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Post by Meta on Mar 1, 2019 1:53:55 GMT -4
Walls that stood taller than giants, with long crimson banners that streamed down from the ceiling, draping over the grand windows of stained glass, hiding away the distant light of the stars. The opened double doors, though rather thick and reinforced, were but a speck of dust within this place. The eye was always led upwards in this room, and at its center, towering over all was the monarch's seat. Guards in elaborate, ceremonial armor stood at attention in every entryway, wielding halberds decorated with silken strands and golden frills. Their posture rigorous and unflinching even at this late hour, by the dim torchlight. Raising his arm then bringing it down gently in a downward motion, the King began his speech, as his chosen gathered. "It is easy to forget adversity in times of prosperity," Elphias furrowed his brow, slowly looking at each of the candidates. "It breeds complacency, leniency. Countless kingdoms have fallen to it."
He shook his head lightly. "I refuse for that to be the fate of Hyrule. I will not count on the providence of the gods nor the workings of the unseen hand of fate. This age will be a reminder to all who would try to destabilize a peace that many have died for, be they beasts of darkness or one of our own..."Elphias rested his gauntlet upon the armrest, giving a momentary look at the Crest upon it. "However. Those who have been spoiled by this peace begin to deliberate and worry. An idle mind rarely accepts peace. They look upon their liberator and see a tyrant. The hand that can vanquish the darkness could too, vanquish them. Logical though the conclusion may seem, it is nothing but a spasm, an involuntary reaction, a behavior that has anything but logic at its core.""You have come to me, some from very far away, and with you you bring a solution. The notion of championing your kin in the eyes of the King of Hyrule. A display of unity never seen before, to show those who would threaten our bonds that Hyrule stands together, that they are a vocal minority. That our kingdom is eternally vigilant, ever ready to stand against those who would defy our peace."
The king then gestured towards the group. "I thank you for your volunteering, to have come this far. You may present yourselves, so that the will of your kin be known to me and to your fellow candidates."
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Post by NajaSide on Mar 1, 2019 6:04:14 GMT -4
Link listened in silence as the King of Hyrule spoke. She held position next to her peers, her gaze only subtly shifting about the chamber to take account of those others present. Near His Majesty, there she could spot Her Highness, the ever-radiant princess. Then, to one side of the chamber stood the nobles of the provinces, and upon the other were those entrusted representatives who provided presence of those from beyond the borders of the realm. And then, there stood the Hylian Knights which lined the walls of the room. This was, of course, not to speak of Link and her peers- those who had been chosen -who stood hidden among the aforementioned groups.
Her eyes were drawn back forward, almost as if on their own, when His Majesty laid his hand down. It was time to still her thoughts, such things could wait. Right now, the King demanded and deserved Link's attention, just as he had given his attention to her.
Upon his gesture toward those who had gathered, Link stepped from her position among the knights. Carefully gripping the cloth-wrapped shape of a scabbard in her arms, she made her way to the central aisle leading down to the foot of the chamber's dais. Though she could not see where they stepped from, already there stood the tall figure of a Sheikah in the pathway. Their eyes met briefly before the two made their way together down to the base of the dais, where the two of them knelt.
