Hey, folks! Freelancer Josiah here with something new that I've wanted to work on for a long time now. This is a Legend of Zelda story with a bit of a difference: it's based in modern times, instead of following any specific timeline from the games or remaining in the medieval fantasy setting.
A quick bit of housekeeping, first off. No, this is not replacing the Alex Redding series. I'm just trying to delve into something new to try and keep my motivation to write high. That being said... Well, I wrote up a long post about several different things and posted it on my blog. The link should be on my profile, but just in case:
Josiahsjournal dot wordpress dot com is where you can go. I'd link it better, but FF is a bit of a pain about it. Or follow me on Twitter, which is linked on my profile for sure - you can find my post on there easily, everything I post on my blog goes straight there as well.
Please, if you're a longtime fan of the Alex Redding series, check out my blog. I ask a few important questions there that I'd like your feedback on.
Anyway, I've talked long enough. On with the show!
The Legend Continues On...
It has been two thousand years since the Hero of legend last cast the dark lord Ganon into the abyss. During this time, Hyrule has changed. Science and technology has largely replaced magical prowess due to its accessibility to the masses. The advancements have led to exponential growth and prosperity over the land, and allowed Hyrule to forget and bury their often-shadowed past. The land has been separated into four Kingdoms, each controlling their own realms and trading their own natural resources.
The Goron people of Death Mountain trade in mineral goods. Iron to fashion into steel, coal for power, gemstones valued both for their beauty and their physical properties, and other powerful ores fetch high prices when sold to the other nations. Though the initial process was questionable and resulted in conflict, today the Goron Republic stands as a strong mining territory known for mighty, yet humble workers. They are the backbone of everything that has been built in Hyrule.
The Zora had a more difficult time adapting. The once proud and reclusive race was forcibly thrust onto the scene of this new world and out of their caverns by a changing world. Their old ways of magical influence were long forgotten, and had left them without anything to support themselves. The other three Kingdoms stepped in and assisted the Zora people in regaining their footing. This turned out to be for the best, as the Zora found their calling in this new world as artisans. Today, Zora-crafted buildings and objects are considered the finest in the world, and the Zora Commonwealth itself is thought of as one of the great places to visit in this new world.
The Gerudo had always been a proud people, and had actively tried to find their methods to preserve their standing among the new and growing world. They had found this in the black-gold substance known as oil. In fact, the desert dwellers had all but cornered the world's markets on energy resources – oil, natural gas, and the like were their primary products. Instead of sitting back and attempting to ride these resources however, the Gerudo chose to invest their new Rupees into research and development of newer and more improved forms of energy. Today, the Gerudo Oligarchy is on the forefront of scientific progress and advancement, and the Guild Council guides and directs the majority of trade and development.
Finally, the Hylian Kingdom. Widely considered to be the mediators and balancers of the other four kingdoms, the Hylian people use their advantageous geographical position – with Kakariko City as the capital in the center of the other three kingdoms – to become the center for trade and commerce in this new Hyrule. Their standing army is the largest in this new world, and is often the first to be called should there be any type of struggle or warfare. They serve as mediators, enforcers of law and doctrine agreed upon by the United Hyrule Council, and as the primary source for the currency of the world – the Rupee. Hyrule is known to be one of the most prosperous of the four kingdoms, as well as the largest.
This is the Hyrule of the modern day. Four kingdoms, leaving the mythology and fantasy of their past tales behind and looking towards the future. A realm that can only continue to grow and prosper if the history is remembered, while the fantasy and folly is forgotten...
Link Graham tried to fight off a loud yawn that was brewing. He'd always hated these 'history of the world' classes for two simple reasons. First off, they were often contradictory and chose to sidestep the inconsistencies by simply focusing on how much 'myth and legend' was etched into the long past of Hyrule. This annoyed him greatly, because if you were to ask him what his opinion was people should focus on teaching the facts and let individuals decide what they thought the opinions were. The second reason was simply that most of these classes were taught by the kind of pretentious, pompous individuals that got under his skin and wasted his time. This was also why he had a disdain for literature classes.
"That's all for today. Remember to read through chapter 7 and be prepared to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Oligarchal systems. Remember, discussion credit can be applied to your lowest exam score!" The professor called out, which was all the excuse Link needed to pack his backpack up again and make for the door.
Link sighed once more as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, shaking his head. College is a pain in the neck, he thought to himself as he pulled his headphones out and started making for the parking lot. At least I'm done for another day... He proceeded to turn his music up, attempting to blare out the exhaustion of the day with the strange chip-tune music he'd taken a liking to. Even better, I don't have to work tonight so I can just relax! He smirked to himself, coming around the corner and finding his motorcycle. Link had always defended his preference for two-wheeled vehicles, saying they were cheaper and easier to run, but the truth was he loved the wind whipping around him while he was on the road through Lon Lon City.
The trip home was uneventful, and Link had one goal in mind – he wanted to get lost in TV and music. Pulling into the lot, he glanced over the other vehicles nearby. Alright, so Reggie and Saria are probably home too. I see his car, and Saria didn't have anything to do today. He went upstairs, letting himself in and grinning a bit. Sitting on the couch, hunched forward with a controller in his hand, was a heavy-set man a few years older than Link. He had medium-length wiry brown hair, a pair of glasses, and wore a pair of slacks and a t-shirt reading 'Just shut up and reboot' on the front. His name was Reggie Trafts, and he was Link's long-time best friend. He glanced up for a moment as Link walked in.
