elda had risen with the sun that morning. It was very unlike her, given her affinity for the night and ties to the lunar phases, yet the celestial mare found that she simply could not lounge around and waste her day. There was still so much to see in this new realm she had unwittingly stumbled into. From swathes of lush green grasses and trees to the tallest mountain peaks, there was so much to do and see. Not to mention the vow she had taken, but that was neither here nor there.

Today she would explore for herself. Not for her lost love or for any answers to the millions of questions that swirled in her mind. Well, maybe she'd get a few answers. The future had yet to be seen, after all.

As she passed along the soaring walls of the sandstone fortress, she felt the heat of the sun beat down on her back with discomfort. Given her proclivity for twilight hours, the blazing sun was somewhat foreign to her and an experience Zelda wasn't convinced was worth enduring thus far. Despite the peak of the midday, the world felt disquietingly still and silent. Perhaps the bustle of court life and the capitol were muffled by the walls that protected it from outsiders, but Zelda was perplexed that no travelers moved about beyond its borders. For a moment, she was a solitary figure, a shadow against the dull brown-orange of the sandstone walls. Her steely blue eyes spared glances towards the buildings and towers the peeked over the walls that protected the court, but for the most part, her gaze kept to her path.

A seemingly endless ocean of golden waves stretched before her on one side, the other a swath of sandstone walls. In the distance ahead of her, the low cacophony of sounds greets her ears. Maybe she was close to a gate for entry? She had heard of the day court's market and had only wanted to pay a visit. Suddenly everything before her burst with life and sounds as horses came to and from the yawning gate leading into the secrets beyond the walls. Zelda picked up her pace, eager to fund respite from the sun. Yet, a figure blocked the way, though Zelda noted wryly that at least he blocked the sun.

He was a stallion taller and broader than Zelda was - though that wasn't difficult given her lithe frame - who seemed to easily stand a head above the rest rabble around them. He was swathed in earthy hues of a deep brown with pale stripes, paired with an impressive rack of antlers, the ethereal mare found that she had to crane her neck ever so slightly to look up at him. Uncertain if she was amused by the height difference or miffed by the roadblock, nevertheless Zelda found herself face to face with the antlered stallion as he made an about-face. "Pardon me, but I'm trying to get to the market," she stated while her delicate pale blue hooves sidestepped out of his way. There was a pause in her step as Zelda warred with her uncertainty, inevitably daring to ask, "Do you by chance know if I'm heading in the right direction?"


tagged: @Galileo
notes: <3
"Zelda's speech!" Zelda's thoughts!