#I‘m still looking for a way to involve her in my lore…

[avirael]

✨The Wildcards✨

My OCs Part 3/3

[warywind]

Dergtober 19-24

I've fallen behind, oops.

Day 19, Lair, is the first day I missed the day of, and I guess I’m making up for it with something complicated. Instead of attempting a seriously complex landscape that would be the Grotto, I decided to make a (still very rough) comic strip of how the Grotto is hard to find thanks to an enchantment on it. Here Aella, Cadmus, and company are bringing a new friend home, to poor Caesura’s increasing confusion as the enchantment takes effect. They should be alright so long as they stick close to members that are sending good vibes their way, but if they tried this on their own they’d get pretty hopelessly lost.

The dialogue: 1. CAESURA - Are you sure this is the right way? I’m getting this strange feeling I should turn back. 2. AELLA - Oh, we’re fine. We’re getting pretty close now. 3. CAESURA - But I don’t… see anything. 4. AELLA - Don’t you know? The plateaus are full of rises and valleys and corners hidden away. It’s like poetry. 5. AELLA - You need to look carefully to see the full beauty of it. 6. AELLA - Just stick close to us and don’t try this on your own, yeah? That could go badly. 7. CAESURA - ???

Day 20: Weaver, featuring Aletheia because she's the only dragon so far with the weaver gene (I literally started brewing it on the 20th), and because it suits her thematically for spell-weaving and general shady, spidery vibes. She's involved in the black market and serves as a fence for the band of thieves the dragon featured in day 4, pirate, is in. She has being mysterious down to an art and loves to play minor tricks, but she's actually pretty nice in-person and doesn't involve herself in any violent crimes.

Day 21: Gloom, welp, I was teetering dangerously close to burnout (hence missing a day), and the sister in this drawing happens to be the only dragon in my lair with gloom the color, so I took the extra lazy route and added a few more lines to Day 14 along with a rough pass at her wing color. I split drawing 19 between the 20th and 21st, so there was still some new drawing going on, haha.

For Day 22: Craft, I gathered a bunch of crafdragons whose trades wouldn’t require them to stay by a forge or other equipment for an impromptu craft circle. We’ve got Gauge and his familiar Archlute (an imperial luthier who makes lutes and similar instruments for large breeds), Wisp (a tundra that makes lanterns and who I imagine started the whole idea since she isn't in the Grotto very often), Jasper (a pearlcatcher that works several trades, but primarily handmade beads), Pruino and his familiar (a tundra librarian, currently working on transcribing a book into a larger size, he’s shy enough that it would take someone like Wisp to get him to come out and hang), Deciduous and his familiar (a pearlcatcher of several trades, including woodworking and painting), and finally Deci’s mate Shiitake and her familiar Resin (a mirror that carves bones). There are enough craftsdragons around that there probably are little crafts circles all the time, but while these dragons are individually friendly, I don’t think they’re close enough to make one unless someone else (Wisp!) decides to drag them together.

Day 23: Mask, featuring Minstrel, who has the most iconic mask of my dragons. She made her feathered performer’s mask herself and hardly ever takes it off. This day officially marked my account turning 11 years old, which made me want to do something special, but at the same time I had little time and had decided this one had to be Minstrel since the start of the challenge. I‘m not fully happy with how the mask looks-- it's too short and rounded, the swirls look a little too much like an angry face, and the feathers should definitely be bigger, but there’s always time to adjust it after the challenge.

Day 24: Alchemist, featuring Amalbert teaching younger alchemist Altair a few tricks. Amalbert doesn’t have as much lore as he should for how long he’s been around; he’s what popped out of the egg I brewed when bogsneaks first released, and aside clearly being an alchemist and getting a name that teases him over how hard I found his colors to work with, he’s close to a blank slate. Very satisfying to draw, though! I haven't drawn a bogsneak in ages and I enjoy how different their shapes are from most FR dragons. Altair dabbles in a number of arcane arts, so he’s passable as an alchemist but hasn’t had the focused study that a full-time brewer would.

