Chapter 36: Justice

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The King's council chamber was similar in layout to the dining hall, albeit much smaller, and the table was generally piled high with maps and documents instead of food. In this case, the documents neatly stacked before the King were Link's reports of the journeys he had taken with the Princess in the months and weeks prior. Zelda stared at them in dread from her position at the King's side. She had not accounted for having to defend against Link's own words. Dear Goddess Nayru, please guide me, she prayed, clasping her hands tightly together beneath the table.

She was surprised by Daruk's composure as he sat calmly beside her on a velvet-lined chair much too small for him, creaking beneath his bulk. She'd expected him to be fidgeting and uncomfortable, or perhaps try to make a joke to break the tense silence that fell the instant the King sat down. Instead she could find no trace of discomfort in his posture, and no glimmer of mirth in his eyes. He carried himself with solemn determination, loyalty burning in his dark gaze.

So this is what it means to a Goron when his brother is threatened. It was incredibly touching, and Zelda offered another prayer to the Goddesses, thanking them for Daruk and his care for Link.

The door to the council chamber clicked open. Captain Cassius Janin marched inside, dressed in a fine uniform similar to the standard Royal Guard clothing, but with honorative medals and ribbons signifying his rank fastened to his lapels. General Velvilen Hawkwood followed after him, wearing his ceremonial suit of gold-plated armor. Each piece was meticulously polished and in place but he had removed his helmet, revealing his scarred, weathered face and cold black eyes.

"Welcome Cassius, Velvilen," the King greeted them, shuffling the papers in his hands. "Shall we begin?"

The General offered a curt nod, and Janin sighed, wincing slightly before he sat down.

"Excellent," Rhoam said, giving a commanding nod to the scribe sitting ready with paper and quill in the corner. "Very well; I'll get right into it. I have called you here to discuss the misbehavior of Sir Link of Thyphlo, his punishment, and his fate thereafter. Cassius, if you would."

Captain Janin cleared his throat. "We will begin by reviewing the records of SirLink's journeys, as well as my personal reports of his actions while at the castle. Firstly, his manner in dealing with an attempted poisoning of Princess Zelda shortly after he was appointed. Instead of promptly dealing with the attacker and refusing to physically prevent the Princess from partaking of the poisoned food, he instead attempted to vocally dissuade her from eating it. He failed, goading the Princess into forcing him to eat the cake instead, after which he nearly died. I would like to note that a stronger guard would not have been as incapacitated by the poison as he was."

Zelda stared at the man. Of all the military leaders at the table, she would have expected Cassius to come to Link's aid. And yet here he is, shooting him down… "I would like to offer my perspective on this matter," she said calmly, doing her utmost to keep her voice calm.

"We shall hear any defense on his behalf only after all of the truths against him have been brought to the general knowledge of this council," Rhoam said, shooting her a stern glare. He nodded at the Captain to continue.

"His second mistake was less severe, but still a violation of his orders," the Captain went on. "Upon killing several bokoblins while travelling through the Breach of Demise, he burned the corpses, leaving the Princess momentarily untended. On this same journey, he also broke protocol in dining with the Princess and her host in Tabantha Village, and once in Rito Village he took hours to himself to sleep, in the middle of the day, leaving her entirely unguarded."

"I was having my measurements taken," Zelda protested indignantly, remembering that journey. "It would have been entirely inappropriate -"

"For him to stand outside?" Janin interrupted, an eyebrow raised. "If I may continue…"

"Go on," Rhoam sighed. Daruk glanced down at Zelda with a sympathetic gleam in his eyes, and she smiled sadly in return.

Captain Janin cleared his throat. "Very well. After a few weeks had passed, upon their travels to Death Mountain, Sir Link neglected to prepare the proper supplies, which once again resulted in his near-death and of course the abandonment of his post for two and a half days. Following his recovery, he and the Princess proceeded to Divine Beast Rudania, where once again he left his post while she examined the main console.

"His next instance of inadequacy occurred several weeks later. Upon failing to see that his charge was suitably protected, she went out on her own and was without protection in the wilds for nearly that entire day. When he returned to her side he did not bring her back to the castle as ordered but instead allowed her to continue on to Gerudo City, despite being utterly unprepared. On the way, caught in the downpour, he allowed the Princess to see him in a disgraceful state of undress. The following day he was unable to prevent her from falling off of her horse; she could have been seriously injured.

"Upon entering Gerudo City, instead of hastening to the Princess' side, he took the night to rest at the inn, leaving her without his protection. In the morning he continued to delay his return to his post and bought a necklace with the intent to give it to her later. He failed to locate her for that entire day.

