Scattering petals

Link & Zelda

Chapter 23: Prophetic dreams

When unsettling visions during sleep trouble Hyrule's hero

Author's note: I wouldn't like to label this chapter as a filler, since it is a bridge between the next major events. This week's update will help stabilise the story's pace with some minor development of this fanfiction's fictional elements. The runic inscriptions, the mystic bond, prophetic dreams… Expect some depth to support the main storyline of Scattering Petals.

I hope you enjoy it!

"[...] For it is my greatest wish to bring inspiration to the troubled ones down below. It is not only my duty as the queen but also the divine assignment bestowed upon my shoulders.

For now, Rhoam and I will be an example of both love and strength in Hyrule. It may be an inner perception, but the sealing magic has been growing, - not more firm-, pure. Drowning in loneliness may be the most efficient way to find inner attainment. However, as the High Priestess says, it is in our beloved one's company that the path widens, simplifying the journey to destiny."

The deep reflection left both Impa and Zelda speechless for about a minute. The counsellor took a sip of the lukewarm tea, a spicy though delicious gift from the goron that had just been delivered that morning. The Princess, however, still hadn't touched her cup. She hadn't left her mother's journal alone since her return. It had been almost half an hour of reading out loud the highlights of the late queen's considerations. The royal counsellor, obviously, was intrigued by the diary's content though worry for Her Highness' well-being clouded the moment.

The sheikah slate had been a minor tool in comparison to the handwritten book. Those daily entries had been everything Zelda talked about lately. Despite the well-thought words immortalised, the queen's thinking sadly wasn't enough for the princess to use as an example. Without the guiding use, the journal ended up becoming what it simply was. The experiences told in it weren't of use for her own spiritual training as most of the content was personal. Despite inheriting the same sealing magic, the mention of its use was too shallow to actually serve as a trail to follow. The princess already knew that but still kept on trying to decipher some kind of secret meaning in the small print.

Impa just didn't know how to make Zelda realise the waste of effort she was committing. One wrong word could be misunderstood and the sheikah girl simply didn't intend to break the only hope the princess kept for a long time. That caused her to frown more often, growing uneasy with the time's passing. Zelda, however, was too busy reading to notice. Aside from the princess' new favourite pastime, more matters had also changed since her return from Gerudo Region. Some of them were more noticeable than others. The royal advisor, however, still hadn't found out what exactly was the reason for her behaviour's change. Whenever she left the Queen's journal aside, of course.

"You haven't touched your tea." Impa dared to interrupt, detaching the princess' eyes from the calligraphy. She obliged her concerned friend's petition and leaned forward on the seat to take a sip. The absence of steamy smoke confirmed that the heat had already vanished from the drink. Goron spice tea should be consumed along with its warmth. That was the point that distinguished the beverage from others. "Your Highness, the tea will grow cold."

"It won't be long until I'm summoned for dinner." Zelda carelessly replied, leaving the book aside for now. "I just want to leverage time until we depart to Zora's domain."

"Only one champion left." Impa sighed as Her Highness finished the tea. Finally, one matter had been addressed with efficiency. Certain relief had improved the princess' mood because of it. Yet the Zora's absence in the alliance was worrying. It was just a matter of time, the royal counsellor thought to herself. "You do not need to worry about Vah Ruta, I'm certain Zora's royalty will be willing to aid our plan."

"You are right." Zelda nodded, agreeing with her friend.

The journal was finally left alone as she got up from her seat and moved to the dressing table.

Dinner with Father was important. Just for the occasion, the princess put the royal jewellery on with care. Impa followed her, posting herself behind the chair to aid her in detangling her hair. Zelda handed Impa the bamboo brush. They were familiar with the routine. The sheikah counsellor wasn't a handmaid but whenever the princess needed privacy, she offered herself to perform self-care tasks such as hairdressing. In comparison to her extremely long grey hair, the princess' locks shone brighter though lacked the abundant volume of the sheikah's hairstyles. She enjoyed the feeling of its texture brushing against her fingers. Once the princess finished adjusting her earrings, she stared back at the mirror.

