World Tree MUSH

    The morning had broken damp and cold over the forest. Fog hangs so thick on the ground one can scarcely see the nose in front of their face. It is at least the work of natural forces and not the unnatural pall of the Twilight, but it's still damp and bone-chillingly cold.
    Their position places them somewhat north of the area said to house the Master Sword, and close to the outskirts of Ordon Village. Zelda has been mindful not to stray too close to the village boundaries. While it's unlikely anyone there would identify her, she's trying to stay focused. Her priority right now is to restore Link, and commune with the Light Spirits.
    At this late stage in the usurpation of Hyrule, only they can tell her what's really happening.
    When the rain started coming down earlier in the afternoon, the princess had only sighed and drawn her hood up over her hair without a word of complain. That sound had been so terribly resigned, though, and so weary.
    Hyrule's largest wood is alive with the sound of pattering rain. It's cold, damp, and the fog is pervasive despite the precipitation. After the road became too indistinct to see, the princess had called for a halt, striking camp beneath the sheltering boughs of a grove of large trees.
    On the bright side, nobody from Ordon Village is going to stumble across them in this kind of weather.
    Now, after brushing down the horses and helping to secure camp, Zelda has tucked herself into the creases between the monstrous trees' roots, watching the rain fall. She's bundled up in her travelling clothes and the mourning robe she's had since Hyrule Castle, its hood pulled down over her face and her harp clutched loosely in her lap. Her fingers, ungloved, absently pluck at the strings in a melancholy tune.
    If one got close enough, they might hear, ever so softly, the princess humming along to her strings. There is still a bloodstain visible on the harp's limb, which she seems to be doing her best not to actually touch.
    Her eyes are distracted as she watches the rain fall and the fog curl and twist about the boughs. It's too thick to even see the top of the trees they've camped among. It must be reasonably safe, though, or she must not sense the beasts of the Twilight nearby. She's not strung quite as wire-tight as she's been over the last few days. Maybe the ugly things don't like rain or fog.
    Or maybe the nearby presence of the Master Sword, sleeping in its pedestal, is putting her more at ease... and keeping her hunters away.
    For now.

    Rain. Rain is not something Rydia of mist dreads nor despises. The cool patter of water on skin, the cling of damp clothing to flesh. It's all so very reminiscent of the soothing chill of her home valley where there was never a day without the chill mists.
    Being soaked is not pleasant, but it is not something that altogether bothers the small Summoner once camp is made beneath the dense trees, simply opting to tug her wolfos fur cloak about herself a little tighter for the warmth it provides, the grinning beast skull resting atop her head in a grisly hood. If there is a fire... She is nowhere near it.
    No. Instead she's inching closer to the roots of that great tree and the princess sitting among them as though beckoned by that somber tune...
    "... Zelda... There's blood on your harp."

    Meandering around camp in the rain is not something even Terra is willing to abide. Shelter is warranted and while it's tempting to lurk in the wagon, it really should be reserved for things that can't afford to get wet. The half-esper doesn't really mind the wet. Just like she didn't mind the heat of the desert. Weird.
    Stepping carefully to avoid a slip or even an undue, intrusive noise she picks her way to the slightly mist-dampened sound of Zelda's harp. Arriving just in time to overhear Rydia's pointed remark, all she can do is agree; so she nods as she enters view.

    Although the evening is cold and damp, none of that seems to bother the princess. As before when they had trekked north to Snowpeak Garrison, she has uttered not a word of complaint. For aristocracy, let alone royalty, she has shown remarkable tolerance over the hardship and the weather.
    The notes pause for a moment at the sound of those words from the Summoner. Zelda doesn't move at first, as though she hadn't heard the question asked her, and then her head gradually tilts toward Rydia.
    "I know."
    It's a straightforward answer given in a soft tone. Her fingers resume their idle plucking, although she no longer hums along.
    She strums another somber chord. The notes taper off though as she looks up and notes another visitor. The quiet one. Aren't the quiet ones always dangerous? She herself is fairly quiet, most of the time, when she isn't needing to purposefully exude royal authority and command.
    A slight frown mars the princess' face, and then she smooths it, as though by conscious effort.
    "Have a seat," she finally offers, to both of them. "It is comfortable enough, if you do not mind the cold and the wet in the first place. Too cold for a campfire. Too wet."

