Chapter -16-
Hookshot on the Court

Feshal 3, 2057
9:30 AM
Skyloft…

LJ Kasuto walked up to the little table he had been assigned, stepped between the chair and desktop, and faced the judge. "Your honor, before you make a decision one way or the other, could I just … address the court?"

"You may," said the judge with a firm nod.

LJ came back out from behind the desk and turned to face the courtroom with the judge at his backside. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm not very good at giving a speech. I, uh … was always better at writing down my thoughts, recomposing them, making a few line-edits, and then standing behind my walls of text. Like, I tend to ramble, sometimes bouncing from topic-to-topic … when I talk, I can't move a tangent paragraph to a different page, you know? Anyway…" LJ trailed off to take another deep breath. He gestured with his hands to make sure he kept everyone's attention.

He calmly exhaled, closed his eyes for a few seconds, and started again. "Link of Calatia has returned to 1675. He took his Master Sword with him. And he will eventually die from old age; he may have the spirit of the hero, but he's just a man. And because 1675 is so far into the past, his life becomes history for both forked timelines … 2050-A, where I hope to return after talking to you … and 2050-B, which became the timeline where I die … this one: the timeline all of you have just endured." He started to pace.

LJ continued to gesture with his hands while speaking. "And if you go back with me, what few survivors are left here, in 2050-B, down on the surface … will eventually give birth to a hero worthy of the Triforce of Courage. We now know that it can literally change from one person to another because when my doppelgänger died, the mark of the hero appeared on my sister's hand. Now, I don't know about you, but … that's pretty wild to me. And that says to me that one day, the Master Sword belonging to Link of Calatia will draw a new hero to it." LJ stopped pacing and faced the room again, hands outstretched.

"I know some of you don't believe in me. I'm not the LJ Kasuto that stabbed Nohansen with the Master Sword, discovered Skyloft, and 'died for everyone here' or … however people spin it. Also, I respect your lack of belief in who I am … to you, maybe I'm just an imposter or a fraud … at least when compared to the guy that gave his life and put Nohansen down. Even if it was only for a few short years, it gave everyone a reprieve." LJ stopped pacing for a moment.

No one else spoke.

"So, there it is. Maybe I'm just a fake to everyone who is here. Maybe I didn't live up to your expectations. But I'm trying. And if there's one thing people are said to love … it's a redemption story. I mean, yeah, that isn't practical in real life, because, well, let's face it … people need someone to point a finger at, and I respect that innate need."

The room was dead silent.

LJ looked down at his shoes, then lifted his gaze. "But I've been on an adventure that I hope to survive long enough to write about. I'm not talking about going back to 2050 and trying to publish a book for money. No. Not even remotely that."

He lifted his head a bit and panned his gaze from left to right. "I want to survive long enough to write this new book, you see, because I feel the need to tell the world about the events that have changed my life. It's changed my core belief system. These events have shown me that, without a doubt, there is a higher power in the universe, and its guiding energy sits on our shoulder. And that power is larger than time, larger than all of us…"

He looked down at the floor with a soft sigh. "…And that's what I needed to tell you all … before you pass judgement on me."

No one interrupted, no one spoke, no one said anything. The room was simply … silent.

LJ started pacing once more. "It's like this … we all know there are three major Hylian religions … those who believe the Hero of Time died because he disappeared sometime after the end of Ganondorf Dragmire. Then there are those who believe the Hero of Time defeated Ganon as a ten-year-old kid simply by convincing the King of Hyrule to stop Ganon, leading to the man to be sent to the desert prison and that led to the Twilight Era. And, of course, there are those who believe the Hero of Time defeated Ganondorf as a seventeen-year-old young man that was put into some sort of … stasis with the seven sages. Now that we have documented some notably ancient Sheikah tech that put Link of Calatia into suspended animation for a few hundred years, I suppose anything is possible, although he certainly did not age seven years in his cryo-stasis. Maybe there was a setting for that? Who knows, right? Anyway, my point is…"

LJ turned and paced back the other direction, putting his hands behind his back, but they didn't stay there very long. "I'm asking you all to have faith that there is a Master Sword … here in this time … let's call it, uh, Master Sword prime. Schrödinger's Blade, if you will. It's sleeping somewhere – maybe in Hyrule, maybe in Calatia. I don't know. But the fact Link went back to 1675 says to me he was always fated to do that at some point in the timeline. We just didn't know it until now."

