Authors Note: Hi all! This is my first attempt at a legend of zelda fanfic, I hope you like it. Please let me know your thoughts, but I must state that this has no schedule like my other fic. It will be updated when I have the opportunities.
The sun rose high for the early morning over the desert Land of Dyuniom, the hot sand blown around by the occasional gust of wind. Running throughout all of the towns was the Grand River. There, the calm water ran in one huge loop, twisted and bent in some regards. Each village was formed either with the Grand River running through it, or alongside it. The wasteland of a desert was greatly unexplored past this giant ring. Many were afraid of what the sand's secrets had been holding within each grain.
Floating along the water was a small wooden boat with special carvings on the side to symbolise good luck. Sailing down the Grand River on the boat was an eleven-year-old boy who lay on his side, taking his nap. His skin was tanned, his messy blonde hair and pointy ears was hit by the calm wind, his blue eyes closed shut. He was wearing a somewhat loose white short sleeved shirt that had a green stitch pattern running along. The bottom the shirt was so long that it reached past his waist in length. He was also wearing a pair of short pants. A regular on the Grand River, he tended to carry cargo back and forth between towns for rupees. Three wooden crates lay beside him, not too big but containing valuable items.
Link liked the Grand River a lot. He rarely liked to leave it. The small boat was his home, almost. The only times he ever got off the river was when he was either unloading the cargo, picking up more cargo or the rare occasion when there was threat of a sandstorm, or the rarely occurring storm. The water felt so peaceful that it only got rough in some areas. The blonde pointy eared boy suddenly felt something land on his legs, causing him to stir from his sleep. He sat up and looked down at a small rock on his lap. He turned his gaze to the right to see younger children on the side of the Grand River.
"Heeey!" one of the many children called out, recognizing Link. He smiled, tossing the stone into the water. Those were the children of Granicos Village, the place where he was raised. It was the smallest village out of them all along the Grand River. The young boy grabbed the oars and began to row down the river, having to take control of the boat himself. It was not long before he saw a wide dock up ahead where many other boats rested, but there was plenty of room for his. When he got close, Link tossed the rope from the side of the boat, wrapping it around one of the metal pieces to hold his boat from moving. Once he was safely secure, the blonde boy prepared himself and his arms, and lifting up one of the crates, putting it on the dock, panting. The three boxes were very heavy for him. He had no clue how he was going to get all three to their destination in the village.
"Hoi there, kid!" he heard, and saw an older adult woman on the dock, who was wearing a black and white robe with a hood pulled over her head, and appeared quite muscular. Her orange colored hair hung loose, hiding under her hood and robe for the most part. Link smiled, recognizing Rinali, a boats repair expert and a friend of his. As they met a lot, she tended to help him whether he wanted it or not. She was usually laidback, but would not hesitate to show off her strength. She offered her hand to the young boy. He put his hand in hers, and she helped him onto the dock, and she then pulled the other two crates out of the boat.
"How was your trip to Vikreba Village?" Rinali asked as she watched Link pick up the one crate, groaning from having to use a lot of his strength for it, though it was the heaviest of the three. The two of them began to walk, their feet tapping against the dock beneath them until they stepped onto the hot sand. Link smiled, nodding his head to imply everything was smooth as usual. He was a mute child, and he never really had the desire to talk growing up. When he tried, it always failed, but no one minded, as everyone could tell what he wanted or was trying to talk about through minor gestures.
"Well that's good, at least… people are getting more afraid here," Rinali sighed, sounding quite depressed. Link tilted his head confusedly as they arrived to the delivery point, setting the three crates down. The blonde boy was thankful for her help, but focused on what she had just said, considering the original buyer that was interested in these said supplies was nowhere in sight, so he had to wait for him if he wanted his rupee payment for the deliveries. The young boy looked at her in a way to request her to continue while they stood around. She nodded, glad to explain.
"From what I hear, the old guy that lives on the edge of the village began to scream last night about some curse… something horrible occurring… I don't understand it all myself," Rinali explained to the best of her ability. It just sounded like an average symptom of a man's growing age losing his mind quite fast overtime. Link did not like the sound of that, but brushed it aside, not wanting to go getting into trouble that could be handled by the village patrol. He knew them as guards that were assigned in a village in case bandits tried to raid the small village or far worse. Thankfully not much trouble had befallen either of them, let alone the entire village. Danger was not too common.
