[At first, Anna's impressed by the sentiment of 'living where more of the people are'. That does feel like a good strategy! But then the implication sinks in. Are there more people in a small farmer village than near the castle? Is the castle like Vaeros's; hidden away behind a huge labyrinth? That'd just feel lonely to Anna, and she's glad Zelda made the decision to mingle.
She'd ask for details, but she doesn't want to overstep any boundaries, so she'll talk about Arendelle instead. Only fair to share some things about her own kingdom!]
Oh yes, I do. There are a few villages outside the city, but they're mostly home to miner families who go up into the mountains to work. Arendelle has existed for many generations. There's an old legend that the fjord it's on was etched into the land by a magic sword wielded by Arendelle's founder, Lord Aren. He was probably my ancestor? It's hard to say, since he lived such a long time ago. But the castle that we live in is still pretty new. It was built during the reign of my grandfather, King Runeard. And Arendelle's a port city, so trade vessels from many different lands stop by to exchange goods! It's really... Just such a wonderful kingdom.
[For Zelda's part, she's more than happy to learn about another kingdom and its legends. It's all so different to Hyrule's own story, and the picture Anna paints is vivid.]
A magic sword... I wonder if that's true? We certainly have our own legendary weapons in our history. And having a castle by a port sounds wonderful, if you get to trade with other kingdoms.
[There are distant rumours of other lands beyond Hyrule, and Zelda knows there's at least one place far away where other Zora live. Most of what she knows however is confined to old stories from centuries ago. She smiles, heartened to hear of Anna's love for her kingdom.]
It can be hard to know history from our earliest times. Records from so many centuries ago can be difficult to find, much less read. I know from the research I did that our own people used to write in a different language, so translating what we could find from those eras was challenge enough. But I know that Hyrule has existed for many thousands of years.
Well... I do know some of the legends about Aren have gotten a little... misunderstood over time. But the sword is real! [She pauses, then smiles sheepishly.] It was real. My sister broke it when she tried to fight a nightmare monster. I think it was just a really pretty blade that became part of the myth.
[Aah, the wild adventures of official Frozen novels. Anna's glad she can talk about these sorts of things in an unfamiliar place and not be looked at like she's crazy. The people of Arendelle are used to magic by now, but she knows other lands wouldn't be so accepting of it.]
Hyrule's really existed thousands of years? Like... Maybe even tens of thousands? That's so long! I can't even imagine how much history and legend's been built up over that amount of time.
Oh, that's a shame, to lose a piece of history like that. But it sounds like it was in service to a good cause. [That, she can understand. The image of the decayed and broken Master Sword is burned into her mind and never far from her thoughts. A quick smile, impish.] Maybe now a new myth will grow around that?
[Her nod is enthusiastic. This is her favourite subject, of course.]
It has! It's hard to think about, when our own lives are so small in comparison. But I've been studying our ancient history for a long time, to learn as much as I can. I'm fortunate that I've been able to discover so much about it, with the help of our experts.
[And she's recently gotten first-hand experience, but that's not a tale for a first meeting.]
You said that your sister passed the role of queen on to you. That must be quite a step to take.
[There's definitely some budding myths in Arendelle now. Tales of a snow queen, and elemental spirits, and destructive floods narrowly being averted... Anna does wonder how those stories will go hundreds, if not thousands of years from now.]
Oooh, you're a princess and you're studying your kingdom's history? That's wonderful! I'll be honest, I've never had that much of a knack for history. Not real history, anyway. My father always told the most amazing stories, but a lot of them were a little too fantastical to be real.
[She's silent for a moment, torn between keeping up a facade and just being honest about her feelings. The latter wins out, of course.] It... It was a pretty big step, yes. Elsa was the one who was raised to be queen, so she knows all the... the diplomatic stuff. I'm still learning all of that. It's sort of a lot, to tell the truth.
I think it's important to know what came before, to inform our future. Though I admit there was a practical need to learn about the past so we could understand the ancient relics we were trying to use.
[If there hadn't been a foretold calamity, perhaps they wouldn't have delved so passionately into their past. Zelda might have, but it wouldn't have had such an urgency to it.
Zelda's expression softens upon hearing Anna's worries. She's never had the chance to talk to someone in a position even remotely like hers.]
I understand. Truly, I do. Since I was an only child I did receive that kind of training, but with my father gone I have to manage it all alone. I think ... it's a role in which we'll never stop learning, honestly.
... It is. It is important to know what came before us. Those things might still affect us today, after all.
[She thinks of the Enchanted Forest, and the truth of the past they were meant to find there. The price they had to pay for their grandfather's horrible actions. That was one heck of a harsh history lesson.]
Oh... Your father's gone? I'm so sorry. [She hangs her head, chewing her bottom lip.] My parents are gone too, so I can't learn from them either. I'm lucky I still have my sister to ask for advice. And our royal steward. He knows a lot about diplomacy.
[Oh, how right Anna is. The events of Hyrule's past are always affecting its present. Zelda hopes to achieve that herself, after all.]
Thank you, and I'm sorry to hear about your own parents. [Regardless of how she feels about her own father, she doesn't like to think about others suffering the same tragedy.] It sounds as though you still have good support though, to help you in this new role.
And - what I've tried to do here is learn from everyone I've met, since it's such a unique opportunity to find out about other worlds.
[Anna tries not to think about her own parents too much. How unfair it was, how hard it was... And what the real reason was that they set out to sail toward dangerous waters in the first place. It'll just make her sad. Even so, she'd never hide what happened, or dance around the point, if it comes up. She's always been open like that.
A faint smile flickers back onto her face.]
It is, isn't it? I already love learning about other lands, so other worlds? That's even better. There's so many things that can be different. Art and technology and festivals... And what people look like, and even the form magic can take. It's all so interesting.