    No fire. That's good. For Rydia. The cold and the wet are nothing to a girl born in a valley of eternal mist, anyway. It takes her little effort to clamber into the roots to find a comfortable place to settle herself in, hands resting on her lap once she does locate a space.
    And then there's Terra. The girl is suspiciously hardy, travelling as much as the group does and yet without a single complaint. But Rydia doesn't pry into that. The child's lips purse into a faint and thoughtful moue as the tune dies down.
    But yes. Zelda knows about the stain.
    Of course she does.
    Rydia opens her mouth to speak, but cuts herself off, opting to exercise a legendary level of discretion for the green-haired girl.
    "... Think we'll find that sword soon?"

    Had they not been out in Hyrule proper, Yumi might have chanced to use her newfound-yet-familiar powers to help light the way through the fog. By Zelda's own warning, however, that's a risk of catching some very shadowy attention. So instead, she has stayed most of the day in the cover of the wagon, finding herself enjoying the quiet, natural sound of rain in a woodland area more than she expected. Even if it is kinda cold and miserable otherwise. It's a bastion of living, breathing nature rather than hostile twilight.

    But they're stopped for now, and Zelda is relaxing alone; it takes a little bit longer than it did Rydia and Terra, but the redhead eventually zips her jacket up and ambles over to check things out. Rather than speak up with a greeting, though, she quietly moves into conversational distance and sits down... only to then notice the bloodstain. Unlike Rydia, she doesn't recognize it. So Zelda is now getting a Concerned Look.

    No fire. It seems like a thingg that's needed but mostly due to Rydia's dislike of it, Terra is perfectly fine without. She's genrally fine with all of the things. A little too easygoing, maybe! Or maybe just used to following.
    The suspicious perserverance of a soldier or even more suspicious supernatural heritage. Regardless, she nods again at the invitation and finds a place to sit, likely flanking poor Rydia. She curls herself up, not minding the damp in the least and she even finds a comfortable nook in the roots while listening to Zelda's soothing harp picking. Though, finally, she speaks up!
    "I believe we'll find it." We have to, right? Why would we fail? Yumi is greeted by yet another nod, then her gaze eventually falls upon the harp. She doesn't feel right asking. Hell, she feels guilty even staring longer than a moment. So she closes her eyes, basking in the company if not the warmth.

    The princess occasionaly brushes her fingers over the harp's strings, but she doesn't maintain the half-melody she had been playing before. It seems more of an unconscious gesture now. The sound is almost lost in the dampening quality of the fog and the rain.
    "Yes." Zelda's answer is soft as Rydia finds herself a spot and settles down, fingers punctuating her statement with a soft run of notes. "I can sense it, sleeping in its pedestal... we are near it, but not near enough. When this fog lifts, we must press on." She glances to one side, hood hiding her features almost completely. "We are too near to Ordon Village."
    Is being near Ordona some kind of problem? "I do not believe any of them will identify me, but it is needless complication, and time we cannot spare. Perhaps after we retrieve the Blade of Evil's Bane, we might spare the time. There may be trouble there. But as we are now, we are not equipped to provide aid."
    Her head turns down again, hood hiding her face. "In truth... all of my hopes ride upon it. If this blade cannot save us, if it cannot save Hyrule, than we are lost. I am lost. And my people are lost." Zelda shakes her head, slowly, thumbing over the strings to silence them. "It is possible I could rip the curse from Link myself, if need be. The thing that binds him is dangerous. Alive. A thing of hatred and malice. It would not be without cost to me. If the sword can sever that curse, along with my power... all the better."
    Apparently she catches Yumi's concern. "Blood, yes," she adds, mildly, following Yumi's gaze. "Be not afraid. It is not mine."

    Rydia decides...
    Rydia decides she will not be the one to ask.
    No, indeed, her focus shifts almost awkwardly when Terra settles down, and the smaller girl shifts somewhat in her seating before unwravelling her fur cloak and holding it open in a quiet offer to wrap up with the other green-haired girl at first, by the time Yumi arrives.
    "Well I mean. It has to work. What's so legendary about a legendary sword that can't even cut a curse?" She does prod.

    "And I think it'll work," the redhead says, nodding briefly to Terra. "If only because you know your stuff," Yumi adds, looking Zelda's direction. "But even if it doesn't, there might be another step before doing it solo. My sword, Prominence... you might be able to use that." She draws up her legs, curling in a little on herself. "...I don't know if it /will/ work, but there's at least a small chance. I can focus my sun magic through it. It's even easier than using my own body. I'm not sure if it will work with someone else's magic, but if there's anyone close to my own..." She frowns. "Maybe that's something we should test some time regardless. Might be useful to know for the future."

