Hello, once again, to another chapter of…
A Hero's Dream!
Before we begin though, let's get to answering my Reviewers!
WolfyFenri: Absolutely right, How would she fight? I actually had to make a list of all the Spells Zelda has, and the ways she uses them as I got halfway through the fight. Then, as you see in his chapter, I actually researched the effects of having a Triforce would do, and the three champion's abilities. So thanks for your review.
Darkshadow 345: Thank you very much. I try in these trying times.
Darkmist111: Who knows. Either way, it's going to be fun to write and explore.
Dcraus: I absolutely do. I've played Awakening, Fates, and Three Houses, and they are FUN!
Inheritance1990: I know exactly what you mean. How to write zelda was actually one of the hardest things about this story so far. How do I make her interesting, but not like Link? But all the effort made it a lot easier to write her in this chapter, so I'm glad to see that my work has been worthwhile.
Gojiradon: I understand, and I hope this won't kill the story for you. But I should say that my life isn't all writing, I have a lot of things I want to do in life. Despite that though, I'll try to get these chapters out faster.
Rakaan: Seeing as you reviewed Chapter 3, I'll ask which fight? Vernal v.s Link, or Raven v.s Link? Or both? In which case , I can see what you mean, but I still think it's pretty good. I'll try to be better about it in the future.
Alexkellar: Indeed, if Ozpin sees Zelda, everything about her practically screams Maiden. And, obviously, magic makes everything easier, and she has all the healing spells so her injuries could easily be healed. But I feel that has to be the case. Where Link is all about overcoming hardship, Zelda is more about using her wisdom and intelligence to move over problems easily. But, Zelda: Easy mode and Link: DANTE MUST DIE mode is an apt description.
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Zelda too has awakened in the world of Remnant, and has reacted as one would expect. With a new world of dangers to be aware of, and her own world at risk of being destroyed, she is attacked! Using her skills in both Martial and Magic Combat, she easily defeats her enemies. Deciding that she will get nowhere without any knowledge, she heads towards a city in the distance, determined to get both her Hero and herself back home.
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Link
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Chapter 5: Settling in
"Well… my luck had to run out at some point."
It had only been an hour since I had decided to brave the unknowns of my first city in this world. One hour of wandering through the woods as quietly as possible, hopeful to not attract any other demons in the area. And I was definitely lucky, as I hadn't encountered a single enemy on the way.
Yet, already, I had run into a problem.
Mainly, the fifty foot wall that surrounded the city, patrolled on top by guards with strange weapons. In front of it, a clearing with nothing but ankle high grass, recently cut if my nose was right.
I hid in the shadows of the trees 50 feet away from the wall, gazing upon the walls as a spotlight shined down on the ground. It was the closest place I could find, as the area was well kept, giving nothing the chance to hide.
I gave myself a moment to admire the craftsmanship of the wall surrounding the city. Not because it was beautiful, as the stone walls that surrounded my kingdom were made by the finest of craftsmen, and the wisest of Sages. Working together, they had created a wall that stood both the test of time and the attempted sieges of many invading bandit tribes. It was as beautiful as it was strong.
Despite that, I had to admire how seriously these people took their security, as instead of a wall of stone, this was a wall of steel.
What was no doubt hundreds of thousands of Rupees worth of steel was forged into a wall, wide enough to protect miles upon miles of city. Even as I looked over to the side, watching the wall travel beyond my sight, it felt like there was no end to it
Of course, they didn't have to surround the entire city, as to the east there was a long and tall range of mountains. Perfect natural protection from anyone that would try a kingdom, and try to sneak in.
Even still, I could see the guards diligently looking below, looking for anyone who would come into the lights.
Or, anything.
No doubt this was because they were city guards, protecting the citizens from any threat of the demons that may come here. And what will likely impede my entrance into the city…
A part of me just wanted to show myself, let them take me into the city themselves. No doubt if I put a magic disguise on myself, changing me to look like I had just been attacked by a demon, they wouldn't think twice about it. Even better, I could grab an actual demon and come running, proving I was attacked.
Even that could be much though, since if I just talked to them, they might just let me into the city by themselves. It was the obvious answer, and one that meant that I didn't have to sneak in.
Yet, it was because it was the most obvious answer that I hesitated.
This plan would've worked in Hyrule, even if I wasn't a Princess of the Kingdom. My knights were given permission to give sanctuary to anyone who entered my kingdom if they seemed in duress. No, the only time my guards were allowed to turn away people were in times of danger, such as war.
But what if these guards were given the same order? In the end, what did I know about this world?
Was there a war going on? Were the guards given explicit orders to shoot anyone on sight? Did people have pointed ears like me, or were they some other kind of creature? Did they even speak the same language as I do?
Was there magic in this world, and were people who use magic a shoot-on-sight target?
In the end, it was too dangerous to use magic or even be spotted by the guards. I needed a low profile, to pass through their streets undetected, and receive the information I required. If my abilities were discovered, and they happen to be interpreted as a sign of evil, my life could be in danger.
And it would be very difficult to get information, while hiding from anyone I could. Especially if they have ways to disrupt magic, and destroy whatever magic disguise I'd wear.
So, like many other things I've had to do on my journey to stop Ganondorf, I had to do this the hard way.
I had to sneak in undetected.
So, first things first, I had to lose all of the jewelry. Didn't want anything to reflect any light when I was trying to sneak in.
I grabbed the quiver on my back, constantly being reminded of the empty weight and being on edge because of it. Having my quiver was always something to be worried about, since it usually meant we could be ambushed with very little way to fight back.
Though, I had to remind myself there was no 'we' here.
I couldn't help but frown while taking off my earrings, something in my heart sinking as I reminded myself that I was alone. I shook my head, emptying such thoughts as I took off my circlet.
'Quit bringing yourself down Zelda!' I told myself in frustration, practically ripping off my gold colored bracers as I did. 'You'll find him as long as you focus on gathering the info you need. Then, you can search for a way home together.'
