Chapter Text
Link gripped the master sword as he was jarred back to reality. The last notes of Zelda’s lullaby faded into the distance. The world spun around him. He was 10 again. His body felt too small and weak. It always did when he traveled back. He reeled as he realized he wouldn’t be traveling forward again. Ganondorf was dead. At least, Ganondorf was dead in the future, but he was still a danger in the present. He needed to warn them. He needed to find Zelda.
Link stumbled as he let go of the sword. The world was too big and he was too small. He took a breath. This would pass it always did, but it worse this time. He looked to ask Navi, but he couldn’t find her. She wasn’t next to him or in his hat like she usually was. He reached out and could distantly feel her flying out one of the high windows of the temple. It didn’t matter, they’d find each other later. She deserved a break.
He vomited when he walked outside. It was too bright. There was too much, but he had to go warn Zelda. He had to get to the castle. He let go of the wall and forced himself to take a step. One step became two and two became a halting walk.
He started to feel better as he walked through Castletown. The world was still too big and Navi wasn’t with him, the sun no longer burned and his head had mostly stopped spinning. By the time he got to the castle gates sneaking in past the guards was child’s play.
Zelda was in the same place as the first time he met her. Through the small courtyard window he could see Ganondorf kneeling before the king. Zelda turned to look at him and he fell to his knees bowing to her. She wasn’t simply a child princess, he knew. She was the leader of the Seven Sages, the bearer of the triforce of wisdom, and the future queen of Hyrule. She stared at him for a minute before speaking.
“Who?! Who are you? How did you get past the guards?”
This time he had no fairy. She could not know he was from the forest and Navi wasn’t there to translate for him. He still had to warn her. He hoped he could manage without Navi.
In broken Hylian he said, “Ganondorf evil. Will destroy Hyrule.”
Zelda’s eyes widened. “You’re the boy from my dream! Then… then do you have the spiritual stone of the forest?”
Link began to shake his head, but there was a familiar feeling in his pocket. He had it again. His surprise turned to despair as he realized what that meant: the Great Deku Tree was still dead. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. He produced the stone and, as he did so, his triforce began to glow. Zelda’s eyes grew even wider.
“We have proof then! Come with me, we need to show my father!” Zelda began running, dragging Link behind her. He could feel Impa watching from the shadows, but she only looked on impassively.
Before Link could process what was happening he was in the throne room and Zelda was yelling.
“Father! Father! I have proof!” She pointed at Ganondorf, “That man is evil! He will destroy Hyrule.”
The room froze in shock and Ganondorf sputtered. Seeing him again made Link want to run, but he stood strong. He had a job to do. Zelda grabbed his wrist and he flinched away as he triforce began to glow. “You see,” she said, “He has the triforce of courage and he says that man will destroy Hyrule.” Her glare penetrated the shocked silence as she pointed to Ganondorf with her other hand.
It was the king who recovered first. “Zelda,” he said gently, “The triforce is certainly there, but what does it have to do with our honored Gerudo King.”
Zelda locked eyes with her father as she explained, for what was obviously not the first time, “He is evil. I saw him set fire to the castle in my vision and I knew it was only the first step in his plan to steal the triforce and conquer Hyrule.” She turned a torching glare in Ganondorf’s direction as she continued, “He can’t control the triforce though, so he will raze Hyrule to the ground instead.” Like a true politician she turned to the court with her arms spread and her palms up, “A boy in green was the first part of my vision. The fact that he’s here proves that King Ganondorf is evil. We must stop him before it is too late.”
The king stroked his beard. “That triforce on the boys hand certainly is convincing, and women in the royal family have always been known for their gifts of prophecy,” he looked at his daughter and Link swore he saw the king wink, “Still, it's not enough proof to arrest a foregin dignitary.”
Ganondorf eyes were wide as he sputtered. “Proof of what!?” he asked “What am I being accused of!?”
