World Tree MUSH

  The Chosen Hero had opportunity to pick up a trail in Eldin Province. Starting just beneath Snowpeak's southern snowline, it had flung him into single-minded pursuit, ignoring even the passage of day into night, and night into day. Cold stars crowned the peaks of Hyrule's northernmost mountains, their tallest peaks lending the Snowpeak range its namesake.

  His trail is the scent of blood, though far removed from normal. It carries an overwhelming sense of light and purity, scathing in its intensity. Even days-old and dry, the faded stains burn like the white-hot fire of the sun; the Goddess Hylia's legacy to her children. Yet only a rare few of her children are so marked -- those in whose veins her own blood flows.

  This is no wounded commoner. This is the blood of Hyrulean royalty, and it tells a concerning tale.

  The trail begins halfway between Kakariko Village and the foot of the Snowpeak mountain range. Something wounded Princess Zelda, and going by how much blood had been here, staining the path, it was a mortal wound. The scent's fade suggests the passage of a few days' time, and the odds of finding her alive are bleak.

  A few spatters venture northward before veering away. The trail ducks into a Vine and through to another world, one not entirely alien to Hyrulean sensibilities.

  That crackling scent of divinity leads on.

  It cools even further as it plunges into a desert away from the Vine. Scoured by sand-winds, only the blood's inherent magic guarantees its trail; there was enough that its decay would be slow, preserved on sheer volume. There was enough that there's no way this could have been a superficial wound.

  The princess was dying when she travelled through here.

  Zelda's lifeblood leads to a small village in the desert, whose carved sign claims it the village of Kaipo. The trail follows the main road, turns sharply into the village inn, and grows a little muddy from there. Specific directions are hard to follow, but the wolf might sense that there is a great concentration of the stuff somewhere close by. He's very close.

  The radiant blood concentrates beyond the closed door of one of the inn's rooms. The door isn't latched.

  Pushing it open would reveal a plain room with two beds, a table, chairs, and an open window. There is a tea service on the table; judging by the smell, the steeping herbs are medicinal. They carry a slightly bitter tang, but the scent is oddly soothing. Beside that is a map of Hyrule and all its provinces. It looks hand-drawn, and there are annotations, notes, and diagrams crammed into the margins.

  It's dwarfed by the scent he's been following.

  Link has found the source.

  A young woman lies on one of the room's two beds, under several threadbare blankets, outfitted ina simple sleeveles grey shift. She's Hylian, to go by her long and pointed ears.

  Although curled with her back to the door, he doesn't need to see her face to identify her. This is undeniably Princess Zelda, even if she looks completely different than the last time he'd seen her. Zelda had worn a crown, but no gold graces her brow. Her hair had been braided neatly, now carefully combed out, left loose and unadorned.

  Bereft of her royal trappings, Zelda looks less imposingly regal and more vulnerable; a pitifully pale and exhausted young woman pushed beyond her limits, murmuring fitfully in restless sleep. She could almost pass for a commoner, asleep; her appearance is perhaps surprisingly plain.

  On one hand, there's no doubt that she needs to rest. The road has obviously not treated her kindly. There are shadows under her eyes, and a hollowness to her cheekbones that suggests she hasn't been eating or sleeping regularly or well.

  On the other hand, pulling her from her nightmares would probably be a kindness. There is a chance she might have news of Hyrule, too, either of Faron Wood or of whatever happened in Eldin Province. She had left a spectacular quantity of blood behind, and some extremely jittery villagers in her wake.

The thing about crises is that they have a way of piling up. Link had been busily exploring his options for getting rid of the Twilight when the scent had caught his attention. Blood riles him up badly enough, but magic blood, well... that was an entirely different problem, with its own long, winding set of multi-day solutions. Another scent had caught on the wind nearby, unfamiliar, alien. He skirted it as he followed the blood, out, out, out... into unfamiliar lands.

Some people would say: A person who has bled this much, surely has to have died.

