World Tree MUSH

  Truly, the heights of Peak Province are the roof of the Kingdom of Hyrule. These imposing jagged fangs are capped with snow at all times of the year. The roads are so snowbound that they're almost impassable. For some reason there are Vines in this godforsaken place, and they lead to an abandoned castle high up to a plateau before the top of the peaks. It includes a decrepit orchard, currently overgrown but sort of half-alive, and the grounds of Snowpeak Garrison -- what was once a garrison for soldiers, but really looks more like a really rich aristocrat's estate. The main building isn't any taller than three storeys. Its courtyard is wide open, with somewhat less snow than the treacherous wilds around it. Somebody lives here, or several somebodies; the place is too clean and well-kept to be abandoned like local lore suggests.

  In the courtyard itself, a figure with a black robe paces around the outer edge, leading a freakishly large charcoal horse by the halter through the snow. Said enormous equine actually makes a pretty good natural snow plow, which is probably why the courtyard looks more okay than the drifts piled outside the walls.

  They aren't exactly stealthy. The horse keeps snorting and acting restive, and the humanoid figure in the robe keeps speaking softly to soothe it.

  How the mighty have fallen. Beneath her hooded robe, Zelda heaves a sigh, which fogs in the frozen air. "Author of Law preserve me, I am sick half to death of snow," she mutters under her breath. Sighing again, this time more in frustration, she reaches up to pat at the massive horse's neck. "What I wouldn't give to be home, Lynel. For all of us to be home." Her voice hardens. "I must redouble my efforts, and soon."

  Talking to a horse? Really? Then again, it doesn't look like there are a whole lot of other people here, despite the garrison's good repair. The front gate is open, though, and that means there aren't any people pointing weapons at visitors. In fact, there's nobody at all to greet them except the young woman and the horse in the courtyard.

    While Athena has been to Snowpeak - briefly - most of her experience with Hyrule lies in the wilds nearby rather than the garrison itself. The woman from the future is familiar with fortifications though... even if Ares was the god of War, Athena was often his rival and another war patron, so knew her fair share about these sorts of things. She's also chosen to blend in, wearing... well, it's highly unusual armor, but not gleaming with lights and such. Just a high tech polymer combat armor that looks a bit like a plate vest with padded leggings and greaves. She's also riding a horse, though horseback riding is not one of the skills she inherited from her previous life, so she's kind of obviously amateur at it.

    Trotting through the gates, she dismounts hastily, raising an arm in greeting. "Not the most hospitable of places on the outside, I hope you keep the inside warmer."

  It's the horse that looks up first, grunting and pawing at the snow at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Zelda immediately reaches up to soothe him. It won't do to have one's noble steed trying to eat the guests. He's named after one of Hyrule's most vicious monsters for a reason.

  That is to say... she reaches up with surprising strength, and grips the lead directly beneath the halter, and somehow, this slip of a young woman is able to hold an animal that outweighs her by a factor of yes completely still.

  No amateur with horses, this. Beneath the hood, that appraising regard no doubt notices the relative lack of skill in Athena.

  "Welcome to the frozen northlands." The tilt of Zelda's head is aristocratic but respectful. "I fear Peak Province's hospitality is not much improved from your last visit. Winter is treacherous in this place." Her lips purse. "Come inside with me. The stable will be warmer than this, and from there we can reach the main building without venturing back outside."

  A tug sets the horse to moving. He twists his head to eye Athena, ears sweeping back, but ultimately shoulders past her with an imperious flick of his tail. Evidently this is an empire among equines. Or so he fancies himself. Zelda is more humble, paying careful attention to the animal, and then peering at Athena over the stallion's broad back. "What brings you here?" Her head tilts as snow churns beneath Lynel's dinner plate-sized hooves. "This is a goddesses-forsaken place even under the best of circumstances, and these wilds are lethal in the dead of winter. Of course, most travellers are not aware. Vines have been opening here with troubling frequency. This place can be quite dangerous to the unprepared."

