#finaldawn

"You're injured." It's not a surprised statement, or even, truly, an alarmed one — Yona knows how strong he is, it has since they were children, even if there's a familiar twinge of a memory - of - loss. He is not his sister. She closes the distance, hand pressing carefully to the wound on his side — not deep, no.

( dragon age: absolution | @finaldawn​ )

❝   i am not letting you face one of those things alone.   ❞ ( from zelda )

     he turned his head towards her, pausing in the motion of sheathing the sword on his back ( the sword, not his sword–––– the only sword that had ever truly felt like his would never be wielded by him again ). another moment of hesitation & he continued to tuck his sword away while his free hand signed in one swift, fluid motion.

     stay.

     even knowing that it was the right course of action, it was a hard thing to sign –––– & it would have been impossible for him to say. their first true time apart had been separation after separation after separation. each one had been agony, in every sense of the word. having her back didn’t make parting any easier.

     the surface was still a dangerous place. monsters still roamed & the environment could be treacherous in some places. though many of those who joined them from skyloft were knights, the only ones who had true experience were him & zelda ( & groose, to some extent ) & when there was a problem, link was happily dispatched.

     not because zelda couldn’t handle it. he knew she could. she had been in training to attain knighthood just like the rest of them at the academy. it wasn’t a matter of skill. their roles had simply changed.

     ❝ they need you here. i don’t mind going alone –––– it won’t be the worst thing i’ve handled. ❞  

     their people were resilient, but this was new. no one among them had handled anything like this before, & yet they thrived under zelda’s leadership. he had always known she would make a good leader ( he could remember calling her bossy many times when they were children ), & he had always waited for the moment she would surpass him in rank. so, though he had never imagined it happening like this, he was far from surprised.

     should she leave in this moment, those who relied on her would have no one to turn to. &, goddess forbid, should she be lost, there wouldn’t be anyone who could guide them through this new life like she could. though they were both skilled & well trained, to think that they were invincible would be naive. every knight had their match &, should he fall in a fight to keep them all safe, another could be trained in his place. 

     ❝ don’t worry, okay? ❞  

     he hoped that would be the end of it. he rose up to press a kiss to her forehead, smiling when he stepped back.

Darkness. Swirling, viscous darkness unlike anything she'd ever seen. even when the captain nearly drowned, she felt more entitled to light than she did at the current point. She could hear the screams of her crew, but miraculously, the only water was the usual lapping against the wooden planks of the hull, so at least nobody had been thrown overboard yet. When light did reappear, it was... Off. It was mid-afternoon when the shift had occurred and they were on open waters, and yet now they sat in a bay. The sky above them was a deep shade of autumn orange as though a forest nearby had caught fire, but Urbosa smelled no smoke. She stood, ignoring the shaking in her legs. If she lost her nerve now, there'd be no hope for the rest of them.

"Role call! Sound off!"

Unnerved, the crew counted themselves - miraculously, whatever shift had occurred, it had neither killed nor injured any in their numbers.

"Right. Ashai, Baarta, Kyra, and Ardin, ashore with me. The rest of you wait here. Do not let anybody, being nor beast, aboard, is that understood?"

The remaining crew agreed heartily - even if they hadn't trusted their Captain's judgement above most else, it was what they would have done regardless.

The bay was surrounded by an eerily still forest. Were she not certain that they were no longer in Ţalāna, she might have thought they were in Faron's thick woods. She could hear ruffling through the woods and, her eyes starting to adjust to the dim light, realized they were approaching a clearing. Urbosa paused, telling her crew to wait behind her. Despite her Crew's reputation for piracy, they generally preferred not to start violently - especially when they didn't have the upper hand. She adjusted her skirts, sheathed her scimitar, and boldly stepped forward to whatever might be in the clearing.

Friends and Family - Accepting

@finaldawn

Urbosa's smile was quiet, barely hanging back from betraying a laugh. She often worried about Zelda's wellbeing when she couldn't be around, but the more she interacted with Impa, the more she realized that was unnecessary.

Though some might have written her off as immature, Urbosa saw that Impa was wise beyond her years. Her upbeat attitude balanced Zelda's dour self-doubt. Whether she was aware of it or not, the chieftain had little doubt that it was deliberate.

As for the princess and her knight, it was little surprise that the pair had gone off to explore on their own. Zelda, desperate for some semblance of self-determination... Well, if she could find it in the market, so be it.

Hyrule Castle Town was a sight to behold. No matter how many times Urbosa came on business, she found something new to uncover. The highlight of this trip, at least so far, had been an archery hall. She wasn't sure they would be able to accommodate her, but the barker promising payouts for three bullseyes was too tempting a prospect.