CHAPTER 9 TRIAL BY FIRE
Night had once again fallen on the land of Hyrule. Five total days have gone by and still no Link or Darunia teams. Zelda was getting extremely worried. "Zelda," Emily whispered. "I know that the absence of Link is the brunt of your worries, but please pay attention." The queen came from her thoughts at Emily's words. They were in the shadows of the library waiting for Kayura.
"Uh right," She whispered. "Now, don't do anything until I give the go-ahead." She commanded of the two soldiers on the other side of the room. "We need to actually have her threaten Sage again."
"Just don't let her dae tae much tae me before ye get her." Sage laying on the couch said softly.
"Well, there are certain things that have to occur before I can give the order."
"Like wit?" Sage asked.
"Shh, the door." All held their breath as the door opened and Kayura stepped in and locked the door behind her. She had a black kimono with a dark green stripe down the front and on the tufts of the sleeves. Her hair and make up was done in the style she wore while under the control of Talpa.
"Hello Sage." She said seductively while batting her red painted eye lids innocently.
"Hello, Kayura." The disgust was evident in his voice.
Kayura glided gracefully across the room and sat down beside a now upright Sage. "Oh come now Sagie," She ran her finger over his cheek and down his chest. His body stiffened at her touch. "You know what will happen if you don't let me get what I want."
Sage stared straight into her eyes. "I want tae bed wi' ye as much as I want tae bed wi' Ganon." He said coldly.
Kayura smiled slyly and kissed up his cheek and nibbled on his ear. "I can't be that bad can I? They way you were going at it last night says so." Even though she had whispered this last phrase, in the silent darkness Emily could still hear it and Zelda could hear and feel Emily's breath coming in short, rapid gasps. She took hold of Sage's wife's arm and squeezed. 'Don't even think about it.'
Meanwhile, Kayura was still putting the moves on Sage and was getting impatient. 'Damn it why isnae Zelda daein' anythin'!' "You don't want me calling rape now would you? I would hate to hurt poor Emily, and what would little Connor think? His own father a rapist?" She ran her hand up under Sage's kilt and stroked him. Sage bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood trying not to enjoy it.
'Bingo!' Zelda thought victoriously, 'Now we have you!' "Now!" Before she knew it, Kayura was flat on her stomach on the floor with her hands pinned on her back by Sage's knee, spears pointed at her head.
"Well, well, well," Emily smugly crossed her arms. "look what we have here."
"Why I do believe that it is a rapist, Emily." Zelda said as both of the women walked from the shadows. "You know where to take her." She said to the soldiers.
"Yes, your Majesty!" They responded sharply.
"Wait just one moment!" Kayura pleaded.
"What."
"How could I not sense your power?"
"Oh how silly of me to forget!" Zelda said feigning ignorance. She took out a small crystal with a blue orb in it. "Handy little spell, Nayru's Love is don't you think? Heh, once cast others can't detect your presence. Oh, and before I forget." The crystal floated between Zelda's outstretched arms and rotated rapidly. A blue beam shot out from it and encompassed Kayura in a blue prism. "It also prevents others from using magic of any kind. Will that be all? Good!" The guards took a depressed Kayura down to the dungeons.
"See you at the trial tomorrow, Kayura!" Emily called sweetly.
***
There was a red flash in Death mountain crater. When it dissipated, three figures stood. A Goron, a Human, and a tiger. "Man, I thought the immortal volcano where my armor rested was hot." Ryo said after he armored. He looked over to Darunia, who had not even broken a sweat. "Aren't you hot Darunia?"
The Goron laughed. "After your people live in conditions such as these for countless generations, one tends not to be affected." Ryo stared at him like he was a bit off his rocker. Darunia slapped Ryo on the shoulder, causing him to nearly fall into the lava below. "Come, I need to talk to Link."
"Bu-u-u-t, isn't Link at the Water Temple with Cye and Ruto?"
Darunia roared in laughter and smacked him on the shoulder again. "You Ronins are such funny creatures! Link is my son! I named him after the Hero of Time for what he did for our people."
"Uuh huh, and that was?"
"He exterminated the Dodongos in our food source cave." By that time they were in Goron city. Ryo heard crashing and rolling from a lower level. "Looks like Hot Rod is going at it again." Darunia said nonchalant.
"Oh,"
"Follow me," Darunia walked down to the ground level here he and his son lived.
Upon reaching the doorway, Ryo sat down on a rock. "I'll wait here with 'Blaze 'till you come out." Ryo took off his helmet. But the rock started to shake and the Ronin was thrown ten feet forward.
"Hey, get off me!" Ryo looked up to see another Goron were the rock once was.
Darunia was near hysterics in laughter. "Trey hates it when people mistake him for a rock." He said wiping a tear of laughter from his eye.
"Ummmm, sorry?" Ryo had never sat on anyone before so he didn't exactly know what to say. Trey grunted and rolled his eyes. He went back to his former rock like form before Ryo sat on him.
"Dad?"
"Link!" Darunia walked over and gave his son a Biggoron hug. Ryo could swear he felt the ground shake when those two collided.
I heard you laugh, Trey must have gotten sat on again huh?"
"Huphf!"
Link laughed at nodded at Ryo "Who's he?"
"This is Ryo Sanada, Ronin Warrior of Fire." Ryo held out his hand and was instantly sorry he had when Link grabbed hold and shook it. Good thing I have my armor on... "Link?"
"Yeah Dad?" Link crooked his eyebrow.
"Have their been any disturbances here lately? Anything strange?"
"Disturbances, no. Strange, maybe."
"Maybe?" Ryo asked looking up at a platform held up by three ropes.
Link nodded. "Yeah, some weird looking guy has been hanging around the crater lately. I was starting to wonder if it had to do with the invasion"
"In all likely hood. What did he look like?" Father asked son.
After a moment of recollection, Link answered. "Well, he had blue-gray armor, and a really bizarre looking face. His eyes were bugged out and his mouth was in a wicked smile. He had, I don't know, hair? coming from the sides of his head."
"Hmm, bugged eyes, wicked smile, red strands...that wasn't a man at all! It was an armored spirit! Namely-"
"Sundevil." A garbled voice came from up above. Whiteblaze growled as Ryo drew his twin kitanas. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show, Wildfire."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
The spirit's voice matched its owner's maniacal grin. "Already Saber Stryke and Phantom Ganon have taken care of Rowen and Sekhmet, and Seiji and Kento have fallen to the Twin Sand Strikers."
"You lie!"
"Do I, Wildfire?" Sundevil floated down to their level. "Surely you remember the pain you felt as Seiji gave his armor to the Gerudo woman. It is such a pity that she and Kento fell to them anyway." Lied Sundevil.
"I'm getting sick of your lies bugboy!" Ryo connected the hilts of his swords together and leaped in the air. "Flare Up-"
"No Ryo, don't!" Darunia screamed. "You'll bring down the whole city on us!"
Ryo landed. "Fine." He looked over at his enemy and pointed the sword tip at him. "You, me, the crater, ten minutes."
Sundevil's eyes glowed red. "Accepted." He disappeared.
"Are you sure that is a wise thing to do, Ryo?" Link asked.
"Mhmm, after all, I am Wildfire, am I not? a nice hot and fiery volcano should give me enough power to take him down for good with out Inferno." He looked up for a moment. "Not that I have a choice this time."
***
When they arrived at the crater once more, their jaws hung open. "Wha-what happened to the lava!?" Darunia exclaimed.
Sundevil's garbled laugh came to their ears. "How do you like my surprise, Wildfire?"
"I don't!"
"Aww, heh heh heh I bet you thought you could use the lava's heat to give you added strength, too bad it is now frozen under a tick sheet of black ice! And so shall you!" Sundevil uncoiled the whip which hung around his neck. "My revenge will be sweet. I will enjoy killing you." He swung the whip and the tip divided into multiple strands, hitting them and causing black electricity to surround their bodies. "Ah, the sweet sound of agony."
Ryo's armor was squeezing him like a vice. He slowly raised his swords and hacked away at the metal whip to no avail. "Getting desperate Wildfire?"
Ryo groaned in pain as his arms moved to connect the ends of his swords together. "There's no way I'm letting you win this fight!" Mustering all power in his body he leaped into the air. "Flare Up Now!" The Ronin's sure kill sliced the metallic whip in two. Talpa's agent growled and tossed the whip aside and drew his long handled axe. Ryo landed, his armor clanking against the ground. He looked over his shoulder to see Darunia getting up slowly. "You okay, Darunia?"
Standing shakily, he held the megaton hammer in his right hand by his side. "Y-yeah. I think so."
"Good, you think you got enough left in you to crack that ice?"
"Maybe,"
"Well, it'll have to do, I'm going to keep bug eyes busy, try to get as much lava showing so my armor can get powered up!"
"Got it!" Darunia leaped over the bridge rope while Ryo turned back to his opponent. "I'm going to teach you for messing with Hyrule's environment!" Ryo gripped his swords and tried to keep his balance as Darunia whacked the ground, fissuring the black ice.
Sundevil looked over at the Goron leader. "Naughty, naughty!" He took out some steel darts and threw them at Darunia, hitting him in the hand. The bearded Goron yelped in pain and the heavy hammer flew from his hand and crashed into the ground, causing a massive hole in the ice. There was a rumbling and a huge plume of lava shot from the hole and drawn by the armor, landed on Ryo.
"Well, how handy!" Ryo commented as red swirls danced in his pupils and the armor started glowing a bright red. Sundevil back up a few steps in terror.
"What?! No! that's not fair!"
"Tough shit, bucket head! Say goodbye!" Ryo leaped in the air and connected his kitanas once again. "Armor of Wildfire, Flare Up Noooow!!" The white hot energy from Ryo's attack hit Sundevil and pinned him to the side of the crater. As Ryo let out a scream of anger, the attack intensified and blew the nemesis through the rock, disintegrating him while blowing a hole in the side of the mountain. "Feh, just as easy as the last time."
Landing with a grunt, Ryo saw Darunia walking up to him, holding the hammer in a blood soaked hand. "What a battle!" He said as he reached Whiteblaze. "Such a display of power! I now make you a Brother of the Gorons!" Darunia smacked the back of Ryo. The black ice started cracking and more and more plumes of lava shot from it. The bearded Goron furrowed his brow. "I think she's about to blow! Come, we head back to my city were it is safe." Ryo nodded and followed Darunia as chunks of rock, black ice and lava flew through the air.
All through the night the ale flowed freely in Goron City. "He-e-ey Daru-u-lnia!" Ryo slurred, mug in hand. "Thi-i-i-i-s stuff is great!" He slid down to the ground.
Darunia guffawed and slapped his thigh. "Hahahaha!! You don't drink much do you Brother?" Darunia downed a whole mug in one gulp.
Ryo smiled in a drunken bliss. "No-o-o, this is my first time." He took another swallow. Why-y-y do you ask?"
"Ohh, no reason."
"Okay," Ryo said passing out.
"He is going to have one bad headache tomorrow." Link bit into a rock. "When he wakes up that is."
And wake up he did, but not until after one in the afternoon. Thanks to Whiteblaze giving his face a bath with his tongue. "Ung, 'Blaze." Ryo said shoving the snout of the animal away. He opened his eyes and quickly shut them once more. "Ooh, too bright!"
Darunia and Link walked in with smiles on their Goron faces. "Well, I see that Brother Ryo has finally woken!" Ryo groaned holding his head. "With a Biggoron headache no less! Ha!"
"Ung, not now Darunia...and do you have to be so loud?" Ryo asked, his head pounding. "I need some coffee."
