons or what enemies you’ve killed during your adventure (only hearts and stamina do), so it doesn’t really matter when you do this quest. This quest begins right when you step on Eventide Island for the first time, and the game takes away all of your clothes and weapons so you’ve got to start from zero, using anything you find as a weapon. The aim is to find three orange balls and bring each one to any of the three pedestals.

This is a challenge known for its rather hard difficulty, as it’s not about killing enemies as you’re probably used to do, but about avoiding them. You don’t want to face them though the balls are in the most dangerous locations possible. Heck, there’s even one on a Hinox, and the only alternatives are either climbing to his belly using his hand, or throwing something at his eye when he wakes up. But you can’t deny that the satisfaction of beating this is certainly worth it.

#1 (Worst) - Under a Red Moon

If the main problem with the previous worst quest was waiting, then you’re instantly going to understand why this is the worst quest in the game. You can be lucky and be able to unlock this shrine right away, or be like me and talk to Kass the night after the blood moon happened.

As you might have guessed, all you have to do is stand on the pedestal during a blood moon. And you have to do it naked. Unneeded detail that I bet at least someone missed and got even more frustrated... as unneeded as the quest itself, gotta be honest here.

And that was it! Those were my five most and least favourite shrine quests in Breath of the Wild... hope y’all agree! (probably not, though)

NEXT LIST: TOP 10 HARDEST KOROKS

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thelastpitchbender · 6 years

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Memory | Chapter 4

Summary: Link must relearn how to be a Champion before he defeats Calamity Ganon – but first, he needs to stop setting fires and backflipping off of cliffs. It’s too bad that his attempts to be a responsible hero keep getting interrupted by dumb things like owing people money, remembering hardly anything about who he is, and Yiga Clan assassins trying to kill him.

Rating: T for language, violence, dark stuff, and dumb, bad humor.

Read on: FanFiction | AO3

Chapter index here.

Chapter 4

The Underappreciated Art of Dying Conveniently

When Link woke up the next morning, Beedle was busy setting his massive pack down just outside the stable.

Beedle waved a greeting to Link as he stumbled outdoors. “Oh ho ho! We meet again! I swear, we must have been married in a past life.”

Link rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Possibly. Or maybe you’re just stalking me.”

Beedle snorted. “Nonsense. I have a set schedule I follow in my travels around Hyrule. I think that technically makes you my stalker!”

It was altogether too early in the morning for Beedle’s chipper merchant shtick, but Link chuckled anyway. It was always good to see him. Also, he was running low on arrows. “I thought I saw you on the road yesterday,” he said.

A flicker of consternation passed through Beedle’s eyes, but it was so quick he might have imagined it. “You know me,” Beedle said cheerily. “Sixth sense for danger and all that.”

Link gave him a suspicious look, but chose not to press the issue. He’d known Beedle to hide in the woods from enemies before. He was shockingly good at it for the size of his pack.

As Beedle began to set up his makeshift storefront, Link cast his gaze around the stable and rolled his shoulders. He hadn’t slept well last night, so he was stiff and sore all over. Even worse, it was only around eight in the morning and he could already tell the weather was going to be miserable. It was nice and sunny now, but the warmth and stillness of the morning air portended a stifling and oppressive heat later in the day. He narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

And maybe it was only Link’s imagination, but the air still seemed to be tense. Molo and Breen were treating him normally enough, but what if that was a front?

Kish was definitely still angry. When Link had dragged himself out of bed, the stable owner had shot him a glare and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “Yiga magnet.” Great. This day was getting off to a great start.

Link flopped down onto a seat by the cooking pot and rummaged through his bag of supplies for something to cook. He ended up dicing chunks of meat and Hylian shrooms, cooking them, and stabbing a skewer through them. The skewer was unseasoned, but at least it was hot and fresh from the pot.

Molo was reading a book across the pot from him. Breen was tending to the horses, and Kish was in the middle of some negotiations with Beedle. Link slumped a little when he saw Beedle pass a bundle of arrows to Kish. He knew that the stable dwellers were just going about their daily business, but it was hard not to feel like they were avoiding him.

