Recess of Duties [Jade]

[Artemis Hyrule]

Enemy, familiar friend

my beginning and my end

The sun had set across the horizon, glimmering over Lake Hylia as wind echoed against the trees of the nearby woodlands. Artemis had spent his time in thought, horseback as he rode to a nearby settlement where he would ask for supply aid. He had, however, denied being accompanied by a guard or Zelda herself. He wanted to clear his head, and promised his sister the rest she deserved.

It was getting dark though - and despite only being several hours away from the village, he doubted anyone would want to negotiate after nightfall. He had decided his best plan of action would be to set up camp for now by the water, and return to his travels at dawn. Shadows under his eyes, he was visibly tired - not just from today, but from everything in general. Things had been hard since Rogue Order had removed them from their home. But he could only blame himself for not seeing this sooner.

Setting up a fire, he had pulled out some food he had kept packed away for when he would rest. It was a bit lonely, but he was used to the silence. These days, he rarely spoke to anyone; even his sisters. It wasn't until Zelda had nudged him to open up more, that he had began to have conversations again. But after their removal, he was generally silent, even judgmental of his sister's actions. Waiting around for a hero who wasn't going to return, while he tried to jump start everyone to reclaim their land. He was bitter, yes, but he had forgiven her and initally let go of his malice to enjoy his family's company. 

He wondered if people felt safe enough to travel across the land these days or not. Even though Castle Town was a generally dangerous area, the rest of the world seemed to be untouched by Rogue Order's influence. The only people he had initially heard having direct problems as a result of Eleazar was Kakariko Village, and he assumed that Goron City had also been directly effected as well.

They were running out of time, and their need for allies was more desperate than ever. 

Jade

CODED BY REM OF WW

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[Deleted]

Artemis Hyrule

Further down the shore, a lazy trail of smoke floated up to the sky, and if the prince were any closer, he would smell the scent of a haunch wild boar being roasted. It was a lucky catch for the Sheikah, having taken the beast down moments before several stray Moblins would have come for it. But, here on the shores of Lake Hylia, she didn’t have to worry about attackers, at least of the monster variety.

But when she saw another camp being put up, she was reminded that not only monsters wandered these fields.

Still, they were setting up near day, so they weren’t trying to hide themselves. Nyssa settled back in, focusing on her meal, but amidst the sizzling of fat hitting the fire and the soft flickering of the fire, she felt a pull. Something, whether it be divine or her intuition, was drawing her to curiosity. Her eyes kept locking onto the camp, until the feeling was too prevalent to be a coincidence. She raised the spit higher so the meat would cook slower, and knelt down, picking up her spear. As an afterthought, she looked down at the hood to her outfit and put it on, concealing all but her eyes. It wasn’t the most conspicuous one she had, with its Sheikah runes embroidered around the border in bright blue, but it would have to do. She needed to shake this feeling.

A few whispered words, and her magic hid her camp, keeping it just out of view of the mortal eye. The sunlight bathed the area in bright red, but also cast large shadows she snuck through, circling around wide to the outside of the other camp. As she approached, she saw the single man working to set it up, eyes narrowing as she noted his armor. The make was too god for him to be a traveling merchant or peasant. He could be dangerous.

She stowed her spear in its holster on her back, and willed the shadows to her bidding again. Small movements out of the corner of his eye, just enough to catch his attention, as she silently crossed the distance between her hiding place and the camp. Only when she was in a position she felt safe at, did she step down harder, and audibly. The mysterious man would turn to see the hooded Sheikah staring him down, only eyes visible through her hood.

”What brings you so far from civilization, stranger. Only two kinds of people wear armor like that: thieves who stole it, and warriors. I’m not too keen on camping near either, so we either talk peacefully or you leave. By force, if it must come to that.”

