[01] || [A Hilda Between Worlds] || [Open]

[lorule]

Characters: Princess Hilda and you.
Setting: Dormitories, Art Gallery, Library, the Meadow and the Observatory.
Format: Prose or action, I will follow.
Summary: Hilda wakes up in the tower, promptly chooses to deny that her world is dead and goes off to explore. The prompts include the princess (unsuccessfully) trying to get a terminal to work and encountering a shadow child, amongst other happy things.
Warning: Nothing; will edit if something comes up. The post obviously contains spoilers for A Link Between Worlds.


• Dormitory Floor 1 / Room 1-03
Room 1-03: 'Your world has been destroyed. I saved you. Let's all be happy here.'

Hilda read over and over again the letter she'd found upon sitting up. Moments ago she had been standing in the Sacred Realm. The next thing she remembered, she was waking up paralyzed in this forsaken place. This of course was more than enough to unsettle her, but this was nothing compared to the story this letter was telling her. Lorule, destroyed? Impossible. Yes, the demise of her kingdom had been set in stone long before her birth and she had herself let go of the only hope her kingdom had. Ultimately, the destruction of her world was something she knew was meant to happen.

But not so soon. With her waking up in this strange place, something was obviously wrong-- Maybe her kingdom was even more endangered than before, but destroyed? She couldn't believe it, she refused to. Fighting the nagging feeling that there may be some ounce of truth to the letter's content, she crushed the letter in her hand and got up from the bed in an instant.

Her eyes then settled to the trunk at the end of her bed. She knelt next to it and opened it, looking for its content. Her dismantled staff, clothes and nothing of much use. She grabbed the pieces of the staff and worked on putting them back together as she looked around, giving a look to the other beds in the room. Were there other peoples living here? She would find out soon enough, she figured.

Dormitory Floor 1: Now equipped with her staff, a purple and golden stick mounted with an inverted tetrahedron Triforce, Hilda left her room. Her priority was to find out more about this place; more than she had so far. This place was even more strange than she had expected. The very texture of the walls was nothing like the constructions in Lorule.

Slowly she walked through the corridor, looking from times to times at the various doors and the names written next to them. She frowned, what little she saw was unfamiliar to her. Odds were that she wouldn't find anything familiar here. Yet she decided to try and open some of the doors on her way-- Only to find them locked and frustratingly letting go of the handle. But hey, this may just have been the door to your room.


• Art Gallery (Floor 22)
The numerous figures and events depicted on these walls meant little to her-- This place would probably have been a paradise for Yuga. A particular set of painting caught her attention, however. A series of paintings depicting the history of Hyrule from the distant past. She looked at the paintings with interest; albeit their content was nothing new to her. While she had never seen these paintings before, Yuga had told her all of Hylian history, or at least all about what he had been able to learn.

Another set of painting soon caught her attention. The paintings on the opposite wall depicted a seemingly similar story, but this one had a noticeably less positive outcome. Her expression darkened upon seeing them. She set her staff against the wall and raised a hand, to touch the middle painting. Why did they have these here? Yet it was the only depicting of Lorule she had found in the entire tower. So she remained there, staring at the painting for a long while.


• Terminals (Library - Floor 03)
Now this was intriguing. Not the books, no. The books were nothing new. She had plenty of them back home, and while she would be more than happy to read some of these, something else caught her attention. Namely, that weird thing embedded into the wall that had started displaying things right as she had passed by. She had seen these things in the dormitory floor as well. Surely they held some significance, but in what way?

The best way to determinate that was to try and interact with the strange device, she figured. The thought of using the keyboard didn't cross her mind for even a second though, and she pointed at the terminal with her staff-- Obviously this object was magical in nature, maybe casting magic over it would reveal its secrets?

If the fumes elevating from the terminal as a result were anything to go by, this experiment didn't go well.


• Meadow (Floor 25)
After the sad spectacle the tower had offered to her up until now, the sight of the meadow came as a shock. Not only hadn't she expected to see such a place within this horrid tower, but she had never seen such a place at all before. Lorule was a world shrouded in darkness that prevented the simplest of flowers from existing. A land covered with dark clouds that forbade the light of the sun to ever reach it.