The room was silent … to the point it was almost unnerving.

LJ continued. "…We're talking several centuries ago. And that far back, both timelines share the same past … a time-trunkline of history. My point is, I'm asking you to have faith of that without proof because faith is simply part of religion, no matter which of the three temporal forks you may believe. Because this all started the same way … here on Skyloft. And no matter which fork happened, and no matter which timeline was caused by the ocarina-playing-hero's skew in time … it will all end the same way … with the people of Hyrule giving Ganon everything we've got … that's how we'll show him that we won't bow down to that ungrateful asshole … pardon my, uh, turn of phrase, there."

Silence.

LJ looked around the room, cleared his throat softly, and continued speaking. "Anyway, I'm just asking all of you to have faith in me. Why? Because I found my faith. I don't know which fork of the religion I believe in … one of them happened, though, and here we are. These legends happened thousands of years ago, it might even be a culmination of all three. All we know, for absolute sure, is that we're living in the present, and everything else … has become the Legends of Zelda. And I respect all three belief systems. Now…"

LJ brought his hands up and rubbed his face with his palms. "God, I'm so bad at public speaking, so please bear with me. I don't know how to make clever jokes and stuff. At least not in the same way Zelda did." He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and exhaled slow and calm. He repeated the breathing technique one more time just for good measure.

"…Now, I have faith that this whole thing is going to end the same way it all started … with unity. The people of Skyloft … a solid number of them … joined Zelda and the Hero of Hylia in coming to the surface to intermingle with humans, creating the Hylian race as we know it today. That happened. Most of us have the ears to prove it. We have genetic proof of it. I'm a huge believer in facts that you can prove, and there are facts, which exist today, to support the origin stories of the Legends of Zelda. I'm asking you to accept my newfound faith, stand with me, and … please … join me in saving all the survivors here, but coming back to 2050, with me, and leaving this timeline, 2050-B, in your past where it belongs. Because no matter how many nightmares you will have about this timeline in the future, you'll always wake up from those nightmares and you'll be safe and alive in 2050-A with myself and everyone else, here, that decides to join me."

Silence.

LJ walked back to the small desk, faced the judge, and folded his hands. "Thank you for indulging me, sir."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of the judge's mouth. "My name is Darnell Keagat. I served as the supreme judge presiding over the highest of royal courts in Hyrule for less than a year after retiring from the military. For a time, I was also a legislator. During my short tenure as the supreme judge of the Royal Court, I was a tiebreaker when the six judges beneath me tied in votes over major issues." He gestured with his right hand toward the man in the long blue necktie. "And your lawyer's name is Mekike Molil. You asked, earlier, and I did not give you the respect of an answer. For that, I apologize. It has been a very emotional time for our people these long seven years. It's been a long time since I've needed to be the professional that I was."

Mekike Molil walked back to LJ's table and smoothed the long blue necktie with his hand. He stepped adjacent to LJ with a nod.

LJ nodded back at the public defender, cut his gaze back to Judge Keagat, and folded his hands in front of himself. "Your honor, I appreciate that. And I can appreciate and respect the situation you were in leading up to when the world basically ended. I owe you an apology in kind, sir … I wasn't being a very professional liaison to the crown when I came here. I was told I died a hero, but I certainly didn't perform any acts of heroism to earn that title. I guess I let the 'heroism' go to my head without the perspective and clarity needed to carry that title accordingly. So, now I'm ready to earn it. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to defeat this man calling himself Ganon."

