A large crowd had gathered outside of the courthouse, each person vying for a spot close to one of the tall windows. It was impossible to know what was happening inside, but they hoped to catch just a glimpse of the proceedings anyway. A few people attempted to peer into the courtroom from afar. Some even tried to read the lips of the people inside, but they had little luck in doing so. There was little chance that she would be able to see anything, so Malon stood away from the crowd and steadied her breathing. She knew that seeing every horrible moment of the procedure but being unable to speak up would only make things more difficult.
"He's gonna be fine," she assured herself. "They'll release him in no time once they realize how absurd this is." The last time she recalled being this nervous, Link had just left to confront Ganondorf. Though he was a strong warrior and she was confident in him, there had been no guarantees of his survival. For all she knew, it would've been the last time that she would ever see him.
She looked around the throng of people. Some of them were seething with outrage, while others weren't even sure what was going on. A few men were yelling at each other, apparently in disagreement if Link could ever do such a thing. Malon glared at one of the men who barked about Link being guilty.
"Why would anyone say such a thing? Have they already forgotten who he is?"
Malon looked away from them and found a spot in the crowd far away from any arguing. She took a seat on a nearby fountain and decided to simply wait until the trial was over. It was about all she could do.
Link stood in the large courtroom and stared back at the magistrates before him. There would be no audience in a trial like this - it was little more than the officials, the prosecutor, and himself. A trial that had generated this much controversy and outrage would be almost impossible to conduct if too many people were allowed inside. The council of judges in front of him would determine both his innocence and fate, though Link suspected that some of them had already made up their minds, and not for the better. As was usual for a case of such seriousness in the Hylian justice system, Queen Zelda, General Tason, and three arbitrarily-selected judges from the land would preside.
The Hero of Time desperately wanted to appeal directly to Zelda to stop the trial before it began, but they both knew that the agreement with Frasell made that impossible. All he could do was make his case and hope to prove his accusers wrong. He played the course of events in his mind over and over, mentally noting even the smallest of details - anything that might swing the case in his favor.
He scanned each of the judge's faces, trying to gauge their predisposition towards him. Zelda was clearly distraught and had no desire to continue with the trial. It had been days since she had heard of the claim against Link, but it was still fresh in her thoughts.
She had been in one of the libraries during her limited time off from various duties. It was a quiet evening, like most nights, and the reading material in her hand had captured her attention for almost an hour. The tall doorway into the library was suddenly darkened by a panicked man. He wasn't supposed to show such a lack of composure in front of the queen, but this was too urgent.
"Queen Zelda, please forgive the interruption. We have just received some troubling news," the messenger quickly said. He clutched a document in his hand and slowly handed it to her.
Zelda looked up from her book. "Oh dear," she replied under her breath. "I assume this is about the invasion?"
"N-no, Your Majesty, not exactly," he said as she began to read it. "It's about Link."
She stood up and her eyes widened as she looked over the letter. "No," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "This... this is a lie. It has to be."
"I don't believe it either, Queen Zelda, but-"
She raised her voice as she went on. "They think him to be a murderer? Have they lost their minds? These claims are outrageous!" she exclaimed. She struggled to find the words to properly convey her disbelief. "I will not entertain such an absurdity."
The messenger had slowly gathered himself. "What would you have us do, Your Majesty?"
Zelda became quiet for a moment. "Whatever it takes to get him out of this." Without another word, she marched off into the castle. The ambassador from Frasell would hear from her shortly.
Back in the courtroom, Zelda prepared herself for what would be the most agonizing trial that she had ever presided over. "I'm sorry, Link. I'm doing everything I can." Next to her, Tason sat in a state of subdued disbelief, and the three others were a mixture of sadness and bewilderment.
Tason spoke up. "Let the record show that the defendant has pleaded not guilty. The judges presiding are: Her Majesty, Queen Zelda, myself, and Judges Diron, Bavla, and Ullan." He cradled his chin in his hand and stared at Link, unsure if what he was seeing was real.
Diron was the eldest of the three, and easily the most experienced. Although he was just as astonished by the day's events as everyone else, he was the best at concealing his emotion. He looked to Link and then across the room to the prosecutor speaking on behalf of Frasell; a slender, younger man dressed in a rather ostentatious outfit.
"Prosecutor, you will have a chance to ask questions of the defendant, and he will have his turn to question you, and this council will render its verdict. Do you both understand?"
"Yes," Link and the prosecutor said in unison.
"So this is who they sent - their 'best man'..." Link recalled, evaluating him briefly.
"Prosecutor, you may proceed," Ullan added.