With that, I quickly took off the rest of the loose accessories. My necklace, my pauldrons, the ornamental tapestry on the front of my dress, everything. Eve-
I froze as my fingers placed themselves on my right wrist, my body itself hesitating at taking it off. I looked down, running my fingers across the rough surface of the leather, tied together in a simple braid. As my fingers removed themselves from my wrist, I saw the familiar blue and silver colors, a clear glass bead with the symbol of Farore tied securely to the center. A bracelet that had, in all honesty, not survived the test of time . The bead in the center was scratched in many places, with the dyed colors of the leather fading away by the day, with the bands looking ready to snap.
I touched the bead with the tip of my finger, feeling the cracks and scratches that covered the surface. I gave out a hiss of pain, a cut forming on the tip of my finger from a sharp shard of glass. Despite that, I gave a small grin, as I healed the small cut without much thought.
'Who knew your gift could be so dangerous… Might have to have to make me a new one, huh Link?'
With that thought, and the emptiness in my chest subsiding and a grin still on my face, I placed the cover meant to protect the arrows from the elements. Strapping it in a turning it over, I heard the jewelry move inside, but watched as none of it came out.
Giving myself a nod of approval, I placed the quiver on my back, and tightened the strap to ensure that it wouldn't come loose. As I did, I tapped onto two of the hidden pockets in the quivers strap, hearing the glass echo inside the empty bottles.
It was only when a similar tapping sound echoed a second later, that I knew I was good to go.
Turning my attention to the high wall, I watched the spotlight move, seeing if there was a pattern to the movements. It didn't take long to see that they were, and a relatively simple but tight pattern.
They clearly didn't want anything to get over this wall, no doubt because of the many demons that prowled around the forest. I could tell that the guards were well trained, and their defenses incredibly well funded and researched. The way they moved, like clockwork, and the gear they held in their hands made this very clear.
But they clearly weren't made for people.
The walls are made of steel, but even from so far away, I could see that there were plenty of places to climb. Steel beams that provided strength against the strongest of Demons gave me free reign on their wall. Their wide spotlight paths made to find larger creatures, not a woman only 5" 7' with low heel boots on.
And they certainly weren't prepared for one who had been trained by the Sheikah.
Just as this thought crossed my mind, the spotlight moved, searching for any monster that could enter this city. An opportunity arose, as without a second thought I dashed forward, holding my dress in a fist.
Once again, as I moved through the open field straight to the wall, I cursed my dress. It was only because Impa had enchanted it with resistance to all damage that I kept it on. If not for that, I would've worn something far more appropriate for battle and speed.
Besides, Link should've been given this enchantment, since he was the one at the front of every battle. Yet, according to Impa, the Hero's Tunic came with its own enchantments, meaning she couldn't place her own within the garb. After all, items can only have one enchantment at a time, and they were far more versatile than magic. Link's arsenal of weapons could attest to that, with his Magic pouch holding an armory of useful and dangerous weapons.
Not only that, some enchanted items didn't even need magic power to use, as they always used the ambient magic in the air to fuel their effects. The only problem was that these enchantments could age and be tampered with if not given the proper protection. Such as the magic rod the Hero of Twilight used, that had aged almost beyond repair.
Which is why I never bothered using the silk of this dress to make something else, since the enchantment would be destroyed with it.
Pity, since I was nowhere near as fast as I could be.
Still, I was fast enough to cross the field without a speck of light on me. Not a sound was heard from me, and not even a wayward glance was given as I crossed.
I placed my back against the steel wall, feeling the chill of the metal against my spine through my dress. I watched the spotlight move through the clearing, just over where I had dashed across. Despite that, not a trace of my presence was there, not even a footprint in the grass.
When the spotlight moved away, I moved quickly, trying to get away before I was noticed next to the wall. I grabbed the sides of the 2-foot thick steel beam, my fingers pressing into metal as hard as they could. As soon as I felt I was ready, I was already moving up, alternating my feet and hands as I climbed the beam.
It only took half a minute to climb the 30 steel beam, not even breaking a sweat as I did. I looked up from my climb, seeing the lip of the walls edge 20 feet above me. I frowned, as even I couldn't climb that high without support or a running start. And since I was still worried about what magic was to these people, or if they could sense it being used.
So, with that being a dead end, I looked around the wall hoping to find a different way up. Admittedly, I was lucky to find sections of steel with cuts on them to my left, as if something tried to climb up. No doubt made by some of the demons that had tried to climb this wall and get on the other side.
Though not a great foot or hand hold to use, it will certainly help me get across the wall. Further to the left, I saw another reinforcing beam attached to the wall. This one, unlike the one I was currently scaling, was attached to the top part of the wall.
The goal in sight, my feet on the beam below me, I leap towards the marks on the steel wall. Feeling the air push through my hair, I stop my fall by grabbing the deep scratches on the wall. I had to grit my teeth though, as I felt the steel bite into my fingers painfully. In fact the only reason I managed to hold on was because of the enchantment on my dress, as I silently hoped that they couldn't sense the magic within it.
Even so, I persevered, moving as fast as I could before any of the guards decided to check the wall. So, reaching my hand out towards a matching set of claw marks, I grabbed the new and painful handhold. I quickly moved my hand to the next, trying to get there befo-
"-'m telling you, I saw something!"
I felt my heart skip a beat in fear, as I heard a voice directly above me, no doubt one of the guards that patrolled the wall. I almost slipped from my handhold, restarting my entire progress and no doubt getting spotted from above.
I was lucky though, as it was only pure instinct that let me grab the scratch on the wall. Despite this luck, I could practically feel my palms slip as they sweated, the pulse of fear and adrenaline moving through my arms.
I looked up, hoping that they already didn't start searching directly down at their wall. I let out a silent sigh of relief, as I didn't see any of their heads poking over the lip of the wall. But they were close to my location, as their conversation continued.
Though, I was glad I didn't have to worry about a language barrier.
"Tucker, I swear to whatever god isn't listening, if this is another one of your wild stories, I am going to shoot you!" Came an angry voice from above, as I quickly moved myself towards the beam of steel only ten feet away.
"I'm not lying man, I saw something down there." The other one, Tucker, assured the angry guard who was out of my sight. "These eyes are never wrong!"
"Oh yeah?" The other guard asked, more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he did. "What about last week, when you told me you saw a Leviathan?" He asked Tucker, as I silently moved across the wall, working hard to make myself as quiet as possible.