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Post by sesh on Mar 1, 2019 21:07:40 GMT -4
The air was filled with a thick cloud of excitement and tension over the reveal of Hyrule's champions. The crowd of nobles whispered among each other, their breathless comments always building into a hum of speculative conversation until an official hushed the group. The process found itself repeated again and again, until the kind had finally spoken. At that point, the process had only sped up. The enthusiasm of Hyrule's hierarchy was barely being contained. A mass of silken gowns, perfumed beards, and clanking jewelry mewing over their country's chosen. Rosa hated it. A cluster of nobles closest to the throne wore bright robes of white and golds, their sigil reflecting status as Hylia's Devoted. A retinue of modestly clad nuns surrounded a taller figure at their head, and the differences between them and the towering person were vast. The Minister of Hyrule Castle was a fresh face in the court, just days before having been thrown face first into the royal world by recommendation of Castle Town's resident bishop. An elaborate collection of lace, woven gold leaf, and brilliant gemstones announced her position to the others in the room. Curtains of hair, black as jet, framed a face of such exotic beauty as rarely seen in the capital. Two eyes of emerald green, like algae resting on a pond undisturbed for a century, darted back and forth across the audience. Rosa's gaze fell suddenly upon the dark Hylian that stepped forward. The soldier was of a similar age to herself, the Minister noticed. There was no doubt that their worlds must've been incredibly different. "Chosen of Hylia...?" Rosa muttered under her breath, though realized soon that a nun had heard her speak. "She truly must be a hero, Your Holiness," the young sister replied, her eyes full of wonder and volume notably louder than Rosa's own. Rosa did her best to hide the sudden disdain. The Gerudo hadn't remembered the girl's name. Honestly, she couldn't care less. But appearances were everything, especially with such dignified company. "For the sake of Hyrule and the Mother Above," Rosa replied in a hushed tone, feigning a certain warmth, "you'd better be right."~~~ "I can't see a blasted thing!"From the other side of the chamber stirred a disturbance in the crowd. Master Strigidae stood just half the height of his neighbors in the group, and view of the proceedings were completely obscured. He stepped forward and tried to push to the front, but his attempts were thwarted by his own feeble strength. Looking upward, Striggy could see the scornful faces of those that respected decorum in the presence of royalty. They were not appreciating the scene that the little owl was making. "Have you lot been stricken with deafness?" the Master blurted out, struggling to free himself from the prison of bodies. The figure behind himself cleared his throat loudly, and Strigidae turned to see a pair of stern eyes looking down upon him. A Hylian man, draped in glimmering steel and wielding a violent halberd, had cleared a path into the crowd from the back. The elder Rito suddenly found himself free of his bondage, but now standing face to face with Hyrulian authority. "Do you need an escort from His Majesty's presence, sir?" the guard asked, though it was posed as less of a question and more of a threat. "No need to make this messy, little bird." A gauntleted arm reached forward to grab the Master's shoulder, but soon found hold on nothing but air. With a gust of wind, the old Rito suddenly vanished before the group. The odd sight brought about a significant commotion, as well as great confusion to the questioning guard. A dry cough drew wondering eyes upwards, and suddenly the Master's location was known. An ancient wooden staff stuck out from the wall above the bunch, not driven into the stone but held up by nothing but air. Upon it perched the aged owl, content with now having the best seat in the house. He glanced about to see bewildered onlookers and angry officials, but he was now high enough that even the long halberds wouldn't reach his perch. "Much better!" the elder crowed, his attention jumping between the King himself and the first Champion that stepped forward. His hawklike eyes peered through the throngs of onlookers, but there was a figure he could not yet see. "Where is that boy, Rukaal?" Strigidae asked to no one but himself. "Must be training again, though the timing couldn't be worse. I shouldn't have drilled the child so hard on his exercises. I swear, if he's still sleeping... The rest of his rambling turned incoherent, and almost just as quickly the Rito Master had drifted into slumber.
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Post by Dorn Koon on Mar 5, 2019 17:53:08 GMT -4
The Princess was there, but she did not have an outwardly strong presence like her father, seated in a smaller throne at his side the heir to the throne was silent and in deep contemplation during most of her father's speech. Dressed in silk and wearing a golden tiara on her head she was a living embodiment of her own reputation as the golden princess. But, there were those with a sharp eye who could tell that she looked tired, and was further established by the rumours of her highness' episodes of horrible nightmares during these past months. No amount of magic from the court, or even her father, could calm these dreams.
Her attention followed the movement of the champions as they began to present themselves, and each of them could feel her gaze as they walked towards the throne and kneeled before her father. She was perceptive of the way they moved, how they chose to handle themselves, and what little she could deduce from their body language.
There was a faint smile on her lips as she watched the elderly owl sitting on his staff as a result of the small commotion in one of the groups. She did not know what had happened, but she could make a calculated guess without needing to know that for certain. Master Strigidae had a certain reputation for being eccentric, well, not everything was as it seemed, which she knew better than many others.
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Post by Nintendo Mastah on Mar 5, 2019 21:40:40 GMT -4
"Out of the waaaAAAY!". The sudden voice outside the room rapidly grew louder as if approaching at a fast pace. Rukaal came wooshing in through the door, riding on a giant ball of air. He had been training again and fallen asleep, but woken up just in time to get to the meeting. Well, almost. He had planned a proper grand entrance, and although his lateness had taken the edge of it a little, now was the time!