The miniature Queen's portrait on the desk stared back at them both as if she were proud. The genes of blonde mane and green eyes definitely ran in the family. Urbosa had been right as Zelda developed into her mother's spitting image.

"I would like to visit the Royal Lab any day now." The princess brought up, her mind drifting to Robbie, Purah and the research team. "Unfortunately, I haven't found the opportunity to check the runic dictionary yet. I prefer to call on them once I have the inscriptions' translation of the shrine's walls."

Impa was glad to hear the princess had other conversation starters rather than the late queen's journal. She knew her sister and Robbie had been continuing with the shrine's research on the Great Plateau, but Zelda's absence made her lose track of the progress. The sheikah mechanism, however, was proved to have regenerating functions that the team was still experimenting with.

An opportune knock at the princess' gates interrupted the conversation. Zelda granted permission for the guest to enter the chambers. A young maiden from the castle's staff appeared shily behind the doors. Her reddish locks swung with the night's coldness.

"The King is expecting you in the dining room, Your Highness." She announced.

The princess nodded and the maid retreated instantly. Zelda looked rather excited about that night's dinner with her father. It was an unusual event. Impa couldn't blame her since they hadn't had the opportunity to meet since her return from the desert region. She basically flew back to the closet to fetch a shawl. Its colours popped with the gerudo crown. The image itself made her look simple yet regal. Yes, definitely something inside her had changed.

"Meet again tomorrow?" The counsellor asked almost rhetorically. She obtained a nod from the heiress and didn't make her wait any longer.

As soon as the hem's dress disappeared behind the door, Impa gawked around the royal chambers. The candlelight created a dashing contrast between the starlight's obscurity and the warm flickering flames. The desk with the princess' sketches was on the left. She had already started designing Urbosa's champion garb. The drawings showed an embroidery pattern with Vah Naboris' motive. The camel-shaped machinery was on one side of the cloth. Apparently, judging by the princess' notes, the piece could be used as both a skirt and a shawl. It was carefully intended to be of use during warm and chilly climates. Some strips of blue clothes were attached to the hips' height to accommodate the golden gerudo belt as well. It was a crucial piece of the matriarch's gear since it was used to carry her scimitar and several daggers. Zelda had really outdone herself with the planning.

Besides the desk, Revali's scarf was halfway finished. The cerulean cloth was already sewn to its intended form. The embroidery with aerial and bird-like decorations was made meticulously. Vah Medoh's shape was discernible already. Another blue piece was displayed beside the orni champion's garb. The papers nailed to it indicated that it was intended to be Daruk's. Its function, however, was unknown before Impa's eyes.

Then, something unexpected caught her attention: a cape. Only the final touches remained to be finished. That work, however, wasn't part of the champion's garb. The blue shade didn't match the other either. Curiosity brought Impa's fingers to grasp the cloth. Instantly, she recognised the excellent composition: it was from Hateno Village. Furthermore, it was the cloth Link gifted Her Highness after the first weeks of his appointment. Specifically, the day of his return from his hometown while Princess Zelda had been recovering from her sickness after the trip to the spring of power.

Had she been crafting a gift for her knight in her free time? Impa's mind twirled with wild theorisations. Did she miss something?

Suddenly, the wind that howled through the window carried some stray papers to the floor. Her thoughts were forced to stoop as the breeze caressed her frame. The sheikah advisor knelt down to fetch them. Her eyes couldn't help but inspect its content. The traditional runes filled most of its surface. It was the translation to the shrine's walls, what Zelda had precisely mentioned earlier. The sheikah runic dictionary was long forgotten on the shelf above her, where the rest of the papers remained safely locked with its weight. She pulled them out with the pretext to reorder the stray documents. The first sentences had been translated:

"There was once a time when the kingdom's rule was kind and its people were wealthy and thrived. Someone caught the princess' eye and the kingdom realized that a hero was blessed to fight by her side. Hyrule thought all was right as they saw eye to eye with the master's sword ally. Their hearts had grown fond, and they fostered a bond that not even Calamity could ever defy. [...]"

The telling didn't seem to differ much from the original legend kept in books. Impa, however, caught a glimpse of some runes that looked familiar: connection, power, bond, love, magic… She wasn't fluent enough to decipher its meaning immediately though her sheikah skills could help her understand the course of the inscription. This first part the princess had been translating talked about the kingdom's alliance to fight against the Triforce's stray faction that Calamity Ganon embodied.