"Coffee?" Link asked.
Ryo sighed. "Nevermind."
Darunia handed him a bottle with a red liquid in it. "Drink." He commanded. Ryo looked at him, eyes half open and took the bottle. Eyeing it suspiciously then with a pop opened the bottle and drank the contents. The more the teen drank, the more his eyes opened.
He stood after finishing and asked. "Just what was that stuff?" He handed the bottle back to Darunia.
"Red potion, feel better?" Ryo backflipped a few times in response. "Guess so."
"So, are we going back to the castle soon? It's been five days and I miss Mia."
Darunia crossed his arms and huffed. "Well, we would be there already if I didn't have to wait for a certain Ronin Warrior to wake up!"
Ryo's face reddened. "Okay, okay I get the point!"
"Good." Darunia took out a pan flute. "Hold on, we're heading back to the Light Temple." Ryo nodded and put his hand on Whiteblaze's head. After playing the Prelude, the three were whisked away to the temple in a golden light.
"Bye Dad," Link said after they were gone.
***
"Uuh, something is missing," Kento said as he sat to eat breakfast at the long table in the dinning hall. Sage, Emily, and Zelda smiled knowingly.
"Is there something you three are not telling us of?" Anubis asked gripping his fork awkwardly. It had been two years since he had to eat anything after all.
"Hey, where's Kayura?" Rowen pondered sitting beside his destined woman. The three's smiles grew wider.
"Okay, what are you three hiding?" Sekhmet demanded.
"Oh hush Sekhy." Saria said lightly scolding him.
"You know where she is don't you Zelda?" Mia asked accusingly.
"Possibly." Was the calmly smug answer.
"Well?" Mia prodded.
"She was a very bad girl," Emily explained. "She is spending her time in the dungeon, what little she has left anyway." She laughed calmly in her throat. "No visitors either, if you're thinking that."
"What could she have done?" Nabooru pondered her mouth in a straight line in thought.
"I guess you'll just have to find out when the trial starts this afternoon won't you?" Zelda leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed. The rest of the meal was eaten in utter silence.
***
"Well Zelda," Ganon said through the bars of Dais' prison. "Ready to give Wisdom to me yet?"
"Keeping me down here isn't very nice," Dais said with a pout. 'This pout seems to work quite well, with Link anyway.' Dais said, delving into Zelda's memory.
"True," Ganon said flippantly. "But it is the only way for me to get what I want."
"What, no torture?"
"I have my reasons." Ganon flashed an evil smile and laughed wildly as he walked off. The outer cell door to the dungeon hall slammed shut and a rattling of keys was heard. Soon, a moblin sat across the hallway from Dais' cell.
'Perfect, just what I need!' "Hey, dog breath!" The moblin looked up and grunted. "Yeah, you heard me!" Dais taunted. "Get over here!"
The moblin grunted once more and walked over to the Warlord's holding cell. "What?" It demanded.
"I need your body." Dais changed back to his real self and grabbed the collar of the dog warrior's tunic and slammed his face into the steal bars until he was sure that the moblin was dead.
"Now," Dais said changing back to Zelda. He searched the carcass and retrieved it's keys. Unlocking the door, he dragged the moblin onto the stone slab bed. "Time for a switch." Dais laid his hands upon the moblin and his body quickly morphed into the minion and the moblin looked like Zelda. A satisfied Dais walked out of the cell, closed and locked the doors and sat on the vacated stool.
It wasn't until three hours later that a stalfos took over Dais' watch. "She finally shut up and went to sleep." Dais grunted out in the moblin's voice.
"Good, maybe I'll get some peac-c-ce and quiet for oncc-c-ce!"
Dais began to walk off down the hall. "Tell me about it, you didn't have to hear her bitch and moan all the time!"
***
"Good gods!" Darunia stepped from the surveying the damage from the attack two days ago.
"Seems like the whole town was attacked." Ryo said bending over and picking up a kasuri gama. "And from the looks of things, Talpa sent back-up." He gazed about the temple grounds. "But if the town is in such bad shape, why not the temple?" He asked looking at the structure where the master sword once resided.
"Simple really." Darunia explained with a frown. "Evil can't lay foot upon these sacred grounds."
"Then how did Ganon get into the Sacred Realm? Link said that he followed him there."
"I was about to get to that, but someone interrupted!"
"Sheesh, so-r-r-y."
"Better, now where was I? Oh, yes." Darunia began walking out into the ruined marketplace where many soldiers and citizens were still cleaning up the pieces of their lives. 'Those maniacs truly are evil.' Ryo thought in hate as he surveyed an orphaned child crying in the street for her mommy. The initial repairs where being done to the residential areas as per Zelda's orders, to ease the burden on the families that lost all in the attack. "It takes an evil of immense force concentrated in one spot to enter the temple protective barrier."
"Hence, Ganon."
"Correct,"
"Halt, who goes-oh its you Darunia." The gate guard to the castle path greeted putting down his spear.
"Hello Roger, I see that the castle wasn't even damaged! From the looks of things they pretty much ruined the city."
"Oh yes sir! Our defenses kept them as far away as possible, three Dynasty soldiers made it into the nursery however,"
"Damn just low will Talpa go to get what he wants!"
"Oh don't worry about that! Ha haha!! The only casualty was that Connor got a little bump on the head!" Roger smacked the blunt end of his spear on the ground and the gate behind him rolled to the side and stopped with a clatter. "Go on ahead, but do be quiet, there is a really important trial going on this afternoon."
"Really?" Darunia asked, his curiousness piqued. "Who is being tried?"
"I believe that it is the Lady Kayura." Roger responded with closed eyes in recollection "But for what I do not know, Her Majesty will not tell anyone."
"K-Kayura!?" Ryo couldn't believe what his ears were telling him. "There had to be some sort of mistake! Kayura could never do anything that would cause such a racket!"
"Well, apparently she did have it in her," Roger shrugged. "The trial will be starting very soon you should make it in time for the beginning."
***
"All rise!" A guard said as three men entered the court room. Carl Iquestrious in green, Vincent Hayge in red, and Darius Frey in blue walked in and sat on a raised bench. The arriving Darunia Team entered as quietly as possible. Darunia sat by Nabooru and Saria while Ryo sat in-between his fiancé Mia and Kento.
"Hey Kento where's Seiji?"
"He gave his armor to Nabooru, turns out she likes him." Ryo caught a glance of the Gerudo sage looking very tired. "She used the Thunderbolt Cut on Saranbo when he attacked."
Ryo's eye caught Rowen and a beautiful woman holding hands. "Who's she?"
"Oh her, her name is Angakita. Apparently she is Rowen's 'destined' what ever that means." Ryo shook his head in understanding.
"Bring forth the prisoner!" Hayge commanded. A moment later, Kayura still in the kimono from last night stepped into the courtroom with her head hung low. She was still surrounded by Nayru's Love.
***
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!!! Talpa you have got to see this!!" Ganon shouted out. Talpa appeared before him.
"What is in now Ganon?" Talpa asked uninterested. "It had better be good."
"Have I ever disappointed you?"
"Yes, infact on several occasions, would you like me to elaborate?"
"Oh shut up and come and look," The Ruler of the Nether realm gazed into Ganon's ball and laughed menacingly. "You like?"
"Oh, very very much!! This should be more entertaining then O.J.'s trial!"
"O..J..?"
"Forget about it, just shut up and watch the trial. I don't want to miss a second of this!" Ganon grumbled many a Gerudo curse under his breath.
***
"Lady Kayura you are charged with one count rape and one count attempted rape on Mr. Sage McIntire. How do you plead?" Every single mouth in the room dropped to the floor and many eyes turned to see Sage shift in his chair uncomfortably.
Her answer was barely a whisper. "Not guilty your justices."
Emily leaned over and whispered into Sage's ear. "Can you believe the audacity of her!? At least Connor doesn't have to listen to this."
"Very well." Frey began as the guards accompanied Kayura to a chair. "You Highness?"
Zelda stood. "Yes Justice Frey?"
"Please describe to us the events of the first count; Rape."
"Yes, Justice." Zelda walked up to the witness stand and began. "I was worried about everything that had taken place that day and started thinking about Link,"
"Just the facts, Your Highness." Iquestrious corrected.
Zelda blushed. "Uh, yes Justice Iquestrious. "As I said I couldn't sleep so I went to the library,"
"Why the library?" Hayge asked.
"Too see if some reading would help me fall asleep."
"Continue." Hayge wrote something down.
"Well, as I remember correctly, I was about to reach the door when I heard Sage."
"And what did he say?" Asked Frey.
"His voice was directed to Kayura. He said something like, Jesus, Mary and some other guy's name, oh yes it was Joseph, uh, anyway after that I pressed my ear against the door and heard Kayura say 'I'm coming to thank you and get payment for saving your family's lives.' After that I kneeled down and, looking through the key hole, saw her sitting beside Sage. He was as far away as possible and reminded her that they where both married, but she didn't care a lick and slipped off her garment and let it fall to her waist exposing chest, Sage turned his head when she did so."
"Did Mr. McIntire say anything after that?" Iquestrious asked stroking his long white beard.
"Yes, after she ran her hand under Sage's kilt. She said that he was saying no but his body was saying yes. After he forcefully grabbed her hand and forced it away-"
"Your Honors, I fail to see where this is going." Kayura's court appointed lawyer stood.
Zelda shot him a look that gave him chills. "I was getting to it." She said hostilely. "Anyway, as I was saying," She shot the lawyer a look and continued. "Sage grabbed her hands and told her to get out.
"This is where the rape comes into play." Zelda looked over at Kayura in disgust, "She said that was the wrong answer and continued saying that if she didn't get her 'payment' that she would cry rape.
"Sage called her bluff and Kayura let her clothing fall to the floor. I won't go into the details, but let me just say that Sage believed every word of her threat." Gasps were heard through out the court room.
"Order! Order!" Hayge demanded.
"After she put her clothing back on, she told Sage that she would see him again the next night. Laughing, she said that Sage must have thought that little encounter was just a one time deal. I saw her walking over to the door and ran off down the hall and waited, a few moments later I went back into the room to see Mr. McIntire sitting on a chair with his face hid in his hands. He looked up and I assured him that she wouldn't get away with it. After that we both went to Sage's room to explain the plan I had for the trap that we executed last night."
"Thank you Your Highness." Iquestrious said. "Mr. Danial," Kayura's lawyer stood and buttoned his deep blue blazer and studied her. "You and Emily McIntire are jealous of Ms. Kayura aren't you?"
"I shall try to contain my laughter at that question." Zelda said crossing her arms defensively.
"Please answer the question You Majesty." Said Frey.
"No," Was the answer to the question.
"In fact, both of you combined can't match Kayura's power in magic."
"Even if I knew that for a fact, I could really care less."
"That is why you and Mrs. McIntire got Sage to go along with your plans to rid yourselves of her."
"That's a damned lie!" Zelda shouted slapping her palm on the wooden railing infront of her.
"My Queen, I advise you that type of behavior will not be tolerated in my court." Vincent Hayge warned after rapping his gavel.
"Y-yes Justice Hayge." Zelda wrung her hands on her long pink dress.
"Very well," Hayge turned to the attorney. "Have you any more questions to ask this witness?"
"Only one you Honor. Why didn't you stop this? You had the chance."
"Well, I tried to but I couldn't even touch the door knob, she must have put a spell on it." Zelda pointed to Kayura.
"Objection your Honor, calls for a conclusion from the witness."
"Over ruled." Justice Fey ruled.