Dispelling the ball of air with a little puff of wind, Rukaal used the momentum to propel himself up into the air and make a spectacular flip and land graciously on his feet. He couldn't resist but make small little gust that blew his scarf majestically in the wind as he swept it back over his shoulder. "A thousand pardons, great King Elphias of Hyrule!", he said with a smile, oozing charisma and confidence. He gazed around the room and saw that the little owl Strigidae had arrived, and bowed graciously before him. "And a thousand pardons to you, Master, but my training left me exhausted, so I forgot the..", his words trailed off as he noticed the owl was asleep, and he had to hold back his laughter.
He walked towards the middle of the room, although walking was the wrong word. It was clear this bird controlled the air around him, as his steps were so light that he might just have been levitating. Kneeling down before the King in the middle of the room, he spoke once more. "I am Rukaal, the one chosen by the Rito to represent them here today, my lateness is merely due to dedication to training, Your Highness, but I ask forgiveness for arriving at such at such an inopportune time".
'..I hope that's enough. Man, I'm terrible at the whole being eloquent and all the fancy talk'.. he thought to himself. Was he even acting correctly? Truth to be told, he didn't care. Well, he DID care, but it annoyed him a bit. He was more the kind of guy who'd just walk up to the king, shake his hand and ask how he was doing, but he suspected half the noblemen would die of a heart attack if he did so for now he stuck to the formalities his mentor had taught him.
'I owe that old owl everything.. Hey, that's almost a tounge twister! Owe the old owl everything, owe the old owl everything.. Okay, Rukaal, focus!'. He snapped back and awaited a response from the king.
------------------
Among her sister looking radiant as always, and her father looking imposing and authorative, there was one figure who was doing her best not to draw attention to her, but at the same time DO just that to strike fear in her foes. Ziel Nostradamus Hyrule was standing behind her father, among the shadows. Her dark clothing blending into the shadows around her. If one looked behind the king, the brightest thing they would see in the shadows would be a pair of red eyes observing them.
To the rest of the world, it was not Ziel Hyrule who stood there, it was Shiek, the royal family bodyguard. She was constantly checking her surroundings, making sure the exits weren't obstructed and looking for possible dangers. Ziel had not inherited her sisters compassion and belief in humanity and had thusly made all the necessary preparations before this event. Everyone here was a possible threat, and due to her duties of a shiekah, she had thought of at least two ways to kill every visitor in the room, should the need arise.
She let out a deep breath and tried to relax a little, but couldn't, she never could. This was supposed to be a happy event but Shiek couldn't let go of her worries completely. She played with a Kunai, spinning it in her hand between her fingers, ready to fling it a threat within the blink of an eye. She could reach the king in seconds and block him from an arrow in if need be, and while other shiekah were present, she wanted to be the one closest to the king for this occasion. None of her brethren knew of her true identity, except of those of the highest rank, but her being near her father was not because of family ties, but because she trusted the protection of him to nobody but herself.
She saw Link approaching the King. A trusted ally of the royal family and a formidable knight, and although Shiek trusted the young knight she had thought of, as per her instructions, two ways to kill the knight should the need arise.
She often thought to herself that her sister was the Light of the Royal Family, and Shiek was the darkness that balanced it out. Zelda was compassion and hope, Shiek was discipline and secrecy. This choice had been hers, and she would want it no other way.
She watched as the Rito boy entered the room. Rukaal was it? She smiled a little behind her mask as she could tell the young bird seemed out of his element (she chuckled at her own pun), and wouldn't be surprised if at least one noble fainted at the Rito's apparent lack of manners. He seemed a likeable sort, but nevertheless Shiek started to think of two ways to kill him, as per her training.
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Post by Meta on Mar 5, 2019 22:13:36 GMT -4
It sure was crowded for a nighttime meeting. Did these people ever sleep, or at least unclench? Gods, how she loathed this kind of place. She listened to the speech while drinking some booze she managed to sneak in after she was practically dragged out of that nice bar in town.
She was biding her time, letting each present champion go first so she could have more time to finish her drink, but when no one else was stepping up, she sighed and set the bottle on the ground. "Screw it." Then she started shoving her way through the crowd.
"Quinn, your uh, Hylian highness." She looked to her fellow champion candidates. So, I was brought all the way from the north here to punch idiots in the name of the Lokomo. That's about it, I'm ready for whatever you got." She said, crossing her arms and waiting to see if anyone else would present themselves.