Zelda ignored him. “I have this too!” She pulled out the forest gem and waved it like it was a sword. “And that’s the boy from my vision!” She gestured at Link, “He came back in time to warn us!”
For the first time the King looked at Link, “Is this true boy?”
Suddenly, every eye in the room was on Link. He wanted to run. He wanted the floor to swallow him. He wanted Navi. Instead, he squared his shoulders. He had a job to do. He began in broken sentences, trying to piece together Hylian words with their unfamiliar consonants and long, blended vowels. He stuttered and whispered his way through his tale starting with the Great Deku Tree’s curse and ending when Zelda used the ocarina to send him home. Sometimes Ganondorf protested, but two guards had stepped forward to hold him and he was mostly quiet. By the time he was done the King was nodding thoughtfully.
“That is quite the tale,” he said, “but combined with my daughter’s visions, it must be true.”
“What!?” Ganondorf yelled. “Two children are telling you I will destroy the world and you believe them? There is no proof!”
Proof… Proof… Link knew that word. People asked for it when they wanted to hear Zelda’s lullaby. That was proof he was telling the truth. They were asking for proof, so he had to play that song. He no longer had Zelda’s Ocarina, but he still had Saria’s. That would work. He played and the notes hung in the air in like a man from a noose.”
“There is your proof!” the king said. “That is a song only known by the royal family! What he is saying must be true. No one but the hero of legend would be entrusted with such a sacred song!”
“He just came in with your daughter! She could have taught him.”
“She would have done no such thing! Not without my permission!”
Link lost track of the words flying over his head. They were coming faster and louder and he didn’t know half of them. Soon the entire room was shouting. The noise was deafening. He retreated to a corner with his hands over his ears. The light was too bright again. Finally, after what seemed like lifetimes, Ganondorf was dragged from the room all the while issuing orders to Gerudo warriors who had been stripped of their weapons. Then he was gone.
Link had done his job.
He fainted.
Link woke thinking he was being smothered. He was surrounded by cloth, more that he had ever seen in one place. It tangled around him. There was too much. He struggled, but only managed to get one of his arms pinned behind his back.
“Calm down! You could hurt yourself!” a startled voice said beside him. He couldn’t understand it. There was too much else happening for him to translate the foreign words. The tone sounded surprised. Linked kept struggling. Surprises were rarely good.
Seconds later, a much calmer voice said, “You’ve startled him, Princess. Be careful with your tone.” Link became aware of two figures looking at him as the voice continued “Relax little hero, you are safe now. Your quest is finished. You are safe.” Link still couldn’t understand the words, but now he recognized the voices and the figures. Zelda and Impa were sitting next to his bed. While it was still more cloth than he would have ever thought necessary, he realized he was surrounded by pillows and sheets not monsters trying to smother him. It had been so long since he had slept in a bed.
He let himself relax and was starting to drift off again when Zelda said, “You’ve been asleep for nearly two days. We were worried.”
Link sat up at that. He was still having trouble with the Hylian language, but he understood “two days”. That was too long. Navi should have woken him up sooner. Where was Navi?
“Navi?” he asked, as much calling for the fairy as asking Zelda and Impa if they knew.
Zelda cocked her head to the side. “Who’s that?” she asked.
Link tried to speak in Hylian, but his words came out in the soft, whispering language of the Kokiri. He wished Navi was here to translate. He breathed in deeply. He needed to use words they could understand.
“Navi,” he whispered, “my fairy. Where?”
Impa looked concerned. “You had no fairy little one.”
Link was ready to panic. Navi should have been back by now. She couldn’t have just left him. Could she?
Zelda smiled. “I’m sure she’ll come back if she’s your fairy!” she said brightly, “I still don’t know your name. What is it?”
The abrupt subject change caught Link off guard. In took him a while, but the effort it took to process the words distracted him from his panic, “Link. Link my name.”
“Thank you Link,” said Zelda, “You have saved Hyrule from a terrible fate.”
Impa stepped forward, “Come Princess,” she said, “We need to let Link rest, and the doctor wants to look at him.”