"Dude, stop giving me shit for that!" Tucker shouted loud enough to make me wince, as I almost lost my grip on the wall. "Blame whoever names these things, it's not my fault that I only remember the cool ones!"
"It's three stories tall, and can only live in saltwater! The entire city would've seen it before you did!" The other guard shouted even louder than Tucker, though I was prepared for any shouting this time. Even still, my ears rang in pain, as I jumped across to the metal beam, clinging to it tightly.
"Church, I'm telling you, I saw something white and it was fast. I barely caught a-" Tucker began to tell the now named Church, before the loud man interrupted him. It didn't matter to me though, as I slowly climbed the steel support beam, not making a noise.
"Was it also black with red eyes?" Church asked, no doubt referring to the demons that had attacked me in the forest.
"Well, no, b-" Tucker was interrupted before he could even finish his thought though as the other guards echoed through the sky.
"Then who gives a shit!?" He asked, as I had to fight the urge to cover my ears, his voice practically deafening to my ears. "We're out here to search for and shoot any Grimm that tries to get over this wall. Nothing more nothing less."
At those words, I had to sigh in exasperation as I realized I, like so many other times before, had over thought myself into a complicated situation. I didn't need to sneak around like I had thought, since people weren't their targets to begin with. And now, since I was sneaking into their city, I couldn't just reveal myself, since I would probably be taken to their leaders for suspicious behavior.
Though, I still wasn't even sure if these people looked Hylian. So, if they saw me, they might just try to kill me thinking I was some kind of Demon, or Grimm as they call them, in disguise. So, I still had to remain unsee-
"But it was a chick!" He told Church, as I almost slipped from the beam entirely, my eyes going wide in fear.
'He saw me!?' I thought to myself, as I could heartbeat even faster than it was before. 'How!? I made sure I wasn't in the light! They couldn't have seen me in this dark, with their eyes adjusted to the bright spotlight.'
I took a deep breath, calming myself down as best I could while clinging to the side of a wall. They might have seen me, but they didn't see me begin to climb their wall. Otherwise, I would've already been caught and taken away.
Besides…
"Yeah, sure! And Caboose can actually recite his ABC's." Church told Tucker, brushing off his words as nothing but the guards imagination.
It didn't seem that the man believed his colleague.
"I'm telling you dude, I saw a girl in the field!" Tucker began, trying to make his friend believe his words, with what sounded like little success.
"Tucker, if there really was a girl running to this wall, don't you think we would've heard something by now?" Church asked him, bringing up some of the many holes in the man's observation. "She's in a forest filled with Grimm, alone. She would've called for help if she were real."
A well placed point, if this girl didn't happen to be me, who was currently sneaking into their city.
"Or maybe she's mute, or can't say anything!" Tucker exclaimed, as I climbed up the steel support beam, slowly but surely as to not make too much noise.
"That's what mute means, dumbass." Church told Tucker, as I kept climbing higher, taking this chance while the two were distracted. "Y'know what, I'll humor you. Let's say that this 'chick in white' actually exists, how'd you know she was a girl? We're fifty feet in the air in the dead of night!"
"What can I say dude? Pure instinct." Tucker exclaimed with confidence, as I could only shake my head in reaction to his dumb reasoning.
"Uh huh." Church responded, no doubt having a similar reaction to the man's confidence as I did. "And if all you gave me as a description was 'white', you didn't see any details at all, did ya?"
"W-well…" Tucker began, hesitating, as I finally reached the top of the wall. One reach of my arm, and I could pull myself over and into the city.
But I didn't. Instead, I took this chance to catch a glance at what these two looked like.
Poking my head out as slowly as possibly, I finally saw the two who had been arguing for the past minute, only ten feet away from me. It was too dark to see any details, but I could tell that they were Hylian in shape.
A good sign that I didn't have to hide what I looked like when I made it into the city limits. Though nothing concrete.
"So, what I'm getting from this, is that you were so desperate to get laid, you made up some mystery girl in your head." Church, who was facing my direction, began as I dropped myself back down, hiding in case he saw me.
"Dude, I'm not lying!" Tucker exclaimed, not helping his case as he did.
"Never said you were." Church told him, as I could practically feel the smugness in his voice. "Just that you're a lonely pervert, who has started to daydream about angels running across fields."
"Maybe if you weren't looking through that fucking sniper rifle, you would've seen her." Tucker told him, as I waited for the right opportunity to sneak past both of them. "I'm telling you, I only got a passing glance, but she was a 9.5, at least!"
"... Now I know you're making this shit up." Church responded simply, as I could only wonder what the other guard meant by '9.5'.
"Whatever." Tucker said simply, waving off the accusation from his friend. "If Caboose wasn't busy thinking he was manning the spotlight, I'm sure he'd take my side. Or, maybe if somebody turned the lights on for the wall, then we all could've seen this 'angel'."
'Lights?' I thought to myself, more invested in what they were talking about than before. 'You mean there are more sources of lights for this wall?'
"I told you, the Council ordered us to cut most of our power to help lower Vale's tax rates due to the recent Dust shortage." Church began simply, as if it were the easiest thing in the world to understand. All while I kept the terms he was talking about in mind, as the man continued. "Without that, prices would be through the roof, people would get mad, and we'd have to deal with a lot more Grimm. "
"But we just got a huge shipment of Dust yesterday, right?" Tucker asked, as I once again peaked over the wall, seeing if they had moved at all from their previous positions. "So we should be good…"
"Yeah, we got half of a shipment, while the rest was stolen by Roman Torchwick." Church told Tucker, as I confirmed that they hadn't moved an inch from the last time I checked. Though, I made a mental note to remember the name that came up as someone to avoid.
"Who?" Tucker asked, as I dipped back beneath the wall, beginning to move further away to just sneak around the two.
"...The Ginger Bowler Hat Guy." Church told him simply, as I gave myself another mental note about the appearance of this thief.
"Oh yeah, the guy with the hot ice cream lady! Why didn't you say so sooner?" Tucker began, as I only rolled my eyes at his statement, keeping in mind the strange description of the thief' partner.
"Why do I even..."
"Though, it's pretty weird that they've been taking so much Dust lately, huh? What do you think they're doing with it all? Selling it?" Tucker asked, as I moved farther away, trying to gauge an appropriate distance to be unseen in the dark.