Link knows better. Not because Zelda has an unusual amount of blood (she's small, and probably has less blood to bleed), but because a little blood has a habit of going an awfully long way. She'd lost a dangerous amount, but not enough that her death was guaranteed. Something else he knew from the way the animals would act with each other, sometimes.

Midna refused to cross the border onto the Vine. Something about it repelled her, and Link carried on heedlessly. If it was just about not getting caught, the imp could take care of herself.

But all of that would've been a trivial task...

If not for the damned desert at the end of it. Link could see the settlement in the distance, and although the blood was diffused across the ands he could smell that that was the only place the trail could possibly end. It was walled, to boot. Which is why he waited until night. The cold of the desert troubles him less than the heat of it, and it would be easier to slip in without freaking anybody out.

The Divine Beast slides his way in as a traveler staggers inside, and trots up to the cracked door. He pushes in thoughtlessly, noses the door shut, and sits down. Who the /hell/ brought her all the way out to this place? Could it have been the alien scent?

Whatever.

Link growls experimentally and then BARKS as loud as he can manage.

That ought to do it.

  The room is dark, and no oil lamps or candles are burning. Link's eyes are enough to compensate for this, though, and he can probably see that the princess seems to be alone. The second bed doesn't look as though it's been touched at all.

  In the fierce cold of the desert, the silence seems almost oppressive. Not even village dogs bark in the gloom. They scent the wolf, and they know better than to raise a ruckus. He is no mere wolf. He's much bigger, much stronger; touched by the gods as much as the origin of the blood-trail.

  For what it's worth, he also barks much louder than a mere wolf.

  The reaction is instantaneous.

  With a ragged gasp, the princess tries to lever herself up from her bed and reach for something under her pillow. Steel gleams in the moonlight; Zelda manages to stop herself from doing anything foolish, breathing hard as she holds the blade high to strike at the monster--

  Those eyes.

  The knife lowers, incrementally. The princess gives a wild, shaky, breathless laugh; then another. Tossing aside the knife with a clatter, she slumps forward and hugs her knees, unable to even speak for a moment. Maybe something's wrong with her? But no. She's laughing breathlessly in the most sincere, profound sort of relief. It's a quiet sound and it might be missed by ears less sensitive, but he can hear every nuance of... well, a lot of things.

  "Oh, sweet and merciful Hylia." Zelda's voice is soft, albeit a little rough from sleep still. "Hero, you do not know what a relief it is to see you." Reality sets in an instant later, and that joyous relief seeps away like snow in summer when she sees his form is still not back to normal. Her relief dims into sorrow. "But you are still denied your own form."

  She doesn't bow her head, but the way she sighs and runs pale fingers through loose chestnut hair speaks of dismay. "You are unhurt, I hope. I would not have you suffer injury for my sake. You have suffered enough already; you and all of Hyrule." Zelda tilts her head the other way, those faded blue eyes searching. "You /are/ unhurt, I hope...?"

The wolf huffs audibly as Zelda moves for a weapon. Link isn't surprised exactly that she does so, but it's a near pointless gesture. The scent of blood is fresh enough in here that he knows she's still a little wounded at the least. Probably a lot, going by how banged up she evidently was at the start of the trail. Besides, he'd made a point of not actually getting within arm's reach.

Link rolls his eyes when she discards the dagger. He retrieves it, dumps it at the foot of the bed, and sits back down to just look at Zelda. The noise she's making is strange and unfamiliar, but not particularly alarming. He supposes she must have been in a bad enough way that him showing up instead of something worse was funny for how benign it is.

His head tilts to one side at her first words. He barks at her second. A low whine, more annoyed than sad or pained, leaves him when the matter of his own form comes up.

Inbetween one observation and the next Link exhibits EXACTLY what he had gone through to get here by shaking the sand off of him as he might water or dirt. Having done this, he climbs up onto the adjacent bed and lies down, head turned to face Zelda.

I wonder if she's using those witchy powers to listen to me again, Link thinks. He barks another answer, presumably an affirmative. Then he continues to think the conversation between them, presuming that Zelda /is/ using her powers: Not hurt just tired. The walk here took longer than a goat in a paper mill. Weird smells around your blood. But your blood smells so much that I couldn't actually tell what it was. Foreign.

