#♛ ¦ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ༺ ic

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁  a fortunate gift for such unfortunate circumstances , zelda pours herself over the arcanus isle compendium , finger tracing annotations left in neat cursive script . no , no , this isn't it -- and the princess hastily turns the page . for as detailed as the compendium was , it lacked any specific notation of the nightmare moss she'd been hearing of .

click . frustrated , a sigh of frustration passes her lip as she quickly presses the cover closed and looks around , reassessing her whereabout . it was one thing to be thrust into the middle of chaos . it was a challenge entirely separate to be placed in the center of an entirely unfamiliar land . sure , she had hardly scraped the surface of her own land , but uprooting oneself entirely from the familiarity was . . .

admittedly thrilling , had it come with better timing . for even if she had always carried the unspoken desire to disappear , it was not to trade tragedies nor abandon her own ongoing . but she simple had to make do the best she could and put her faith forward .

which was much easier said than done .

" excuse me , " zelda approached the reference desk . empty . abandoned . when circumstances were most dire , people sought the comfort of their homes and families . of course there were no workers left .

tap tap tap . nail bounced against the wooden desk as if calculating her next move . she could just go and . . . try and scrape a bit of it off to look at it closer . asinine . she was no botanist , and if the information releasing had any bit of credibility it was not in her interest to get close to the nightmare moss . . .

however , " it's no use . we'll never get anywhere without some risk . "

and so zelda presses her compendium into her arms , making haste towards the closed botany hall of the arcanus university campus . without risk , there would yield no reward .

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁ the aircon unit buzzes and rumbles in the background , filling the space between them with meaningless static . and maybe . . . that is a miracle or some stroke of good will by the goddess , because it helps . its rhythm buzzes , and the mind carries its rhythm with it : i believe you , i believe you .

perhaps . . . that had been what she had been holding out for this entire time . a place . she just needed him to hear her ; to know that she was here , in the same place at the same time . to acknowledge and be acknowledged for what they were : two survivors who run and run until time inevitably catches up to them or tosses them apart . like crimson , fog . . . or sapphire , waters .

a beat -- two , actually -- pass and zelda nods : okay . okay . she'll trust that he'll talk to her when he's ready . and until then , she slides her hand out across the table , palm up .

" okay . i'll still be here when you're ready . "

it didn't . . . fix anything . nothing was resolved . the room was still stuffy . . . but maybe it wasn't entirely their own fault for it . at least the thick , muggy air was no longer the only thing hiding in the room besides the two of them . they had the aircon , too , working in their favor .

THE CORNERS OF HIS eyes tightened . a divot formed just above the bridge of his nose , & . link wished nothing more in that moment than that she might leave it be . moments like these , in the space between what lay scattered & . what stayed true , were FRAGILE ENOUGH AS IT WAS . maybe link didn't want to ruin it . or maybe he just didn't want to LET IT GO just yet .

HE WEDGED THE POINT of his canine tooth into the flesh beneath his lip . nostrils flared . somehow it felt worse to to spurn earnestness with reservation . still . that didn't make any part of the truth come easy .

❝  i believe you . ❞

LINK LET THE WEIGHT of those words settle on his own shoulders . picked at the end of his pant's leg . it was truth , after all . but the idea of saying it out loud — the ache in him stung . the unease in him twisted . there were some things that still didn't make sense . like malice - twisted monsters that murdered & . maimed . glimmer of light - scales woven into carefully measured fabric . the wish of a gentle heart / no matter how bad the wound . . . & . seething anger behind : YOU'RE THE HYLIAN THAT STOLE LADY MIPHA AWAY .

the divine beast is crying once again . / awash in a pool of tears .

HE BLINKED . IT ALL grew muddy . link felt sick again .

❝  . . . i just— . . . give me time . ❞

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁ it had begun with holding an empty canister open to the skies that cried their sweet silver music , praying for the goddess to spare her another go-around . being displaced had been difficult enough the first time around . thrice was no longer coincidence , but curse . now , days later , she tasted nothing but lead in her mouth . delirious , broken breaths beaten by the eternal twilight . . .

run . run , little bird , whose voice is so small without no one to hear it . mud caked to her boots , with each step zelda drudged up the memories of hyrule's endless night . she ran along raquiesper creek's , dodging trunks , she fled central hyrule's burning corpses rising from behind her .

their numbers were . . . increasing lately . the mosquitos . the bodies . the lizalfos . . . ?? ʞɔi|ɔ , ʞɔi|ɔ , ʞɔi|ɔ . y e s . . . the lizalfos which danced in malice's delight -- their speed unmatched . she ran from the lizalfos that wished to have her , who wished to devour her . for zelda on her own was worth no more than a meal , and yet feared being taken by their razor teeth .

and as arms pumped , willing zelda away . . . she dared to look back at her demise . not with courage or strength , but with the wisdom to fear . and fear , she should , for the lizalfos's tongue lashed out , tying to her ankle just like the red string of fate that the goddess put on her at birth : except that her better half wasn't there on the other end this time .

instead , the lizalfos's grip pulled taut enough to draw blood as she hit the ground . and as the monster dragged her along the muddied sticks and leaves , arm raised to shield herself from the sight of her own death . she's seen enough .

