dreamcrystals | first dream 🌱 childhood memories

Entry tags:

first dream 🌱 childhood memories

Sender: Zelda
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive dream recording

An hour or two before midnight, the dream lanterns glow with a soft blue light, sharing one of Zelda's dreams for the first time.

The dream begins in the comfortably furnished sitting room connected to the Queen of Hyrule's chambers. A five year old girl in a green velvet dress sits in the middle of an ornately decorated crimson sofa, sinking into its plush cushions under the weight of an oversized book in her lap. The thick tome is a bound volume of detailed reports and schematics about ancient Sheikah technology excavated from across the kingdom of Hyrule over the past few years. Though it's easily half the size of the little princess, she doesn't seem to be bothered by its weight on her little legs. Zelda is enraptured by the illustrations of the many different varieties of Guardians and other technological marvels. She studies each image intently before turning to the next page, even though she can barely read more than a handful of words in the accompanying text.

Nearby, two women sit at a small table, sipping tea and sampling snacks from a plate heaped with more cookies and cakes than they could possibly eat in one sitting. The woman to the left looks very much like the grown-up Zelda who lives in Songerein: petite, fair skinned, with voluminous blonde hair worn loose down her back. Unlike Zelda, the Queen of Hyrule is slender, with angular features and blue eyes the color of the clear midday sky, dressed in a cool gray gown with long sleeves. She sits with a blanket covering her lap, emblazoned with vibrant designs and loud colors in the Gerudo style.

Opposite the queen is the woman who gifted the blanket, and who also happens to be next in line to be the Gerudo tribe's chief. Urbosa sits in stark contrast to the Queen: over seven feet in height, with dark skin, a muscular build, red hair, and sharp green eyes. Her bright garb is in the same style as the blanket and her wrists and ears are adorned with stunning gold jewelry. Together, the two women look an unlikely, mismatched pair, but they have been close friends for so long that they hardly notice their differences anymore.

"She's asked me to read from that every night at bedtime." The Queen nods in the direction of her daughter, an affable smile on her lips. "I think it may have usurped the book of Gerudo heroes as her favorite."

Urbosa snorts in amusement. "Of course it has. Whatever mother bird is reading, little bird wants to read as well."

The Queen chuckles. "It's not just that. She's quite taken with the Guardians, even moreso than I. Rhoam has noticed it too." The Queen flicks a quick glance at Zelda and, seeing that the little girl isn't paying attention, drops her voice to whisper and leans in conspiratorially toward Urbosa. "He agreed to my idea. You know, the one I wrote to you about for her b-i-r-t-h-d-a-y?"

Urbosa leans in as well, quirking a suspicious eyebrow. "He did?" She scoffs. "You're pulling my leg. That doesn't sound like him at all."

"It's true, I promise!" the Queen insists. "He'll agree to almost anything if it's for her."

"Almost."

The Queen laughs aloud, which immediately turns into a coughing fit. She claps her hands over her mouth to cover it, but is too slow to prevent the worried looks from both her friend and her daughter. Urbosa gets up from her chair to pour a glass of water of the Queen. She stands over her, gently rubbing her back until the coughing subsides and the Queen is able to drink. From the sofa, Zelda watches the scene, a deep worry line drawn between her eyebrows.

"It's all right, little bird," Urbosa assures Zelda with a smile. "A bit of cake went down the wrong pipe. This is why Mother tells you not to talk with your mouth full."

Zelda nods obediently and, with one last hesitant glance, returns to her book.

Urbosa stays by the Queen's shoulder for a minute more, blocking her from Zelda's view while the Queen regains her composure. Once Urbosa is satisfied that everything is fine, she returns to her chair.

"My thanks," the Queen says in a raspy voice. "I've told you before, you're not allowed to be funny anymore until I've properly shaken off this illness." Though she looks paler than before, she still manages to give Urbosa a wry smile.

"Of course, Your Highness," Urbosa replies, maintaining a straight face that masks the teasing nature of her remark. "I'll try to do better." She stops herself from mentioning what both women are thinking: the Queen hasn't been recovering from her illness over the past few months. If anything, it seems to be getting worse. But that's not something to bring up with Zelda in earshot. Better to avoid such concerning subjects for now and focus on the princess's upcoming sixth birthday. "So, Rhoam agreed to your idea for a p-r-e-s-e-n-t?"

The Queen brightens and nods eagerly. "There was a report from one of the researchers not to long ago that mentioned a..." She glances at Zelda, then mouths the words 'miniature Guardian' to Urbosa, jerking her head in the direction of her desk. An innocuous wooden box sits on top of it. "Or, rather, parts of one. It sounded like no one had the time or interest to invest in repairing it, so I wrote to the Lab and asked if I could take it off their hands."