The Divine Beast huffs again: Lots of strange animals. Smell weird. Lots coming off the water. Ate a green thing.

He lifts his head and looks around quizzically. The question isn't thought at all but it's strongly implied: How'd you even /get/ here?

  The princess' shoulder seems to be wound with bandaging, still, although blood doesn't spot the linen. That's probably a good sign. She looks physically frail even on the best of days, and right now she looks like she's on the bleeding edge of her last bit of strength.

  "Thank you." The statement is given quietly when Link retrieves the dagger and puts it back within reach. She watches as he reacts to her statements one by one, barking or otherwise trying to convey his meaning in any way he can.

  She doesn't recoil when he leaps up to the bed and curls up at the foot, head facing her to stare at her with those steely blue eyes.

  The princess almost reaches out for a moment, but she stops, studying her own hand, fingers trembling as much from exhaustion as from nerves. Warm fuzzy creatures are always comforting, but this is not some common dog. It would be rude and a little awkward to pet a sentient person.

  She sighs through her teeth and drops her hand back to her lap.

  Apparently she does understand his thoughts. The Triforce of Wisdom grants its possessors the ability to speak telepathically, and in this case, it's terribly useful. She can read his intentions much more clearly when he puts the effort into using his mind, although it's a bit rough around the edges to her, as though the beast's instinct hovers just past the surface.

  "'Witchy powers?'" Zelda half-smiles, although her amusement is subdued. "In a manner of speaking, but I can explain later. Please. Continue."

  She 'listens' in silence, mulling over his own observations. As much as the words themselves, she can glimpse the impressions behind them -- miles of sprinting over scorching desert sands, and the flickering impression of her own blood's crackling, potent scent. It's a bit strange to experience things which one hasn't the sense to detect, and for a brief insant she looks a little green around the gills, but says nothing.

  When he finishes with his last observations and his unspoken question, she shakes her head. Her expression is troubled as she reaches up to tuck a lock of limp hair behind a pointed ear.

  "I hope you were not the only one to pick up my trail, in that case. You smell the blood of the Goddess Hylia. It runs through the veins of every woman of the royal family, as it has since Hyrule's founding, and perhaps even before." She frowns as though unsettled. "But if you have detected it, I fear others may have, as well."

  Zant's not very happy with her right now. He's got shadow beasts scouring the countryside looking for Midna, but he also has quite a lot of them looking for his escaped hostage. It pleases her to think that her getting away put his nonexistent nose out of joint, but at the same time, she knows the danger of those consequences.

  Her attention snaps to Link when he lifts his head suddenly; for a fleeting instant her eyes are haunted and she tenses like a deer ready to spring. But he's only studying the room, conveying his unspoken question, and she visibly deflates a little.

  Honestly, he's pretty expressive for a bundle of fur, teeth, and claws. It's probably just as well.

  The princess hugs her knees again, laying her chin over the top of them and closing her eyes with a sigh. "A long story, but I have nothing but time. There is someone in Hyrule seeking magicians and slaying them. He calls himself the 'Demon of God,' the 'Adept-Slayer.' I do not know his name, if he even has one; I suspect he is from the Tree, from worlds beyond. But his power is overwhelming, and his pursuit unyielding."

  "I was travelling into Eldin Province to investigate a lead in Snowpeak. I will return to that later," she adds, narrowing those summer-blue eyes in thought. "On the road, I met a contingent of my people fleeing before the Twilight, seeking sanctuary in Kakariko Village. One was injured, so I offered to heal his wounds, though they did not know who I was." She gestures listlessly towards the hooded robe, which despite being dry, veritably reeks of divine blood. "The Adept-Slayer saw me using my powers, and though he does not know who or what I am, he flew into a rage and immediately assaulted me."

  "I remained on the road to buy my people time to escape. One or two of them were magicians, although they were not as skilled in the mending of wounds." The princess pales, and she tightens her hand around her opposite wrist, to keep it from trembling. This Adept-Slayer guy must have really left a horrifying impression. Her voice drops. "I thought I was going to die, but..."

