World Tree MUSH

  The village of Kaipo is a thoroughly unremarkable place. People have described it as a nowhere on the way to somewhere; the description isn't wholly inaccurate. It has all the accoutrements of a village its size, including an inn, a cantina, and a few shops selling weaponry, armour, and not a whole lot else. Oh, it does have a nice little oasis, too. Natural water features are always nice in the middle of the desert.

  A few days after the debacle with the unicorn in Natsuto City, the Hylian princess had extended an invitation to Yumi to come have a chat in a situation that is not multiple-alarm fires burning or chaos in the streets; a chance to have a nice normal conversation, and maybe also a little of something light to eat and tea.

  Yumi will find the princess in one of the inn's private rooms, the door left wide open. The window is also open, letting in a cooling breeze and a view of a brilliant sunset.

  The room is a plain one, with two beds, a table, and chairs. The table houses a cluster of three candles, and a spread of yellowing parchments. Yumi will find her hostess at the table, bent over what looks like a map. Various diagrams, markings, and annotations adorn the margins, and it's clear that it's the princess' own hand, as she adds to them.

  Zelda looks different, without her hood or the delicate crown. She can't be any younger than her mid-twenties, but her eyes are the eyes of someone much older than that. Her build is much more delicate than the bulky robe would let on, not quite fragile, but definitely not exactly projecting strength.

  Her features might be called plain on any one else. Her hair is a dark honeyed blonde, almost a dark brown, but not quite. Her eyes are the pale blue of a summer sky, just a trace of grey in them. Her dress is a simple grey shift without sleeves, feet bare on the cooling stone of the inn's floor, one tucked over the other.

  Despite such a simple appearance, she could never be called common. There is something in her carriage that speaks to the nobility of aristocracy... or more accurately, royalty. This is a woman who cannot hide what she is, because it absolutely what she is. She's on a mission, over her maps; solemn and determined as she makes markings in some places or corrects them, in others, thinning her lips to herself as she studies the landmarks.

  That's where she'll be, until Yumi shows up.

  Hyrule's bloody well not going to save itself. She has to do something.

    When Yumi is asked to come visit, she does not say 'It's my first time leaving my world'. She does not question or even mention the cost. She does not ask how far the trip is. She only asks two things - 'where' and 'how soon'.

    It might be a little longer than expected for her to get there, though. She has to figure out inter-world travel entirely on her own.

    But, somehow, she makes it. Wearing a long-skirted version of her school uniform, with a warm jacket and a scarf over it, the girl with the cream-orange hair has managed to find her way out to the village of Kaipo, on an entirely different world. And even despite being invited, she'll stop at the door and knock - and only once permission is given does she actually step in. "Ah, hey, sorry it took so long. How are you fe..." Strangely, the girl actually trails off there, a brief flicker of concern dancing across her face. "...are you alright? That cold stone can't be comfortable on bare feet..."

    Why is Yahiko here? Well, he is a WANDERING swordsman. And... doesn't have a homeworld to go back to. Or rather, has no clue how to get there. Following one of the others turned out to be easier than he thought... once he figured out transportation.

    Yahiko didn't hunt for anyone in particular here, but there is only one good inn. He only realizes something might be going down when he sees Yumi, recognizing her, after he changed the bandages on his wrists from where they were sliced open by the unicorn horn.

    "Oh... it's you two," he'll comment, looking into the doorway right after Yumi heads in. He doesn't follow unless invited though. He might be a little crude at times, but he does have some idea of manners.

  The princess seems to be wholly consumed by her work, bent so close to the parchment that her hair brushes the map where it hangs in front of her shoulders. If not for a knock at the door, she may not have noticed she isn't alone.

  She looks up with a soft sound of inquiry, about to brush off whoever it is from the inn's staff, when she realises it's her awaited guest.

  "Tachibana Yumi. Ah, I fear I have quite lost track of the time." She sets her quill aside, climbing stiffly to her feet. "I hope you were not waiting there too long?"

  The way she moves suggests recent injuries, but more than that, it suggests fatigue. She looks exhausted. There are shadows under her eyes, and a scarceness to her frame that suggests she had, up until recently, been missing meals on a regular basis.

  When the light-haired girl draws attention to her dress, she shrugs one shoulder. There's still bandaging around it, though it's clean and free of blood.

