The afternoon was a bit chillier than Link had expected, no doubt from the rain penetrating his clothing; his blond locks were soaked and plastered to his forehead. Even through the mists he could see the gallows lingering before him, a few unidentified others already standing idly with the nooses about their necks. The thought of standing next to those sorrowful people himself stole his voice away from him.
Adrian Tariesk was the last to make his departure from the carriage, and he had harshly dragged Link along after him in a haste to get to the gallows. Though, Link thought it strange that Adrian was fixated upon a particularly short, plump old homemaker whose brown eyes had long since faded. The woman leaned forward and raved to the others as a small crowd of revelers gathered about to watch. Link knew well that some of them were there to mourn a hero already a dead man—and others jeered, hatred gleaming in their eyes.

"So, Link. Are you terribly honored? This woman up here must surely hate you, and so should her husband. I couldn't give you the glory of hanging all by yourself up there, could I? I decided that we'll have an all-night hanging party, and next week, it will happen every week. You really should have convinced your dungeon friends that their dreams…their…visions, if that's what you insane ones call it, were nothing but disillusions. Yet you simply strung them along—not that it matters. The handmaiden will be coming just before sundown for her hanging. His Majesty should be here shortly to watch."
"You've kept Zelda from this," Link hissed.
"Oh, that girl's smarter than you give her credit for. I don't know if I blatantly admitted what I intended to do, but I'm sure she can put two and two together. Then again, she is a blonde, isn't she?"
"And to think you got so popular even with a horrible sense of humor. I'm almost stumbling to laughter to humiliate you. Then again, I am the nice guy, aren't I?"
"Oh, Link…haven't you heard that adage? 'Nice guys finish last'?
"Aren't you just full of clichés."
"It's better than what those gallows are going to be full of a week from now."

The old woman leaned forward, hissing to the executioners through her teeth as she surveyed the crowd. Link could feel a certain fear burrowing in his heart as he was lead in an icy grip to his particular section of the gallows. He clamped his eyes shut as the shouts echoed throughout the area while a stiff, rigid rope was slowly eased about his neck. The way that it brushed against his tunic bothered him most, knowing that it would soon seize up and snap his neck. He shuddered and looked back to the crowd, trying to fixate his attention on something else. Impa had been wrong when she assumed that he had the heart to conquer all—somehow, his providential assistance had failed him.
And then from the darkness came a voice, small and unpleasant but somehow powerful and comforting. The woman next to him bristled with anger and calmness at once, her brown eyes brightening as she addressed the crowd. Some drew nearer and listened.
"Fools. All of you are fools and I cannot find it in my soul to let this go unpunished. May the Goddesses do what they find appropriate in all of this…and let Hell have mercy that it will all spit you back up should you ever head down that blazing path.
"I have been a mother and grandmother in Kakariko for thirty-seven years; my bones are broken down and I am weary. Rumors have passed through the dungeons about visions and we all wake up in terrible sweats, thinking and speaking of the same things that we have dreamed. I think not that it is a rumor. It is fact, and the rest of you simply blot out your dreams in your terrible mistrust.
"The Hylians had their visions once, a sixth sense great and powerful, and we have all let that semblance of thought and insight go to the words of the politicians. They have given their damn lies and you have eaten them up as if they were nothing but pure, uncorrupted truth. Adrian Tariesk is a liar and you shall see it, what he has done to your mothers, cousins, neighbors, enemies, and brothers! What he has done to your hero, and how he has silenced your king. Will you close your ears more, or will you finally listen?"

A heavy silence fell, and the crowd exchanged glances: glances of anger and glances of acceptance. Tariesk, from no known place in the crowd, emerged quite suddenly and gave his gestures.
"Hang them! People giving their grandiose speeches when their time is already gone! These executions will go forward as an attempt against the throne…it shall not go on, this rebellion! Shall it, Your Majesty?"
A feminine voice came forward.
"No, the executions shall certainly not."
Link squirmed a bit, though he could feel that rope brushing roughly against his neck. By some chance or another, Zelda emerged from the crowd, King Harkinian in tow. Tariesk simply look aghast, his tan complexion considerably paled as he chewed on his lip and glanced to the people.
"Not another word, Adrian. Should your father know that in your land and money hunger that you manipulated an entire Kingdom, he shall certainly have it worse for you than my daughter and I shall. Bloody traitor. If it were not for the laws that my kind daughter has proposed, you would certainly be hanging up there instead." He glanced to the gallows. "Release the woman, the man, and Link. They of all people deserve to be up there least."
Link heaved a sigh of relief as that rigid rope was torn from his neck, and he quickly made his way down. On instinct, he reached for his blade to find that his scabbard was not there. He curled his lips back into a snarl and narrowed his eyes, lingering behind the panicking Navean Prince. The man had easily been cornered.
"I will explain later, once I have had something to eat. Until then, I am not going to bother telling you the story. It's simply an exhausting one, really."
The Prince drew in a large breath, and out of the corner of his eye, Link spotted the man racing toward the shore. Several canoes docked at the shoreline, and he swiftly made his way into one and paddled his way along. Link started forward, though he was quickly drawn back by Harkinian. Neither had anticipated Zelda's dash to the shore to catch up with Adrian.
"Zel!"
Link could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he tore his arm free from Harkinian's, moving swiftly after Zelda. As quickly as she reached the shore, she had easily found herself swallowed up in the blackening waters. Link eased in himself after her, the cold water burrowing deep into his flesh like stabbing knives. The storm battered the lake so badly that he could scarcely see Zelda's blonde head bobbing before him. He himself struggled to stay afloat, terror sweeping through him once again as Zelda temporarily vanished beneath the surface, then came up again gasping for breath. Link grabbed her arm.
"You have to head back now! We can see the shore from here…I'm a stronger swimmer than you are. Trust me, Zel."

"But it's just like when we were kids, Link! We'd have all sorts of adventures and we'd defeat the bad guy, and…"

"I don't think it's going to be that way this time, Zel."

She gaped at him for a few moments before lowering her head, some semblance of tears starting to form in her crystalline blue eyes. Link draped an arm about her and kissed her forehead before grazing her lips, pressing her to himself for just a little longer. She lifted a dainty hand and stroked one of his ears before she abruptly broke away, nodded, and headed back to shore. Link, in the meantime, headed out deeper into the water as the sun began to set.