Urbosa's expression doesn't change, but she doubts that the Sheikah at the Ancient Research Institute are actually too busy or disinterested to research a miniature Guardian. More likely than not, someone made up an excuse to give it to the Queen after she expressed interest in it. No one would dare refuse a royal request.

"I thought about fixing it for her," the Queen continues, "but I think she might actually enjoy doing it herself." She watches her daughter wistfully. "Maybe I'll help her a little bit. If she gets stuck, that is."

The focus of the dream shifts away from the two women before Urbosa's reply can be heard and turns to the little princess on the sofa. Zelda, still enraptured by the bound reports, turns to the next page and finds the Sheikah Slate---not an illustration of the Slate, but the whole object itself. The screen turns on with a chime.

All of the sudden, the box on the Queen's desk rumbles. Zelda jerks her head up, staring at it with wide eyes. The rumbling quickly grows more violent, the box wobbling its way to the front of the desk. Zelda glances frantically between the box and her mother, but the two women don't even seem to notice what's happening. Trapped by the heavy book, Zelda is unable to stand up and catch the box before it topples over. It crashes against the stone floor and explodes into pieces, its contents tumbling out. Pieces of the tiny Guardian clatter across the floor, a mess of broken metal bits spilling out all over the place.

As the commotion fades, the room goes silent. Zelda stares at the mess, holding her breath and barely daring to blink. The screen on the Sheikah Slate pulses with a blue light. From within the rubble, something responds with a muffled chirp. The same blue light glows from a single round eye partially obscured by the splintered remains of the wooden box.

The dream abruptly ends here, as Zelda jerks awake in her bed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The polite and appropriate thing to do is ignore this entire dream. Don't look at it, don't think about it, don't write to Zelda... etc. Unfortunately, his curiosity runs deep and is ever insatiable. ]

Little Miss Squash, you've left me with a number of questions that are going to plague me the rest of the night.

[ It should count for something that he at least knows the right thing to do... even if he doesn't do it.... Regardless, he's not sure of what he witnessed was just a dream or a nightmare, so he adds: ]

Are you okay?

[ Zelda had been staring unseeingly at her journal for a couple minutes, considering whether she ought to make an apology for her dream, when Satan's message appears. She's both too tired and too rattled from the dream to remark on the unbecoming nickname. ]

I think so.

[ Satan wonders if he went too far in calling her Little Miss Squash. Although he likes the nickname, perhaps now wasn't the best time to call her that. ]

Good.

I'm sure you would rather not talk about your dream and that's perfectly fine. However, I did notice your interest in reading, even at such a young age. Is it a hobby you've kept up with?

Oh, but I suppose I should ask you if you're even in the mood to talk after that. My apologies.

[ At any other time, Zelda would probably find the nickname equal parts charming and patronizing. Though she would likely make a fuss, as is her way, she is actually quite touched by it. Urbosa (and, apparently, Zelda's mother) has always called her by a nickname, but from a friend, it feels different. Special. ]

Actually, I would like to talk. Thank you.

[ She's still feeling a little bit dull from sleep, but she doesn't want to lay down again. She actually really feels like talking to someone. ]

I do still read a lot, yes. And often the same sort of material, if I can get it. I've enjoyed studying ancient technology for as long as I can remember.

I wonder, then, if you're as sorely disappointed as I am by the severe lack of reading material here?

[ Satan presumes that Zelda's lifespan is about the same as the average human's and so he is quite impressed that she was reading such a thick book when she was so small. In contrast, he's pretty sure he was just being a menace to society when he was that small. ]

What kind of ancient technology? Transportation? War? Industrial?

[ That gets a chuckle out of Zelda. ]

Quite disappointed, yes. A dilapidated city should at least contain a dilapidated library. I would even settle for a torn husk of a book at this point.

[ "Reading" the thick book might be a bit of an overstatement, but the little princess certainly acted like she was. Zelda doesn't clearly remember this specific incident, but she remembers asking her mother to read these same technical reports to her when Zelda was little. ]

The majority were instruments of war. They were developed 10,000 years before my time to combat an ancient evil that terrorized the land. The records from that time are scant, but it seems they were successful. I suspect that the ancient Sheikah, the tribe who invented the technology, would have later used their knowledge for the benefit of the kingdom during peacetime. But the king of that era feared their knowledge and commanded that the technology be buried and all records destroyed.

Exactly. I'm glad you understand. I've taken to creating my own texts, documenting all of my discoveries as I come across them. It'd be a lot simpler if the information were readily available, but even so, I can't deny it's sort of fun.

[ 10,000 years back is impressive, even for a demon like him. Though, in all fairness, he's very young in comparison to his brothers, so perhaps to them 10,000 years is nothing. Regardless, he's fascinated to hear of such a developed world where there was working technology back then. ]

I can understand the king's point. After all, they're called instruments of war. It makes sense to use them once and be done with it once they succeeded. Even if it was possible for the technology to be beneficial to the world later on, all it takes is one person to be selfish or power-hungry, you know?