"Oh please, you can buy Dust for cheap anywhere in the world. Who the hell is gonna buy this much of it?" Church spoke simply, as I made sure to remember that whatever this 'Dust' is, it was pretty commonplace in this world.
"Maybe the Fang?" Tucker asked hesitantly, as another new phrase reached my ear, commuted to my memory to look into further.
"For what? All they're doing is throwing a petty race war that ended 20 years ago. The most they do is get arrested for arson and assault." Church spoke with certainty, as I figured I was far enough.
Before another word could be spoken, I quickly and silently jumped to the top of the wall. Landing without a sound, I laid low and crossed the platform on top. Before either of the two saw a thing, I was already hanging on the opposite side of the wall, climbing down.
And it seemed I was in the clear, as the two continued their conversation without a hitch.
"Well, sure… but what if they decided to go bigger? Like… mass arson? Or… I dunno, make a bomb?" The conversation continued, as I climbed down, carefully finding the route that would make the least amount of noise.
"Well… If they're anything like you, then they'd probably blow themselves up long before anything happens." Church spoke with a joking tone, hiding a very serious worry from what I could hear.
"Haha, very funny…" Tucker said with a sarcastic tone towards Church's jab at him. I could hear him turn away as I climbed down a different support beam, probably returning to his patrol, before he stopped. "Wait a sec… we're supposed to have the lights off right?"
"Yeah…?" Church asked, his tone annoyed by being asked a question he had already answered.
"Well, why's the spotlight on?" Tucker asked, as I simply climbed down faster, listening in for any other useful scapes of information. "Aren't we just wasting more power by using the stupidly bright light instead of the actual lights?"
"Well, if you could actually be trusted for what you see, we could just turn it off and use your Faunus eyes." Church stayed simply and quickly, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "But, due to your recent testimony, we're gonna have to leave it on. Besides…" He continued before stopping, as if he had forgotten that he was supposed to hide something.
"Yeah?" Tucker asked, putting the other soldier in his own spotlight, as he tried to figure out what his friend was hiding. All as I looked down, trying to find the next handhold to get me down.
"I, uh…" The man hesitated, just as I found my way down. Another support beam on the outside, though it was still pretty far away. Luckily, I was aiming to move down, so I could just catch myself when I jumped across. "I can't remember how to turn it off..."
All was silent up at the top of the wall, as I took a few deep breaths in preparation. I looked down, a thirty foot drop without any magic and the thing to stop me ten away. I felt my hands tingle as adrenaline crept through my system, as if preparing me for what I was about to do next.
"...Dude…. really?" Tucker began, the only tone on his voice being that of pure disappointment. That and a small chuckle under his breath.
"Hey, you're the one that's hallucinating about angels!" Church fired back with no small amount of venom, hoping that would somehow protect him.
I took another deep breath, finding the best angle to jump towards the other support beam. Nerves crept up my spine, but they didn't matter, as I took the last deep breath in.
"She's real dude!" Tucker yelled, trying to defend himself against his supposed screwup. All while I had jumped off the support beam, my arm outstretched to grab onto the only way for me to not break my legs.
"Keep telling yourself that, asshole! Now get back to your station." Church out, already walking away from his brother in arms.
And while he was yelling, I grabbed onto the support beam from mid-air feeling my arms groan in protest as they did. The solid steel made a soft gong-like sound, but other than that I was completely silent. Not wanting to be here any longer than necessary, I quickly moved down the support beam, as the two continued to talk.
"Fuck that." Tucker told him simply, not at all ashamed to admit that he was skipping his duties. "I'm going to continue my search for my mystery babe. And when you all see how drop dead gorgeous she is, even your half shark girlfriend will be jealous."
"How many times do I have to tell you, Tex isn't part shark!" Shouted Church, the loudest I had heard him tonight, and the angriest too. "She isn't even a Faunus!"
"Tell that to the half of my relatives that actually played dead when she showed up at the Christmas party!" Tucker retorted quickly, as I felt my feet touch the soft ground below.
"Tucker!" Church shouted, as I finally wrapped my head around my ears, blocking out his ridiculously loud voice.
"Yeah yeah, I'm going!" Tucker responded simply, as I followed suit, moving away from the wall before anyone else saw me.
Though, not before I heard Church give a sigh.
"Unbelievable. I bet the Reds over at the Forever Fall Border don't have to deal with shit like this."
The City of Vale was a large twisting maze of roads and buildings, that in my mind was something out of a fantasy novel. I looked up towards one of the many uniform buildings that stood as tall as Hyrule Castle, their walls made entirely of glass and steel. Above me, carriages that spewed fire from beneath where their wheels were supposed to be, moving where only the agile Rito could. That wasn't all though, as a noise that sounded like the loudest bent horn I had ever heard screamed from the black road, followed by loud profanities from men and women inside the horseless carriages.
I shrunk deeper into my stolen cloak, as I felt like I was being crushed by these crowded streets. I bumped into one of the hundreds of people that I passed, flinching at the unexpected contact. I tried to apologize as I did, but he simply kept moving forward, as if this was an everyday occurrence. It was the same for the next woman I bumped into, who just looked down at what appeared to be a see through notebook, not even glancing up.
I moved through the sea of people as best I could, avoiding as much physical contact as possible. But doing that, while trying to keep calm and hide my weapons behind a black cloak was difficult in this new environment.
It had been over four hours since my escapade over the border of this impossibly crowded city. Four hours of wandering through the farmland surrounding my first and only view of the population of this world.
Though, the only reason it took so long was because of my lingering questions about this world. Normally, it would only take a person an hour to reach this city from where I had started. I, on the other hand, had to stay off of the main roads in case anyone saw me.
Why? Because at the time, I still couldn't risk being out in the open.
Even though I had seen the one named Church's outline, it still wasn't enough information to just reveal myself. He was Hylian in shape, sure, but so were the seven-foot tall Gerudo women.
I couldn't risk anything impeding my search for Link, and if I was dubbed some kind of monster, I would never find him. Even if he went searching for me, by the time he did there might be nothing left to find.
But those were superficial reasons compared to what I held inside my right hand.