He was lost in thought when Shamae interrupted him. “Mister Link!” she shouted. “Are you going to fight more guys today?”

Link swallowed, aware of the stable dwellers’ eyes on him. “Uh, I hope not.”

Shamae frowned. “Aw, man! But yesterday was awesome! You beat them up and Molo punched a guy in the face, then I got one in the head!” She enthusiastically mimed her actions in combat as she said them.

Link glanced at the bandage on Breen’s forehead. “It’s only awesome if no one gets hurt,” he said quietly.

Shamae was clearly disappointed, but she got distracted by a butterfly fluttering past her and wandered off. Link abruptly decided that he wanted to leave.

Link stomped back into the stable to retrieve his gear and then slapped a purple rupee onto the counter. It only covered half of his tab, but he figured he could return and pay the rest after the Calamity was gone. He stomped back out and went to Breen, who was tending to the horses. “Horse, please,” he demanded grumpily.

Breen eyed him with a frown. She looked like she was puzzling through several possible responses, which only irritated him more. “You should be nicer to the people taking care of your horse,” she said after a moment, trying and failing for some levity.

Link let out a sharp breath through his nose, and Breen relented, leading Princess out of his stall. He gave his horse a cursory pat on the nose and let him snuffle against his hand until Link pulled out an apple to feed him.

It was suffocating, being in a bad mood around people who may or may not be equally as irritated with him.

Link swung himself onto the white stallion and nudged him forward to the dirt road stretching south. Beedle glanced up at him as he passed and scrambled to his feet. “Link, wait!” he called. “I have to get to Wetland Stable by nightfall. I’ll go with you.”

Link grudgingly halted as Beedle gathered his wares up and slung his pack over his shoulders. The sidelong glances Kish, Ashe, Molo, and Breen were giving him prickled at the back of his neck. He twisted the reins in his fists in impatience.

Beedle caught up to him, and together they set out along the road. Part of Link wanted to be irritated at how slow he had to go for Beedle to keep up, but he had to admit that this was a nice change of pace. He had spent far too long alone in the wild, usually at a hard gallop or climbing all of the hills, trees, and mountains he possibly could. This slow, relaxed pace with a friend for company was welcome. He felt himself relax more and more as they got farther and farther away from the stable.

They reached the Thims Bridge, a simple wooden structure that spanned the Hylia River. Link had only crossed this bridge once before, when he had wanted to scout the Crenel Hills for shrines. It had also been a good vantage point to observe Hyrule Castle from afar.

Link sighed at unwelcome thoughts of the castle, and turned to Beedle instead. Whatever he had been about to say left his mind as he saw the vaguely ill look on Beedle’s face. “Uh, you all right there?” he asked, trying not to laugh.

“I looked over the edge,” he muttered.

Link snorted and glanced over the side of the bridge. “At least it’s a river and not a canyon. Hurts less if you fall.”

“Please do not mention canyons to me,” came Beedle’s groan from behind him. “I had a very bad experience at Tanagar Canyon with a dragon.”

Me too, Link was about to say, remembering his very poorly thought out attempts to shoot Dinraal’s horn. True to form, Revali had mocked him when he had finally resorted to calling up a gale. “Did one of your failed cooking experiments spit a fireball at you?” the Rito had asked snidely.

But Link’s lingering bad mood moved the conversation in another direction. “Seriously, I can’t believe you manage to be a traveling salesman with your fear of heights and monsters.”

“It’s why I’m not dead yet, obviously,” Beedle replied with good humor. “Not everyone can be as good at fighting as you. Especially not half-naked and armed with only a boko bow.”

Link cringed. Right. The first time he met Beedle, he had gone swimming in a river, only to find that bokoblins had stolen his clothes and gear. His plan to throw explosive barrels around their camp as revenge had gone very badly, and he accidentally lured monsters to a stable when he tried to buy arrows from Beedle. Also, Beedle had managed to cheat him out of a lot of rupees.

That was definitely not Link’s finest moment.

“Whatever,” he said rudely. Beedle only hooted with laughter.