"Thank you," he said, crossing his arms. "I believe that the evidence will speak for itself. I do not aim to waste anyone's time here. With any luck, we should be out of here before supper."
"He's intentionally acting smug," Link noted. "He wants to get under my skin... make me lash out. Just need to keep cool, no matter how ridiculous this gets."
The man turned to Link and squinted at him for a second before speaking again. He was trying to read Link's body language and size him up. His cold expression didn't phase Link. Compared to the officer he had dealt with days before, this man was harmless.
The lawyer paced about in front of Link, his hands interlocked behind his back. "I will get straight to the point. We have multiple witnesses who say that they saw someone matching your description at the scene of the crime. Same build, same height, same hair and eye color... same garb and weapon, even. What do you make of that?"
"It wasn't me," he responded, crossing his own arms.
"Oh? So am I to believe that you have some sort of evil twin running around somewhere? Is that not what you told my associates in Frasell?"
"He's going to be theatrical like this all day, isn't he?" Link supposed.
"I ran across the man myself in the town. I had just escaped from a burning house and I bumped into him. Before I could react, he pushed me down took off. It all happened just before the guards found me."
Zelda's eyes shifted around as she tried to come up with an explanation in her mind. Tason looked on in confusion, not entirely sure what to make of Link's remark.
The prosecutor chuckled slightly and rolled his eyes. "So where is this individual now?"
"How could he expect me to know that?" he wondered.
"Believe me, I wish I knew that." Link turned his attention directly to Zelda and the others. "Look, you have to believe me. He might try to attack Hyrule. Have there been any sightings of other people who look like me?"
"Not that we've heard of," Zelda replied. "But I know you speak the truth."
Link looked back towards the prosecutor, who was still rather disbelieving. "Search the village, he might still be there. Ask people from nearby towns. They might've seen him pass through."
"I assure you, sir, that we've asked a great number of people in the area. None of them had ever seen a man like you before the attack or after your arrest."
"I would assume not. I have rarely been to Frasell."
"But yet you were there. Why?" he asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.
Link knew where he was going with this. He wanted him to speak of the diplomacy mission.
"I had to reclaim my sword from some bandits," he replied.
"Bandits? Is that what you think of the people of that village?" he said.
Link glared at him again. He was clearly still trying to upset him.
"That is not what I said. The bandits went to that village after I pursued them. I have absolutely nothing against the people there."
"Hmmph. But there's more, isn't there? Why else were you in Frasell?"
Tason and Zelda were both unsettled by this question. They exchanged worried glances, not knowing where the lawyer might take him.
"I don't like this, Your Majesty. How much do they know?" Tason whispered.
"He must've told them about his mission already," she returned.
"I was on a diplomatic assignment," Link said flatly. He hesitated to state the exact nature of the trip, but he had too much to lose to hold any information back. "I was asked to speak to the government regarding their intention to invade Hyrule."
"An invasion?" the lawyer replied incredulously. He looked around the room, as if he was searching for someone to verify what he had just heard. This time, it was obvious that he was truly stunned; he was not acting.
"Preposterous!" he spat. "What evidence do you have of that?" he demanded, pointing squarely at him.
Zelda spoke up, not content to let Link answer that alone. "He is telling the truth. We have received reports from some of our... men. They claim that Frasell means to attack us. We asked Link to speak with your government a few days ago."
Link and Zelda smiled at other, albeit nervously. Link eyed the prosecutor, finding it curious that he was so taken aback by his statement. Once again, he wondered if the spies were inaccurate.
The lawyer straightened his outfit, having become slightly animated during his questioning. "I see. But with all due respect, Your Majesty, I strongly doubt the authenticity of those reports. Ours is a peaceful nation, I assure you of that. However, all of this is beside the point. I believe that the council would like to see something."
He reached into a satchel, produced some small pieces of paper, and handed them over to the judges. Link already knew that they were the pictobox photos that he saw earlier. Some beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, as he still wasn't sure how to respond to them.
The judges shuffled through the photos and exchanged them with one another. Zelda trembled with horror and Tason covered his mouth with his hand. Judge Ullan stared blankly at the picture and adjusted his glasses before he stared wide-eyed at Link in shock.
They began to mumble among themselves, but Link couldn't hear anything that they said. The prosecutor took his seat quietly, interlocking his fingers on his stomach, content that the evidence was unassailable.
Tason raised his head slowly to the swordsman. "Link... what is this? This is... awful."
Judge Bavla could barely stand to look at the disturbing pictures before him. He placed them on the bench and buried his face in his hands. Once he regained his composure, he stared at Link, letting out a deep, uneven breath. Lant had caught a glimpse at one of the pictures and looked absolutely bewildered.
