#not too worried though since i also don’t have relics trace materials OR a good light cone for her yet either lol

[electric-plants]

i’m such a lesbian that i actually forced myself to do adventure missions in order to get her

[raviotherabbit]

royal pain in the ass - chapter 3

Chapter 3: Era of the Skies Zelda meets some new faces.

[first] - [previous] - [next] read it on ao3!

  △ ▲△

Link—her Link, Sky—had told Zelda that his fellow heroes seemed to have… issues, with voicing their problems. Which, truth be told, didn’t make much sense to her. Skyloft has always been a very open environment. Everyone knew each other, and so knew when their fellow citizen was struggling.

Would there really be a time where not all of Hyrule was like this?

Zelda didn’t think much of it, not for quite some time. Not until her visit to the formerly Sealed Grounds, where she found the Hero of Legend staring up at the Statue of the Goddess. In retrospect, the whole thing seemed incredibly tacky. Who needs a hundred foot statue in honor of their worship?

Still, she found herself drawn to it. Of course she did. Things had been confusing ever since everything ended and construction of the kingdom had begun. Zelda still wasn’t quite sure what to make of herself.

She startled when she noticed Legend, having expected to be alone. It was a fresh and early morning, but there he was, arms crossed tightly with head tilted up at the statue.

“Hello, there!” Zelda called out, and the hero turned to face her. This one is a bit older than her Link, thank goodness. She’d grown a bit concerned by Wind and Fours’ appearances, even Wild and Hyrule looked a bit too young for her nerves. They all made her worry.

“Princess Zelda.” Legend nodded at her as she stepped up beside him. His gaze returns to the statue, eyes emotionless.

“There aren’t any princesses in this time, Legend,” she said. “At least, not yet.”

“Hm. Apologies.”

“It’s still early. I don’t even think your wolf is up, yet.”

“Let them be,” Legend told her. “I just- I couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“Well, what’s wrong?” she asked. At Legend’s scowl, Zelda continued, “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

Legend’s eyes shifted to Zelda, scrutinizing her. He sighed, looking up at the statue once again.

“I’m just thinking,” he said. “I mean, there are patterns to all of this, right? Evil rises, and so a hero and a princess work together to save the day.”

“It’s a nice thought, isn’t it?” Zelda smiled at him. “No matter how bad it gets, there will always be an end to it.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Legend countered her. “What I’m saying is, the evil always comes back. The seals break, or something new comes around. So Hylia calls upon someone new to fight, again and again.”

Zelda reached out, placing a hand on Legend’s shoulder, but he shrugged her away.

“No matter what we do, it gets worse. What’s the point?”

For a moment, Zelda paused, gripping at the cloth of her skirt. With a sigh, she sat facing away from the statue, motioning for Legend to sit with her.

“Has my Link ever told you about me?” she asked as Legend sat by her side.

“Just that you’re the best ever.” Legend rolled his eyes. “And that he loves you so much, and he can’t wait to see you again.”

Despite herself, Zelda giggled. “He’s sweet.”

But, truthfully, she was relieved. Sky has enough sense, at least, to keep her secret from those who have a bit of disdain towards their Goddess.

Without thinking, she placed an arm around the Hero of Legend’s shoulders. He tensed at first, glancing at her hand warily, and Zelda was almost afraid that she’d done something wrong. But then he relaxed, and even leaned his head against her.

“I can’t speak to the future of Hyrule,” Zelda told him, tracing patterns on his arm. “But I do know that the Goddess is not infallible.” She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “Do you know the story of the first hero?”

“Isn’t that Sky?” Legend asked.

“No,” Zelda said, looking up and back at Hylia’s statue. “Sky is only the second hero. There was one who bore the Hero’s Spirit before him.”

Legend looked up at Zelda, so with a smile, she began the story of Hylia’s Chosen Hero.