@liightaga | campaign : omerta nostra

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁  " sir badou . i've a need for a moment of your time . " zelda's hand beckons the man over to show him what she's made . inside her bag is an innocuous looking potion of indiscernible ingredients , thick and earthy green -- not unlike that of the underside of a leaf .

for better or for worse , it was certainly natural .

" you see , your health has been fitfully on my mind , and in consideration for your . . . ghostly paled complexion , terribly dark bags under your eyes , and -- . . . well , i digress . simply put , i've concocted an elixir that will provide you with energy . "

@brokeassgoing

[silentaura]

" -- i often wonder , what more i could have done for him , my father . "

the premonition she'd received the very night of her 17th birthday that she had withheld from everyone -- even her most trusted companions . perhaps , in hindsight , she could have been more forthcoming . her father had most certainly been correct on many fronts , including her failings . was it fitting that , above all else , she'd failed him ??

" i know the past eludes you , but do you . . . perchance remember him at all ?? king rhoam bosphoramus hyrule : it was he who ultimately appointed you to my side . he had always thought quite highly of you , and for good reason too . you were an exemplary knight and even more , you carried the master sword as if it were a fifth limb . in stark contrast , he . . . " thought very little of her .

sipping from an empty cup if only to anxiously fill the space left between her thoughts -- as if she was uncomfortable with the topic of conversation but compelled yet to talk and further test the boundaries of link's memories .

" . . . he rests heavy on my mind these days . "

@windsofcourage

[silentaura]

❛  why do you ask these questions?  ❜

𝑺𝑰𝑿 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

−−−  ꧁ need her curiosity an explanation ?? the princess folded her arms : " simply put , i am fascinated by your stories . there are some ancient abilities passed down within the sheikah tribe of my world that . . . mirror some of what you've mentioned being capable of . "

all things considered , zelda possessed a strong admiration for the sheikah and their culture , having learned much from impa over the course of years . every trip to the kakariko village proved to be a lesson in history of one of hyrule's oldest and persevering cultures . deidara had stoked a similar yearning to learn from the princess -- a feeling that perhaps he too . . . was interesting .

either way , she knew where she could potentially find her answers .

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁ it was a place without a name . at the very least , zelda hadn't known what to call the location by anything other than the note ' 𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓊𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓇 𝑔𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓌𝒶𝓎 ' written in hasty , half legible script in her pocketbook . peculiar seemed a fitting title , because upon first visit , it pulled out nothing but questions from her .

a gate , old and rusted , concealed a decrepit hall lost to time . in a way , there was a beauty to it , seeing the the overgrowth reclaim the structure as it returned to nature . she should be wary , with the nightmare moss now prominently written into her compendium in red ink . this is just the sort of place it might thrive in the wild .

goddess only knew what else was in the air .

as a precautionary measure , she wraps her winter scarf over her nose and mouth to act as a filter . resuming her explorations , zelda proceeded to examine the pathways boarded up with stone .

" it seems to be yet another dead end ; however , its curious that the entrance wasn't boarded up as well if all passage ways are nevertheless blocked . " the sound of trains passing overhead echos in the abandoned station . " whatever this structure was , i can tell that at one time , it was once rather grand . . . "

zelda pulls out her phone , opening up her camera application to take a picture of the painted ceiling , stained with the evidence of leaks . as she presses her finger to the brightly lit screen to capture the image , she's caught off guard by the sound of heavy footsteps entering the abandoned building .

: ̗̀➛ @liightaga

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁ fingers tucked wafted hair from her face , incessantly stubborn in keeping her hair neat . . . or at least stuck in the cycle of tidying it . waiting was a miserable thing , only she knew that if she arrived on time . . . she would likely be already late . so , dutiful as ever , zelda lingered out of sight and out of mind to pass the time .

and to not think about it . the feeling that festers .

the pounce that she's greeted with ( despite watching it coming ) jostles her , stiff from her lookout . unaccustomed to embrace , the princess is caught unprepared and inexperienced , choking out an oh !!