  "I had meant to get up some time ago. I suppose I got a bit carried away in my work." Her statement is almost sheepish. The hood is swept back with her right hand -- when she raises it, Yumi might spy a stylized triangular mark on it, glowing faintly in golden-white light. "Thank you."

  Yahiko speaks up, then, and she recognises the voice from the unicorn-hunt. "Please, come in," Zelda calls, beckoning with one hand. "There should be enough chairs for all. Please, sit."

  Actually, there are exactly two at the table, and only two chairs; Zelda chooses to relinquish hers, padding over to the bed to tuck herself up on the end of it, folding her legs beneath her and tossing the end of the robe over them. Slightly warmer, anyway. "Ah. Swordsman." She tilts her head, studying Yahiko a little warily. "I am sorry; I have not yet heard your name."

    "-oh!" Yumi whirls around to spot Yahiko, then breaks into a welcoming smile. "Ah, Myojin, right? It's good to see you again. How are you healing up?" She's a bit reluctant to steal a seat from an injured woman, but when Zelda takes a spot on the bed instead, she seems at least willing to accept that. She still seats herself in the chair furthest from the door. "So, er, was this your world, Zelda?" Sure, they're not in 'Hyrule', but this town could just be somewhere else in the world. Easier to just ask and be sure!

    Zelda asks his name, and Yumi remembers it. Yahiko steps inside a little unsurely, then shuts the door before bowing lightly. "Myojin yes, that is my family name. Myojin Yahiko." Yumi seems to be Japanese as well, so he could guess she knew proper name order, but Zelda might not!

    He holds his bandaged wrists up. "It was mostly bruises, I'll be fine. The cuts were shallow. I'm not used to fighting nonhumans, that's all. I'm glad to see everyone is all right... mostly." He does look uncertainly at Zelda.

  "Myojin Yahiko." Zelda pulls the hooded robe more securely about herself, huddling into it a bit. She tilts her head slightly, studying the swordsman for a moment more before bobbing her head in a slight gesture of assent. "I am honoured. You are skilled with a blade, although such technique is somewhat... unorthodox..."

  She glances to Yumi, studying the girl for a moment. "This is the village of Kaipo, but no. This is not a part of Hyrule. We are in a different realm entirely." The Hylian issues a thin smile, bitter as a blade. "I fear Hyrule is not safe, at the moment. It is shrouded in a curse that we call the Twilight, although it has little relation to the time of day."

  "This Twilight is slowly consuming the provinces, transforming the people into helpless spirits, unaware of what is happening to their beloved kingdom. The Twilight King's shadow beasts do as they will, and they are a deadly force against the people. They hunt me, as well, though I thank the Goddesses that they have not yet followed me here -- not yet."

  "If I return to Hyrule at this point, it is to strike, and to liberate. It is not safe for me to be there, otherwise." She tilts her head, gaze straying to the window. "I am not yet resigned to giving up. I refuse to become a prisoner of my own castle again, forced to watch my people suffer and perish at the whims of this usurper."

  She cocks an eye toward Yahiko, managing an apologetic smile.

  "Forgive me my rudeness, Myojin Yahiko. I have not introduced myself. My name is Zelda... as Tachibana Yumi has stated, I am from a place called Hyrule." Her head dips, incrementally. "More accurately... I am Queen-Regent, for what little that may be worth. Little and less, these days. My kingdom is in the thrall of an invader. I have been on the run since my escape, and Rydia of Mist bade me remain here with her, to rest and heal; I have been wounded a number of times since my flight from Hyrule Castle."

  "I would receive you with the honour and comfort you are due, as guests of my hall, but I fear this is the best I can manage. There is a pot of tea on the table, if you are so inclined. Forgive me for not fetching it for you."

  That's some kind of royal. Actually getting up and getting tea for her guests, herself, personally? Or even apologising for not being able to? Definitely not an iron-fisted overlord, that's for sure.

    The wrists get a glance, and then Yumi nods to Yahiko. "Glad to hear." She sits back in her chair a bit, listening to Zelda speak. There's something of a gleam in her eye for a moment or two when the topic of liberation is touched on. But whatever thought crosses her mind, she keeps it quiet. "Oh, so this is /her/ world, then. Is she..." Here, the girl trails off, turning to peer out the window with a frown. "...No, I guess she'd be in bed, wouldn't she? Or she should be." Girls that age shouldn't be staying up late into the night. Even the ones that can... apparently forge a summoning pact with a unicorn...? Don't think about it too hard, Yumi. "Considering your situation, I think this is already a lot more hospitality than we'd expect. Thank you for having us both."

