Chapter 2

Nabooru knelt. "I have come."

Koume sat up. "Whether or not you would come was never in question. This tribunal is now in meeting. The defendant stands charged of disobeying a direct order to reclaim all resources and kill all Hylain civilians on our northern frontier," She giggled. "Do you have anything to say in your defense and how do you plea?

" 'For when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner.' I believe that and I was acting accordingly, so yes. I plead guilty."

Ganondorf's eyes cracked open. "Isn't that a hylian saying?"

The color drained from Nabooru's face. "Yes." He's still only a kid of fifteen and he's already overseeing a tribunal?!

"How very interesting." Ganondorf closed his eyes again.

Kotake sat up. "I see no reason to prolong this meeting any longer. The penalty for disobeying a direct order is two weeks in the well. Any objections?... Then this meeting is concluded."

"Not quite," Ganondorf sighed. "This isn't only a matter of 'disobeying orders' anymore. Nabooru disobeyed because she has allowed hylian thought to infect her mind. She didn't disagree because she merely failed to complete the order, but she deliberately disobeyed for a reason. That's treason."

Nabooru felt a pit growing in her stomach.

"The punishment for treason is sin leyn."

Kotake was visibly distraught. "Nabooru...could you excuse us for a moment, please?"

"Of course." Nabooru stood and walked to the entrance of the hall.

"Ganondorf you fool! What the hell do you think you are doing?" Kotake growled. "Nabooru is one of our best officers and is a member of an upper caste!"

He chuckled. "What do you think you're doing? I'm not about to pretend that we are going to treat actions like this with a token punishment."

"Token punishment?!" Now Koume was furious as well.

"If Nabooru isn't going to obey my orders to the letter, I have no desire for her to be in command any longer, regardless of her skills, popularity, or caste." Ganondorf closed his eyes again.

"Still…" Kotake sighed "sin leyn has never been used on a member of an upper caste. Nabooru's Green Caste is the top level."

Ganondorf rested his chin on his knuckles. "I don't care for precedence either."

Silence. Koume shifted uneasily.

"Tell me. How go your brainwashing experiments?"

"uh… Quite well. Why?" Koume said "What does that have to do with anything?" Or even better: how does he even know about our experiments?

A faint smile flickered across Ganondorf's left cheek. "Everything."