"You had Sage seduce Kayura so that you could get her for rape didn't you? You didn't like the idea that any other person being more skilled than you."
"Are you calling your ruler a liar, Mr. Danial?" Zelda said smugly. "I'd hate to see what would happen, if that were true."
Danial's face paled slightly. "No further questions." Zelda stepped down as Emily was called to the stand.
"Emily McIntire, please state what happened the night in question."
"Yes your Honors." Emily glared a hole through Kayura with her now hard emerald green eyes all through her testimony. "I awoke with a knocking on Sage's and I's door."
"And who was there?" Asked Iquestrious.
"Zelda and Sage. Sage told me to sit and I did. He tried to tell me what happened but just couldn't bring himself to so Zelda did."
"And what did she say?"
"That Kayura had forced Sage to have sex with her." Emily suddenly had to dab the tears at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "I asked her why she didn't stop it and gave the same explanation as earlier."
"What happened next?"
"Hmm, well, Zelda left and Sage apologized that this had to happen numerous times. We talked for awhile and we eventually went to sleep." Emily concluded.
With Emily done testifying, Sage was called up and gave the same story, only from his point of view. Then Kayura came up to the stand. She gave a tearful story about Sage almost choking the life from her and beating her until she gave herself to him. Sage was literally growling as her testimony and had to hold Emily in her seat at one point. When Hayge asked her where all the bruises where if he did beat her as bad as she said, she replied. "I used my magic to cover them up. And since I'm in this prism thing, I can't show them."
With the direction of the justices, Zelda was ordered to remove Nayru's Love. She did so with a smirk and as the 'bruises' all over Kayura's neck and eyes began to appear, her face went to shock along with Sage's and Emily's. "Your Honors!!" She began.
Vincent Hayge stood, "We have heard all that is necessary of this case, therefore we will retire to our chamber for discussion."
"All rise!" The guard commanded. Kayura was led away to the dungeon. Sage, Zelda, Emily, Perrin and Angus and the Sages were talking as the present Ronins and Warlords walked up to them.
Ryo started in on Sage immediately taking a swing which Sage stopped with his face. "Ryo!" Mia shouted as Rowen and Kento held him back while Angus held Sage with the help of Perrin.
"Ye walk oan a thin line Ryo." Sage warned with gritted teeth.
Ryo was still trying to get at Sage. "Well maybe you shouldn't have raped her!"
Now it was Emily's turn to be angry. "What! you actually believe that shit she piled on us today!? And that lawyer!" She exhaled in exasperation. The Hyrulians went one way, the Ronins and Warlords, the other.
***
"Oh, this keeps getting better!" Ganon exclaimed, the glow from the globe illuminating his face.
"Yes, I see a nice big rift between the Ronins and those annoying Hyrulians!" Talpa laughed evilly. Ganon had a thoughtful look on his tan face. "What's going through your evil mind, Ganon?"
"Something that will cause Zelda even more gray hairs!"
"But she doesn't have any,"
"Don't be so literal Talpa!" 'Fool.' Ganon said impatiently. "I will return soon."
Talpa was watching the castle's happenings through the crystal ball when the Gerudo king returned gripping a very battered Link in Ronin yori. "I'm back." He said dropping Link to the ground, his armor clanking loudly on the stone floor.
"Oh, very well done Ganon!" Talpa congratulated while getting up from the chair in which he sat.
"Yes, it was almost too easy." Ganon beamed. "Poor Link," He emphasized the name with a kick to Link's chest. "he tried his little wind storm, it was just a small matter of taking care of that worthless Torrent and that fish Ruto!"
"Shove it up your ass, Ganon." Link strained out.
Ganon kicked him again. "Such insolence, boy." He said calmly, snapping his fingers. Two ironknuckles appeared.
"Just what are you planning?"
"Heh, now that I have the other Triforce bearers, I can begin the process of reclaiming them and become the ruler of Hyrule once more! Mwahahaa!!"
The lightbulb finally went on in Talpa's mind. "Wait, didn't we see Zelda at the trial?"
"Yes-"
"Oh shit!" Both men shouted at once.
"Lorrrrrrd Ganon! Lorrrrrrrd Ganon!" A stalfos cried out entering the throne room. "Seiji's spirit has been taken!"
"WHAT!" Talpa bellowed, his eyes glowed red and evaporated the stalfos with his power.
"Must you have done that?"
"What the hell is going on here!"
"But how," Ganon questioned aloud. "we captured that brat Zelda."
"Heh, heh, looks like they tricked you two." Link smiled, getting to a knee.
"Raaargh! SHUT UP!" Ganon bellowed as he hit Link with a ball of energy, sending him skittering across the room leaving a trail of sparks.
Talpa slammed his fist on the table. "Dais!"
"Dais, Talpa?" Ganon looked over at him.
"Yes, it had to be that sideshow freak!" He said in rage. "He must have assumed the form of Zelda to trick us! Aargh!"
"That is no matter," Ganon said suddenly calm.
"How is that no matter!!"
"We still have one holder of a Triforce don't we?" He watched as the ironknuckles lifted an unconscious Link from the ground. "Namely Courage, and as an added bonus he is also an armor bearer!"
"Hmm, I do suppose that it is a fair trade off." Said Talpa thoughtfully. "You get a Triforce, I get an armor. Not bad! Hoohoohwahaa! I am very pleased!"
"Woopie," Ganon muttered under his breath. "Take the hero away, I grow tired of looking at him."
***
Dais walked in the shadows of Talpa's castle. He never remembered there being so many guards here before. Whether it was never having to worry about it, or the allying of Talpa with Ganon, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that he had to find Seiji, and fast.
"Hey moblin!" A voice called. Dais turned around to see a group of Dynasty soldiers. Something inside his altered form told him that these four had put down the moblin before, and about to do it again. 'No honor amongst thieves I guess, but what they don't know will kill them!'
"Wh-what?" Dais said, drawing them closer into his web.
"We just want to talk to ya buddy." The apparent leader of the pack said. They got close and surrounded Dais. 'Oh this is too easy, no wonder the Ronins has such little problems destroying these idiots!'
"J-just leave me alone!" Dais said meekly, using a bit of reverse psychology.
"I don't think so dog breath." The moblin side of Dais wanted to kill them right then and Dais readily obliged.
"So you want to try something?" He grunted in the moblin's tone. "Then try it!" He shouted switching to his normal voice.
"What!? Dais!?" They started to try and run, but Dais was too fast for them.
"Ah, ah, mustn't try to get away!" He morphed back to his fully armored self. "Web Of Deception!" The scythes on his back plate flew out and impaled the fleeing soldiers easily. Dais grimaced as he turned back into the moblin. As his new form surveyed the empty armors the moblin inside smiled and Dais felt a pang of happiness.
'You are welcome, moblin.' Dais thought to himself sensing the thankful feeling of the dead moblin's psyche and remembered how he was ridiculed for his appearance as a child. Dais laughed to himself. "Heh, now I'm making the enemy feel good." He began walking off. "Even though he is dead."
Eventually he came to a locked door. "Hmm, Badamon's lair." Grabbing the door knob, he twisted it until the lock snapped. After opening the door very, very slowly, he peered inside. No-one was in the room as far as he could tell. But one could never be too careful in dealing with the ruler of the nether spirits. Fading into a nearby wall, he surveyed the whole room. 'Good, not a soul.' He saw a small globe with a green light. 'That must be Seiji!' He stepped from the wall and ran to Seiji's prison. "Seiji! Seiji!"
"What do you want, moblin?" Seiji's spirit asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, forgot!" Dais turned back into himself.
"Dais, its you! Oh man its great to see even your face! Get me outa here!"
Dais picked up the globe with both his hands. "Your welcome."
The rasping voice of a stalfos was heard. "Hey what do-o you think you doin'?" Dais turned his head just in time to see the red blade of the stalfos and sidestepped it, turned around and kicked it in the chest. A split second later he teleported himself back to Hyrule.
"I-I-I must tell Lorrrrrd Ganon of this-s-s!"
****
In the courtyard, the Hyrulian faction was sitting around lazily on the grass and assorted benches, all confident of the outcome of the case. Even though they appeared to be calm, there was an underlying unease. Angus was joking with Perrin, Sage was lightly running a hand through his wife's hair watching Connor and Cheyan playing. Ariana was braiding Amber's long red hair. Darunia was looking hungrily at the marble fountain and Nabooru was polishing Seiji's sword for when he returned with Marilyn looking on.
"Naboo, why bother polishing Seiji's sword when it shines as bright as a hundred desert suns already?"
Nabooru smiled and looked at her reflection in the blade. "Because, it reminds me of him. The way his soul shone through the darkness." She put the cloth down and sent away the Sword of Light back to the kanji orb.
The ruler of Hyrule was once again in a worried stupor. "Zelda?...Zelda!" Zelda found herself on the ground with her friends looking down at her. "Amber, get a cold cloth for her Highness!" Marilyn commanded hurriedly. Amber scampered off as Perrin and Angus helped sit her up. Sage leaned down infront of her.
"Ye all right lass?"
Zelda grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt. Her eyes where wide with terror and her breathing was rapid. "Link! something happened to Link!" Zelda said in a cold sweat jerking Sage's lapels. Amber returned and Perrin and Angus gently sat Zelda against a tree with the Gerudo placing the cloth on Hyrule's leader's sweating head.
Emily took Zelda's hands in hers. "Your Majesty, you can't be doing this! Worrying yourself to faint! Think of the child with in your womb." She accented the statement by placing her left hand on Zelda's still flat stomach. "Its not healthy." Emily gave her a caring smile.
"I suppose that you are correct, Emily." Zelda said with a sigh.
"What happened tae Link, Zelda?" Sage winced when his wife gave him 'the look'.
"I-I don't know, its just...something..." Zelda put her hand to her forehead. Things where back to normal when a retainer walked up to his liege and bowed. "Your
Majesty, the Justices have comeback with a decision."
***
To say that the room was high-strung would be an understatement as the Justices once again took the bench. No-one knew the verdict save the Justices, Zelda, Sage, and Emily. Or, so they thought anyway. Hayge rapped his gavel. "Court will come to order!"
"Our first ruling is that there will be no need for the second charge against the accused. The reason for this is that the guilty party shall be executed at dawn. Now, that brings us to our decision."
"We believe that the conspiring against Kayura to be false," Sage held Emily's hand and gave it a squeeze, while Zelda gave him a nudge to his side in congratulations. "However, it is the ruling of this court that Mr. Sage McIntire was the one who forced sexual relations upon Lady Kayura, not the other way around." Sage sat awestruck, Emily's face paled and Zelda stared at the Justices dumbfounded. Angus leaned over to a cousin of his on his left and whispered something in his ear. They both got up and left the courtroom hurriedly with faces of hatred and disgust.
"Henceforth, Sage McIntire is to spend time in the dungeon until his execution tomorrow morning, court adjourned!" Hayge rapped the gavel, the three got up and began to leave the courtroom.
Emily let out a screech. "This is all your fault bitch!" She leaped up and hit Kayura with her Thunder Lightning Smash, sending her to the nearest wall. The court guards rushed over to restrain Emily.
"Don't even think about it!" Zelda cried. The soldiers looked confused but did as were told.
***
"Ganon! Ganon!" Talpa shouted. "Come here!"
"Oh what is it?" Ganon said appearing in a black flame. "I'm busy with Li-" But he stopped when he saw the scene on Talpa's screen. "Well, how convenient. They're doing our work for us."
Talpa laughed, "Yes and just think, now they are on two clear sides! they can't trust each other after this!"
