candybox | OPEN POST: Rauru - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

[Rauru had split off from his hunting party, having gotten distracted by the sight of something falling from the sky. It happened, sometimes: with the decline of the Zonai and the sky islands left uninhabited since his descent to Hyrule, he had left the islands in the hands of Mineru's many constructs, but it was inevitable that even with their care, things would fall into disarray and occasionally out of the sky. As a Zonai and as king, it was his responsibility to deal with any problems that might cause, few and far between though they were.

The longer he watches, however, the longer he realises it isn't ordinary island debris falling out of the sky, but a person. He runs from the trees across the field, but he's far too late to even attempt to snatch them out of the sky with his powers, and they crash to the ground with a force that must certainly be fatal.

He approaches, his heart in his throat... and spies a green-haired man with strangely rounded ears and a somehow unmangled body. He crouches beside him cautiously, aiming to check his pulse to see if he's still alive.]

[The impact had more than rattled Byleth, driving all the wind out of his lungs and leaving him utterly insensate. This wasn't the first time he had endured a tremendous fall, and as always, his body had gone utterly lax moments before he had struck the ground. It was as instinctual as it was involuntary, making him feel almost paralysed with how unresponsive his body was for several uncomfortable moments. Logically, he knew this was his body's way to protect him from the impact, but it was still an incredibly unnerving and petrifying experience.

But, fortunately, the lax numbness slowly eased, and Byleth managed to twitch his fingers and slowly stir as his body went from "play dead" to "oh god I think my entire being is a bruise". Shock-absorbent or not, as Sothis once called him, that had still been a very big fall even for him.]

Ngh... what...

[He opened his eyes, blinking the wobbling spots from his vision to see... a... goat? Man? Goat man? Man goat? Had the fall given him a concussion and crossed several wires in his brain somewhere?]

[The goat man? Man goat? Is studying Byleth with wide eyes, ears perking, stunned that he's both conscious and capable of speech.]

Are you all right? You took an immense fall.

[Even that description seems like an understatement. He doesn't want to move him just yet, realising how dazed he is and that he might just make his injuries worse. By the same token, though, leaving him alone out here in the field when none of his party are close by would be out of the question.]

[The goat-man was speaking, and no matter how much Byleth blinked and squinted, his appearance didn't change. He looked very solid and real too, so after his moment of blank confusion, Byleth decided to simply accept what his eyes were seeing. He had larger concerns such as:

There was clearly no battle waging around them. Birds were chirping and aside from the goat-man, their surroundings were peaceful. There was no scent of fire and ash and the ozone of cast lightning, and the sun was in a different position. Therefore, it was clear that Byleth's Divine Pulse had not carried him scant seconds into the future - but potentially more. Far more, if the battle was clearly well and over and goat men walked the earth.

Troubling.]

Mn... I'm fine. Just winded.

[Slowly, he pushed himself up into sitting position. His body was sore, and he was likely to have a very nasty bruise on his back later, but otherwise his bones weren't broken and his limbs were all in working order. He had, however, somehow lost his sword at some point during his chaotic travel through the timestream, which meant his only weapon was the dagger at his belt and his own magic.

He set that aside as a lesser issue, deciding to get his bearings first (all while keeping a wary eye on the goat-man at his side). He looked around, expecting to see the few prominent landmarks he saw on the battlefield-

And did not recognise his surroundings in the slightest.]

I don't recognise this place.

[Just winded, he says, as though that fall wouldn't shatter even the toughest Goron to pieces. Rauru draws back and rises to his (considerable) height as the man recovers. This stranger from the sky looks like no Hylian he's seen, so perhaps asking him how he can't recognise Hyrule Field, of all places, is a foolish question.]

You are in the Kingdom of Hyrule. Do you recall where you came from, before you fell from the sky?

[He's staying close, just in case the man keels over, but he seems to be handling himself well for the time being.]

[The Kingdom of Hyrule? The name didn't ring any bells, but Byleth didn't know much about Fódlan's geography outside of the main nations and the border regions that had the most jobs for mercenaries. Adrestia, Faerghus, Leicester, Sreng and Almyra, those were the ones he mainly knew.

Had the Divine Pulse transported him physically as well as temporally, then? He didn't know that was possible... hm. Troubling. He'll need to get his eye on a map somewhere.]

I was within Adrestia's borders, not far from Enbarr.

[He slowly pushed himself to his feet. His movements were a little stiff, but once he was standing, he gave himself a little shake and seemed to have bounced back perfectly fine from his 'little' fall.]

On the continent of Fódlan. Where is Hyrule in relation to that? This doesn't seem to be one of the small islands that border its coasts...

I'm afraid I don't recognise the names of even one of those locations, and I must tell you, this is no small island.

[He strokes the beard-like fur of his chin, mulling it over. Of course, there is much even the Zonai never learned about the world beyond Hyrule, or perhaps that knowledge has been lost with the decline of his people's civilisation... He wonders, still determined to help.]

I can consult our maps and archives to see if any contain the places of which you speak in relation to here... but in the meantime, I believe you should have your injuries seen to. Will you come with me?

[Byleth reeled slightly, flummoxed at the thought of no one knowing Fódlan... but, it was but one landmass in a large world, according to Sothis. If he knew nothing beyond Fódlan, then it stood to reason other regions knew nothing beyond their borders either. But the implications of that...

How far had he travelled, unintentionally? Either he had travelled halfway across the world, with no way back... or had been launched so far into the future that Fódlan now went by another name entirely, with a whole new race of people! How was he meant to return from that?

He felt lightheaded just thinking about it.]

...injuries? I'm... [he shook his head, forcing himself to focus.] I'm fine. As I said, I was only winded...

[He paused, eyeing his helper with a more scrutinising gaze now. He didn't sense any malice from him, but the fact was he was a complete stranger, and an unknown species at that. He became more visibly guarded.]

...and, I don't know who you are, or your intentions.

Ah... I'm sorry. Perhaps I have been overly presumptuous.

[He inclines his head slightly, ears lowering, by way of apology.]

I am Rauru, king of Hyrule. My intentions are only that you find your bearings in an unfamiliar land, and that you remain safe and well. If you are truly not injured, I will take your word for it.

[But he would be a poor king not to ensure the wellbeing of a visitor, all the same, he thinks.]

[A king? What was a king doing aimlessly roaming around what seemed to be a very large field? Even King Dimitri tended to have a few of his retainers trotting at his heels (mostly to keep him in line and stop him from launching himself headfirst into the nearest pack of enemies), but this 'Rauru' was alone. Byleth even quickly did another scan of his surroundings to double check.]

...I see. I'm Byleth, a mercenary. It's strange that you're out here by yourself. Isn't that dangerous for you?

Dangerous...? No, I assure you, it is quite safe. I am one of Hyrule's strongest lines of defence.

[With the Secret Stone hanging from one hand, glowing a gentle white, he'd have no problem dispatching an enemy, though he realises that to Byleth he must look unarmed, save for his teeth and claws.]

But it is kind of you to worry. My hunting party is not far from here, so I will rejoin with them and return to the castle.

OPEN POST: Rauru - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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