By now, they had crested the rocky hill on the other side of the bridge. The rolling hills and plains of Hyrule Field stretched out before them, endlessly green, and the sky was a cloudless blue over their heads. If Link angled himself the right way, he could block out the Malice-infested castle and pretend that all was right in the world. Just him and his salesman buddy, palling around Hyrule.

While Link had been zoned out, Beedle had already started down the other side of the hill, looking a little wobbly under the weight of his pack. “My bugs aren’t going to deliver themselves to the stable, you know,” he called back.

Link nudged Princess into a trot to catch up. “What are you now, a bug delivery man?”

Beedle shook his head. “Lawdon wants to visit Gerudo Town, so he needs to brew some elixirs. I already tried explaining to him that he won’t be able to get in, but I don’t think he believes me…”

Link snickered. Maybe Lawdon knew the same trick he did. Then that absurd thought was replaced by a more serious question. “Do you do these sorts of special orders a lot?” Ashe’s lecture the night before had made him realize just how little he knew about how the way Hyrule’s economy currently functioned. He hadn’t really spent much time in towns or stables after he had woken up, and certainly hadn’t given much thought to how they managed to obtain all of their stuff.

“Only if it doesn’t conflict with my path around Hyrule,” said Beedle. “Most people who want special orders want them regularly delivered every few months or so, when I drop by their place again. I’ve got it worked out to where I pick up stuff from my suppliers in towns and unload it all at the next few stables before I hit the next town…”

Link had started to tune out, but not because he wasn’t interested. An uncomfortable feeling was settling in his gut. It felt sort of like indigestion, but more ominous. The feeling had been his constant companion for long enough that he knew there was an enemy around.

He nudged Princess to a halt, frowning uneasily. Some small noise to his left caught his attention. A pebble clattering against a larger stone, maybe.

Beedle glanced back at him with a question in his eyes. Link held a hand out to indicate he should stop, then got off the horse. There was a cluster of boulders to his left, just a little bit up the hill. Was there a Yiga spy hiding behind them? Link wouldn’t have been surprised.

He carefully picked his way up the hill, trying not to dislodge any dirt from the rocky hill. When he got to the cluster of boulders, he frowned. There was no one there. No sign that anything had been there recently. There was only the sound of the wind and Beedle fidgeting with his pack.

Now it sounded like papers were fluttering in the wind, Link realized absently half a moment before he heard a shout from behind him.

“For the bana – I mean, for the boss!”

Link spun around with a panicked shout and pulled out his demon carver, flailing his arm. The pommel of his demon carver smacked against a Yiga footsoldier’s mask.

The footsoldier flew sideways, skidding and rolling down the hill. Link jumped off the cluster of boulders before hitting the ground and rolling. He came up into a crouch and angled his demon carver at his attacker’s throat before he could teleport away.

“Agh, how dare you – “ the footsoldier spluttered. Link only frowned. His voice, while still masculine, was switching between very deep and nasally high-pitched at random intervals. He tried to wriggle away, but Link pinned his arm down with his free hand. If he looked closer, he could see a fine crack spreading across the Yiga mask. Was the mask…how they disguised themselves as average travelers? Or how they teleported?

Beedle appeared next to them without his pack. “I know your voice,” he said in disbelief, pointing an accusing finger at the Yiga. “I’ve been selling you arrows!”

Link felt the footsoldier’s arm tense under his hand, and snarled, “Don’t.”

The footsoldier’s gaze whipped from Link to Beedle and back again. “Woodland Stable was a trial run,” he hissed. “Watch your back, Champion.”

Anger boiled in his blood. He leaned in close. “If you so much as touch anyone at that stable,” he threatened, “I will gladly go to your hideout and destroy your new leader all over again.”

The footsoldier was quiet at that.

“Go tell your friends that I’m not at the stable anymore,” Link said. He stood up, and the footsoldier scrambled to his feet and ran up the road in the direction Link and Beedle had come from, disappearing from view.

He glanced back at Beedle. The traveling salesman was pale and stared at the spot where the Yiga had disappeared. “I can’t believe he tried to kill you – “

“Did you know he was Yiga?” Link demanded.