A Dynasty soldier flashed in the screen. "Master Talpa, Sage's men are gathering and it appears they will riot because of the ruling."
"Excellent! Wonderful! Great!" The Dynasty's master shouted jovially. "We won't have to lift a finger against them now!"
***
"This is bull, c'mon." Angus whispered to his cousin. When the two made it to the Scottish barracks, they were greeted with questions of the trail.
"They found Sage guilty! He is gaun tae be hanged tomorrow at dawn!" Cries of shock and outrage mixed with silence filled the room. "That cannae happen!"
"What can we dae?"
"The only thing we can dae! Get him back! Get yer arms! We may nae survive, but we will show them what happens when they set tae execute the Chief o' the McIntires!" Angus made his way to the other portions of the Scots' barracks. "I trust ye'll be helpin' us in this?"
MacInnes was the first to respond. "This is a McIntire matter, we willnae send our clan tae help yers."
"Fine then! We dinnae need yer help anyway!" The McIntires rushed from the barracks and set it ablaze shouting war cries and destroying nearby buildings. General Trang arrived with a small contingent of solders.
"Angus McIntire! You and your men will immediately put down your weapons!"
"Ha! Ye will have tae pry 'em from our dead hands! Gae!" The remaining McIntires rushed forward and utterly crushed the General and his forty troops. With every step and skirmish they made their way closer to the castle.
***
"Zelda you can't let this happen!" Ryo shouted.
"I can and I will!" Was the angered reply.
Kayura had shattered the crystal of Nayru's Love and she and Emily had been trading magical blows. And since the spell had been dissipated, Kayura now had the Ancient's staff to assist her. All spectators except the Ronin faction and Hyrulian faction had left the now destroyed courtroom because of the fighting. "I like this as much as you do, but Kayura needs punished for her acts and if vigilantism is the only way, so be it!"
Emily threw balefire bomb after balefire bomb at Kayura who ducked, dodged and blocked them with the staff. Her fight was fueled by her hatred and anger, which clouds the mind of the fighter, making mistakes. "This ends now Kayura!" Emily warned gathering energy above her head, growing larger and larger and larger until it was the size of her. "Now die!" She flung the energy ball at Kayura who smiled as it sped at her at a rapid pace.
"Kayura!" Anubis Yelled. A split second later, Kayura twirled the staff in front of her and hit the energy back at Emily 'Damn, I let my anger get the better of me! I've used the last energy I had in that ball, I can't even defend my self against my own attack!' Emily thought in wide eyed terror.
"Emily-y-y!" Sage broke away from the guards.
"Hey! Get back here!" One of them called after him.
Emily scrunched her body, her head turned away from her impending doom. But it never came. She heard a man screaming in agony infront of her. She turned her head and saw Sage with his arms and legs stretched out, blocking the blast. "Oh gods no!" Emily wailed helping Sage's head to her lap after he had fallen to the ground. Most of his clothing had been burned away leaving barely enough for the essentials. His skin was burned and had begun to peel away from his body, his hair scorched away.
Sage weakly put a bloody hand to his wife's cheek leaving a bloody trail on it as he stroked it. "Are ye all right lass?" She could only nod tearfully. Sage smiled and coughed up blood mixed with saliva. "Guid, dae me one thing."
"Anything!" Emily had begun to cry.
"Take guid care o' Connor fer me,"
"You know I will."
Sage smiled and whispered raspily. "Tha gradh agam ort, (Gaelic for I love you) my beautiful serving maid."
"Tha gradh agam ort, my simple fisherman." Sage smiled and let out a last raspy breath as he perished. "No.....NO!!" Emily hung her head and cried loudly for her lost husband. "SA-A-A-A-GE!!"
"Sage," Zelda whispered a single tear running down her cheek and hanging to her chin. She walked over to Emily and hugged her kneeling body.
***
"Haahahahahhaa!!" Ganon bellowed in evil laughter. "Finally that annoying Sage is dead!....I am a bit disappointed that I was not the one to kill him though."
"Who cares, that's one less hero to take care of."
"Right, well now that that is over I'm going back to work on Link for a bit more." Ganon gave an oily smile and disappeared into a black flame.
"Ooh, Li-i-i-ink" Ganon said, tauntingly.
"What," Link hissed hanging from his wrists. He still had Hurricane on.
"Oh, I just thought that I'd bring you a bit of news is all," Ganon said nonchalantly.
"Uh, huh." Link said disinterested.
"You remember that little trial don't you? Heh, well, it seems that Emily didn't like the ruling all that much and attacked Kayura." Ganon said smoothly, running his fingernail across Link's cheek, cutting it.
"What!"
"Aah, so you do care! Very well, heh. To make a long and terrible story short, Sage is dead."
"Lair!" Link shouted straining against the chains to get to Ganon's throat.
"Am I?, well maybe you should see for yourself." The evil Gerudo brought up a screen in the air with his power. It showed the now broken court room. Sage was on the floor looking quite dead.
Link hanged his head, the blonde locks falling over his eyes. "Sage..."
"Aaawwww, sooo sad." Ganon said sarcastically as her walked away spiting Link with playing the scene over and over right in line with his eyes.
***
Emily and Zelda looked when they saw a foot in armor. They continued looking up until they gazed upon Anubis' calm face. "What do you want?" Emily hissed full of scorn.
Anubis gave a warm grin. "Your husband's loyalty to you has touched my heart. So much so that I do believe his spirit can handle the power of my armor."
"Anubis! What the hell are you thinking, siding with them!" Ryo shouted heatedly. Anubis turned and stepped over to Ryo and hit him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"A man lies dead on the ground in his wife's arms and you speak of petty differences Wildfire!" Anubis had bent down and literally bellowed that in Ryo's face. "You degrade Sage's honorable sacrifice by your words!" While Anubis was brow beating the Ronin of Wildfire, Kayura tried to sneak off. "Oh Kayura, you wouldn't happen to be sneaking off would you?" His anger still burning into Ryo's face.
"I-no...Anubis." Kayura plopped onto the ground and sulked.
"Your makin' a big mistake Anubis. Sage might not be able to handle your armor."
"Ryo, stop talking out your ass!" Angakita shrieked for the first time through the whole ordeal.
"Kita," Rowen tried calming her down.
"Be quiet Rowen." She said harshly. "I may have a way to get to the truth of this matter," Her brow furrowed in thought.
"Well, it had best be quick, twenty minutes is all that I have until Sage stays dead." Anubis said.
"Oh, please! It won't take that long to ask The Three what really happened that night. Give me some credit will you?" Anubis blushed in embarrassment. "I'll be back soon." Angakita disappeared leaving only her fairy behind.
Angakita reappeared in a room much like the Chamber of Sages. "Mothers, I am in need of assistance." Kita bowed before three flames of red, green, and blue.
Din of Power, Farore of Courage, and Nayru of Wisdom appeared infront of her. "Yes, child?" The goddesses asked simultaneously.
"I have no doubt that you know of the trial that has taken place today."
"That we do," Nayru's voice rolled from her mouth like the sea.
"Was it the right choice?"
"Kayura was the one that gave false testimony." Farore's voice sounded as wind blowing through trees.
"So, Sage's death was pointless?" Angakita asked as she stood.
"Oh no child!" Din's powerful voice flowed into her mind. "Sage proved that his love and loyalty to his wife Emily was more important than his own life."
"Thank you mothers!" Angakita bowed once more as she began to fade back into the realm of Hyrule.
"Well?" Rowen asked as his woman as soon as she returned. She looked at Kayura with out any emotion.
"I want the Justices to hear, Anubis if you please?"
"I'll go and get them." Perrin said scurrying off.
Anubis nodded and knelt before Sage's burnt, lifeless body and put his hand on Sage's forehead as 'Loyalty' shone through the rusty locks on the Warlord's forehead. "Emily, Zelda, if you don't mind to step away." He commanded lightly. Pale, yellow light flowed up from the ground and engulfed the two warriors. The rest of the armor bearers' kanjis glowed as they winced in pain dropping to their knees. Anubis' subarmor began to glow yellow and he shouted out his symbol. The yellow light suddenly flashed to almost blinding and Anubis let out one last wail and disappeared along with the light. All was quiet in the courtroom once again.
***
The Scotsman awakened to see only darkness stretching for an eternity in each way he looked, except a small orb of yellow light. As Sage looked on, it became in the shape of a man, a man named Anubis. "Hello, Sage."
"Uhh, Anubis yer kind o' naked." Sage said looking straight ahead.
"Huh? Oh, so I am." Anubis said. "But that is of little matter. Sage, I gave you my armor so that you may live once again."
"Sae, ye believed me in court?"
"Yes, I know that Kayura has strange ways of thanking others."
"Tae say the least."
"Anyway...Sage," Anubis held out his hand and Sage took it and shook. "Awaken and live once more, fear not for me I shall be safe....hopefully."
"Uhh, how dae I control it? and what if I canna?"
"First, the armors instincts are already in your mind. Second, I wouldn't have given you my armor to you if I didn't think that you could handle it."
"All right. Thank ye Anubis."
"Do not mention it Sage McIntire. Now, I must go, Talpa has caught me. Farewell!" And with that, Anubis was gone.
***
"So nice to see you again, Anubis." Talpa said tossing Anubis in his glass prison from hand to hand.
"I wish I could say the same." A cross Anubis said sitting Indian style and crossing his arms as he was tossed.
"Heh, heh, heh...maybe I could make you into a night light. Hmmm, your spirit is too bright for that though, Badamon may find you amusing though." Talpa walked away laughing as he set Anubis on a small pedestal on his desk in his personal room.
***
"Oh man, dae I hae a headache!" Sage said as he awoke and was smothered in kisses by Emily. "Em, haha!!! that tickles!! Emily, please!" Sage turned his head to Ryo. "By the way Ryo, Anubis believed me, maybe ye should tae."
"Yes, Anubis is right." Angakita said walking over to a pouting Kayura. "This wench did exactly as Sage and Zelda said."
"And The Three told you this?" Iquestrious questioned as he stepped into the ruined room. Angakita gave a simple nod.
"Kayura." Hayge said in an official tone. "I hear by sentence you to death for the raping of Sage McIntire."
"But, your execution will be stayed until the down fall of Ganon and Talpa." Zelda once again placed Nayru's Love upon Kayura. "Until that time comes, you shall remain in the castle dungeon."
"You can't do that!" Rowen shouted.
"Can't I?" Zelda's voice had a 'dare me' tone to it and Rowen lost his confidence and shut up. "Matrim!"
"Yes Your Highness!" Zelda's personal guard snapped to attention.
"Do take Kayura down to the dungeons and make sure she is very uncomfortable."
"As you command!" Matrim dragged a crying and wailing Kayura away to the dungeons. When the two were gone, Kento asked.
"But, who is gonna take the place of The Ancient?"
"Anubis, of course." Sekhmet said curtly. "That is, once we rescue him."
"Well, now that this is all over, I propose that we all take a day of rest!" Darunia roared, or spoke. No-one could ever tell the difference.
"I'll second that one!" Saria said with a sweet smile up at Sekhmet, cocking her head alittle.
Silent seconds past when the remnants of the courtroom door flung open. "Queen Zelda! Queen Zelda!" The guard stopped and looked at the thrashed area. "By Farore." He said in awe.
"Never mind the room, what causes such haste!?" Zelda asked from across the room.
"Huh?, oh yes! I nearly forgot! Ha! Sage's men are rioting in the streets of the town!"
"Wit!" Sage shouted.
"It seems that they were most displeased at the order of the court!"
"Well, no rest for the weary." Nabooru yawned as all rushed from the court.