It's a real shame that he ordered the destruction of those records, though. Obviously it would be pointless to bury everything while leaving instructions behind indicating where to find it, or what it was, but imagine what other technologies could be created based on those records? Well, I'm sure you don't have to imagine.

I've been accustomed to keeping my own research journals in the past, so it's been easy to keep up that habit. But my notes aren't worth much if I can't corroborate my theories with other information. If you are ever interested in comparing notes, I would be happy to share mine.

[ At first, she was prepared to argue against Satan's support for the ancient Hyrulean king's choice, but he makes a valid point. Calamity Ganon did exactly that, more or less: it managed to infect and take control of all of the excavated ancient technology that were once used as weapons against it. But there's no way the ancient king suspected that might happen; he probably thought the seal placed on Ganon 10,000 years ago would hold forever. ]

I must admit, I had not considered that angle. I always thought the ancient king's decision was cowardly and short-sighted, that he believed the Sheikah would use their technology to overthrow him. When I think about the prosperity Hyrule could have achieved by applying that technology for peaceful applications, I get so angry I can hardly stand it. It's truly the greatest tragedy of our kingdom! [ That's an exaggeration. ] Well, one of, at least.

But perhaps he deserves the benefit of the doubt. There is scant primary source documentation available to shed light on his reasons for that choice. Though we know today that the ancient Sheikah did not bear him ill will, some members of the tribe splintered away at that time and formed their own faction, vowing revenge. Did the king see the seeds of discontent before they sprouted, or he is the one who sewed them in the first place?

I'd be delighted to share what I have. After all, given the fact I'm not native to this place, I'm sure there are plenty of things I either don't understand or have misinterpreted.

[ And truly, he's just delighted to find someone who cares about facts and, he presumes, science. Generally, one doesn't keep a research journal unless one... well, researches. ]

I think the difficult thing about it -- at least for me -- is that who can say what the king thought other than the king himself? If he was a good and just king, his intentions would have been for the betterment and, ultimately, for the preservation of his country. But a good and just king isn't necessarily one with excellent foresight. A short-sighed king, like you said. He might have done what was best from his point of view, but perhaps things might have turned out better if he'd explored other options.

My direct experience with kings is...

[ A lot of things he doesn't actually want to write down in the event any of his his brothers were to see it and immediately tattle on him to said king like children. ]

...a neutral experience, at best. He's [ it's so incredibly difficult to be honest while not actually insulting his king ] someone who looks ahead, but it's so far ahead that he's missed several steps along the way. A king who wants peace between all worlds, but a king who I feel would make a similar similar decision to yours. Not out of fear of being overthrown, but out of ignorance, perhaps?

Also, for what it's worth, I think your anger is completely valid. I know I am quite ignorant of your world, but it sounds to me that with a bit more foresight and courage, your country's course of events may have played out more peacefully. Who can blame you for being angry about that?

[ Granted, he's the Avatar of Wrath. Of course he would empathize with her anger. ]

We shall have to find a time to meet and share our respective research, then. At a more reasonable hour, of course.

[ Zelda is equally excited about having a deep intellectual discussion about all the fascinating things they've individually researched in Songerein. This is the kind of thing she thrives on.

...Not that they aren't already having a rather deep intellectual conversation. Zelda is wide awake now and successfully distracted from her dream. ]

Without the king's memoirs, or those of others in his court, we have little chance of truly understanding his choices. Either he did not write any or those records were lost to time. It's almost maddening, wondering why he did what he did and knowing you may never know the answer. How do you accept not knowing?

[ It's a rhetorical question, one she's asked herself many times in the past, and one she doesn't linger on. ]

I ~~know~~ knew a king like yours. Everything he ~~does~~ did, he did in pursuit of a single goal. As long as he got there in the end, it didn't matter what steps he had to take along the way. [ Even months later, Zelda is still having trouble remembering to use past tense when talking about her father. ] I know he just wanted to do what was best, but I ~~don't und~~ never understood his reasons.

Agreed, so long as you are able to be reasonably polite when it comes to the accompanying artwork in my notes. Although I'd prefer to meet in the early morning or early evening when it isn't so bright if that would be all right.

[ The comment about his artwork is written in jest more than anything. He's not a terrible artist, just average. The specimens he's found, especially in the flora department, were sketched with great care. And... sometimes used in experiments... on his brother.... It's fine, though. Mammon's still alive. He thinks. ]

I don't agree with "the end justifies the means" approach to things. I've come to believe that such an approach can take what was originally a pure and noble goal and sully it. Especially lofty goals such as peace -- if you don't care what you do in order to reach that goal, is it really peace? If you kill or otherwise remove any opposition to a goal of peace, what you obtain isn't true peace. It's obedience through fear.

