WatermelonTango

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

Sorry for the Hiatus guys. I'm staying up much later then I should to get this post in here.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

"Thank you." Zelda said, stepping outside. She looked up and saw that the previously bright blue sky was replaced by a dusky grey expanse. On days like this she'd using a water repellent spell, but it didn't seem like a good idea given the circumstances. She motioned her brother as she made her way to the center of town.
"If we want to hear what the people have to say, the best place to visit is the tavern." Zelda said as she nimbly stepped over a puddle. "If anyone asks, I'm Madiline. You should come up with a name as well. I'm thinking you'd make a good Claud." A friendly grin crossed over her face as she giggled at the thought. Her brother having an ordinary name just seemed comical to her.
"We're here to observe. Listen to what the people have to say and get to the bottom of their worries and doubts. Whatever we can do help them we will. The Royal family has always done it's best to be there for it's people, and we will not be the generation to fail their duty to them. I will not allow it."

Zelda boldly walked up to the doors of the Magtail Fort and pushed them open, holding them long enough for her brother to duck inside before she moved in herself. She got a couple of interested glances, but people quickly resumed to whatever it was they were doing and she walked in without a hitch. Zelda took notice of a grumpy looking man cleaning up the remains of food splattered across the stage. She felt bad for whatever performer had gotten such a cold reception by the crowd of Magtail. That and the tomato stains. She had always known the Magtail crowd as nice and orderly and didn't think they had such rowdy behavior in them. Zelda sat herself down at a nearby stool and ordered herself a simple cup of tea as she kept an ear open for what the citizens had to say.

Zelda heard some of the usual things. Some people were discussing how high the taxes were.. and they were correct. Zelda had been trying her best to pressure the Royal Treasury about the tax rate, but it was difficult with their perception of her being a naive child. She would redouble her efforts when she returned home. However, it was clear that the tavern was abuzz about something completely different. She heard the name of Groose mentioned several times. She heard of his name before.. and her immediate impression was that he was a self absorbed attention lover. Zelda spent a bit more time listening to the gossip before she found her brother and positioned herself next to him.

Zelda did her best to keep her voice down. "Something happened here earlier today, maybe an hour ago. All I can understand is something about magical floating tomatoes and a Goron attempting to assault a robed woman. Have you gotten anything?"

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

I might not be available to post tomorrow. I'm going to be hosting a Super Smash Brothers Live stream and well... that will take up a good amount of my time.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

Zelda joined her brothers side and scanned the castle town of Hyrule before answering him.

"That seems like a good idea Sheik, I've been confined and hidden away in the castle for too long with the recent work load. A good ruler has to get to know their citizens in order to best serve their interests." Zelda moved towards her wardrobe and closed the door behind herself. She gently placed her crown in it's protected glass case. She switched into more practical gear outfitted with leather boots and a skirt that allowed for more leg room. Zelda then turned towards her mirror, and briefly wondered if she should attempt to disguise herself. She had wandered Castle town before undisguised, confident that her brother would intervene in the event she was attacked. She wasn't without her own tricks; she was a sorceress in training, as was expected of the girl bearing the triforce of wisdom. But with her recent feelings of unease building within her mind she decided she would rather be safe then sorry. She didn't enjoy deceiving her citizens but sometimes it was best for her to go with her gut.

Zelda rubbed her palms together and allowed the magic to flow. The triforce on her hand glowed a golden yellow as she had done this. She then reached back and raked her hands through her hair, and as she did so she slowly became a brunette. When her hair was a realistic tone of brown she then hovered her thumbs in front of her eyes, and they shifted from blue to brown. She stopped to inspect herself in the mirror. Someone might find her out with an extended glance, but her intention was to blend into the crowds. This appearance wasn't very likely to draw much attention. She stepped out of her wardrobe and gave her brother a wink, hoping that her minor disguise would do the trick.

"We can't leave the ordinary way. Wouldn't want to blow our cover before we even step off the castle grounds do we? I'll let you lead the way, since this seems to be your expertise." A mischievous grin grew on her face like it always did when she and her brother sneaked out of the castle together.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

Sorry, I need to go to bed. It's a bit late. I'll post bright and early tomorrow.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

So I guess the triforce is common knowledge among our characters? I didn't mention it because I wasn't sure if it was something that was going to be revealed or not.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

Redwing said
Wow, and I thought I didn't like Midna before. You've turned her into a complete bitch.

I'm glad we have a character like her to keep this thing more interesting.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

The commotion going on in Castle Town is getting more and more interesting by the moment.

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

Mikau had a triumphant jump in his step as he took his first step on brown soil for months. Mikau hadn't elected himself to tell anyone other then Japas where he was going because he didn't need the tearful farewells or any of that nonsense. It would just make it a lot more difficult for him to leave. The guitarist had a decent amount of coin in the Octorok skin satchel on his side and his guitar strapped to his back. That was all the Zora saw fit to bring, since food from the sea would expire quickly in the sun of Hyrule. He would need to find a town nearby to buy some supplies before he was ready to pursue his love.

Truthfully he really didn't understand the land at all. Mikau knew that his destination was to the west of his ocean, but what lie between the ocean and Lake Hylia was a complete and utter mystery to him. He only knew one thing for certain; towns are always near rivers. As long as Mikau traveled river side he would be sure to find a town. And maybe there would be someone there to help him find his way. And with that Mikau dived into a nearby River and traveled with the current, hopeful that he would soon encounter a town where he could buy food and supplies.