Night had once again fallen on the land of Hyrule. Five total days have gone by and still no Link or Darunia teams. Zelda was getting extremely worried. "Zelda," Emily whispered. "I know that the absence of Link is the brunt of your worries, but please pay attention." The queen came from her thoughts at Emily's words. They were in the shadows of the library waiting for Kayura.
"Uh right," She whispered. "Now, don't do anything until I give the go-ahead." She commanded of the two soldiers on the other side of the room. "We need to actually have her threaten Sage again."
"Just don't let her dae tae much tae me before ye get her." Sage laying on the couch said softly.
"Well, there are certain things that have to occur before I can give the order."
"Like wit?" Sage asked.
"Shh, the door." All held their breath as the door opened and Kayura stepped in and locked the door behind her. She had a black kimono with a dark green stripe down the front and on the tufts of the sleeves. Her hair and make up was done in the style she wore while under the control of Talpa.
"Hello Sage." She said seductively while batting her red painted eye lids innocently.
"Hello, Kayura." The disgust was evident in his voice.
Kayura glided gracefully across the room and sat down beside a now upright Sage. "Oh come now Sagie," She ran her finger over his cheek and down his chest. His body stiffened at her touch. "You know what will happen if you don't let me get what I want."
Sage stared straight into her eyes. "I want tae bed wi' ye as much as I want tae bed wi' Ganon." He said coldly.
Kayura smiled slyly and kissed up his cheek and nibbled on his ear. "I can't be that bad can I? They way you were going at it last night says so." Even though she had whispered this last phrase, in the silent darkness Emily could still hear it and Zelda could hear and feel Emily's breath coming in short, rapid gasps. She took hold of Sage's wife's arm and squeezed. 'Don't even think about it.'
Meanwhile, Kayura was still putting the moves on Sage and was getting impatient. 'Damn it why isnae Zelda daein' anythin'!' "You don't want me calling rape now would you? I would hate to hurt poor Emily, and what would little Connor think? His own father a rapist?" She ran her hand up under Sage's kilt and stroked him. Sage bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood trying not to enjoy it.
'Bingo!' Zelda thought victoriously, 'Now we have you!' "Now!" Before she knew it, Kayura was flat on her stomach on the floor with her hands pinned on her back by Sage's knee, spears pointed at her head.
"Well, well, well," Emily smugly crossed her arms. "look what we have here."
"Why I do believe that it is a rapist, Emily." Zelda said as both of the women walked from the shadows. "You know where to take her." She said to the soldiers.
"Yes, your Majesty!" They responded sharply.
"Wait just one moment!" Kayura pleaded.
"What."
"How could I not sense your power?"
"Oh how silly of me to forget!" Zelda said feigning ignorance. She took out a small crystal with a blue orb in it. "Handy little spell, Nayru's Love is don't you think? Heh, once cast others can't detect your presence. Oh, and before I forget." The crystal floated between Zelda's outstretched arms and rotated rapidly. A blue beam shot out from it and encompassed Kayura in a blue prism. "It also prevents others from using magic of any kind. Will that be all? Good!" The guards took a depressed Kayura down to the dungeons.
"See you at the trial tomorrow, Kayura!" Emily called sweetly.
***
There was a red flash in Death mountain crater. When it dissipated, three figures stood. A Goron, a Human, and a tiger. "Man, I thought the immortal volcano where my armor rested was hot." Ryo said after he armored. He looked over to Darunia, who had not even broken a sweat. "Aren't you hot Darunia?"
The Goron laughed. "After your people live in conditions such as these for countless generations, one tends not to be affected." Ryo stared at him like he was a bit off his rocker. Darunia slapped Ryo on the shoulder, causing him to nearly fall into the lava below. "Come, I need to talk to Link."
"Bu-u-u-t, isn't Link at the Water Temple with Cye and Ruto?"
Darunia roared in laughter and smacked him on the shoulder again. "You Ronins are such funny creatures! Link is my son! I named him after the Hero of Time for what he did for our people."
"Uuh huh, and that was?"
"He exterminated the Dodongos in our food source cave." By that time they were in Goron city. Ryo heard crashing and rolling from a lower level. "Looks like Hot Rod is going at it again." Darunia said nonchalant.
"Oh,"
"Follow me," Darunia walked down to the ground level here he and his son lived.
Upon reaching the doorway, Ryo sat down on a rock. "I'll wait here with 'Blaze 'till you come out." Ryo took off his helmet. But the rock started to shake and the Ronin was thrown ten feet forward.
"Hey, get off me!" Ryo looked up to see another Goron were the rock once was.
Darunia was near hysterics in laughter. "Trey hates it when people mistake him for a rock." He said wiping a tear of laughter from his eye.
"Ummmm, sorry?" Ryo had never sat on anyone before so he didn't exactly know what to say. Trey grunted and rolled his eyes. He went back to his former rock like form before Ryo sat on him.
"Dad?"
"Link!" Darunia walked over and gave his son a Biggoron hug. Ryo could swear he felt the ground shake when those two collided.
I heard you laugh, Trey must have gotten sat on again huh?"
"Huphf!"
Link laughed at nodded at Ryo "Who's he?"
"This is Ryo Sanada, Ronin Warrior of Fire." Ryo held out his hand and was instantly sorry he had when Link grabbed hold and shook it. Good thing I have my armor on... "Link?"
"Yeah Dad?" Link crooked his eyebrow.
"Have their been any disturbances here lately? Anything strange?"
"Disturbances, no. Strange, maybe."
"Maybe?" Ryo asked looking up at a platform held up by three ropes.
Link nodded. "Yeah, some weird looking guy has been hanging around the crater lately. I was starting to wonder if it had to do with the invasion"
"In all likely hood. What did he look like?" Father asked son.
After a moment of recollection, Link answered. "Well, he had blue-gray armor, and a really bizarre looking face. His eyes were bugged out and his mouth was in a wicked smile. He had, I don't know, hair? coming from the sides of his head."
"Hmm, bugged eyes, wicked smile, red strands...that wasn't a man at all! It was an armored spirit! Namely-"
"Sundevil." A garbled voice came from up above. Whiteblaze growled as Ryo drew his twin kitanas. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show, Wildfire."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
The spirit's voice matched its owner's maniacal grin. "Already Saber Stryke and Phantom Ganon have taken care of Rowen and Sekhmet, and Seiji and Kento have fallen to the Twin Sand Strikers."
"You lie!"
"Do I, Wildfire?" Sundevil floated down to their level. "Surely you remember the pain you felt as Seiji gave his armor to the Gerudo woman. It is such a pity that she and Kento fell to them anyway." Lied Sundevil.
"I'm getting sick of your lies bugboy!" Ryo connected the hilts of his swords together and leaped in the air. "Flare Up-"
"No Ryo, don't!" Darunia screamed. "You'll bring down the whole city on us!"
Ryo landed. "Fine." He looked over at his enemy and pointed the sword tip at him. "You, me, the crater, ten minutes."
Sundevil's eyes glowed red. "Accepted." He disappeared.
"Are you sure that is a wise thing to do, Ryo?" Link asked.
"Mhmm, after all, I am Wildfire, am I not? a nice hot and fiery volcano should give me enough power to take him down for good with out Inferno." He looked up for a moment. "Not that I have a choice this time."
***
When they arrived at the crater once more, their jaws hung open. "Wha-what happened to the lava!?" Darunia exclaimed.
Sundevil's garbled laugh came to their ears. "How do you like my surprise, Wildfire?"
"I don't!"
"Aww, heh heh heh I bet you thought you could use the lava's heat to give you added strength, too bad it is now frozen under a tick sheet of black ice! And so shall you!" Sundevil uncoiled the whip which hung around his neck. "My revenge will be sweet. I will enjoy killing you." He swung the whip and the tip divided into multiple strands, hitting them and causing black electricity to surround their bodies. "Ah, the sweet sound of agony."
Ryo's armor was squeezing him like a vice. He slowly raised his swords and hacked away at the metal whip to no avail. "Getting desperate Wildfire?"
Ryo groaned in pain as his arms moved to connect the ends of his swords together. "There's no way I'm letting you win this fight!" Mustering all power in his body he leaped into the air. "Flare Up Now!" The Ronin's sure kill sliced the metallic whip in two. Talpa's agent growled and tossed the whip aside and drew his long handled axe. Ryo landed, his armor clanking against the ground. He looked over his shoulder to see Darunia getting up slowly. "You okay, Darunia?"
Standing shakily, he held the megaton hammer in his right hand by his side. "Y-yeah. I think so."
"Good, you think you got enough left in you to crack that ice?"
"Maybe,"
"Well, it'll have to do, I'm going to keep bug eyes busy, try to get as much lava showing so my armor can get powered up!"
"Got it!" Darunia leaped over the bridge rope while Ryo turned back to his opponent. "I'm going to teach you for messing with Hyrule's environment!" Ryo gripped his swords and tried to keep his balance as Darunia whacked the ground, fissuring the black ice.
Sundevil looked over at the Goron leader. "Naughty, naughty!" He took out some steel darts and threw them at Darunia, hitting him in the hand. The bearded Goron yelped in pain and the heavy hammer flew from his hand and crashed into the ground, causing a massive hole in the ice. There was a rumbling and a huge plume of lava shot from the hole and drawn by the armor, landed on Ryo.
"Well, how handy!" Ryo commented as red swirls danced in his pupils and the armor started glowing a bright red. Sundevil back up a few steps in terror.
"What?! No! that's not fair!"
"Tough shit, bucket head! Say goodbye!" Ryo leaped in the air and connected his kitanas once again. "Armor of Wildfire, Flare Up Noooow!!" The white hot energy from Ryo's attack hit Sundevil and pinned him to the side of the crater. As Ryo let out a scream of anger, the attack intensified and blew the nemesis through the rock, disintegrating him while blowing a hole in the side of the mountain. "Feh, just as easy as the last time."
Landing with a grunt, Ryo saw Darunia walking up to him, holding the hammer in a blood soaked hand. "What a battle!" He said as he reached Whiteblaze. "Such a display of power! I now make you a Brother of the Gorons!" Darunia smacked the back of Ryo. The black ice started cracking and more and more plumes of lava shot from it. The bearded Goron furrowed his brow. "I think she's about to blow! Come, we head back to my city were it is safe." Ryo nodded and followed Darunia as chunks of rock, black ice and lava flew through the air.
All through the night the ale flowed freely in Goron City. "He-e-ey Daru-u-lnia!" Ryo slurred, mug in hand. "Thi-i-i-i-s stuff is great!" He slid down to the ground.
Darunia guffawed and slapped his thigh. "Hahahaha!! You don't drink much do you Brother?" Darunia downed a whole mug in one gulp.
Ryo smiled in a drunken bliss. "No-o-o, this is my first time." He took another swallow. Why-y-y do you ask?"
"Ohh, no reason."
"Okay," Ryo said passing out.
"He is going to have one bad headache tomorrow." Link bit into a rock. "When he wakes up that is."
And wake up he did, but not until after one in the afternoon. Thanks to Whiteblaze giving his face a bath with his tongue. "Ung, 'Blaze." Ryo said shoving the snout of the animal away. He opened his eyes and quickly shut them once more. "Ooh, too bright!"
Darunia and Link walked in with smiles on their Goron faces. "Well, I see that Brother Ryo has finally woken!" Ryo groaned holding his head. "With a Biggoron headache no less! Ha!"
"Ung, not now Darunia...and do you have to be so loud?" Ryo asked, his head pounding. "I need some coffee."
"Coffee?" Link asked.
