#ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ɪ'ᴍ sᴏ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ɴᴏᴡ | IC

[lightumbra-a]

“if wild animals are truly as dangerous as everyone claims them to be, then i fail to understand why the goddesses would make them so cute.”

[lightumbra-a]

@dullweapons​ said:

Ray would like to hold hands but is too shy so he will just put his hand near hers and hope for the best -

zelda is (thankfully) quite intuitive, and so will quietly and gently take his hand in her own.

[lightumbra-a]

@dcvorakk​ said:  " Responsibility for human life is something that not everyone can deal with. Some people don't even know how to be responsible for their own lives, so I can't imagine how hard life of kings and queens have to be. You know, being aware of the fact that one word and your people can just... er, die? One wrong decision? It's just... unimaginable. "

“it is...” a pause, a deep breath. “a heavy burden.”

one that she was painfully aware of; her parents had made sure she understood how her every action could have unintended consequences for everyone around her. her people looked to her, relied on her, and yet she could cause devastation and death with naught but a word from her lips. the weight of it had been settled on her shoulders since childhood, a terrifying shadow cast over her every decision, her every move.

“one mistake could lead to the absolute ruin of my kingdom,” a fact that she knew all too well, now. her eyes fixed ahead, unfocused, memories of the recent tragedy still all too fresh in her mind.

a moment passed before her attention snapped back to the man before her, a gloved hand pressed to her cheek in thought.

“however...inaction can be just as disastrous. hesitation can cause just as much havoc as a swift response. there is a fine line to walk, and even then, things could go wrong.”

there was no guarantee anything she did would work out in the way she intended, a terrifying thought that nearly paralyzed her at times.

“ah, well,” she smiled, then. “i suppose all i can do is my best, and if that proves inadequate...there are ways of holding the monarchy accountable.” her hand slid from her cheek to her neck, where she drew a line across her throat. a morbid joke that did little to lighten the mood.

[lightumbra-a]

“there is nothing to be lost in sleeping only one night a week. in fact, it allows me more time for important work. this can only be seen as a net gain.”

[lightumbra-a]

“i have, on occasion, and not at all related to events passed, wondered what it might be like to ride a wolf as one might a horse. is it faster? is it more comfortable? will i get eaten?

i would like to know.”

[lightumbra-a]

@riidcr​ |  ❤

“i’d not recommend going out into the field so close to sunset. once the drawbridge raises, there will be no coming back until morning.”

[lightumbra-a]

deep breaths.

oh, she hadn’t done this since she was a child. it always felt safer with queen rutella -- with someone she knew and trusted, who would be there in case things went wrong. and that wasn’t to say none of the other zora would extend a helping hand, simply that she wasn’t near as close to any of them to have formed that level of trust.

but when did she have time to do foolish things anymore? and she had already climbed all the way up here, it’d be such a shame to have to walk back down to lake hylia...

deep breaths.

she backed away from the cliff, from the waterfall, poised to take a running start. she breathed, eyes closed tight, and made a dash for the edge.

the fall was exhilarating, cold air rushing by as she descended faster and faster. it was terrifying and it was nerve racking and it was fun. 

the water enveloped her in an instant, clear and cool and refreshing. a moment passed before zelda opened her eyes, and she could almost smile at the zora looking at her, waving at her. she waved back.

a deep breath in as she broke the surface, fingers pushing back soaked hair to keep it out of her face. eyes drifted to the edge of the lake, to the river that fed into lake hylia. the current was fast -- it always was -- but this time of year, if she remembered correctly, was somewhat more...manageable than others.

the prospect was always a little frightening, but...well, she had come this far.

and so she leaned back in the water, relaxing to allow her to float, and let the current carry her off.

[lightumbra-a]

“being queen allows me to do, essentially, whatever i’d like. if i wish to ride the waterfall down from the zora’s domain, there is no earthly presence that can stop me.”

[lightumbra-a]

@dullweapon​ |  ❤

“i was a fool to assume i could change the course of fate, that i could skip to the end of the goddesses game.”

[lightumbra-a]

@dragmiire​ |  ❤

“our story could be different.”