  "I have met with a few allies beyond the Tree. One, a part of this world, is a girl named Rydia of Mist. She is a summoner, a magician of considerable talent, though she is but a child. She has aided me considerably, and she saved my life on Eldin Province when I called to her for help. She was able to bring me back to Kaipo and mend my wounds as best she could, but it was enough. I intend to honour her appropriately," Zelda adds, in solemn determination. "Once my kingdom is restored to me. I owe her my life."

  She glances to the table, and its map and tea service. For a brief instant she considers getting up, but she'd probably just fall over again. "I am sorry that you ran all this way, Hero," she adds, more gently. "Did you come in a single trip? That is a long way. Are you thirsty? Some water, perhaps?" Her expression shifts to one of concern. "I have strength enough to do this much for you, though little more than that, I fear. My body is broken, and I must recover my strength before I can turn my mind to Hyrule. But you..."

  "You are one of my subjects, no matter the prophecies, and so it is my responsibility to see to your well-being." She bows her head. "I do not have the strength to return you to your rightful form, not as I am now. I fear I would die in the attempt. To still be cursed even beyond Hyrule... it is a fierce and malicious power that binds you, Hero."

  Her voice drops a little, and there's a flicker of pain through those summer-blue eyes. "I am sorry that you are forced to live in such a state because of my actions."

The Divine Beast's ears perk slightly at the explanation concerning the Adept-Slayer. He has no idea who that is. He has no idea WHAT that is. Some foreigner probably, he decides without bothering to ask. Sounds like nonsense anyway. It isn't as if they decided to have powers one day. Something, sometime, decided that for them. Nothing really prepared him for being turned into... this. Not that he minded as much as other people seemed to /think/ he did.

Having hands again would be nice.

Okay, he thought at her, so you met another witch and she came along to save you because you did the thinky thingy. That makes sense, but where is she now?

He looked around to accentuate his point.

Link barked again: The trail you left was pretty clear. A hunter could follow it. This adept-thing, if he followed it he didn't follow it to you. You're so banged up I wouldn't bother killing you first if I was after witches. I'd go after the strong one first and double back once it was done.

In other words, Link thinks they should look in on Zelda's would-be savior.

He shook his head about the water, and barked at the window. Kaipo is an oasis town, the waterfront is plenty accessible.

He laid his head down.

Nope, Link thought, I'mma sleep in a bed tonight. Don't need you fetching anything. Don't really need that whether I'm thirsty or not. Heck, I'm mighty surprised that you're even offerin'. People are supposed to get stuff for you, right?

Another heavy breath. Link shakes his head to her apologies: May as well apologize for the sun risin' and cuccoos crowing. Anyhow I didn't keep track of how long it was. Prolly however long it took you to get here, plus the extra time skirtin' around the weird smell, plus waitin' til it was night to slip into town. Did you know-- people really don't like wolves up close?

Not like I'm gonna eat /all/ their yellow ostriches.

  "Her name is Rydia," Zelda chides the wolf, gently. "She is worthy of that much respect. She is in her own room, elsewhere in the inn. I did not wish to impose upon her, so I have been renting my own room." The princess gestures feebly at her rucksack on the far side of the room. Near it are her royal rapier, her royal quiver, and a very not-royal-looking, dirt-common bow. "My flight from Hyrule Castle was premeditated. I did not intend to leave empty-handed."

  Too bad she couldn't think of anything useful to take that would have inconvenienced Zant, but there doesn't seem to be much she could have done about that. Still, the missed opportunity chafes a little.

  She tilts her head and eyes Link thoughtfully. Her regard seems almost sleepy, but only a fool would overlook the intelligence in those otherwise mild blue eyes. "No. I do not think so. Rydia has creatures pacted to her, in her thrall, and they obey her absolutely. Their senses are keen."

  "I do not think so. He would have done so by this time. I was able to wound him, though perhaps not so much as I had received." Zelda's tone shifts to one of grim satisfaction. "It cost me dearly, but I believe it also prevented him from an immediate ambush against Rydia."

