#would hyrule have tarot? idk that's why i went with generic cartomancy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ferallymine · 1 year

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AOC: Cardplayers

a/n: I asked my deck what a reading for this trio would look like and here we are. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hut was small in comparison to her study- both rooms could easily fit inside it judging by how it looked on the outside. How could a space be so small, yet house so many oddities? The hut’s outside appearance lied to all watching about what it could possibly contain.

Zelda admired the trinkets and haphazardly displayed plants, potions, and other assorted goods in Iris’ living space. There’s just so many things to ask her. If she didn’t know better, Zelda would only think of her as a mystical hoarder. The bedroom door was closed, but she imagined what other mysteries could be inside. Even the dust highlighted in the sunlight from the window felt ethereal and specially placed. Her own study could never feel this cozy, no matter how much Zelda loved being in it.

Link simply sat beside her, silent but also curious. Only the ones who knew him best could tell by the glint in his eyes- often the only way to gauge his true thoughts. He didn’t have any burning questions, unlike the royal to his right. He felt her fidget in her seat, eyes darting everywhere.

Was it dust, glitter, dirt, or remains in that tattered leather pouch? What’s in all those corked bottles? Why are some of them sealed in wax? Some of these plants should be impossible to plant inside- how did she do it? Was that a-

“My Lily, you could summon a horde with the sound of your thoughts,” The witch laughed, turning from the counter to face a now flustered Zelda. “Do you want to ask about my living choices, or would you like to use our time on the cards?” Such an air of friendly teasing in her words.

“S-sorry! The cards please.” Zelda didn’t mind the nicknames Iris gave, but it always made her feel special in a strange platonic sense. It was a similar warmth to Urbosa’s ‘little bird.’ It was soft- gentle, even- in a world where a cursed prophecy required the worst parts of themselves to be put first.

Zelda realized she had spaced out, returning her gaze back to Iris.

She pulled beautifully worn cards from a sage green cloth. Iris closed her eyes, shuffling the cards with mastery. Her fingertips seemed to blur together as the cards moved. There was a faint energy in the air. All three of them felt it pull at their inner selves. What power could pull their questions into a carefully detailed piece of paper?

In rapid succession, Iris laid out seven cards. “Alright… what do we have?”

In front of Link lay the Page and 4 of Cups.

In front of Zelda lay the Hierophant and R! 8 of Wands.

In front of Iris lay the R! Sun and the Queen of Wands.

In the middle lay Justice.

“Ah.”

“Ah? What do you mean ‘ah,’ Iris?!”

“I mean ‘Ah.’ Like a pompous way to say the last syllable in your name.”

“Well, what does it say? Tell us!” Tell me, please…

“Don’t rush what you don’t yet understand, Highness.” Iris hummed as she looked the spread over. Her fingers gently hovered over each card, thoughts collecting before she spoke, “I think I know what it’s saying…”

“My Alium,” She turned to Link- his poker face unchanged, “…your cards mean to trust your instincts. Your passions and talents are unmatched in skill, yes, but there’s more to find if you look around. Let others help you; Don’t get tunnel vision.”

Link slowly nodded, pieces of his hair drifting over his face. Iris sensed reservations in the way he held his fists by his side, but said nothing. She shifted her weight to face Zelda- who was frantically scanning over all the cards. Easy there, Lily…

Zelda waited, anxious nerves tingling just underneath her skin. When Iris had told her she once knew cartomancy, she immediately begged for a reading. Zelda hoped that the cards would help her directly talk to the powers above, or at least give her answers to why her power wasn’t awakening.

“This figure is the Hierophant. Since it’s accompanied by the reversed 8 of wands, I think the powers want you to face your frustration with traditions and authority.” Iris closed her eyes, wiggling her fingers to find the right words. A breath before she continued, “You’re feeling stuck, most of it being entangled with standards of religion. Maybe let yourself be, well, yourself, instead of what His Majesty demands.”

“This is just what we already know!” Zelda stood in frustration, but hit her head off the bookshelf above the seat. She furiously rubbed the bump, both as a distraction from the pain and to just… move. Scream without screaming. Why can’t anyone give a straightforward answer!

Iris scooted her chair back, pulling the table with her. She figured that letting Zelda do what she needed would be better than anything else. Link followed suit, keeping his eyes on the environment for anything dangerous that could fall. The cards were jostled, but nothing overly disruptive disturbed their placements.

“I don’t mean to put so much into something so meaningless,” Zelda blinked back tears, “But by the Goddess I wanted some sort of straightforward answer.”

Iris cocked her head, “…I understand where you’re coming from, but this did give some insight-”

“NO IT DID NOT!” Her sudden yell silenced everything. It was as if even the very dust in the air came to a standstill, the plants seemed a bit less green, and the sunlight faded as clouds began to blot the sky. Zelda’s breaths became heavy as she tried to control her emotions. “What about your cards, huh? What do they say?! That you’re perfect and mighty enough to face this?!”

“I will not answer to someone yelling at me like that.” Iris interlocked her fingers, face stone cold. “Take all the time you need, but I will not tolerate this in my home.”

“You are to help me, Iris! You swore allegiance!”

“My allegiance is to Hyrule, not to someone who thinks yelling condescending insults will get her answers.” Iris waved a hand, maroon smoke sending the cards flying into the air. She reached out, randomly grabbing one as the rest fell wherever.

“Hmm… 9 of Swords,” Iris looked back at Zelda, “Go rest. You’ve got too much on your mind for clear thinking.” Another wave of the hand opened her bedroom door. Zelda stood defiant for only a moment, then sighed and retreated. The slam of the door rattled some pots, but nothing fell.

Link sat still, stunned at the sudden outburst. Not knowing what else to do, he knelt to pick up some of the scattered cards. Iris swirled maroon around, gathering ones he hadn’t grabbed.

“What did your cards say?”

Iris paused, looking up to make sure she heard correctly. Crimson met blue as their gaze set on each other. Link’s face blushed, realizing this was one of the very rare times he allowed himself to speak. He dared not move, suddenly too embarrassed to do anything beyond stare at her.

Iris’ face softened, thought a light blush graced her face. “Mine said that I’ve got to face some inner sorrows, but if I remain confident and determined, I should come out relatively okay. Anything could define that term, though. The middle card invited us to realize our impact on the Calamity if we stay to what’s true.”

Link smiled, looking at his hands. Seeing the remaining cards, he quickly offered them to her. There were only a few and they were all haphazardly clumped together, facing many ways. The Lovers card lay on top, just under his thumb. Iris chuckled before accepting them.

She knew that puzzled look on his face as she put the cards in the cloth. “The Lovers can be quite literal when they come up. Often times, though, they represent a choice to be made. There’s a duality to life that we tend to forget as we move along.” She finished tying off the cloth, moving to set it on the shelf, “But these are the cataclysmic prophesied times, so who knows how many choices we’ll have to make await us.”

#iris #legend of zelda oc #aoc link #aoc zelda #would hyrule have tarot? idk that's why i went with generic cartomancy #but iris is a witch she would defiinitely use it #this was fun tho #oc #writing #a fun little ditty for incorporating my deck(s) into my writing abilities

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