World Tree MUSH

South, slightly to the west, and far below Zora's Domain lies Lake Hylia. As one of Hyrule's largest lakes, it almost looks an inland sea from a distance. Countless inlets and outlets supply water throughout the whole of the eastern plainsland.

Lake Hylia is also the site of a shrine dedicated to the province's guardian Light Spirit. Like her brethren, the serpentine Lanayru has been silent since Zant's coup two and a half years ago. Zelda has come for answers. A few days ago, a small procession left Zora's Domain, moving by night. It's warm, this long after sunset, rather than hot. The air is humid. Cicadas buzz and crickets chirp; the serenade of summer on the Hyrulean lowlands.

In the days prior, Zelda hasn't spoken much all the way down the mountain. She's worn her hooded cloak through even the most brutal heat. When the ruined spires of Hyrule Castle were visible, she pointedly wouldn't look in that direction, eyes fixed rigidly ahead.

Now, this close to the shrine, the procession advances over the narrow causeway between shore and island. Zelda rides at the head of the column. She wears her white ceremonial dress, and rides the horse bareback, feet bare, using neither saddle nor bridle to control her horse. The animal plods complacent along the causeway, the beat of his hooves ringing dully through the stone.

Zora Sages behind her carry candles. The Zora guards scattered among them carry torches. Their ceremonial armour gleams in flickers of candlelight. All of them, including the princess, are silent. The Zora dare not interrupt the thoughts of their young queen, but Zelda herself looks lost in thought. Summer-blue eyes are downcast to the path.

They're nearly to the shrine, but they still have a little ways to go.

    When Yumi returned to the Domain, it was with a fair number of cuts, bruises, and a slightly alarming number of burns. But she's always been a tough one, with a thoroughly unhealthy pain tolerance, and the availability of healing magic and potions has at least made it possible for her to be physically whole by the time the caravan departs.

    Mentally, on the other hand, she's still visibly preoccupied. She's remaining silent much like Zelda, just sticking to the top of the caravan's main wagon and watching the scenery go by. She does occasionally glance Zelda's way, though, increasingly curious about what's to come.

Lucianne is sitting next to Yumi, and has been quiet so far; but eventually just sighs and glances aside. "What happened?" She sounds somewhat concerned, though not too much, clearly the kind of concerned of 'you got yourself hurt' not 'you're going to remain hurt. She's wearing that eyepatch again, and she's got a knife holster attached to her hip, with knife.

    Rydia has been... Quiet. Somber of late. Following along with the procession in a wordless haze for the most part, gaze distant and unfocused for the most part as she lets her chocobo carry her along, following close to the side of Zelda's horse as the bird plods along, occasionally casting worried glances at his rider.

    Lex is showing more pep than she had at the Zora's Domain party, and a lot more energy than she had before Zelda burned away as much of the curse as she could. There was also a little bit of enthusiasm there, at least towards the beginning. Lightshard 18 has been the same way, insofar as it's possible to tell.

    Now ... well, she's a bit concerned about both Yumi and Rydia. She glances over at Lucianne when she asks that question, wanting to hear the answer herself.

The large, jet-black war horse the queen rides plods ahead in silence. The soft whuff of his breath and the rhythmic ringing of hoofbeats on stone are the only sounds to break the silence. Zelda stares into the dark, eyes clear, rather than squinting at what she can't see. She's listening, more than anything else.

Not just at the sounds on the air, but to something else entirely -- something within, to go by her distant, tired stare. Maybe she's thinking of some prayer. Or maybe she's reflecting on the terrible state Hyrule's in.

Actually, she's remembering memories that aren't hers, and trying to put them out of her mind, because they're pretty irrelevant right now.

She hears Lucianne's question, eyes flicking sidelong for a moment as they snap back into focus, but evidently she doesn't see fit to answer the question. Or, going by her slightly troubled expression, it's not her secret to tell.

"We are here."

Her voice is soft as she swings herself over the horse's side to land in a crouch, wincing slightly. The stone here is flat but unforgivingly hard; the Zora stay behind as she pads toward the cavern housing the shrine.

It's a shallow, tall cavern with thick stone walls. Roots snake through the boulders and cracks. A narrow shelf of stone juts out over clear water. It smells of minerals.

Zelda looks up to the ceiling, where a dim spherical glow hovers. Its light is faint, fitful as a candle. For a fleeting instant her lips thin and her face looks bloodless, but whether in anger or fear, it's hard to say. It seems like both. It's there and gone, though, and she narrows her eyes.

