Chapter: XXIV
"Choices and Consequences"
Link and his master continued their journey back to the Lake at a slow pace during the night. Despite the successful attack on one of Ganon's strongholds, nothing assailed them as they slowly traveled to the Hylian stronghold. As the stars slowly turned above them, Link's head began to droop and he lightly dozed on Epona's back. Alfon was tired as well, but his mind was restless. Now that the apprehension over Link's disappearance and the beast in the Forest Temple had passed, Alfon was pondering how Link should be punished. Several times since he had taken the oath, Link had pressed Alfon for permission to go to the forest and search for his friends, but Alfon had denied him every time. At his first chance, Link had slipped away when his master was incapacitated and done what he had been commanded not to do; such acts of disobedience often brought harsh consequences in the Hylian Army. Alfon turned his head and studied his dozing squire with a deep sigh. His heart was not made of stone though; the boy had been in terrible pain and fear over the destruction of his home and the loss of his family for months. To complicate matters further, the boy had been right to go to the forest. Some of the Kokiri had survived and needed rescue as well as the corruption of the forest temple being purified. Link mumbled in his sleep as he slowly leaned forward and laid against the back of Epona's neck. The young filly proudly kept her head held high as her small master slept. Alfon smiled and turned his eyes back to the road.
They approached the gate to the lake-road just after sunrise and met with Captain Corin. Ever since he and Alfon had parted at the Forest Road, Corin had kept a number of mounted soldiers ready to ride, just in case the Marshal should return with Ganon's forces pursuing. The three, along with Corin's escort, now re-entered Laketown and made their way to the stables. "See that the horses are fed and watered, then get some sleep." Alfon commanded to Link as he dismounted. "Yes master." the squire replied with a yawn. "I must report to the Princess and the Minister." Alfon finished as he and Corin trudged away. Link rubbed his eyes as he led the three horses into their stalls. Soon, he had filled the water buckets for each horse to drink and thrown large armfuls of hay into their feed bins. Returning to his small tent, Link pulled off his boots and dropped onto his bed, asleep.
As the captain and the marshal made their way over to the temple, Alfon quickly filled Corin in on the events in the forest. "So the temple was being controlled by some... beast sent by Gannondorf?" Corin asked in disbelief. "Yes," answered Alfon, "and he seems to be calling himself 'Ganon' now. At least, that is what the Kokiri said." His eyes were sore and heavy and his arm was aching, but Alfon swiftly made his way to the Princess' council room. "Lord Alfon, Marshall of the Armies of Hyrule, your highness." announced the chamber guard as Alfon entered and knelt before the princess' throne. "Your Royal Highness," Alfon greeted, bowing his head, "your servant awaits your command." In his fatigue, Alfon did not notice the grim faces that Impa and Zelda both wore. "Arise and report." answered Zelda stiffly. With a soft grunt, Alfon returned to his feet. "Your highness, I have located my squire and returned him safely to the camp." he began with a smile, but halted when he caught Impa's glare. "Good. Now we can clear this up!" she snapped as she looked at the princess. Alfon glanced from the Minister to the Princess and back. Confused, he asked, "My lady? Clear up what?"
"The situation is more serious than we originally though, my lord." Zelda replied, "It seems, that your squire disobeyed direct orders from an officer." A small bolt of fear ran up Alfon's spine. He had told no one of Link's requests to go to the forest... how could they have known? When he did not answer, Impa spoke up, "The captain of the infantry company that aided you in the field reported in last night. He claims to have ordered Link to escort yourself, the injured girl, and the rescued horses back to the lake. By breaking off and entering the forest on his own, your squire has not only disobeyed orders, but abandoned his duty during war!" The marshal was shocked, Link had said nothing about orders from an infantry captain, only that he had entered the forest to look for his family. He quickly explained the events in the forest and stressed that Link had in fact found several of the Kokiri alive and in need of rescue. For a few moments, Impa and Zelda seemed to forget Link's transgressions as Alfon described the Forest Temple, its monster, and the Kokiri who spoke of becoming a new sage. "We would never have learned these things if Link had not been there." Zelda said softly, casting a sidelong glance upward at Impa. "No..." muttered Impa in deep thought, "But no matter the happy outcome, the boy is a soldier and committed crimes against the soldier's law. He must be punished." She quickly added, returning to herself. "Punished?" gasped Alfon, "He's only a boy."