Yes, that's so true. I've never seen most of the peoples that come here, or the ones who are native. Technology is something I've always had an interest in so I've been trying to learn more about things like this device, or the video games that have popped up recently.
[With a nod, Zelda's smile warms up again.]
I'd love to talk about it with you some more sometime, Anna.
[Anna's own smile grows more enthusiastic too. She's already surrounded by a few other princesses in the cottage, but she really wants to befriend even more.]
Yes! I'd love to talk some more! We should meet in person sometime. And then you can tell me more about technology too. Looking at these little oracle devices, I think Arendelle might be a little behind with its innovations. But I want to learn about all the great things technology can do! Not just here, but in other worlds too.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
For Zelda
[At first, Anna's impressed by the sentiment of 'living where more of the people are'. That does feel like a good strategy! But then the implication sinks in. Are there more people in a small farmer village than near the castle? Is the castle like Vaeros's; hidden away behind a huge labyrinth? That'd just feel lonely to Anna, and she's glad Zelda made the decision to mingle.
She'd ask for details, but she doesn't want to overstep any boundaries, so she'll talk about Arendelle instead. Only fair to share some things about her own kingdom!]
Oh yes, I do. There are a few villages outside the city, but they're mostly home to miner families who go up into the mountains to work. Arendelle has existed for many generations. There's an old legend that the fjord it's on was etched into the land by a magic sword wielded by Arendelle's founder, Lord Aren. He was probably my ancestor? It's hard to say, since he lived such a long time ago. But the castle that we live in is still pretty new. It was built during the reign of my grandfather, King Runeard. And Arendelle's a port city, so trade vessels from many different lands stop by to exchange goods! It's really... Just such a wonderful kingdom.
no subject
A magic sword... I wonder if that's true? We certainly have our own legendary weapons in our history. And having a castle by a port sounds wonderful, if you get to trade with other kingdoms.
[There are distant rumours of other lands beyond Hyrule, and Zelda knows there's at least one place far away where other Zora live. Most of what she knows however is confined to old stories from centuries ago. She smiles, heartened to hear of Anna's love for her kingdom.]
It can be hard to know history from our earliest times. Records from so many centuries ago can be difficult to find, much less read. I know from the research I did that our own people used to write in a different language, so translating what we could find from those eras was challenge enough. But I know that Hyrule has existed for many thousands of years.
no subject
[Aah, the wild adventures of official Frozen novels. Anna's glad she can talk about these sorts of things in an unfamiliar place and not be looked at like she's crazy. The people of Arendelle are used to magic by now, but she knows other lands wouldn't be so accepting of it.]
Hyrule's really existed thousands of years? Like... Maybe even tens of thousands? That's so long! I can't even imagine how much history and legend's been built up over that amount of time.
no subject
[Her nod is enthusiastic. This is her favourite subject, of course.]
It has! It's hard to think about, when our own lives are so small in comparison. But I've been studying our ancient history for a long time, to learn as much as I can. I'm fortunate that I've been able to discover so much about it, with the help of our experts.
[And she's recently gotten first-hand experience, but that's not a tale for a first meeting.]
You said that your sister passed the role of queen on to you. That must be quite a step to take.
no subject
Oooh, you're a princess and you're studying your kingdom's history? That's wonderful! I'll be honest, I've never had that much of a knack for history. Not real history, anyway. My father always told the most amazing stories, but a lot of them were a little too fantastical to be real.
[She's silent for a moment, torn between keeping up a facade and just being honest about her feelings. The latter wins out, of course.] It... It was a pretty big step, yes. Elsa was the one who was raised to be queen, so she knows all the... the diplomatic stuff. I'm still learning all of that. It's sort of a lot, to tell the truth.
no subject
[If there hadn't been a foretold calamity, perhaps they wouldn't have delved so passionately into their past. Zelda might have, but it wouldn't have had such an urgency to it.
Zelda's expression softens upon hearing Anna's worries. She's never had the chance to talk to someone in a position even remotely like hers.]
I understand. Truly, I do. Since I was an only child I did receive that kind of training, but with my father gone I have to manage it all alone. I think ... it's a role in which we'll never stop learning, honestly.
no subject
[She thinks of the Enchanted Forest, and the truth of the past they were meant to find there. The price they had to pay for their grandfather's horrible actions. That was one heck of a harsh history lesson.]
Oh... Your father's gone? I'm so sorry. [She hangs her head, chewing her bottom lip.] My parents are gone too, so I can't learn from them either. I'm lucky I still have my sister to ask for advice. And our royal steward. He knows a lot about diplomacy.
no subject
Thank you, and I'm sorry to hear about your own parents. [Regardless of how she feels about her own father, she doesn't like to think about others suffering the same tragedy.] It sounds as though you still have good support though, to help you in this new role.
And - what I've tried to do here is learn from everyone I've met, since it's such a unique opportunity to find out about other worlds.
no subject
A faint smile flickers back onto her face.]
It is, isn't it? I already love learning about other lands, so other worlds? That's even better. There's so many things that can be different. Art and technology and festivals... And what people look like, and even the form magic can take. It's all so interesting.
no subject
[With a nod, Zelda's smile warms up again.]
I'd love to talk about it with you some more sometime, Anna.
no subject
Yes! I'd love to talk some more! We should meet in person sometime. And then you can tell me more about technology too. Looking at these little oracle devices, I think Arendelle might be a little behind with its innovations. But I want to learn about all the great things technology can do! Not just here, but in other worlds too.
wrap?
[With a smile, Zelda signs off the call.]
Hopefully I will see you around the town soon, Anna.
Wrap! <3
Yes! See you soon, Zelda!