Author's Note: I finally finished transitioning this thing from notebook to computer. It took longer than I wanted to write. It took way too long typing it out. Here is your first official chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Legend of Zelda. The character Jason Zobel is largely my own fabrication and loosely based on various personifications of fellow author Lone Nightblade's roleplaying character Jas Nightblade. He owns intellectual rights to the name of this character, but I have some intellectual rights to the actual character behind the name. It's a toss up, and if Lone Nightblade were to declare full rights over the character, I would not contest his claim. Link, on the other hand is definitely my own creation and not to be confused with the character that appears as the hero of the video game series. Once you read the story this will become very apparent. King Harlonian is a derivative of King Harkinian and may thus be taken as such. Princess Zelda is owned by Nintendo. Many original characters will appear in this story and some of them are partially based on roleplaying characters of friends and will be listed as such when they surface. Nothamus is loosely based on a rival of of Jas Nightblade named Nathen and some rights may go to Lone Nightblade for this as well. Tolbin Zobel and Ruth Senolin are not based in any part on anything but the role I set them in.

Chapter 1: Exodus

1297H 19th of Rainfallen

A heavy silence hung over a dreary Hyrule Castle as the thick storm clouds boiled across the sky. The rumbling and gloom of the weather only further contributed to anxiety of King Harlonian. The unkind years following the attacks had brutally ravaged his youthful appearance, transforming his healthy blond hair to a snowy white more than a decade before it was due. Haggard lines were showing prominence around his stern eyes. Though only in his early forties, the man appeared to be no less than a good fifty.

His grim, tense face pored over the reports from the battle field. According to General Zobel, the casualties were rising at a steadily increasing pace. The General had made his own calculations that the Hylian Army could only hope to stave off the Moblin advance a mere two weeks as the momentum of the war carried on. The men needed to retreat to a more strategic defensive position or they would be overrun. What the King of Hyrule was reading was a request to withdraw to the safety of the walls. Sweat began to bead on Harlonian's brow as he weighed his options. If the men withdrew, it would put his subjects in danger. If he ordered them to hold their ground, it would cost the lives of countless good men. Too many had fallen already. After setting the reports aside, the King dipped a quill into his inkwell and went to work on a letter. That darkened evening King Harlonian wrote three sealed letters with a grave resolution set in his eyes.

The first of the letters was addressed to General Tolbin Zobel. It was a response to the General's request, detailing what Harlonian decided to be the best course of action and the orders to which the General was to adhere. The men were to hold their position three days to give adequate time for the evacuation of the women and children before falling back to defensive posts within the walls. The second letter was addressed to Captain Mathas Hallander of the Royal Guard. This letter contained the orders for preparation of the guards whom were to escort the refugees. There would be two groups, the upper class and the lower class. The elderly, women, and youth below the age of sixteen years were to leave in the morning two days later for Kakariko Village to the east. The third and final letter was composed and delivered to Harlonian's daughter, Princess Zelda. It's contents were never made known.

1297H 20th of Rainfallen

Each and every family within the protective walls of the Hyrule Castle Town spent the following day gathering what belongings they could carry and hiding what must be left behind from potential pillagers. The guards prepared carriages at the gate to transport the wealthy and it was decided to let the poor walk. It was a choice that was widely accepted by the upper class, though it set much of the lower class to their bickering. There were a few small disputes in the earlier part of the afternoon, some of which were settled by the guards, but the lower class gradually resigned to their appointed role in society. The day was another of overcast skies, though the rain and lightning never came. By nightfall everything had become as still and quiet as death. It was another smothering silence, heavy with the familiar restlessness that settled on each house and home. The night brought only troubled sleep as it wore on until the cucco's crow announced the arrival of morning.

1297H 21st of Rainfallen

Warning bells rang loudly at the sound of the first cucco crowing. The dead streets sprang to life as panicking peasants poured from their doorways into the darkness of town. No one wanted to be left behind and everyone proceeded to the gates in a state of chaos. In the uproar, the guards spent two hours setting the upper class on their way in their carriages. They were preceded and flanked by guards on horseback, most notably Captain Hallander himself, and were estimated to arrive in Kakariko in the evening. This was another cause of the disputes. The lower class would not be arriving until the following day, late in the afternoon. To strain tempers more, the storm avoided the night before would be making its appearance tonight. Though well into Spring, the stormy nights were still cold. Once the upper class had cleared the gate and crossed the drawbridge, the remainder of the guards began organizing those who were left. Two and a half hours later, everyone was finally on their way to Kakariko Village. The lower class were being escorted in a similar formation, albeit more loosely guarded. Only a few of the commanding guards were on horseback here and the rest marched on foot like the people they escorted.