  △ ▲△

Flora and Artemis stumble out of the portal into a dense forest. The nausea sets in almost immediately as both queens double over, Artemis bracing herself with a hand on Flora’s shoulder. After a deep breath, Flora straightens herself out.

“You know, I think I’m getting used to it,” she remarks, offering a hand for her ancestor.

With a groan, Artemis accepts Flora’s hand. “I’m more used to standing on the other end of these things,” she admits.

“Don’t worry,” Flora assures her, gently guiding Artemis to sit below the closest tree. “How about…” She glances past the towering branches to the darkened sky above. “You rest here for a moment, and I’ll get started on our camp.”

Artemis lifts her weary head for a moment. “It’s later here than it was in my time.”

Certain that Artemis is fine on her own, Flora turns her attention to her preparations. The clearing they’re in can more accurately be described as a small gap between the trees, but since it’s just the two of them camping, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. She takes some wood out of her Sheikah Slate, the bundle materializing in her hand.

“What was that?” Artemis suddenly asks, bud eyed and staring at the wood. “Where did that come from?”

For a moment, Flora tilts her head in confusion, before the reality hits her. With a laugh she doesn’t mean to be mocking一though by Artemis’s face, she may have missed the mark on that一she holds out her Sheikah Slate once again.

“Storage,” Flora explains. To demonstrate, she pulls out a few pieces of flint as well, and Artemis gasps in shock. “Rather useful, isn’t it?”

“I know I’ve said it before, but that’s one strange relic.” Artemis notes.

“Oh believe me, I’m aware,” Flora jokes. She lays the wood out on the ground and strikes the flint together, igniting the fire. “Link insisted I stock up on supplies once we started travelling together again, so we’re lucky I haven’t been camping in a while.”

Artemis sighs wistfully, scooching closer to the fire. “The good old days. My Link and I must have run all over Hyrule back during the war.”

“I was a researcher, back in the day.” Flora brings her fingers to her chest as she speaks. “Link- Wild, he used to accompany me to all sorts of archeological sites.” Her hand shifts into a fist. “Of course, we’ve both been much too busy for that recently. But once reconstruction is done and he’s back home…”

A silence hangs over the two queens, both staring into the bright and searing fire. There’s a deep pit in both of their stomachs, twisting and cold. Flora draws her knees to her chest, resting her head on top of them. Artemis, however, places a hand on her descendant’s shoulder.

“They’re fine,” she insists, her eyes as hard as steel when Flora looks up at her. “Warriors, Wild, and all of the rest of them… They’ve come through so much worse than this. We will bring them back safe.”

Flora smiles. “Well, then I suppose we have a lot to do tomorrow. How about some dinner?”

  △ ▲△

Zelda’s always been an early-riser. Every morning, she rises as the first rays of dawn break. And then, once she’s ready to start her day, that’s when the business begins. After all, if Link’s to be believed, she’s got a kingdom to establish.

Usually, she’s one of only a few to be awake this early, which she’s fine with. But, on this particular morning, she’s shocked by the presence of someone standing right outside of her tent.

With a scream, Zelda falls back into her tent, but she doesn’t have a chance to reach for a weapon to defend herself with before she hears the person speaking.

“Ah! Zelda!” the figure shouts in panic.

“Pipit!” Zelda pushes her head out of the flaps. “What are you doing outside my tent?!”

“I just- I,” Pipit stumbles over his words, folding under Zelda’s harsh glare. “I saw something when I was patrolling last night! But I didn’t want to wake you! But it’s also important, so I thought I should wait here?”

Zelda sighs heavily. “Pipit… you know you can wake me if something important happens, right?”

“Ah, well-” Pipit’s face grows red, and he awkwardly scratches the back of his head. “You’re in charge here, so…”

With a groan, Zelda stands and brushes herself off. “We can deal with that later. Now, what’s so important that it could either wait or not wait?”

“Well,” Pipit clears his throat. “There appears to be some… Hylians, camping out in the woods.”

Zelda tilts her head. “Alright?”