[lightumbra-a]

@flynni​ said:  “ i’ve been dying to leave . ”

his words rang in her ears; it was a sentiment that she understood better than one might expect. memories of her brief time spent locked away in her tower came unbidden, of pacing the floor and gazing out the window and hoping desperately for freedom. imprisonment was not an experience she wished to repeat, and perhaps it was this experience that gave her a certain sense of empathy for the poor man.

stormy eyes appraised him from the other side of the bars, expression calm and neutral as she came to rest a palm against her cheek. laws were laws and they were in place for a reason -- and yet, looking at the man, now...he seemed not villainous nor even the slightest bit dangerous. perhaps it was his face; it held the aura of someone good-natured, or at the very least, someone who would not go out of his way to harm another.

she sighed, removing her hand from her cheek to hold it towards the guard who had escorted her in expectant fashion. a moment passed as he hesitated, and her eyes shifted to the soldier, fingers curling in a clear sign of give it here.

the moment the key dropped into her waiting palm, she was moving forward to unlock the cell.

“alright,” there may have been the barest hint of a smile on her face as she spoke, despite the exasperated tone in her voice. “i’d rather not have you passing away down here, and believe it or not, thievery is the least of my worries at the present moment.”

she pulled the door open for him, gesturing for him to exit with a gloved hand. “i can escort you out, if you would like. you would experience far less harassment from my soldiers were i to be with you.”

[lightumbra-a]

@dragmiire​ said:  ' you know this is how it simply must be. '

she did.

this was the cycle by which hyrule functioned -- peace followed by absolute despair and destruction. it had happened once before and it would happen once again. perhaps in fifty years and perhaps in five hundred, but it would all return to this eventually. and though she knew that it would always be this way, that she could not alter the course of fate...

...she could not understand why.

of course, his motives in this instance were not entirely unknown to her -- though the people of hyrule were largely unaware, the darker parts of her country’s history were required learning, if she was to lead. it was not that which confused her, it was the repetitive nature of things that she could not grasp.

they were trapped in this eternal dance and she could not find any rhyme or reason to it.

her hands twisted against her dress beneath her cloak, thoughtful eyes focused on the ground just at his feet.

“tell me why.” her tone was not demanding, but gentle, pleading. “i know that we cannot change things, i know that this was destined to happen in some way, but..."

a slight shake of her head was given, confusion shown in the slight shift of her expression. if she was to be subjected to this, she deserved to know the reason behind it, did she not?

“are the goddesses so angry with hyrule? or perhaps just bored? for what purpose do they put us through this again and again?”

[lightumbra-a]

@gerudosage​ |  ❤

“i do so appreciate your companionship, but...you need not stay here. i would rather you be safe than stay with me.”

[lightumbra-a]

@nofliight​ |  ❤

“i’m not saying you want to. i’m not saying you would. i’m not saying you have to, i’m just saying you could.” hands clasped behind her back as she shifted her weight to one leg, looking up at the great canon before them. it always sounded so...fun. to be fired into the sky at high speeds, but she was just a tad nervous to go first.

though that didn’t necessarily make bullying pit into trying it okay.

[lightumbra-a]

@kcmorebi​ |  ❤

a hand pressed against her cheek as she looked on at the hero, thoughtful. quiet.

“i know you were never truly a wolf,” she said, at last. “but it’s strange to see you on two legs. you seem...less intimidating without the teeth and fur.”

[lightumbra-a]

there was such work to do, enough so that zelda rarely slept these days, and yet...to have just a moment of time spent outside the castle was truly welcome. to forgo all of her royal finery in favor of simpler, more comfortable clothing, regalia all but forgotten and her crown replaced with a humble circlet.

the fields were still somewhat dangerous -- they always had been, that was not ganondorf’s doing in its entirety -- but it was better, during the day. safe enough that she could wander without escort, a basket on her arm for flowers and trinkets and whatever else she might find. flowers were, of course, her favorite, followed closely by recently deceased insects. the pages of her various journals -- a mix of personal thoughts, poetry, and sketches alike -- were decorated heavily by these found items that she pressed and prepared, herself.

it was domestic and simple, a project she could set to work at and finish in a manner of days. something where the wrong decision did not mean the end of the world, or bringing harm to any of her citizens. to someone who held the weight of the world on her shoulders, such small tasks were relaxing. a needed respite from everything else. 

she hummed as she walked, movements rhythmic and fluid as the tension eased from her shoulders. the glittering sword at her hip, for she was not foolish enough to leave herself without any form of protection, was all but forgotten as she came to rest beneath the shade of a great tree, just out of sight of hyrule castle. her back leaned against the sturdy bark, her eyes closed. she would rest for just a moment, before heading home.