The Triforce of Wisdom, one part of the most sacred power in my Kingdom.
If they took me away, imprisoning me for the sake of research as some kind of new species, they would find it. The Triforce piece granted it's wielder abilities fitting one chosen by the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru.
Now, unlike the abilities of the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Wisdom didn't affect any of my physical abilities. Rather, much like the name implies, my piece affected my mental and spell casting abilities. While many of these abilities were mostly tailored to defense, one stood out as, in my opinion, the most dangerous ability in the Triforce arsenal.
Divine Wisdom. The ability to understand the tangled web of reality itself.
Though not inherently useful in the battle against Ganondorf, Divine Wisdom allows me to understand the way the world works. So long as I have the proper knowledge to support me, I can usually make the correct decisions at the correct times.
It doesn't mean I understand everything there is to know, but rather I know how to use the knowledge I have and use it effectively.
Now, that might not sound so useful to some people, but let me put it into perspective.
Say someone was granted Divine Wisdom and decided he wanted to rule a Kingdom. Not just any Kingdom, but the kingdom he was living. He knows how the politics want and what the people want. So he talks to the right people, says the right things, and suddenly he is made the new King. Because he knew how to use the knowledge he had and made all the correct decisions to change people's thoughts and actions to the point that he would be king. With only a little effort, and the assistance of Divine Wisdom, he is made the most powerful man in the nation.
That was something that should never fall into the wrong hands, and something she couldn't offer to the people of this world. What someone could do with that power was limitless, and as such had the potential to be used for horrible purposes.
So, I stayed on the back roads, avoiding sight from the stray man and woman who was up this early for whatever reason. Still too dark to see though, I could still only recognize their outline rather than any details.
By the time Dawn came around, I was still no closer to discovering if I could walk around their Kingdom without having to constantly hide my features.
Though, I was lucky since by the time the sun came up, I could see actual people. More specifically, the farmers getting up for the day, ready for their long day of work.
And of course, I saw their features. Much to my shock though, they looked exactly like Hylians. Not a little like Hylians, EXACTLY like Hylians.
With the theory of otherworldly dimensions and such, I had expected scales, or even three eyes. But nope, it seemed that the Triforce took me to a world where I would fit in perfectly.
So, with a sigh of relief, I could finally stop hiding in the shadows, and be comfortable in my own skin. Though, there was still one detail that had me worried, seeing as how none of the farmers had pointed ears. But that was something that was easily remedied with a cloak and a hood.
Besides, I didn't even know how the people dressed in this world. What I was wearing could draw more attention to myself than my appearance ever would.
So, sticking to the shadows created by the rising sun a little longer, I was lucky enough to find a… well it seemed like a scarecrow. Though, instead of a straw hat and coat, it was wearing a skull mask and a black cloak. Something that would have been intimidating, if it wasn't for the bright flowers and stars painted on the mask. In fact, I actually chuckled upon seeing it for the first time, before taking the old cloak it was wearing.
Still, regretting the fact that I was stealing from farmers of all things, I made sure to leave a green Rupee behind. Even if it could be something of incredible value to this world, it was the least I could do.
So, taking the main roads to where the city was, hoping to find a library to gather information about this world. That's how I ended up here…
A loud honk pierced my ears, as I fought the urge to immediately pull out my Rapier.
"Watch where you're going, Jackass!" The driver of a horseless carriage shouted out, as he turned down one of the long smooth roads.
Quickly moving back off of the street, where a bunch of people stood staring at me, I couldn't help but hide deeper inside my cloak. The instincts from the last two years of hiding and protecting my kingdom still in full affect.
Waiting to follow their lead, I watched as a light switched from red to green, as everyone instantly began walking across the street. I nodded in understanding and followed the rest, gazing upon the many curiosities of this new world.
For the next hour, I simply walked around the city of Vale, on the lookout for Link. Yet, while I was keeping my head down and walking with the beings of this world, I could only look up in wonder at what was here.
Hundreds, thousands of shops and trade lined up in the street, each different selling different resources.
I had to force my mouth closed at what I was seeing, as it was anything that I could compare it to. The entire shopping area in this city was the entire size of Castle Town, and maybe even Hyrule Castle itself!
I gave a sideways glance at what seemed to be a restaurant to my right, watching the people inside eat their food. A few more feet forward, and it changed to different people eating different things.
With every step, I could feel my stomach ache in hunger, having only eaten stale bread and cheese over five hours ago. It was tempting to just go to these restaurants, and eat some of the devious food inside.
But, I didn't have the most important thing in any world to have.
Currency.
I stood still, watching as a couple walked up to a metal box with a man behind it, as he pulled out small cards. They were multiple colors, ranging from bronze to silver, as the man behind the metal box, most likely the cashier, took them. The cashier than reached into the metal box, and pulled out a copper card, bidding the customers a good day.
No doubt this was what qualified as money in this world, I thought as I moved to the next window. Those little cards, their title unknown to me, was all that was keeping me from tasting what looked like wonderful food.
Among other things, of course.
I looked down in anger at my dress, as I was tempted to burn it with Din's Fire. Useful as the defensive enchantment was, one could consider the dress I was wearing too noticeable to blend in. It was the same at the beginning of our journey, before I could access the other powers of my Triforce piece.
It was the same now, as some of the more perceptible people I passed by noticed the striking difference between the cloak and my clothes. The black cloak, practically covered with dirt made from cheap wool, whereas the dress was pure white and made from the finest silk.
Clearly, anyone would look at me strangely.
I pulled the cloak closer together, covering my dress, and pulled the hood further down. It was harder to see, and I bumped into a few more people than usual, but it was worth it to remain hidden.
It didn't stop me from gazing at the multitude of stores, and their wares that were for sale. A part of me regretted it, as my stomach continued to ache over how empty it was. Moving quickly, I ducked into one of the alleys, and pulled out some of the last pieces of bread and cheese I had.
Still working to hide my face, I took a bite out of the bread in my hand, frowning as I imagined tasting the food in these stores.
Honestly, I should've expected what happened next.
I felt someone grab the end of my cloak as I was eating, pulling it as they did. Thinking I was being robbed, I quickly pulled out my dagger, ready to use it if needed.
Yet, I was hasty in my decision.