  Well, it was probably the bow, and not the sword. It's confirmed a moment later as Zelda gestures toward it. Physical combat is not exactly her wheelhouse, to go by appearances alone.

  His surprise at her willingness to fetch a glass of water earns a soft laugh. "You needn't be so surprised, Hero. You must expect a certain behaviour from the kingdom's aristocrats, let alone its royalty. I am sorry to disappoint... but know this. You are a guest, even if my hospitality is poor, for the moment; and you have endured much for my sake. It would not be right of me not to offer."

  "It is true that I had servants within Hyrule Castle, but I tended to do things for myself whenever I could." The princess smiles faintly, tilting her head and studying the wolf at the foot of the bed. It's like having a giant guard dog, right? "I think some of the nobility thought me strange, for that."

  Too bad. On some level, she's a terribly willful young woman, and that's probably never going to change.

  "You may sleep here," she adds, more softly. "I would not turn you out." Huh. Not too modest, either. Then again, she's not exactly in royal garb, either. This is probably as vulnerable as any denizen of Hyrule has ever seen her. "Sleeping in a bed is a luxury many take for granted."

  "I have been running from Zant's beasts for no less than four weeks, by my reckoning, but my accounting for time is imprecise at best." Huddling into the blanket, she leans her shoulders back against the wall, voice a little muffled as she wraps it around herself and draws it up to her chin. "I slept in trees, and in caves; I ran on through rain, and avoided habitation wherever possible. My presence was only a danger to those of my people close by. They have no defense against the Twilight."

  Her eyes hood, and her gaze gradually slips out of focus. "No. People don't generally like wolves. They are regarded poorly in many areas of Hyrule for their predation of livestock... and of people, in lean winters. That is simply the way of beasts, though, and I think it is foolish to consider them as monsters. They are only beasts."

  Monsters, true monsters, are a different matter entirely.

  A slight, flat look is given to the sacred beast. Zelda snorts, faintly, but the exhalation seems one more of amusement than of exasperation. "Please do not eat the yellow ostriches. They are called chocobos, and they seem to serve the same purpose as a horse, here. They are used as beasts of burden, and for transportation. Eat one of those, Hero, and you are eating someone's livelihood."

  Killjoy.

  "...I will see to it personally that you are fed, and fed well, come the morning."

  Well, at least she's not completely without a heart.

  She glances over to study him for a moment, quiet and thoughtful.

  "Hero... may I ask you a question?"

'It's hard for 'em to recognize what's goin' on around them. They're only halfway there.' The Divine Beast shut its eyes. 'I'd say they're like ghosts but I think the ghosts make a bigger difference when push comes to shove. They're just there. Driftin'. Gettin' spooked if something that can do things comes by. Monsters don't bother 'em none, ain't got a reason to.'

'Maybe it's different when you're around 'em. Whatever magic being Chose gave me didn't let me keep my body, but yours did.'

A vague growl is his answer to the assessment of wolves. Contextually it's probably easiest to take it as the closest he can get to a shrug. It doesn't seem threatening, more like a grunt.

His eyes open and he sits back up as chocobo are explained to him. Link stares at Zelda in utter bafflement, cocking his head to one side with a whine. 'I get what ya mean but that's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Usin' birds like horses. I reckoned they just ate them, they're big enough for it. Guess I coulda talked to them if I wanted, but even when you can talk to 'em animals don't usually have nothin' worthwhile to say.'

'S'pecially dogs.'

He settles back down and closes his eyes, ears swivelling about in response to sounds here and there. They settle forward. Link gives a grunt of assent.

  "They are helpless," Zelda agrees, and her gradually slide closed. She's not sleeping, although she looks haggard enough to drift off at any time. "They do not understand what has happened to the kingdom around them, and they need only wait for the shadow beasts to pick them off, one by one." Her eyes close tighter. "I could hear their voices in my flight from the castle, but I could not help them."

