World Tree MUSH

    The village is a lot more peaceful now, but the barriers and watchtower are still around... just in case. They've lost villagers, they're going to be cautious for a while now, and in better shape to defend themselves. The village is also a lot more willing to talk to outsiders than some, which is good... but the youth who helped out before isn't exactly an outsider, at least not from offworld.

    It's also easy to see that the Master Sword-wielder is here, at least temporarily. That massive stag is next to the inn, and looking fidgety at being penned up. The rest of the village looks to be curious about him, but keeping their distance... it looks like the youth doesn't LIVE here but has been staying for a bit, possibly suspecting a bottle or other extremely rare treasure is hidden nearby.

  There's another familiar face here today, in the form of a rider headed up the road towards the village. Closer inspection from the watchtowers reveals it's the same rider who had helped out the last time, the young woman who had given her name as 'Sheik.' A curious choice of name, particularly for those Hyrules where the Shadow Folk have not passed into legend.

  The horse is a borrowed one, a chestnut nag from one of the farm fields, but the rider wears the same hooded robe that had been the source of so much suspicion the last time she had been here. Her bow is slung over her shoulder; her quiver hidden from sight.

  A tug on tattered old reins slows the horse to even more of a plod, keeping her hands down where the villagers can see them. They are, presumably, somewhat suspicious with the run of bad luck they've been having, here... best not to give them any reason to shoot first and ask questions later.

  She's getting close, by this point; close enough that she's within shouting distance of the watchtowers before the horse slows to a halt, bending its head to nose at the path underfoot. For the rider's part, she slides off the plow horse, gathering the reins and waiting quietly.

  The rider eyes the barricades and the watchtowers approvingly, even going so far as to give a satisfied little nod to herself. Good. It isn't enough to stop the monsters if there are enough of them, but it can slow them down, and provide a tactical advantage.

  To those who can sense magic, her presence is not subtle. It's like staring at the sun. Whoever she is, though, she seems polite enough, and patient enough to wait until she's addressed.

    While the people of the village are friendly enough to wave, they aren't so keen on approaching easily. Fortunately some remember well enough, and recognize the disguised princess as an ally, though a dangerous one. One of the younger men approaches, nodding his head, "Did you need somewhere to water your horse for the evening?" Well that's polite.

    The strange woman is nowhere in sight right now, but someone else does pop up. The youth, hat still on head, pops out to peer from the inn. Blinking twice, a little wave is given before the rider is approached... but notably, the elaborate blade is still upon the young warrior's back right now. "I didn't expect any to return."

  The figure waits patiently as villagers work up the courage to approach. The hooded head tilts just slightly as one of them finally draws the short straw, but the quiet laugh under her breath is lost in the breeze. She reaches up to sweep her hood back and blinks at the sun. "Yes. Actually, this horse is borrowed, and I was looking to return it." Equally polite; well-enunciated, not quite aristocratic.

  Her head swivels around as the behatted youth makes an appearance, eyes narrowing for just an instant before she remembers herself. It isn't quite a smile that she greets the stag-rider with, and her eyes linger for a long moment on the sword over the youth's back.

  "My intentions are not altruistic, I'm afraid, though I must confess satisfaction at seeing that these people have decided to keep their temporary defenses. Watchtowers are a wise precaution, and useful for more than monsters; barricades are also a deterrent to the wild beasts." She thins her lips, looking now more directly at the youth. Her eyes are a mild blue, the shade of summertime sky. "I did not expect to find you so easily. I suppose the goddesses have some sense of mercy." She puffs out a breath. "May we speak? Somewhere more private, perhaps?" she adds. Her eyes flit from one side to the other, taking in the villagers. "Somewhere away from prying eyes... and ears."

    "They aren't short on wood, and there might be more attacks. The monsters are getting more common... it's becoming a real problem for more than just these little villages." Hawk sighs, shrugging as the topic of the defenses comes up and is discussed. The village is as safe as it can get without heroes here to help. "It'll be a deterrant."

    Then Hawk nods, gesturing over to the hill behind the inn. "We can talk there. We'll see anyone coming. I think I need to talk to you, too. You've probably guessed why. Did you need a drink or something first? Or we can talk and be back in time for sundown." Either way, they have to move, and while the villager is tending to the horse, Hawk will walk with Zeelda. "You're definitely not from this world, using a name like that," Hawk adds once they are out of earshot.

  "A common tale, one heard across many realms. I wonder what it portends for the future." Zelda's quiet observation is troubled, but the emotion is so subtle that it could be missed. She shakes her head, thinning her lips in evident displeasure. "More importantly, every action and reaction is connected, as all things are. Sometimes these bonds are affected in ways we cannot even begin to know."

  A forefinger is held up in classic 'a moment, please' gesture as Zelda glances toward the hill, and then turns back to the horse. It's an unremarkable horse, placidly cropping the weeds underfoot as the princess rummages through old, cracked leather saddlebags. She produces two canteens and something wrapped in paper, somehow managing to juggle all three while handing the reins off to the villager.

  Zelda turns to make her way up the hill, looking over her shoulder and jerking her chin to beckon Hawk along. C'mon, don't fall behind.

  "I should like to satisfy my curiosity, yes," she comments, glancing sidelong to regard Hawk from the corner of an eye. The look she casts the youth is significant. "Not the least of which is that thing you are carrying. I know its significance, but the pieces I am missing are why you have it, and what you intend to do with it."

  She turns her head again, giving the youth a long, searching look as she walks. "No. I am not. That much should have been obvious from the beginning, not knowing the circumstances of this realm." Her quiet smile is almost a little annoyed. "At present, the only conclusions I can reach is that the goddesses have a very twisted sense of humour."