" resilient . " she settles on , cheeks plump into a tight , stretched smile , " and a little surprised by your strength . i . . . i hope you've fared well in the meanwhile . "

warm and genuine .

" should we -- shall we select something to accompany us ?? it will be my purchase , of course . "

@liightaga continued from xxx

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁  " of course he is here , in one way or another . " zelda shakes her head at sora's tumbling about , eyeing him as he catches up to her side , " and now i feel that i must make you a pillow as well , if only because your circumstances now remind me of his . "

or would an entire bubble be more fitting for the boy who tripped on mere pebbles ?? that is , he possesses the grace of a goron . but grace wasn't what made the goron so charming , so it wasn't exactly a slight . zelda mused , amused in how utterly boyish sora is , toppling around in spirits only matched by the daruk . perhaps sora has been jostled in a similar way to link . in all , she's in no position to diagnose . . . but the similarities are compelling enough to incite speculation .

" his name is link , and he was my assigned knight , actually . we often travelled like this . at times , even on paths as untrodden as these . sometimes even moreso . " zelda pursed her lips , proud to have at least been a well travelled princess , unafraid of taken uncharted paths . " its . . . a testament to how little he remembers of himself to have gotten this far without his shadow tailing behind us . "

and far they have come : the leaves thick enough to keep one guessing what they conceal , a deep lush forest green . even the smells is heavy and green . with how high the trees reach above them , it was difficult to say for certain how close or far from the cliffside they were . . . or how close to any peak they might have climbed in the time since they first entered the deep fanalea .

" did you have any companions with whom you travelled before arriving here ?? "

"Memory loss?" Sora asked simply.

A little bit of a chuckle escaped Sora's lips as he continued to whack the tree branch against bushes and trunks. "He sounds really special yeah? He must be a good friend..."

"I don't know if I have amnesia or memory loss, but I know I'm supposed to thank this Namine person. She sounds familiar, yet I have no idea who she is."

Sora's shoe got stuck behind a rock, causing him to trip forward. He caught himself with a bounce but continued, catching back up to Zelda so he was shoulder to shoulder with her. When she offered a pillow for him, he shook his head and smiled.

"You don't have to do anything for me! I'm just happy to join you! I was looking for an excuse to go out anyways so it works well for both of us!" Sora didn't think of this adventure as a job, or of a favor from or for Zelda. To him, this was just two friends enjoying themselves.

"Oh, who's this friend you're talking about? If you're making a pillow for em, does that mean they're here too? I could have already met him! Maybe!"

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁ for as long as she could remember , zelda had been called little bird . a term of endearment passed on from person to person until she was the only one left who knew that she was a bird . a little one , at that .

lips purse .

birds are symbolic for a great many things , zelda mused , leaning upon the crated table outside of the corner mooncents . taste of autumn still sits on the tongue . she'd never bothered to ask what sort of bird she was , but in hindsight she should have .

a moonlight crow perches on the seatback of the chair opposite to hers .

" are you an omen ?? " she asks her company , brow quirked . " you're a very pretty omen at that . "

@mischiefmodig ¦ yestereve starter + totem alter

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁  in her hands are two water-proofed cards of bingo , each unique with an assortment of lagoon fish to find . the cove itself boasted a rather lively crowd of parents and children gathered for the festivities . at first , she feared she might have aged out of the event , unable to participate due to her height amongst those with snorkels . . . but her fears were assuaged when the event coordinators handed her a snorkel as well .

not too old for fun , she seems .

" illumenoctopi . . . they appear most delicious , do they not ?? " zelda handed Cucumber his card , " i wouldn't mind earning a charm for my satchel . "

@magiccuco | sunflower festival starter

[silentaura]

i know the triforce doesn't necessarily translate neatly into botw . . . but i love the idea of the zelda that lacks wisdom . the zelda who is expected to embody wisdom but just . . . isn't quite there yet . who gains wisdom and journeys to get there through trial and error . its very in a researcher's nature to ask questions and venture out to learn . . . and fail at times in pursuit . i saw a note once where someone mentioned something about how courage can be innate , and strength can be intentionally built , but possessing wisdom is something outside of anyone's control and is not something anyone is just . . . naturally born as . it is the force that just takes time . not to gush over my muse , but i love playing a zelda who is undeniably intelligent but also a little dumb and immature in her feelings and ways of navigating through life . she really is at that "coming of age" point in her life .