    Athena cannot help but smile wryly at the curse used. Goddesses-forsaken? "Well, not all of them," she says, fully aware that Zelda is referring to the goddesses of THIS realm though. She smiles, letting her horse deal with Zelda's... that is, stay WELL AWAY from Zelda's. She shivers, rubbing her sides. "Even with my body, it's cold. Ah, thank you for the welcome."

    Athena braces herself against the chill, pulling a cloak about her. The armor has hidden heat insulation, but that doesn't help her face or the general feeling of chill in the air. "I've been wrapped up in my own world's problems until recently, but I did try to make allies elsewhere. I felt it high time to check up on them, now that I've settled my own affairs for the moment."

  The Hylian arches a fine chestnut brow. She looks genuinely confused for a second or two before she laughs, both amused and sheepish. "Oh. My apologies. I forget myself. I fear I cannot speak for your goddesses, but certainly mine had no mercy in mind when They shaped this place. The wind has teeth even in summer."

  Lynel apparently knows there's still another horse following him. His nostrils flare, and the big breath he exhales forcefully sounds less like a snort and more like an industrial bellows. Or maybe just a bellow. Zelda chucks the lead under his halter, frowning. "Mind your manners." Zelda's gaze flicks back to Athena, a hand rising to sweep the hood back, grimacing slightly at the icy breeze. "Trust me. This is absurdly cold even to me, and I've been living in this goddesses-forsaken frozen hell for years, now."

  The stable is a big boxy building without much of interest about it. Zelda leans back slightly before lashing out with a leg, kicking the door open with a well-placed blow. "Close the door behind us, please; thank you." Zelda keeps her horse moving. He'd like to stop and lash out at the intruders, but apparently his mistress has no time for his nonsense and is wise to his tricks. "I would hold it, but I have no doubt that Lynel will attack your horse if I let go of this lead. He will heed my word, but his patience only extends so far."

  "Use any stall you like. If you need help with your horse, I will be back in a moment." With that, she leads Lynel to the furthest stall, and after several moments and the sound of a door sliding closed, the Hylian returns. "I see. I'm flattered you consider me as such." Though faint, the hint of a smile she shows is no less sincere. "Thank you. I'm afraid things have not changed much, here, though soon I must deal with the usurper-king." There is a cold finality to her tone. "He has been given too much time already on a throne that does not belong to him." Zelda's gaze slides back to Athena. "I may have work for you, in the coming days, if you have an interest."

    "Mm, I think I can handle him to put him to rest, at least," Athena admits. "I'm not a total stranger to animals, they're just rare where I live now." A little beeping noise sounds out, as Athena guides her horse in, and the drone sputters to life and lifts out from under the cloak, pushing the door shut for his mistress, before perching again with a shudder that looks far too like a shiver for a robot to be doing. By this time, Athena has removed the sadle and bridle , and is listening to the summary.

    "I see. Well, I would be willing to help if you called on me. We do share a certain kinship, jokes about divinity aside." She doesn't elaborate on what that kinship is, since she mostly just senses it anyway, and maybe she can't even put it to words. "My own world seems to be quiet for now. I was worried when I heard that Echidna had been reborn a while back, but after her escape she seems to be laying low, so unless this New Constantinople business turns out to be a bigger mess than it sounds, I think I can wander afield again."

  "I see. They are not rare, here, though that depends on what they are. Horses are common enough. I have seen drawings of the great boars the Gerudo once rode, over the desert sands... and the horses of the Sheikah are on a level all their own." She shakes her head.

  She watches as the drone closes the door, though, clearly fascinated. No doubt her inner scholar is trying to figure out how that charming little automaton functions and moves. Athena's voice snaps her out of her reverie. "I appreciate that." Her head dips, and the look she gives is wary, but confident. Her summer-blue eyes are troubled, and so is her fleeting smile. "I'm afraid I have not been honest with you, Miss Athena. You have been willing at every turn to help me at no more than my mere word. I think you have earned the right to the truth."

