Hylia brought them both back in time, in thought. She sat there with Link telling him everything in detail now:

Chapter 17A (1): Hylia's Memoriesof the Hero: Man's War

-Thousands of years ago down on the Surface before Skyloft's Creation:

The setting: a large, humid room within sturdy castle walls in the central plains of the surface world. This was a place well-known to the surface dwellers where many great and historic figures resided; it was a place the most prestigious of knights trained and learned –you needed to be someone important to be recognized here. But today nothing of that sort was occurring; instead a private court was in session. A few townsfolk stood outside hoping to hear the precessions but mainly only other knights/warriors and folk of upper class were actually present.

At the end of the dark room three men sat with knights by the walls watching impatiently as a man clad in green was pushed in. Everyone in the room looked forward, waiting to hear what this known and respected champion of the domain had to say to the King about his acts of treason.

The room was dead quiet.

Armor clanked as the knights pushed their champion forward again. The champion looked back at them angry, taking his hand back. He stepped forward, a little frustrated to be where he was right now –frustrated to be accused of treason for maintaining the land's prestige and saving lives in the name of righteousness and the king's own sovereignty.

The man on the left stood, stepped forward and spoke: "So…Champion of the Mainland. The rumors of your actions have spread far and wide throughout the land like wildfire. We all know very well why you stand before us. But for formalities sake, I shall repeat them for this court." He pulled out a scroll, unraveled it and cleared his voice. He began to read from it: "His Champion, Link, is accused of halting the collection of the wood and metal yields, causing alarm within the guilds. –For stopping trade and transport of merchandise, as well as releasing known prisoners and slaves directly from their quarters in royally sanctioned or supported and/or owned estates and businesses."

Link's fist shook with anger as the list went on.

"-For starting riots and disarray and co-conspiring with the Goron tribes of Rolling Ridge. –For engaging in unjustly acts of war and siege against neighboring house families of the land; most notably also for the murder of his brethren knights of the empire, including Sir James of His Royal's House and Grand Master Edmundus of the House of Epigeal in Holodrum. Thus he is accused of: theft; fraud; violence and excessive force; repeated acts of rebellion against the court; heresy against his majesty; plotting against tho-"

He could take it no more; Link took a hard step forward and spoke loudly, furiously interrupting: "Theft? -Fraud? –Heresy?" He looked at the man seated centrally: the King, "-Truly you know these charges are overdrawn? –not to mention ridiculous." He waved his hand forward, upset: "I was fighting for your honor, sir. –You know the type of man I am –You are the one that brought me into this house! -You know I fight only for this empire and the very land you claim is so important to maintain!"

"Enough." the man, face hidden in shadow, seated right of the King interrupted.

Link: "If you truly believe this land as well as your own reputation is worth preserving you will not allow me to fall to this dishonor –You will not let this end here! ––You have always been for the people and for this land, not for the greed and the destruction of the great resources we share! You must look further into this matter! There is more at stake here then you realize! -And the Gorons, they have proof of-"

"Enough!" the dark man repeated, signaling the guards, "We have investigated plenty enough. And the Gorons, those savages, you bring them up? What kind of validation is that?"

Link stepped forward, sounding more desperate and upset: "There are great evils among us, great calamities unfolding in these lands as we speak. People are dying and the lands are becoming twisted! Do you not understand what I'm saying? Those knights attacked me! The houses are being manipulated, just as I am being framed." The two guards began to restrain Link: "I'm telling you sir, there is a traitor among your ranks and it isn't me!"

The crowd of knights slightly rustled. Many of them there did favor the Champion: they fought and camped with him before, spoke philosophy and trained with him; they were men he called his friends. Though they couldn't prove anything, nor say anything because they would be jeopardizing their own place in the eye of the King, they knew he wasn't a traitor. They somewhat believed his words, as bizarre as they sounded.

The dark man: "Restrain the fool," he spoke calmly.

The King signaled otherwise: "Hold it." He looked briefly to the man on his right: "Dagianis, the Hand shall make such orders only when I am unable." The knights released him once more. "I wish to hear what Link has to say before dismissing him."

The King's Hand Advisor, Dagianis (the dark man to his right): "But he is a mongrel! He has killed your men and tried to create civilian rebellion against our trade houses! –Protection of 'resources' and 'innocents'; hardly! This is clear treason and murder!"