Day 25: Treasure brings the return of Archai and Jewel because the sliver of them in day 16 isn't enough love for them, and Archai is probably the dragon that would be most excited about finding traditional treasure. Some poor dragon with a traditional style hoard is going to wake up tomorrow and discover that some of his shiniest trinkets have disappeared without a trace. And of course Archai's hugging Jewel because she will always be his most precious treasure. I don't think I quite nailed the faces, but this drawing is a keeper and I look forward to cleaning it up after the challenge.

[the-cookie-of-doom]

Saudade

Saudade (Portugese): It is a longing for a possibility, a love for something or someone that remains even if that something, or someone is already gone.

So, when Scott and Allison were together, someone needed to run interference with her dad so that they could spend some uninterrupted time together. Let’s say that person is Stiles. It starts out innocent enough, Stiles bumbling his way through the extreme intimidation that is Chris. Chris is pretty much just rolling his eyes at Stiles every other breath, but Stiles is persistent. 

So Stiles swings by whenever Allison and Scott are intending to go meet up. After the first couple times, he gains his footing, and starts actually coming by with a purpose. Asking everything he can about the lore for various supernatural things, trying to learn everything about everything, and Chris doesn’t really have anything better to do since they’re not hunting anymore, so he decides why not. And hell, the kid is dead set on being involved, so he may as well make sure Stiles is prepared with the knowledge he’ll need to defend himself. He’ll be Giles to Stiles’ Willow. (Stiles is pleased when Chris get’s the reference. Chris rolls his eyes because really, Stiles, that was his time). 

After that, it gradually goes from Stiles only being there as a distraction, to Stiles coming by once or twice a week just to hang out, talk, learn. Chris gets accustomed to his new barnacle, even sometimes looks forward to his visits. (He totally knows what Stiles is doing, but that’s okay, because Stiles is a good distraction form things other than his daughter’s questionable taste in guys). He even goes so far as to get ahold of books that he thinks Stiles would be interested in. Goes so far as to translate the ones he can’t get in English.

After a few weeks, Stiles finally asks Chris to train him to fight. Chris agrees immediately, having been waiting for him to ask, but not wanting to bring it up first, make it seem like he thinks Stiles is weak. Nevertheless, he’s relieved to know Stiles will have all the tools he needs to survive, once he’s done with him. 

Now skip forward a few months. When Stiles stops visiting, Chris isn’t too concerned. Or that's what he tells himself, at least. Never mind that Stiles spent most of his free time with him now. But hey, he probably has just moved on to another hyper fixation, or gotten bored, or learned everything he wanted to know. It’s okay, teens do that. Their passion burns hot and fast, and burns out even faster.

Then the next time Chris sees Stiles, he knows something is wrong. That’s not the overeager kid that’s been a fixture in his home for half a year. And he doesn’t want to kill his friend/protégé/maybe-something-more, but he doesn’t know how to save him, and he likes to think he knows Stiles well enough to know he wouldn’t want anyone to allow the creature wearing his skin to go around killing everyone he loves. 

But the pack comes through and they save Stiles (they think, at least, until suddenly now there’s two, and can they really be sure which one is the real Stiles?) and Chris is relieve that he didn’t have to give the poor kid a fatal case of lead poisoning. 

And then Not-Stiles kills Allison. And Chris was there with everyone else, of course, trying to protect Stiles and everyone else. He sees it happen. And he shouldn’t blame Stiles. Not when he watched the Oni kill her. Not when it wasn’t that Thing that gave the order. Logically, he knows he shouldn’t. But emotions don’t care about logic. He may not blame Stiles directly, but it’s so hard to look at him afterwards. He can’t even talk to him, almost breaks down when Stiles just can’t stop saying I‘m sorry, I’m so sorry, it’s my fault, I’m so sorry Chris- 

He just leaves, Stiles looking heartbroken and wretched and like he actually had been the one to plunge that sword into Allison’s stomach. He can’t even manage to say a quick “It’s not your fault” or “I don’t blame you” before he goes. He hates himself a little bit for that, knowing how self-destructive Stiles can get, knowing how much guilt he carries about things that he can’t control.