  It only would have revealed herself to her hunters. She could not afford to do that, not for the sake of the kingdom as a whole, no matter how much it made her heartsick to hear their terror and listen to them die.

  She had cursed the Triforce even as it compelled her to cleave to the path of a wise ruler. A wise ruler would not give away her position in futile sacrifice. Her efforts wouldn't have made a difference... even if it would have salved her conscience to try.

  "The magic of being Chosen?" Those blue eyes settle on the wolf, and she bares her right hand, showing the back of it to him. On it glows faintly the familiar triangular symbol, the lower left piece filled in. "That would be the Triforce of Wisdom, divine relic of the Goddesses, and heirloom of the royal family of Hyrule. It also protects us from any effect that would seek to change us, such as the Twilight. Perhaps if I were weak enough, it is possible I might lose my form as you have, Hero, but in times of strength, my form cannot be altered, not even by Zant's curse. He would need the strength to defy the Goddess Nayru herself, and I do not think he is as strong as all that."

  "Every queen of Hyrule has borne this piece of the Triforce, and it has passed from mother to daughter since Hyrule's founding... it grants us the essence of the Goddess Nayru, and with it, the wisdom to rule our kingdom wisely. But..." Zelda hesitates, gaze sliding away from him as she withdraws her hand. Something in the gesture, however subtle, almost seems bitter. "It does not account for situations like this. It does not account for how important the good of the few is; it can see only the good of the many, and compel me to follow that path."

  "It allows my body to remain unchanged in the Twilight, for what little that may be worth. I cannot be influenced by any force that would otherwise alter my form. No magic may change me in such a manner; not that I am aware."

  She sighs, bowing her head and resting her forehead over the top of a knee. The darkness is soothing to her eyes, and it's nice to hear the sound of nothing but a completely unremarkable desert night. No screaming, no shadow beasts shrieking and snarling, and none of that strange, distorted echo of the Twilight. It's almost anticlimactically... normal.

  She cracks an eye open and regards him obliquely before picking herself up and blinking at his observation. "Perhaps. But... please do not eat them, for the time being. I will make arrangements and see to it that you are well-fed."

  He grunts at her to tell her to continue, and she studies him in somber silence. It might be enough to wonder if she's fallen asleep there. She hasn't. His eyes close, and she reaches out almost hesitantly -- the faintest sound of fabric sliding as she pulls her arm from the blanket -- and hovers her hand over his head, as though to touch it, but seems to think better and withdraws.

  "Hyrule... needs a saviour. I cannot be that -- I am sorry to say that my courage is not so great as yours." Zelda shakes her head. "I cannot do the things that you can do; that the Goddesses themselves chose you to do. They saw in you some quality they deemed fit, that they saw in the heroes chosen from ages past. And I am sorry to ask this of you, for you did not ask for any of it. If the stakes were anything but Hyrule itself... I would not. But I feel caught between a rock and an anvil. I can do little to save my kingdom, but my people must be saved. I need your help to liberate Hyrule from the Twilight. Will you lend me your courage and your strength, Hero?"

  There's a short, awkward pause, and those summer-blue eyes open, sliding to regard Link again, almost resignedly.

  "And... I realise I know so little of you. You know my name, but you have me at a disadvantage..." After all, she has only known him as the hero, chosen by the Goddesses... but not what his name was, or where he was from -- or anything else about him, really.

'Goatherder. Didn't haveta ask me twice, I'm not gonna eat people's animals,' The Divine Beast replies, its tone moderately irritable. Of course, if it was necessary he would, but there are plenty of alternatives for getting food. As long as he runs the shadow creatures off first so they don't harass him the whole while, there's plenty to find in the woods and the fields alike.

Go too long without a meal, and he might not be up to fighting shadow beasts.

Link has a strong instinct to be wary when Zelda reaches over his head. He glares at her, without really meaning to but certainly without question, suppressing the instinctive growl trying to bubble up in his throat. He knows she isn't going to do anything. Isn't /fit/ to do anything. But damned if he doesn't like somebody putting their hand over the top of his head. The moment of tension passes when he withdraws her hand.