Not to disrespect your king, of course. Or mine for that matter. I just think those who are in a position of power cannot afford to take such an approach to matters. The journey is just as important as the destination, as cliché as that sounds. So of course, by extension, it would be difficult to understand the reasoning behind many actions taken by someone who doesn't look ahead or someone who works toward one goal without any flexibility. After all, what kind of reason is "Because I said so" or "Because it's what's best?"

I wonder if I'm being too harsh, though. I myself am highly ranked in society in my world, but I'm no king. I've never had such burdens placed upon me, so I don't know how I would act in a high-stakes situation. I'd like to think I'd maintain my ideals, though. I'm sure that's how most royalty starts out, to be fair.

Of course. I'm sure that your illustrations are perfectly adequate!

[ It's written with the sense that she thinks she's giving an earnest compliment. Good effort, Zelda.

She sighs at her journal, realizing that she's being needlessly vague about the Calamity. Thanks to the dream, the cat's already out of the bag (so to speak) regarding her royal heritage. She might as well give Satan the rest of the introduction she's been holding back for months. ]

I should clarify: the king I knew was my father. I am the princess of my kingdom, Hyrule. Or was, I suppose. All my life, my father mustered defenses against the same ancient evil force that the king from 10,000 years ago fought against.

I think, because the situation is not as nuanced as a conflict between peoples, my father was so uncompromising in his approach. While I would like to agree with you, that the ends do not justify the means, I am compelled to wonder what is an acceptable level of sacrifice to achieve a goal as important as saving the world from annihilation. A war can never be without casualties and I believe my father was prepared to sacrifice anything for the greater good of saving Hyrule.

Thank you.

[ Satan takes it as a straightforward compliment. Honestly, she could have said it to his face and he very likely would have said "thank you" regardless, perhaps not so much out of obliviousness as out of pride. ]

I see.

[ That's all he writes initially. However, he realizes how curt that is and so he quickly adds: ]

One moment.

[ He doesn't know what to say. It was easier when it felt like they weren't talking about something so personal to Zelda. Satan wonders if he did indeed speak too harshly of Zelda's father or her lineage. He wouldn't change his opinion that easily, no, but her would have tried to be more tactful.

How difficult it must have been... he can only imagine. Again, he is grateful he isn't burdened by the same shackles the Devildom's king is, or his oldest brother for that matter. The decisions Satan makes every day never affected an entire nation or kingdom. ]

You're right. Wars are not black and white, and they always come at a great cost. But I think even if there is bloodshed or other sacrifice, what's important is that the path from Point A to Point B isn't just a straight path. I think it's important to try and consider other options, and even if those options end up not being viable, you can at least tell yourself you've done all you can.

I'm sorry. I'm sure what I've written is not at all comforting. Rather, it must come off as naïve.

[ And he is naïve. He owns that about himself. It was his brothers who fought in the Great Celestial War. They were the ones who suffered a great loss, who made difficult decisions, who would be better suited to speak on the subject of war and compromise and moral choices. ]

Little Miss Squash, for what it's worth, I think you are a great princess. You're kind and thoughtful. Perhaps there is no obvious solution or answer to how your father or his forefathers ruled, but you are your own person. And I am sure, were you to be queen, your empathy and compassion for your people would make you a favorable ruler. That is not to say I think you are simply empathetic and that is all -- you are intelligent and determined as far as I can tell. You would protect your people, of that I'm sure.

[ Perhaps Hyrule is no more, or perhaps it has been crippled, but he feels that doesn't mean once they resolve the issues in Songerein that it cannot be built up again. ]

[ Zelda waits a moment. Then another. She purses her lips and frowns at the journal as she waits impatiently for Satan to continue.

This was part of the reason she latched onto the out Satan gave her when they first met: when he said that she didn't need to tell him her true identity if she did want to. Living in Songerein for several months as just Zelda, a young woman of average background, have been some of her happiest in many years. There have been many times when she's been able to stop thinking about the Calamity and the loss of everyone she loved. Zelda doesn't want to lie about (or, more accurately, hide through omission) her true identity to the people she is coming to care about. ]

I will only accept your compliment if you are being completely honest with me. I absolutely do not abide brownnosing! If you so much as think about treating me differently now that you know about my status, I will [ It takes her a visible moment to finish her threat. ] confiscate all of your texts, tie them to a boulder, and send them to the bottom of the river!

[ It's a very serious threat. Don't think she won't act on it.

It's also said to hide the fact that Zelda doesn't know what to say in response to what seems like an earnest and heartfelt compliment. She doesn't actually think that Satan is trying to curry favor with her now that he knows she's a princess. Though she doesn't know him all that well, she knows how to spot a suck-up from a mile away. Satan has been kind and supportive of her in their short acquaintance, and it's the prospect of losing an earnest budding friendship behind the wall of royal status that drives Zelda to defensiveness. ]

Edited 2021-12-18 22:47 (UTC)

Excuse me?