The princess remained silent and looked down at her lap as Impa continued her push, "He is a boy who was deemed ready to take the soldier's oath. Thus, he is bound by the soldier's law!" Alfon began to grow angry at Impa's rigid interpretation of the Army's code. "He is my squire then, I shall see him punished." he growled, attempting to settle the matter. "It is not that simple." replied Impa with a sigh, "If this had been some small infraction against you or another... 'close comrade' then we could have settled it quietly through hard labor or additional duties. But your squire defied the orders of one of our field captains. Orders that were given to him in front of an entire company. If he is not punished -publically- then word will spread that he is favored or... that the Kingdom's leadership is soft." Zelda squirmed slightly upon her throne as Impa finished. Clearly, she was unsettled by her minister's words. "Soldiers, for all of their training and discipline, often step outside of their bounds. It is in the nature of being a soldier." Alfon argued, "and their sergeants, captains, and lords are granted leave to punish them as they see fit. I ask only to be granted the same privilege to discipline my squire as I see fit." "Were there any way, I would," answered Impa as she turned her attention to the door, "Captain Corin, come in here!"
Corin, startled by the unexpected summon, swiftly entered the room and bowed. "My Lord, My Lady, Your Highness. How may I serve?" he greeted. "Tell me Corin, what is the punishment for a man who abandons his duty during war?" Impa asked sharply. The captain raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at Alfon. "Answer her." the marshal muttered under his breath. "Normally," Corin began cautiously, "the presiding authority has leave to prescribe the sentence of death to any soldier who, by abandoning his duty during war, causes the death of another Hylian, My Lady." Zelda gave a slight whimper and covered her mouth with one hand. Impa ignored her and continued, "And if a soldier has abandoned his duty, during war, but not caused the death of a Hylian by doing so?" Corin furrowed his brow and began to ask, "My lady, is there something-" "Just answer her!" bellowed Alfon, cutting him off. "Lashes, my lady. Any man who abandons his post or his duty during war is flogged before the assembled company. Lesser punishments may be assigned by the presiding officer if there are any mitigating circumstances, but lashes are the punishment by law and tradition." the captain finished, completely bewildered.
"You cannot possibly mean to flog the boy." Alfon said as he strained to control his fury. He and Impa continued to argue for some time as Corin looked on in disbelief. Zelda, still sitting silently on her throne, had debated furiously with her minister on the subject of Link's punishment late into the previous night. She strenuously resisted Impa's position that the boy should be dealt with harshly, but she could not resist her forever. Impa was regent, and until Zelda came of age, was the actual ruler of Hyrule. If needed, she could override the Princess' authority on these matters. In addition, messengers had arrived from the lesser kingdoms bringing ill news. "After his outburst at the Princess, we cannot allow him to do as he pleases! The Kingdom will see the Princess as weak!" Impa shouted. "The Princess? or the Minister?" hissed Alfon, jabbing his finger at the sheikah's chest. "How dare you?!" she shrieked in disbelief. "I will not allow my squire to be beaten in the square just to satisfy your ego Impa!" bellowed Alfon. The minister's eyes blazed with fury as Corin swiftly leapt between them and pushed his marshal back. "My Lord please! You forget yourself!" he plead.
