Yay another chapter! Enjoy!

"Captain Auru of the Royal Guard will be directing us through the trial. Please be seated." King Alfon sat down, keeping a straight, emotionless face.

Auru stood up and walked to the center. He too, looked exhausted and drained. "Before we begin the interrogation sequences, Zelda, do you have a representative to speak and defend for you?"

Zelda opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her lips were too cracked and dry.

"Pull yourself together Zelda. All you have to say is no, but I will be here to help the whole time." Sheik said, determination in his voice.

"No…" Zelda mumbled weakly her eyes drifting to the floor.

"What was that?" A member of the Council asked out loud. The man with the whip, who was most likely the executioner as well, raised his arm, as if about to strike, but Auru held his hand up, sending him a stern look.

He had been mentally preparing himself for this. Auru never liked dealing with death penalty cases, but it was part of his duty as Captain of the Royal Guard. He had sent many off to their graves, and it all depended on the questions he asked them and how he worded them, how he made their answers sound, and overall, how he wrote his summary for the trial.

The summary would be what the Council and royals looked back to while deciding what the accused's fate would be. It needed to be detailed, with body language descriptions, any questions he or the Council asked, how the audience responded…

So far, two of those three details didn't look so good…

Memories came back to him of Zelda when they had first met, back when she had bandaged him during the attack. Somehow, he didn't think someone who had been as caring and kind as her would kill an innocent woman over something as petty as love.

Not to mention Link trusted her. She was the first maid he opened up to since Impa, and that's a huge deal especially since she was originally Ganon's slave.

In the end, she helped him when he was facing death's door. And now, he had to return the favor, however he could.

The gray-haired man cleared his throat. "She replied no, sir. You have the right to answer any question in any way you choose, however, any action the Council deems disrespectful will result in the defendant being…" he cleared his throat again, looking for the right word. "…punished. Punishment will also follow any attempts to flee or attack. You have the right to not answer any of the questions the Council or myself may ask, though the effect this will have on your image is not protected. To skip a question, simply don't say anything. After thirty seconds, we will move on. Let's begin the interrogation then." Captain Auru sighed, starting off with the most simple, yet key, questions. "Where were you on the afternoon of August 26th?"

Inside her head, Sheik tried to console his sister. "Keep calm. We rehearsed these kind of questions. Pretend like it's only you and Auru talking."

"In the castle library."

"Why did you go there?"

One, two, three, four…

Zelda counted down as she waited for Auru to move to the next question.

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…

The crowds started to whisper amongst themselves, no doubt wondering why she wasn't responding. Most prisoners would be rushing to defend themselves, trying to appear innocent. Even the mad ones would give some kind of reaction, a short, one word answer, a maniac laugh, a smirk.

Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine…

Link furrowed his brow. What is she doing? She could've just told him she went there to read. Not that they'd believe her, but it's better than skipping the question entirely…

Thirty…

Captain Auru tilted his head slightly, confused as well. "Okay. When did Ilia Ordon arrive in the library?"

Zelda paused, thinking for a minute. "About ten minutes after I came in."

"Was Ilia the first to initiate any kind of contact, or were you?"

One, two, three…

"Do you have any idea as to why Ilia was in the library to begin with? If so, please tell us."

Four, five, six…

"Evidence suggests you two got into a fight in the library that day. What techniques did you use to defend yourself, and what techniques did she use?"

Seven, eight, nine…

"What were your past relations with Ilia? Were you on good terms with her, per say?"

By now, most of the spectators had started to lose interest in the trial, only caring about the verdict. Unless she suddenly started talking, the outcome was obvious.

At the last second, Zelda let out a shaky breath. "She… Ilia was… She was my senior… someone who… someone who I could look up to while I was working in the castle…"

Link's body relaxed, almost giving in to a sigh of relief, but stopped himself. As a member of the Royal Family, he wasn't supposed to show signs of biasness.

She doesn't hate Ilia. If she did, then surely she would have no problems killing her. Link wanted so badly to believe she was innocent. That she was framed, that it was all a setup, that maybe Ilia had attacked her first, although that seemed completely unlikely.

But, no matter what her reasons, a murder was still a murder.

His mind went back to right before the raid occurred, when he was wishing he didn't have to marry Ilia so he could live his life. Now, he would marry her any day if it meant she would come back to life and Zelda would be found innocent.

His thoughts were interrupted with the sound of a whip cracking. What?! His head whirled in the direction of the executioner, who had his hand raised, the long, leather whip in hand. His arm was shaking, and from what Link would see, his eyes were glazed over with tears. He probably wanted Ilia to be queen too…

Yet still, no one had told him to hit her. No hand was raised, no eyes flickered over, no head was nodded. He was acting of his own accord. He was defying the authorities.

Link was about to stand up, when his eyes met Zelda's. Her eyes showed no anguish, no anger, no pain.