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Post by NajaSide on Mar 6, 2019 2:31:28 GMT -4
Kneeling in place next to zar Hylian comrade, Bongol could hear the noise from all about the chamber. The cheers, the clamoring, the troublesome guests. All was as usual. Nothing unexpected by zar ears. Despite the secrecy of the events' purpose, it had been long planned for. Extended hours of going through the guests on the list, preparing the security of the audience chamber and the remainder of the capitol, and even the joint-organization of the tournament in southern end of the kingdom. And so, for the time being Bongol did not hold expectations for things to escape control.
Not that zil wasn't prepared should anything go awry. It was, after all, second nature to one of zar clan.
Regardless, now Bongol stood in the world's public presence, a stage so rarely tread by the Sheikah, and so now it was zar job to act appropriately for such a stage. As the two of them were gradually joined by other members of the allying nations, they rose to their feet to stand next to those others which had been chosen. Briefly, zar gaze held upon the young princess that stood nearby, zar expression blank save for the reverence which zil held for the Goddess which zil praised.
Still, zil moved on, and so as to minimize the shock of the outburst of the late arrival, followed in suit with the others that had stepped forward and pressed an arm up to the chest of zar robe, bowing to the King before speaking.
"Your Majesty. I am Bongol, of the Sheikah. I come on behalf of my people- and your own for as your shadows we are your servants, now and forever -so that we may confront whatever worries plague the people of our realms and together quell them."
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Post by sesh on Apr 16, 2019 13:29:40 GMT -4
As the Champions stepped forth and introduced themselves to the Hyrule court, Rosa couldn't help but feel disappointed. This was it? Surely the other delegations had sent representatives of their own. Though she wasn't too familiar with the relationships between the Hylians and their surroundings neighbors, she had expected paragons of the Zora and Goron to show. Alas, just three stepped forward, and Rosa's eyes were drawn immediately to the last: a Sheikah. Nozomi...She looked upon this one called Bongol, and the Gerudo's mind wandered to days long past and a life lived by another, more naive girl. The thoughts were growing faint, and the face of one that used to be her whole world was vibrant portrait now blurred by time. She mourned silently at the realization, but soon the sadness was overcome by a curious, gnawing hatred. The only other Sheikah she had truly engaged with was one of the three murderers that had taken Nozomi's life. And of the three, the Sheikah was the only one whose blood hadn't stained Rosa's hands. The one who fled had obscured their face, with only a sprout of white hair and piercing red eyes to show as proof of their heritage. Looking again at Bongol, Rosa recognized the same features in zar visage. Not much to go off of, the priestess admitted to herself. Without warning, Rosa stepped from her flock of lesser sisters towards the center of the court. Several of the girls yelped with shock, and one even reached out as if to pull the Minister back into a state of decorum. Rosa knew they had no authority over her. Her emerald eyes had combed the crowd many times over, and that familiar red cap of hair wasn't seen once. The Gerudo hadn't shown themselves. An opportunity was presented. Rosa approached the Champions with a warm, closed-eyes smile, her tall and slender frame moving with a mix of determination and delicacy. When she approached, the turned towards the throne with a graceful spin, and bowed her head with a respectful posture. "Your Majesty," the pale Gerudo began, her voice coated in a sweet honey. "it is the greatest pleasure insofar as my short life has permitted. My name is Rosa Stellata, and I have recently been instated as the Holy Minister of the Royal Family of Hyrule by a congress of my betters. It is my duty to serve you, your daughters, and others of your blood in all matters of religious ceremony, blessed service, and divine connection to Hylia and her own children. I have been ordained to offer official delegation over the matters of holy matrimony, in the need your daughters were to marry, or... funeral rites, should such unfortunate need for such a thing arise, Hylia forbid."The Minister rose finally from her bow, the smile failing to escape her face but her squinted eyes looking back and forth to the Champions once more. They lingered upon Bongol for slightly longer than the rest, but quickly enough she addressed the king once more. "Apologies, Your Majesty, if this is too forward," she began once more, "but I've noticed my people have not sent a Champion of their own. A sorry thing to see, and I offer forgiveness on their part if either they are late to the ceremony or if they haven't sent a Champion whatsoever. If you accept, I offer my own services in this regard as well." The sister of the Devout shouted once more from the courtside, overcome by the forwardness of the statement. Rosa continued. "It may not be my place, and I don't presume to adopt such an illustrious title of Champion, but for the interim please accept me for the sake of my people's honor. I truly aspire to be better than nothing at all."~~~ "So... dear So... I'm sorry... I didn't know..."