"We voted before you spoke to the court, and what you said changes nothing – our vote is still the same. But, Mr. Kasuto, many of us appreciated hearing you speak. I know I did. If I had heard you speak before my vote, I would have changed it in your favor … if I had voted, that is. But … I didn't vote – I only judge impartially or break ties. But even that does not matter – the result is the result, young man."

"I understand, sir." LJ took a deep breath, exhaled calmly, and nodded at the judge. "I've said all I know how to say in my defense, and I'm ready for your ruling, your honor."

Judge Keagat stood up, cleared his throat, and spoke with a tone of authority. "It is hereby declared, by the ruling of this court, on the third of Feshal, that the population of Skyloft's remains, such as they are, will return through the ancient Gates of Time, which was created by the goddess Hylia, in her infinite wisdom, as a safeguard for her people…"

LJ felt the tension bleed out of his neck and his shoulders.

Darnell Keagat continued speaking. "…And … it is the decree of this court that all willing and able bodies, male and female, will take up arms in the fight against Ganon-Nohansen, under the direction of LJ Kasuto, the recognized reborn spirit of the Hero of Hylia, and protector of the Triforce of Courage." He stole a glance at LJ, then cut his gaze back to the courtroom. "It took courage, the courage of the Triforce, in fact, to do everything in his power to talk an entire population of survivors into coming with him, back to 2050. The court recognizes that he could have left at any time, when he and his sister, Aryll, were on the surface together. They came back. He surrendered himself to protect his sister, and he did not attempt to fight or flee in any way, because his beliefs are in line with the core values that we look to every day with the Hero of Hylia: following through and saving innocent lives. Therefore, LJ Kasuto, as the highest living word in our remaining government structure, I judge you innocent, free, and … I charge you with the responsibility of getting as many survivors as can be saved through the goddess' gate, and I charge you with destroying it in your wake."

LJ exhaled in a sigh of relief. He ran his hands back through his hair and brought his palms to his face so as not to appear too giddy or to say anything before the judge was finished speaking. He dropped into his chair, feeling a little lightheaded.

"Mr. Kasuto, right about now, we have a handful of people going out to address everyone in the town. We're ordering everyone, man, woman, and child … to gather their belongings and prepare for the trip."

"You … dispatched them already?"

"Yes, young man. They're volunteers from this group. They left from the side exit and went straight to the heart of town."

"Oh. I guess that's why I didn't see them leave."

"Mm. They left while you were standing out in the hallway with the Captain of the Guard."

"So, if you … had a vote, you would have voted against me, huh? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't hold it against you. But … you said you changed your mind, and I was curious as to what I said that made a difference?" LJ reached up and rubbed at his cheeks to get rid of the weird pins-and-needles sensation in his face.

Judge Keagat folded his hands and leaned back, peering over the bench at LJ. "Going to the surface could prove to be a death sentence for us all, but … as you so eloquently reminded many of us, myself included, we must have faith. Faith is … something I have apparently forgotten. The one defining trait that all three branches of the Hyrulian religion have in common … we all have faith in Zelda as the reincarnation of the goddess, Hylia, and when she became queen, short lived as it may have been, she put me in my position because she believed in me. And in the short time I was in my position, I recall having great respect for her, after seeing how she handled herself around the castle and war room. I was reminded of that, today. Furthermore, the fact she is the reincarnated embodiment of Hylia is…" Keagat sighed softly. "To question her plan to send you here, to this time, was … dare I admit … childish and foolish of me. Please understand, we have known seven years of misery without her guidance, and we let ourselves fall into organized chaos. But now? Now we will return to the path of destiny. And we will willingly do so by your side, as the vote in this chamber was completely unanimous."

LJ lowered his hands from his face and looked up at the judge. He glanced back at the courtroom, then returned his gaze to the judge once more. "Not a … not a single person voted to stay?"

"Not one, young man. Because we took a moment to analyze your faith. And you're right about something else as well…"

LJ tilted his head a bit but remained quiet.