"This photo shows you torching a house," Bavla began. "Link... how do you expect me to believe your innocence?"
"That's not me - I was framed. I told you, there is somebody out there impersonating me!" Link exclaimed, no longer caring about his own temperament.
"This demands more investigating," Zelda said. Her typical calmness had left her voice. "There has to be more to this."
"I agree," Judge Diron said. "This has to be a forgery of some kind. Link is -"
"Enough, Diron," Ullan cut him off. "We will render our verdict later. Prosecutor, do you have anything further to add?"
"No sir."
"Link, you may offer your questions in return."
"Thank you." He hadn't thought of much to ask, so he tried to think of something quickly, if only to get their attention away from the photos.
"Where are the witnesses? Why have none of them testified in person?" he finally said, not sure where he was going with this.
"None of them could make the long trip here, I'm afraid. But I have their sworn testimonies right here if you'd like to read them."
"No, thank you. I just find it odd that you brought nobody here to back up your case," Link said, raising an eyebrow.
The lawyer continued to lounge in his chair, visibly bored with his statement.
"I'll have to try something else."
"Prosecutor, do you know who I am?" The words felt bitter in his mouth.
Though he didn't want to appear like a braggart, he supposed that his record of heroism would conflict with the lawyer's obviously dim view of him. If boasting was the only thing that would save him, it would have to be done.
"You are Link of Hyrule. The 'Hero of Time', I believe."
"That's correct," Link said, rather bothered with himself for his tone. "I have defended innocent people throughout my life. I cannot count the number of times that I have faced death in order to protect this land. I have more than enough scars as proof of that. Do you really believe that a person like me would ever do such a thing?"
The lawyer stood up slowly and fiddled with his hands, slightly discomforted by the question. "While my fellow countrymen and I do appreciate the tremendous deeds that you have done in defense of the world, your title does not protect you from justice, sir." Link could recognize the sincerity in his voice.
"It's about who I am," Link continued. "I would never murder an innocent person."
Zelda nodded subtly in agreement. Her desire to cancel the trial had only become worse and worse as it had gone on.
The smugness had left the prosecutor's voice. "The evidence would suggest otherwise, Link."
"Since you are so convinced, what motivation would I have to do such a thing?"
The prosecutor shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Perhaps you were angered about the theft of your weapon. Maybe you did it to intimidate Frasell's leaders - make them rethink this "invasion" that you spoke of."
"So you can't say with absolute certainty why I would do such a thing?"
"I'm sure you had your reason, as indefensible as it may be."
The swordsman stared at him, his frustration bubbling just below the surface. He wasn't sure what else to say, so he took his seat. "I have no more questions." Were it not for his lack of restful sleep, he knew that he probably would have been able to think of a stronger question.
Judge Diron spoke up. "If nobody has any further remarks, then we will discuss this among ourselves. We will render or judgment by the evening."
Zelda, Tason, and the magistrates left the courtroom and filed into a smaller room adjoining it. For hours, they argued with each other but could not be heard. Link and the prosecutor sat together for the entire time in the silence of the courtroom.
The swordsman considered how the judges looked at him, and how disappointed and outraged they were. He didn't want to admit it, but he disliked his chances.
Minutes later, the judges filed back into the courtroom, stone-faced and quiet. They took their spots on the bench and paused before saying anything.
"We have reached our decisions," Zelda said.
In order from left to right, they announced their respective judgments. Though each of them were confident in their opinions, there was obvious pain on the looks on their faces.
"Guilty," Judge Ullan said, choking up slightly.
Link felt his stomach turn into knots already. No matter what the others said, he would not show fear or resentment.
"Not guilty," Diron added.
"Not guilty," Zelda spoke, with worry in her eyes.
"Guilty," Bavla said, closing his eyes and lowering his head a bit.
All that was left was General Tason. He swallowed a lump in his throat and shook his head slightly.
"...Guilty," he finally said. "I'm sorry, Link."
Link's face quivered, but he still refused to look intimidated, if only to reassure Zelda. He felt weak and light-headed and hoped that this was all a terrible dream. Zelda hid her face in her hands and sobbed quietly as Diron patted her on the back, trying to console her. The magistrates sat in various states of sorrow, disbelief, and stoicism. The prosecutor gave no reaction, other than to close his eyes.
Captain Lant looked up to Zelda, doing his best to conceal his own shock. "What is the sentence, My Queen?"
Everyone had already figured the answer to this. A particularly heinous crime like multiple murder was commonly met with execution. Zelda wiped away her tears and thought for a second, desperately trying to avoid that punishment. After several long seconds of silence, Lant asked once again.