Master Strigidae muttered to himself between whistling snores, high upon the walls of the throne room. Upon looking at him, one would notice his appearance changed drastically. What was once a spindly old Rito had transformed into an inflated orb of feathers draped in a robe. His face was that of another, with a gray horn protruding from his forehead and mighty white eyebrows sprouting straight up and a bushy snow beard coating a white chin. The bundle of plumage rustled every few moments before letting out a wispy snore, and the crowd closest to that particular wall was thoroughly distracted by the bizarre sight.
"Errr... WOT?"
The figure sprang to life, with bony appendages sprouting out from the feathery ball and the face twisting around grotesquely to reveal Striggy's head had been upside-down for most of the nap. He hopped up quickly and shook away the lingering sleep, his eyes shooting around the room again to find the source of the familiar voice he had heard. Looking down to the center of the room, the elder Rito's shoulders rose with impending rage.
"You lazy son of a chicken!" the Master snapped, drawing the ire of the politest members of the court and the attention of the rest. "Late! For an audience with the King himself! The nerve of youth these days is pure heresy. Why, back in the day, if you were just a second late the guards would toss you in the dungeon and throw away the keys! Then they'd throw away the guards who threw away the keys, so nobody knew where the keys were anymore! Then they'd throw those people, too! Half the staff would be gone, that's how strict they were... and we all loved it!"
The Rito's raving quickly trailed off, and a moment later Strigidae composed himself and turned to the King. "Apologies for this one, Elphias. They don't make 'em how they used to. Carry on."
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Post by Nintendo Mastah on May 5, 2019 16:12:11 GMT -4
Rukaal, who up to this point had been smiling, looked saddened and ashamed as his master scolded him. "I'm sorry, Master, but the training routine you gave me is REALLY hard! I did my best to finish it early. I'll compensate by doing it TWICE tomorrow!", he said, his spirit raising again with every word he spoke. Rukaal rarely remained sad for long. His spirit of youth was strong, and he was gonna be the best! "I'm sure things were tougher in your days, but wouldn't it have been hard then, to find any viable heroes if they all were in dungeons someone had thrown away? So better late then never in that case, right?". He gave the old owl a nervous little smile, expecting another scolding.
--------------------- A sound, almost like a grunt came from Shiek. In truth, she was stifling a laugh watching the old owl bounce around yelling at his student. She regained her composure very quickly and instead shifted her gaze to the priestess as she stepped up to speak. A gerudo, no doubt, and the one willing to fight for her people. It would be hypocritical of her to be suspicious of religious people, as the royal family was more or less bound with the gods, but she rarely trusted advisors or clergymen, as they tended to use their positions for personal gain.
Using her magical abilities, she blended further into the shadows, becoming nigh invisible in the dark corner of the room. She didn't like what the priestess was on about either. She had yet to spoke, and had no intention to unless asked, or if she felt the need. Instead her sister and her father could do all the talking, while she could do all the examination. She was on guard as always, but assessed the current situation as under control.
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Post by Meta on May 6, 2019 18:08:19 GMT -4
Elphias let the champions present themselves and the subjects talk. The king remained quiet after his initial speech.
Yet, just as suddenly, he spoke up clearly and firm, silencing out parallel murmurs and chitchats. "Those who have pledged themselves to represent your kin, know that you will face trials to test the strength of your resolves, your bodies, your minds. Should you rise victorious from these trials, you will truly become Champions of this realm, to forevermore be remembered in our history."
With those words, Elphias rose from his throne, looking down as he addressed his honored guests and subjects. "The hour grows late. You have come from near and far, and now you have earned yourselves a moment of rest. In the morrow, there will be a feast in celebration of the champions' trials."
He gestured to the crowds. "This court is hereby dismissed. I will impart my final words to the champions for the day in private, but the feast will remain a public event." With that, the king awaited for the crowds to disperse before walking down the steps to meet them.
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Quinn looked at her fellow champions, sizing them up while they waited for the place to vacate a bit. She felt a few of them probably would have a harder time in the physical trials, and smirked to herself at the thought of possibly brawling a couple of them.
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