"We, as a society, like to point a finger and we like to assign blame … but we also love a good redemption story. And you finding your faith has been … at the very least … a completely moving sentiment for us all, as we've all lost our own way in one manner or another. And now we will all be united … this will be the second time that a Link has led a population from Skyloft to the surface to stand tall. And while we will undoubtedly be attacked before we reach the gates, we are all inspired by your courage, and the Triforce you hold in your very soul. We worry, of course, that some of us will die on our way to salvation. Just know that we are prepared. We have two court scribes writing of this moment, as we speak, while sitting in my office, so that if any other beings find Skyloft in this timeline, they will learn what transpired this day. Link Josiah Kasuto, all Skyloft's residents stand with you. We are ready to survive with you, and we are prepared to die for our freedom if necessary."

LJ swallowed, unsure if he was welling up with pride, respect, or something else he couldn't put a finger on. Either way, he felt the emotion tighten the muscles in his chest. "I am … honored and humbled to have you all at my side. Everyone, gather your belongings. We leave before sundown."

Judge Keagat nodded to the room. "You heard him. Head home, gather your family and your belongings. We're all going home. Some of us before we go through the gate, and others of us after we go through the gate." He cut his gaze back to LJ, adding, "Remember to blow that thing up in our wake. We cannot hardly fight one Nohansen. I would not wish two upon Hyrule."

"Absolutely, your honor. Thank you for the opportunity."

"You're the one providing an opportunity … to everyone here. Thank you, son."

"I won't let you down, sir. What, um, what changed your mind from what you were saying, earlier?"

"You put things into perspective, but once you left the room, finding out that everyone felt the same about you … well … it gave me pause, and that helped me come to the realization that this is the only way I'll see my family again, and everyone else here feels exactly the same."

"Thank you for saying so, sir."

Keagat nodded firmly, then announced, "You're dismissed, Mr. Kasuto. Go and get ready."

"Again, thank you. Thank you for believing in me, sir." LJ stood up, shook hands with Councilor Molil. "Thanks, Mekike was it? Things got a little weird there for a moment; I really thought you were hating on me, earlier." He turned and headed for the doors.

Ovona was waiting for him, arms crossed over her chest. "Well, Mr. Kasuto? Feel better after being judged?" She held the door open for him, and the walked out into the hallway, together, while speaking.

"You bet I do!" said LJ. "Look, Ovona, here's the thing. I need your help. You're going to be my lieutenant in this mess. My right-hand soldier or … whatever."

"Your council?"

"Yes. I need council right now. I need more than one person to help me think things through. I need an entire think-tank."

"Mm-hmm. A Government Funded Link-tank."

"Ha. That was dad-joke worthy, Ovona."

"Ha. Do voe really make cheesy jokes when they have children?"

"Many do, yeah. Once a guy grows up from boyish mindsets, well, the humor and types of jokes that we tell … it all becomes different. More, uh, child friendly … at the cost of being a bit cheesy at times."

"I … see."

LJ shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway … okay, let's get everything moving."

"Indeed. Let us make sure there is as little chaos as possible."

"Exactly. And the judge is likely right…"

Ovona tilted her head. "About?"

"He thinks we're probably walking into some sort of trap. Apparently, he used to be part of a think-tank for the military, and he did strategic command stuff. So, uh, he'll be part of the gang, too. We need to prepare for this trap so we can better avoid it."

"Undoubtedly," she replied with a firm nod of agreement. "But before you go and lead everyone into whatever is ahead … it's time you put on the family ring."

"The ring? Oh, right, the red ring."

Ovona nodded. "Our LJ, the one that died … the only reason he survived as long as he did is because he wore it. It's what people know best about you. It's time to wear it." She forced a hint of a smile. "I think they need to see you wearing it."

"It's … just a ring."

"You'll see once you put it on. Just … try it?"