They saw an older man come over to them. He was the shopkeeper who had been awaiting his supplies. He seemed surprised and happy to see the young supply delivery child. Link gave a wave, greeting him.
"Well hello there, Link. I did not expect you to be here with the supplies until tomorrow," he said in surprise. The young boy worked very fast. Seeing him with Rinali though gave the merchant an annoyed appearance on his face. The tanned woman was not talked about in good ways, except for her ability to repair boats like everyone else. Otherwise, to most, she was a bother.
"Right, well… here, let me give you extra for your expedited work," the shopkeeper hummed, pulling out a small pouch from his pocket and opening it. He pulled out two silver rupees. Link smiled brightly upon getting them. They were worth 100 rupees each. He put them in his rupee pouch, though the main reason he worked so fast was so he could go on the next trip to adventure to another village. He loved exploring more than the money, though the money was nice to have and helped occasionally when he had things to purchase.
"I'll let you go handle your business, Link. I'll help the shopkeeper get his merchandise in," Rinali stated. The merchant groaned.
"Thank you… I suppose…" he huffed, watching her pick up all three of the crates with ease. Link thanked her watching them go inside he wondered what to do now though, as he pondered on it he noticed something odd. A big shadow being cast over him he looked up seeing a lot of clouds in the sky nearly obstructing the sun completely, it was a pleasant surprise to get this weather it might be the very rare occurrence of rain. But the blonde boy paid it little mind he was hungry right now, so he set off to get something to eat.
Link walked through Granicos Village, greeting the occasional people he met. They were quite friendly with him and a lot of people knew him in this village, though this was the smallest village out of every one of them, with the least population to boot. He arrived to a small wooden building with a bunch of tarps on the top of it to act as the roof. Only a few others were inside today, as Link could see as he entered. The small food seller's establishment was a small digging out of the sand with stone steps around that were acting as seats, with a decent sized fire in a circular carved bowl, the fire blazing in it. The fire here was the best source for cooking. The smoke produced flew up through an opening in the tarp, which was illuminating the darkness within.
Link went to the back counter, taking a seat on a stool, glad to get some rest after carrying that heavy box.
"What can I get you?" the man behind the counter asked. The young blonde boy he could see the shelves behind the semi friendly cook, all of which housed jars and foods, though the living fish in the water jar was something he did not want to try right now. Link pointed randomly to a red jar, curious about what was in it.
"Twenty rupees," the cook requested, Link giving one of his silver rupees over. The cook handed him the change consisting of four red rupees, each of which were worth twenty each. He smiled, pocketing them all before being handed the jar full of red. He took the lid off, raising an eyebrow when he saw a jelly like substance inside. Link shrugged, bringing it to his lips. The jelly tasted pretty good. He began to just chug it down like a drink. After a few seconds, he exhaled, having enjoyed it to the last drop.
"Never seen someone drink chu chu jelly that fast," someone spoke, taking a seat beside Link. The young boy looked over to see him. He was very tall and skinny, wearing an orange robe, but also looked very depressed. Link wondered what was wrong with him as he looked to the elder, who could tell with a second's gaze what was on his mind.
"I'm sorry. I am Poyanum. I am a lookout at the eastern edge of the village… Or I was until last night," Poyanum sighed, looking quite frustrated. However, they began to hear rumbling and a hissing noise shortly after. The two of them looked back to the fire, which was being struck. The opening in the roof was now allowing rain to drizzle in, much to the peoples' all around delightful surprise. The fire quickly drowned out. Link smiled, hopping off his stool and running outside. The sun was nearly completely blocked out. The dark storm clouds had begun to rain down upon Granicos Village. The blonde boy could see children eagerly playing outside people and collecting the rain in barrels, or getting ready to enjoy the weather for as long as the rain drizzled on.
"And this is how it begun… the sign of their appearance…" Poyanum muttered, walking out beside Link. The young boy was concerned about this elder's mental state, but he was not screaming at the top of his lungs over anything. He tried to just enjoy feeling the cool rain against his hair and skin. However, this meant that he was stuck in Granicos due to the heavier waters of the grand river, so Link decided to spend the night here, since he doubted it would be long before night came, though it was not easy to tell with the obscuration of the sun. He began to walk, leaving a footprint in the sand each step he took that would quickly be covered up again. The young blonde knew of a place he could rest at. Poyanum watched him walk away, and then turned his gaze back at the sky.
"If I am to die… please permit it to be fast…"