-Rebellious Hero-

Silent. Watchful. Focused. Aware.

The Rebellious Hero had always been quiet. He believed silence spoke just as much as words. He did speak in his 'life,' but only when other's silence out spoke his silence. He had always been a man of action.

What did he say when the herd fence broke? Nothing. He fixed it.

What did he say when the officers barked orders and belittled him? Nothing. He excelled.

What did he say when his king, the wise king, had half of his brothers executed and the other half sold into slavery? Nothing. He watched, he worked, and he kept his head down.

It was ironic that one of the few times he ever opened his mouth, when the king started bringing executions to the people, he was denounced as a fool. He was considered a traitor and a rebel.

The Hero heard faint skittering on the edge of his senses, and with fine-tuned practice, he threw a dagger into the shadows. It did not clatter on stone, but penetrated into flesh. A large insect fell to the ground, curled up, and faint lights exploded from its body. It was a smaller version of the creatures that had intruded on his domain before.

Creatures of Twilight leapt from the ceiling and clambered around their fallen comrade to consume it. The flames around the Hero quivered, and an echo of the Divine words entered his ears. They were orders, a will, and the knowledge of a foe. The curse that chained him spurred him on, and so the Hero ran across the room. The Twilit creatures heard him approach and hissed. As one, they leaped forwards.

The Hero reached out his hand. One moment there was nothing, and the next, a spear appeared with a flash. His first target reeled back, surprised at the sudden weapon, but it was too late. The Hero thrust the spear into its face.

He did not waste time pulling the spear free while other creatures still leapt at him. A giant broadsword flashed into his hands. He stepped to the side just as the creatures landed and swiftly cleaved one in half.

More fell from the ceiling, eager to feast and fight. The Hero summoned daggers into his hands and threw them, one after another. But for every creature to fall, another two appeared. A dozen finally caught up and lunged from all sides, yet they only clambered among themselves because their prey suddenly disappeared.

The Hero reappeared in a green flash above them all, spinning his broadsword in his hands, and cleaved a number into pieces before landing. From there, slaying the remaining beasts became a casual routine. The Hero would sidestep and swing. Their claws never came close to connecting, and their attempts to bite were met with steel.

One large creature jumped to the floor to fight as well, and fire erupted from its mouth. The Hero sidestepped it easily enough, but the close combat it desired was troublesome down where they fought.

The creature's chest expanded like a frog as it prepared another blast. In a flash, the Hero summoned gauntlets over his hands, and in another flash, he jumped to the creature and grabbed it by the mouth. It resisted, futilely trying to open its mouth, but the Hero's grip was steel. It coughed, stretched itself out to vomit, and struggled to release the growing explosion in its chest.

"Let's take this outside, shall we?" The Hero used his Gift to reappear with the creature in an empty field outside. Wind blew, and clouds brought dew to his armor. He released the creature's mouth, and the two fell.

The Hero did not have to fall long, as chains inexplicably bound around him and pulled. Pain exploded up his spine, and his body snapped backwards. Just as quickly as he left, he was thrown back into the creature filled room. His thrust back into the room was none too gentle as he slammed against a wall. He spasmed and thrashed as the magical chains around his body squeezed and tore at him.

His curse didn't like him leaving, it seemed. All the same, he was content to know the creature was to die. It would die either from the fall, or explode while in the air. Either way, the curse demanded his service now. The Hero wished it would not punish him for doing his job tho. Moments like this reminded him how cruel an unknowing, uncaring curse by a cruel man was.

The Hero gasped in pain, stood, and said, "You know better than to show yourself to me."

"The time draws near," A grotesque voice replied from the shadows above. "And still, you have failed to uphold your end. He will not be pleased."

"You are not in a position to judge me," The Hero huffed.

"Perhaps not. But then, neither are you. We are similar, you and I. We both seek to be free."

"Hm."

An object fell at his feet. It bounced briefly before settling into place. The Hero reached down and took it. The object was an oval egg. Its flesh was see-through and rubber. Its contents were of a liquid resembling red wine and a black creature. It spun in circles like a fish and glowed dimly.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The voice sounded displeased. "We have feasted, but soon our feasting will be at an end. The Huma are becoming aware. The white one wishes for you to have this one last chance. Do not waste it."

"If you know who I am, you know I waste nothing," The Hero replied. In a flash, the egg disappeared. In its place was a hand-held mirror. "But first, let us see how 'wise' this would-be king is."

-Ganondorf-

Ganondorf opened his eyes. He noticed he was now within the castle's main hall and there were men debating all around him. On one side was the Mitagi, and on the other were people of the clans he led. He shared a brief, reassuring smile with Nabooru before his red eyes drifted about. He saw his mothers sitting quietly at a table. In front of him was Zelda, who looked calm, but was actually fretting. Next to her was Link, who was not hiding the fact he was fretting. Also next to her was General Geoffrey, who closely studied the proceedings. Lastly, Ganondorf saw the Guardian, who silently observed everything by the door.

