The King of Sands

On arriving in Castle Town, the first thing to strike the young king was the smell. Well, more precisely, the lack of certain smells. Absent were the familiar scents of dust and heat, of spice and sweat, odours that he had previously associated with populous areas and markets. Instead the air reeked of pungent foodstuffs, both fresh and rotten, stinking freely in the dry atmosphere without the camouflage afforded by humidity. Raw fish, raw flesh, strange flowers, strange pets, over-ripe fruits and over-ripe cheese; all of these seemed to vie for the title of strongest stench. The smells were inescapable and quite nauseating.

Suddenly aware of the stares he was receiving, the young man attempted to alter his expression into something other than a grimace. As a stranger in a strange land, it would be unwise to make such a bad first impression. The very worst thing to do would be to attract too much attention. He feigned a wistful look, but from the corner of his eyes observed that the stares had not reduced in number. To the contrary, quite a number of people had began to crowd around to the extent that the path to the palace was now outlined by staggered walls of townsfolk. Just as each wandering trader began to join the growing throng, so each pair of wandering eyes began to drift across the procession, and, invariably, fix upon the king. He let out an involuntary sigh. So much for not attracting attention.

Of course, thought the king, they would stare no matter what. Despite the town's somewhat metropolitan nature, a procession of foreign royalty was still something rare and awesome to behold. Thrust back into uncomfortable self-awareness, the man tried his best to adopt a noble posture, regal even, as he sat astride his great black stallion, and rode carefully between the watching crowds. Thankfully the townsfolk were at least accustomed enough to the visits of foreign dignitaries that they had the good sense not to block the group's passage to the castle. To have an escort of Hyrulean cavalry as well as his own guards seemed excessive; it seemed the castle loved its pagaentry.

Trying to focus on something other than the smells and stares confronting him in this strange city, the man rehearsed his reason for being here. Time passes so quickly, he thought. Only two months previous had he even been crowned. He lost himself in thoughts and memories for the rest of the journey.

The people of Hyrule crowded the path more and more densely as the procession continued. There was no cheering, but no jeering either. A weighty silence seemed to cover the whole town as the people witnessed the majestic stranger glide into their city. As young as he was, his presence was forceful, magnetic even; he rode his horse like a king, upright and strong. And with green skin and a great jewel buried in his forehead, he was unlike anything the Hyruleans had ever seen. Even his name tasted strange on the tongue. And this man had power; those with foresight in the crowd could feel it. A strange power had come to Hyrule. Things were sure to happen. History was sure to be made.

Ganondorf, the King of Sands, had arrived.

Hi all! My first time contributing to this site. I want to expand this out at some point to make a more chunky opening chapter, but I'm still feeling out the structure for the story I want to tell. Expect some edits!

I hope you enjoy the little that I'm putting up for now, short as it is. If you read it and like it, please let me know - I treasure all the encouragement I get! I promise you're in for quite the story if you stick with me (not that this is apparent from the above yet!).

Thanks so much in advance!

~LF