"Later on this same journey, he abandoned her side for yet another day in order to dispatch a Molduga roaming a secluded region of the desert. Following his battle with the monster, instead of promptly returning to his duty, he searched the sand for a bow he had misplaced. On the last day spent in Gerudo City he provoked the Princess into fleeing the town, allowing Yiga assassins an opportunity to close in."

"He saved my life!" Zelda exclaimed, her anger growing with every word the Captain spoke. This time he barely glanced at her before going on.

"Following his defeat of the Yiga, he embraced the Princess. This was only the first of several instances of insubordination in this manner. He proceeded to teach his charge how to build campfires, allowed her to contribute in a battle -"

"Those were my choices!" Zelda cut in. "I chose to try starting a fire. Without his guidance perhaps I would have severely burned myself. And it was likewise my decision to intervene in that battle!"

"If he had done his job properly, you would have been somewhere safe the entire time," Janin growled, shooting a frustrated glare in Zelda's direction. "You would not have been presented the opportunity to choose to help him.

"Furthermore," he continued, "after that battle, he was rendered nearly useless. If he had been attacked he would have died. A better fighter would not have been so incapacitated."

Zelda's jaw dropped and she stared at the Captain, aghast. A better fighter? And where would you find one of those? "I'd like to see anyone else try to win against so many monsters and survive."

"Zelda, enough," Rhoam huffed impatiently. "Please. Let Cassius finish, for Nayru's sake!"

Daruk gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "It'll be our turn soon," he whispered reassuringly, and she nodded, biting her lip.

Janin cleared his throat. "He spent a night sleeping in the same room as the Princess - sleeping, not guarding. He shared several meals with her and her alone. He embraced her several times, to the point where he allowed her to sleep at his side while he kept watch. He gave her lessons in equitation and continuously broke his silence to discuss unnecessary matters. And finally, just yesterday, not only did he slander the good name of the King, but he kissed the Princes, as was documented by Sir Groose and Sir Garmish."

The blood drained from Rhoam's face. "He… he what?"

Zelda gulped. She had never heard such fury in her father's voice.

Captain Janin nodded curtly, pulling from his belt the Sheikah Slate and tapping at its screen before handing it to the King. "This is the image that was captured."

Rhoam's pale face drastically changed color, burning red in rage, as he studied the image. "Zelda. Give me one reason not to have him banished and beaten within an inch of his life. One reason."

She resisted the urge to flinch and instead sucked in a deep breath, gathering her courage. This is it.

"Sir Link has always behaved in a perfectly gentlemanly manner towards me," she began, striving to keep her voice calm. "He would not have kissed me if he believed I felt any discomfort or reluctance about the action. And the times that he held me, he was merely comforting me after my nightmares. As you know, Father, I have suffered from severe nightmares since I was six years old." Her heart clenched; a lump of emotion swelled in her throat. "In all that time, he was the only one to ever offer any comfort."

She fell silent. Fear closed around her soul and a prayer flitted through her mind. Please don't make him suffer because of me. Please don't punish him!

Daruk patted her shoulder consolingly. "He's a true brother. I haven't known 'im all that long, but I know I can always count on him to do the right thing no matter what -"

"So you believe that giving the King a scolding is the right thing to do?" the General asked, raising a scarred brow.

"Course not," Daruk said, waving his hand dismissively. "But I do believe that defending someone who can't defend themselves is the right thing to do. Forgive me for sayin,' but your daughter hasn't done anything wrong by my reckoning - I'm sure Link just felt like you were a bit too hard on her. It just goes to show how much he cares for her - how far he would go to see her safe and happy."

"I do not believe he has ever once compromised my safety," Zelda added, feeling more in control of her emotions. "He has performed in an exemplary manner from what I could tell. He is just as kind as he is brave, and I'm… I'm not afraid to say that I believe you miscalculated when you forbade him from speaking to me. He is a true friend, and understands me and my burdens more than anyone I've ever met."

"Because he disobeyed his orders, because he decided to speak to you, this happened!" Rhoam exclaimed, thrusting the Sheikah Slate towards her.

Zelda's heart leaped into her throat; she couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen even as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Her body was pressed against Link's, her arms around his neck and her hands in his hair. One of his hands lightly caressed her cheek while the other, just barely visible from the angle at which the picture had been taken, lightly stroked her hair. Their eyes were closed, their lips passionately pressed together, their expressions softly elated.