Ryo sighed. "Nevermind."
Darunia handed him a bottle with a red liquid in it. "Drink." He commanded. Ryo looked at him, eyes half open and took the bottle. Eyeing it suspiciously then with a pop opened the bottle and drank the contents. The more the teen drank, the more his eyes opened.
He stood after finishing and asked. "Just what was that stuff?" He handed the bottle back to Darunia.
"Red potion, feel better?" Ryo backflipped a few times in response. "Guess so."
"So, are we going back to the castle soon? It's been five days and I miss Mia."
Darunia crossed his arms and huffed. "Well, we would be there already if I didn't have to wait for a certain Ronin Warrior to wake up!"
Ryo's face reddened. "Okay, okay I get the point!"
"Good." Darunia took out a pan flute. "Hold on, we're heading back to the Light Temple." Ryo nodded and put his hand on Whiteblaze's head. After playing the Prelude, the three were whisked away to the temple in a golden light.
"Bye Dad," Link said after they were gone.
***
"Uuh, something is missing," Kento said as he sat to eat breakfast at the long table in the dinning hall. Sage, Emily, and Zelda smiled knowingly.
"Is there something you three are not telling us of?" Anubis asked gripping his fork awkwardly. It had been two years since he had to eat anything after all.
"Hey, where's Kayura?" Rowen pondered sitting beside his destined woman. The three's smiles grew wider.
"Okay, what are you three hiding?" Sekhmet demanded.
"Oh hush Sekhy." Saria said lightly scolding him.
"You know where she is don't you Zelda?" Mia asked accusingly.
"Possibly." Was the calmly smug answer.
"Well?" Mia prodded.
"She was a very bad girl," Emily explained. "She is spending her time in the dungeon, what little she has left anyway." She laughed calmly in her throat. "No visitors either, if you're thinking that."
"What could she have done?" Nabooru pondered her mouth in a straight line in thought.
"I guess you'll just have to find out when the trial starts this afternoon won't you?" Zelda leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed. The rest of the meal was eaten in utter silence.
***
"Well Zelda," Ganon said through the bars of Dais' prison. "Ready to give Wisdom to me yet?"
"Keeping me down here isn't very nice," Dais said with a pout. 'This pout seems to work quite well, with Link anyway.' Dais said, delving into Zelda's memory.
"True," Ganon said flippantly. "But it is the only way for me to get what I want."
"What, no torture?"
"I have my reasons." Ganon flashed an evil smile and laughed wildly as he walked off. The outer cell door to the dungeon hall slammed shut and a rattling of keys was heard. Soon, a moblin sat across the hallway from Dais' cell.
'Perfect, just what I need!' "Hey, dog breath!" The moblin looked up and grunted. "Yeah, you heard me!" Dais taunted. "Get over here!"
The moblin grunted once more and walked over to the Warlord's holding cell. "What?" It demanded.
"I need your body." Dais changed back to his real self and grabbed the collar of the dog warrior's tunic and slammed his face into the steal bars until he was sure that the moblin was dead.
"Now," Dais said changing back to Zelda. He searched the carcass and retrieved it's keys. Unlocking the door, he dragged the moblin onto the stone slab bed. "Time for a switch." Dais laid his hands upon the moblin and his body quickly morphed into the minion and the moblin looked like Zelda. A satisfied Dais walked out of the cell, closed and locked the doors and sat on the vacated stool.
It wasn't until three hours later that a stalfos took over Dais' watch. "She finally shut up and went to sleep." Dais grunted out in the moblin's voice.
"Good, maybe I'll get some peac-c-ce and quiet for oncc-c-ce!"
Dais began to walk off down the hall. "Tell me about it, you didn't have to hear her bitch and moan all the time!"
***
"Good gods!" Darunia stepped from the surveying the damage from the attack two days ago.
"Seems like the whole town was attacked." Ryo said bending over and picking up a kasuri gama. "And from the looks of things, Talpa sent back-up." He gazed about the temple grounds. "But if the town is in such bad shape, why not the temple?" He asked looking at the structure where the master sword once resided.
"Simple really." Darunia explained with a frown. "Evil can't lay foot upon these sacred grounds."
"Then how did Ganon get into the Sacred Realm? Link said that he followed him there."
"I was about to get to that, but someone interrupted!"
"Sheesh, so-r-r-y."
"Better, now where was I? Oh, yes." Darunia began walking out into the ruined marketplace where many soldiers and citizens were still cleaning up the pieces of their lives. 'Those maniacs truly are evil.' Ryo thought in hate as he surveyed an orphaned child crying in the street for her mommy. The initial repairs where being done to the residential areas as per Zelda's orders, to ease the burden on the families that lost all in the attack. "It takes an evil of immense force concentrated in one spot to enter the temple protective barrier."
"Hence, Ganon."
"Correct,"
"Halt, who goes-oh its you Darunia." The gate guard to the castle path greeted putting down his spear.
"Hello Roger, I see that the castle wasn't even damaged! From the looks of things they pretty much ruined the city."
"Oh yes sir! Our defenses kept them as far away as possible, three Dynasty soldiers made it into the nursery however,"
"Damn just low will Talpa go to get what he wants!"
"Oh don't worry about that! Ha haha!! The only casualty was that Connor got a little bump on the head!" Roger smacked the blunt end of his spear on the ground and the gate behind him rolled to the side and stopped with a clatter. "Go on ahead, but do be quiet, there is a really important trial going on this afternoon."
"Really?" Darunia asked, his curiousness piqued. "Who is being tried?"
"I believe that it is the Lady Kayura." Roger responded with closed eyes in recollection "But for what I do not know, Her Majesty will not tell anyone."
"K-Kayura!?" Ryo couldn't believe what his ears were telling him. "There had to be some sort of mistake! Kayura could never do anything that would cause such a racket!"
"Well, apparently she did have it in her," Roger shrugged. "The trial will be starting very soon you should make it in time for the beginning."
***
"All rise!" A guard said as three men entered the court room. Carl Iquestrious in green, Vincent Hayge in red, and Darius Frey in blue walked in and sat on a raised bench. The arriving Darunia Team entered as quietly as possible. Darunia sat by Nabooru and Saria while Ryo sat in-between his fiancé Mia and Kento.
"Hey Kento where's Seiji?"
"He gave his armor to Nabooru, turns out she likes him." Ryo caught a glance of the Gerudo sage looking very tired. "She used the Thunderbolt Cut on Saranbo when he attacked."
Ryo's eye caught Rowen and a beautiful woman holding hands. "Who's she?"
"Oh her, her name is Angakita. Apparently she is Rowen's 'destined' what ever that means." Ryo shook his head in understanding.
"Bring forth the prisoner!" Hayge commanded. A moment later, Kayura still in the kimono from last night stepped into the courtroom with her head hung low. She was still surrounded by Nayru's Love.
***
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!!! Talpa you have got to see this!!" Ganon shouted out. Talpa appeared before him.
"What is in now Ganon?" Talpa asked uninterested. "It had better be good."
"Have I ever disappointed you?"
"Yes, infact on several occasions, would you like me to elaborate?"
"Oh shut up and come and look," The Ruler of the Nether realm gazed into Ganon's ball and laughed menacingly. "You like?"
"Oh, very very much!! This should be more entertaining then O.J.'s trial!"
"O..J..?"
"Forget about it, just shut up and watch the trial. I don't want to miss a second of this!" Ganon grumbled many a Gerudo curse under his breath.
***
"Lady Kayura you are charged with one count rape and one count attempted rape on Mr. Sage McIntire. How do you plead?" Every single mouth in the room dropped to the floor and many eyes turned to see Sage shift in his chair uncomfortably.
Her answer was barely a whisper. "Not guilty your justices."
Emily leaned over and whispered into Sage's ear. "Can you believe the audacity of her!? At least Connor doesn't have to listen to this."
"Very well." Frey began as the guards accompanied Kayura to a chair. "You Highness?"
Zelda stood. "Yes Justice Frey?"
"Please describe to us the events of the first count; Rape."
"Yes, Justice." Zelda walked up to the witness stand and began. "I was worried about everything that had taken place that day and started thinking about Link,"
"Just the facts, Your Highness." Iquestrious corrected.
Zelda blushed. "Uh, yes Justice Iquestrious. "As I said I couldn't sleep so I went to the library,"
"Why the library?" Hayge asked.
"Too see if some reading would help me fall asleep."
"Continue." Hayge wrote something down.
"Well, as I remember correctly, I was about to reach the door when I heard Sage."
"And what did he say?" Asked Frey.
"His voice was directed to Kayura. He said something like, Jesus, Mary and some other guy's name, oh yes it was Joseph, uh, anyway after that I pressed my ear against the door and heard Kayura say 'I'm coming to thank you and get payment for saving your family's lives.' After that I kneeled down and, looking through the key hole, saw her sitting beside Sage. He was as far away as possible and reminded her that they where both married, but she didn't care a lick and slipped off her garment and let it fall to her waist exposing chest, Sage turned his head when she did so."
"Did Mr. McIntire say anything after that?" Iquestrious asked stroking his long white beard.
"Yes, after she ran her hand under Sage's kilt. She said that he was saying no but his body was saying yes. After he forcefully grabbed her hand and forced it away-"
"Your Honors, I fail to see where this is going." Kayura's court appointed lawyer stood.
Zelda shot him a look that gave him chills. "I was getting to it." She said hostilely. "Anyway, as I was saying," She shot the lawyer a look and continued. "Sage grabbed her hands and told her to get out.
"This is where the rape comes into play." Zelda looked over at Kayura in disgust, "She said that was the wrong answer and continued saying that if she didn't get her 'payment' that she would cry rape.
"Sage called her bluff and Kayura let her clothing fall to the floor. I won't go into the details, but let me just say that Sage believed every word of her threat." Gasps were heard through out the court room.
"Order! Order!" Hayge demanded.
"After she put her clothing back on, she told Sage that she would see him again the next night. Laughing, she said that Sage must have thought that little encounter was just a one time deal. I saw her walking over to the door and ran off down the hall and waited, a few moments later I went back into the room to see Mr. McIntire sitting on a chair with his face hid in his hands. He looked up and I assured him that she wouldn't get away with it. After that we both went to Sage's room to explain the plan I had for the trap that we executed last night."
"Thank you Your Highness." Iquestrious said. "Mr. Danial," Kayura's lawyer stood and buttoned his deep blue blazer and studied her. "You and Emily McIntire are jealous of Ms. Kayura aren't you?"
"I shall try to contain my laughter at that question." Zelda said crossing her arms defensively.
"Please answer the question You Majesty." Said Frey.
"No," Was the answer to the question.
"In fact, both of you combined can't match Kayura's power in magic."
"Even if I knew that for a fact, I could really care less."
"That is why you and Mrs. McIntire got Sage to go along with your plans to rid yourselves of her."
"That's a damned lie!" Zelda shouted slapping her palm on the wooden railing infront of her.
"My Queen, I advise you that type of behavior will not be tolerated in my court." Vincent Hayge warned after rapping his gavel.
"Y-yes Justice Hayge." Zelda wrung her hands on her long pink dress.
"Very well," Hayge turned to the attorney. "Have you any more questions to ask this witness?"
"Only one you Honor. Why didn't you stop this? You had the chance."
"Well, I tried to but I couldn't even touch the door knob, she must have put a spell on it." Zelda pointed to Kayura.
"Objection your Honor, calls for a conclusion from the witness."
"Over ruled." Justice Fey ruled.
"You had Sage seduce Kayura so that you could get her for rape didn't you? You didn't like the idea that any other person being more skilled than you."