    There is a pause. Another glance at the blood. A glance back at Zelda.

    Apparently she's giving Zelda more time to say something before she asks, because her next question is entirely unrelated. "Do you think this far in the woods, if I only use a /little/ of my magic, it might be safe?" As much as everyone here might be varying stages of 'fine with the cold'... it is still, in fact, cold. A bit of light and warmth would be nice.

    Terra only hesitates a moment, settling in alongside Rydia and wrapping in the cloak. There, her presence is helpful and she immediately feels a little better. She's comfortably warm, at least!
    Terra comes in with the upset. Everyone else holds it in and it's her wont to be somewhat awkward, afterall. "Whose is it?" It doesn't /seem/ like an unreasonable question at first, though she does immediately regret opening her mouth. Though maybe that's her other habit of second guessing her second guesses. She attempts to scramble away from what she feels might have been a verbal faux pas, so she nods at the- Well, in some direction that may or may not have an ancient evil slaying sword artifact. "I'm sure it's very..." Blank. Briefly, her brain vapor locks on how to finish that thought until she simply utters, "...Magical." Shoulder sag. Even she knows that was totally feeble but at least she manages to not hide her face or something.
    Maybe she's the one that needed Rydia's comforting presence more than Rydia might've needed hers.
    "Sorry."

    "There is plenty of legend. The Master Sword was forged by Hylia herself. By... me, in a way. We are all Hylia, we of the royal line of Hyrule. Some of us share her memories." Zelda looks out to the rain again, watching it patter down on the leaves and the forest floor. This close to the tree trunk, she's mostly dry, as are her visitors.
    She sighs, quietly, through her nose. "I thought that would be enough..."
    "But it isn't." Her gaze swings back around to Rydia, although it skims over Terra and Yumi as well. "The truth is... the last time I tried to sever the curse myself, it ended poorly, as you doubtless recall, Rydia; Tachibana Yumi." The princess dips her head momentarily. "My power alone is not enough. I must have the power of the Master Sword as well. There is no greater proof against evil in all of Hyrule. My histories, my legends, my mythologies; this is known to all of them, and it is absolute."
    The fleeting smile that crosses her face is bitter and cold. "I do not know what power it is Zant has managed to get ahold of, but it is a dark and terrible power. It is to darkness as the Master Sword is to light. He is a problem and an obstacle but I fear... I suspect... that there is some greater power still that guides him; that fuels him."
    "Yes. I may ask for such, Tachibana Yumi." Those clear eyes settle then on Yumi. "If we focus our powers through both blades, in tandem, perhaps that will be enough. Hylia's power is that of light, of the sun, of all that is good in this world. That is what the Golden Goddesses had made of her. A protector, a guide, one who offers succor; direction and comfort."
    Her head shakes, slowly.
    Whose blood is it?
    "My mother's."
    The answer is so soft, so toneless, and given with such straightforwardness that it's possible the others might flinch, even if Zelda doesn't. She runs a thumb along the harp's limb, passing over the stain without so much as a twitch.
    "Yes," she says simply, to Yumi's suggestion of testing the compatibilities of their powers. "I believe that would be wise."
    Terra's answer and subsequent apology earns an owlish look, before she eventually shakes her head and looks away.
    "Do not be."
    This far into the woods, it should be safe for magic, shouldn't it? The princess seems to consider the possibility with due seriousness, looking down for a moment as she weighs the answer. "I have my bow." She gestures to a crook in the roots nearby, where her bow and quiver lie. "If they come, I will fight them, and I will win. I am too close to my goal to be deterred."
    There's a short pause.
    "...And I am a far better climber of trees than they are."

    Ah.

    Her mother's.

    Yumi immediately feels bad for wondering - and for assuming it to be from some recent-ish struggle she hadn't been told about.

    Rather than mope about it, or apologize for a slight she hasn't even spoken aloud, the redhead reaches down and picks up a small rock, about half the size of her closed fist, and shuts her eyes.

    Slowly, the stone begins to glow with a soft gold-white light, and emit a pleasant warmth. Without a word, she scoot-scoots over, where she'll be closer to Rydia.