Shortly after Zelda and Impa’s departure, a plump, middle-aged women came into Link’s room. She chattered cheerfully as she examined Link. He liked her. He didn’t like her as much when she started asking questions. He didn’t know the answers to a lot of them. He didn’t know what a birthday was, though the Kokiri told him he was about 10. He had no parents, so he didn’t know their names. He didn’t know what a school was or how to read. He didn’t know where he got all his scars. There were too many to know about all of them. She didn’t seem to like a lot of his answers, though she tried to keep smiling.
Finally, she was done. He couldn’t hear what she said to Impa, and even if he had he wouldn’t have understood it. They both looked worried. Link went back to sleep.
There was a steady flow of people in and out of Link’s room over the next few days, though Impa tried to keep the number of visitors limited. The doctor came often. She had forbidden him from leaving his room by declaring that he needed time to recover from his ordeal away from prying eyes. Doing nothing made him restless. She also said he was dangerously underweight, which meant he got plenty of food. He liked that. Impa and Zelda came often as well. They mostly just visited with him. Sometimes Zelda would bring games to play and sometimes he would play his ocarina for her. Other visitors were a little more odd. There was a scholar who came frequently to ask questions about the Kokiri. Link answered them the best he could, but no matter what he said the scholar was enraptured. The king also came a few times. He thanked Link for his actions and called him a hero.
“Ganondorf will not harm Hyrule,” he said. “He will be executed. I promise you that.”
Link didn’t really know what executed meant, but as long as Hyrule was safe he supposed it must be good.
Navi didn’t return.
A week from the day Ganondorf was seized, Link left Hyrule Castle. He told Zelda that morning. She told him not to, but he needed to find Navi. So, he left during the night, grabbing his sword and gear as he went.
The first thing he needed to do, Link decided, was get Epona. He could cover far more distance with a horse.
It took four days for Link to get Epona from Lon Lon Ranch. Talon didn’t want to give her to Link, so Link tried to prove himself. He did chores and cared for the horses without being told. He liked the horses and spent as much time with them as possible. They liked him as well and would frequently nozzle him or try to chew on his hat.
Despite not wanting to give him Epona, Talon was kind to Link. He made sure he got enough food and offered to let him sleep in the house. Link preferred to sleep with the horses. Talon was also painfully careful around Link, always making sure not to startle him or push him into anything he didn’t want to do. He tried to talk Link into giving him his sword a few times, but Link refused. He needed his sword, and he didn’t trust Ingo. Sometimes, when Talon talked to Malon or Ingo, when he didn’t think Link could her him, he said Link was a feral child and needed help. Link was starting to grasp the difference between a child and an adult, but didn’t know what feral meant. He also didn’t think he needed help other than in the form of Epona.
Talon and Ingo were in town when Link was given Epona. Link was in the pasture with the horses simply sitting among them and playing his ocarina. As Link played Epona’s song, Malon approached him.
“You know,” she said, “You get along so well with the horses, I’m a little jealous.”
Link smiled and tried to tell her that she was the one with the knack. There was no way he could compare. Her song was what made the horses like him. He didn’t quite get the point across, but she still smiled.
“I know Dad doesn’t want to give you Epona yet, but I know you have somewhere important to be and your so good with her.”
Link nodded. He liked where this was going.
“I’m going to let you take Epona with you, but,” she said,” you have to promise to take care of her really well, and you have to promise to come back.”
Link nodded again. Of course he would take care of Epona and he really wanted to come back to Lon Lon Ranch again. He just needed to find Navi first.
“Okay,” said Malon, “ You need to get going before Dad and Ingo come back.”
Later that afternoon, Link set off on bare Epona’s back with his gear and some extra rations in his seemingly bottomless pouch. He needed to find Navi. Southwest past Lake Hylia sounded like a good place to start.
