We're back! Another chapter ready to roll! Let's begin...with a disclaimer!

I hereby disclaim that I do not own the rights to The Legend of Zelda franchise. All rights belong to Nintendo. I only own what OCs I make up, but all our lovable characters and the wonderful lands of Hyrule and its sister countries of Lorule, Holodrum, and Labrynna are owned by Nintendo.

A Not So Homely Welcome

The smell of sea water and the cry of the gull, mixed with the sound of hard labour and the feeling of sand under her feet made a pleasant welcoming experience for Zelda. After spending an entire day at sea she was happy to be on solid ground, especially since she couldn't swim. This was a concern she had shared with Lysander after the shores of Hyrule were out of sight.

Lysander had made for pleasant company. After leaving Hyrule, his attitude had changed. He was almost a completely different man from the one whom she had met at the inn and had been afraid of. Apparently that had been a front. As he had said: "Me and my people have a reputation to keep up. Can't have those fat Hylians think we're going soft on them. We appear foul in their eyes to discourage them from trying to take advantage of us when doing trade."

The more Zelda talked with him, the more she grew to like Lysander as a person. He was witty, smart, and had a sense of humor. He proved to be understanding and wasn't nosy. Many times he had talked to Zelda in the same manner a father would talk to his daughter. He even had the protective, caring nature of a father, and had openly expressed concern for Zelda's personal health.

What had surprised Zelda the most had been his generosity. It was at noon and Zelda's stomach had begun growling. She had tried to hide it, but Lysander's hearing proved sharper than an owl's. Silently, he had reached into a bag behind him and brought out an entire loaf of bread. He places the whole loaf in her hands, closing her fingers around it. Zelda was surprised by this gift. This amount before her already exceeded that of the small meals that had once been so commonplace to her. She had begun tearing into it, ripping large chunks out and swallowing them almost whole.

In the silence that accompanied her meal she was given the time to think. She thought about all the past meals she had eaten in the palace dining hall. How even though the meal was rich the servings had been severely small. It had been barely enough to sustain her until her next meal of the day.

Now that Zelda had thought about it, the portions served to the men in the palace had dwarfed the portions served to the women. Indeed, her own father's plate would be so stacked that her own serving would look pitifully tiny in comparison.

She had never asked why except once. At one of the many parties she had attended, she had asked a court lady beside her why their portions of food were so minuet compared to the men's. The lady had merely replied that it was because Hylian men preferred thin women. Zelda had even recalled this women being remarkably thin.

The thought had made resentment rise up in Zelda. But more powerful had been the sadness she had felt in that moment. Had she really been starved her whole life - by her father no less - simply so she would look appealing to a group of fat, idiotic fools?

She had thought back to all the times Impa would sneak her an extra serving of bread at the end of the day. At the time she had given it no thought, for she had simply believed Impa was sneaking her an extra treat, the way a grandparent or an aunt who loves to spoil you would sneak you an extra cookie when you weren't allowed one and it would be your two's little secret. She had also been to hungry to bother asking. Had never wondered why and would simply eat her snack before going to sleep.

But now that she was connecting the dots, she recalled Impa's sad smile and the worry lines her face. Zelda had never bothered asking her poor nurse what was wrong or why she was so sad. She had been to focused on her little treats and what she wanted for herself. Now she knew that there had been something wrong with herself, and Impa had been trying to help her.

Lysander had been watching her eat with a sad smile on his face. "Goddesses, what you must have been through. I have a daughter younger than you and she's never this hungry for bread." He had then studied Zelda more closely than when they had first met. "Now that I think about it, she probably weighs just as much as you do. Maybe even more."

After that, they fell into silence. When Zelda was done her bread she curled up and fell asleep, and Lysander didn't disturb her until they neared the western coast.

That is how Zelda arrived in Holodrum. Lysander had wished her luck before leaving for his home. Now she was on the western coast with only the clothes on her back and the rupees in her wallet.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, Zelda decides to find some food for the road and perhaps even a map to help her navigation. It takes some time but she soon finds herself a bar to order a meal from. When she walks in, some people cock there heads or raise a brow, but most don't pay here any mind. She orders herself a simple fish soup from the bartender, and when it was time to pay her tab she asks him where she could buy a map. He directs her to the cartographers and she pays him a hearty tip.