"As I feared. Zant has damaged them. I expect trouble if he has managed to kill any of them, but I pray to the Author of Law that his competence is not so great." Her voice is soft, and it trembles with quiet, sincere anger. Tension snaps in the air; the sense of her divinity, and the anger of a goddess, is almost a physical weight. "Losing the provincial guardians would throw the kingdom out of balance. He certainly tried, though."

"...I will hang the usurper by his own guts." It's not very queenly, but it sure feels great to say it.

    At least this time Yumi's not totally spaced out. "We had a battle against a cult of kidnapping lizardmen," Yumi replies, "And they managed to summon their fire god. The whole thing was... rough." She keeps light on details, and it's not actually all of what's on her mind, but it's at least part of the truth.

    However, her own concerns fall by the wayside when she hears that much venom in Zelda's voice. Zant tried to kill one of the guardian spirits? That's... that's pretty much unforgivable, yes. But even she isn't as bothered by it as Zelda seems to be.

    There's a soft set of footfalls as the disembarked girl wanders up close behind Zelda, her own voice soft. "Is there anything we can do for it? Anything we need to do?" Other than the obvious 'remove Zant from the castle with extreme prejudice'. She's worried about the Spirit.

Lucianne nods to Yumi and doesn't ask questions beyond that, knowing better. As Zelda comes to her conclusion, she stands up and makes a proclamation of her own. "Justice will prevail, Zant will find balance for his crimes; whether in this life, or the next." Her anger isn't personal, but there's still a ring to it that feels like she's just stated an objective truth rather than a mere platitude. As she states it, the eyepatch she's wearing burns through; she seems shocked by that, and sits back down, clamping her eye shut and shoving hair in front.

    Lex nods to Yumi, frowning worriedly. She isn't entirely sure what to say, or how to respond, or what else to say.

    But then her attention is grabbed by Zelda's proclamation. Her eyes widen as she peers at the flickering sphere. "Ohhhhhh, crud."

    "I know the situation is dire, but why don't we watch the fucking language," Shard says sarcastically. "In all seriousness, though, I'm beginning to feel eager to taste him with my blade."

    Lex opens her mouth to respond, then blinks and turns to Lucianne. "Uh ... you okay there?"

"He has not only committed an unforgivable crime," Zelda snarls. Yumi will see, when she steps closer, that Zelda is so angry she's actually trembling. The air of power is oppressive in her immediate personal space. Are her eyes more of a dark blue? "He has committed a blasphemy against Hyrule's goddesses themselves. He has no right to remove the appointed provincial guardians. They are the Goddess Hylia's responsibility, and Hylia's responsiblity alone. What arrogance. What magnificent arrogance! Is there no end to his crimes?"

She breathes hard through her nose for a second or two, as though forcibly trying to squelch her rage.

"Forgive me." She closes her eyes for a second or two, folding a hand demurely over her heart. "That was inelegant."

"I fear not." At Yumi's question, she looks up at the flickering light. "Lanayru will heal, given time. The Zora will protect her, in the meantime, and see that she does not fall under attack a second time." Her nostrils flare; there's another crackle of anger. She's in the process of turning around when she catches sight of Lucianne's eyepatch incinerating itself, and it catches her off her guard so much she has to stop and stare for a half-second.

"Uh." Smooth, Zelda. Real smooth. The Hylian shakes her head as though to clear it, turning back to face the Light Spirit. Her eye falls half-closed, and she tilts her head, as though she were listening to something. The light flickers just a little brighter, as though exerting itself.

    The vehemence is... startling. Yumi has seen Zelda angry before, but not like this. But after the momentary startle, she stands firm, waiting quietly, letting the storm pass. "I think you're entitled to a little inelegance at a time like this," she replies softly, giving a light shake of her head. "Just don't let it stick with you. We need to make sure we go into this with cool heads. We can't afford to make a mistake out of anger, even the righteous kind of anger. Otherwise the furious desire to remove him, is gonna be what keeps him in power." She knows Zelda of all people is well aware of that lesson - but sometimes you need to hear it from someone outside yourself.

    "For what it's worth," she adds with a glance over her shoulder at Lucianne, "I'm pretty sure all of us are bothered by it."

"Just a little flare I think." Lucianne answers Lex, smiling somewhat awkwardly. She sounds uncertain. taking a step back and looking up, as though trying to see past the ceiling. "The light will excise the darkness as surely as the sun rises in the morning; forcing the shadows to retreat to the dusty crags where they belong." This one sounds like a quote, much like her principles. "Zant does not belong in the light of day."

    Lex is likewise startled by Zelda's vehemence, though not exactly surprised. Zant has always been a sore subject for her, and they haven't seen this sort of setback before in Lex's relatively brief time in Hyrule. She starts to settle down only when Zelda herself does.