"...My Queen? Do you have a sentence?"
"Exile," she stated uneasily. "Link must be... exiled. He will spend the rest of his days in the wilderness of Gattel." The words felt almost poisonous as they escaped her lips. "I have to give him a fighting chance at survival."
Link breathed a bittersweet sigh of relief. It was far preferable to execution. Still, he knew of what awaited exiles in Gattel and he was not looking forward to it. Gattel was a very distant, remote and inhospitable land to the far west of the Gerudo Desert. Link was not the first person to be exiled there.
Tason shot a confused look at Zelda. "M-my Queen..." he stuttered. "Exile is too lenient. The court has rendered him guilty on several outrageous crimes. I don't think that Frasell will take this well. I know it is difficult, but he must -"
"No," Zelda said forcefully. "We will not execute the Hero of Time. He deserves more than that. I have made my decision, General."
"O-of course, Your Majesty. Please forgive my remark."
Exile was the lightest possible sentence, given the severity of the crime. Zelda may have been the queen, but she was still beholden to the law of punishing criminals and did not have absolute power in the justice system. The thought of Frasell objecting to such a sentence occurred to her, but she could never bring herself to have Link executed. She would much rather deal with outraged government officials than the death of a friend.
"We care not where you go from Gattel, but you may never return to Hyrule, under penalty of execution," Ullan added. "Do you understand?"
"Yes. What will happen to my sword?"
"Your Master Sword and the rest of your gear will be kept secure within Hyrule Castle," Bavla stated. "You need not worry about that."
"I understand."
"Then this trial is over," he concluded. "Captain, you will escort this man to Gattel tomorrow morning. That is all."
"Yes sir..." he affirmed, with a defeated look on his face.
Tears returned to the queen's eyes as she saw Lant take Link away. "Link!" Zelda called out, "I'm so sorry! This is all wrong! I..."
Link offered a faint grin, hoping to allay her sadness. "Don't worry about me, Zelda. I'll be alright. Just stay safe. Goodbye, My Queen." He was unable to hold back a tear from escaping his own eye.
"Goodbye, Link..."
The two of them waved to each other as she exited the room with the other judges. Both of them greatly wanted to embrace each other one last time, but Lant was already escorting him back into the prison complex, cutting their exchange short.
The crowd had not dispersed in the slightest all day. No matter how late it got, nobody was ready to leave until they knew the fate of their champion. Malon had not moved much from her spot, completely unwilling to return home until she knew what would happen to her best friend. Whatever happened, she wanted to support him however she could.
She was anxious for the trial to end, and had no idea what stage they were at. The trial could have lasted for days, but she didn't care. Malon would force herself to stay, no matter how long it took. She said very little to anyone around her, instead focusing on the good times she had had with Link, hoping to block out any negative possibilities. Her mind drifted to scenes of them chasing each other in Hyrule Field as children, helping each other at the ranch, and taking horse rides out into the distant parts of Hyrule. They'd be lost in exploration for hours together, and she desperately hoped that those days were not over.
As the cool night winds began to sweep across the streets of Castle Town, the courtroom doors creaked open. Everyone immediately hushed and stared with baited breath at the person who emerged. Tason himself walked before the crowd with a pained look on his face.
"The court has found Link of Hyrule to be... guilty. For arson and multiple counts of murder."
A freezing chill ran through Malon's body and she fell to her knees. She shook her head and desperately tried to catch her breath. Her body felt numb and she could barely move. She looked at the general in horror, not wanting to believe what she heard.
"No... no! This isn't happening!" she thought.
"Impossible! Link is a hero!" a man cried out.
The crowd erupted into a cacophony of yelling and hissing. Even the people who had previously doubts about Link's innocence were taken aback by what they had heard. The farm girl's sorrow was slowly joined by anger until she couldn't contain it anymore and she rose to her feet, still trembling.
"That's a lie!" Malon yelled. "He would never do such a thing!"
Her voice was drowned out by the sound of the crowd. She didn't bother to shout anymore, but she stood with clenched fists, glaring directly at the general.
She desperately wanted to rush inside and find him. "We... we could run off somewhere. We could look after each other. Doesn't matter if we're outlaws – he deserves to be free."
But that couldn't happen; the second she got inside, she too would be arrested and neither of them would be free ever again.
"He has been sentenced to exile in Gattel," Tason called out over the noise. The haunting words echoed in Malon's thoughts. "I understand your anger, people of Hyrule. But we have the evidence of his crimes. We can't allow this to go unanswered, no matter how much it pains us. I'm truly sorry." Tason returned to the courthouse and closed the door.