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁ simply put , he's quick . quick to help , quick to offer . . . and quick to out himself as some sort of gentleman ( or at the very least a very good con . ) grateful , zelda puts a hand on his arm , using that link as a way to not separate in the crowds .

it is just a little too loud as the band picks up and another dance is underway . a little faster than she knows , a little louder than she can stand . like thunder on the horizon , the drums roar from their electronic speakers . strained to hear , zelda's brows furrow deep , trying to catch her escort's words .

its what the eye catches , that stirs her attention most : little bird , wings fluttering .

urbosa had told her once . . . that she behaved like a little bird when her interest peaked . words flapping a mile a minute , vision alert with the twist of her head , hopping eagerly to investigate . and from the outside . . . perhaps urbosa had been onto something .

" -- what was that ?? " her ears perk , lips pointed to the sky . she has to strain her voice to fight over the music . and as she follows him , eyes still scan the sky above for where it went . . . clumsily bumping shoulders with strangers as she walks blind to anything else , " how was that toy capable of flight . . . are you a street magician ?? why , i've never met a street magician before , how did you do that ?? "

her questions never cease . and suddenly . . . she's forgotten that she's in a crowd .

Oh man, the girl was definitely out of her element here, wasn't she? The way she carries herself, the way she talks, Deidara gets the distinct impression that she's some kind of nobility. Besides that, she didn't feel like one of the Aercons, the natives. Seems like all types got dragged off to this place between places.

"Sure, gimme a second and I can find something, un. Not much one for crowds, yeah?" He reaches into his ever present clay pouch, grabbing a piece but letting his wide sleeve fall to cover the mouth on his hand as it molds a figure for him. No need to unnerve a lady who's already distressed.

"Here, I'll get you out of the crowd, yeah," he says as he offers his other arm, as if he's actually some kind of gentleman. Deidara can play the part, when he wants to.

A moment later and he flicks his sleeve back, a little clay bird perched on the back of his knuckles. It hops back and forth for a moment before it takes off, spiraling up above the crowd. Deidara starts off, following without looking up at it.

"Name's Deidara by the way, un. Pleasure to meet you, yeah."

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁  princess , you touched it !! zelda remembers being scrubbed viciously by her nurse for nearly half an hour , bemoaned for being tainted by a critter as vile as a lizard . her skin screamed as her nurse alleged her to have become carrier for every disease known to hylia for the mere childhood act of hiding a hightail lizard in her room . rolling eyes of a princess far wiser in the ways of critters -- zelda knew that lizards were common residents of their kingdom and not blights of infestation .

maybe it was that utter disdain by the staff that had triggered an everlasting ( contrarian ) fondness for the gross , slithery , slimy reptiles and amphibians of hyrule . or perhaps it was their tiny feet and large eyes that captured her heart . regardless , she'd certainly never stopped bringing them home .

" lizards of any kind regulate their temperatures with aid of the sun . with any luck , we might find one bathing in the light this time of year ; however , they're skittish and will likely put on a chase . tell me , are you quick on your feet ?? "

@ttauriwanderer

[silentaura]

−−−  ꧁  the roll of the waves among the shoreline was a sound of comfort -- of consistency and predictability . it was an obsessively warm day , with only a wide brimmed hat sparing her from the worst of the sun's rays . . . if it weren't for her new found dedication to volunteerism , zelda might have detoured to one of the many tents set up for familiar beach parties being had .

but shirking her responsibilities was never her style , no matter the weather . at least by the coastline the water could occasionally brush over her sandals . bag of trash already heavy in her hand , zelda pauses to wipe the sweat collected under her hat , when something glimmering catches her eye --

had the sun dazzled her for too long , or had she just laid eyes on . . .

" a fairy -- how fortunate !! ♥ " zelda's breath is caught at the rare sighting , giddied with her discovery , " have you come all this way to help keep out beaches clean ?? i've never known of fairies favoring the coastlines . "

@hecrtled

[silentaura]

[ hand ] sender holding receiver's hand while they're walking

♛ ¦ 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 . ( accepting )

−−−  ꧁  its sudden . two warm , soft fingers wedging their way into her the palm of her hand , looking for a home . zelda's heart seizes . people don't touch her . they don't get close to her . they don't , for she is a princess . is everything alright , little one ?? she almost asks , until she realizes that words . . . aren't always necessary . sometimes , you just need a hand .

she remembers : zelda's mother used to hold her hand as they walked . even if they seldom left the castle grounds and were otherwise surrounded by hundreds guards at all times . . . it was her mother's hand holding hers that made her feel safe more than any knight . more than any word of promise .

instinctively , zelda squeezes the little hand back in reassurance , as if her mother's grace could somehow transcend time and space and help make someone else feel like . . . everything was going to be okay . a gift from mother , to daughter , to stranger .

and even her own heart began to warm .