Beedle flinched. “No. And I don’t want to sell to them,” he added, a bit defensive. “I think a regular customer of mine at Kara Kara might be one of them. He buys way more arrows than any one guy needs. Just like you, huh?” he finished in an attempt at humor.

Link shook his head, disbelieving. “They’re killers.”

Beedle shrugged. “Well, everyone only thinks they’re crazy. Running around, telling people they want to kill the Hylian Champion, like he hasn’t been dead for a hundred years…”

Link clamped his mouth shut, miserable. He didn’t like being lumped in with the people trying to kill him. Come to think of it, he didn’t like being little more than a legend to the people of Hyrule. His life would be so much easier if everyone just knewhe was supposed to destroy the Calamity. Doing it all himself was overwhelming.

Beedle could not force another word out of him for the rest of the journey to the stable. If your words show weakness, perhaps it’s wisest not to speak at all. Who had said that to him? The phrase had the feel of a memory, the voice that spoke it faded and indistinct like a century-old painting. Link shook his head. Whoever had said it, the phrase had clearly done its job.

He didn’t realize they had reached the stable until a cold shadow fell over him. He glanced up, startled, only to see the building’s massive horse head looming above him. He hopped off the horse, dragging his hands over his face. He had to get it together. Poor Beedle probably had no idea what he’d done to make him so upset.

Better outlook, Link.This stable probably hadn’t been attacked by Yiga yet. It was surrounded by trees, so there was plentiful shade to beat the heat. No one here would be mad at him, except maybe Beedle.

Feeling a little bit better, he led Princess to a water trough and pulled out his own waterskin from a saddlebag. There was a man wearing a typical stable hat whacking away at a practice dummy only a few feet away from him. With a torch, no less.

“You mind?” Link muttered when the torch got dangerously close to Princess’ flank.

“I am Yolero, wielder of the legendary Master Torch,” the man said haughtily. “I do mind.”

“I think it’s a sword,” said Link with a heavy dose of irony.

Yolero stopped hitting the dummy and turned to Link with a frown. “What is?”

“You know. The Master Sword. The sword that seals the darkness. Blade of evil’s bane.” Link waved his hand vaguely. The sword I’m supposed to have. Damn the Koroks.

Yolero scoffed. “My grandmother always told me it was a torch.”

It’s only been a hundred years, Link thought with a strange mix of annoyance and sadness. Surely his grandmother would have remembered stories about the Hylian Champion more accurately…

Or maybe she had sanitized the stories for a young grandchild. Dinraal’s fire, was he just a children’s story now?

Link shook it off with an irritated huff. This was getting ridiculous. “You’re fast, but try to control your swings better,” he advised Yolero. “You’re leaving yourself wide open.”

Yolero blinked at the unsolicited advice, then thanked him hesitantly. Link only nodded, then went to go find Beedle.

He found himself standing before Beedle’s pack, scrambling around in his mind for the proper words to say. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out after an uncomfortable few seconds. Beedle shot him a quizzical glance.

“I’m sorry I just stopped talking to you earlier,” Link clarified, bringing a hand to the back of his head in embarrassment. “I…I’m not good at talking to people. And I don’t like the Yiga Clan.”

“I can tell,” Beedle said dryly. Link panicked for a moment at the stillness of his expression. Goddess, had he actually really hurt Beedle’s feelings?

Then Beedle’s face split into a smile. “Gotcha!” he hooted. “I know you’re bad at talking to people. Your strengths lay outside the realm of social interaction. That’s what I’m here for!” He winked.

Link breathed a sigh of relief and grinned. “In that case, can I buy some arrows? I have some more monster parts for you.”

Hylia bless Beedle. He was the one who deserved to be a legend.

And it wasn’t the end of the world that Beedle sold arrows to a guy who may or may not have been Yiga. Right? He had to remember the root problem. The Calamity.

This new pensive mood was how Link found himself seated on a crate at sunset, studying Hyrule Castle for the first time in a month. He did not shy away from taking in the crumbling spires and the magenta swirls of malice that choked the castle grounds, just as visible in the encroaching dusk as in broad daylight. This felt like progress, he thought, self-satisfied. Maybe next time he could forget about his disastrous last visit to the castle long enough to defeat the Calamity. He would have to.