    Self conscious! Will she ever not be? All the time? Terra fidgets ever so slightly, noticing after a spell that Rydia is no longer conscious. Oh! Slipping an arm around the small girl to support her should the need arise, she remains still while contemplating Zelda's words.
    It doesn't sound like a terribly hopeful situation, certainly not easy and certainly not safe. During this, she looks down at the small summoner; it really is easy to forget how small and young she really is, despite her rather strong personality.
    When her question is answered she, strangely, doesn't feel anything. She doesn't know what having a mother is even like. Even realizing that she's not sure how she feels, or even what she should do. The others may notice, however, that something about her seems ever so slightly more resolute, confident and maybe just a bit terrible.
    Yumi providing warmth is welcome, certainly, and she nods yet again but at least, softly, "Thank you." A little warmth and light, even in these dangerous woods, should help. Even if it's only a little.

    The Hylian cocks an eye toward the stone, watching as the divine power brings with it warmth and light, and that light leaks out between Yumi's fingers as she scoots over toward Rydia.
    Her attention turns back out to the forest beyond. Fog still curls between the branches, and the rain has begun to slow. The princess runs her fingers over the harp strings again, almost tentative, a strange discordant run of notes with an air of mystery about them. Although her gaze flickers over to note Rydia has let herself nap in the company of her friends, she neither calls the Summoner out nor draws attention to it.
    Zelda lets her eyes fall half-closed.
    "I want to go home," she comments, so as not to wake Rydia; so softly it might be missed in the rain.

    Terra gets a smile, and a soft nod, and then the redhead leans back a bit, relaxing just a tad. As long as she keeps contact on that stone, Yumi can keep it radiating light and heat, so that will last a little while. To Zelda, she gives a soft, affirmative, "Mm." Her own eyes close, then she adds, "I'm looking forward to seeing it. As you remember it, or maybe just as it will be. Nothing says you can't redecorate a little once it's back under out control."

    Terra relaxes a bit. The warmth of Yumi's magic is soothing, though perhaps it's something else. Still, carefully wrapped up with Rydia as she is, she doesn't really dare move about or say too awful much to add the conversation. At least, not right away. Until, at least, another concept rather foreign to her emerges.
    "Home..."

    "So am I." Yet for all that she's trying to sound hopeful or optimistic, Zelda only sounds melancholy. She sighs when she catches the soft statement from Terra, wincing just a little. "I am sorry. Perhaps it was better to say... 'a return to a time or place when things were so much more simple.' When I did not spend every day worrying."
    "I am weary," she says again, soft, but with feeling. "The weight of the Triforce feels unbearable, some days. I will bear it, though, and I will have no choice in the matter." She draws in a deep breath; lets it go softly through her nose. "I look forward to receiving the Blade of Evil's Bane in our possession. It will be the first step in righting Hyrule's -- and my -- wrongs."

    At that, Terra tilts her head just a little. Zelda's reaction isn't really what she expected at all. Ever so slightly shifting to get comfortable without rousing the hellion sleeping against her, she manages to look just a bit surprised. "No, don't be. It's alright. I think..." She rolls her eyes up, looking hard for the words she wants to use. "I'm happy to help you have your home back." There's a bit, a hint of wistfulness in her expression. Maybe she feels a little left out, not having a home of her own to win back but at the same time she also never lost a home in the first place. Did she? It leaves her uncertain how she really feels. Other than, as she said aloud, happy to be a help.

    "Just remember you don't have to bear it alone," Yumi replies to Zelda, giving the Hylian a soft smile. "I think pretty much no matter where I went or who I was friends with, I'd be fighting for the sake of someone or something. But having simple times would be nice for a little while, at least." She glances Terra's way, then adds, "I should take you to come visit my city some time. Give you a chance to visit a big city that doesn't involve some sort of crisis."

    Although it's somewhat wan, the princess does offer a tentative smile to Yumi's offer of support. That much seems to make all the difference to her, and she lets her fingers ghost over the strings once more.
    "Yes." Just when it seems she might leave it at that, she adds, "Thank you, my... friends." The smile turns a little brighter at that. She hadn't really had too many friends when Hyrule was still functioning normally. Wrapped up as she'd been in learning statecraft and the thousand intricacies that come with the Hyrulean court, she hadn't had time for being sociable, and couldn't particularly trust the people that wanted to force themselves on her social life. Everyone has an agenda; it really is pretty lonely at the top.
    Was.
    She isn't at the top, any more, and there's something almost comforting about that. It led to meeting friends like Yumi, like Rydia; like Terra.
    Leaning back against the tree, Zelda nods, faintly. "Yes." This, to visiting Natsuto City. "I would like that, some time, too. And..." Her eyes turn back to Terra. "Though you claim no place in this world or any other, know that you will have a place to belong, once my kingdom is restored. This I would grant you gladly." Her eyes turn over the others. "The same is true for all of you. You have done Hyrule a great service in assisting me."

