Chapter Fourteen: Welcome to Hyrulia

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The journey to Hyrulia was the same path to the Brettson estate without the turnoff. Link reasoned where the turnoff was based on about how far away Hyrulia's skyline was through one side window, but, when he glanced toward where the estate should have been, he was reminded just how small the House was; he could not see it at all. That action prompted Navi to ask what he was looking for, and Link wondered if she was mad enough at Reba Brettson that she would ignore where his House was. Either that, or the road he thought was the turnoff was not it, although she did not glance down any other rocky roads to indicate where the correct turnoff might be. He assumed the former and simply told her that it had been nothing.

Other than this one exchange, very little was said between them in spite of both riding inside the carriage for what must have been about seven hours through Hyrule Field and into the city outskirts. Link had a reason for this. On top of trying to recall some of the reading he had done days before, he could see Navi's hair flare red whenever she glanced at him. Provoking her at home was fine, but trying to get on her nerves so far from either Subordo or Hyrulia would be asking to be thrown out of the carriage and forced to walk toward one or the other. And that would have been with the added problem of starvation; the carriage never stopped for food or rest. For Navi's part, he assumed, she simply did not want to talk to him. If she knew the financial issues that the Brettsons were facing, she likely saw Link as taking advantage of their dying House. The fact that she was already angry with him before he had opened his front door seemed to affirm his reasoning. Of course, she was also possibly furious over him working his way into the Watch in the first place. Either way, the next time she spoke to him would likely be in an official capacity.

Link had read that, a long time ago, a combination of heavy rains and landslides over the years had caused a series of changes to the terrain in and around what was originally known as "Castle Town". The city of Hyrulia was in a shallow basin, and Hyrule Castle had been demolished and rebuilt in a different location to maintain its position as the northern-most and tallest structure in central Hyrule. Link could not see the castle itself since the carriage did not have any front windows, but he would be sure to note its position once he got out. As they entered the town, he had a good look at the factories along the southern edge of the basin, built on the slight slope of the basin with wide, stepped foundations using what was doubtless to have been quite a lot of capital. The air smelled strange in this area, likely a result of the clouds of coal smoke billowing from the one or two stacks protruding from the top of each building. Link noted Navi giving a cough every few minutes of their travel through what Link would later learn was known as the Factory District (also referred to as the "Smoking" District). He also saw her hair shift to a sickly yellowish-green color a handful of times in spite of her stoic demeanor otherwise. He figured that it had to be the smoke, and it was likely that it was not a good thing to be breathing in.

The areas north of the factories bore housing. Of great notice were the large apartment buildings built closest to the factories. Link guessed them to be worker housing, mostly because a group of people emerging from one building looked to have been dressed in the same kind of coveralls and walking toward the factories. The apartments were the same brick construction and design as the factories; the only difference between the two were the lack of visible smokestacks. On the other side of the apartments were what looked like slum housing, homes built of mismatching materials almost on top of one another. Here, Link could see families wandering about, parents and older children taking care of chores outside while younger children were chasing each other with sticks or throwing mud at one another, most of them wearing clothes that were ragged and torn. At the banks of the river that served as the district's border, many were washing clothing in the running water. Whether this did any good or not was something Link was not sure he wanted an answer to; the river looked dark and grimy, and he could see the odd piece of trash floating by as the carriage crossed the main bridge out of the district.

The following area, the Telma District, looked almost like a cross between Subordo and the more residential features of Ordon. The buildings were small homes or businesses, not nearly as densely packed as the slums of the Factory District but still quite close in comparison to Subordo's streets. The first feature on the other side of the river were fields of dying grass. Given the reach of the smoke and stench rising from the south, Link guessed that this was property no one wanted to build on just so there was a buffer between districts. It at least provided children a place to play, some of them wearing plain clothes and some of them wearing worn clothes (leading Link to believe that they had crossed the river out of the slums in order to play). Link noticed workers walking toward the Factory District from these homes as well and theorized that these homes must have been for families that could actually afford more than what lie closest to their jobs. Shops included small markets and pharmacies, the kind of facilities needed in a thriving residential area. Malomarts appeared to be especially popular; there was a sign on almost every other block. The streets were very orderly, and many of the buildings here looked clean and new.

A brief turn through this district gave Link a view of Hyrule Castle. A grand, white structure hovering over the nearby roofs, it was a visible symbol of the ultimate authority in the kingdom. The castle was a tall, wide tower with a steep roof of blue tiles shining in the afternoon sun. The main structure was flanked by turrets, possibly used mostly as watchtowers, which appeared to be joined to the main tower by bridges. Half a dozen smaller towers bearing the same sharp-sloped roof as the main castle dotted the skyline on either side of the castle.

A few smaller roads led into multi-story buildings, and traffic was beginning to thicken. After a while, it was easy for Link to see that he was no longer in Ordon even before the carriage door opened. The Central District was home to buildings towering seven or eight stories easy. Their close proximity left little room on the block for alleys barely wide enough for a pair of people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. Which was probably why people had elected to leave trash cans in them. Stray animals had taken up residence in the alleys as well, not a concept particularly new to Link but still quite staggering since the number of animals he could see was much greater. Trying to determine what each building was as they passed was not simple. Some looked like they could be apartment buildings. Others at least housed shops on the first floor, although there were signs above the entrances to indicate there was more than that. Link was sure one or two were actually schools, the sidewalks outside covered in children playing in a decidedly minimalist environment.