Okay, Link. What’s step one?

Step one was to visit Gerudo Town. Riju would know more about what was happening with the Yiga.

Step two: infiltrate the Yiga Clan’s hideout. And maybe, if he was lucky, he could somehow… Well, he wasn’t sure exactly how he could stop them, at least temporarily, but he could figure it out.

Step three: protect the towns and stables. That… Link didn’t really have any idea how to do that.

Step four: Defeat the Calamity. That was the most daunting step of all.

Well. Step one was good enough for now.

Without sparing another look back at the stable, he got on Princess and galloped down the road.

It had been nice taking it easy earlier in the day, but he couldn’t deny that he loved the wind tearing through his hair and Princess’s mane, the steady rolling gait of his horse, and how the wilds scrolled by under the last traces of orange, pink and lavender in the evening sky.

The Lanayru Wetlands and their ruins passed by on his left, then soon enough he reached Eagus Bridge. He grinned, exulting in the thrill of riding fast. He almost felt like he and his horse were soaring across Hyrule Field. He would have to give extra apples to Princess when they stopped.

They skirted the Great Plateau, faint moonlight illuminating the sheer cliff face. Before long, Link was facing the Gerudo Highlands and their orange steppes turned silver by the nighttime. He was almost at the Digdogg Suspension Bridge.

As he came to the top of the gentle hill before the bridge, he slowed Princess to a halt and cursed. Some moblins had set up camp right next to the bridge, and although they were sleeping now, they would be woken up by a horse passing by. What was more, a red wizzrobe was prancing around above the burnt husk of a house nearby.

“Ugh,” Link muttered. He was not in the mood for fighting, but that wizzrobe would definitely wake the moblins if he tried to pass by. Maybe with a well-placed ice arrow and a bit of luck he could sneak past the moblins…

He swung himself off the stallion and took out his duplex bow. He pulled an ice arrow out of his quiver and kneeled in the grass. The wizzrobe was still busy looking like an idiot as Link inched his way closer. Finally, he had a semi-clear shot.

This first shot has to work. “No pressure,” he muttered to himself.

He pulled the string back and let his hand come to its comfortable anchor point against his jaw. Wizzrobes were stupid. Stupid, and annoying. If it would just stop moving for one Goddess-cursed second…

There.He aimed carefully and released. The wizzrobe shrieked and dissolved in a cloud of icy mist. Link ran back down the slope to Princess and vaulted on, hissing, “Let’s go.”

They galloped up the road. Moblins in the camp startled awake and went for their clubs, but they were too slow to catch him, even as they gave chase. “Ha, suckers!” Link shouted after them.

Then the moblins stopped. Link frowned at the sudden halt, then shrugged. He turned back around in the saddle.

He found himself about to collide with a recently awakened hinox.

“Shit!” Link yelped, yanking the reins to the side to get Princess out of the way. He scrambled off the horse while he tried to unsheathe his demon carver. The hinox just blinked at him. Then tried to sit on him.

Link barely threw himself out of the way. Gasping, he hacked at the monster’s leg a few times. He whirled out of the way as the hinox tried to swat at him, but now he was facing away from the hinox and he could see the water far below him. Some strange feeling was taking over, somehow familiar yet disorienting. There was something at the edge of his memory, with the hinox and the water, at the tip of his tongue –

It suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. The moonlight gleaming off the Regencia River –

The moonlight gleaming off of Ralis Pond –

“There’s a hinox at Ralis Pond!” Bazz shouted.

Link squinted at the little Zora. “So?”

“So we should fight it!” Bazz pumped his fist in the air, and Rivan and Gaddison bounced around in excitement.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Link said, with all of the dignity and conviction he could muster from his young age.

Rivan shoved his way in front of Bazz with a pout. “Aw, why not, Link? You taught us how to fight!”

“I’m nine,” Link pointed out sagely.

“You beat that soldier in a fight yesterday,” Gaddison replied in a quiet voice.