[ The text is written much larger and messier than his fairly neat cursive writing from before. How dare she threaten such a thing?! He's spent a lot of time carefully documenting everything he's come across and--and--suddenly he finds himself laughing, grateful that they are having this conversation through written text rather than in person. Otherwise, she might be cross with him for laughing and he would be embarrassed.

He is the Avatar of Wrath, the fourth most powerful demon in his family, and she is threatening him. She has absolutely no sense of self-preservation. She's asking--no, demanding--that he treat her no differently now that her status was crystal clear, and it's oddly charming to him. He reasons that he is so used to most humans flinching at the mere mention of his name, that although she is a Hylian rather than a human, it's... refreshing that she herself is treating him like she would presumably treat any other. So how could he not do the same in return? ]

I spent months collecting that data. Granted, I obviously have no intention of treating you any differently, so I am sure my texts will be safe. It was still an unnecessarily low blow, but regardless, I won't share your status with anyone as it's not for me to share.

Ultimately, the truth is just easier for me. I don't have the time or energy to get myself tangled in a web of lies. I don't give out compliments very lightly, but I do value the truth. I hope that helps put you eat ease.

However, the fact you went straight for my one of my greatest weaknesses kind of hurts, you know? I mean that in a half-joking kind of way, for the record.

[ When the giant 'Excuse me?' suddenly appears on the page, Zelda is so taken by surprise that she bursts into a laugh. Of all the ways for someone to react to a threat from the Princess of Hyrule, no one has ever dared display such open outrage. The prospect is so implausible that she skipped right past the possibility of taking offense and straight onto absurdity.

Zelda can't write back for nearly a minute, clutching the journal to her chest and shaking with full-bodied laughter. When she is finally able to hold a quill again, her penmanship is noticeably wobblier than normal. It's hard to write with a journal in your lap when you're still giggly. ]

I am genuinely sorry, Satan. Please accept my most humble apologies. [ You probably shouldn't. She only kind of means it. ] It was the kind of thing that would upset me the most and I gambled that you might feel the same.

My title isn't exactly a secret. Certainly not anymore, at least, now that this silly dream has been shared with all of Reverein. [ She huffs. ]

When we met, you told me I didn't have to tell you who I really was, and that seemed like a good idea. I never lied, but [ She hesitates. ] the princess of kingdom that no longer exists is politically worthless, so I thought it wouldn't matter if I didn't tell you I was a princess. I didn't really tell anyone. And it was nice just being Zelda for awhile. I've never had an opportunity to live like that before. Obviously.

It didn't occur to me at that time that people will treat me differently after they find out who I am. I never planned for this to be a secret forever. But I don't want people to be careful around me all of the time just because I'm a princess. I like the way things are right now.

I'll be sure to keep that in mind in case you ever get on my bad side.

[ Zelda's texts will be safe. After all, he doesn't have it in him to actively destroy someone else's research, or even just someone else's books, texts or documents in general. ]

While I'm sure the majority of people who witnessed your dream were more polite than myself and chose not to write to you, I'm sure not everyone noticed or paid attention. Still, even if all of Reverein had noticed, it doesn't change anything. You are who you are. You're still just Zelda.

For what it's worth, I'm not angry about it, nor do I have any right to be angry about it. I don't feel you lied. It's not as if I go up to new people and greet them with my life story as I shake their hand.

[ The thought of greeting someone with "Hello, my name is Satan, the Avatar of Wrath. I was named as such due to being born from Lucifer's unbridled wrath" causes him great unease for a variety of reasons. Satan supposes it's mostly because he prefers not being thought of as an extension to Lucifer, so even though he was born from Lucifer, he isn't about to tell every single person he meets that. It doesn't matter, just as it doesn't matter that Zelda withheld the fact that she was a princess. ]

You said "it was nice just being Zelda for awhile." It doesn't have to be over, but you're writing as if you've already given up all hope of being treated as a normal woman. The circumstances of your birth -- does it really matter? Perhaps it does in your own world, but not here, right?

[ Satan wonders if he is taking this too seriously or too personally. He's not royalty, but he empathizes with the idea of being born into a life and a role you have no control over, and how very badly he wanted to be "just Satan." Maybe he is overthinking things, or overanalyzing things, as he always does. Maybe she's rolling her eyes at him for being so persistent. Ugh, he's so embarrassed.... Still, even if he misinterpreted what she meant, he doesn't regret telling her she can still be "just Zelda." ]

[ Contrary to what Satan's imagination might tell him, Zelda is reading his words earnestly as they appear on the page. She hadn't intended to suddenly pour her heart out about some of the worries that she's been keeping to herself for the past few months, but once she started writing, she found that she couldn't stop until it was all out.