    That is an odd royal indeed, but Yahiko takes that in stride. He's seen a few odd things. Hearing the story of her lands does make him tense up a little though... and then rub at his temple with two fingers. "I thought I'd grown out of believing in magic, and now I have to come to terms with magic and curses all over again."

    The young man looks up then, nodding his head. "Yeah, I don't really have anywhere to go. I've barely learned about other worlds already, and I don't have a clue where mine is. I was only in that area because someone told me where to find Japan, but it wasn't like any Japan I knew."

  "I am grateful your wounds were only minor, Myojin Yahiko." The princess bows her head, hair spilling over one shoulder. She shakes her head faintly. "I would have offered aid at the time, for I am also a healer... but as I am now, I am too weak to beseech my goddesses."

  Going by the shadows under her eyes, she's probably been too weak for a while now. She inclines her head to Yumi. "Yes. This is the village of Kaipo, but I am not more familiar with it than that. I know only that it is small, and isolated; a peaceful place in a world that is no more at peace than Hyrule."

  "Is that so?" As to where Rydia is, she can only shrug one shoulder and shake her head. Zelda's tone remains soft, but something in it sobers. "Perhaps. Rydia of Mist comes and goes as she pleases, and does as she wills; I do not hold any power over her. She is not one of my subjects. That she is a child means little to me; I have seen, at times, more maturity from her than I have seen from adults thrice her age."

  But she is not here to talk about Rydia's problems. That girl's pain is her own, and sharing something of it would be a betrayal of her silent confidance.

  To Yumi's talk of hospitality, Zelda smiles wanly. "Perhaps, Tachibana Yumi, but it still markedly less than I would prefer to offer." Hey, guests are important! "You need not thank me for it." She allows herself a brief flicker of a half-smile. "And if I were to leave, I do not think that Rydia would be forgiving. She is rather adamant about my rest and healing."

  Hell hath no fury like a miniature woman scorned.

  "There would appear to be many worlds where magic is not a factor, and it is considered no more than fanciful tales told to children." Zelda tilts her head thoughtfully as she studies Yahiko. Although her features are youthful, there is a frightening depth and age to her eyes -- the inner patience, and maybe even a little melancholy, of someone who's seen much more than twenty-two years. "It is passing strange to me, where I can scarcely imagine a Hyrule without magic."

  Magic is part of Hyrule's very foundations. If that were taken away, it just wouldn't be Hyrule any more. Goddesses, dragons, spirits of lore, ancient relics... such fanciful tales are more than tales, there; they're reality, entwined with the very land's history.

  A flicker of sorrow crosses her expression when Yahiko talks about his own world, or lack thereof. "Separated from your home? I am sorry to hear that, Myojin Yahiko. Truly." Hey, she knows what it's like to suddenly be booted out of her home. Her world might be around, but she'd have to be stupid or suicidal to go anywhere near it short of bringing an army with her. "When Hyrule is liberated, you shall have a place within my kingdom, if you so choose. I would not see someone without a place; without a home..."

    Yumi chuckles. "I sort of know how you feel. My world only just became part of this whole World Tree thing, and I guess the main route in right now comes out right in Natsuto? Everyone's having to get used to all the strange stuff out there. Like unicorns wandering in and making magical girls." Alongside her own problems, but that's another story. "I'd offer to help find your way home, but there's not a whole lot I can do to help. This is my first time even leaving my own world," she admits with an embarrassed laugh.

    The subject comes back around to Zelda and her health. "And Rydia's exactly right," Yumi replies, nod-nodding. "It's hard to save anyone if you tilt over from exhaustion halfway through a fight. And you've probably got people worried about you, besides. Take better care of yourself, okay? For their sake." She taps her chin for a moment, seeming to consider something. "...I'm gonna see if I can save up some pocket money, get you some trail rations or something. Stuff that'll keep for a while, so you don't starve yourself when you get going again. Modern food preservation is really something~."

    "I've barely started to look for my home, so I haven't given up yet. I appreciate the offer, but I have my friends and family waiting for me, so I'm going to keep looking," Yahiko replies. "In the meantime I'm going to try to help out where I can. I'm from a samurai family, and I represent the entire Kamiya Kasshin style outside of Japan. It's my duty to help against injustice."

    Well he seems serious about that... but then he gets an awkward look. "Even if I don't really understand what's going on. I just saw trouble and stepped in to keep a girl from being trampled."