She walked in and looked around, having a hard time hiding her amazement at what she was seeing. So this was what a normal world looked like? She couldn't figure how or why this place existed within the tower, but at the moment it didn't matter. Of all the things she had seen in the tower, this one was of nature to appease her. She slowly kept moving in, kneeling down at times to look at flower-- She would probably stay here for a long while.


• Shadow Children (Observatory - Floor 45)
After quite a while spent exploring the tower, she decided to take a rest at the observatory, looking through the glass to see if she could perceive anything through the thick fog. Obviously she couldn't, but the sight was somewhat similar to that of Lorule. Empty and without hope. In fact, much of the tower reminded her of her Kingdom; the monsters roaming around, the feeling of oppression, the destruction. And one more thing was about to remind her of her lost Kingdom:

"Why did you survive?"

She turned as soon as she heard the familiar voice, there was no mistaking who it was and yet— This couldn't be.

"Ravi-?"

But upon seeing where the voice came from, she backed down in disgust. A black creature, pale imitation of a human being with only its white teeth as distinct feature. This creature certainly not who she thought it had been, and the words he further uttered only confirmed this to her. She scowled at the being and tightened her grip on her staff.

"Why do you use this voice?!"

She brandished her staff to cast a spell on the creature, to trap him in a barrier and leave him here-- But the spell failed. And even though she decided to leave rather than face the creature one more second; it followed her of course.

Comments

[lorule]

Hilda was scrutinizing a purple flower when she felt the other presence-- In fact she spent an abnormal time simply looking at the flowers without touching them, as if she was afraid to see them ruined. She quickly turned around, expecting to see yet another of these monsters-- Only to see the other woman.

"Who's there?"

[athousandcurses]

Grainne almost jumped at the sudden question, but shook her head and replied, "Grainne. I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I came here to think and didn't expect another."

Maybe... Grainne wouldn't mind having company after all, especially since she doesn't feel that this woman is a Servant. She is a bit tired of running into other Servants by now.

[lorule]

Hilda wouldn't even know what a servant was, besides the literal meaning of the word. She shook her head when Graine replied. She had seeked-- And to an extent found peace in this meadow, but the presence of that person did not disturb her.

"You did not." she replied and turned back to the flower "I have just arrived in this tower. I did not expect to find such a place here."

[athousandcurses]

"It was a surprise to me when I found it. I've only just arrived myself." Grainne relaxed slightly, stepping closer to see what she was looking at. A flower? "There are other floors like this... I've heard there is over a hundred and some are dangerous. The flowers are safe to pick though."

[lorule]

"More? I have yet to find them."

Finding these floors would probably be what she would do next. For now, Hilda picked up the flower and looked at it more closely. There were flowers in Lorule, but they were little more than pale, twisted imitations of what flowers should be. She turned back to Grainne however— Thinking to it, being that captivated by a mere flower probably looked silly from an outsider's point of view. Not to mention it was quite impolite.

"This... This is the first flower of this type I've ever seen." she explained before quickly changing of topic "But please forgive my manners. I am Princess Hilda of Lorule Kingdom."

[athousandcurses]

Lorule is not any kingdom Grainne's heard of, and even with Grail knowledge she can't bring up any connections. Probably more Second Magic...

But Grainne is not so old as to forget her own manners. She nods in acknowledgement, "Grainne of Ireland." A title didn't seem appropriate anymore. "They don't have flowers like that in Lorule?"

[lorule]

She nodded back, albeit she couldn't pretend have ever heard of Ireland. Possibly another prosperous Kingdom much like Hyrule. She hesitated before giving her answer— She hadn't wanted to speak much about her kingdom right now, or about herself.

"We very likely had them." she finally replied "However, much of what Lorule once had is gone. And now they say, even my kingdom's life has been taken away..."

With that said, she let go of the flower, slowly falling back to the ground. True or not, this was a no less depressive thought.

[athousandcurses]

"I'm sorry..." In a way, Grainne could understand. The vague passages of Irish history given to her by the Grail told of constant strain with the neighboring countries.

The current mood didn't sit will with her, though, and she considered for a moment what new topic would help lift it. Looking at the fallen flower, an idea came to her, and she started plucking flowers. "I used to make flower wreaths every spring for the young girls. I'm sure I could remember how to make one... shall I show you?"