The streets were a mess of horse-drawn carriages and bicycles, the latter being something only rarely seen around Ordon. It was a miracle no one appeared to get hurt in the constant bustle to get somewhere, bikes weaving between carriages and even startling unblinded horses on occasion. The manure in the middle of the road seemed to be a prominent hazard, as Link could imagine solid matter getting caught in a bicycle tire and obstructing the wheels. Foot traffic appeared just as hazardous; people were even walking into the street with very little regard for an approaching carriage. Twice, the carriage they rode jolted to a stop, nearly causing Link to tumble into Navi.

After the second time (during which they could hear their driver shouting), Link asked Navi, "It always this dangerous ridin' through town?"

"That's why we don't ride anywhere if we don't have to," Navi told him as she glanced outside. "Foot patrol is always much more efficient in the Central District. We only mobilize if an armed force is required."

"Like the rifle squads and such, right?" Link asked.

Navi nodded. "We have nearly a dozen smaller stations in each of the districts of Hyrulia. You'll probably be assigned to one of those for your provisional status."

Link quirked a smile and asked, "Any I should be lookin' to for assignment?"

"Provisional constables from Hyrulia will receive preferences," she told him. "You'll likely find your way into one of the more undesirable assignments."

Link jabbed a thumb toward the south and asked, "Like across the river back there?"

"You had better hope not," she said. "The Factory District has to keep officers on a rotation, or else they start getting incredibly sick. They often share personnel with the stations in the Telma District, so some of them are quite packed. Not very many resources, either."

"Because of the smoke in the district?" Link asked. "Or because of the nobles."

Navi heaved a sigh. "I'd be lying if I said Reba's attitude is unwarranted, but the answer is yes to both. Any attempt to station carriages or better equip officers there often raises the question of why. The nobles don't like the idea of anything more dangerous than a baton entering the district, and it comes down to the challenge that the police are about to start busting down doors trying to find them violating codes."

"And the Watch wants to actually enforce the law in those areas rather than be bystanders," Link reasoned.

"It isn't the kind of place an officer doesn't want to start trouble in. The nobles got a law passed that says that the Watch cannot investigate their properties unless the noble who owns the land invites them on, clear and blatant violations notwithstanding. It's gotten some of the smaller Houses into trouble, and the larger Houses steer clear of Watch intervention unless they're under a serious threat." She shrugged. "Of course, if the House is being threatened, the Watch would rather steer clear and let the threat take its toll. It's a pretty vicious relationship."

"And not at all what Sir Brettson likes," Link added.

Navi heaved a sigh again. "Reba is an idealist. Not necessarily a bad thing, but, given our world now, not something feasible currently. I have never had anything against his ideals, but my experiences say that the nobility will fight tooth and nail for their laws. They've had decades to manipulate the system."

Link gave a smug grin. "I wonder how precious those laws are if they work against them," he commented.

Navi shook her head. "Things have to be working heavily in your favor. As a provisional constable, you won't be able to find loopholes easily."

"We'll see."

After a few minutes of slow traffic, the taller buildings yielded. In their place, taking up about two city blocks on its own, was a low, wide building made out of concrete rather than the brick preferred by most of the nearby buildings. The walls looked thick, and the windows had been set deeper into the wall than any other building Link had seen. A couple of the windows had been boarded up. A large driveway apron in front of the main double doors sported two or three caged wagons, only one of which was hitched up. Link glanced to the other side to see a large stable that went deeper into the block rather than stretch the length of the street. Foot traffic was astoundingly low directly in front of the building, the average walker being an officer wearing a deep blue cotton jacket (some opened against the walking and the early autumn warmth to reveal sweaty, white undershirts) and matching slacks. Some were dragging in handcuffed suspects, others seemed to just be strolling by. One wheeling a shopping cart with a pair of children inside left Link a little confused. It might have made a little more sense if they had not ignored the front door, and even the officers they were passing by had to pause and glance back to ensure that they had seen the event correctly.

The carriage stopped behind a caged wagon that was offloading a pair of arrestees, and Navi immediately moved to open the door. Link grabbed his rucksack and followed her out. He waited a moment so he could glance up and down the sidewalk, taking in the confused looks on the passing officers, before following Navi through the entrance.

The inside of the building was almost as chaotic as the regular streets outside. Officers clad in dark blue (not necessary the uniform jackets; button-up shirts also appeared to be acceptable uniform) hustled left and right for a variety of reasons not readily identifiable. Except for one female officer who was chasing a handcuffed man across the wide main lobby. The man did not get far; one shout from the woman cause three, larger, male officers to set down their coffee mugs and intercept the man, the fastest of them tackling him to the ground and allowing the other three officers dogpile on top of him. There were also office workers wearing white, button-up shirts and black slacks wandering the lobby. Some were sitting at desks writing reports or talking to citizens who, for one reason or another, had come into the building. Others were hauling stacks of paperwork into various offices, often with a very quick pace to avoid becoming a casualty of the busy lobby.

"Watch it!" Link and Navi quickly stepped away from each other at the sound of someone calling out in a struggling voice. A pair of officers carried a struggling man between them. The man had been cuffed behind his back, and the officers were hauling him by wrapping one arm each around his elbows and lifting him off the ground so that he could kick in futility.

Navi rejoined Link and caught sight of the wide grin on his face. "What are you smiling about?" she asked.

"I like it already," he told her.

…

End of prologue.