The silence veiling the counsellor's concentration soon broke because of a familiar member of the court's intrusion.

"Princess Zelda, may I come in?" His melodic tune made Impa jump, startled by its sudden interruption.

The echo of soothing strings gave away the stranger's identity. Soon, the royal advisor noticed Irel standing before the parted doors, waiting for verbal confirmation from inside the chambers. He was taking a peek between them, finding Impa alone inside the room. Zelda was nowhere to be found.

"Isn't it too late for chanting, Irel?" The counsellor asked, using her words as a distraction to camouflage the sheikah runes among the rest of the sketches and papers on the princess' desk. He, nevertheless, didn't seem to care about the intrusion. "Your Highness left for dinner already." She revealed it a few seconds later.

"I see." The sharp poet sighed, defeated. His reddish blush vanished slowly along with the disappointment. "It shall be delayed, then. I recovered some ancient music sheets that honour Hylia's grace." He explained with great eloquence.

Impa narrowed her eyes to examine the poet's intentions. He was obviously pained because of Princess Zelda's absence. His feelings for her eventually had become rather obvious with time. He had also changed his usual hairstyle. His grey mane was now tied in a traditional sheikah high bun. Some stray bangs framed his sharp face in quite an enchanting way. The grenadine pins that kept it together were of the same shade as his deep iris. The traditional clothing he wore, however, was very similar to the female variation she was wearing currently.

"It shall wait, indeed." She confirmed, repeating his last sentence. The bitterness of her voice left no doubt of her personal opinion about him. Impa wasn't the poet's biggest admirer. He noticed it as his chatty behaviour wasn't summoned on this occasion.

Irel and his miniature harp left the room with the intention of dismissing himself. The counsellor, however, felt the urgent need to say some last words to the poet. She couldn't forgive him for telling the king of Zelda's disobedience.

"Actually, busy days are around the corner. I don't think the princess will require your presence for now." Impa spat with dryness in an unconscious manner to protect Zelda from his manipulative ways.

"I will ask her myself tomorrow, thank you." He simply replied, not giving much importance to the advisor's discreet warning.

The poet's steps vanished within the darkness of the hallway. Only then, Impa allowed herself to lower her guard and breathe with normality again. To not bother Her Highness, she placed the papers in between the dictionary's pages as if nothing had happened. She also closed the windows, pulling the curtains close to avoid indiscreet glances at tempestuous nocturne hours. The candle's flame near them was blown off, ensuring the bedroom's security.

Impa decided to drift off to Kakariko Village. She would be just in time for dinner with her sister if she made haste.

The sweet scent of homemade meals filled the main dining room. The castle's staff had outdone themselves with that night's preparations. The perfect table of flawless white doilies had been arranged along with Princess Zelda's favourite dessert: fruit cake. The main dish, however, looked rather delicious as well. A big bowl filled with cream of mushroom soup looked rather tempting on the left. A smaller serving of vegetable risotto was intended for the princess to be the first course, preceding the stuffed chicken. The meat was accompanied by herb sauté that looked quite mouth-watering.

For a brief moment, Zelda thought of how much Link would enjoy the food. The moment was too swift to realise the nature of her thinking, however.

As soon as Her Highness joined King Rhoam, the castle staff left. The doors were closed for major privacy and the most essential personnel was dismissed in the hallway, waiting for whichever command from inside the room.

Princess Zelda rose from her seat to pay proper respects before the King's arrival. He nodded with approval but didn't give permission yet for her to sit down again. His strong steps paced towards his daughter, silent and mysterious. The heiress stood tall as this time she had nothing to hide or fear as she had been following the goddess' rituals rigorously. Besides, Urbosa's alliance as Vah Naboris' pilot was quite an achievement. And all thanks to her diplomatic mission.

Zelda had learnt with time to not expect compliments or praise from her father. However, the upcoming hug was something she couldn't anticipate.