"…When whipped this girl will not make a sound. No crying or screams of agony…"

In spite of her situation, Zelda gave Link a weak smile. It was a sad smile, one that says "I'm sorry…"

Link's eyes filled with tears once more, his lower lip quivering. Sniffling, he wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, trying not to break down again.

"That kid…" Sheik turned his head in the direction of Link, seeing through Zelda's eyes. "You really know how to pull on his heartstrings, don't you Zelda?" he teased.

Zelda frowned, in her mind, of course. "That wasn't funny, you know. I was trying to make him feel better."

"That's definitely not the way to do it." He saw Zelda's pained expression, and stopped to ruffle her hair, like he did in the past. "Come on. I'm only messing with you."

Zelda started to cry herself, covering her eyes with her right hand. Sheik sighed, pulling her into an embrace, running his fingers through her hair to make her feel better.

After a while, Sheik spoke. "…You really love him, don't you?"

Zelda nodded into his chest. "More than he'll ever know…"

Sheik turned his head upwards, looking at the infinite white ceiling of Zelda's mind. "His feelings for you are strong. Stronger than you think." He chuckled, attempting to ease the mood. "Although it pains me to see my little sister with another man, I would rather it be him than anyone else."

Zelda laughed slightly. "Do… Do you still miss Malon…?" she asked, hesitant to bring up the subject.

"Of course. I think about her every day."

Zelda tilted her head to the side, placing her head against her brother's chest. There was no heartbeat. Only his soul was really there. "Maybe you'll see her again…"

Sheik sighed again. "Don't give me false hopes like that. I just hope she's happy now."

"Me too…"

"This marks the end of all questions to be answered by the accused. As of now, there are no other witnesses. Any that have not been recognized, but have knowledge of the case at hand, please come forward." Captain Auru said, snapping Zelda out of her thoughts.

To everyone's shock and Zelda's horror, Link stood up. He pushed past the other officials, making sure to give King Ganon an extra shove backward.

"Link, what are you doing?!" Queen Marin exclaimed, trying to grab her son's hand to pull him back.

"Let him be." A stern voice spoke. Impa held her hand in front of Marin, keeping her from the determined prince.

"I would like to speak as a close friend to both Zelda and Ilia." Link stood next to Zelda, trying to block out all the protests being thrown at him by the audience.

"Link… please…" Zelda protested, wanting to tug his shirt to get his attention, but her hands were tightly bound.

"Prince Link Avalon of Hyrule will now speak." Link sighed, grateful that Auru had actually agreed. Well, she did save his life. He kind of owes her. "Everyone, please remain quiet until the interrogation is finished. To start, what is your exact relationship with Ilia and Zelda?"

"As everyone here knows, Ilia is my late fiancée, as well as my childhood friend. Zelda is…" Link paused, the question becoming difficult to answer. I can't let them know about Zelda and I. But I would be lying under the court of Nayru… "Zelda is… Zelda is my servant, and a very close friend of mine." There. That's not lying, right?

"Thank you. Now, please give us a description of what happened in the library."

Link gave him a look of confusion. "I wasn't in the library. I can't say."

Auru rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Prince Link, with all due respect, you are testifying as a witness. Witnesses have to have witnessed the crime."

"Or, they could be called because of their relations with either side." Link argued back. Guess Professor Shad's lessons finally came in handy. "They can give descriptions of either side, in order to help the Council have a better view of who these people really are. They can tell of any problems or issues the accused or victim may have had."

"In most scenarios, your highness, that would be true. However, personal questions about the victim or accused asked to persons other than the victim or accused themselves must be asked directly by the Council." Auru looks back toward them. "Does the Council have any further questions for Prince Link?"

Some members of the Council turned their heads upward, looking exhausted. They shook their heads, almost immediately, as if waiting for the end.

"This marks the end of all questions to be answered by Prince Link." Auru sighed, feeling drained as well. "Please remain seated as the Council…"

"Wait!" Link protested, desperation in his voice. "Please, hear me out! Zelda would never do something like this!"

"You have to understand! As a servant, she's never disobeyed my orders. She never once displayed any sort of malevolent feelings toward Ilia or Hyrule! When I almost drowned, Zelda was there to save me! During the raid, she insisted on staying by my side the whole time! She's the one who heard Ilia scream, she's that found her with her Sheikah eyes! If it weren't for her, neither I nor Ilia would be standing right now! You wouldn't be either!" Link pointed to Auru, slowly giving in to his anger. Stay under control Link… you can't give a good argument if you're all emotional…

"So? What are you saying?" A Council member stood up. "That we should brush off the murder of the future queen of Hyrule? That Zelda should be excused from her crime?"

Link gritted his teeth, biting back the urge to slug that Council member across the jaw. "I'm saying her many good deeds should be taken into consideration before you send her off to her death."

"And what kind of message would that send to the people?!" Another Council member stood up, this one a woman. "That Hyrule's council is weak-willed and gives in to sentiments? What about the other killers out there? They'll be tempted to make a move if they know assassins like her can get off easy!"