[lorule]

Hilda didn't reply anything to the apology. This wasn't her fault, she shouldn't be apologizing— It was her own fault to have spoken about her kingdom and all she had lost. It had somewhat killed the mood indeed. Even the flowers looked less beautiful now.

"Flower wreaths?" she replied with surprise, wondering what it could sure "... It would be a pleasure. Is it something you do in Ireland?"

[athousandcurses]

"Yes, but I think it is something many girls everywhere did in my world." Grainne lowered herself to the grass and continued gathering, getting quite a large number collected on her lap. "The longer stems work best. I'll show you how to braid them together."

[lorule]

Hilda still looked down from the mention of her, supposedly, dead kingdom. Still she knelt next to Grainne to watch and help her gather flowers. She half-wondered what a flower wreath would look like once done. They probably couldn't do that in Lorule, even with what little twisted flowers they had "... Thank you."

[athousandcurses]

Handing her a handful of flowers, Grainne smiled. "I know how confusing this place is... it helps to distract oneself for a few minutes." Taking a few flowers, she started to braid them together from the end to the blossom, pausing only to knot a new stem just underneath the petals. In that manner she continued, adding new flowers every time she reached the end.

[lorule]

"... The place itself is not the most confusing." What little she had seen of the tower was very alike to her home. Decaying, filled with monsters and with little hope left. It was not so different to her-- Except that now her people were dead. But to avoid thinking to that, she focused on the flowers and tried to smile as Grainne braided them together.

"You are very skilled."

[athousandcurses]

"I know. It is the bits and pieces about it you hear from other people that can get muddled." The braid began to grow long, and soon enough, Grainne wove the ends together to form a sort of crown. She looked up then, glancing over at her companion with the garland held up for a moment. Taking the time to really observe, Grainne started to wonder if Hilda may be one of the Sidhe, from her appearance. "I... do not know very much, but I might be able to help."

[lorule]

She nodded and looked down at the flower crown when Grainne was done putting it together. She extended a hand to take a closer look at it "It's beautiful." At least the garland appeared to genuinely make her happy. Enough flowers to make a crown out of them— Minutes ago she hadn't expected she would ever see would it be only one real flower.

She then smiled gently when Grainne made her offer for help. "Thank you. Any help would be very appreciated."

[athousandcurses]

The garland passed into Hilda's hands, and Grainne started to work on another. "Where do you want to start? It is still a little fragmented, but I believe I have something of a grasp on where we are, at least."

[lorule]

She smiled as she took the garland, looking at it for a moment as she answered with a nod "I have been told we find ourself within a tower. Beyond this however, I know very little."

[athousandcurses]

Grainne nods, working more flowers into the braid. "The other people here just call it the Tower. There doesn't seem to be a world outside of it, or if there is I think they may just not know of it. Everything here is... illusion, as strange as that seems. Including our bodies..."

Pausing, she lets her hands rest in her lap and thinks on the information she has learned so far. "There are over a hundred floors. A hundred and one, and there are the dormitories on the top. The elevator only goes to certain floors, and there are many dangers in the Tower to be aware of. It is run by beings called the administrators, and some have said they claim to be human. I've been told they are... strange and are very powerful, and there is some sort of fight against them the others here are engaged in. In one of the attacks, something happened and the Tower is losing energy. Assassin said we may die in a few months when it runs out. At least, that's what I understand."

[lorule]

Hilda listened to everything Grainne had to say with attention. Most of it was new to her and very informative, if only very alerting as well. One information in particular caught her interest, however.

"All the things we see are illusions?" she repeated slowly "Even our bodies?"

She then looked at flower crown she was holding, before looking at her hand itself— Both her hand and the flowers looked real enough to her. Was it really all just an illusion? She kept looking at her hand while Grainne finished her story. So those administrators were the enemies, but now they only had a few months left to do anything about it?

"Those administrators... They are those responsible for bringing us here, are they not?" she said "Responsible for taking our worlds away?"

[athousandcurses]

"I do not know if they are responsible or even if our worlds are destroyed. There's things I don't understand yet and I am afraid to ask the people I know I could trust." Grainne said sadly, picking up the braid again and working another flower into it. "I don't think Assassin would have lied to me about the illusions, but she did say we are not as we appear. For me, it would hardly matter since even on my world I am a spirit given form by magic, and she is the same as me..."