Six days later, Link made his way back to Hyrule. His face was gaunt and his eyes were haunted. A death mask with white hair hung from his hip. Only six days had passed in Hyrule, but for him, three days had stretched into 3 months. He had eaten little and rarely slept during that time. Each cycle, he had gotten a little more desperate and, little by little, food had become less of a necessity and more of a luxury. It showed on his small body. He thought about going back to Lon Lon Ranch. He meant to go to Lon Lon Ranch. Instead he and Epona stood in front of the gates of Hyrule Castle. He walked through and, for once, the guards didn’t try to stop him. Things were so different now.
A guard took hold of Epona’s reigns and Link stiffened, ready to run or fight. However, the guard only said, “I’ll show you to the stables”, and led the way. Epona seemed happy in the royal pasture, so Link made his way into the castle proper by himself.
Zelda met him in the entrance. She looked pissed, “You left.”
Link nodded. He did leave. It was so long ago.
“Did you at least find her?”
Link shook his head. He wanted to cry. He might have cried if he weren’t so drained, if he hadn’t run out of tears in Termina.
Zelda huffed. “Well, at least you’re in time for the trial. The last of the dignitaries arrived this morning. We need to go see my father.”
Link didn’t want to go with Zelda. He wanted to go home. He went to follow anyway. Impa placed a hand on his shoulder, both to comfort him and to guide him.
The arrived in the king’s smaller reception room a short time later. The king was speaking to Durania. Link brightened until realized Durania didn’t know him in this timeline. Others were there as well. Dignitaries from other Hylian and Human nations talked with Zoras and Gorons. The Gerudo were conspicuously absent.
Link was intimidated by the crowd, but Zelda was as bold as ever. “Father!” she called, “Link’s back!”
The king looked a little exasperated, but mostly pleased. He walked out into the hall, drawing them to his sides as he did so. “You shouldn’t have run off like that Link,” he said, “You worried us.”
Link went to shrug, but decided it was better to nod. He knew the king meant well.
“Thankfully, you’re just in time.” The king smiled, winking at Link’s confusion.
“The Gerudo King’s trial is tomorrow. You’re testimony will assure a clear victory.” The king’s tone was bright, but he said Gerudo like a slur and King like it was a personal insult. Link knew he was missing something.
“Now my boy, you look like you could use a bath and a good meal. Off with you!” He waved a servant over and handed Link off into her capable hands. That night, Link had an uninterrupted meal and a full night's sleep for the first time in three months.
The trial started at sunrise. The royal family and dignitaries were seated in a circle looking down at stone stage. It looked like a miniature colosseum with a stairway coming up from the dungeon.A raised wooden platform was in the middle of the stage. The Hylian Crest was carved onto the dais where Zelda and her father sat. Link was with them.
Ganondorf was led up the stairs by two guards. His stay in the dungeon had done him no favors. His clothes were dirty and he had grown a ragged beard. The gem on his forehead was missing. Despite his haggard appearance, Ganondorf walked to the center of the stage with a straight back and raised head. Even in chains and covered in dirt, he looked every bit a king. To Link, he looked dangerous.
To Link’s surprise it was Rauru that stepped onto the stage next. He continued until he was standing in the middle of the wooden platform “Honored witnesses,” the sage of light began, “today we try Ganondorf of the Gerudo, who stands accused of threatening peace in Hyrule and the safety of all its citizens,” he paused, “Who accuses this man?”
Zelda stood up and, to Link’s horror, dragged him up with her. “We do,” she said.
Rauru nodded and continued, “What evidence do you have?”
“A divine vision, testimony from the Hero of Time, the Triforce of Courage, and the flight of Ganondorf’s entourage.”
The answer was expected, scripted even, but a murmur still rippled through the crowd. Rauru nodded, “Present your first piece of evidence.”
In response Zelda walked down onto the stage and up onto the raised platform. She faced Ganondorf, looking him in the eye while she spun her tale. She told the spectators of the dream she had, of the visions bestowed upon her by the goddesses. She told them of how her vision of meeting Link had already come true and how she was the descendant of the ancient goddess Hylia. The king and Rauru confirmed this.