The touch of her father's big hands clutching her fragile body against his comforting chest soothed her like she could have never imagined. It had been centuries since King Rhoam had last shown signs of affection. And after the late queen's death, they become much rarer. His calloused fingers pat her head with care as he used to do once Zelda was just a little child. A tingling sensation filled her chest and only then her subconsciousness allowed the princess to feel loved, and valid.

"The Yiga clan has fallen." Rhoam said, his baritone voice remaining as formal as ever though. "One less reason to worry about your safety now, Princess Zelda."

And despite the comforting meaning behind the King's sentence, a sharp arrow of uneasiness pierced the heiress' heart. The brief though sincere hug was now broken by distance as they both took a step back. Zelda tried to vanish the thought of her sudden anxious frame, not identifying the exact reason for it.

Her father moved to his seat and as soon as he sat down, the princess did the same. He served himself the food, reaching for the creamy mushroom soup first. It seemed like Zelda wasn't the only good in a good mood that night. She mimicked her father and directly went for the meat first. Her mouth was watering at the fruit cake's mere sight. Zelda would rather eat less just to taste the tasty bakery as a dessert.

"How are we going to proceed next, Father?" She asked to make a schedule for the next travels. She wished to find that desired free day to go and visit the Royal Lab. But that would be just her and Impa's secret at the moment.

"We shall recruit all four champions before autumntide." He sentenced after biting on the first mushroom. "Once the diplomatic missions are over, the kingdom shall host fellowship events. Cohesion and fraternisation are key to our alliance for our success."

So adventures around the kingdom would be out of the question soon, Zelda concluded to herself. She had to take advantage of that freedom to aid the royal lab's research and make some progress on her own personal studies. Judging by her father's words, Zora's domain trip was planned to be the last of them on her royal schedule. Once all political alliances were formed, she would be ordered to focus on spiritual training to be up to scratch with the champion's expectations. It was a task Zelda couldn't run from, after all. In the end, she would have to face her failures. Trial and error were all that was left, but at least, she possessed her mother's journal for guidance. That last fact, as irrelevant as it may seem, managed to cheer up the princess' pessimistic thoughts on praying.

What was the sudden importance of autumn's arrival? The King's next words faded the question in the large ceilings.

"I heard you and the hero are finally starting to get along." The King commented as if that were the most casual assumption to throw at her teenage daughter.

Zelda felt the meat obstructing her way down her stomach for a split second. She then returned to her neutral expression once her brain was able to process the intention behind her father's sentence: He must have brought up Link because of Urbosa's letter before the return to central Hyrule.

"He can sometimes be a bit of a handful." Zelda commented casually, feeling like that was true whenever he was out of duty. The image of him devouring the gerudo banquet flashed in her mind, causing a small smirk to appear on her face. "Luckily, he knows what he is doing."

The King's inquisitive look made the princess clear her throat. She tried her best to hide the amusement those memories of Gerudo Desert brought up. It was not appropriate to share fun times during a diplomatic mission out of the kingdom. These kinds of experiences should be kept in closer circles. Zelda had never been one to comment on personal matters with her father. That was why Impa, for example, was a royal counsellor. Her company was a constant in her life since she began taking care of official duties as heiress to the hylian throne. King Rhoam, too, had his own advisors to discuss both royal topics and personal matters.

The King's sharp eyes now moved up to his daughter's head. The Gerudo headband shimmered on its own with the candle's glow. Its colourful gemstones reflected the light in all directions. The gerudo quality craftsmanship was noticeable at first sight. But Rhoam, however, had remained clueless about Urbosa's gift to his own daughter. Until that night.

"This crown…" He began, catching Zelda's attention with anticipation. The next words rumbled in a loop in his mind before spitting them out. "...-looks different." Thanks to the expression accompanying his words, she could tell he liked the new jewel. He was her father after all.

She was glad that despite how far apart they had grown with time, she could still read his expressions. It wasn't exactly praise intended for her to grow proud of her duty, but it was enough for Princess Zelda's validation at the moment.