"Hey, glad to see you survived another dose of the great Hylian educational system." Reggie smirked and Link reached over, smacking him gently on the back of the head.
"Shut up, Reggie. You're home early, what's up?" Link asked as he set his backpack down on one of the chairs.
Reggie just shrugged. "Boss told me I could wrap up early. Phones were d-e-a-d today, not that I'm complaining."
Link nodded a bit. Out of all of them, Reggie was the only one with a full time job. Instead of going directly through college, he'd put his time into certifying himself with technology and worked an IT job at one of the larger companies in town. This was a good thing, because it meant the lion's share of the bills were covered by his paycheck and left the other two free to deal with college with one less thing to worry about.
Speaking of... Link left Reggie to his game, and started heading back towards his room. "Hey, Saria?" He called out. A moment later the grinning face of a young girl poked her head out into the hall, followed by her rounding the corner with a smirk.
Saria Faushall clearly took a bit of inspiration from both 'goth' and 'punk' styles, but made them all her own. A pair of jean shorts combined with green and black striped leggings, plus a tank top with a random band's logo on the front. She had pale skin, blue eyes, and a constant devil-may-care smug look on her face. She kept her hair cut short, and in what she called her most recent fashion experiment had dyed it forest green. Link had taken a liking to that, and she figured she'd keep it. "Heard you and Reggie talking, figured you'd be coming around soon."
Link smiled and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her into a quick kiss. "How was work?"
Saria chuckled softly, shrugging a little as she hugged him back. "Sucked, what else is new. Class also sucked, get the feeling it's the same story for you." She grinned at him. "Lemme guess. Pretentious history professor, boring math class, but the law class actually had you interested. Right?"
Link laughed and rolled his eyes a bit. "You know me so well, babe. Such is the life of a legal student – gotta take the bad with the good, right?"
Saria smirked and nodded. "Pretty much. But hey, no work today so at least you only have to deal with one bunch of idiots, right?"
"Pretty much. Looking forward to crashing out for the weekend." Link smirked a bit as he stepped around her and into his bedroom. "Why were you in here, anyway?"
Saria laughed softly. "Do I need permission to poke around my boyfriend's room?" Aforementioned room was painted a simple cream color, with Link's bed on one side near the window. A small shelf was put into the corner near where his pillow was, with a phone charging dock and a lamp on it. On the opposite side of his room was his desk, which was – as usual – a mess of papers and assorted junk.
Link rolled his eyes as he crashed into his chair. "Guess not. Just curious is all."
Saria smirked and stuck her tongue out at him before leaning against his chair. "Well if you must know, I took the liberty of trying to sort some of this mess out a bit. You really need to stay on top of all this, you know?"
Link let out a sigh before turning to face his desk. "Tell that to all the professors that assign multi-page reports on the same weekend that I have to cover for someone else."
Saria rolled her eyes at that. "Aww, poor baby... Well, at least I could do something." She patted one pile of paperwork. "School stuff here, work stuff on the opposite side, all your writing and drawing and such in the middle drawer. Try to keep it organized, mmmkay?"
Link nodded, leaning up to give her another kiss. "Thanks, Saria."
A moment later, Reggie came around down the hall and poked his head in. "Hey, lovebirds. Hate to interrupt, but Link? We've got boffing tonight, gotta get ready for the big event next month."
Link groaned softly as he turned in his chair. "Dang, forgot... Think I've got time to at least get a nap in, first? I slept like crap last night."
This had Saria's attention as she looked at him with concern. "Nightmares again?" Link just nodded. "You need to talk to someone if these keep up. Especially if it's the same one every night... Link it's been a week."
Link just nodded. "I know, I know... Just no time, y'know? I'll see what I can do during spring break." He pulled his hoodie off, dropping it on the back of his chair and glancing at Reggie. "Lemme get a nap in and I'll be ready, okay?"
Reggie just gave him a thumbs up and left. Saria paused for a moment as she moved for the door, before smiling at him. "Link... Make sure you talk to someone once the dust has settled. The stress could be getting to you, and I don't want you to have any issues from it all." She blew him a kiss. "Love you, sleep well."
Link smiled at her, before moving a few clothes off of his bed and collapsing into it. He shifted around for a moment, trying to get comfortable and at least get a nap in.
Meanwhile, high above Hyrule...
A tiny ball of light was streaking down, towards Lon Lon City. Few paid it any mind, simply seeing it as a star high above. The ball of light streaked along the streets of the city, almost seeming to be searching for something as it stopped around windows, examined the surrounding area... And then continued on.
If anyone was to give this ball of light a closer look, they could make out a faint pair of gossamer wings flittering and flapping like mad. This little ball was no simple star, or trick of the eye.
It was a fairy. A real, genuine fairy, flying across Hyrule and searching for something... Or, more specifically, someONE. This fairy had just awakened from an incredibly long slumber, given a simple mission to pursue, and sent out.
This fairy's name was Navi. And she was incredibly confused by this strange new world.
You know, it's surprising how refreshing just a change of story is to a writer. I had a lot of fun working on this introduction, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
This is just the beginning, though - setting the scene for the new Hyrule that Link's new adventure is going to unfold in.
Read and review, folks!