Next Link was called to the stand and asked to tell his tale. He looked at the crowd and at Ganondorf in front of him. For a few minutes he just stood trying to translate his jumbled thoughts into passable Hylian. He looked at Rauru who nodded encouragingly. He looked at Ganondorf, still dangerous after almost three weeks in the dungeons. His job wasn’t done yet. He squared his shoulders and started to speak.
His Hylian was clearer and more confident this time, but his words were still jumbled. He would never get all of the Hylian vowels right. He stumbled his way through his testimony, mixing tenses and misplacing words. Not once was he stopped. No one asked him to clarify or repeat himself. He was grateful for that. Finally he was done. He sighed with relief even as Ganondorf looked at him with a burning hatred. Those eyes scared him.They blamed him for this and they would not forgive.
“Thank you Link,” Rauru said. “There is one more piece of evidence we need from you. Link, my boy, could you show us your triforce?”
Link nodded and the air stretched thin as the crowd waited with baited breath. Link raised his left hand and thought of courage. His triforce glowed. There was a collective gasp. They had heard about it, but never seen it. Many had not believed it. This boy truly was the hero of time.
“Thank you Link, that is all we needed,” Rauru said. Link recognized the dismissal and made his way back to his seat beside Zelda.
Rauru turned back to the crowd. “Our final piece of evidence is that Ganondorf’s entourage fled the day he was apprehended. ‘Why would innocents flee?’ we have to ask. They clearly knew he was guilty and were likely in league.” Ganondorf fumed. He looked like he was physically holding himself back. Link tensed. The guards didn’t look like they would be ready if he made a move.
Rauru continued, “We have heard the evidence from the accusers. Does the accused have anything to say?”
“This is ridiculous,” growled Ganondorf, “Even if what the boy says is true, I haven’t done any of that yet, I may never do it.” He sneered, “You hold a trial for future crimes. Of course my sisters fled. Who would stay in a place where a person can put on trial for what they might do?”
Rauru nodded solemnly, “You have no evidence then, only words. The case is clear. The court finds you guilty and dangerous. Do the witnesses hold any objections.”
The crowd was silent. Ganondorf was as well.
The king stood and pulled himself up to his full height. “The crown bears witness. Ganondorf of the Gerudo, you have been found guilty of the crime of threatening the peace of Hyrule and the safety of her citizens. I, King Aiolos Straton Hyrule, ” he paused and looked down his nose at Ganon, “uphold this verdict. You will be executed in three days time when the sun reaches its peak.”
The king spun on his heel and began to walk away. For the first time that day, Ganondorf’s calm broke. “You fool!” he shouted, “There will be war!” The Hylian king kept walking. Zelda followed, looking smug. Link looked back for a second. He still didn’t know what executed meant. What could it be to inspire that kind of a reaction? Whatever it was, the Deku Tree would get his justice.
That night there was a feast. They were celebrating the continued peace of Hyrule and the disaster he and Zelda had averted. They were the guests of honor, sitting at the high table with the king. Link had been forced out of his Kokiri garb and into a stuffy suit. It was still green, for which he was grateful, but he couldn’t move the way he wanted. He was allowed his sword after much arguing, but with his restrictive outfit and his position in the middle of the crowd he couldn’t have hoped to use it in the case of an attack.
There was not just a steady stream, but a raging river of people coming to talk to him. He couldn’t keep track of their names or faces or the words they said. He tried to copy Zelda who took it with grace and actually seemed to be enjoying herself, but he just could not keep the words straight. His garbled responses were only met with confusion, so he stuck to smiling and nodding at the praise. In the Kokiri Village showing one’s teeth was often seen as a threat or a show of dominance. Here people seemed to like it. They were not threatened and responded in kind. It scared him.
Eventually, Link was allowed to sit and eat. He was seated to the right of the king and Zelda was seated to his left. It mimicked the places of courage and wisdom on the triforce. Based on their positions, the king seemed to be claiming power. Link didn’t like that, power was dangerous. It was Ganondorf’s triforce. He said nothing and set about eating the decadent meal that was placed in front of him.