Chris stays long enough to have a funeral for Allison, to let her friends say goodbye. It would be cruel not to, to take Allison away from the people who love her. He sees Stiles there, of course, silent support for Lydia and Scott, even if they shy away from his touch, don’t let him try to comfort them. He looks miserable. But he only tries to look at Chris once, like a kicked puppy that’s been left out in the rain. Stiles stays as far away from Chris as he can, never once tries to come over to talk to him, even though he looks like he wants to. Chris it grateful for that. And full of self-loathing for it.

A week later Chris is on a plane to France. Stiles doesn’t find out until he works up the courage to go try to speak to him, only to find an empty apartment. It’s the landlord who tells him Chris has been gone for over a month. 

Stiles doesn’t cry, at least not where anyone can see. He doesn’t mourn the loss of something that wasn’t ever anything, but could have been, if it hadn’t been ripped away by forces outside of his control. The nogitsune was gone, and yet it was still managing to take the people he loved away from him. Scott and Lydia, who could barely look at him, their eyes hollow and haunted when they did. Isaac who didn’t even try. His father who seemed to question sometimes if it was really him, like he couldn’t be sure. 

And Chris who moved a whole world away just to escape the horrors he had caused, all because he wasn’t strong enough. Not that Stiles could blame him, when his friends had destroyed his entire family. 

“A thousand moments that I had just taken for granted - mostly because I had assumed there would be a thousand more.” -Morgan Matson

[anotherlifefic]

Chapter 42: The Guardian of the Triforce

„Her… other half? Like her lover?“, I asked, not being able to make sense of what Lana was telling me.

„‘Other half‘ as in ‚She and I used to be the same person‘“, she corrected me. „We got split in two when she decided to leave behind her role as the Guardian of the Triforce.“

„Guardian of the Triforce? I have never heard of something like that… and I‘m reasonably well versed in the lore sorrounding the Triforce. I‘m not an expert, but I‘m sure that if there was a Guardian of the Triforce, people would know.“

And said guardian would have stopped Ganondorf from getting his third of the Triforce. And thus made sure none of the terrible things that could have happened had any chance to ever happen.

Lana sighed. „She could observe, but never interact. That‘s why people just… forgot about her, I suppose. Like they forgot Hylia. And the Glaces.“ Her eyes wandered down to my left hand, which was resting on the table and was sorrounded by a thin layer of ice by now. „And many other powerful people and races. A lot of things just end up lost to time. History warps itself, as it is always told by people. And people make mistakes, and forget things, or embellish or change the way they tell it to suit their needs.“ She shook her head once more, as if to clear her thoughts. „But that‘s not important now. She has broken her vow to remain a silent watcher of the world, and decided to interfere with it to a dangerous degree. While the Hero marrying anyone but the Princess wasn‘t part of the plan, it also didn‘t render him unable to perform his duty as a hero and protector. But Cia brainwashing him most certainly does. And while Ganondorf may be dead, the evil that drove him to do what he did is not killed this easily.“

„What? There was something making Ganondorf do these things? I mean, apart from his own greed.“

„There are powers at work that far exceed the greed of a single man“, Lana replied. „It is a long story, one that you will undoubtedly learn when the time has come. But now, we have to focus on freeing the Hero from Cia‘s spell. And for that, we have to fight Cia. Your powers should prove useful for that.“

I looked at my hand, then at Lana. „I don‘t know how to use them yet.“

She took my hand into hers. „Then allow me to show you.“

We walked outside again, and Lana led me to the middle of the unkempt field. It was kind of sad to see this farm abandoned like that. Who could it have belonged to?