Link wishes that he could laugh, instead managing a low rumble that is probably more threatening than it actually is, and is certainly utterly asynchronous with his actual thoughts. He stops when he realizes he's doing it.

He droops his head deliberately over the edge of the bed.

'Is this what Royals are like? You don't gotta spend so much time figurin' out how to ask me to do what I already gotta do anyway. What am I gonna do, wander off and live as a wolf? That cheeky witch of an imp already conned me into looking for her stupid magic weapon, that's what I was doin' before I caught your scent. I reckon if I'm gonna do one impossible thing it don't matter too much if I do two.'

Link's head rises, one ear drooping comically. 'What, did Midna not tell you my name? I kinna tuned out after a while, you two were talkin' around me. I'm Link of Ordon Village.'

He pauses a moment, and then adds: 'The sword delivery is gonna be late by forever.'

  "I'm sorry. Of course not." Zelda smiles a little miserably. "Forgive me. I do not mean to nag, Hero. I... am nervous enough about being in this place. The shadow beasts search high and low for me, and I am loathe to involve these people, especially if they succumb to the Twilight as Hyrule has. I pray only that the beasts do not discover my trail until I have the strength to leave this place."

  That probably won't be for a while. The princess looks too haggard to tackle anything more strenuous than standing up. Saving a kingdom will have to wait until much later. She still smells faintly of blood, but exhaustion seems to be more the threat to her -- even unable to see colours, he can probably see how pale she is.

  Zelda inclines her head when he gives some information away, and smiles a little wanly when he realises he's growling and checks himself. "I do not mind," she says, softly. "You do not frighten me; I can sense your intent." She knows he can't laugh as he is now.

  His question brings her to stop short, blinking somewhat owlishly. It might be an amusing expression to see in... well, someone who's supposed to be in absolute control at all times and responsible for an entire kingdom.

  In some ways, she has a lot to learn, still.

  She doesn't reach over his head again. She caught that look. No wild beast likes having anything over its head, and it makes dogs nervous. He is no friendly mutt from the royal kennels to be given a pat on the head. (They've probably all been turned into horrible shadow monsters by now anyway. Or eaten.)

  It's still kind of tempting. Warm fuzzy creatures are always comforting, right? But this isn't a warm fuzzy creature; this is the eventual saviour of Hyrule locked into a body that isn't his. In a way, the wolf doesn't really exist.

  "No, not really." Did Midna tell her his name? No, of course not. Why would Midna do that? Hylia forbid the imp actually care about something or treat the light-worlders with anything other than mild scorn. Zelda settles for leaning back against the wall and wrapping her blanket around herself, letting tired and red-rimmed eyes hood, whistling a sigh through her teeth. "There were many things Midna chose not to share with me, and your name and livelihood were among those. I suspect she may not have known, at the time, or cared."

  Not really surprising, nor can she blame the Twili for it, but it still wound up being missing puzzle pieces. She opens her eyes slowly when he gives his name, and manages another one of those fleeting but warm smiles. Good. A name is a good beginning to have, and it sure beats calling him 'Hero' all the time. That's terribly impersonal, and if his Triforce is anything like hers, having his nose rubbed into his destiny is probably not the greatest reminder.

  The sword delivery is gonna be late by forever, he says, and she can't help an actual laugh, though it's a little weak.

  "Worry not, Link of Ordon Village. At the moment, there is no castle to receive it, so neither you nor your village can hardly be faulted for that. I am honoured, then, Link of Ordon Village. I promise you, when I am stronger, I will help you to restore Ordon Village. I have heard that Faron Wood is infested by the Twilight, and seen it first-hand." She gets around, doesn't she? No wonder she looks so ragged. She's practically been all over Hyrule, or at least the parts obnoxious to travel through. "It strays dangerously close to Hyrule Field, and it threatens Eldin Province as well."

