Dear Readers -
I am happy to announce that I am starting anew on this story which was once only a half-baked concept. I now know exactly where the tale is headed, and I'm excited to take you there!
Here is a new romance/adventure/thriller for fans of this particular pairing. Soon after you begin, you may notice (if you haven't already) that my style of writing is quite detailed, and can sometimes be described as "infodump." The most infodump is in this first chapter below, and then the story picks up. You must endure, dear readers! I assure you that I deliberately include specific detail in my work only when absolutely necessary. I am a huge fan of poetic circumstances, smart foreshadowing and well placed symbolism. These tools allow anyone who later re-reads my story to be dealt a nice dose of what I call "re-reader's shock," one of my favorite "Eureka!" sensations. Oh, you'll see what I mean.
From now on, I will only attach forewords or afterwords to chapters when I feel something urgently needs to be explained, and/or I have an announcement concerning my updating tardiness. I tend to like my chapters near-perfect; it takes time to edit. Speaking of which, I NEED A BETA READER who can proofread my newest chapters before I post them online. If interested, please send me a private message, and please be realistic about your grammar skills; I need meticulous help.
One final point: In any future forewords or afterwords, I will not repeat one thing over and over. I will say it once, now: PLEASE review and possibly subscribe! I am only doing this to share my excitement and enthusiasm for this world with fellow fans, and it is greatly encouraging to know I have at least one reader who likes what I do. Whenever you are not crunched for time, please relate your thoughts about new chapters and the story in general. It feeds my muse, who then persuades me to get out bigger, better chapters faster!
Thank you for reading this horrendous introduction.
For your pleasure, I now present: Shade
- Romantic Nocturne
-Chapter One - Prologue-
Land of Majesty
The land was unlike any other place there ever was. There you could smell possibility in the air, taste freedom in the water, and hear mystery on the wind. A sensation of pride and prospect buzzed through the atmosphere of Hyrule, a place with an enchanting history. The creation story was known by all; taught to the young and remembered by the elderly…
The Three Golden Goddesses - Din, of power and might; Nayru, of wisdom and sense; and Farore, of courage and compassion- crafted a world that was kept alive with their intended peace and balance. Din sculpted land in every shape, from the sodden basin of Lake Hylia in the Southwest to the dry, rocky ranges of Death Mountain in the Northeast, and the vast pastures in between. Farore cultivated life, both forest and blood, and granted the humans free will and the ability to create and, equally, destroy. Their fair sister, the Goddess Nayru, blessed and cursed this new world to prosper and decay with time, which she intended to be descended unto all creation equally, and that no ordinary escape from it could occur. Once every piece of Hyrule's existence had been fabricated and placed, the Goddesses among them created one last treasure. Each Goddess shed a tear of their gift, a very small portion of their ability, into a relic of solid power, wisdom, and courage, enveloped in the purest gold: The Triforce. Leaving the world to the beings and circumstance they had produced, they intended this other-worldly object to become a tool that worthy possessors may use themselves to mend any unnatural disorder. They hid this incredible artifact away, deep in an area only those of worth could enter upon, an ethereal place not physically attached to the lands of Hyrule: the Sacred Realm. The Three then ascended to the unreachable heavens to watch over their labors.
Magic lived everywhere, in everything, from the studied arts in gypsies' tents to the sparkle of the sun on a river's current. Magic is what made the very air seem to whirl with energy. Bottled healing fairies and enchanted clothes were popular among well-to-do market prowlers, though basic potions and spiritual objects were commonplace in most Hylian homes. People sometimes made a living off of magic if they were proficient in their spells and could be trusted to defend important people.
Everyone had their own story to exist in, each day living in new chapters and each night dreaming of their past ones. Time moved on, and stories grew, and there was wonder in every existence.
But everywhere, too, was danger. In Hyrule, you had to be careful.
Hyrule was by no means in a golden age. Not many lived in fortune and wealth, and fewer went on with splendid health, and problems certainly did not solve themselves. The abundance of lush nature and existence of magic through the land was nothing noticeably miraculous to the people who lived there; it was just the way it was and had been since the creation. Times were not simple, nor were they direly complex. Times were merely calm. No, Hyrule was not enjoying a golden age. It was resting in an aftermath.
It had been nearly a year since a powerful darkness that had gripped Hyrule had been fought, conquered, and banished. Before then, Hyrule had suffered seven dreadful years in a battle that started with a betrayal.
Ganon was a strong man; leader of the Gerudo tribe in their desert, and once trusted by the people of Hyrule and their noble King. The two leaders ruled their own territories respectively, until Ganon mysteriously vanished. Not even the women of the Gerudo tribe seemed to know of his whereabouts, and they readjusted to living without a master, for after all, only one male Gerudo was born every hundred years.
Ganon mysteriously reappeared in the lands of Hyrule ten years later. For his return, the King of Hyrule hosted a splendid celebration to which most of Hyrule's upper class were invited to attend. During the festivities in the royal castle, Ganon made his treacherous move. He unleashed a terrible display of dark magic and summoned horrible fiends to utterly destroy the castle, the guests… and the King of Hyrule himself. The King's daughter, Princess Zelda, and her protector Impa escaped the royal grounds and went into hiding. For the next seven years the Demon of the Desert ruled over Hyrule as a brutal tyrant, with the Goddess' mark of power in his blood, for dark fate had granted him a piece of the holy Triforce.
All of Hyrule's inhabitants lived in fear and desperation. The beauty of the world had fallen to gloom. Possibility and freedom were the ideas of miracles, and the wind spoke of nothing but anguish. And when all hope had faded; when every memory was weak and every story had stopped . . . The Hero rose.
For one brutal year the he fought valiantly against the powers of Ganon and his large army, and with strength and pure determination, he prevailed. With the great power of the Triforce of Courage and the six Worldly Sages, Ganon was sealed in the world of twilight.
The Hero had won. Hyrule was saved.
The sun chased the moon over twelve months since the day of retribution. Although celebration now lived on in the people's hearts and minds, by this time the jubilant festivals around Hyrule had dissipated and the world had begun its repair.
Aside from cultures and domains having been reduced to ruin, the leading command of evil had now been destroyed, leaving behind monsters without a purpose; an unorganized army of darkness. The wretched still hid underground, awaiting orders that would never come. Cruel spirits still lurked in their dungeons, hiding from the light, and creatures of blood-lust still clung to the walls of their caves, lost and confused without their leader's direction. This is why, after a year since Ganon's ultimate defeat, the Hero's work was unfinished.
It was decreed that the peasants of Hyrule had suffered enough for the mistakes of those in power. Common citizens were not responsible for the destruction of their own land, and so they would be spared the danger of hunting down the remains of the dark army and instead be left to rebuild their lives in their own ways. The task of washing away the last of evil belonged to Princess Zelda (having survived the battle while aiding the Hero with the power of the Triforce of Wisdom), her royal guard, and the Hero, who searched the lands of Hyrule for lingering enemies and one by one disposed of them. No foe was ever too much of a challenge, and although the job was tedious and seemed unending, it had not proved very life-threatening.
As the group stamped out the last of the evil in their lands, the people of Castletown, Kakariko Village and Lon-Lon ranch began replenishing their market goods and renewing their trade. The strong Gorons of Death Mountain dug into the earth again, discovering new minerals and excavating a new city. The noble Zora began cleansing their waters and passing along their knowledge of healing magic to other Hylian domains, and the Kokiri Forest children . . . well, they still didn't know what was going on.
Hyrule was healing. Again, times may not have been simple, but they were calm. Life went on. The Hylians all had their tasks; they continued their stories, as the Hero of Time continued his.