LJ nodded. "Yeah. Let me just…" He patted his pockets down, then dug it out of the pocket-watch pocket of his right pants pocket. He held it up and inspected it, lifted his gaze at Ovona, then looked back down at the ring.

"Go ahead. It certainly won't hurt you. Quite the opposite."

A window shattered further up the hall and a moblin broke through the frosted glass. It withdrew twin clubs and screamed in an aggressive fashion. It charged the two.

Ovona withdrew her sidearm with wide eyes. "How did they find Skyloft?!" She fired the weapon, aiming for center mass.

The moblin took three rounds to its chest and stomach. The bullets became lodged in the layered leather hides and continued its charge. It swung one of the clubs and knocked her gun free from her grasp.

Ovona ducked the second club, brought her hands together, and swung her arms upward, catching the creature in its chin.

The moblin staggered back a few steps, looking surprised by her ferocity.

LJ ran his thumb over the thank one last time, then he slipped it upon his finger, which caused his hair and eyes to glow in an unnatural manner.

Ovona raised her brows at LJ, watching the events unfold before her.

LJ's hair at the center of his head transitioned from a blond coloration to a ginger hue, until every inch of his tresses became reddish-colored.

Through the force field created by the ring, his clothing transitioned to a ruddy-hued appearance, like a dingy garnet coloration.

The moblin stepped back, wide-eyed with a gaping jaw. "It's … you."

"Yeah, it's me," said LJ. "So?" A pause, then, "Wait … you freaks can talk?"

The moblin looked back at the broken window at the far end of the hallway as if looking for a way to escape. "The harbinger of death to our people. Ganon promised to save us from you. He destroyed you with one of his weapons taken from the ancients. You're supposed to be dead!" The moblin backed away from LJ and held his hands up, crisscrossing his index digits to make little finger-crosses. "Stay back; stay away from me!"

LJ blinked. "Wow." A grin of amusement spread across his face. "That's a new reaction."

The moblin looked around and realized he had no help or easy route to escape. A look of panic spread across his face, and he shook his head rapidly. "No, no. Absolutely no. Not you." He turned to run for the main exit at the other end of the hall.

"Don't let him escape!" shouted LJ. "He'll warn Ganon-Nohansen!"

Ovona drew her arm back and unleashed a traditional Gerudo throwing dagger. The small knife flipped end-over-end, higher than even the creature's enormous height. The arc and curvature of her throat was true, and it struck the moblin in the back of the head, just above the nape of its neck.

The moblin's entire body dropped to the ground, consumed by gravity like a sack of potatoes. It rolled two or three times, then came crumbled to a halt, one knee up under its stomach, the other leg splayed out unnaturally, with arms flailed outward. A dagger stood up from the base of its skull, and blood ran down from the wound.

LJ's eyes widened. "Ovona … how did you manage that throw? It was easily over one hundred feet!"

Ovona exhaled sharply with a look of relief on her face. "Adrenaline, Mr. Kasuto. Luck, maybe, also had a part in it."

LJ nodded at her, impressed beyond measure. "You're going to have to teach me how to fight the way you do. Okay. Let's get these people sent back, then you and I will cover their escape. But, first…" He licked his lips and turned to walk after the creature at the far end of the hall. He approached the moblin, lowered to one knee, and took the creature by what little patchy hair it had on the back of its head. He lifted its head and met the creature's gaze. "You're afraid of me, huh?"

"Yes," it wheezed in a raspy voice. "I have failed to report the location of your people. I have failed to bring news of your survival to Ganon. But I die in combat. I die with honor. I die proud, serving the strongest warrior."

LJ chuckled. "What? You never served me. What're you talking about?"

"You are far from the strongest. You were merely the bully and the butcher of our kind. But Ganon took your life with one attack. And when you buried the goddess blade within his heart, it did not kill him. It wounded him for a time. But you died; he survived. I witnessed it. I witnessed your lifeless body, human. Ganon is the strongest warrior. It has been witnessed before, and it shall come to pass again. You will soon see. Die, hero of Hylia. Die."

