Hyrule's Demise: Gerudian

CHAPTER ONE


ZELDA DIDN'T HAVE a home anymore. Sure, there was going to be a new house, a new school, and a new town, but it wasn't home. She sat in the backseat of her father's car and gazed out the passenger side window at the darkened shops and neighborhoods they passed, lit by old-fashioned streetlights, and then uphill at the woods that loomed above the town.

"Doesn't look much like Termina," she said.

"It's nothing like Termina." Her father looked at her in the rearview mirror, an understanding smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "But we all needed a change, Z. We all agreed."

Zelda gave him a nod. "Eyes on the road, Dad." She smiled, but only to let him know things were all right. It was a small lie and for a good cause.

Her brother, Link, shot her a warning glance from the front passenger seat. Zelda ignored him. She didn't want to cause trouble, but there was no way she could pretend she wasn't going to miss home. Termina was larger than life, a fast-paced country sprawl with a colorful history, a jumping music scene, and about ten thousand good restaurants.

They were passing through a place called Hyrule Market, a small town that just seemed old and faded to her, but according to her friend Mila, who had been through Hyrule only last year, it was a plain compared to their new home. Pretty much everything she had seen was the same. Zelda figured she might get lucky and die of boredom before they ever got where they were going.

"Don't know if you guys noticed, but we're on Hylia," her dad said. "The same Hylia that goes down into Lon Lon Ranch. You could walk all the way to Kokiri Forest from here."

"That's pretty cool. I wonder how long it would take." Link was too interested, doing his best to make the big move as smooth as possible for their father.

"Forever. But it's pretty quick by horse. I'm sure we'll see plenty of the country eventually. For now I'm just looking forward to, y'know, exploring what our new home has to offer." Once again he glanced at Zelda in the mirror.

"Hylia, huh?" she said, unable to muster up any real interest. "Doesn't look much like Kokiri Forest up here."

Her father blinked, his eyes flashing with something that she thought was anger, but then as he turned his attention to the road again, she saw that tiny shake of his head, and she knew that it was hurt. Disappointment. Norman was doing his best, and it meant the world to his daughter, but sometimes Zelda just couldn't help making things worse.

She rested her head against the window and watched the road slide past. She didn't want to be here, but it helped to remind herself that this would be good for her father. He needed something different in his world now that he was alone. Zelda's breathing slowed as she lingered on that thought. Her father wasn't married anymore. Not because her mother had run off with the milkman or because he'd been sneaking kisses from his secretary on the sly. Once upon a time, she would have thought something like that was just about the worst thing that could happen.

But that was before her mother died.

Jasmine had lost her fight against cancer nine months earlier. All the king's horses and all the king's men... She had gone slowly, dying a little at a time as the medications failed to stop the cancer from growing and spreading. Losing her mom had changed the entire world for Zelda--had dulled her surroundings so that colors weren't as bright, sounds weren't as sharp. She missed her mother more than she'd ever imagined it was possible to miss anyone. And that, if nothing else, she had in common with her father and her brother.

Link was doing his best to be excited about the move, though Zelda knew he hadn't










Whoever reads this, do NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT delete this. I'm just taking a temporary break and will be back soon to add more. Whatever you do, DO NOT DELETE THIS POST. Comments and feedback are mandatory. Here's MY rule. When you read MY stories, the rule is you HAVE to give MY story some comments. No options.

I think this story takes the cake. I know your rules are you can't start the next chapter or finish this one unless somebody has a heart to reply. I think the story's good, though. We've sure got some cold people on this forum.

Fine, since you've practicly begged and pleaded, I'll review it.

The writing style is good. It's detailed, but not like some of the better stories (no offense). The only thing I think is strange is the use of Zelda themes. It's hard to tell when this takes place and such, with your mention of cars. It's kind of strange, but has a good writing style.

One thing I'll say is, you should describe the surroundings more, and the main character's history. Another thing your doing is telling instead of showing. What kind of things is Link doing to help.

And another thing: Why is it called "Hyrule's Demise: Gerudian"?

I can't reveal that yet.