“I mean, they aren’t from Skyloft,” Pipit quickly adds. “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

Zelda frowns. “It’s not Link and his friends?”

Pipit shakes his head. “There were only two of them, and I haven’t seen either with Link before.”

That’s… disappointing, sure, but also extremely concerning. Sure, Ghirahim was the only demon they’d ever seen, but Demise could still have followers out there. If these travelers pose a threat, then Zelda owes it to her people that she sees to it. The Surface must be kept safe, at all costs.

“Take me to them,” she commands.

  △ ▲△

A breeze rustles past her, carrying the scent of blooming wildflowers. She takes it all in with a deep breath, sighing with relief. It’s a beautiful, crystal clear day. She and Link walk together, hand in hand, though Hyrule Field.

“This is it,” she says. “It’s finally over.”

A giddiness spreads throughout her whole chest, and she can’t help but laugh. Finally, finally! She’s free! Link is here, and he’s okay! They’ve done it!

“There’s so much for us to do!” she happily continues. “We have to visit Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa! I’m sure Impa’s expecting us in Kakariko, not to mention the Ancient Tech Labs. Oh, and I’d love to see your home in Hateno, Link!”

Silently, Link’s hand slips from her own.

“Link?”

She turns around, expecting to find Link just a few steps behind her. But instead, the field behind her is barren. Her knight is gone.

“Link?!” she calls out. Desperately, she looks in every direction, trying to find the slightest clue of her friend. “Link, where did you go?!”

From somewhere beyond the castle, a darkness spreads over Hyrule Field like a blanket. She can’t see more than a few inches beyond her face, but still, she frantically yells out for Link.

Something cold grabs onto her wrist from behind, and she shivers.

Right at her back, she sees it. The monstrous, dark form of Link from the battle. He has a harsh grip on her hand, refusing to let go as she pulls away.

“Link is gone,” the shadow says. “Along with the rest of your precious Champions.

“No!” she shouts, trying with all her strength to escape the shadow. “No, not again!”

“You abandoned everyone you cared for!” he wheezes as he laughs. “It’s all your fault!”

The shadow leans right into her face, refusing to let her run away.

“You killed them all!”

Flora gasps awake, eyes snapping open. She barely has time to calm her thoughts before there’s something pointed at her face, and, with perhaps too much of a delay, she realizes it’s a gleaming silver sword.

“Don’t say a word!” the sword’s apparent wielder whispers loudly. Flora’s just barely able to see him out of the corner of her eye.

“Pipit!” another voice chastises him.

“Hey!” that voice is clearly Artemis, and in a second, she’s standing over Flora. She has her own rapier pointed at the threatening intruder. “Leave her alone!”

“State your business!”

Artemis abruptly drags Flora from her bedroll by her arm, keeping her rapier trained on the two strangers. Finally, she’s able to get a better understanding of who exactly disturbed their campsite. The one with the sword is dressed all in yellow, though the design of his uniform is vaguely familiar. He also has one of those long hats the heroes seem to favor.

The girl, though, is wearing a pink dress with a blue cloth attached to her side, and she seems to be trying her best to dissuade her companion.

“Pipit, stop!” She points at him as she yells, as if scolding a child.

“They’re clearly dangerous!” the man, Pipit apparently, argues. “That one has a sword!”

“You’re the one who threatened us!” Artemis shouts, her grip on Flora’s arm tightening slightly.

The girl suddenly shouts, “I said stop!” and reaches for his sword. When she does, two things happen.

One, her hand begins to glow a familiar, warm and holy light.

Two, a symbol appears on the back of Flora and Artemis’s hands.

It’s been a long time since anything has caused Flora’s power to stir. She hasn’t seen this symbol since she sealed Calamity Ganon away, all that time ago. And now, though she can still feel its weakness, it’s here.

With a gasp, the girl draws her arm back, clutching it with her other hand. With it, the Triforces fade away from the other two’s hands.