  She huddles into her blanket and lets her head droop forward, too. "My plan is to investigate Eldin Province, determine the threat of Twilight, and if possible, push Zant from it. I have heard of an estate, high in the Snowpeak range, that once belonged to an eccentric aristocrat of the court. Since I am reasonably certain he left no descendants and perished some years ago, according to official records that I can recall, we may be able to make use of the property, and establish a base of operations there. It would be useful in reclaiming Hyrule from the Twilight."

  "Plans for another day, though. I am too weak to begin such an ambitious plan. I must rest, and recover my strength. No doubt you have need of rest, too."

  There's a flicker of movement his instincts might pick up on. It's only a whisper of a touch, curled fingers brushing through thick black fur -- as much seeking comfort as trying to give some small measure of it, before she withdraws back to the warmth of her blankets, settling to lie on her side, pulling her feet out of the way so he has enough room to sprawl at the foot of the bed.

  "Thank you, Link. For now... I am sorry, but I need to rest." She's so tired it hurts, but that might just be because she's a wreck and that's just the sensation of injuries compounded on top of injuries she's feeling. That Adept-Slayer fellow thrashed her pretty soundly.

  The princess' voice grows distant and small, and she curls herself more securely in the inn's threadbare blankets. "Stay as long as you like. Our goals are the same... so... I will help you in any way that I can." She manages a faint smile, letting her eyes slide closed. "Good night... Link."

An apologetic feeling drifts through the connection Zelda is presently sustaining. Link isn't really uncomfortable with her, but she can tell that he's not certain what to make of her either. His overall disposition, though not communicated through words, is a sort of amiable well-this-is-fine-too. It's a lot less jumpy than the first day they met, because he's not completely fresh out of destiny punching him in the face, jumping down his throat, and dumping him in her dungeon.

Eventually, Link does start looking at Zelda funny, as she runs through the idea that in fact he isn't a warm fuzzy creature, but a divinely empowered beast as unwise to trifle with as one of the great Light Spirits itself. In the end, she gets the feeling that he's just trying and failing to figure her out.

'Naw. She cares. She's cheeky as a devil, but...'

'I reckon she's about like you,' he reasons, 'tryin' to figure a way out, kinda scared, kinda used to leadin' the herd. I thought she was one of 'em when I first saw her, and she did some things to get me onboard that I can't say I take kindly to. But if she thinks she's gotta go that far to make it, well, I can't fault that too much. Besides, when she looks at me she sees me.'

Link positively glows for a moment when Zelda laughs, his tail wagging noisily against the opposite side of the bed.

'Listen,' The Divine Beast begins as soon as Zelda completes her thoughts, 'it's just Link. Not hero or divine whatever or Link of this-or-that. I was just tellin' ya where I came from, it's not a title or a badge or a crown. I don't want none of those things. Don't even really want -this-.' A paw bearing a triangle mark rises for a moment, then falls again. 'I figure we'll prolly puzzle this mess out before it gets too bad, or it won't be worth worryin' about what comes after. Don't really know what the Goddesses were lookin' for to tag somebody like me. Don't matter much. Gonna do the job anyway.'

'Maybe that's all they were lookin' for. Somebody who'd do the job even though it's stupid and dangerous.'

He sighs, 'But somebody's gotta wrestle the goats, and nobody wants to do that either. And I like that well enough, so maybe I'll like this. Anyhow I'm bein' haunted by some skeleton guy who wants this seen through, and I don't imagine he's gonna let me alone until I've done it, so that's just one more reason to get it done.'

'Anyhow. You prob'ly know better where to start than me. So Snowpeak's alright. But,' He stares at her flatly again, 'you royal types -do- know that a place called somethin' like snowpeak's gotta be miserable and cold all year 'round, right? Who does that? Who goes to a place called snowpeak and builds a house?'

Link doesn't get directedly bristly at Zelda reaching for him this time, but at a touch she can tell that it's a little uncomfortable. He's reflexively tensing up, and doesn't seem to be able to stop it. For now.

He settles down as Zelda does, letting his own eyes drift shut. Link is /almost/ asleep when something very, very important occurs to him. He sits bolt upright and barks.

'Put your knife back under your pillow!'

With that, the Divine Beast finally settles in and allows himself to sleep.