„Concentration“, Lana said. „That‘s the key. Concentration and visualisation. You have to imagine the ice sprouting from your fingers. It has to be a clear image. And then you have to concentrate on it.“ Then, she let a beautiful frost flower sprout from her hand. It shattered, and she came up to me. „Now you try it. I‘ll hold your child while you do.“

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. ���You do not honestly ask me to hand my son to a stranger who just confessed to be connected to the woman who brainwashed my husband, do you?“

She sighed. „It‘s only natural to be distrustful after what happened. But we really don‘t have the time for this. Would you rather just set him down and have him crawl away while you work?“

„I could hold him“, said someone who had just joined Lana and me. We turned around, and I almost cried with relief. „Jenna! You‘re here!“ Then I stopped. „Wait… why are you here?“

„I always visit my old home right after returning from Hyrule“, she replied, but there was no smile on her face. She looked sympathetic, if anything. „I just saw Link while riding through the village, and he had a weird… woman with him. I said hello to him, but he didn‘t even seem to hear me, and didn‘t look at me either, even when I stood right in front of him.“ Her facial expression made it perfectly clear that „woman“ hadn‘t been the first word on her mind when trying to describe Cia. „I asked some of the villagers about you, and they said that they saw you follow another woman here. Rebecca, what is going on? And why are you two practising magic in the middle of my family‘s farm?“

I looked around. Ow, now it all made sense „I didn‘t know it was your family‘s farm. Sorry.“

„Me neither. It looked abandoned, so I thought it would be a good place for us to train“, Lana explained.

„Look, Jenna. Link isn‘t himself right now. And he needs help.“ I flexed my fingers, trying to get rid of the thin coat of ice covering them. „Help that may or may not involve fighting Cia. The woman you saw with him earlier.“

„Great, I‘m in. It‘s already enough to have you for a rival, but that Cia? No way we‘re losing Link to HER.“ She pumped her fist in the air. „Let‘s show her what the true women in Link‘s life are capable of!“

I handed Gareth to her. „Thank you, Jenna. Your support means a lot.“

„As the old saying goes: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And don‘t actually condone adultery, which is what Cia is doing right now.“

„Oh?“, I asked.

„Yeah. I mean if Link ever fell in love with me, I would talk him into divorcing you before we did anything.“

„How very comforting.“

„Ladies“, Lana said, clapping her hands to gain our attention. „As touching as this friendly reunion is, you really need to get some practice with your magic before you can even think about confronting Cia.“

„Right. On it.“

For the next few hours, Lana made me do a few basic spells. Like the one she had showed me first; making a frostflower appear on my hand. It all felt… strangely natural. As if the magic had always been there, and I just hadn‘t known.

I occasionally glanced over my shoulder to see how Jenna and Gareth were doing. She was sitting on a big rock nearby and was having a very lively „conversation“ with him.

The sun soon began to set, and a pair on horseback. My stomach dropped when I recognized Link on Epona. And Cia… on Glory!

„What in the name of Farore‘s green crabs is this witch doing on my horse?“, I yelled out, beyond furious. And then my hand just slipped.

The ball of frosty energy blasted ahead and hit Cia dead in the face, knocking her off Glory and appearantly temporarily snapping Link out of his brainwashing. He looked from me, to Glory, then to Cia, and back. Then he rode up to me and dismounted. „Rebecca!“

„Link!“, I sobbed, throwing myself into his arms.

Glory approached us as well, causing me to let go of Link and hug her. „Oh Glory! I‘m so sorry you had to carry that woman on your back. Don‘t worry, I‘ll give you a very thorough grooming once we‘re back in the village.“

„You… little…“ Cia got up, her face reddened from the ice I had blasted her with. „You are meddling in affairs that don‘t concern you, Glaces! Why don‘t you go back to your frozen wasteland and let my hero and me have our happily ever after?“

Link drew his sword. „Get lost. Now. Before I make you.“

Cia blushed and cupped her own face with her hands. „Oh Link, I love it when you‘re being so forceful! Don‘t worry, sweetheart. I will remove this relic from our sight. Then we will continue our journey to the Temple of Souls!“

„Who‘re you calling a relic? I‘m not the one who has been wasting away in the same place for thousands of years.“

Cia‘s sharp gaze wandered over to Lana. „Lana… so you told her.“

„Link doesn‘t love you, Cia. He has chosen a love for this lifetime. We must respect his choice.“

„His choice should have been the Princess. If he can ignore the rules, so can I.“

I couldn‘t help but notice that Cia sounded like a petulant child.