It was the king who congratulated him next. “You were brave today, my boy!” he said, “You’re testimony helped vanquish a great evil. With the execution of their king, we will be able to drive the Gerudo back. They will not threaten Hyrule again.”
Link frowned and said, “No, Gerudo is good. Only Ganondorf is evil. In the tomorrow, Gerudo help.”
The king blinked. “Surely, the Gerudo attacked with him. They kidnapped those carpenters and imprisoned you after all. I thought it was only the sage helped.”
“No, attacked with monsters.” he said. “Gerudo good. Carpenters stupid. Proved myself. Let me in and trained with me.”
The king looked disturbed. “That is… not what I expected. I will consult with my generals.” The king’s face brightened. “No more talk of that. Tonight we celebrate!” With that the king stood and the rest of the room stood with him until he gestured that they could sit down.
“Tonight we celebrate,” he repeated, this time to the entire room. His voice reached all the way to the end of the long hall, but it did not sound like he was yelling. Link wondered if he used magic to do that. The king spoke again, “We have prevented a great calamity from overtaking this land and finally have been able to prove what we already suspected: the Gerudo’s so-called king is evil.” He paused with a twinkle in his eye, “Soon it will be that he was evil.” The room chuckled and Link shivered at the malice it contained. There shouldn’t be malice in a laugh. “In three days time he will be executed and there will no possible way for him to carry out his dastardly plans.” Suddenly Link found himself standing next to the king. “It is all thanks to the wisdom and courage of these children that we are safe. It is them who have saved Hyrule. We have stopped the king of evil before he did any damage at all. May the Golden Goddesses guide us all!”
“May the Golden Goddesses guide us all!” the room echoed back. Link’s head spun with the sheer volume of it.
As they sat down Link frowned. He turned to the jovial king and said “Ganondorf already does damage.”
The king paused. He already had a leg of chicken halfway to his mouth. “Do you mean some of what you said has already come to pass?”
Link nodded. “He kills the Great Deku Tree.”
“Someone needs to teach this kid how to talk,” the king muttered under his breath. “Link,” he asked more gently, “Do you mean that he killed this tree? He’s not going to kill it, he already killed it?”
Link’s eyes darkened as he nodded. “Happened before met Zelda. The Great Deku Tree is dead.”
“Well,” said the king, “I wish we had known this before the trial. It would have made our case completely airtight!” The king laughed. “It doesn’t matter. In three days the thief will be executed and we can all move on.”
Link’s brow furrowed. Ganondorf had to be stopped, that was a fact, but the Hylians hadn’t known he was guilty yet. How was he sentenced for something he hadn’t done. That was when Link made a decision. It was the Great Deku Tree who had died. The Kokiri had a right to try him as well. Link made a decision. “He needs trial for kills Great Deku Tree too.”
The king starred. “Link, he’s going to be executed in three days and he has already had a trial. He cannot have another one.”
“Kokiri will try him. Breaks the laws of forest. Will answer to forest.” Link paused thinking. “Can happen after execution. Kokiri will have justice.”
The king smiled and chuckled softly. “Link, he will be dead after his execution. That’s what execution is: a death sentence.”
Link wanted to be surprised. He wanted to say he had no idea, to say that he thought they were only imprisoning him, but he did have an idea. They wanted Ganondorf gone. Death was a very effective solution. But, Link realized, it wasn’t right. A few weeks ago, or perhaps it had been three months, he wouldn’t have minded. He would have nodded and believed that that would be justice. He would have agreed that killing the man was right. Even if they had not known the difference between what he had done and would do, he would have agreed that it would have been justice all the same.