As the tip of the dagger was about to come out of my cloak, I saw exactly who it was that had tried to defend myself against. My muscles seemed to lock up, as my anger was quickly cooled by the feeling of shame in my actions.
Sitting there wasn't some robber who wanted whatever she had, but rather an old homeless woman without a leg. Her hair was covered in dirt and was greasy, as if it hadn't been washed in months. Her clothes were just as filthy as the cloak I had stolen.
And she was thin. As if a stray breeze could snap her in half.
I watched her eyes remain attached to the piece of bread in my hand, as if it was some sort of lifeline. I only answered with a frown, not out of something like displeasure, but rather because that was the only thing I could do faced with this situation.
I looked back to the mainstreet, watching as the people who walked by, their gazes flowing over us as easily as a stream. It irked me, seeing so many people pass by, not one of them even registering either of us. Though, that feeling quickly disappear as soon as I realized that I hadn't seen her either.
Absentmindedly ripping a piece of the bread off, gave it to the woman on the ground, making sure my face couldn't be seen. She wasted no time to scarf down the food, as I quickly made my way back to the street, eating the last of my ration.
I barely heard her thanks as I joined the sea of people, but I gave a nod instead of turning around.
Thirty minutes after that, still walking around for any sight of a man in a green tunic. A couple of times I was sure I had seen him, but it was just someone else in green. I also made sure to gaze down some of the other alleys, checking for the blonde hero in every nook and cranny of the city.
It wasn't until another thirty minutes had passed that I gave up on the search, realizing that there were too many people here to find one person with a passing glance. So, quickly finding an area to rest my feet, I decided to gaze upon another wonder of this world.
A large piece of glass in a store, like the ones many of the people surrounding me held in their hands, with a person inside of it.
"... In other news, recent attacks by known and notorious criminal, Roman Torchwick, have escalated. When once this man would only attack local Dust stores, stealing as much Dust as he could, he has now begun stealing entire shipments." The woman with brown hair and purple eyes on the screen, wearing a black suit, began. Next to her was a man with bright orange hair in a white coat and black hat, holding a cane in his hand.
I could only stare in bewilderment, never seeing anything like this in the far reaches of Hyrule. Sure, my Father had told me stories of how the Hero of the Wild had used something similar, but it was another thing entirely to see it.
The more curious side of me could only wonder. How did this work? How could I hear her voice so clearly from within the screen? Was she real, or just something the magic device had created itself?
As I pondered this, the report continued on, unimpeded by the questions that were in my head.
"Thankfully Torchwick was interrupted in his attempt to steal it from the brave work of Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training." The woman sole matter of factly, without so much as a blink. "Witnessing the crime, they had sprung into action as quickly as they could, along with the visiting General Ironwood's personal choice for Atlas's participation in the Vytal Festival. When asked for a comment, the General had only this to say."
The picture suddenly changed to show a man with black hair and stern features. He wore a white suit and gloves, with matching white pants. His face was what many would call handsome, his eyes clear and trustworthy.
All in all, he was a man that looked worthy to be a leader.
"I can only give my praises to the Huntsman and Huntresses that had moved to stop Roman Torchwick." He spoke clearly with honest praise in his voice, looking through the screen as if talking to me. "They did as any Huntsmen should, and acted when they saw a threat to the safety and security of the Kingdom of Vale. However, though this was good work, this shouldn't have happened in the first place. For years this man has taken the Dust that common people use in their everyday lives for his own selfish needs. That is why I will speak with the Council later to implement the same system of defense for this City as Atlas, so that nothing like this happens again. Thank you."
With his piece said, the picture changed again to the woman who was on the screen last time, who gave a small nod. "This comment has had many of Vale's citizens stating that they can finally rest easy. Still, witness testimony has been brought to our attention that it wasn't just Roman Torchwick who was stealing Dust, but also members of the anti-human group, The White Fang. No one is sure why the group is joining in on the Thief's activities, but this reporter can only hope they aren't working together. This is Lisa Lavender, signing off."
With that the screen went dark, as I continued my journey through the city, pondering about what I had heard.
It was obvious that these 'Huntsmen and Huntresses' were the elite Knights of this world. I had my own when I was ruling Hyrule, each of them as capable as fifty of my common guards. Ganondorf too, though he had hideous Demons rather than brave Hylian warriors. So, for now it was clear I had to stay away from them, avoiding their gaze to not raise suspicion.
Of course, I also needed to witness what these Huntsmen could do. Seeing what they could do and measuring my own ability against theirs was a must.
Though, there were still an incredible amount of mystery's to unpack. What was this Dust that everyone was referring to? Was the screen magic, or simply an advanced form of technology like what was lost to the Hylians in the Age of the Hero of the Wild? If the General was the leader of the city of Atlas, then why was he here? What did Lisa Lavender mean by 'Anti-human'? And if these White Fang were against humans, which I assumed was the name of the race of these people, why work with this thief Roman Torchwick? In fact, if they weren't Human, what were the White Fang?
I could only groan in frustration, feeling my agitation rise as more and more questions piled up. What was a trip to gain knowledge of this world had only the opposite effect!
I took a deep breath, calming myself and shoving the frustration aside for later. Being angry won't help me, and it certainly wouldn't help me find Link.
'Find a private place, preferably somewhere to sleep. Then you can complain about the world all you want Zelda.' I thought to myself, reminding myself of what was important.
Even still, I had no idea where I was going. It was the same as it was in the forest, just blindly searching and hoping for the best. So, I knew I needed to go somewhere for information, and only one thing came to mind.
A library.
A place where I can freely access information, no questions asked, with no doubt a large collection of books? It was perfect in every way for my current situation.
But did a library even exist in this world?
I was tempted to ask one of the many people I passed such a question. Keeping a low profile meant that I couldn't risk asking about something that might not exist here.
So instead, I tried to think about it. If I were to open something which needed convenient placement for people to come to, where would I put it?
The answer was quite simple.
Near a school, and near where people lived.
With that in mind, I began searching for the Residential District of Vale.
Not as simple of a task as I had first thought.
It took me almost three hours of searching to even find the houses in this incredibly large city. It took another hour to find the library, and by that point, I was running on fumes.