  At the words of her own world's troubles, Zelda listens intently, even though the names aren't necessarily familiar to her. The shrewd way she listens suggests they're filed away for later, but not forgotten. "I see. My apologies for being unavailable through your recent troubles." She grimaces, folding her arms and leaning against the stall doorway. "The mountain does not discriminate between commoners or kings. My focus has necessarily been on surviving Peak Province's winter."

  A hand gestures faintly. "A tourist attraction, as you can see." Zelda's tone is deadpan. "When you've finished with your horse, come inside. We have fires. Tea. Water. I may have coffee, though Yumi Tachibana has not been here for quite some time," she adds, as though half to herself. Zelda shakes her head. "There is wine, as well, and whisky."

    "Wine? That may be best, it has been a long time since I had any of that." Athena sounds whistful, before finishing up securing her horse and giving him a pat. She's not great with her handling of horses, but it's not through carelessness or lack of empathy for the beasts.

    As she follows in, she addresses the earlier apologies and the lack of honesty. "We all have our secrets. I have been more forthright than most of my kind, but even I have things I keep to myself, for my own reasons. You have troubles, and friendships... the former I can understand, but the latter I have precious few of, aside from my Little Owl here." The drone makes an electronic tweeting noise, then a flat note, causing her to roll her eyes. "Though even he seems to have gotten a bit of a disrespectful bent to him, of late." She says it with humor though, and the drone twitters pleasantly, perhaps making it clear that whatever was said wasn't meant ill.

    She continues, as she looks for a seat and prepares to divest her cloak, "I never called for aid on my own troubles. I was investigating them, seeing if they needed attention."

  "Oh, yes, there is wine." Zelda holds her arms in front of herself, rubbing one wrist with the other as she steps slightly to one side, turning in the same motion to eye the cabinets uncertainly. Evidently she may not remember where precisely it is. "Some...where," she supplies. "One moment, please," she adds, diving onto her knees to reach into a ground-level cupboard. After some rummaging around that involves leaning into the cabinet up to her shoulder and groping around blindly, she produces a dusty bottle.

  She leans back to sit cross-legged, sneezing at the resulting puff of dust from the wine bottle's label. "Ugh. Well, I think I may have seen the vintage before it disintegrated. I'm to understand it wasn't a bad year."

  Retrieving the wine, she stands, stretching up into high cabinets for a glass. These are thankfully less dusty; clean, in fact, and she retrieves a crystalline glass with a flourish as she closes the cabinet.

  Little Owl is eyed for a moment as Zelda pours. She considers the tiny automaton thoughtfully. "Not quite the same thing as human companionship. No offence to you," she adds, politely, to Little Owl. Hey, she's not sure how smart it is. It at least deserves the courtesy of politeness. "Quite an interesting little creature, though. Are there many like him?"

  "The truth is that my name is not Sheik. I am no handmaiden." Zelda's smile is fleeting; tired. "My name is Zelda. I am the last of Hyrule's royal family, and the Twilight King murdered my royal parents, burned Hyrule Castle to the ground, and now sits the throne he stole from me without a thought towards ruling the peoples he has conquered. My kingdom has collapsed, and the broken remnants languish in the dust. The goddesses only know what has become of all of my people."

  "All I can do for now is cower on the side of the mountain. Winter is savage upon these mountains. It is entirely possible I would freeze to death before reaching the bottom." She shakes her head. Her voice is cold, glacial; edged with malice. "His stay of execution is granted only so far as the spring thaws. I will have his head, though, and I may even consider mounting it on a pike, as in the olden days."

  It takes her a second to realise that she's gripping the side of the countertop so hard that her knuckles are all showing white.

  Zelda draws in a breath, releases her fingers with an audible creak, and folds her arms somewhat awkwardly.

  "I am a direct descendant of the Goddess Hylia, as well as the rightful queen of this kingdom. To strike down the thing that threatens my people, and to protect them... I was born and bred for this; it is quite literally my purpose. To be denied the ability to do this is--" The Hylian trails off. "It is anguish. My divine blood and the Triforce of Wisdom will not let me rest so long as my people are in need. So, to prevent myself from spiraling into madness, and to prevent myself from simply drinking all of the wine in this goddesses-forsaken frozen hellhole, I try to involve myself in the affairs of others whenever I have the opportunity."