"Because of this, I do not see a reason to let him stay on as your Appointed Knight - let alone stay at the castle," Rhoam spat. "Who's to say that worse won't happen? Out in the wilds you're completely alone - we cannot trust him!"

"He would never put me in that position!" Zelda cried out. "He knows what that would mean for me, what it would do to me - he wouldn't dare! He loves me, and because of that he would never do something that would be so harmful to me and my reputation!"

"You oughtta see this as a strength of his, that he cares so deeply," Daruk pointed out. "Somethin' like this goes beyond duty or obligation. Sure, he'd do his best to protect her even if he didn't care in this way. But since he does, it'll make his resolve that much stronger. She'll be in better hands than ever before!"

"I seriously doubt that," Janin growled. "I trained him, I taught him, to be better than this. He has failed in every way - he is no longer, and perhaps never was, fit to serve in this position."

The King squinted at him. "If I remember correctly, Cassius, you were the one who convinced me otherwise. Why the change of heart?"

"I did not foresee any of this," the Captain explained without hesitation. "He is an immense disappointment to me. I firmly believe that he should be severely punished and discharged, perhaps even banished. It would be no less than he deserves."

"Yet there is the matter of his extreme skill in battle," General Hawkwood said quietly. "We cannot deny that. Time and time again, he has pressed against the odds to save our Princess. You say that a better warrior would have done better against the hordes that assailed him at the base of Death Mountain. I disagree. From the numbers he reported, I find it nothing short of incredible that only one man - one boy - could stand against them and win."

"He was wounded," Janin growled through clenched teeth. "He was wounded to the point that he could barely walk! If they had been attacked he would have fallen, and the Princess would have died!"

"If they were attacked, he woulda forced himself to forget the pain and keep going," Daruk protested. "Maybe another guard would've fallen. But fear can do crazy things, and since he cares for her in this way, he would have been terrified of losing her. He's tough and brave, and there's a real fire under him when he's determined. Nothin' could stop him - I've seen him in action, and I've seen him when he's down, and that's the conclusion I've made."

King Rhoam sighed heavily, massaging his temples with a hand. "So you would want him to remain at his post, Velvilen?"

There was a brief pause. Zelda waited, her heart pounding mercilessly against her ribs, waiting in desperation.

"He… should be punished for the mistakes he has undeniably made," the General answered at last. "But… yes, I believe he would continue to serve the Princess well as her defender. I agree with Champion Daruk - his feelings for her are a strength, not a weakness, if they can be controlled."

Zelda felt dizzy with relief. She clasped her shaking hands together beneath the table, hardly daring to breathe.

Captain Janin snorted derisively, smashing a fist down. "Emotions of this sort are a liability in the heat of battle - a distraction! Surely you of all people would know this, General!"

The General raised a dark eyebrow at him before removing his gauntlet, revealing a simple golden band around the fourth finger of his left hand. "Clearly you have never experienced love, Captain," he murmured. "It is a valuable weapon, a lifeline, against the dark forces that assault this kingdom. Until you have experienced it for yourself, I do not believe you have any right to describe it as a distraction or liability." He turned his level gaze to the King. "We await your decision."

Zelda swallowed thickly, looking at her father in fear and hope. His dark green eyes were utterly inscrutable, his face a mask of stern gravity.

Please, Father. Please!

\-==/\==-/

Link sat listlessly on his cot, his head resting against the wall and his hands clasped together at his knees. He hadn't been doing anything, all day, and yet time was passing much too fast for his liking. It was already past noon, although it was hard to tell from the shadowed light falling into his cell. Dark, threatening clouds had rolled in, bringing with them a deep chill.

He drew in a shaking breath and tried not to let his mind wander into darkness. No. I've had far too much of that already.

Yet, unbidden, thoughts and images faded slowly into his mind, encasing his heart in painful ice and causing his eyes to prickle with tears and a lump of grief to form in his throat. No. I've shed too many tears already.

Captain Janin's face, viciously transformed by disgust and anger. The sight of an iron bar crashing into his face, the feeling of Janin's fist yanking him mercilessly into it. The smell of blood.

The raw anguish of learning the truth about how his parents died. They loved you. They died in vain. It was so much to deal with, so agonizing, that he could hardly understand what had happened.

Memories of his childhood. Of the warm glow of pride and relief in his chest when the Captain approved of something he did. Of the safety he felt beside his surrogate father, no matter how ashamed or guilty he felt at the moment. Of the rare grins he sent in Link's direction, as if sharing a silent joke between them. Of the awe he felt in the Captain's presence, the burning desire to gain the same strength and courage he exemplified so perfectly.