“You…” Flora turns her hand, looking for any trace of the golden light. “The power…”

Artemis starts, “Then you must be-”

“Oh, I see!” she claps her hands together, a slight nervous energy about her. “Pipit, would you please run ahead and let everyone know we have guests again?”

Pipit, blinking away his confusion, looks over at her with concern. “Zelda, are you sure?”

Ah, that explains it.

“Of course I’m sure,” Zelda explains, and she turns to the queens with an excited grin. “You two are also Zelda, correct?”

Flora and Artemis share a glance. “Well, yes-” Artemis says as Flora offers a nod.

Zelda’s smile grows even brighter. “That’s wonderful!” With a deep breath, she steps forward, hands crossed behind her back. “It’s an honor to meet my descendants.”

  △ ▲△

There’s a part of Sun that’s delighted to meet Flora and Artemis. In fact, it’s a very large part. She’s already heard so many great things about them from their heroes, even if Wild had been a bit withdrawn during their last visit. Oh, but the stories she’s heard about them both. From Flora’s incissent drive to Artemis’s reliability, she can hardly believe she’s been afforded the opportunity to meet them.

But, then again, there’s another part of Sun. It’s small, much smaller than the first. When she looks at her descendants, she thinks ‘Why are they here?’

The moment they step onto the construction site, Flora gasps in awe before sprinting ahead of her two predecessors. She looks upon the meager foundations of houses, with walls barely a foot high, as though she were a child being offered her favorite dessert.

“Is this truly the founding of Hyrule?” her fists shake up and down as she speaks.

“Well, it’s supposed to be, yes!” Sun calls ahead. “I know it’s not much now, but-”

“Not much?!” Flora’s taken aback, one hand clutching at her chest. “Sun, this is everything! These stones will mark this location for thousands of generations! You, right now, are building a land that will stand strong for hundreds of years!”

Wow! Great! No pressure or anything!

Feeling a bit hot around the collar, Sun decides to direct her next comment to Artemis, who’s remained by her side. “She’s really passionate, isn’t she?”

“I suppose so,” Artemis admits. Flora remains a few feet ahead, holding a strange tablet that makes a clicking noise. “She didn’t really get to go sightseeing when we were in my time, so she may be making up for that.”

As if proving her point, Flora scampers off out of sight with a joyful laugh.

“When did you two arrive?” Sun asks. “I hope you weren’t out there too long.”

Artemis waves a hand dismissively. “It was only a night. I think I learned a lot about ‘roughing it’. Not too bad.”

Sun can’t help but giggle at that. “Well, we can get you set up somewhere much nicer tonight.”

Just like that, she’s able to get a slight chuckle out of Artemis. “I’d appreciate that.”

There’s a brief pause before Artemis speaks up again. “You made our Triforce pieces glow.”

Sun clears her throat. “I did, didn’t I?”

“Well, it makes sense.”

Goddesses, Sun doesn’t like where this is going. None of the Skyloftians know about her, not really, not except for a few. And if Artemis were to figure it out, blab to someone that Hylia isn’t exactly immortal right now, then-

“If you’re founding Hyrule,” Artemis reasons, “then you must be a much closer descendant of Hylia than us. That is to say, you’re a bit more holy.”

Mentally, Sun breathes a sigh of relief. For now, at least, she’s still just Zelda.

“I never thought of that,” she professes.

“I’m only theorizing, of course,” Artemis elaborates. “But with the way things are going, it seems Flora and I may be seeing more of our relatives.”

Before Sun can ask about that, they come upon the Skyloftian’s campsite, just outside of the Sealed Temple. The first of the Hylians to migrate back down to the Surface situated themselves between the temple and the Goddess Statue not too long ago. It’s a good temporary first home, if a little outdoorsy. But it’s perfect, at least until the first buildings go up.

“Zelda!”

And there’s her father, a wide grin on his face as he notices her. Flora is right by his side, and she’s almost shocked to see them.