Satan's reactions---from his indignity at her threat to his insistence that she's still just Zelda---are, in a way, comforting. It's reassuring that he's doing exactly what he said he would and treating her the same as he was when their conversation first started. Maybe she doesn't know him well yet, but it seems like he's always only ever been honest with her; he was open with his own identity as a demon lord and Avatar of Wrath when they first met, though he clearly had misgivings about sharing that information. Expecting Satan to be anything less than honest with her now was solely her own paranoia talking. But her paranoia still makes a few good points. ]

To be quite honest, I can't imagine how it wouldn't matter. My title meant everything back home. Sometimes, it felt like that was the only thing anyone could see of me. I don't want my title to matter here, but... could people really treat me the same as any other woman after they find out I'm a princess instead of falling over themselves groveling?

[ That might seem pretty egocentric, but Zelda means it as a genuine question. She feels like she's contradicting herself, saying that being the princess of a fallen kingdom doesn't mean anything while also worrying that people will still kowtow to her title. It's not possible for both of those things to be true. But worries aren't rational like that.

After a pause, she adds, ] For what it's worth, [ Yes, she's intentionally echoing him. ] I appreciate that you were rude enough to write to me. Talking helps.

[ Satan feels a bit better that Zelda wasn't offended by his writing to her and that ultimately, it has apparently helped her at least a little. ]

As much as it may seem otherwise, the circumstances of your birth do not completely define you. Yes, it may be true that there are individuals who may only ever see you for your title -- the unfortunate ones who will never know Just Zelda -- just as it is equally true that there are individuals who are happy to know Just Zelda.

But you must be willing to accept the willingness of other people to accept you for who you are. I myself struggle with that. It's not an easy thing to do, to allow yourself to be open and vulnerable. Consider, though, that if your expectations of others is that they will only ever think of you as Princess Zelda, then all you're doing is creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. You'll start to notice the behavior of others and assume they're doing it because of your title, even if they feel otherwise about you.

If you ever need proof that people other than myself exist who are willing to accept you for who you are rather than what you are, let me know. I'll introduce you to my brother if you haven't met him already. His name is Mammon, the Avatar of Greed, but I'll let you make your own conclusions about the type of person he is.

[ Satan imagines that Mammon's reaction to learning that Zelda is a princess would be a very bored "Okay, and?" He's the best person Satan knows who can really hammer home the fact that titles, royalty or otherwise, do not define a person completely... both through Mammon's weird acts of charity and in Mammon's inability to see himself as anything other than the top of any hierarchy. ]

Moreover, not everyone is familiar with the expectation that those with royal blood ought to be revered. Or maybe they are, and they fall over themselves groveling at first until they realize that you are a young woman who is just as -- Hylian? Human? Mortal -- as they are.

Ultimately, all I can really do is make a promise that I will treat you as Zelda, a young woman who is absolutely not a cursed squash. Although I do hope you will allow me to continue to call you Little Miss Squash regardless.

[ He's become quite fond of the nickname. It's very creative for someone who named a stray cat Sir Cat, okay? ]

[ It's hard to fight the impulse to argue, to insist that Satan is wrong because he doesn't know the whole story; Zelda is completely defined by the circumstances of her birth. Being a daughter of Hyrule's royal family means also being a descendent of the Goddess and inheriting Her divine powers. Zelda grew up knowing the importance of those powers against the prophesied return of Calamity Ganon.

But Zelda does manage to hold back her retort. As she reads and rereads what he wrote, she realizes that he is right.

She's doing the same thing that her father used to do: seeing only her title, her heritage. Growing up, Zelda always wanted him to see that her latent powers weren't the only part of who she was, but that was all he paid attention to. In her fear that no one in Songerein would see her as anything but a princess, she wasn't giving them a chance to prove her wrong.

It takes Zelda several long minutes to think of how to respond, long enough that it might seem like she fell asleep. But eventually, her picturesque penmanship returns to the page. ]

Thank you. I did not think about it like that. I was just [ A pause. ] scared.

It has been a long time since I've had anyone who I could talk to about things like this. [ It feels like a lifetime has passed since she and Link were last able to talk (though it was always Zelda who did most of the talking). It's nice. ]

Perhaps I will resume introducing myself with my royal title and trust that others will not prostrate themselves before me.

[ Moments later, as an afterthought. ] And yes, you may continue to call me 'Miss Squash.' [ Is the missing "Little" an accident or an intentional omission? Take that as you will. ]

Edited 2021-12-31 03:58 (UTC)

[ It is rather late and Satan is tired. However, he's content to deal with the consequences of his loss of sleep in the morning, though. ]

It's okay to be afraid. It's a natural feeling when confronted with the unknown -- the unknown of whether someone is fond of you because of the public persona you carefully maintain or because they've caught glimpses of the persona you hide away. Someone who has never felt that fear is ignorant.