Link: "This land is more than just resources and trade! There is life here and mystery –There is freedom and goodness worth more than anything man could build alone! And right now it's beginning to crumble, to fade and tarnish, their life forces getting drained away. The water levels are slowly receding as we speak, and the ground, it's starting to heave. The animals are beginning to flee; even the lichens are withering!"

The Hand: "-Fleeing? Heaving? How can you say such a thing when we have an abundance of game to hunt and plenty of fresh water to drink and flora to reap? –There have been no earthquakes and fine weather." He turned his head back towards the king: "Sounds like the words of a bigot, my lord."

The King: "Bigot? Link is no such thing."

The Hand: "Can we be sure though? He's certainly not taking your orders."

The King: "I believe there is more to it than just this."

The Hand: "–Whose order is he taking then? …I know you have strong value in him, however, I must advise you to not relay to your heart in times such as these but to the facts. He may doubt your own power, my lord. Clearly he cares little about your word to go against it so obviously so. –And he dare try and say he didn't –That he did it for you, sir. These are phrases smoke dealers use and actions assassins dignify."

The King looked to his Small Council for more advice; the Council responded: "…He is an honorable man sir but… exultingly cunning. I cannot say he has not put forth the importance of others before you and this court either. And Edmundus, of all people… His House would rightfully lay stake to this land for his head alone. So many acts of war we must undo and rectify for this. Plus all the words he spoke of mystics in the town center; no one thinks he is right of mind. Unfortunately you would look a fool to not judge him somehow."

"No!" Link spoke desperately, "You are missing so much! Must I tell you again; it wasn't me who faced Edmundus. He was already…-gone when I got there, along with a lot of the others –Possessed, lost, taken by demons, some kind of darkness! But the slaves, caretakers and maids, cooks and so forth –they needed a way out. I found them being mutilated and strung about –I needed to free them! –They would have worse than died!"

The Hand: "You give us a fine argument but do you have proof? News only places more blood on your hands and perfidy on your tongue. The words you speak now do not match your whereabouts then."

Link: "But I –It's not true! I would never! –And the people, they can vouch for me!"

The Hand spoke coolly: "…Yet they cannot. Many witnesses in each land claim otherwise, my boy. They say they did not see anything you claim, just the blood on your sword. –No sorcery, no douchebaggery, just you! What will you say to that? Your fate is sealed."

Link: "But I –Everything –That can't be true; there must be a way to…" He grew spiteful; he took a step towards him with a finger semi-up realizing something was at play here: "It's you isn't it? You're the one setting this all up. But why?"

The Hand acted surprised: "Now I am to blame? – surely!" he turned to the king, "Our champion is overcome with madness! He claims to see visions of fiends and explains away his actions via basically fever dreams, and now he accuses the court itself of deceitfulness? Must I say anything further?!"

Small Council: "It…does sound bad, my lord. There are no other such reports of anything but the obvious. No 'demons'; signs of forced entry; loss of hundreds of profits and tons of angry monarchies. It seems like a civilian rebellion more than anything in the name of those who live with honor. If what he says is true, the people he freed would have eagerly reported their diabolic misfortunes, would they not? Though he claims he was framed he cannot present us with who in good name. Nor can we afford to carry on with such a search when so many others would hold distain for everything he's known to have caused. We would simply be looking to play the jest or make enemies if we did."

Link: "Just because you cannot see it doesn't mean it isn't there! –Just because you don't notice it doesn't mean it isn't happening!" He gestured forward again, passion and desperation in his voice.

The Hand: "You speak out of turn, 'champion''"

The King briefly stood: "No, it is fine. Speak your peace, Link. Tell me what needs to be known that we are not seeing then."

Link: "I was raised in this land and I love and trust it more than anything. Every-day since I was young I lived off of it and with it and the forests; everyone knows this. I understand how the life there works, how everything within it works together and in tune, in a natural cycle. But where you look, advisor, for your information is only at the people and human societies; your House's concerns alone. You are failing to notice the other cultures, such as the Gorons, and vast forms of life of the land, including our game and fish catches and their sources. You are failing to see what is actually happening because your worldview is so narrow-focused. You are missing the big picture!"

The Hand spoke sarcastically: "And how, pray tell, do I make council with such sources?"

Link (also known for his kindness and patience) spoke: "You observe, you watch, you become familiar with them and they with you. Much like a plant that grows in the Fourier; you don't measure it or know precisely how much water and soil it's using, but you know that it has grown and you know when the seasons are tough on it. Or the birds that seek seed and bread in the town centers; you cannot name them all on sight but you discern by their actions and what they know, where or to whom they look, that they have been there many times before. They call to each other in times of peace and plenty or out loud when there is danger. There is wisdom and experience we can use all around us. But there is a rift now, a maladaptation, slowly destroying these things and this balance. Something sinister has already reached the other Houses and all the lands of Hylia. Soon it will wreak this city too."