I could feel my legs ache and my mind wander, both of them drained of the little energy I had. I took another sip from my canteen, as the chill wind pierced the cloak.
Despite that, I only felt relief as I discovered what I was looking for. Though, this was far from what I had imagined compared to the library's of Hyrule.
Libraries in Hyrule were very important, as not only did they hold expensive and ancient texts for everyone to access, but also magic tomes to teach up and coming Mage's. They held our entire history, the Legends of the Hero's, and even our laws within their walls. Not only that, libraries were considered sacred places, a temple to hold knowledge which Nayru held sacred above all else.
It was why the buildings were always built like a fortress, with many of my guards protecting it as best they could.
It was also why comparing what was in front of me to the library's back home, I could only frown.
What was built out of the strongest most beautifully sculpted rock gifted to us to use by the Gorons, was instead made of wood. What was an incredible size, holding all the knowledge anyone would need in Hyrule, was instead half that size. What was guarded at all times, ensuring the knowledge of Nayru was protected, was left bare and unguarded. All that was in place was a lock on the door, which was easy to get through as the door was simply made of glass.
A part of me could understand why there were such differences. Perhaps this world didn't have a Goddess of Wisdom, or any other important reason to protect such important knowledge.
But this was just sad.
If I didn't want to draw attention to myself, I would be tempted to teach the owner of this library a lesson. Maybe steal their books and return them later, showing them that they should protect such knowledge better. It would be far too simple, and I could have all the books I needed for an entire day.
But, that would just mean that I would be hunted by the city guards, and draw more than a little attention.
Instead, I scraped the idea, as I began walking up to the door. Finally, after hours of searching for answers, I could finally relax and learn all I needed to know of this world. I could finally take the first step to finding Link.
Grabbing the door handle, I gave a gentle pull, before walki-
The door shook, but didn't open.
I raised my eyebrow, pulling on the handle of the door a second time.
Once again, it shook but didn't open.
This time, I tried pushing it, wondering if that was the problem.
It didn't open.
I couldn't stop myself from glaring at the door. Why wouldn't it open?! It was midday by this point, and there should be no reason to be closed!
As I looked over the door, trying to find why the Library remained elusive to me, I found a note on the other side of the door. The penmanship was sloppy, and a little hard to read, but I understood what it said.
'Went out for Lunch, be back whenever. ~ Owner.'
I felt my eyebrow twitch as I read the note.
Maybe stealing the books wasn't such a bad idea after all.
It wasn't until an hour later that the owner finally arrived back at his library. An hour of sitting on a cold bench, as the wind slowly froze me through the cloak.
An hour glaring daggers at the path leading up to the Library, as the focus of my anger walked up leisurely.
The man himself was dark skinned like the Gerudo, with hair slowly turning white. He had plenty of wrinkles, showing his age as he walked with a small limp. His eyes were a warm brown, showing the wisdom that often came with people his age. The brown coat he wore was well made, easily keeping the chill climbing up my back off of his.
All in all, he was just an old man with a limp.
My glare relaxed as I focused on his features, as I simply stood while he limped forward, waiting for him to open the door as he did.
He turned his head toward me, a slight widening in his eyes as he saw me stand. I raised an eyebrow, curious why he was surprised to see me. Did he not get many visitors?
My question was left unanswered though, as he merely shrugged his shoulders and moved a hand into his pocket. Taking out a ring of keys, his hands shaking slightly, he one of the keys in the lock and turned.
As soon as he opened the door and walked in, I followed after him, trying to use all the time I had to learn about this world. He was a little slow to move forward, but I didn't mind too much.
I waited this long, I could wait a little longer.
As soon as he was through the door, I moved into the Library, looking past him.
The first thing I noticed was the dust.
The library was covered in layers of dust, all over the tall bookshelves filled end to end in books. The tables and chairs were covered too, as if no one had stepped inside for years. That wasn't quite accurate though, as a desk to the side of the room was quite clean, covered with papers and pencils and what seemed to be a nameplate, which read 'Timothy Redbrooks'.
A desk that the owner was walking towards, as I could actually see the trail of dust where he walked.
I couldn't help but frown again, as the old man, Timothy, if what the name plate said was true, seemed to chuckle at my expression. Though, from the way I angled the hood of my cloak, he could barely see my nose.
"Sorry about the mess," He said to me, as I glanced in his direction, trying to read his expression. "I try to clean every now and then, but every time I do…" He trailed off, patting his leg that was dragging slightly behind him.
I nodded in understanding, giving him a small smile to show that there were no problems. He smiled back, thankful that I didn't give him any problems as he turned to walk back to his desk.
"Feel free to read anything off the shelves," He said as he sat down, sighing as he rested and massaged his leg. "Need anything, come ask me. I can get you anything you need, given enough time. Uh, within reason, of course."
I nodded, giving a quick 'thanks' under my breath, before turning to the shelves filled with books. I carefully considered the aisles, looking for the section that I needed. As luck would have it, it wasn't too far away, as I headed towards the shelf with the word 'History' on it.
Searching through the books, I found appropriate titles for what I was searching for, such as 'History of the Four Kingdoms', 'Before the Kingdoms Came', 'King's and Council', and 'The Tales of Remnant'.
I also grabbed some of the books that grabbed my attention, like 'The Essentials of Aura', along with 'The Evolution of Dust in Society'.
Brushing the dust off of the chair and table, giving myself a good enough place to sit, I opened the book and began to read.
And with that, everything began to make sense.
The White Fang, the Faunus, The Kingdoms, Remnant, Aura and Semblance, Dust, and so many other things. It was all getting linked together in my mind, showing me at least the rudimentary state of the world I was in.
And honestly, it wasn't a pretty picture.
Demons, which were named Grimm in this world, constantly prowled at the borders of all four Kingdoms. They were attracted to the negative emotions that people gave off, attacking people all across this world of Remnant. Settlements at the beginning of history were barely able to survive, and those that couldn't meet this requirement were destroyed without mercy.
That is, before mankind discovered Dust, a naturally existing material that I could only describe as Magic given a pure physical form. With Dust, the only weapon that could be used to drive off Grimm, they protect their homes. With Aura and Semblance, a protective shield and special ability granted onto oneself, they protect themselves. And soon the small settlements became Kingdoms with their own structures of leadership, along with their own beliefs and cultures, distant from one another.