“I thought you two were right behind me,” she mutters to herself.

“Hello, father,” Sun greets him.

Gaepora finally catches sight of Artemis. “Oh, and there’s another one, too!” Without much discretion, he leans towards his daughter, though he cups his mouth with his hand as he wonders, “Is it true that they’re our descendants?”

Sun nods. “Yes, they’re the future queens of Hyrule.”

“Queens! How exciting!” Gaepora announces, suddenly pulling both girls into a hug, much to their surprise. “It’s wonderful to meet my granddaughters!”

“Ah, y-yes,” Flora stutters. “It’s an honor to meet you, as well.”

Artemis chimes in with a similar energy. “Likewise.”

“Father, please!” Sun laughs. “Give them some space. I need to talk to them now.”

“Oh, if you insist.” Gaepora releases his hold on the queens, who sigh in relief. “Though I want to hear more from you two, later.” He pats Sun’s shoulder, and when she meets his eyes, she finds that they’re full of pride. “For now, though, I’ll leave you to yourselves.”

Sun lets out a breath as her father leaves.

“Well,” she says sharply. “Come into the temple with me.”

  △ ▲△

Despite all the work happening outside, the Sealed Temple remains as untouched as it did for years. Link’s Life Fruit tree still grows nearby, swaying gently in the sunlight. For the most part, though, it’s quiet, and it’s the perfect place for this conversation.

Sun keeps a watchful eyes on the back of the temple, on the ancient doors she once slept behind. “So,” she says, back to her descendants. “Tell me, why have you both travelled to this time?”

Flora and Artemis are both silent, almost startled, for a moment. Sun can practically feel their hesitation.

“It’s the heroes,” Flora finally speaks up. “They’re in danger.”

“Link?” Sun whips around to face them. “What’s wrong with Link?”

Flora taps her fingers together nervously. “Well, you see-”

“It’s an entity by the name of Dark Link.”

In shock, both turn to look at Artemis. She continues with a stern demeanor. “We’ve encountered something like him in my own time, but he was more of a conjuration than whatever this form is.” She raises an eyebrow at her two counterparts. “I take it you have no equivalents?”

“None that I’ve heard of,” Flora taps at her chin. “But it does sound familiar…”

“I haven’t seen such a thing, either,” Sun admits. “Last time he was here, Link told me they were pursuing a shapeshifter.”

“Flora and I witnessed that firsthand yesterday,” Artemis explains. “He took the form of several of the heroes as he fought.”

“Sun,” Flora draws her attention. “Perhaps you could say, when was the last time you saw the Links?”

Sun frowns. “A little more than two months. You haven’t seen them, either?”

“I’m afraid not,” Artemis sighs.

Well, that isn’t good. Sun glances between her descendants, Flora anxiously playing with her fingers, while Artemis does her best to avoid catching anyone’s eyes. And then, there’s the anger. The anger so fiery, so righteous, that it drowns out both the excited and fearful parts of herself, because these are her girls, those are her heroes, and how dare anyone hurt them?

“Then it’s decided.” Sun straightens herself, standing tall and proud, all the goddess she might still be. “I’m coming with you.”

[therabidjackalope]

Naska Wolfine

The stag lifted his head at the crack of a twig, his large round ears pulling forward to catch the smallest of sounds. His dark eyes shifted as he searched for any signs of danger, his nostrils flaring as he tasted the wind, but he found no trace of his stalker. After a long pause, he lowered his head and returned to grazing.

Naska slowly let out the breath she had been holding. From her perch on the tree branch, she had an unobstructed view of her intended prey, but the very same leaves that dappled the buck's coat with sunlight helped to obscure her from his view.

With agonizing slowness, she crept further down the branch, being as careful as she could not to make any further sounds that couldn't be mistaken for restless songbirds or hunting squirrels. When the stag was almost directly beneath her, the young half-elf began to slowly coil her body like a hunting cat, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

She let out a small yelp of triumph as she finally leapt from the branch down toward the unsuspecting deer below, arms and legs splayed. “Got you!” She screamed as one of her hands struck the stag's flank.