The crowd was still furious and had not quieted down even after Tason's remark. Malon remained in place for some time, long into the morning, consumed with sadness and outrage. With hesitancy, she finally left for home, where she sat in the ranch house alone, unwilling to sleep. She would have no desire to do any work the next day, and she doubted that her appetite would ever return.
"This is all a terrible dream. I'm going to wake up, and Link will be safe and sound back in Castle Town."
The chilled night was no comfort to Link as he sat in the back of the creaking prison wagon. Lant had been ordered to take him straight to Gattel, leave him there, and never return. The captain had said virtually nothing to him since the trial ended, but as the two of them entered Hyrule Field, he spoke.
"If it's any consolation, Link... I believe that you're innocent."
"Thanks," he replied quietly.
"You've trained a lot of my men, sir... including me. You've taught so many of us everything we know about discipline and combat. We know you'll be fine out there."
"I hope so. Say, Lant... can you do me a favor?"
The officer rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "You want me to take you somewhere else... some far away corner of Hyrule, right?"
"Well... I suppose that would work. Could you?" He already knew the answer to that question.
Lant trembled with frustration and resisted the urge to change the wagon's course. "I'd like to but... I can't, sir. If they found out that I aided a 'criminal', the punishment would be..." Lant's voice trailed off and he silently shamed himself.
"It pains me so much to have to do this, sir. I'm very sorry. They'll demand evidence that you're actually in Gattel. If I can't produce it, then -"
"I understand, Captain."
Link became quiet once more. "I'm never going to see any of them again. Navi, Saria, Zelda, Malon..."
"Captain, can I offer another request?"
"Ahh, I don't know, sir. What did you have in mind?"
"I want to make a few stops. Say goodbye to some friends."
"I suppose I can afford to make one stop, sir. Any more than that, and I don't know that we'll be out of Hyrule before sunrise. We can't let anyone see us."
Link didn't hesitate. "I know exactly where I need to go."
Malon looked out the window at the setting moon. She was fraught with despair and exhaustion, but she didn't even have the strength to climb the stairs to her bed. At this point, it was too late to make a difference anyway. If Talon hadn't left on a day-long delivery, he would surely have urged her to get to sleep long ago.
Tears flowed freely from her eyes. She had nothing to hide now - it served no purpose to conceal her sadness anymore. Her best friend was going away forever, and she would never see him again. It was pointless to deny that, she believed.
"I just have to accept it." The foul thought burned in her mind.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. She dragged herself from her chair, wiped the tears from her face, and opened the door to find Link standing before her.
Before she could even react, he hugged her with all of his might and lifted her off of her feet. Her mind was a flurry of emotions, and she sobbed into his shoulder as she returned his embrace. For a minute, they stood there locked in each others arms, not sure what to say. Finally, Malon spoke.
"I'm so glad to see you again. I can't believe what they did to you. How could Zelda -"
"No," he stated. "She believed me the whole time." Link suppressed his own tears and his body trembled. "It's all lies. I swear to you that I never did any of that."
"You don't need to tell me, I already know. I'm just so happy that you came to see me one last time."
She became choked up and decided to say something daring, even with the presence of a soldier. That didn't matter to her.
"Y-you could stay here, where it's safe. We'll look after you."
Link briefly considered the offer. It certainly sounded wonderful, but he couldn't accept it.
"No, the risk is too great. If they found out I was here, they'd arrest you -"
"I don't care!" she exclaimed. She knew that he had already made up his mind, but she was going to say it anyway. "Please, you don't have to leave. I promise, you'll be alright here."
"Malon, I'm sorry but I can't do that. I don't want to see you in danger. I've survived worse than Gattel. I'll be fine."
Reluctantly, she accepted his decision. "I know you will," she returned.
"Before I go, there's someone out there that looks like me - he's the one who attacked the village. I don't know what he will do next. Please... stay safe."
Malon was alarmed at the idea. "I... I will."
Lant interrupted meekly as he noticed the first rays of the sun over the horizon. "Sir, we've got to get going soon. I'm sorry, but -"
"Yes, Captain, right away," he said before turning back to the farm girl. "I'll never forget you."
"I'll think about you every day, Link. Goodbye," she said, mustering a small smile.
With that, they wrapped themselves in each others' arms one last time. They felt each others' heartbeats, and were unprepared to let go. Neither of them had ever felt so unwilling to part with anyone or anything in their lives. After a few moments, Lant put his hand gently on Link's shoulder, signaling for them to leave. Reluctantly, Link released his embrace and walked away before boarding the prison wagon. As the cart trailed off into the distance, both of them waved goodbye until they could no longer see one another.