    Walking alongside Zelda, Hawk looks pleased that the princess had canteens with her. That solves a problem. It gives the youth a spring to the step, and an easier manner. At least, at first. Weighty topics are weighty.

    "Yeah... I'm not sure exactly what is causing this, but I have a lot of suspicions," comes the answer, indicating the monsters. While the villager leads the horse away, the two have some clearer time to talk even before hitting the hill. "And that's also why I have this sword. Whatever powerful magic is behind this, it's going to need something, some key, to dispel it. I only hope this is enough." There's... doubt there? And then more: "But I have to try."

    Resolute, yes. Stubborn even. But Hawk has more to say. "Now you know what I am doing with it. Why I have it? Because..." Hawk rolls up a sleeve, then tugs the glove up enough to show a gleam of yellow. "The sword answers to the one who needs it most. The Sage of Wisdom told me it was needed. There is some horrible imbalance in this world. But you knew that."

    Hawk isn't trusting Zelda completely, but revealing that they carry a piece of the Triforce is less of a secret than others.

  "I have a few suspicions, but whether they prove true or not, only time may tell." Zelda shakes her head and sighs. "I fear there is no easy solution, no matter the hows and whys."

  At Hawk's commentary on the sword, Zelda eyes the youth sidelong again, eyes narrowing in thought. Interesting, but she doesn't have enough of the pieces to begin putting them together. "If it is not enough, may the goddesses help us all."

  She stares as the Triforce is revealed to her; unblinking... and perhaps unsurprised. It explains much, to go by her thin and largely humourless smile, although Hawk's piece is there and gone too quickly to tell which fragment it is.

  Pulling off her glove, she bares the back of her right hand. The strange, almost overbearing supernatural presence about her seems to redouble. Golden light at her hand -- an answering mark, and this one is clearly the Triforce of Wisdom.

  "I am no servant of the royal family," she states, evenly and quietly. You show me yours, I'll show you mine. "I am the royal family. The last of them, in truth; at least insofar as my iteration of Hyrule is concerned."

  "That answers a few of my questions. Not all of them, but it is a start." Shrugging out of the black robe, she tosses it down to sit atop it. Hardly regal, this Zelda, with plain riding clothes and hair thrown into a messy braid that's threatening to come undone. One of the two canteens is tossed to Hawk and the paper opened to reveal a few pieces of hardtack. A piece is tossed to Hawk. "It also explains to me why you have that sword... and why it would deign to heed your call."

    "I thought as much," Hawk says, seeing the Triforce. "That bow... the old woman noticed it too. You're either the Princess of your world, or you're a thief, and with that mark I'm pretty sure it's the former." Hawk smiles, "Don't worry, I had a talk with the woman. She'll keep quiet. She might think you're this world's Princess Zelda even if you are a little older than she would be right now."

    Hawk looks down and sighs. "I don't know all the answers." Sitting down next to Zelda, the hardtack and water seems to be fine for the youth too, and that makes for a nod of thanks. "Thank you, by the way." Then, with another sigh. "Link is here. Somewhere. But he's not himself. Whatever gave me the Triforce of Courage has made him... different, I think. I will probably have to face him someday. Like a dark mirror..." Hawk's lips turn into a bitter smile. "But with two Hyrules, maybe we can help one another. I doubt they'd be expecting another Hero of Courage in yours."

  "An heirloom passed down through the royal family," Zelda offers, in regards to the bow. "It belonged to my grandmother, and she passed it on to me when she was no longer able to use it. The captain of the guard was the one who taught me how to shoot. I insisted upon lessons as a child." A fleeting, thin smile. "To the detriment of your realm's monsters."

  The smile fades, returning to her usual somber expression. "As to that, I would have to be quite a thief to abscond with the Triforce of Wisdom, although it has been known to happen."

  To Hawk's thanks, she only rolls her shoulder noncommittally.

  "The Hero of Courage is not dead, in my Hyrule, but I do not know where he is. I do not know the location of the Blade of Evil's Bane, either." An expression of disquiet flickers across her face. "That... concerns me, but there is little I can do about it right now." Summer-blue eyes flit back to Hawk. "I am, however, willing to help with your Hyrule's problems, as much as I am able. I am not without allies, either, who may be willing to aid you in your plight."

    Hawk smiles, "I thought so, about the bow. I am a little handy with my own, but I rely on magic more than anything." Hawk gestures, as if to show the triforce again. "But the Hero of Courage falls to me, so I guess that's what I will be. I thought I was supposed to be fearless."

    This worry is pushed away though. "These worlds have made things different. I don't know what to do. So... to help you and my world, maybe we should confer with the Sage of Wisdom of my world? I can guide you and people you think are trustworthy, a few, to meet him. If you can handle a trek through the desert."

  "It is a difficult item to disguise," the princess comments, on the matter of the royal bow. Looking down, Zelda breaks off a piece of hardtack, nibbling on it rather half-heartedly as she balances her canteen against her knee. She doesn't seem like she's actually hungry.

  Her gaze flicks back up to Hawk's eyes as she's given confirmation over which piece of the Triforce the youth wields, and her lips curve subtly; a satisfied smile. She'd guessed correctly in the brief glimpse she'd managed -- although that ornate blade over the youth's back is a significant enough clue. There are only so many that the spirit of the sword will heed.

  Magic? A curious detail, one that she files away for later. She can't think of any instance of the Chosen Hero in legend or tale ever having relied on magic so heavily. Quite the opposite, usually...

  "The World Tree has introduced a number of headache, complicating the problems of my own Hyrule and yours as well, and the goddesses only know how many others." The princess shakes her head, slowly. "Already mine teeters on the verge of civil war." To the last, she tips her head slightly, guarded once more. "The desert? Certainly. I am not fond of them, but I have travelled through them before." Kaipo Village comes to mind, when she had first begun travelling with Rydia.