The deer leapt forward in terror, nearly kicking the girl in his need to flee, but after several leaps he stopped and turned to look at his attacker. Seeing the young girl smiling and waving at him from the place he had stood but a moment before, he bugled his indignation and walked off to find a more peaceful place to eat.

“Oh don't be like that.” She called out. “You know I was only playing.” When the stag did not reappear, she gave a shrug and giggled to herself. “Ah well, he's getting to be an old grump anyway. Naska looked around her at the forest that had been her favorite playground growing up. The trees, which blocked out most of the sky, were full of life. Most of the trunks were so big that it would take three of her to wrap her arms around their trunks. It was a place of peace and security for the young druid. A place for her imagination to run as free as the deer that populated the forest.

Sometimes she liked to imagine her mother playing in a similar forest when she was a child. She often wondered if her mother played the same imaginary games as well, fighting invisible monsters and learning how to sneak up on animals in order to pet them.

She was pulled from these warm thoughts by a faraway voice calling her name. Recognizing the voice instantly as her father, Naska darted her way through the forest and headed home.

As the young half-elf stepped out of the trees, she spotted her father standing beside their wagon, stroking the nose of their old draft horse, Jasper. The cart was loaded with various supplies and bundles. “Ah, there you are.” He called to her cheerfully. “Would you mind helping me unload the wagon?”

“Of course, Father.” She replied. Between the two of them, the cart was quickly emptied and the needed supplies put away. Once emptied, the cart was driven into the barn. Naska went inside to begin preparing dinner while her father took care of Jasper.

“That smells wonderful.” He exclaimed as he walked in the door a while later.

“It's just rabbit stew, Father.” She replied absently, giving the pot another stir. “The same thing we've had all week.”

“And all week it has smelled just divine.” He replied, settling in his favorite chair. “You know, it smells so good it reminds me of the time your mother and I partook in a king's banquet. Have I ever told you that story?”

Naska looked over her shoulder at her father and smiled sadly. While the slight peppering of grey in his beard and at his temples told of his advancing years, he was still a handsome man. His blue eyes were bright with intellect and merriment. His body lean but strong. “Only about a million time.” Naska jested. “But tell me again. You know I love your stories. Especially the ones about Mother.”

The older man's sharp eyes narrowed and the smile melted from his face. “Naska? Is something wrong?”

Naska turned away to look down at the bubbling stew, giving it one final stir. “What makes you say that, Father?” She hedged.

Her father immediately stood and moved to her side, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don't play that game with me, child.” He put a finger under her chin and gently pulled her face in his direction. “What is it? Are the villagers bothering you again? They may be your friends, but if you think any of you is too old for a good whack across the backside I'll-”

The young girl reached up and gently pushed his hand away. “That's not it. I already know that no matter what they say, all of your stories are true.” She interrupted. “I... I have something to tell you, Father.”

A look of worry came over the old man's face but he backed away and sat back at the table. Naska fetched a pair of wooden bowls and ladled stew into each before carrying them to the table and setting one before her father and herself. A loaf of bread and a small dish of butter already sat between them in the middle of the old wooden table.

Her father tore a large hunk of bread from the loaf and began slathering it with butter, waiting as patiently as he could for his daughter to collect her words, but the longer she sat and stared into her bowl, the more anxious he became. “Spit it out, girl!” He finally exclaimed, setting down the butter knife with a jarring clatter.

Naska jumped at the sound, finally pulled from her thoughts. “Oh. Yes. Sorry. It's just that, all my life I've been hearing your wonderful stories. The adventures you've been on, the ones you and mother took together, and all the exciting things she's been out doing since she left us here, and I think I want to go on my own adventures. I'm old enough now and I've managed to save a little money for supplies and I think it would be grand to go see the world.” The words spilled out in an uncontrollable rush, filled with a mingling of nervousness, excitement and concern.