Among the lower class walked one person scarcely noticed, one with higher status than all others in the group. The healthy son of General Zobel strode indifferently alongside a homeless adolescent Gerudo. He blended right in, having donned a ragged training outfit from his swordsmanship class. He, like his father, had natural proficiency with the blade and he had ruined this suit last week in a duel with one of the younger guards. It served as a good disguise but a few women recognized his face and curtsied, much to his chagrin. His brown tunic was dirty with many rips and cuts and the tan breeches had dried mud caked onto the knees; hardly clothes suitable for one of his status, but he didn't seem to notice. The Gerudo companion walking with him was a year and a half younger than him, unknowingly passing his birthday a a month and a half ago. A coarse vest of blue hung loosely on his shoulders over his slim torso. A crude leather belt held a baggy pair of off-white pants firmly on his waist. The two drifted off to the side, avoiding the biggest part of the crowd to have more space as they talked.

"Thanks for stickin' back to keep me company on the trip, Jas, but I wish ya'd just've gotten me outta here with the uppers," the red-headed Gerudo commented to the blond Hylian.

The Hylian teen answered, "Are you joking, Link?" His voice began to grow stern. "Do you have any idea how much those snobby, uptight women complain when displaced from their comfortable lives and luxuries? Don't forget, also, that the rest of the rich kids detest the lower class. You must remember the name calling."

"Aww, c'mon. You know they don't mean it. Everyone loves me," the Link responded with a slight smirk.

The Hylian chuckled, "Try selling those words to Miss Tannip. When you pilfered her apple pie out of the window, she insisted that I discipline you with a swift slap the next time I saw you." That said, Jason quickly swung his arm and popped his friend in the back of the head.

"Oww!" Link winced and scowled at Jason. "What in blazes was that for?!"

The older boy laughed, "Have you not heard a word I have spoken?"

"Oh, right. The apple pie. Ugh.. it made me sick for two days. Wasn't that punishment enough?" The Gerudo rubbed the back of his head and ruffled his short, curly red hair. "How'd ya get your mum to let you take the trip with me anyway? I see the dirty looks she gives me when she sees us talking."

Jason shrugged and glanced sideways at Link, "About that. Yeah, well Mother is not aware that I am here with you."

Link snickered, "Lady Ruth would be stompin' mad if she knew."

"Allison is covering for me. Mother will not find out. Do you have any plans for Kakariko, Link?"

"Guess things're diff'rent there for me, eh?"

"Certainly. It is much more quiet there. Mother and her friends gossip about it. They claim that people only live there because they are too poor to live in the Castle Town. You know how those ladies are."

"Ya know what though?" Link turned to Jason as they walked across the vast plains of Hyrule. "I really just want a home."

"If my Father had his way, you would be living with us. Mother refuses to allow a homeless Gerudo to reside under our roof. Even a warrior like my Father will not defy Mother's wishes, and Mother will not yield." While passing farms in the distance, a pair of horses caught Jason's eye, trotting through a pasture. "What is your opinion of those horses, Link? Father promised me a fine stallion when he returns from the war."

"They seem like good horses t'me. I don't know much 'bout 'em though. Isn't the fighting going bad? That's why we're leavin' for the village, right? Ya think the Knights can hold back the monsters?"

The Hylian stopped where he stood and spoke proudly. "Father will bring this war to an end. Wait and you'll see. No one has ever defeated my Father."

Jason's confidence restored Link's morale and put his faith back in the Hylian Army, even if only briefly. The Gerudo looked back at a chocolate colored steed with a glimmer of hope. "Ya think I can ride your horse when it's all over?"

Jason smiled, "Of course. That is what friends are for, correct? You are my best friend after all."

Later, as the journey wore on and the afternoon began melting into evening, the looming storm that had been hanging in the horizon struck. The rolling thunder had sounded its ominous warning while the sky continued to darken. Rain soon made its appearance after lightning began flashing in the clouds. The storm sapped everyone's already low spirits and added to the weight of worry they already bore. As the precipitation intensified, even Jason's shoulders began to sag. There was no helping it. Everyone had to perservere. There would be no safe haven in these fields, so the refugees were forced to endure the storm and press ever onward towards their destination. Hidden beyond the heavy dark clouds, the sun was starting to hang low in the western sky. These storms were absurdly frequent since the Moblins had returned, even so that the superstitious formed a connection between the two.