MADE BY ★MEULK

[Artemis Hyrule]

Enemy, familiar friend

my beginning and my end

Artemis felt a pair of eyes hit his back as he froze in position, a weapon pointed at him, and he took note that his sword had been just out of reach. He took a deep breath, setting his food down back on the cloth he had set on the ground, closing his eyes and nodding.

"Please, there is no need to raise your weapon. I'm just passing through and I'll be gone in the morning," he said calmly. "I'm no thief either. If I were you, I'd hold your tongue before accusing a prince of such allegations." 

He turned his head to face the woman, cerulean eyes glimmering in the light of the flames, before his expression had softened into surprise. He stood up quickly, taking a step back in caution, realizing just who it was. Zelda's attendant - one who was nowhere to be found for several years. Many had thought she had defected or was killed in the castle siege. 

Whether he believed it or not, he still held his guard steady. He did not want to think of the worst of her, and if she was having trouble finding Zelda, then at the very least, their hiding was better than previously thought. 

"Nyssa," he finally spoke. "We thought something had happened to you when we escaped..."

He trailed his words off, still holding a defensive position as he watched her carefully. "You can put that down now, maybe?"

@nyssa@jade

CODED BY REM OF WW

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[Deleted]

Artemis Hyrule

Her weapon lowered as the other spoke, and they met eyes when he turned. Suddenly, Nyssa was looking at no mere stranger, but rather a face she knew very well, and her weapon was placed on the ground as she went down to one knee, her eyes still on his.

"I can't believe it... Prince rtemis? I thought you and your family dead. I thought you-"

Moisture pooled in the corners of her eyes, tears of joy, but she blinked them away, covering it with a cough. She had to be proper when speaking to the Royal Family. Goddesses knew that many Sheikah these days didn't.

"Your Highness, you will have to forgive my allegations as such, but one can not be too careful these days. With my people's... Defection, it has been difficult to blend in, and many have recognized me for who I once was. I can only assume anyone near me wants to hurt me."

She rose from her bow, spear planted in the ground as she stood at attention for him, and she took a deep breath.

Artemis was alive. That meant that the others could be, too.

"If you being here is any indicator, your Highness, then that means you and your siblings escaped. Our... Our Queen is alive then. Thank goodness... As well as you all. Though telling people you're a prince might not be the best idea, with how low people think of your family. But, rest assured, my Prince, my loyalties have not budged from the day we were attacked. You have my word."

MADE BY ★MEULK

[Artemis Hyrule]

She was going to cry, he could already tell. And although he didn't really deal with people getting emotional very well - this was someone whom he both grew to care for, but also distanced himself from as a young child. Being the nursemaid of the family, she was the one who took charge of the children after their mother's untimely death. And in a way, Artemis felt she tried too hard to be a replacement. But she was there for them, despite his personal feelings, and he grew past what she could not control. So while he had been initially cold toward her in the beginning, he began to slowly open up as the years had passed.  But once again, time had drifted them apart. It had been four years - and her words were true - many of her kind had defected to help that sickening beast of a Zora. He wanted to trust her, but he knew it would be careless to welcome her back so immediately. "I never said that my family survived," he said quickly in her response. His words were blanketed in the venom of caution, watching her every move carefully as studied her body language.  He did chuckle slightly at her advice not to tell others of his identity, and he shrugged. "I know it's been a while, but you seem to have forgotten my ability to take care of myself. I've led many battles and have the skill that is unmatched by any knight." Some had said that it was the past heroes' blood that allowed him to use a weapon so naturally, but perhaps it was his own desperation to be more than just another unusable heir to his father. NOTE: sorry this took so long. Exams kicked my ass this week, and I needed to hibernate after the weekend as well. I'm thinking that this thread is a flashback pre-cat and mouse event since it started before then. And to explain Art's weird behavior in the event, he hasn't fought in a battle since the fall of the hero, so perhaps he froze in fear, sort of a PTSD triggering him to remember his failure in the past, rendering him useless. Gonna use that more to my advantage with future char arcs.  @nyssa

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