As she finished talking, she looked up at her Father with anxious blue eyes, mirrors of his own in color, unsure of what his reaction would be.

The older man sighed as he returned his daughter's stare. “I knew this day would come eventually.” He finally said, his voice heavy with resignation. “I was hoping I would have more time but...” He ran a hand through his graying hair, the weight of years alone pressing down on him as he shifted his gaze to the table. “You are your mother's daughter. She loved the woods too, you know. Hardly spent a night under this roof, even though we built this house together. Said she didn't like to be boxed in.” His eyes shifted to a large wooden trunk pressed against one wall. In her early days, Naska had been curious of the trunks contents, but it had always remained locked, and when asked, her father had changed the subject or claimed he couldn't remember. Eventually she had simply forgotten about the dust-covered relic, but now her attention was drawn to it again.

“I'm afraid I can't give you much.” He continued, setting his hunk of forgotten bread on the table and rising to walk over to the chest. “But I think she would want you to have this.” Naska could only watch in silence as her father pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the trunk, pulling a hide-wrapped bundle from the chest before closing and locking it again. He then carried the bundle to his daughter and handed it over without a word.

Naska accepted the item silently, almost reverently. The silence was becoming oppressive but somehow it felt like a crime to break it. She looked up at the older man, asking with her eyes what she should do with the bundle, but he merely returned her stare with one of blank patience, already becoming lost in a memory.

Looking down at the bundle once more, she peeled away the supple hide, exposing a large cloak. The cloak itself was light but felt soft and warm, the material feeling far fancier than anything she had ever seen in the town.

“It belonged to your mother, once upon a time.” The old man finally spoke up again. “It's of elven weave, so it's much more durable than our normal wool and cottons, yet lighter on your shoulders. There's also some kind of enchantment on it, but I couldn't say what kind. You'll have to find that out for yourself.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up with their usual cheer once again. “It may even be a cloak on invisibility! Imagine that! Why if I'd had a cloak of invisibility when I was a young lad I certainly would have gotten myself into quite a bit of mischief. Why, did I ever tell you about the time when-”

His words were cut off as Naska leapt up to give him a strong hug. “Oh, thank you, Father! Thank you so much!” She exclaimed, her arms wrapping about his neck. She felt his own arm wrap around her in turn, those strong arms that had comforted, protected and guided her for so long. She wondered how long it would be before she would feel those arms again.

“You're welcome, my dear.” He replied softly, giving her back a small pat. “Now sit down and let's eat before this stew gets any colder.”

Her heart and mood lifted, Naska draped her fine new cloak across her lap and grabbed herself a chuck of bread from the loaf. “I'm going to have such grand adventures!” She exclaimed. “I can't wait to come back and tell you all about them like you've told me so many of your stories all these years! I might even meet Mother while I'm out there!”

“That would be quite splendid indeed.” Her father replied with a wide smile. “Just made sure you come home safely when you can. Bertie and I will be here waiting for you.” As if hearing his name, the goat let out a loud bleat in the yard, his voice carrying into the small cottage.

Naska smiled as she heard the call of her favorite pet. “I'm going to miss him almost as much as I'll miss you, Father. But I promise I'll come home with some exciting stories to share. And maybe I'll even find some treasure!”

“Treasure you say!” Her father's eyes gleamed eagerly. “Let me tell you the story about the time your mother and I befriended a unicorn and it helped us steal a dragon's entire hoard of treasure!”

The young half-elf's smile grew wider as she settled in to hear her father's exciting tale, clinging to every word. She knew that night her dreams would be filled with excitement. In the morning, now that she had her father's blessing, she would go to town wearing her fancy new cloak, and purchase the supplies she needed to begin her own adventures.

And certainly one more night in her own comfortable bed certainly wouldn't hurt. She would miss that almost as much as her small family.