[lorule]

She could sympathize with that. Hilda had asked details to someone she trusted— Or thought she could trust at least. Even if she was not the Princess Zelda from her world, the two shared enough in common. But it had not been easy and she wasn't sure if what little the other princess had told her actually helped her. But even then--

"If you can trust them, then do not hesitate and ask for their help" she finally said "I once chose to live in ignorance because the truth was too painful to face, and today still I feel guilt for what I did then."

She looked with surprises at her when she mentioned spirits however. She knew of spirits of course. Many spirits had once populated her kingdom, ranging from normal spirits to the divine ones tasked with protecting the land. Few were left nowadays. Either way, it was an honor.

"What sort of spirit are you, if you do not mind my asking?"

[athousandcurses]

A sharp, pained expression crossed Grainne's face briefly. She really should talk to them to find out more about this place, but Hilda's words reverberated painfully after her last encounter with Diarmuid in more ways than one. She chose to address Hilda's question instead of commenting on things that were too painful to face. It seemed like the easiest thing to focus on, even when it did involve her death.

"They call us Heroic Spirits... people who have died and then were chosen to sit on the Throne of Heroes. Not all of us are true heroes, because I have never done anything worthy of being called to it. We wait until we are summoned by magi to fight and serve them in a repeating war for an item of great power that's supposed to grant a wish. I was summoned by mistake to fight in the last one."

[lorule]

The fact that she was dead did not really surprise her, as sad as it was. To be a spirit, you had to be born one or become one, and few were the ways to become a spirit. However, the 'repeating war for an item of great power that's supposed to grant a wish' story sounded awfully familiar to Hilda. This was identical to the story of the Triforce— Down to heroes fighting to protect it, even if in her world the heroes in questions were alive.

Hilda did not insist when she saw her pained expression. She knew better than to press on painful topics, and instead focused on her status as "hero." This felt somewhat ironical, meeting someone who could be a hero when she could no longer ask help for Lorule. She had known two heroes; one fitted the archetype of the hero, whereas the other had been heroic in his own special ways. She looked at the flowers a little bit before replying.

"Before waking up in this forsaken place, I had a hero to my side. Undoubtedly he was the one born with the Spirit of the Hero, but he never thought of himself as one. And because of my own folly, he believed himself a coward." she paused before continuing "Yet in the end, he saved me. Not from some ferocious beast or wicked wizard, but from the darkness that lurks within my own heart."

"Heroic spirits manifest in a variety of ways. I have just met you, but I wouldn't be so quick to say you are not a true hero. True heroes rarely see themselves as such and history scarcely pay them the tribute they deserve."

[athousandcurses]

Even for the short time they were talking, Grainne started to feel a rapport with this woman. Hilda's hero seemed very nostalgic to her, and she sighed softly.

"He sounds like a good man, your hero. Saving someone is the highest of heroic acts, even if it is from themselves." She spoke softly, then shook her head. "But I cannot be called a hero because I've only ever committed selfish acts in life. I'm afraid history only remembers me for that. I ruined a man once because of... my own darkness. He had been a true hero. I should say he still is, since he is here now..."

The flowers are forgotten entirely as she continued her last thought."I think that is the hardest part in being here. Seeing the people you never thought you'd see again."

[lorule]

"He was greater than he thought. Or that I thought. But now that I am here... I regret that nobody ever told him such words. Not even I." She said and pondered on Grainne's word. She had a hard time imagining why anyone would be summoned as a heroic spirit unless they were one, even if she had not the beginning of an idea as to what the rules were in Grainne's world.

"If he is here and is still a hero, then does it not mean he was not ruined?" This sounded logical enough, however that would be all she'd say on this. She decided against insisting. If she had been the one confessing her mistakes, she knew how infuriated she would feel at people showering her with sympathy.

"Is it really? It may be hard, but—" she paused "I think the prospect of never seeing them again is perhaps even worse..."

To have and face Princess Zelda, even one from another world, had certainly not been easy. And she wasn't looking forward to the day when she'd found out Hilda was the one who had plotted to get the Triforce, even if this had been with good intentions. But she'd take that any day over the possibility of never seeing certain people again.