[ Satan is positive he has been alive tens of times longer than Zelda has, and he still has this fear. His brothers treat him as family, but he wonders what they really feel when they look at him. Do they look at him and remember their Fall from the Celestial Realm? Do they remember their sister who (supposedly) died in the war that led them to Fall? Or worse, do they see him as a fragment of Lucifer, who talks like Lucifer and acts like Lucifer and may as well just be Lucifer? He hopes not. But the fear is there, heavy and persistent and suffocating. A normal fear, he reminds himself, because he's trying to set a good example here. ]

I am always glad to speak with you, Zelda. Or write as in this case. Unfortunately, I have six brothers and we spend too much time arguing, criticizing each other and being either too selfish or too arrogant to sit down and have discussions like this. Honestly, it's a blessing there's only two of us here. We're very poorly behaved sometimes....

[ He writes this despite being the type of person who follows the rules... unless him breaking the rules will result in Lucifer suffering in some fashion. But Lucifer's not here, so there's not much point in breaking the rules or being too chaotic. Lucky Songerein. ]

Anyway, I think you should introduce yourself in a way that's most comfortable to you. I recommend "I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule" or "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Please address me as (Whichever name you are in the mood for)." Because sometimes you might want someone to call you and treat you like a princess.

[ He sees that part of his request has not been directly approved!! Therefore, he will conveniently take her omission of the word "Little" as a mistake on her part. ]

I must ask, Little Miss Squash, are you implying that it is normal for people in your world to prostrate themselves before you regularly? I can't tell if you're being entirely serious.

[ His title is nearly equivalent to that of a prince, and people don't even incline their head to him!! Meanwhile, Zelda is concerned people might essentially throw themselves at her feet upon hearing her title.... Granted, he can see why that would be frustrating. It would get very tiring after a single day of it. ]

[ A feeling of calm settles over Zelda as she reads his words, like a blanket on a chill night. Reassurance helps to settle her restless mind, laying to rest some of the worries that have plagued her since her arrival and paving the way for sleepiness to creep back into her mind.

She sinks a little lower into her bed, an amused smile tugging her lips as Satan complains about his brothers. Growing up as an only-child, Zelda often wished she had a sibling to share her lonely life with, especially after her mother died. She'd like to think that she would get along perfectly with any sibling she could have had, but even Zelda realizes that's probably wishful thinking. She tries to think back over the months to remember if she has met Mammon before, but a second face similar to Satan's isn't coming to mind. (And she's getting too drowsy to think to check the journal directory.)

As Satan calls her out on her worry about people prostrating themselves before her, she blushes a little bit with embarrassment. ]

Well, not regularly, but it happens sometimes. [ Read: almost never. ] Perhaps I exaggerated a bit. In my defense, all cultures have different royal etiquette, including within Hyrule. I simply thought perhaps those from other worlds might be accustomed to more rigid formalities.

[ She's still exaggerating. Zelda has absolutely know idea how formally or casually people in Songerein are going to treat royalty. Her only experience so far has been when she met Prince Hans, who entreated her to address him informally as just 'Hans.'

Oh.

That's probably what she could have done this whole time. Zelda recalls specifically that she barely batted an eye at Hans's request. Her reaction to Hans is probably closer to how most dreamwalkers will react to her royal title, not the frantic kowtowing Zelda is fretting about.

Whoops. ]

[ In all honesty, Satan is a little relieved to know that people are not actually throwing themselves at Zelda's feet. You know, except for "sometimes" when it may or may not even happen to begin with. He has his suspicions, but they're not strong enough to call her out on it. Regardless, Zelda seems to be overthinking things which he can hardly blame her for doing considering he succumbs to overthinking things himself on a regular basis. ]

You are probably right that different worlds and cultures handle interaction with royalty differently than to what you or I might be accustomed. With so many people here from so many different worlds, it's to be expected.

I've yet to meet someone particularly unkind in this place. A little rude, perhaps, but never unkind. I'm positive that if they treat you with more formality than you like, you'll gently (or firmly) tell them how you'd like to be addressed. Then, like the decent person they will be, they'll acknowledge your request and adjust their behavior.

Or, they might be like me and only half acknowledge your request, opting to call you a nickname they've grown fond of.

[ Satan is sure that it's too late for his poor effort joke of "grown" and his nickname of Little Miss Squash to be noticed. That's okay. He'd rather get away with it. ]

That being said, I'm not very good at staying up this late, especially when there's reading involved. If it's all right with you, I should probably go to sleep. Oh, but before that, I wanted to confirm that I'd be happy to meet with you to exchange our research over coffee or tea whenever you're available.

[ Zelda is fading fast, so much so that she not only misses the "grown" part of Satan's joke, but also just chuckles to herself instead of penning a retort. (Otherwise, she would have pointed out that he's clearly an indecent person for ignoring Zelda's preferred form of address and using a patronizing nickname instead.) Or maybe she's just letting Satan get a couple jabs in as recompense, since she ruthlessly went for his throat with her earlier threat.

Either way, Zelda is sinking lower and lower into her bed, eyelids so heavy that she has to reread his words a couple of times here and there. ]

Yes, I believe sleep would be most prudent now, before one of us falls asleep in our journals.