Until, about 75 years ago, a war broke out which almost ravaged the world, and took everyone back to a world without Kingdoms. Or, that would've been the case, if it weren't for the ruling king of Vale, King Ozmandyis, who crafted a peace treaty of the small isle of Vytal. There, they formally created what was known as the Academy's to where great warriors were trained to fight off the Grimm. In celebration of this treaty, the Vytal Festival is held every few years (hosted by one of the four Kingdoms) to show off the up and coming warriors as a show of good faith to the other Kingdoms.
This was when the world seemed to truly become one, and the world was at peace. Until another war broke out, not between Kingdoms, but rather the people.
Humans and Faunus themselves were at war, the Faunus fighting to stop the discrimination of their race, and for their rights to be heard amount the people. People who didn't believe in their right fought against them, as eventually the Kingdoms had to find their own side to defend.
Eventually, the Faunus succeeded in having their voice heard and their rights met, and laws were made to follow this change. They were even gifted an entire country of their own, creating an entire settlement filled with the Faunus people.
That was 30 years ago, and it seemed this world had finally found it's peace.
Yet, despite that peace, she couldn't help but think that this entire world was like my own two years ago. Happy, peaceful, but with Demons on the rise, and suspicious people working behind the lines to achieve something.
This was two years ago all over again. The day my journey with Link began.
The day I was overthrown, and my Kingdom taken away from me.
But, in all honesty, that didn't really matter to me. As cruel and as heartless as it may sound…
This world was of no concern to me.
I was a visitor here in Remnant, trying to find my way back with what I needed. It wasn't this world that was important to me, but my own.
And that world was- is dying.
My Kingdom is dying.
I closed the book with a snap, seeing the sun set from the window in the library. All the book that I had grabbed were read through and through, but still the most important question pounded at my head.
Was I safe to walk around?
Was I safe to use my abilities?
I grabbed another set of books from the shelves, searching for any sort of information. Faunus features, my own image compared to humans and Faunus, and absolutely any reference to magic.
I also look at transportation out of the Kingdoms, along with anything about Huntsmen and Huntresses that might hunt me down if my abilities were an oddity in this world. A part of me was tempted to see if they did missions to search for missing people, and how to report a mission.
Eventually, the books kept piling and piling onto the table, as I searched through more and more books in search of magic. I practically read through every book in the library, and the only mention of magic was in a fairytale about a wizard and four sisters. That and some of the books about Aura and Dust, telling people that it wasn't magic, even if it was in a joking manner.
But wasn't that strange?
If you could use a material to summon and use the elements of the world to your whim, wouldn't it be called magic? If you could use your very soul to achieve something not normally possible, wouldn't you call it magic?
So why wasn't it? Why the distinction between the two?
I slowly pondered that thought, stopping on that page as I reread that joking remark.
Maybe… magic didn't exist anymore? No, if it didn't they would have still called Semblance and Dust magic. So, instead of being forgotten…
It was purposely being hidden?
I flinched at the sound of a sharp whistle, as I had to resist the urge to pull out my knife for the second time that.
I turned toward the originator of that sound, seeing Timothy with two fingers against his lips. "It's closing time Miss. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
I blinked at his words, before looking out the window of the library. It was pitch black outside, the only light coming from the street lamps a ways away. The shattered moon hanging in the sky.
I flinched at the sight of the permanent reminder that I really wasn't in my world. Turning my head, I stood up from the chair, brushing off the wayward dust that stuck to my cloak.
"Though, I gotta say," Timothy began while walking over to the table, the limp still present with him with every step. "It's been a while since I've seen someone read so many books. And all without a break too."
He laughed as he looked at the mountain of books, taking one from the pile and slowly making his way to the shelf. It took him a few seconds to make, before he carefully stretched his arm and placed it on the shelf.
I could only frown at the sight, as the older man slowly made his way back. As he picked up the second book, I could only feel guilty as I watched him.
I sighed, taking a step towards the mountain of books and taking several. Though nowhere near as strong as Link, carrying these thick books was.
"It's better off just leaving it to me," Timothy told me as he glanced back at me from the shelf, no doubt hearing me move to help him. "I have my own system, and you'll just make more w-"
As he was saying this, I looked down at the books in my hands, remembering where and when I took these off the shelf. Taking the first book back where I found it, the second was already quickly put away, before all the books in my hand were in the exact spot I found them.
Timothy seemed to freeze as I placed each book back, his jaw slightly open slightly.
"I don't mind," I told him as I moved past him, grabbing another seven book, and made my way back to the shelf. "It's the least I can do."
I expected him to argue, saying that he was fine and that I should go. Part of me was tempted to, since I needed to find a place to rest for the night, but I crushed that part of me and continued.
Instead he watched me with an interested gaze, as I grabbed books by the handful and put them back where I found them. It wasn't too hard, and it was getting easier with every book I placed back on the shelves. In fact, it took only six trips compared to Timothy, who would've been at this probably all night.
With that task completed, I clapped my hands together, getting rid of the excess dust in my hand. It fell to the floor, covering some of my footprints that I had made.
"There." I told him simply, turning to the old man who looked at the shelves with wide eyes. "That should be all of them."
"H-how did you…" He asked me, glancing at me as I began to walk towards the exit.
"It wasn't that hard," I told him, as I adjusted my cloak as I walked, making sure it recovered my dress and features. "I have a good memory is all."
With that, I grabbed the handle of the exit, ready to walk into the cold night of this new world.
Before Timothy stopped me.
"W-wait!" He called out to me, walking over to me as quickly as he could with a limp.
I did as he said, waiting in the door frame, as I turned my head towards him, curious as to what he wanted. Seeing that I stopped, he took a second to look me up and down, no doubt seeing the state of the cloak I was wearing.
"Do…" He began, hesitating for a second as he thought about what he was going to say. As he did, his eyes shone brightly, as a smile spread across his face.
"Do you need a job?"
I felt my eyes widen as I could only stare at the man with surprise.
"Huh?"
"Fortune favors the bold."
Next Time on "A Hero's Dream"!
"The Clash of Ideals"!