  Zelda reaches up and produces another glass, pouring herself a measure and setting the bottle aside. The glass is lifted in wry silent toast; she'll wait for Athena to drink before she even thinks about touching her own. "And how did your troubles turn out; may I inquire? Worthy of involvement? Or do they merit further study?"

    Athena settles in, after hanging her cloak up so she doesn't get damp snow on everything. "My thanks," she says, quietly, accepting the wine and listening to the questions. She swirls it before she tries it, thinking of her answers, while Little Owl just hums and twitters once.

    "Little Owl is both unique and is not unique," Athena answers, which makes no sense at first. "AI like him are somewhat common on my world, but they often cause problems. There is, to put it lightly, a soul shortage, and the rampant creation of AI that are able to think for themselves has contributed to this. Little Owl does not contribute because he was hand-crafted by myself. The effort and difficulty I went through to do so is able to grant him a sort of life without the problems of other, mass-produced AI."

    She sips again, "Which is why I'm not surprised at your revelation. Oh, surprised I guess in that who you are, but not surprised that you had such a secret. It explains the odd kinship I feel with you, though I'm not deposed such as... coming back to a place where I don't truly fit in. The problems of my world were brought about by disregard and ignorance, not by malice. Mostly."

    She sighs, "Which is why your problem can be a little more urgent. The matter I was looking into could have been urgent, as the Mother of Monsters has escaped and runs free. It looks like she has no particular end goal in mind though, nor a desire to seek out people. For now, it just means I can only keep an eye out for any problems she causes. Something like what you describe? That's a more immediate problem, because the people suffer slowly. Disregard them at your own peril, as I and my kind learned too late."

    She smiles thinly. "Not that I need to lecture you about that. The scorn was toward the current ruler. Even in our glory days, where we treated humans as playthings to entertain, my kind still tried to guide them as a group, if not as individuals."

  There's a slight nod of thanks as Athena hangs up the cloak. She's not above showing her appreciation of small considerations like that.

  Zelda doesn't interrupt the conundrum of Little Owl, tilting her head slightly and considering that answer long enough to decide that she lacks the context. All the unfamiliar technological terms are filed away for later inquiry.

  "No. You needn't lecture me on that." Zelda's smile is good-natured but fleeting, there and gone. "The royal women of Hyrule are all descendants of the Goddess Hylia. We all carry the Triforce of Wisdom; proof of our lineage, and our right to rule." She holds up her hand, baring the top. The triangular mark of the Triforce shows pale against her already-pale skin. "It grants us indispensable skills, as well as monstrous drawbacks."

  "Until I restore myself to the throne, rebuild my kingdom, and begin to heal the scars of these recent years... it will continue to do its best to drive me mad until I behave in a way it considers suitable, and in keeping with responsible Hyrulean royalty." Her head shakes. "I am strong-willed. Do not worry about me. My purpose is no more urgent than it has been... but your assistance would be appreciated."

  Sipping at her wine, she tilts her head, regarding Athena curiously. "I'm certain I can find a use for you. Refresh my memory; I'm afraid I've been weary in recent times. What would you consider your best talents?"

    "I have no such compulsion, just..." Athena hesitates, then shrugs as she comes clean with something that has little meaning for Zelda anyway. "While I was a goddess in ancient times, this is a new life, and my memories of before are fragmentary. I know what I was before, but there are gaps in what I should do."

    She sighs, "Unfortunately, my power is more limited than it once was, as well. Once, I could go toe to toe with the god of War himself and stand a good chance of winning, but that is... maybe not true any longer. Ares is weaker too, but I wouldn't want to place bets, you know? But..."

    She smiles wanly, "I have skill with just about any weapon you can give me, most especially a lance, and I have a sort of... instinctive grasp of the battlefield. I also have a knack for technology, but I think the tactical and warfare skills would be most useful. If you can make allies and find troops, I can find the best way to deploy them."