And yes, I would most enjoy meeting you to compare notes over refreshments. When we are better rested, let us discuss when would be best for both of us.

Goodnight, Satan. Thank you for staying up with me.

((OOC: Sorry I'm late but I brought Starbucks.))

Very curious. You'd mentioned the difference in technology between your people's past and their present. I didn't expect something so dramatic.

[Kind of giving you a moment to gather your wits and not draw attention to what was obviously a private moment.]

(ooc: I wholeheartedly accept this offering!)

[ Although she woke with a start, Zelda is still muddled from sleep. She herself isn't sure what to make of this dream either; it certainly isn't an interaction she remembers. It's not possible that she encountered the Sheikah Slate at that age---she and Purah discovered it together when Zelda was 15 or 16 years old. But the rest? The device with the blue eye? Who knows how real that is? ]

It is a vast gulf, to be certain. In 10,000 years, we are still immeasurably far away from the ancient Sheikah's technological prowess.

Then let's focus on the first device. That handheld device looks almost like a datapad. Or "tablet" as most humans would call it from the time period I know them.

I take it there isn't anything similar in your world currently? What capabilities does it have?

[ Zelda recognizes the word "tablet." That was how Futaba described the Sheikah Slate when Zelda explained it to her. (The fact that people of two completely unconnected worlds found such similar descriptors to identify the same device continues to amuse Zelda.) ]

That is correct: the device is called the Sheikah Slate and it is the only one of its kind in my world. I was accompanying some of the researchers in the employ of my father when it was excavated it, and we came up with the name ourselves. But I was fifteen or sixteen years old when we discovered it; certainly not as young as in this dream.

As to its capabilities... Well, it's strange. In Hyrule, we were able to restore limited functionality to the Sheikah Slate after careful experimentation. We discovered that it has the ability to capture images, in a way. Somewhat like imprinting an image in the journal, but the Sheikah Slate can capture a perfect photorealistic depiction of its surroundings in an instant. It's incredibly useful! The Sheikah Slate appeared to have a number of different functions, but we were never able to restore many others, beyond the instant image reproduction and an information storage system.

Last month, I received the Sheikah Slate after making a wish at the wishing well, but it's different from how I remember. The interface has changed, as though it's been redrawn and reorganized, and there are many more Runes than I have ever seen before. It retains everything it had in Hyrule, but it also has strange functions like magnetization, solidification, the creation of remotely-combustible bombs out of nothingness, and even a field of temporal anomaly. It can even materialize a strange device that looks a bit like a mechanical horse with two wheels instead of legs.

Edited 2021-12-18 16:48 (UTC)

I find it a tad strange that a match for the device hasn't been found before you found yours. Such a device is common where I'm from, as ubiquitous as these strange journals are to Reverein. I'd expect there to be at least pieces of other broken 'Sheikah Slates' found in the ruins of your ancestors.

Edited 2021-12-22 02:17 (UTC)

I have never heard of any discoveries similar to the Sheikah Slate, but I had not thought to question its uniqueness before now. It is an unusual tool, and while I find it useful, I question its practical applications for the average person.

[ Zelda is as much surprised by the thought of a plethora of Sheikah Slates as Azmuth is by their rarity. After all, what kind of person other than a scientist needs the ability capture instant pictures or create fields of temporal anomalies? What sort of farmer would find the Sheikah Slate useful? ]

What sort of functions do your tablets have that they are so useful in your world?

While the ability to manipulate reality isn't one of them, they're commonly used for storing information including images of things the user wants to remember. They can remotely access even more information through local data networks as well, passing information swiftly between different tablets near-simultaneously. Some even come with forms of entertainment such as electronic copies of books or games.

We theorized that the Sheikah Slate could connect to a network of information-sharing hubs across the kingdom, but we were never able to verify it.

To be quite honest, I never even considered that an object like the Sheikah Slate could be used for entertainment. [ Or at least, not as entertainment for anyone besides science nerds. But come to think of it, Zelda remembers that Futaba mentioned something similar about games when she was talking about her laptop. ] Is such a feature popular in your world?

Popular enough that some games come pre-installed on such things when they're manufactured. Plus there are entire digital marketplaces with not just even more games but other useful applications.

However, I personally use them for work.

[ She tries, but Zelda can't imagine how one could play a game with a tablet. It doesn't seem like he means playing a game by using the tablet itself as a ball or throwing disc (although the Sheikah Slate is sturdy enough to withstand that). Would it be some kind of Rune, then? Zelda resolves to ask Futaba about this at some point. ]

What sort of Runes do your tablets have that you can use in your work? I find the instant-image feature and information storage very useful for fieldwork, but most of the other Runes are quite impractical.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

first dream 🌱 childhood memories

Sender: Satan

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Sender: Azmuth

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