LJ scoffed. "I'm here to change time, pal. Y'know why? Because Nohansen's attack was cowardly."

"In my culture, no attack is cowardly. If you are not vigilant, then you deserved your death. You are not a coward for dying. You are only a coward if you run from a fight."

"Like you just did?" A smirk spread across LJ's face. He added, "You literally just ran away. Ovona threw that knife and hit you in the back of the head."

"I did not run from a fight. I ran toward my … my … objective."

Ovona approached the two and asked, "What was your mission?"

"My mission was to inform Ganon. I failed, but I died by the blade. I therefore die with honor."

LJ rolled the creature over, cradling its head in his left hand. "You look me in the eye and tell me what you planned to tell Ganon."

"I…" The moblin's skin quickly grew pale, especially around the lips.

"C'mon, you're fading fast. What were you going to tell him?"

"I…" The moblin struggled to speak.

LJ leaned in a bit closer and turned his long-pointed ear toward the creature's face. In a softer voice, he said, "Go ahead … I'm listening…"

"I…" he repeated once more. He drew in a raspy breath, then said, "I spit … my last breath at thee." The moblin pursed its lips then attempted to spit in LJ's face, but the saliva rolled down its chin instead. The monster's eyes rolled up into its head and its gaze glassed over, becoming half-lidded. Its body relaxed, becoming heavier to LJ's hand.

LJ pulled the knife from the back of its head. He set the creature's head down, stood up, and offered the blade to Ovona. "Here."

Ovona took it by the handle, wiped the blade on the moblin's armored tunic, then she returned it to the holder on her belt. She side-nodded at the court room doors with a soft sigh. "It's time to head out to the town and address the people." She feigned a slight smile at him. "Wearing the ring looks … good on you, Voe."

"Thanks. I'm glad it fits." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "So, yeah. Let's get these people through the Gate of Time. You wanna help me cover their escape? Once they're all through, maybe you and I can do some training, then follow the group through and … yeah. Thoughts?"

"Preparing before you follow them through the gate is an excellent idea. As Captain of the Guard, I have spent the past seven years preparing myself and training everyone beneath me in rank. I can train you. We'll prepare, then we will head through the Gate of Time, destroy it with timed devices, and head to the same time as everyone else, arriving only a second after they come through the gate."

LJ held his fist out. "Blow it up."

The Gerudo looked at his fist, furrowed her brows, then smirked. "I am not participating in that silly Hylian youth nonsense."

LJ saw she was still holding her knife in a fist, so he reached over and bumped his knuckles to her. Then he opened his fingers and made a little explosion sound effect with his voice.

Ovona shook her head with a smirk. "You are such a child."

"Yup. But trainable. Anyway, let's go let everyone know we need to get them out of Skyloft sooner rather than later."

"Agreed, let's go."

X

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Author's Note: Been a while, huh? lol. Okay, so I realized I had chapter 14 posted TWICE in the C13 and C14 slot. SORRY! I fixed it!
Also, I wrote a SUPER really long chapter here, so I cut it in two pieces, posted this part first, and I'll post the following piece shortly.

Again, if you've forgotten, this takes place in the distant future of HYRULE, but it's still TEN THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE BREATH OF THE WILD, meaning that, at some point, the world basically ends ... or the world maybe goes all digital and then there's something that causes the old technology to be wiped out, except for a few Sheikah Slates, likely kept inside fallout shelters or something.

Either way, we discover that the hecking tablets are few-and-far between in BotW. We ALSO learn that somehow, after TEN THOUSAND YEARS they still operate. That's weird right?

OH! And what of the Loftwing we saw recently? Well, we'll get there. I promise. It's making another cameo in the next chapter, but I haven't forgotten about the horse-like motorcycle 'divine beast' vehicle. We'll see all that stuff soon enough.
OKAY!
Onto CHAPTER-17!