It was different now. He had seen death. He had seen Micau wash up on the shore again and again. He had seen the hole Darmani had left in the lives of his people. He had seen the grief of the deku butler over his dead son. He had seen death and he knew that it not a punishment to be based off of what might happen. This wasn’t justice. But… but Ganondorf had killed the deku tree. The Hylians hadn’t known, but perhaps it was justice enough. Perhaps. Link looked at the decadent food on his plate, the food made to celebrate a man’s death. He made up his mind. He would talk to Ganondorf. He would be the Kokiri trial. The Great Deku Tree would get justice.
That night, after the feasting was done and the castle was dragging itself to bed, Link snuck through the secret passages of the castle, fierce deity mask strapped to his hip, just in case. The doctor had tried to confine him to bed this time. She was at a loss at how he had lost so much weight in so little time. Link felt bad for leaving when she was so worried, but he needed to do this. He had a job to do.
The castle was filled with passages that twisted and turned. There were unexpected stairways, strange rooms with no clear purpose, and odd shadows on the wall created by seemingly nothing. Somehow Link always knew where he was… mostly. It was a surprise when found himself looking through a grate in the lower corner of Ganondorf’s cell. Though he was forced to sit on the floor, his arms were chained above him. His wrists were rubbed raw and his head hung low. He didn’t look confident like this. He still looked dangerous.
Link was mulling over how to address this terrifying man when he spoke. “What do you want boy?”
Link didn’t answer.
“Have you come to gloat, little murderer?”
“What is murderer?”
For the first time Ganondorf opened his eyes and looked at Link. Link didn’t know what he saw, but his eyes narrowed. “A murderer is a person who kills another person,” he paused, seeming to reconsider, before continuing, “or causes another person’s death.”
Link narrowed his own eyes in response. “You murder Great Deku Tree. This is justice.”
Ganondorf laid his head against the stone behind him. “Murdered or will murder? Have I already done it, or is this something else I might do?”
Link’s eyes narrowed further. “Great Deku Tree is dead. I have the stone. You do this.”
Ganondorf sighed before he said “So the great fool is dead… You need to learn the difference between past, present, and future, kid.”
Link was angry and confused. There wasn’t any malice in that statement. He wasn’t making accusations or trying to defend himself. He accepted it, but it was like he didn’t know already. Ganondorf wasn’t doing it right. This wasn’t the kind of trial Link wanted. Link glared from behind the bars of the grate. “Great Deku Tree is dead. Your fault. Need to die.”
“Kid, I’m already going to die. You and your weird ass story and your glowing hand made sure of that.” He laughed. “Ironic isn’t it? My whole goal was to get the triforce and now I’m going to die because some kid got a piece of it. I can’t get it and I’m going to die.” His expression suddenly darkened and his eyes sharpened. Link took a step back in his little tunnel. “There’s going to be war because of this.”
“War?” Link asked edging his way closer to the grate again. A hand was on his mask.
“Right, I guess that’s another word you don’t know.” He muttered something under his breath about children and fools. “Hyrule and the Gerudo are going to fight. Most of the people who fight will die. People who don’t fight will die. My people will be exterminated and it will be your fault you little brat.”
The words hurt, but Link squared his shoulders and said “Not my fault. You kill Great Deku Tree. Deserve to die. You will kill others. Cannot let that happen. You are evil”
“What right do you have to judge me boy?” the Gerudo King roared. “You know nothing! You doomed my people to extinction when you gave that fool of a king a reason to kill me! You chose to have me killed because you were too stupid and to scared to think for yourself, you stupid brat!”
Link ran as Ganondorf continued to yell. He distantly heard the guards shouting, but he kept running. How could this happen. Ganondorf killed the Great Deku Tree. He deserved to die. Link panted as he found himself back in his room. He shook like a leaf.
Ganondorf deserved… Link didn’t know what Ganondorf deserved. He hadn’t seemed to know the Great Deku tree was dead. He was worried for the Gerudo people. Ganondorf said that there would be war because of this. It was too complicated for Link. He couldn’t judge the man himself and the trial before wasn’t fair.
Link looked down at his Kokiri clothes. He made a decision. Link had a job to do.