„Do I sound like that when talking about Link?“, I heard Jenna mutter somewhere behind me.

Cia turned her attention to me again, pouting… and then turning away. „I really don‘t want to have to deal with you. Oh Volga!“

From seemingly out of nowhere, a massive red dragon appeared, which then turned into a man in red  armor.

Cia pointed to me, barely lifting her arm, as if I wasn‘t even worth the effort. „Get rid of that woman for me, will you?“ Then she looked over to Jenna. „The other woman and the brat, too. I do not allow my future children with Link to have any half-siblings from a worthless mother.“

Link gripped his sword tighter. „You will not touch my wife or son, witch! And neither will your servant!“

The man named Volga scoffed. „Servant? A dragon does not serve anyone.“ Then he drew his spear. „You better start praying to the Goddesses, boy.“

„Go ahead, have your fun“, Cia cooed. „I will come and collect my hero once you‘re done.“

Link looked over his shoulder to me. „Rebecca, take Gareth and run!“

„I won‘t abandon you!“, I insisted. „I have my magic! I can help!“ I gathered the magical energy around my hands for emphasis, feeling the air around me grow colder.

The dragon-man‘s gaze wandered over to me. „You are quite bold, Glaces. Very well then. Let��s see how your ice fares against my dragonfire.“

Link stepped in front of me. „You will not harm her!“

But Volga just sneered. „Step aside, Hero. I have challenged the Glaces, not you. Do you intend to bring dishonor upon your wife?“

„Link“, I said firmly. „Step aside.“

„But Rebecca-“

„I am not the fragile woman I was before. Protect Jenna, Lana and Gareth, and leave Volga to me.“ I drew my naginata, feeling my magic flow into the weapon until its blade was covered in an icy blue aura. I raised my voice. „I shall accept your challenge, Dragonknight.“

He smirked. „Well spoken.“ Then he rushed towards me, engulfed in flames. I parried the blow of his spear with my naginata, the frost of my magic clashing against the blaze. A shower of sparks erupted from where our weapons met.

I jumped back, gathering energy for another strike while moving off to the side to dodge any attacks Volga might throw at me. We prowled around each other in a deadly dance, until I spotted an opening and attacked, striking a crack in his armor that was undoubtedly a scar on his dragon body. He stumbled, and I let the frost creep up on him, engulf him, until only his head was free.

Then I carefully approached him, weapon still readied in case he would attack once more.

But his pitch-black eyes were only sizing me up with an almost admiring look in his eyes.

„Where has the witch gone?“, I asked, trying to ban the slight shiver of my voice.

„Hyrule“, he replied with not the slightest hint of defiance. „She initially intended to imprison the Hero in the Temple of Souls and then attack Hyrule Castle to make sure the Princess wouldn‘t try to free him. But now that the Hero broke free from her spell, she changed her plans and will now try to get rid of the Princess first.“

Link and I looked at each other in horror.

„Zelda!“, we both gasped at the same time.

Jenna approached us. „What will we do? It‘ll take days to get back to Hyrule, even if we don‘t take a single break!“

„I will open a portal“, Lana said confidently. „Take your horses and step through it. It will lead you right to the castle.“

„Alright.“ I turned to Jenna. „Jenna, would you please take care of Gareth just a little longer? Just until we made sure that Zelda is safe?“

„Of course“, Jenna replied gently. „I will find a hiding place close to the castle and wait for you there.“

„The Great Fairy‘s Fountain“, Link said. „Not even Cia would dare try to defile it. We‘ll drop you off there on our way to Zelda.“