The King: "What exactly will wreak this city?"

Link: "Whatever it is that is changing the life forms of this land –whether it is killing them, stripping them, or sending them into hiding. And I saw it in Edmundus. Holodrum has already fallen into ruin. Their White Goddess has turned grey and will wither as their men pray to someone else; the land there is not hers anymore."

The room seemed bothered by that phrasing of the situation. Fearful whispers could be heard outside as the window peepers spread the word.

The King was too shocked: "…What kind of thing is that to say?"

The Hand: "He tells us we should search the forest and seek the animals to prove his innocence; to scrape up the earth and hear its call. And this is what proves he is not suffering delusions?" he ridiculed the champion. "There is little I can do to coax information out of dirt, nor Hylia herself. …He is only looking to prolong receiving his sentence at this point."

Link: "That's not what I-!" he stopped to take a breath. "The animals are dying, as I said the land is fading. Evil is spreading his many legs across our world, getting ready to pummel us down. Will it take starvation and the permanent setting of the sun for you to finally realize this –to see him standing and know it's already too late?"

The King and everyone looked at him blank faced not understanding any of his words or metaphors this day.

He sighed, aggravated. "Fine, remain ignorant; ignore the subtle signs; ignore it then," he looked square at the King: "–Ignore your people! –Your land!"

The room was quiet as the King thought of how to process this line of thought.

Finally the King's Small Council leaned over to him: "I…don't think this is something we should let pass. If what he says is true…it may be dire, indeed. But again, we have had food and resources in abundance; I do not see how what he is saying could be true. No one could simply pull such things into existence from nowhere."

The Hand grinned to himself at that.

The Champion folded his arms and his eyebrows skewed in frustration.

The Council: "Unfortunately there is little we can do to validate any of these so called warnings. Only patience and a type of obsessive care seems his personal defense. Such things cannot save his life today, nor explain why he didn't bring such to our attention before taking action."

The King: "…I see… One more question, Link. Why did you not inform the council or myself of these things prior?"

Link: "I did, I tried; I told everyone with me as well as sent message to the Council. Though it wasn't as dire a message as I thought, it was still sent. I did not know the gravity of the situation while passing by Lynna or in Horon Village especially until I got there. Then I had to defend myself. I had to help those people as well."

The Council: "Yet…the incidents were many and far between. I…cannot say I ever received such messages."

Link: "They could have been intercepted somehow."

The Hand: "They could have, but either way, it's irrelevant. You would have taken the actions you did either way, am I wrong?"

Link: "I…" He looked down briefly as if proved wrong. "You can't judge me for defending myself nor what I consider the land's honor. But…if the King had replied back for me to stop…I would have considered it. I cannot say for sure in good faith how I would have reacted considering that isn't the way things turned out. I just know that the things I saw were terrible and became dreadful. I'm not sure how anyone could do nothing."

The King: "…Understood."

There were a few moments of silence in the court as the king spoke quietly with his advisors. Clanking of uneasy men shifting about and loud whispers were heard. Everyone feared that they knew what the Champion's ruling would be. The eavesdroppers outside huddled as close to the windows as possible to hear.

The Hand: "Please quiet everyone. The King will pass judgment now."

The room silenced down again.

The King spoke to Link: "Any final words before I give you sentence, Knight?"

Link spoke humbly: "This isn't about me. It's about you, all of you, and the great land of Hylia. Whatever you have to label me with to politically save your kingdom and reputation, fine, but do not dismiss my words. Someone has betrayed me; listen not to his words but to the ones that came out of my mouth this day alone. Whether I die today or not, I have only spoken the truth. Time will show you this."

The room looked upset as if what he said was heavily foreshadowing. A few knew this day and his words were important. Even the King nodded.

The King: "…I have made my decision."

The King looked down at Link with a bit of a sad or disappointed look in his eye. There was no pushing it off; he knew exactly what had to be done: "…Link, you are a good man and a brave warrior. I used to be proud to call you a member of my elite, but…what has been done has been done. …Your sentence from the order of this court is: High Treason."

The room grew loud again; gasps were heard inside and out.

The King gestured to the knights to restrain him: "I strip you of your rank, command and all your honors."