    Terra keeps a loose, supporting grip on Rydia. With the rain letting up and the warmth of Yumi's lightstone, this is almost a pleasant little slice of everything. Almost relaxing! Still, talk of friends has her thinking.
    She's never really had friends before now, right? She can't really trust her memory but it would seem those memories are well and truly gone even if there were any. It's a nice thought and she hides her smile with a bit of Rydia's fur cloak.
    "Ah?" Thoughts of venturing somewhere busy again make her tense ever so slightly. Most of them have turned out poorly, so she's done little to venture out on her own. "I could..." She's not unwilling to try, at least, which is something! Eyes shift to Zelda and her cheeks redden. Shame, perhaps. "I've already been given so much, you really don't have to." Soft spoken as always and a bit more, too; don't wanna wake our (not)firebrand summoner.

    "We might not have to," Yumi replies to Terra, "But we want to. You've been a good friend, and you've been willing to fight alongside us the entire time. It's only natural to want to give something back." And besides - on a personal level, Terra has more in common with Yumi than a lot of people. She can't help but feel for the girl. "Besides, I know if I needed help, you guys weould be there, so I'll be there whenever you two need help. Her too, for that matter," she adds, nodding to Rydia.

    "I am the sole princess of this kingdom, and its resources, too, are my birthright," Zelda points out calmly. "To offer all of you a place to stay is no trouble at all to me, once the usurper-king has been cast out. It would be a pittance after all everyone has done for me and mine."
    Yumi's explanation ties things up more succinctly, though, and the Hylian can only nod in response to the redhead's words. "Tachibana Yumi speaks wisdom. It is my pleasure and my honour to provide, no matter what it is that is asked. I look forward to being in a position once more of being able to do so."
    She leans back against the tree a little, eyes hooding as she regards her harp. "I think I will stay here for a time. It is peaceful here, though I do know the way back." Clever as the princess is, she likely left herself markers of some kind; some means to retrace her steps through the obscuring shroud of the fog.

    Well. Unsure how exactly to respond, the half-esper does at least manage another nod. "Thank you." She looks between both of her friends in attendance. "I have worried that I'd be trouble or in the way or that I'd bring trouble because..." Well, so many possibilities occur to her at once that she shakes her head. No, no. Think about something else. She's helped! Even if only a little.
    "Thank you, both." After a slight pause, she looks to Yumi. "We should go. To your city, I mean." She doesn't mind the current situation but a little more sun and a little less mortal peril might be nice!
    Likewise comfortable and unable to really separate herself from the sleepy summoner for the moment, she manages another smile. "I think this place will be fine. For a little while." Though maybe depositing the small girl tucked against her somewhere dry isn't such a bad idea either.

    Yumi seems to think for a moment, before deciding, "Not tonight, but... maybe this weekend. It's getting close to a holiday in my world, and I'll be able to show you guys around when I don't have school." She's not sure if Zelda would be along for the trip; the last time she the Hylian visited Natsuto for purely social reasons, she spent the entire time tense and had a difficult time enjoying herself. But even just Terra and Rydia would be nice.

    The topic of the fog, though, has Yumi glancing at her stone and frowning. "...Wish I could get away with more, but this is about my limit without transforming. And if I transform, I'm pretty sure they'll be able to sense me from a good ways away." Her power isn't quite 'holy' in and of itself, but it is very definitely 'light', and the beasts of Twilight are probably better-suited than almost anything on the Tree to sniff that out.

    A short, noncommittal sound is all the princess manages in response to Terra's thanks. Zelda looks satisfied for the moment. She's conveyed all she wanted to, and in time, maybe the girl can begin to accept that others want to reward her own loyalty and selflessness. It comes more from low self-esteem than actual altruism, but such loyalty, the princess is certain, is still to be rewarded.
    "I would not mind visiting. My hunters have not yet caught up to me, even here. Perhaps the cold has dampened their senses. I do not know." The things have such bizarre physiology that there's no way to be sure. They don't seem to have noses, she's almost certain they have no eyes, and there are no visible ears or holes for ears that she can see.
    They look like no other creature she knows of.
    The princess sighs and lets her head rest forward a little, sighing out a breath of fog. "We've been lucky, so far," she murmurs. "I expected to see more of them across the plains. Their quiet makes me uneasy. I would save your transformation, Tachibana Yumi, until we are in greatest need of your powers. I do not know that it would attract them, but there is no sense tempting fate."