“Only cause he didn’t try,” Link blustered, secretly pleased at the mention of his victory. “No one wants to beat up a kid.”

“Right, so that hinox won’t want to hit us!” Bazz shouted.

Link frowned. “Don’t think that’s how that works.”

“And how would you know, Mr. I’ve-never-seen-a-monster-in-real-life?” Rivan retorted, poking him in the back.

“Hey, ow,” Link muttered. “My dad is a knight and he fights monsters. Of course I would know.”

“Would not,” Bazz scoffed. “When do you even talk to him? You spend too much time with Kodah.”

“Do not,” Link snapped, just as Gaddison rolled her eyes.

“Link doesn’t even spend that much time with her,” she said. She was much less riled up than the other two Zoras. “You guys aren’t making sense. Boys are dumb.”

“Fight me, Gaddison!” Rivan was yelling, but Link was no longer invested in that conflict. He had just remembered that his father had told him to corral all the Zora kids back to their pools if it got late. And, judging by the fact that he could see the moon over the cliffs of Zora’s Domain, it was very late indeed.

“Aw, man,” Link groaned, head in his hands. “My dad’s going to kill me.”

When he looked up, the Zoras were gone. Link whirled around, heart pounding, scanning the waterways of the Domain. There, at the very end, he saw the three kids running off. “The Big Bad Bazz Brigade rides again!” Bazz yelled.

“No, you don’t, not without me!” Link shouted back, but it was too late. By the time he made it to the upper level of the Domain, he had lost them.

He cast his gaze around wildly. What would he do if they actually tried to fight the hinox? He didn’t have weapons! The Big Bad Bazz Brigade didn’t have weapons! His dad would kill him! He would never get to be a knight of Hyrule!

Completely at a loss, he brightened when he saw Kodah over by the inn. “Kodah, Kodah, Kodah!” he shouted, using up all of his breath.

The red-finned Zora turned to him, startled. “What’s wrong, Linny?”

Link couldn’t even spare the effort to be annoyed by the nickname. “Big Bad – Bazz Brigade? There’s a hinox – Ralis Pond – no swords – “ He bent over, hands on his knees, out of breath and a little bit panicky.

Kodah frowned. “I did see them run past, yelling like a lizalfos was chasing them. I hope they’re not trying to get into trouble.”

That was Kodah for you. Always the practical and mature one. Link was always privately worried that she would look down on him for hanging out with the little hooligans of the Big Bad Bazz Brigade, but she never did.

But now was not the time for thinking! “I’m more worried about myself!” Link called over his shoulder as he dashed for the bridge connecting the Domain with the cliffs surrounding it.

The gentle glow of the Domain’s luminous stones under moonlight usually mesmerized Link, but he was on a mission. The Brigade had a head start and an advantage, what with the water everywhere. He had gotten pretty good at splashing around in the almost two years his father had been stationed here, but he was no Zora.

Wait – there! Leaning up against the side of the bridge, in a little alcove next to a crate, was an abandoned silver sword. Link snatched it up, almost tripping over himself, and kept running. He ducked and weaved around the strange, luminescent plants growing on the cliff. His footsteps squelched in the grass, the morning’s rain doing its part to slow him down.

Ahead of him, next to a small pond, he could see a hinox getting to its feet and blinking blearily. Three small Zoras ran around it, dodging its line of sight.

Link’s heart jumped in his throat. Had he been that stupid when he was younger?

He was around twenty feet away from the hinox now. Before he knew what he was doing, he yelled, “Hey! Over here!”

The hinox’s gaze inched its way over to him. The hinox was very blue. And very, very big. Link swallowed.

The hinox took a great, lumbering step toward him. The earth shook when its foot hit the ground. Link held the silver sword before him, doing his best to ignore how the point of the sword wobbled.

The hinox raised an arm, and Link’s muscles tensed, ready to jump out of the way –

“Ya dumb monster! You’re as fat as King Dorephan!”

Link could only blink for a second. The hinox was just as confused, turning back around to face the source of the shout. Gaddison was smacking Rivan’s shoulder, exclaiming, “You can’t say that about the king! That’s mean!”

