A diverse crowd of Hyrulean citizens cluttered the paths of the extensive castle of Hyrule. They lined the dirt road from the drawbridge, through the gate houses, until they overflowed into the courtyard. They came equipped with a variety of fruits and vegetables, ranging from fresh to rotten, to throw at the criminal being tried for abducting children from their home. A woman's inconsolable weeping echoed between the castle's exterior stone walls. An underlying harmony of murmuring rose out from the massive gathering as everyone debated the punishment the King of Hyrule would deliver to the criminal.

The sun shined gloriously, desperate to brighten the glum faces of those present to hear the victims recount their traumatizing tales. Ganondorf sat in the heavy wooden chair carried to the courtyard by servants so that he could comfortably preside over the trial. His wife, daughter, son-in-law, and adopted son were seated nearby at a round table. He constantly glanced at them, thoughts wildly racing through his mind as he listened to the children's stories. The King of Hyrule found himself transfixed on his daughter, seeing her as a delicate girl once more, not an adult of several centuries old. Had anyone tried to capture his princess there was no question what their fate would be. This was different. A far worse punishment needed to be delivered.

Volga sat beside his mother, absorbing the emotions of the victims and their parents, the enraged audience, and the convict. There was anger, fear, and vengeance circling violently in the air. He was nearly taken away from his family once, but he wondered how those actually removed from their homes managed to cope. The prince watched Ganondorf, rarely moving his eyes from them, and wondered if he gave any attention to the Rito girl standing before him. Volga remembered the concern his entire family showed when the Yiga first reported the abducted Gerudo and Rito girls, two in the same amount of days, and that the search parties failed to return any results. It was not uncommon for children to choose to go missing, or to become lost while playing, but can usually be found easily in both scenarios. By the fifth day, the Yiga patrolling Zora's Domain delivered the news that two children had gone missing from their homes as well. A boundless effort was made to locate the missing children before anymore disappeared. Luckily, the Yiga were relentless, and found the children swiftly. Unfortunately, one had already died.

"Silence!"

Volga jumped at hearing his father bellow. The crowd did as they were commanded, and stopped throwing produce. Once they were hushed, Ganondorf ordered, "Continue."

The Rito was visibly shaken. Her father knelt at her side to offer comfort, but she began to cry when she recalled the horrors of what happened. She was ashamed to be causing so much trouble for her parents and the royal family. "I'm sorry, Dad," she whimpered.

Prince Volga stood from his seat courageously and approached the girl and her father. His boots glided through the tall grass with a soft whisper. Never before had he felt a weight as heavy as all those eyes waiting apprehensively to find out what he was about to do. He knelt before the Rito, twisting his head so he captured her gaze. Volga smiled kindly and said, "This isn't your fault, Roset. You can tell me what happened. I promise I will help you."

His courage was contagious. Roset placed her wing in the hand Volga offered, and then looked at Ganondorf when she informed him of her tale. "I showed up early for practice with my friends at Warbler's Nest when that man was there to take me. He offered me a drink, but it only put me to sleep. I woke up in a dark room with a Gerudo girl. I had no idea what was going on."

She referred to the hole in the ground of Dalite Forest where the Yiga located the children bound by ropes and chains. The Zora boy and girl gave a similar story, and the Gerudo girl still living claimed to be stolen while learning to ride her sand seal. Volga gently squeezed Roset's feathery hand to praise her bravery.

"I was practicing swimming up waterfalls with my brother when I was taken," the Zora girl confessed, catching Volga's courage.

"I have no idea how they got there. I did not kidnap them," the man on trial insisted. "You cannot prove anything!"

Volga flinched and watched his mother with curious eyes as she launched out of her seat, feet firmly planted on the ground. He felt the fire of her rage burst across the short distance and rush over him. "Do not speak unless you are questioned directly. You disgust me! You are not worth the air you breathe, heathen, to try and deny a crime which you so blatantly committed. Witnesses place seeing you go from your house to their prison. Why did you abduct these children?" Dora shouted passionately.

The man remained silent, but the Gerudo girl present, with pink hair, timidly spoke up. "He said we were beautiful and rare, and wanted to keep us all to himself and for his children to play with. He used a poison to keep us weak so we couldn't escape."

Tears burned Volga's eyes as he pictured being in that situation with them. The Yiga already gave their description of the scene, and the worst part was imagining the smell of feces rising from the hole. They had all been filthy and growing ill from the unsanitary conditions. However, there was one more detail that was even more shocking: the rotting corpse.

"Menah was brave," the Gerudo continued, turning to the woman with a tear streaked face. "She promised us all we would make it home. She sacrificed her food so we wouldn't starve. We were lost and scared and we missed our families. She was the strongest of us, but was killed when she tried to help us escape, and we were recaptured."

"I need no evidence except for these children to identify your face. You call my husband a beast? You need to look in a mirror," the queen hissed, and elegantly sat down. Din hastened to the seat beside her, where Volga had been, and hugged her.

"If my daughter was so priceless then why did you kill her?" cried the Gerudo woman sitting with the other parents.

"I've heard more than enough," Ganondorf said calmly, finally resting his eyes on the brunette Hylian man wearing blue, noble clothing. The king rose fluidly from his seat and traversed the courtyard, until he stood with his arms crossed over his armored chest, and his boots shoulder width apart. "You have one chance to beg for my mercy, you miserable pile of excrement," he threatened darkly.

"You'll have no begging from me," the man angrily answered.

"Volga," Ganondorf called, never shifting his hateful eyes from the man that only stood chest high on him. "How would you force Haylin to learn the error of his ways?"