"Are you calling your ruler a liar, Mr. Danial?" Zelda said smugly. "I'd hate to see what would happen, if that were true."
Danial's face paled slightly. "No further questions." Zelda stepped down as Emily was called to the stand.
"Emily McIntire, please state what happened the night in question."
"Yes your Honors." Emily glared a hole through Kayura with her now hard emerald green eyes all through her testimony. "I awoke with a knocking on Sage's and I's door."
"And who was there?" Asked Iquestrious.
"Zelda and Sage. Sage told me to sit and I did. He tried to tell me what happened but just couldn't bring himself to so Zelda did."
"And what did she say?"
"That Kayura had forced Sage to have sex with her." Emily suddenly had to dab the tears at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "I asked her why she didn't stop it and gave the same explanation as earlier."
"What happened next?"
"Hmm, well, Zelda left and Sage apologized that this had to happen numerous times. We talked for awhile and we eventually went to sleep." Emily concluded.
With Emily done testifying, Sage was called up and gave the same story, only from his point of view. Then Kayura came up to the stand. She gave a tearful story about Sage almost choking the life from her and beating her until she gave herself to him. Sage was literally growling as her testimony and had to hold Emily in her seat at one point. When Hayge asked her where all the bruises where if he did beat her as bad as she said, she replied. "I used my magic to cover them up. And since I'm in this prism thing, I can't show them."
With the direction of the justices, Zelda was ordered to remove Nayru's Love. She did so with a smirk and as the 'bruises' all over Kayura's neck and eyes began to appear, her face went to shock along with Sage's and Emily's. "Your Honors!!" She began.
Vincent Hayge stood, "We have heard all that is necessary of this case, therefore we will retire to our chamber for discussion."
"All rise!" The guard commanded. Kayura was led away to the dungeon. Sage, Zelda, Emily, Perrin and Angus and the Sages were talking as the present Ronins and Warlords walked up to them.
Ryo started in on Sage immediately taking a swing which Sage stopped with his face. "Ryo!" Mia shouted as Rowen and Kento held him back while Angus held Sage with the help of Perrin.
"Ye walk oan a thin line Ryo." Sage warned with gritted teeth.
Ryo was still trying to get at Sage. "Well maybe you shouldn't have raped her!"
Now it was Emily's turn to be angry. "What! you actually believe that shit she piled on us today!? And that lawyer!" She exhaled in exasperation. The Hyrulians went one way, the Ronins and Warlords, the other.
***
"Oh, this keeps getting better!" Ganon exclaimed, the glow from the globe illuminating his face.
"Yes, I see a nice big rift between the Ronins and those annoying Hyrulians!" Talpa laughed evilly. Ganon had a thoughtful look on his tan face. "What's going through your evil mind, Ganon?"
"Something that will cause Zelda even more gray hairs!"
"But she doesn't have any,"
"Don't be so literal Talpa!" 'Fool.' Ganon said impatiently. "I will return soon."
Talpa was watching the castle's happenings through the crystal ball when the Gerudo king returned gripping a very battered Link in Ronin yori. "I'm back." He said dropping Link to the ground, his armor clanking loudly on the stone floor.
"Oh, very well done Ganon!" Talpa congratulated while getting up from the chair in which he sat.
"Yes, it was almost too easy." Ganon beamed. "Poor Link," He emphasized the name with a kick to Link's chest. "he tried his little wind storm, it was just a small matter of taking care of that worthless Torrent and that fish Ruto!"
"Shove it up your ass, Ganon." Link strained out.
Ganon kicked him again. "Such insolence, boy." He said calmly, snapping his fingers. Two ironknuckles appeared.
"Just what are you planning?"
"Heh, now that I have the other Triforce bearers, I can begin the process of reclaiming them and become the ruler of Hyrule once more! Mwahahaa!!"
The lightbulb finally went on in Talpa's mind. "Wait, didn't we see Zelda at the trial?"
"Yes-"
"Oh shit!" Both men shouted at once.
"Lorrrrrrd Ganon! Lorrrrrrrd Ganon!" A stalfos cried out entering the throne room. "Seiji's spirit has been taken!"
"WHAT!" Talpa bellowed, his eyes glowed red and evaporated the stalfos with his power.
"Must you have done that?"
"What the hell is going on here!"
"But how," Ganon questioned aloud. "we captured that brat Zelda."
"Heh, heh, looks like they tricked you two." Link smiled, getting to a knee.
"Raaargh! SHUT UP!" Ganon bellowed as he hit Link with a ball of energy, sending him skittering across the room leaving a trail of sparks.
Talpa slammed his fist on the table. "Dais!"
"Dais, Talpa?" Ganon looked over at him.
"Yes, it had to be that sideshow freak!" He said in rage. "He must have assumed the form of Zelda to trick us! Aargh!"
"That is no matter," Ganon said suddenly calm.
"How is that no matter!!"
"We still have one holder of a Triforce don't we?" He watched as the ironknuckles lifted an unconscious Link from the ground. "Namely Courage, and as an added bonus he is also an armor bearer!"
"Hmm, I do suppose that it is a fair trade off." Said Talpa thoughtfully. "You get a Triforce, I get an armor. Not bad! Hoohoohwahaa! I am very pleased!"
"Woopie," Ganon muttered under his breath. "Take the hero away, I grow tired of looking at him."
***
Dais walked in the shadows of Talpa's castle. He never remembered there being so many guards here before. Whether it was never having to worry about it, or the allying of Talpa with Ganon, he couldn't tell. All he knew was that he had to find Seiji, and fast.
"Hey moblin!" A voice called. Dais turned around to see a group of Dynasty soldiers. Something inside his altered form told him that these four had put down the moblin before, and about to do it again. 'No honor amongst thieves I guess, but what they don't know will kill them!'
"Wh-what?" Dais said, drawing them closer into his web.
"We just want to talk to ya buddy." The apparent leader of the pack said. They got close and surrounded Dais. 'Oh this is too easy, no wonder the Ronins has such little problems destroying these idiots!'
"J-just leave me alone!" Dais said meekly, using a bit of reverse psychology.
"I don't think so dog breath." The moblin side of Dais wanted to kill them right then and Dais readily obliged.
"So you want to try something?" He grunted in the moblin's tone. "Then try it!" He shouted switching to his normal voice.
"What!? Dais!?" They started to try and run, but Dais was too fast for them.
"Ah, ah, mustn't try to get away!" He morphed back to his fully armored self. "Web Of Deception!" The scythes on his back plate flew out and impaled the fleeing soldiers easily. Dais grimaced as he turned back into the moblin. As his new form surveyed the empty armors the moblin inside smiled and Dais felt a pang of happiness.
'You are welcome, moblin.' Dais thought to himself sensing the thankful feeling of the dead moblin's psyche and remembered how he was ridiculed for his appearance as a child. Dais laughed to himself. "Heh, now I'm making the enemy feel good." He began walking off. "Even though he is dead."
Eventually he came to a locked door. "Hmm, Badamon's lair." Grabbing the door knob, he twisted it until the lock snapped. After opening the door very, very slowly, he peered inside. No-one was in the room as far as he could tell. But one could never be too careful in dealing with the ruler of the nether spirits. Fading into a nearby wall, he surveyed the whole room. 'Good, not a soul.' He saw a small globe with a green light. 'That must be Seiji!' He stepped from the wall and ran to Seiji's prison. "Seiji! Seiji!"
"What do you want, moblin?" Seiji's spirit asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, forgot!" Dais turned back into himself.
"Dais, its you! Oh man its great to see even your face! Get me outa here!"
Dais picked up the globe with both his hands. "Your welcome."
The rasping voice of a stalfos was heard. "Hey what do-o you think you doin'?" Dais turned his head just in time to see the red blade of the stalfos and sidestepped it, turned around and kicked it in the chest. A split second later he teleported himself back to Hyrule.
"I-I-I must tell Lorrrrrd Ganon of this-s-s!"
****
In the courtyard, the Hyrulian faction was sitting around lazily on the grass and assorted benches, all confident of the outcome of the case. Even though they appeared to be calm, there was an underlying unease. Angus was joking with Perrin, Sage was lightly running a hand through his wife's hair watching Connor and Cheyan playing. Ariana was braiding Amber's long red hair. Darunia was looking hungrily at the marble fountain and Nabooru was polishing Seiji's sword for when he returned with Marilyn looking on.
"Naboo, why bother polishing Seiji's sword when it shines as bright as a hundred desert suns already?"
Nabooru smiled and looked at her reflection in the blade. "Because, it reminds me of him. The way his soul shone through the darkness." She put the cloth down and sent away the Sword of Light back to the kanji orb.
The ruler of Hyrule was once again in a worried stupor. "Zelda?...Zelda!" Zelda found herself on the ground with her friends looking down at her. "Amber, get a cold cloth for her Highness!" Marilyn commanded hurriedly. Amber scampered off as Perrin and Angus helped sit her up. Sage leaned down infront of her.
"Ye all right lass?"
Zelda grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt. Her eyes where wide with terror and her breathing was rapid. "Link! something happened to Link!" Zelda said in a cold sweat jerking Sage's lapels. Amber returned and Perrin and Angus gently sat Zelda against a tree with the Gerudo placing the cloth on Hyrule's leader's sweating head.
Emily took Zelda's hands in hers. "Your Majesty, you can't be doing this! Worrying yourself to faint! Think of the child with in your womb." She accented the statement by placing her left hand on Zelda's still flat stomach. "Its not healthy." Emily gave her a caring smile.
"I suppose that you are correct, Emily." Zelda said with a sigh.
"What happened tae Link, Zelda?" Sage winced when his wife gave him 'the look'.
"I-I don't know, its just...something..." Zelda put her hand to her forehead. Things where back to normal when a retainer walked up to his liege and bowed. "Your
Majesty, the Justices have comeback with a decision."
***
To say that the room was high-strung would be an understatement as the Justices once again took the bench. No-one knew the verdict save the Justices, Zelda, Sage, and Emily. Or, so they thought anyway. Hayge rapped his gavel. "Court will come to order!"
"Our first ruling is that there will be no need for the second charge against the accused. The reason for this is that the guilty party shall be executed at dawn. Now, that brings us to our decision."
"We believe that the conspiring against Kayura to be false," Sage held Emily's hand and gave it a squeeze, while Zelda gave him a nudge to his side in congratulations. "However, it is the ruling of this court that Mr. Sage McIntire was the one who forced sexual relations upon Lady Kayura, not the other way around." Sage sat awestruck, Emily's face paled and Zelda stared at the Justices dumbfounded. Angus leaned over to a cousin of his on his left and whispered something in his ear. They both got up and left the courtroom hurriedly with faces of hatred and disgust.
"Henceforth, Sage McIntire is to spend time in the dungeon until his execution tomorrow morning, court adjourned!" Hayge rapped the gavel, the three got up and began to leave the courtroom.
Emily let out a screech. "This is all your fault bitch!" She leaped up and hit Kayura with her Thunder Lightning Smash, sending her to the nearest wall. The court guards rushed over to restrain Emily.
"Don't even think about it!" Zelda cried. The soldiers looked confused but did as were told.
***
"Ganon! Ganon!" Talpa shouted. "Come here!"
"Oh what is it?" Ganon said appearing in a black flame. "I'm busy with Li-" But he stopped when he saw the scene on Talpa's screen. "Well, how convenient. They're doing our work for us."
Talpa laughed, "Yes and just think, now they are on two clear sides! they can't trust each other after this!"