The damned malice grew stronger, clouding the lifeless remnants of a once mighty forest. Its air thickened, ending with all sorts of living beings: magical creatures, flora, fauna, humans… Now thorns tangled the trees sheltering the area. Its pointy ends leaked Calamity's venom which stained the earth in obscure tones, creating more destruction on its path. It was all gone. Not even the ancient fireflies, guardians of the woods, were around to witness what the Lost Forest had become. The protector's spirits that had remained until then in the mortal realm had already crossed the border, returning to their belonging place. And with their departure, magic had disappeared.

Link found his dirty hands gripping a dead sword, lacking all its once mystical properties. He no longer had the necessary strength to defeat Ganon.

Because of his fault, Hyrule had become a land filled with ashes, blood and thorns.

"What's got you so quiet?"

His father's voice made Link snap out of the trance. Right, they were at the inn.

There were plenty of people around and, despite their loud voices, Link still had managed to zoom out the ambience. Several guards from the castle had gathered at the Inn halfway between Hyrule castle and Fort Hateno. The occasion was ideal for him to spend some time with his father. Actually, it was the only reason he agreed to go out for the night. He had never been the social butterfly type enough to become a usual customer with fellow knights. And not that he hadn't had the opportunity since castletown possessed plenty of inns, bars and all kinds of establishments for their free time. As other knights left the barracks to go have fun, the hero had always remained on his own, training or developing his own abilities to become a better version of himself. And luckily on the way, maybe also make his father proud.

Link's eyes finally moved on from the glass he had been gawking at for too long, seeing the lurking dream in a loop. He hadn't still managed to erase the chills no matter how hard he tried to disconnect from the anxiety before. His lack of decent sleep was driving him to a subdued state he didn't like. It wasn't like him. He felt as if his limbs were drained of all the energy that usually was on his side. Why was it?

"Just tired." Link replied, letting his father know he wasn't in the mood to talk. Surprisingly, his father knew too well what was going through his son's head.

"You know, the Queen often struggled with insomnia too." He commented, finally granting the knight's thoughts some rest as he got ready to listen. It was his way to show support and comfort to his son from the heavy burden of being the chosen one. "She told me about vivid nightmares back when I was captain of the royal guard."

The comment caught Link's attention. His mind drifted back to the Princess, who also suffered strange nightmares. Or so he had heard while eavesdropping on Impa and the handmaids. Now that he had also been starting to experience the same things, Link was convinced that those nocturnal visions were not only a royalty issue. He had never been one to believe in legends but, seeing himself becoming a hero, he was starting to think that maybe what the priests said was right: what if those dreams actually meant something?

"Zelda uses safflina." The son explained, still amazed about her knowledge of herbal remedies. Unluckily, they had already run out of safflina to battle insomnia.

"Princess Zelda." His father corrected, giving his son a pat on the arm to point out his manners. Link had to blink twice in order to process how easily his tongue slipped Her Highness's name without the title. The constant dreaming had gotten him used to her company faster rather than serving her. That metaphysical familiarity would drive him insane if he wasn't careful.

"The Princess-..." He began again, searching for his father's advice. "-... has recurrent images in dreams." His father remained silent, accommodating himself on his wooden seat. "But how much can one trust what a person sees in their sleep?"

That was a good question; not even the employees from the royal lab had an answer, probably. Link knew it was silly to ask something so abstract to his father but, if someone had the capacity to soothe him, it was him. Besides, the number of years of experience in the royal guard surely could grant him some guidance.

"Sometimes dreams are a product of our minds, a mix of our deepest fears with reality. Others are images straight from the heart, a representation of what one really desires." The wisdom of his father's words left Link, who was already not the talkative type, even more speechless. "It's futile to fight what our head makes us believe at night, son. Not even with that shiny sword you carry."

Link knew beforehand that his father was a sceptical man. Maybe, deep down, it was the reason why he was asking him. When fate laid too heavy on his shoulder, even Link, the chosen one, grasped an alternate reality with no legends nor prophecies.

It has been a while since the last update: maybe two weeks more than usual?

I've to confess I went through a hard breakup process with a person that reminded me a lot of Link, a personal escort himself. That caused my writing to slow down as a consequence of the mourning process.

Luckily for all of you Light of Moon 12, my new beta reader and fellow Legend of Zelda fan, found the right words back to inspiration. So, you know, thank her because of this update and not me.

Sincerely, Stella.