Then the hinox’s shadow fell over them, and their eyes widened. Bazz tried to pull them out of the way, but they were nearly trapped against a rock face.

Link let loose his best imitation of a battle cry and charged at the hinox. He slashed at the back of its legs, but now the hinox was turning and he was losing that good angle. He ducked under a swipe of its hand and stabbed right under its knee. The hinox howled in pain, a loud, monstrous sound that jarred Link right out of his focus. He didn’t realize the hinox was about to sit on him until a small Zora hand grabbed his and yanked him out of the way.

He stared in disbelief at the spot he had just been, now flattened by the hinox. “You’re welcome,” Gaddison squeaked, before beating a hasty retreat back to the bush the Big Bad Bazz Brigade was hiding behind.

Link ran forward again, able to slash at the monster while it was attempting to get back up. He noted with a fierce pride that he had done some serious damage to one of its legs.

He was interrupted again by a cry of, “Link!” coming from behind him.

Link whirled around on reflex to see a red-finned Zora with a gleaming trident sprinting right for the hinox. He watched in awe as Princess Mipha of the Zora gracefully launched herself into the air and drove the Lightscale Trident right into the hinox’s eye.

The hinox staggered back, clutching at its eye, but Mipha was too fast. She had wrenched the trident out of its eye and vaulted away before it could even come close to touching her. Thinking fast, Link hollered at the hinox, drawing its attention to him.

As it was distracted, Mipha sprinted around to the back of the hinox and, in a quick series of blows, brought it to its knees. With a final, decisive blow to the back of the neck, the hinox slumped forward, now motionless. Link watched thick, black blood ooze out of the hinox’s eye and legs, horrified and fascinated despite himself.

Mipha emerged from behind the monster’s corpse, somehow unscathed. She smiled. “Thank you for your help, Link.”

Link could not think of what to say for a second. Then he blurted, “Thank Gaddison! Gaddison saved me!”

“That’s right!” Rivan added from behind the bush. “She’s a real heroine!”

Mipha turned to where the members of the Big Bad Bazz Brigade were creeping out from behind the bush, matching sheepish and scared expressions on their faces. “Then I thank you for your help as well, Gaddison,” she said, that gentle smile still in her voice. How did Mipha manage to be so nice all the time? It was a complete mystery to Link, who was tired, sore, and cranky now that the adrenaline was leaving his system.

Then another set of running footsteps sounded behind him, heavier than Mipha’s. Link froze, pulse pounding. He recognized those footsteps.

He slowly turned around and came face to face with his father.

He was still wearing his knight’s armor, although his helmet was tucked under his arm. The expression on his face scared Link. It was a cross between anger, impatience, and fear that he had never seen before. “Link,” he began gravely.

Link bowed his head, terrified of the inevitable lecture he was going to get. “I’m sorry, dad, I – “

“You know that all of you need to stay together in the Domain when I’m in meetings with the Zora guard. I was specific about what time I expected you and your friends to be in bed by, wasn’t I?” His father sounded more tired than anything else.

“Sunset,” Link managed, willing the shameful tears away from his eyes. It was all his fault…

Bazz crept forward into Link’s peripheral vision, startling him. “I’m sorry, sir, it’s all my fault! I wanted to fight the hinox, and I’m the leader of the Brigade, so they all listened to me…”

Link’s head jerked up in surprise at Bazz’s defense. For some reason, faint amusement flickered in his father’s eyes for a moment, then it was eclipsed by the old, tired anger. “Just be grateful that Princess Mipha was here to save your sorry behinds.” He turned to her and bowed. “I can’t thank you enough, Highness.”

Mipha smiled, bringing the tip of her trident down to the ground in a relaxed stance. “If you would like, Sir Rossin, you may return to your meeting. I can bring the children back.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded, sending Link one last reproachful glance. Then he turned and jogged back to the Domain.

Link watched his shiny armor dwindle into the distance, miserable. To his surprise, Mipha laid a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Kodah came to find me as soon as you left. I explained to your father that you were only trying to save them. He won’t be angry for long.”