  "I wish it were so easy as that," Zelda murmurs. "I am bound to my kingdom in more than title. Hyrule's queens are blessed with great wisdom, but that blessing is not without cost. We are bound to act in all things for the good of our poeple, even if it may call us to self-sacrifice."

  "We women of Hyrule's royal line are no mere figureheads. There are those who have defied the will of the goddesses, but the histories do not speak kindly of them." She huddles into her robe, wrapping it more securely around herself; with the sun sinking below the sands, the temperature is dropping. "And I have handed my kingdom to an usurper."

  Well, when she puts it that way, it's easy to see why she wilts a little bit. She really does take it seriously, doesn't she?

  She shakes her head. "All that to say... I am compelled to guide and protect others, even if it should place myself into danger. In most circumstances, that is not a great concern; Hyrule is ordinary a peaceable land, and I have soldiers to protect me... but none could have foreseen the Twilight King, nor the manifestation of the World Tree."

  "Even so... I thank you for your concern, Tachibana Yumi. I do as well as I may, in light of this, to keep myself safe. I choose my battles in that regard as best as I am able." The princess inclines her head. "You needn't trouble yourself on my account, Tachibana Yumi."

  Yahiko earns a more direct look, somewhat owlish. The terms he's using make absolutely no sense to her, given the lack of recognition, but they must be important. He speaks of them with a certain gravity. "Yes. You are honourable, Myojin Yahiko. I must commend that. Honour is a quality that is thin in places; even at times, I am sad to say, in my own kingdom. Your courage and honour are to be commended."

    Yahiko has managed another smile out of Yumi. "That's more than enough reason, I think. If I'd been there sooner, I might have done the same thing." Despite her complete lack of combat ability, no less. It's probably a good thing she wasn't there. "I want to hear more about this sword style of yours some time, though! ...except maybe not that, uh. That one technique."

    And Zelda has more explanation about herself - or rather, her bloodline. It's fascinating... but it does draw a bit of a frown out of her regardless. "Well... I guess I understand, but that's still... just be careful, alright?" She wants so badly to say she'll help so Zelda doesn't run herself so ragged, but... what could she even offer? Food and other support is about the best she can do.

    Something about what Zelda says, or the way she says it, makes Yahiko blush slightly. He nods to her, solemnly considering her words, and smiles faintly in the end. "Thank you for saying that, but it's only what the people I respect would have done."

    Yumi's interest in his sword style has him looking at her. His face reddens at talking of that technique. "That isn't... a normal technique. You saw one of the real signature techniques of my style during the fight. My particular specialty is the blade catch, and you saw a variant of that earlier. The Kamiya Kasshin Style is focused on protection and defense instead of offense. My country had a very bloody revolution about fifteen years ago, and my master is pretty dedicated to keeping that from happening again."

  "Thank you for your concern, Tachibana Yumi." Zelda's voice is soft, and the statement seems curiously melancholy. "I will keep that in mind."

  She may not always be able to heed it, but she can at least keep it in hmind. The princess shifts her weight, arranging herself so she can lean against the wall behind the bed, watching her guests.

  "Yes. I would be interested in learning more of your techniques. I have not seen their like in Hyrule, nor a blade like yours." Zelda gestures to indicate Yahiko's weapon. "Those of my soldiers are generally more straight; like my own, albeit heavier."

  She gestures to indicate her own sword leaning on the wall. Even in its ornate scabbard it's clear the blade is more a rapier than a broadsword; beside it leans a common-looking bow, and a battered rucksack.

  "A revolution? I see." Zelda dips her head in a gesture of consolation. Her voice seems smaller and more distant. "I am sorry to hear that. War is always terrible..."

  She should know, what with Hyrule's war for its very existence, fighting to throw off the shroud of the Twilight.

  The princess doesn't offer anything further. If the others look, they might notice that her head has dropped until her chin rests over her chest, and her eyes have drifted closed. If not for the way one arm lies at her side, palm up and hand relaxed, she might look as though she were praying to her cherished goddesses.

  But no. She's only sleeping. She must be exhausted indeed if she's falling asleep before her own guests. How terribly rude.

    Yahiko takes one look at the sword, then nods. "It looks more like a Western sword. I don't know a lot about them, but I... um..." He trails off as Zelda just sort of gives in to her exhaustion.

    "... I guess we'd better let her rest."