"He did no got to war to fight the Qin, but the Zhao!" A Majora cried out.

"His actions prove otherwise," A Mitagi countered. "He may have fought the Zhao, but after reuniting with his kin, he turned and slew the Qin around him at the earliest convenience. He fought the general of Qin and wounded him!"

"It was not Ganondorf Dragmire, it was the demon within him!"

"Can you prove he and the demon are separate? Because I see before me one man."

At this, the Majora went quiet. The Mitagi pressed their advantage. "Even in the case that he is a victim, as you claim, has he ever transformed before? Can you say this is the first time this has happened?"

"It... is not," The Elder Fae answered. "He transformed once before."

"And how was that handled?"

"Quietly. I judged the son of Din to be of a different mind and ignorant of his transformation, so it was kept from him."

"Then you failed to make counter measures or to learn from your mistake! Or did you think you could use his power to your advantage!? You were at the palace! You knew where his search would lead and you did not stop him! Do you deny it?"

"I..." The Elder hesitated. "I knew where his answers laid... but I hoped-"

"You... hoped?" The Mitagi snarled. "A lot of good hope did us."

Ganondorf closed his eyes. He didn't think poorly of the Elder Fae for his choice. He did, however, agree with the Mitagi. Hope was fleeting.

-Zelda-

Zelda collapsed on her bed. She sighed and stared at the ceiling. The first session had passed, and it did not look like a good start. The Mitagi were prepared, well spoken, and had facts on their side. The Majora were stubborn and were able to hold onto the claim of Ganondorf Dragmire's intentions, but it was a minor ground to hold compared to the fact of what Ganondorf still did.

"Well that was a great start..." Link murmured. He unceremoniously dropped the Spear of Nayru next to Zelda's bed and laid down on the rug.

Zelda smirked. "I'm impressed. You actually learned sarcasm. I'm rubbing off on you." She turned to lay on her side and looked down at him. She frowned upon seeing his face. "How long has it been since you slept properly?"

"Never mind me... Your worry is nice, but..." Link fought back a yawn.

"I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about myself. You're the one who protects me, remember? You're not much of a protector if you can't stay awake for it. Sleep shouldn't be much of a problem for you anyway. You are the kind of person who can sleep through anything."

Link rolled his eyes. "Don't tempt me. I am going to sleep for a week when we leave! You are gonna have to spoon feed me in my sleep just to keep me fed!"

"When did I ever give the impression I would dirty myself with a lowly task like that, let alone come anywhere near your mouth? Your spit is no doubt laden with more disease than a pig's."

"Well that's just-"

A knock on the door cut off their growing squabble. Zelda and Link shared a surprised look. The person was no one they recognized. Geoffrey had an easily recognizable stomp no matter how gentle he tried to be, and Sarah did not knock at all.

"Were you expecting someone?" Link whispered. Zelda shook her head. Link nodded, took up his spear, and cautiously opened the door. He exchanged whispers with whomever was outside.

"Who is it?" Zelda inquired.

"It's the twin-witches of Majora," Link answered. "They say they wish to speak with you."

Zelda sighed. "Very well. Allow them in."

Link opened the door wider, and the elderly twins trotted in. As they did so, Zelda grabbed an outer garment to wear as she climbed out of the blankets. She sat on the edge of her bed, found her bow, and placed it within arm's reach, just in case the witches tried something. She composed herself to the mindset of a princess.

"Princess, we realize it is highly improper for us to come here," The first of the twins said.

"-But then this whole trial is equally improper," The second twin finished. "To think a king can be judged by a lowly house."

"You yourself know only a king, or a goddess, can judge a king," the first concluded.

"That is true," Zelda allowed. "You are right in saying this, but that is what this trial is. It is a moment for both sides to influence my decision, which is why your coming here is improper. If you have something to say, you can say it publicly."

The twins began rapidly alternating who spoke. "That is where you are wrong."

"This whole trial is a sham."

"The Mitagi do not want justice."

"They want revenge."

"Retribution."

"An example made."

"If they wanted justice, they would seek to blame the rightful party, Harken Dragmire."

Zelda tapped her fingers. "If you are here to influence my thinking, then it will only hurt your cause. I was being polite before, but now I must be impolite and have you escorted from the city, if need be."

"We are not here to influence."

"We are here to bargain."

Zelda stopped tapping her fingers. This was different. A bargain implied they acknowledged a fault, but wanted leniency in return. Acknowledgement alone was a massive political toll, one that could ruin the Majora while bestowing the Mitagi a justified reason to be angry with them. All the same, bargains were not a bad idea and had a place in law. Rather than throw a prisoner in jail for stealing, they might agree to return five times as much as they stole. Done right, a bargain often benefitted both parties more than the planned punishment.

"I am listening," Zelda said.

The twins looked to each other, exchanging silent words. "Before we discussion our bargain, there is something you must know."

"You must know who is truly at fault and who the real victim is."