The cartographer's shop was a small store on the corner with large glass windows and walls and shelves lined with not just maps but anything made with paper that wasn't a book. He doesn't question her or give her any weird looks, and for that, Zelda is grateful. She's taking a liking to the Holodrums. They seem more laid back and not so uptight with traditional gender roles. In Hyrule, she was given nasty looks for walking into a public building on her own. Here, she does the same thing and only gets a few raised brows. If living in Holodrum hadn't looked appealing before, it certainly did now.

Once her map was paid for she leaves the shop and takes the nearest road, following her map away from the coast and its ports, and heading for the nearest settlement, Horon village.

The road is easygoing but long and tiresome, especially for one who has never walked for long distances before, save for one night on an adrenaline rush. She follows the road till she comes to a bend where tall trees grow along the sides. Her feet are weary from walking, and her head is hot from the sun. She has grown tired and she isn't certain how much further is the village from her current position. The trees look inviting to her, and their shadows so relaxing and cool. Turing off the road she lays down underneath a tree, closing her eyes and letting herself relax.

She must have taken a nap for when she opened her eyes the position of the sun had changed and the shadows were longer. Rising she dusts off her skirts before resuming her walk. She has not gone far before she sees other people.

A group of men - no more than four in number- are striding down the path in her direction. Their appearance is scuffed and foul, and something about them sends a chill down Zelda's spine. Perhaps it was the way they looked at her - hungry look full of desire complete with creeping smiles. Zelda does her best to avoid them, but soon she finds her path blocked off by the brutes. A rather disagreeable character swaggers towards her, smugly grinning as if he'd won himself a prize.

"Hello little lady," he hoarsely says. "What are ye doing out here all by yourself?"

Zelda is shaking in her shoes and has no idea what to do. She has never been in a situation like this before. Perhaps she could talk her way out? She wasn't confident it would work, but it was worth a try. "I am just on my way to Horon village to find a place of residence." Too late it is before she realizes her mistake.

The man and his cronies smile evilly. "So you're new here, ya?"

Zelda instinctively takes a step back, her heart beating in her throat. "Y-y-yes," she whimpers.

Their smiles grow even crueler. "Then there's no one who will come looking for you or who will hear you scream."

Zelda turns to run, but a heavy weight slams into her back, sending her to the ground and knocking the air from her lungs. She gasps for breath, trying to stand, but they grab her and hold her firmly by her limbs. She tries to struggle, but all efforts are in vain, for their hold is tight and strong. She tries screaming only for her mouth to be gagged with a filthy rag. Her legs are momentarily overlooked. Two hold her down flat by her arms, and a third approaches her.

Zelda throws a kick, but the rouge grabs her legs immobilizing her. The fourth appears behind her with a knife at her throat. Tears fall from her eyes as she realizes what they plan to do to her. She has heard stories though she never thought it could or would happen to her. She closes her eyes, not wanting to see it happen, surrendering herself to her fate. She feels the man holding her legs run his hands down her thighs beneath her skirts. The others grope her in places best not mentioned. There is the rustling of clothes. Menacing chuckles echo in her ears. Rough hands tighten their grips around her. Someone licks her, someone forces a kiss from her and another bites her. There is the sound of tearing fabric. A cold breeze caresses her skin. Something foreign is pressed between her legs. A tear escapes her eyes and she whimpers. Cruel laughs are heard all around her, but they are soon drowned out by a cry of pain.

But the cry comes not from her. No! it comes from one of the men! The knife disappears from her throat. The hands on her loosen and vanish. There is the sound of boots thumping on the ground in a rapid pace. Panicked cries and yells of pain reach her ears, but they sound distant. Something heavy hits the ground, followed by two more. A sticky liquid pools at her feet. Everything is silent.

Zelda dares to open her eyes and is surprised to find a pair of fierce blue eyes staring down at her. She lets out a strangled scream. Her eyes roll back, and everything goes dark.

A dark turn for Zelda it seems. Poor girl. Right when things were looking up for her.

Review Replies

James Birdsong - Nice to see you think so. Hope you still enjoy as the story progresses.

KVeronicaP - Yes,there are going to be a few dark moments. And yes, I was aiming for a more realistic approach (to an extent). But there will be some lighter moments, and I won't take the realism too far. Still, nice to know your enjoying it.

Shout outs to: Lightblade1121, bdj610, Frozen789, Heisenbee, GuardianNexus89, Elatrom, and KVeronicaP. Thank you for support so far, and stay tuned for more in the next chapter.