Hour after hour the downpour continued until the only remaining light radiated from the lightning that shot across the sky, bringing loud crashes of thunder. The downcast masses trudged through muddy fields, begging for shelter or an end to the rain. Neither seemed to be at hand. With low spirits the guards and eldest of the youngsters set to work, erecting shelters of wooden slats to support a canvas roof. Bed rolls were scattered under these makeshift canopies so that everyone could camp for the rest of the night out of the rain. There was very little conversation and everyone seemed on edge. Even Link had become quiet. Jason missed his upbeat sarcasm and turned to thoughts of his father. The women were beside themselves with worry and many of the young children and babies were crying. The darkness of the storm was affecting everyone. Even the guards seemed afraid. Everyone felt it.

"Something is not right. I cannot discern the exact problem, but I am certain there is something wrong," Jason spoke to Link, concerned, as he stood under the edge of a shoddy tent to watch the storm. "I am not sure why I feel this way, but everything seems wrong."

Link kicked at the mud, digging a sandaled toe into soggy earth. "It feels like a hundred, no, a thousand eyes are watchin' us from out there." His eyes never once raised from the ground.

"That is exactly how I feel, too. Do you suppose we might be attacked out here tonight?" Jason turned to face his friend in the torchlight.

"Prolly not," Link started, looking up to meet Jason's eyes. "They say the Moblins all comin' from the south somewhere, right? Since we're all goin' east, shouldn't we be okay?" He dropped his gaze back to the mud that he still dug his sandal into,

"We should be safe, but it is not making this leaden dread disperse is it?"

Link sighed in response. He bore the harsh weight of anxiety as heavily as the Hylians.

A new voice joined into the conversation. "Don't worry, Zobel," a young man wearing the armor and apparel of the Hylian Guard called from the rain with an emotionless voice. "We can always throw that desert rat out to appease the Moblins if they show their ugly faces here."

"Take that back you bastard!" The young Gerudo snapped to attention and sprang from the shelter after the guard before Jason could catch him. He slid a small knife from a sheath on his belt.

"Link! Stop!" Jason ran after Link, taking note of the weapon he held.

"Come on then!" The guard shouted his challenge to the Gerudo, drawing more attention to the escalating altercation. People were drawing closer to see the events that were unfolding.

Link tried to thrust his knife, but instead doubled over. The toe of the guard's heavy boot had jabbed painfully into the Gerudo's midsection, and was followed by a knee to his face. The fight was gone from Link and he fell backwards. His aggressor stood over him, coldly regarding the figure sprawled out laying on his side in the mud. The Gerudo only held onto the last frayed thread of his consciousness as the Hylian Sword left its sheath. As Link's half open eyes caught sight of the sword, the blade seemed so distant to him as the guard prepared his finishing blow.

"One of these days we'll be rid of your kind, worthless thieves the whole lot of you!" The poised blade swung forcefully down and met with a loud clang.

Jason held back the lethal blow back with his own sword, the same sword his father had been granted in his days in the militia so long ago.

"If you are looking for a rematch from last week, I am ready. Otherwise, I suggest you walk away now, Nothamus!"

"Why do you defend him?! He will get you into his trouble too someday!" Nothamus pressed his attack in spite of Jason's blade.

While vainly straining against Jason's sword, Nothamus glanced around at the spectators that had gathered. It wasn't in his best interests to risk losing a second time in front of this audience. His green eyes were locked to Jason's unwavering blue eyes as he continued to struggle. It was the infuriated guard that submitted, leaving Jason to deal with the fading Gerudo that lay at his feet. Nothamus disappeared beyond the light of the torch. Kneeling to pick Link up, Jason caught the reflection of lightning off the blade of Link's knife. He decided to hang onto it, lest the Gerudo get himself into more trouble with it later. Jason slung his friend's now unconscious body over his shoulder after addressing the onlookers with a sigh and carried him back under the tent. After placing Link on a bedroll, Jason sat on a wet patch of grass and stared out into the darkness.

The rainfall continued, lightening through the night. The thunder and lightning had ceased not too long after the incident with Nothamus and the majority of the refugees had succumbed to their fatigue and now slept. Jason still sat alone in the dark, contemplating the recent turn of events. He missed his family horribly. His father he hadn't seen in weeks. His mother and sister hopefully were in Kakariko Village resting at an Inn. The rain was very depressing. He supposed Link was right, perhaps he should have taken this trip with the upper class. He felt dreadfully lonely now, as Link remained unconscious nearby. He continued to sit there in the dark with his thoughts.

In due time he slept as well.

Closing Note: Well, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? If you like it, tell me in a review. If you hate it, let me know what you don't like about it. If you find inconsistencies in the story, please let me know. Also, please report any spelling errors/typos outside of reviews so I can correct them. I'm off to bed now. I hope to have the next chapter up in another month or two. Goodnight everyone.