  "Yes, I understand that. Hylia's memories are mine as well. They are not clear, though, and the older they are, the more fragmentary they are. Of some of my ancestors I know nothing. And cut off from the royal archives as I am, I do not know how to proceed, either. We know so little of the Twili, and now, our records are scattered and damaged."

  She struggles to control herself for a second or two, disguising it behind a sip of wine.

  "If it's leverage you need, I'm willing to help you. I don't know much about your gods, myself, but you've proven yourself to me and I sense no particularly evil intent from you." Zelda's smile is fleeting. "Good. I can certainly use all the expertise I can get. Thank you."

  "Unfortunately, we still know so little of the Twilight. Zant is its inevitable spearhead, the disgusting little rat, but I sense something far darker and more vast beneath the surface. The usurper plays with power that does not belong to him." She hoods her eyes. "I have suspicions. I desperately hope they're wrong."

    Athena chuckles, "Our gods are... generally not evil. Capricious and petty, yes, but even the lord of the underworld is, if anything, a very decent and understanding man. Though he seems to be absent now, and his wife is handling matters." She frowns a little at that, then continues, "But finding out new lore is something I am very interested in, so you've gotten my attention as well as my help."

    Little Owl tweets lightly, and Athena nods, "Yes, it sounds like you need to explore and understand this power before the problem can truly be solved. Even ending the usurper may have unforseen consequences."

  "I will not say that some of Hyrule's gods and guardian spirits are not capricious in their own ways." Zelda's lips quirk in a faint almost-smile. It fades asmwntion of the Underworld and its fate are shared. That could be problematic. Underworlds and such are very important.

  The young monarch folds her arms, as though cold. "Oh, yes. Absolutely. If I remove the murdering bastard, it does not remove the curse ravaging my kingdom." She may be leaning just a little closer to admire Little Owl.

    Little Owl tweets, then the cameras widen, just staring back at Zelda. Athena chuckles, "He's a curious one, but obedient. Technically he's... not really as intelligent as a person, but he's smart enough, and learning more every day. Soon he may rival a human, and then he'll be done growing I think." She watches as the little drone hovers for a moment, tapping up against Zelda's nose before landing.

    More seriously, "Also, I am very difficult to kill... as are many in my world. That's part of the problem. Too many living, not enough dying. The Underworld is falling apart, and that's what causes many of our problems. Metaphysical devastation can be difficult to fix... let us hope yours is less extensive than ours, but this has the sound of an invasion rather than deterioration of the natural order. Perhaps the world itself will help reject it."

  Oh goddesses it's adorable. Somehow, Zelda resists the urge to say anything embarrassing. Her grin at earning Little Owl's focus is genuine; it cuts right past duties and responsibilities, reflecting more of the young woman Zelda still is.

  "He's splendid," she states, and makes a soft little 'eeee' when Little Owl hovers far enough to touch her nose. Forget about royal dignity; he's cute! "Incredible."

  Talk turns to more serious matters, and Zelda shakes her head. "You are right, yes. I think 'metaphysical devastation' is an excellent descriptor. Unfortunately, it is rampant. There is no province untouched." She glances at Athena. "It's easier to show you from the second floor, now or later. I've a spyglass, and Snowpeak yields a commanding view of Hyrule Field."

  Draining her glass, she sets it aside, folding her arms and resting a hip against the counter. It's unthinkably casual for royalty, but this one apparently doesn't have time to waste on formalities.

  "The Twilight is a curse, or so it behaves, like one I've never seen before." Zelda clears her throat almost nervously. "Breaking curses is one of my functions as an adherent of the Author of Law whose principles all life in Hyrule follows; the Goddess Nayru, and as a descendant of the Goddess Hylia."

  She glances toward Athena, sighing and shrugging. "Even I don't know what to make of it. I can banish it from a given area, but it only manifests again. Whatever is powering it is more power than I or my divine blood can match."

  Her gaze drops. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but that is not trivial, yet no power I throw at this miasma seems to stick." Zelda folds her arms, rubbing at her forearm with the opposite hand. "I can only hope the world itself may reject it. Any help I can find is a gift from the goddesses."