"The kingdoms seek independence." Zelda said quietly. In a moment, all of the fire and fury within the room vanished as Corin and Alfon turned to stare dumbly at the princess. Impa flushed with embarrassment and dropped into her seat beside the throne. "What? Your Highness? What was that?" the marshal stammered. "The kingdoms have sent envoys requesting that they be 'allowed' to raise their own armies. To 'protect their homelands' from the evil at Hyrule Castle." the princess quietly explained. "That... That does not mean that they seek to rebel against the crown, your highness." Alfon objected. "They have already acted upon it, Lord Alfon." Impa answered, "Our agents have reported that the Governors of all three of the Lesser Kingdoms have begun to organize small armies of their own and they have sent less than half of the men they have promised to support us in this war. They are preparing to break away. They see the princess as a weak child and with Gannondorf overthrowing the capitol... they see their opportunity to break away. We must show them that the royal family is still in control. That it is still to be feared." Her voice was firm as she finished, but her eyes were downcast. "You would flog a man - a boy - as a 'show of strength'?" Alfon said to the princess, "Forgive me Your Highness, but I do not see any wisdom or grace in that!"
Corin drew a short gasp and looked back at his marshal in disbelief. "Careful, my lord," warned Impa, "Or you will stand beside the boy!" "I stand by him now!" the knight shot back, as Zelda raised her hand for silence. "Captain," she began quietly as Corin snapped to attention, "Have you ever prescribed lashes to a soldier?" "Yes, Your Highness, once. A soldier was found sleeping while posted on guard duty a few months ago. He was flogged and, after being treated by the healers, returned to duty." he answered smartly. "How many lashes did you give him?" she asked, still in a quiet voice. "Ten, Your Highness." Corin finished. Zelda carefully considered her next move. She knew that Impa would not allow her to overlook Link's actions and she did not want to force Impa into a position where she would exert her authority over the Princess. Nor did she want to see Link punished in such a barbaric way. He acted out of love and courage, not malicious disobedience. "Five lashes then." she commanded. "Ten for disobeying orders and leaving his duty, but we shall take back five for his service in the forest." Impa pursed her lips for a moment, then inclined her head. Alfon ground his teeth and desperately tried to think of any argument that could either spare Link entirely or at least reduce his punishment to something lesser. When nothing came, he too bowed his head and accepted the Princess' judgment. "Bring him." the princess finished.
As the leaders of Hyrule debated Link's fate, a tall, slender man slipped into Link's tent. "What are you doing sleeping lad? It's the middle of the day, and there is work to be done!" he said as he gently rocked Link's shoulder. "Viscern!" the squire shouted after rubbing his eyes, "You made it through!" The Hylian ranger smiled broadly as he sat on the small stool inside Link's tent. "Yes, and Russell, though he may have come back with a fresh scar or two." They talked for nearly an hour as each explained what had happened. Viscern and Russell had turned north and made for Kakariko as they attempted to bring down several bats with their bows. They had managed to force some to retreat back to the capitol with several arrows stuck in their hides, but one had swooped particularly low and attempted to take Russell from his horse. The bat's claws tore into his left forearm as it tried to lift him, but Russell swiftly hacked its leg off with his broadsword. Laughing, Viscern finished, "I imagine it will be very hard for him to land when he gets back to his master!" Fortunately, the bats' claws are not poisoned like their fangs, and Russell was able to bind up his own injury until they reached Kakariko.
Though still very tired, Link regaled his adventure from the ranch, to his own battle with a giant bat, to the forest, and back to the lake. When the ranger frowned doubtfully at Link, the squire produced the three fangs he had taken, from his satchel. Viscern began laughing again as he studied them, "Oh Russell will be furious! He has a claw, but you actually managed to take some fangs!" "They aren't all mine." replied Link, "One is for Alfon and the third is for Malon - the girl we saved." The ranger smiled proudly at him and patted his shoulder, "You're a good lad, Link! I'm sure the marshal is very proud of you!" The sound of heavy boots approaching ended their conversation. One of the princess' guards pushed his head through the tent's entrance and glared down at Link. "Boy! Come with me! The princess has summoned you!" he barked as Link and Viscern stared at him. Link rose, and reached for his sword and belt. "No weapons!" the guard bellowed. "What is this about?" Viscern asked, "The squire has just returned from a dangerous mission and needs his rest." The guard scowled angrily at the ranger. "A courts martial is being convened. Now MOVE!" he shouted.