    With the conversation settling down, Terra withdraws a touch to preserve energy and warmth. She can imagine everyone here is tired, at least somewhat, though Yumi's light is a balm for that particular item.
    Further talk of the creatures draws her attention, making her wonder what they're like. How they might be fended off if need be; especially if she can't use her magic openly.
    If it's been luck so far that's won them relative peace for this journey she can't complain. Not that she would even if she had reason to! Still, "It's fine. If needed, I can provide some warmth." Pause. The half-esper glances to Rydia, looking thoughtful and troubled. Or maybe not.

    Oh. Oh she actually wants to come visit. Yumi can't quite hide the surprise, but it's a grateful sort. "This much is fine," she says, nodding to her still-glowing stone. "I worry it might get the attention of the Twilight if we get too close, but it's not a drain on me personally to keep it up. Probably better if I don't keep it up too much longer for safety's sake, though." She settles back a bit, keeping the stone in her hand for now; they can at least enjoy the warmth for a minute or two more.

    "We can return to camp soon. While I cannot speak for the rest of you, I am tired. It would behoove us to rest while we have the opportunity. The final stretch of this journey will be upon us sooner than we may think," Zelda comments, softly. "It would be better if we are rested when we reach it."
    Zelda passes her fingers over the strings, not quite tentative, but quiet enough not to waken the sleeper. "We will need to navigate the Lost Woods. that is no place to camp. There is more fog by far than this, here; and the woodland spirits will lead the unwary traveller astray. Once the path is lost, it is rarely found again, and there are many tales of those who enter the weald, never to be seen or heard from again."
    She shrugs one shoulder, shaking her head as her fingers dance over a discordant and almost ominous run of chords. "While the whys and hows are not important, there are too many such tales for me to dismiss the matter entirely. We will want to be alert, although I know the way. There are no doubt dangerous creatures there who call the Lost Woods home, creatures who have no stake in either the Twilight or the Light Spirits."
    Quieting, the princess looks down to her harp. Her eyes are slightly unfocused, and there are shadows beneath them, when her features can be seen in the shadow of the mourning robe's hood. Eventually she pushes herself to her feet, beckoning for the others to follow. "Mm. We should return to camp. It is better not to be separated for too long in this place, under conditions such as these. I believe I will rest, then."
    "I, too, will need to be at my best when we reach the threshold of the Lost Woods. I will need to remember the way." Zelda's eyes droop a little, and she clutches her harp close, thumb absently brushing over the bloodstain. "Shall we go...?"

    Standing up is a bit more complicated in one case! Terra, enwrapped in Rydia's wolfos cloak and serving as an impromptu pillow, looks up to the other two. Uncertainty washes over her features but delicately as she can she starts to disentangle herself.
    She may need a hand. Still, she does her best to gently shift the small summoner more fully against herself, hefting her up and then rising. She's certainly stronger than her small form might suggest. At least she's kept her soldier's physique in spite of not being terribly adventurous. "Mmf."
    Yumi and Zelda both get a nod. Rydia's getting it easy tonight!

    "I think it's a good time for it," Yumi agrees, slowly moving to stand up. The rock in her hand, she stares at for a moment or two - then with her foot, she digs a little divot in the dirt, drops it in, and pushes the dirt back over it. It's enough to obscure the light, at least. "If the Lost Woods are that dangerous, I might just transform and stay that way while we're in there. It sounds like the kind of place the Twilight wouldn't dare enter." They might have a fight on their hands when they come back out, sure, but by that point they'll be more than equipped to handle it.

    Zelda is quick to offer help when Terra struggles to rise. Although she carries her harp in one arm, her other she uses to help steady the Summoner, not stepping away until she's certain that Terra has her load well in hand. The thought to trade her harp for the Summoner and carry the girl back crosses her mind, but...
    Well, the princess just isn't that kind of a physique. She is not a soldier. That much is obvious.
    Zelda bobs her head to Yumi's agreement, serene features reflecting a flicker of approval as she watches Yumi bury the stone. "Perhaps. It would be a visible beacon, if any of us should become separated from the others, if you were to call on your powers. I may consider displaying my power as well; simply as a precaution, if the need arises."
    "I do not know if the Twilight encroaches there." She shakes her head. "We travel blindly... but you should rest, while we have the opportunity. And..."
    Zelda pads ahead, though she pauses and turns, favouring both with a smile. "Thank you. Rest well, all of you." She bobs forward in a slight little half-bow before padding ahead, to set up her bedroll... preferably inside the wagon. She doesn't need much space.