    Lightshard 18 detaches from Lex's back and floats forward slightly. "Your highness," she says, "I believe that no one is less-concerned about such inelegance than us." (Lex sighs softly, but doesn't comment.) And, as I said ..." She tilts forward, so that her handle is pointed towards Zelda -- a symbolic gesture of offering her aid.

    Lex nods slowly. She's feeling all sorts of worry and uncertainty about this, but she's also known Zelda to be fairly decisive. "So, uh. I mean." She shrugs. "What's our next move? Like, in general, kind of thing?"

"I am well aware, Yumi Tachibana." Zelda's response is even. Her face, when she turns, reflects that same calm. "He will be undone by cunning and wisdom. Anger only feeds him. I must have a care, because it also fuels whatever is backing his power. He is not a competent enough Sage to challenge me and win." She closes her eyes. "There's simply no way. I felt his magic."

It was kinda like being run over by a steamroller, really.

"By tone, you are quoting something." It's a simple observation, not a question. She quirks a brow, as though puzzled. "You've certainly taken to the matter, for knowing so little of you or you of this world."

Half a glance is cast back at Lex and Shard. Zelda tilts her head, considering. Summer-blue eyes flit down to the hilt of Lightshard 18, and after a moment, her head tilts a little further sideways, eyes closing briefly. Thanks, the gesture seems to say.

What's our next move? The princess sighs; her shoulders slump a little, looking far too narrow for the queen of an entire kingdom. "I... don't actually have a plan. Not yet. I can but pray to the Author of Law for guidance. From here, we must be careful. Zant musn't suspect that I live."

There's an uncomfortably long pause.

"I am willing to entertain suggestions, although we still have some time."

    "I don't have any suggestions, so much as... direction, I guess," Yumi offers. "Anything we still need to square away around the kingdom, first and foremost. Any big issues we still need to solve so that Zant doesn't have his boot on Hyrule's throat." She folds her arms, pacing. "Then we need to figure out what we need to beat him. Info on his forces, his territory, what kind of magic he has in place or is likely to use to defend himself, ways he might counter our plan... We've got a lot of prep work."

"I merely follow what I believe is right, your highness. My moral compass does seem to have survived regardless of my other issues." Lucianne shrugs faintly before adding. "But there's a difference between knowing what end result must come and knowing how to chart a route there, I fear I cannot chart a route; but I'm willing to assist where I can."

    Shard turns back upright. "Miss Lucianne is one of those rare few individuals who appears to view an unimpeachable degree of moral fortitude as 'common sense'," she says dryly, floating over to return to Lex's back. "I'm afraid I'm not one for broad-scale tactical planning."

    Lex seems uncertain, but she nods to Yumi. "I think Yumi's got the right of it," she says. "Just ... cut him off and hit 'im where he lives, kind of thing, so his reach isn't as broad." She nods to Lucianne and adds, "Like that Sentinel we ... ran into the other day."

As she listens, Zelda reaches up, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. There is a ferocious little headache lurking somewhere behind her eyes, and it's becoming more and more insistent by the moment. It seems like this was a complication she didn't need.

"We need the ability to scout, but to do so in a way we are not ourselves seen..." The princess sighs, shaking her head. "It will be made clear. Thank you for accompanying me. At this point, our only recourse is to return to Zora's Domain. I do not wish to return to Snowpeak Garrison until we are ready to stay there for a time; the passes will become dangerous once the rainy season starts."

She sighs, letting her arms drop. The young monarch looks disappointed; disappointed and very, very tired. "Hyrule thanks you for your assistance, in any case. We will be safe in Zora's Domain for a time while we plan our next move, in the meantime. Prince Ralis has personally invited us to stay. While he cannot guarantee our safety, we stand a better chance among allies." To Lex and Shard, she dips her chin. "Mm. That's the crux of the issue. We will only have one opportunity to make our assault count; elsewise, I expect he'll dig into the citadel, and it will quickly become a pitched battle. If that's the case... Hyrule hasn't the resources. Not by itself." Her tone is one of concern. "I have no soldiers, and no means by which to direct them. Furthermore, my people are vulnerable to the Twilight. So are the Gorons, and the Zora."

She sighs, shrugging and turning, padding back over to her horse. The giant war horse dips his head to nose at her shoulder, and she reaches up to give the animal a hug around its face. "For now... we should return to Zora's Domain, and rest. Miss Brando, if you like, I'll take another look at your..." A brief pause; a flicker of summer-blue eyes over the adventurer. "Progress."