The Knights grabbed his armor. His golden pauldrons were tossed aside like rubbish along with a special royal adornment on his tunic. It made a loud sound as it crashed to the stone floor in the quiet room.

The King: "You will not pay for your crimes in death though. I feel your calls do need to be addressed. Because of this, for now, you are to be jailed permanently. Knights, take him down to the prison; there he will be removed of all he has and tossed into the private cell."

-Jailed? And in the private cell; maybe a fate much worse than death especially considering someone here had it out for him (perhaps the Hand directly; but maybe his strings were being pulled by the grips of a greater authority). Link let the Knights take him away retaining as much dignity as he could, for it was about to be completely torn away from him... All he could do is hope someone heard his words and would remember them.

All the onlookers watched. Some were glad to hear it while many others were appalled. Many were surprised they had spared his life. Some (mainly those who were appalled by it) considered it mercy or a sign of respect from the King, while others interpreted it as the complete opposite (rightful prolonged torture and ignominy). Either way, it was a controversial sentence.

-o-

The White Goddess Hylia, while trying to address the evils beginning to cover her land, knowing Demise had a part in it, had come across the Champion much before his sentencing that day, a number of years earlier. Sure, she did keep up with her subjects' lives, their societies and everything that went on, but it was not from that Link had caught her interest. Yes he was a great fighter and a noble hero (though the humans offered that title to many others), but it wasn't just that. Over the years as Hylia looked over the lands, he would show up in particular places, places Hylia too had begun to suspect fissures of malevolence were opening up as she and Demise quarreled. But also places where sacred springs and brand new life tried to grow, where fairies and light spirits restored their energy… Each time he took surprisingly suitable response. No other human showed his curiosity or insight. He noticed things most others did not and cared enough to take action in their regard –It was just strange. At first she thought nothing of it but did find him interesting none-the-less.

Time, if not years, went by.

The scenes were as Link described, most notably in Holodrum. It was there that Demise had managed to send demons into the world to hide in the shadows and whisper to the people. The evils transformed them; everyone fell to their darkest desires and impulses and began to grow cold and cruel to each other. However, they were keen enough to do it in secret. As described, the slaves, maids, cooks and prisoners became an easy outlet for the upper classmen. They were not only being killed, but tortured in malicious ways as the regal humans, under evil curiosities, mutilated them. Perhaps in strange ritualistic ways this occurred in honor of their new dark lord. Grand Master Edmundus, their House's well-known Champion, flickered a brief amount of hope for Hylia –for he was known by his people to be noble and mighty in spirit. But he had also fallen to Demise's will. It didn't even take long… Edmundus, that land's most noble knight, could not withstand it either. He began to do unspeakable things, worse things than the others. As a warrior, the demon's possessed his blade; he began to claim it desired the taste of fresh blood. On that day he intended to give it its fill…it was becoming brutal. But it was then that the strange Champion from the mainland appeared again. He showed up as if from nowhere to investigate what was happening. He wanted to know what was causing such turmoil to the land but hadn't known it would be as bad as it was when he got there that day. The smell was of charcoal and blood, the air was sodden, the sights shocking; calm beady eyes hiding wretched values blanketed the town.

Right away Hylia knew, of course, this was Link. She had grown familiar with him now. But on this day he was to truly prove his valor. Not a single other person could ignore or resist the darkness's charm, the delusions or paranoia but Link did. He did not succumb to the evil there. He stopped it… Even Hylia was in awe. It was clear he was more than just a single House's Champion. But unfortunately he did not foresee how his kindness would turn against him.

After Link's imprisonment things in that town would only get worse despite the fact it appeared peaceful on the outside. It was at the point where everyone was affected, even the people he saved –and this is why they did not confess the true reports of that day; they said not a word about it or the demons and the torture they had faced –for they were now the torturers and had grown to like mistreatment and pain. They would continue on these deeds forsaking Hylia for another. At the time that city was where Demise took root; it is where his army would grow and take base on earth.

Back in the mainland the streets flooded with upset people and small riots broke out. These riots would only solidify Link's sentence however as they were labeled as members of his make believe rebellion against the king.

Hylia herself had been one of those people watching his sentencing that day… She had gotten to know him through the years; she cared. She feared what may happen but held hope in her heart that her people would do what was right. Seeing that they hadn't, her heart sank. The influences she had on her people was beginning to slip from her fingers, this was proof of it. Link's people had betrayed him; she felt so very terrible for him. One person that could have truly made a difference, now locked away. But not dead…so she still may be able to help. It wasn't over yet…it was just beginning.