Link couldn't sleep. Nightmares and visions of what he saw chased him into the refuge of his dreams, willing him to wake and fight. Only, there was no fight to be had, not anymore, leaving Link a shaking mess. He put his head in his hands and shuddered as adrenaline pumped through his tired body and exhausted mind, depriving him of the rest he needed to recover. This happened on occasion in battle when it got particularly bad before he worked himself past his limits, but never after a victory.

Every time he closed his eyes he saw the child with a sword through his neck. Her neck? Didn't matter. It was but a corpse now, a hollow shell of the life it would have had where the only good it had left to offer was as food for beasts and insects. The smiles would be worm infested and ironic and the frowns would be left unattended.

Link shook his head to cast away the image and looked up at the moon. The eye of Naryu watched him and for a moment Link wondered what was the point.

What was the point of being Courage if he couldn't save even one person when he reached his hand out?

What was the point of being a reincarnating demi-god if he failed at everything he put himself to? His parents, his sister, his brother, his original one-hundred? He failed to win in the palace, failed to defeat Zant, failed to defeat Harken, still bore the scars of his failings against the Zora on his back, failed to prevent Ganon's ward from being taken, failed to stop Ganon from transforming, failed to protect Zelda from the shadow of his former life... just failing after failing. What could he do? All he ever knew how to do was fail.

Slight movement outside of his cell drew his attention and Link looked up to see his rivals approach with Kyou Kai and Kyo Gai.

One of the two really needed to change their name, they were far too similar.

"So... when is the execution?" Link wondered.

Kyou's breath caught in her throat, but otherwise said nothing. Whether it was how casually Link asked about his own death or if she knew when it would be, Link didn't know.

"Thankfully we managed to avoid that." Ouhon Mitagi stated.

So Link wasn't going to die? That was a relief. Link sighed. "Okay, so how bad is it then? Because your faces look grim."

"It's bad." Kyo Gai said grimly.

"It is not!" Kyou Kai smacked him in the shoulder.

"Is it or isn't it? I'm getting mixed signals."

Mouki shook his head, stepped forward, and stooped down before Link. "Well, Link. You will be held a little while longer, but when you are freed you will find yourself demoted to one-hundred man officer."

Link raised an eyebrow in curious confusion. "A demotion by one rank? That's it? I killed a higher rank commander."

"And that it was self-defense is the only reason the punishment is so small."

"But it wasn't-"

Ouhon leaped forward, thrust his arm through the cell bars, and grabbed Link by the mouth to stop him. Everyone's breath hitched. for a moment, everything was still as everyone held their breath. But nothing moved, no one seemed to have heard or raised any alarms. Link's cell was out in the open and no one was close enough to hear, though a few soldiers could see them talking.

Ouhon hissed, "Care to repeat that a little bit louder!? I think someone didn't hear that!"

Link looked frantically between their terrified expressions for a moment, confused, before a puzzle piece slid in place. He slowly, gently, pulled back and looked to Mouki. He whispered, "You... lied... for me?"

With a move of the head, Mouki signified who really had lied for him.

Link looked Ouhon in the eyes as serious as he ever recalled doing. He didn't know what to say. He had never liked the older teen. He got the impression the feeling was mutual. He merely spent time with him because it was amusing to break his composure and show him up.

"You? Why?"

"With the need for manpower, then Kyou Kai and Kyo Gai have been promoted as well to one-hundred man officers-"

"Why would you do this for me?"

"-so your unit will be split between the three of you."

"Why would you lie to a general and put yourself out to die with me?!"

"-and-"

"You don't even like me!"

"BECAUSE IM A FUCKING BASTARD YOU IMBECILE!" Ouhon yelled angrily.

Link looked at him, confused. He knew Ouhon was a bastard. Mouki had told him as such, but he felt there was more here. There were plenty of bastards out there. Didn't mean they put their necks out for people they didn't even like.

Ouhon sighed. He looked to the others, "Can you all give us a minute?"

"Sure. Lets go guys. We can talk with Link later." Mouki motioned and walked a small distance away.

"We will be right over there, Link." Kyou Kai bowed. Link nodded.

"Stay strong, man." Kyo Gai put his fist through and fist-bumped Link before also walking away.

This left Ouhon and Link. Link didn't know what to say but clearly Ouhon wanted to say something. The older teen put his spear to the side, and sat down on the stone against the cell with his back to Link. They said nothing for a moment. There was no rain to sour the mood and they heard nothing but the gentle wind and crackling torch.

"You're an idiot." Ouhon started. Link narrowed his eyes but otherwise said nothing. "But we need more idiots like you."

Ouhon sighed and said, "It wasn't always this way. The law of King Sorlin was different, but it was changed by his son and my father. Ousen Mitagi and King Aou rewrote the laws on how to handle enemy citizens, nobles, soldiers, officers, and the like. Innocent or not, it doesn't matter in the name of absolute victory. It was from this that... I was born. My mother was an enemy that my father took a liking to. He did as he wished and when he heard she was pregnant with me, he had her taken to Mitagi so he could have me raised as an heir. I had to compete with his other heirs for his attention, and there is nobody more difficult to please than a perfectionist. I have never even see his face. Only that cold, black, metal mask."

Ouhon continued, "Much as I honor my father for his choice in taking responsibility. Much as he hones me to high standards to be the best at any expense. Nor can I shake away the sight of pain in my mother's eyes every time his name is brought up." Ouhon looked at his hand, and Link noticed it was shaking. The older teen squeezed his fist tightly and grit his teeth, frustrated emotions welling up. "That is why I fight. Yet I cannot deny the irony in fighting the very thing that bore me. By rejecting it, I reject myself. My soul, my blood, is at war with itself, but this is the path I chose."

Ouhon stood and turned to look into Link's wide-eyed, stunned eyes. "It is the law, but the law needs to be changed. So you need power to change it. No rebel with a proper message can be heard clearly because all that will be seen is the rebellion. When you yell loudly a holy message, all that will be heard is the volume. You can be as wise as scholars and brave to the point of foolishness, but neither can be a vessel for change. If you try and go about it without the power to go through proper channels you will find yourself fighting the law as much as your enemy and no one can fight both fronts at the same time."

(not finished, but there has been some drama in my life and it will be some time till I am in a good place. My best friend, my brother, of decades, drove me to nearly kill myself. I am moving on. I've been under a kind-of family suicide-watch for a few weeks. I am seeing psychiatrists and finding therapists and counselors and the like and spending as much time as I can with the church and my family as I can.)