“Thank you, Princess,” he said glumly, unable to feel very optimistic about that.

“It’s all our fault, Princess!” Rivan yelled, Bazz and Gaddison looking suitably regretful behind him. “We thought we could fight it, but then Link did all the work!”

“Link did all the work?” Mipha echoed with a surprising amount of indignation. “But I killed the beast!”

“It was mostly Princess Mipha,” Link admitted, not even ashamed to say it in the face of her extraordinary prowess with the Lightscale Trident.

As the laughter of the Zora princess and children rose into the night, Link made a private resolution.

If his dad ever let him become a knight, he would train with both the sword and the spear.

He blinked, and he was facing the Regencia River again. The world was covered in a haze of red, and Link was briefly terrified – had he somehow miscounted the days? Was it already the blood moon again? – but then he realized what was happening.

Daruk was back! Link turned around to see the Goron’s ethereal, red form holding up the barrier. “Welcome back, little guy!” Daruk exclaimed, but Link didn’t miss the trace of worry in his voice.

“Sorry, I don’t know what got into me – “ Link babbled. He must have instinctively summoned the barrier while he was zoned out.

“It’s alright, I just took a few hits – “ Daruk pushed his arms out with a grunt, countering the hinox’s strike and leaving the monster off-balance and reeling. Daruk and his barrier fizzled out as he expended the last of the energy keeping him with Link.

Link did not waste the opportunity to dart around the hinox. But he was still reeling from the memory – Bazz, Mipha, his father – and he somehow found himself trapped between the edge of the natural platform and the hinox.

Then something hit his side with the force of a flying, massive boulder, and the world spun around him. He landed with a bone-jarring thud that forced the breath out of his lungs.

Everything went black.

Then he opened his eyes, crying out in pain, and saw Mipha. Everything came back to him in a rush. The hinox, the memory–

He ignored the pain seizing his chest and propped himself up on one arm. Mipha frowned, but he blurted, “I remember!”

Mipha’s hand hovered above his chest, confusion warring with faint hope in her eyes. “What do you remember?”

“I remember, Mipha!” He felt his face break into a broad grin. “That time Bazz, Rivan, and Gaddison wanted to fight a hinox and I chased them and you saved our lives – “ A sharp twinge in his side cut him off, but it couldn’t put a damper on his excitement or the joy that was slowly spreading across Mipha’s face.

“Then why are you having a harder time beating a hinox now than when you were nine years old?” she teased. “Come on. I believe in you.”

Link laughed, half in disbelief and half in delight. “I’m so happy, Mipha – “

Her form had faded and vanished, but Link’s joy did not go away. He jumped to his feet and charged at the hinox, roaring a battle cry. He remembered! He remembered something about his father, about his childhood friends, about his dear friend and fellow Champion Mipha.

Link hardly noticed when the steel of the demon carver fractured and splintered against the tough hide of the hinox, or when his arrow pierced the monster’s eye, or when it finally died and dissipated in a swirl of magenta smoke. The hinox had been carrying a royal broadsword around its neck, and Link picked it up to replace the demon carver he had lost. Not even the remarkably foul-smelling blood and guts of the hinox could bring him down.

He had been so convinced for so long that all he would ever have of his past life were scattered fragments, diaries, and hearsay. An uncomfortable proportion of his memories involved Princess Zelda being rude to him. He had given up on anything more, much less anything more revealing.

And now his father had a face and a name. Sir Rossin. A tall, broad, dark-haired man with intense blue eyes and a nose slightly crooked from where it had been broken before. Link could only assume he took more after his mother.

And maybe he would remember his mother soon! He had no idea why he had begun to remember now, but he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Poor Princess was still huddled by the edge of the bridge, tossing his head nervously. “It’s okay, horse,” Link laughed as he patted his nose and pulled an apple out of a saddlebag.

Soon enough, they were back on the road, flying through Gerudo Canyon. Link hadn’t felt this optimistic in ages.

#fanfic #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #botw #memory #link #beedle #MY PRECIOUS SON BEEDLE #to tell you who else shows up in this chapter would constitute a spoiler #sorry not sorry #guess you'll have to read it

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