Those memories, tainted with the bitter sting of betrayal, now brought him nothing but grief. It was a lie. All of it. All a lie. He never cared. I was nothing more than a weapon to him - not a son. He killed my parents - he didn't deal the final blow, but he ensured their merciless deaths.

And they loved me.

The other prisoners, still in one cell all together, no longer bothered him. Sure, they huddled together, sure they glanced back at him every once in a while, sure they spoke in quiet voices, but it didn't matter to him. Even if they decided to pay him attention again, even if they scorned him with vicious words, he doubted he would care. All he could think of were his parents and their death and Captain Janin's lies.

He jumped when the prison door clattered open and rapid footsteps hurried his directions. His pulse accelerated and he pressed himself back against the wall, dreading the worst - that the Captain had returned.

He sat up straighter and his heart nearly melted in relief when he saw Zelda rushing towards him, but that relief quickly died when he saw the red rimming her eyes and the tears staining her cheeks. He surged to his feet and hurried to the door of his cell, curling his fingers automatically around the cold iron bars as she approached. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously, his voice rough from disuse and his own tears.

She lifted her gaze to meet his and instantly her brow creased. "Link, what happened?" she explained, reaching towards his face. "Y-you're covered in blood!"

He winced, lifting a hand to his nose and chin and feeling the dried blood there. "Er… I… broke my nose," he explained. "Captain Janin was… he wasn't happy." His frail grasp on his emotions wavered, and he forced the memories of the previous night out of his mind. "Are you alright?"

"He hit you?" she gasped in disbelief, her eyes widening. "I… I never imagined… why?"

He shifted his weight from one foot to another in discomfort, hoping she would just let the topic drop. "I don't want to talk about it," he told her gruffly. "What happened out there? No one hurt you, right? Your father didn't-"

"No, no, no, I'm fine," she assured him. "It's just… today was your… trial, or hearing, or whatever that was, and…"

It felt as if a leaden weight had dropped into his stomach. His jaw dropped, and his heart slammed violently against his ribcage. "That… that was today?" he asked weakly, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe. "What… what was the decision?" He studied her distraught expression and his spirits plummeted. "I'll have to leave? I won't - I won't get to stay here?"

The Princes shook her head, blinking fresh tears from her eyes. "No… it's worse than that," she croaked, wiping at her face with a sleeve already damp. "I…" She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and squaring her shoulders, biting her lip as if physically pained by something. "You… you'll be punished tomorrow morning. P-public flagellation. To be dealt by Captain Janin, as he is your commander."

Link forgot to breathe. The blood drained from his cheeks; he felt suddenly faint and weak, as if he might topple over at any moment. "How… how many lashes?" he asked hoarsely.

"Seventy," she answered quietly. "Apparently this is supposed to be merciful; I'm told that past soldiers have been punished by two hundred lashes or more for their crimes." She lowered her gaze. "They mean to humiliate you. Father sent out several Rito messengers as well as our fastest couriers on horseback to all of the cities in the kingdom, detailing what will happen to you. But that's not even the worst of it. You'll be given the rest of the day and the night to recuperate, and the day after that it will be decided whether or not you will continue as my knight."

Link gulped. "And…?" he prompted, fearing what would come next.

"You will fight Captain Janin in the Sanctum," she admitted, rubbing more tears from her cheeks. "Not to the death, of course, but - if you win, you get to stay. If not, you will be exiled to the Tabantha Tundra."

Link's mouth went dry. Seventy lashes. And then a battle.

"I don't know what to say," Zelda whispered shakily, looking at him desperately. "You should have seen him - Janin was absolutely livid. He won't go easy on you tomorrow, and it won't be an easy battle after that. There'll be pain for you either way, come the battle, but there might be less if you lose. I… I just…"

Link shook his head. "I'll win, no matter what it takes," he promised her, mentally sending a prayer for strength to Din, that he would be able to follow through. He tried to offer a smile. "It'll be alright - I can handle a bit of pain."

Her lower lip wobbled and she blinked several times, reaching out to grip his hands on the iron bars of his cell. "Will it be worth it?" she asked, gazing up at him with watery eyes.

His heart clenched, and he reached out of his cell to gently brush a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Always," he murmured. She leaned into his hand, holding it to her face with her own.

"Nayru above, I love you, Link," she whispered brokenly, closing her eyes. "I just wish so badly that it didn't have to be this way. I… I'm terrified for you."

He swallowed thickly, drawing in another deep breath in an attempt to keep himself calm, at least on the outside. So am I.

Dear Goddesses, help me get through this!