Mikau was at home in the water. He elegantly dodged rocks jutting out of the riverbed and pesky beings such as Octoroks and other aquatic pests. He was moving at the speed of a horse and was only slowed down by the sight of a dam. For a moment he considered getting out of the water to walk, but Mikau decided it would be faster to go over it. He picked up speed and sunk low to the ground. He went faster and faster until he was about to collide with the wooden obstacle, then sharply angled his body upwards and broke the surface, flying airborne over the barrier... then proceeded to belly flop on the dry ground on the other side.

"BLEEDING PIKE FISH!" He called, picking himself up off the ground from the painful landing. "Why would someone block off a perfectly good river like this?!"
"Uh... hello sir. Do you need a bandage?" Someone said from behind the Zora. Mikau turned around to meet spot a small gathering of Hylians all staring at him with shocked expressions. Mikaus normally blue face immediately became a bright red. It was an embarrassing display.
"N-no thank you. Erm... where am I right now?" Mikau looked around but he didn't spot any landmark he recognized.
"I suppose you sea-folk don't come around these parts very often. This is Ordin village!" The main had a warm expression. Good old country home hospitality at it's best.
"....Do you have travel supplies I can buy?" The young Zora was glad that he had found a place with people before he got himself hopelessly lost in the large, dry and barren country side.

"Absolutely! Right this way sir, Follow me!" The man reached out to Mikau and pulled him out of the river bed before they made their way towards the town store.

=====================

Zelda smiled when she heard her brother's voice without taking her eyes off of the bright blue sky.
"I'm glad to hear father is doing well. Hopefully he will be back in fighting shape before too long."

Zelda sat upright in her bed and faced her brother.
"Brother, the only person here who works harder then me.. is you! I don't know how you do it. Without you around I would probably have gone crazy by now." Zelda gave Sheik a warm appreciative smile, not saying anything because nothing really needed to be said. Zelda let the silence hang in the room for a few moments before she shifted uncomfortably where she sat.

"Have you noticed anything.. strange going on in Hyrule recently? I can't explain exactly what it is, but for the past few days I've been feeling a slight unease. Like something big is going to happen..." She looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Maybe I'm just letting the stress get to me. Hyrule has been running smoothly, the 4 races have had healthy political ties like always. The Sheika have been rather silent lately, but..." She trailed off, only just now remembering her brother's heritage.

"What do you think?"

Legends of Zelda... and Everyone Else

Zelda tried her best to pay attention to her Royal adviser drones on and on. She was sat in court overseeing a dispute between a farmer and a thief. She toyed with the gavel in her hand from underneath her desk while the adviser read the charges. What was distracting her was the look of the thief. She was a young woman, thinner then what seemed healthy and in rags with a shameful look on her face. The poor woman didn't seem to have a place to call home. She seemed like she would almost be thankful to have the roof of a jail cell over her head and a regular meal. There had to be a better way to settle this dispute. Zelda was familiar with the farmer and he was usually a kind man, but the rage on his face was clear. Gavin's farm had been a feature of Hyrule for decades. Thievery should not be celebrated.. but a little kindness could go a long way in this situation.

"...Then she made off to my bread store and stole 5 loaves!!" Zelda zoned into attention just long enough to realize Gavin was in the middle of his speech. She already felt like she heard enough. "That's a days wage and a family fed, your highness! Surely the Royal Family would-" Zelda lifted her hand up in an open palm, hushing the farmer immediately. Zelda shifted her attention to the accused with a soft expression on her face.

"Excuse me madame, what is your name?" Zelda tried her best to let the kindness leak out of her voice.
It took awhile for the accused to gain her voice. "Sam.. Samantha Burtrom."
"Where do you live, Sam?" Zelda allowed a sympathetic smile.
"..I often move from place to place. I-"

"What is the purpose of this!?" The farmer blurted, "She stole my property! That isn't-"
Zelda interrupted him with a slam of her gavel. The Princess let the room sit in stunned silence for a few moments.
"That's enough from you. It is Samantha's turn to speak. Please finish dear."
"I don't really live anywhere." Sam finished, bowing her head in shame.
"What we have here is a classic case of a desperate homeless woman doing what she feels is necessary in order to survive. Samantha Burtrom deserves our sympathy. The only justice that needs to be served is to take steps to make her an upstanding citizen once again." She paused, taking note of the red faced farmer's seething face.

"But Sam, you did steal from this man. It is only right that you do something to make it back to him. Your sentence will be employment to this man's farm. It is nearing harvesting season and he will inevitably need extra hands. 25% of your wages will be put to use compensating for the price he would have gotten for his stolen bread. Meanwhile, we will supply you with a one bedroom home as long as you remain busy working. Once you've payed off Farmer Gavin, he might even decide to hire you. You're always looking for hard workers, aren't you Gavin?" She gave him a look that wasn't unkind... but he knew that it wouldn't do to continue fussing.

"Erm.. yeah. I guess. Hiring season's just around the corner.." All of the anger seemed to drain from his face at once.
"Good. Court dismissed!" Zelda banged her gavel and that was the end of that. It wasn't until the room was mostly empty that she let out a deep and exasperated sigh.

==============================

Zelda flopped on her bed, completely exhausted. Ever since her father had been bedridden with illness she had needed to take more and more responsibilities around the castle. Her father wouldn't be around forever and eventually she'll need to become queen. But she didn't feel ready for it yet. She was loyal to Hyrule and would do anything to server her country.. but she was still young. She needed a bit more time before she was stuck in the slog of working for the people day in and day out. She remembered the young recruit she had saw training yesterday. He had fought well and appeared to have a lot of potential as a solider.... but he fled. He knocked down his opponent with a great show of skill, but suddenly he had decided the life of duty to Hyrule wasn't for him and he wanted to carve his own path. The display had kept her thinking at night, and made her question what it is that she even wants out of her youth.

Zelda was laying on her bed, staring into the blue sky and contemplating her situation. She didn't have the energy to do anything any more productive.