A Dynasty soldier flashed in the screen. "Master Talpa, Sage's men are gathering and it appears they will riot because of the ruling."
"Excellent! Wonderful! Great!" The Dynasty's master shouted jovially. "We won't have to lift a finger against them now!"
***
"This is bull, c'mon." Angus whispered to his cousin. When the two made it to the Scottish barracks, they were greeted with questions of the trail.
"They found Sage guilty! He is gaun tae be hanged tomorrow at dawn!" Cries of shock and outrage mixed with silence filled the room. "That cannae happen!"
"What can we dae?"
"The only thing we can dae! Get him back! Get yer arms! We may nae survive, but we will show them what happens when they set tae execute the Chief o' the McIntires!" Angus made his way to the other portions of the Scots' barracks. "I trust ye'll be helpin' us in this?"
MacInnes was the first to respond. "This is a McIntire matter, we willnae send our clan tae help yers."
"Fine then! We dinnae need yer help anyway!" The McIntires rushed from the barracks and set it ablaze shouting war cries and destroying nearby buildings. General Trang arrived with a small contingent of solders.
"Angus McIntire! You and your men will immediately put down your weapons!"
"Ha! Ye will have tae pry 'em from our dead hands! Gae!" The remaining McIntires rushed forward and utterly crushed the General and his forty troops. With every step and skirmish they made their way closer to the castle.
***
"Zelda you can't let this happen!" Ryo shouted.
"I can and I will!" Was the angered reply.
Kayura had shattered the crystal of Nayru's Love and she and Emily had been trading magical blows. And since the spell had been dissipated, Kayura now had the Ancient's staff to assist her. All spectators except the Ronin faction and Hyrulian faction had left the now destroyed courtroom because of the fighting. "I like this as much as you do, but Kayura needs punished for her acts and if vigilantism is the only way, so be it!"
Emily threw balefire bomb after balefire bomb at Kayura who ducked, dodged and blocked them with the staff. Her fight was fueled by her hatred and anger, which clouds the mind of the fighter, making mistakes. "This ends now Kayura!" Emily warned gathering energy above her head, growing larger and larger and larger until it was the size of her. "Now die!" She flung the energy ball at Kayura who smiled as it sped at her at a rapid pace.
"Kayura!" Anubis Yelled. A split second later, Kayura twirled the staff in front of her and hit the energy back at Emily 'Damn, I let my anger get the better of me! I've used the last energy I had in that ball, I can't even defend my self against my own attack!' Emily thought in wide eyed terror.
"Emily-y-y!" Sage broke away from the guards.
"Hey! Get back here!" One of them called after him.
Emily scrunched her body, her head turned away from her impending doom. But it never came. She heard a man screaming in agony infront of her. She turned her head and saw Sage with his arms and legs stretched out, blocking the blast. "Oh gods no!" Emily wailed helping Sage's head to her lap after he had fallen to the ground. Most of his clothing had been burned away leaving barely enough for the essentials. His skin was burned and had begun to peel away from his body, his hair scorched away.
Sage weakly put a bloody hand to his wife's cheek leaving a bloody trail on it as he stroked it. "Are ye all right lass?" She could only nod tearfully. Sage smiled and coughed up blood mixed with saliva. "Guid, dae me one thing."
"Anything!" Emily had begun to cry.
"Take guid care o' Connor fer me,"
"You know I will."
Sage smiled and whispered raspily. "Tha gradh agam ort, (Gaelic for I love you) my beautiful serving maid."
"Tha gradh agam ort, my simple fisherman." Sage smiled and let out a last raspy breath as he perished. "No.....NO!!" Emily hung her head and cried loudly for her lost husband. "SA-A-A-A-GE!!"
"Sage," Zelda whispered a single tear running down her cheek and hanging to her chin. She walked over to Emily and hugged her kneeling body.
***
"Haahahahahhaa!!" Ganon bellowed in evil laughter. "Finally that annoying Sage is dead!....I am a bit disappointed that I was not the one to kill him though."
"Who cares, that's one less hero to take care of."
"Right, well now that that is over I'm going back to work on Link for a bit more." Ganon gave an oily smile and disappeared into a black flame.
"Ooh, Li-i-i-ink" Ganon said, tauntingly.
"What," Link hissed hanging from his wrists. He still had Hurricane on.
"Oh, I just thought that I'd bring you a bit of news is all," Ganon said nonchalantly.
"Uh, huh." Link said disinterested.
"You remember that little trial don't you? Heh, well, it seems that Emily didn't like the ruling all that much and attacked Kayura." Ganon said smoothly, running his fingernail across Link's cheek, cutting it.
"What!"
"Aah, so you do care! Very well, heh. To make a long and terrible story short, Sage is dead."
"Lair!" Link shouted straining against the chains to get to Ganon's throat.
"Am I?, well maybe you should see for yourself." The evil Gerudo brought up a screen in the air with his power. It showed the now broken court room. Sage was on the floor looking quite dead.
Link hanged his head, the blonde locks falling over his eyes. "Sage..."
"Aaawwww, sooo sad." Ganon said sarcastically as her walked away spiting Link with playing the scene over and over right in line with his eyes.
***
Emily and Zelda looked when they saw a foot in armor. They continued looking up until they gazed upon Anubis' calm face. "What do you want?" Emily hissed full of scorn.
Anubis gave a warm grin. "Your husband's loyalty to you has touched my heart. So much so that I do believe his spirit can handle the power of my armor."
"Anubis! What the hell are you thinking, siding with them!" Ryo shouted heatedly. Anubis turned and stepped over to Ryo and hit him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"A man lies dead on the ground in his wife's arms and you speak of petty differences Wildfire!" Anubis had bent down and literally bellowed that in Ryo's face. "You degrade Sage's honorable sacrifice by your words!" While Anubis was brow beating the Ronin of Wildfire, Kayura tried to sneak off. "Oh Kayura, you wouldn't happen to be sneaking off would you?" His anger still burning into Ryo's face.
"I-no...Anubis." Kayura plopped onto the ground and sulked.
"Your makin' a big mistake Anubis. Sage might not be able to handle your armor."
"Ryo, stop talking out your ass!" Angakita shrieked for the first time through the whole ordeal.
"Kita," Rowen tried calming her down.
"Be quiet Rowen." She said harshly. "I may have a way to get to the truth of this matter," Her brow furrowed in thought.
"Well, it had best be quick, twenty minutes is all that I have until Sage stays dead." Anubis said.
"Oh, please! It won't take that long to ask The Three what really happened that night. Give me some credit will you?" Anubis blushed in embarrassment. "I'll be back soon." Angakita disappeared leaving only her fairy behind.
Angakita reappeared in a room much like the Chamber of Sages. "Mothers, I am in need of assistance." Kita bowed before three flames of red, green, and blue.
Din of Power, Farore of Courage, and Nayru of Wisdom appeared infront of her. "Yes, child?" The goddesses asked simultaneously.
"I have no doubt that you know of the trial that has taken place today."
"That we do," Nayru's voice rolled from her mouth like the sea.
"Was it the right choice?"
"Kayura was the one that gave false testimony." Farore's voice sounded as wind blowing through trees.
"So, Sage's death was pointless?" Angakita asked as she stood.
"Oh no child!" Din's powerful voice flowed into her mind. "Sage proved that his love and loyalty to his wife Emily was more important than his own life."
"Thank you mothers!" Angakita bowed once more as she began to fade back into the realm of Hyrule.
"Well?" Rowen asked as his woman as soon as she returned. She looked at Kayura with out any emotion.
"I want the Justices to hear, Anubis if you please?"
"I'll go and get them." Perrin said scurrying off.
Anubis nodded and knelt before Sage's burnt, lifeless body and put his hand on Sage's forehead as 'Loyalty' shone through the rusty locks on the Warlord's forehead. "Emily, Zelda, if you don't mind to step away." He commanded lightly. Pale, yellow light flowed up from the ground and engulfed the two warriors. The rest of the armor bearers' kanjis glowed as they winced in pain dropping to their knees. Anubis' subarmor began to glow yellow and he shouted out his symbol. The yellow light suddenly flashed to almost blinding and Anubis let out one last wail and disappeared along with the light. All was quiet in the courtroom once again.
***
The Scotsman awakened to see only darkness stretching for an eternity in each way he looked, except a small orb of yellow light. As Sage looked on, it became in the shape of a man, a man named Anubis. "Hello, Sage."
"Uhh, Anubis yer kind o' naked." Sage said looking straight ahead.
"Huh? Oh, so I am." Anubis said. "But that is of little matter. Sage, I gave you my armor so that you may live once again."
"Sae, ye believed me in court?"
"Yes, I know that Kayura has strange ways of thanking others."
"Tae say the least."
"Anyway...Sage," Anubis held out his hand and Sage took it and shook. "Awaken and live once more, fear not for me I shall be safe....hopefully."
"Uhh, how dae I control it? and what if I canna?"
"First, the armors instincts are already in your mind. Second, I wouldn't have given you my armor to you if I didn't think that you could handle it."
"All right. Thank ye Anubis."
"Do not mention it Sage McIntire. Now, I must go, Talpa has caught me. Farewell!" And with that, Anubis was gone.
***
"So nice to see you again, Anubis." Talpa said tossing Anubis in his glass prison from hand to hand.
"I wish I could say the same." A cross Anubis said sitting Indian style and crossing his arms as he was tossed.
"Heh, heh, heh...maybe I could make you into a night light. Hmmm, your spirit is too bright for that though, Badamon may find you amusing though." Talpa walked away laughing as he set Anubis on a small pedestal on his desk in his personal room.
***
"Oh man, dae I hae a headache!" Sage said as he awoke and was smothered in kisses by Emily. "Em, haha!!! that tickles!! Emily, please!" Sage turned his head to Ryo. "By the way Ryo, Anubis believed me, maybe ye should tae."
"Yes, Anubis is right." Angakita said walking over to a pouting Kayura. "This wench did exactly as Sage and Zelda said."
"And The Three told you this?" Iquestrious questioned as he stepped into the ruined room. Angakita gave a simple nod.
"Kayura." Hayge said in an official tone. "I hear by sentence you to death for the raping of Sage McIntire."
"But, your execution will be stayed until the down fall of Ganon and Talpa." Zelda once again placed Nayru's Love upon Kayura. "Until that time comes, you shall remain in the castle dungeon."
"You can't do that!" Rowen shouted.
"Can't I?" Zelda's voice had a 'dare me' tone to it and Rowen lost his confidence and shut up. "Matrim!"
"Yes Your Highness!" Zelda's personal guard snapped to attention.
"Do take Kayura down to the dungeons and make sure she is very uncomfortable."
"As you command!" Matrim dragged a crying and wailing Kayura away to the dungeons. When the two were gone, Kento asked.
"But, who is gonna take the place of The Ancient?"
"Anubis, of course." Sekhmet said curtly. "That is, once we rescue him."
"Well, now that this is all over, I propose that we all take a day of rest!" Darunia roared, or spoke. No-one could ever tell the difference.
"I'll second that one!" Saria said with a sweet smile up at Sekhmet, cocking her head alittle.
Silent seconds past when the remnants of the courtroom door flung open. "Queen Zelda! Queen Zelda!" The guard stopped and looked at the thrashed area. "By Farore." He said in awe.
"Never mind the room, what causes such haste!?" Zelda asked from across the room.
"Huh?, oh yes! I nearly forgot! Ha! Sage's men are rioting in the streets of the town!"
"Wit!" Sage shouted.
"It seems that they were most displeased at the order of the court!"
"Well, no rest for the weary." Nabooru yawned as all rushed from the court.