"Don't you dare put Zelda in the same category as a cold-hearted murderer."

"And who's to stop me?" The woman snapped back. "Ilia is dead. Regardless of what she's like, Zelda killed her. No amount of arguing or protesting will change that!"

"Why are you so fixated on protecting Zelda anyway…" King Ganon asked, the satisfaction in his voice. "The term 'servant' isn't politically correct, you know. She's only a slave. One that can be easily replaced."

Link glared at him. "You are in no position to speak right now, Gerudo."

King Ganon shrugged and leaned back. "I'm just making a point. It's not like she's any different from any of the other slaves. There's no reason for you to be so agitated."

To Link's disgust, some of the Council members started nodding.

"Unless, of course…" King Ganon tapped his finger to his chin, as if debating something. "You have some kind of feelings for Zelda…"

"Spit it out already. What the hell are you trying to say?"

King Ganon smirked, a devilish gleam in his eyes. "Could it be possible that you, being desperately in love with Zelda, conspired with her in order to eliminate Ilia, whom you were in an arranged marriage with, so that you could marry her instead…?"

"Link loves Ilia. They've been friends since their childhoods." Queen Marin butted in, attempting to save her son. "That's why I had them put in an arranged marriage."

"Ah, there's the key word… arranged…" King Ganon chuckled. "Link had no say in this marriage. No matter what you say, there's no way to prove he truly loves her…"

"So you think I'd stoop so low as to assassinate her?!" he yelled. "Nevertheless, send someone else to do it on my behalf?!"

"Now now… there's no reason to be angry. I'm only saying it's a possibility." The desert king replied cooly, enjoying seeing Link so enraged.

"Why you…"

"Stop it, Link!" Zelda cried out. The executioner proceeded to whip her for raising her voice against an official, but she remained unfazed. "Just leave him alone! He didn't do anything! I killed Ilia!" Zelda closed her eyes to fight back tears. "I killed her, I killed her, I killed her!" The executioner continued to beat her, the sounds of her cries and the snaps of the whip filling the room.

Link grabbed the end of the whip, yanking it harshly forward, causing the executioner to fall over. He then crouched down. "Zelda. I'm going to get you out of this. I know you didn't mean any harm."

Zelda met his gaze, trying to remain strong. "Just stop. You're only going to bring yourself down with me."

Link smiled. "As if that's supposed to stop me?"

Zelda shook her head, blonde strands whipping everywhere. "You're being stupid, Link! Sticking your neck out for me isn't worth it if we both go down!"

Link tilted his head. "Well, I have to try."

Zelda closed her eyes, then reopened them, getting frustrated. "Link, listen to me. You're not realizing how dangerous of a situation you're putting yourself in. You have to stop this. Now. Just please…" she pleaded. "If you really love me, then stop. Go sit down. Leave it alone."

Link sighed, looking back toward Ganon. He then lowered his voice to a whisper. "This isn't just about love. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. Not just as a lover, but as a king. I have to protect my people, no matter what."

"Didn't I say before it's my job to serve you…?" She protested. "A king can't protect his people if he's imprisoned for trying to save some slave girl!"

"You aren't just some slave." Link's tone turned serious. "I thought we've established you're a lot more than that."

"But…"

Link stood up. "I won't let you down, Zelda. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you alive."

"I really… really… really hate you, Link…" Zelda blinked, tears starting to fall. "Because you care about me way too much…"

She must've spoken too loudly, because King Ganon threw his head back laughing, clutching his stomach. "Oh… stop… you're killing me right now…" he cackled. "The whole love thing was only a theory! You actually think he cares about you?! You think you're worth somethi~!"

A loud crack echoed throughout the room. King Ganon was on the floor, holding a hand to his cheek. Link had his fist curled, blue veins bulging from anger. He lunged forward for another attack when two guards ran over and pulled him back. "Get off of me! I said get off! You're going against the orders of the future King of Hyrule here!"

Several maids went to help King Ganon off his feet. He made a weird sound with his throat, then spit out a tooth, along with some blood. He resumed laughing, unable to control himself.

A few hushed whispers came from the King and Council. They kept looking back at Zelda, then at Link, then back to Zelda. At last, King Alfon emerged from the huddle. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. May I have your attention, please?"

Everyone in the room stopped moving, directing their attention toward the king. "Despite not looking at the summary of today's trial, we, the jury, have reached a verdict."

Link sucked in his breath, watching his father carefully. Please… please… save Zelda…

"For the murder of Ilia Ordon, we find Zelda guilty as charged. As per the due process of law, Zelda will be sentenced to death by the gallows."

*Gasps* Well, I think we all saw it coming. But, with death knocking at her door, what will become of Zelda, Link, and all of Hyrule? Leave a review, because I love to hear from my fans. Seriously. You guys are awesome.

If you're bored and like Soul Eater, be sure to check out my new oneshot "Medusa's Secret Book! The Downfall of DWMA?" Heheh. I tried to make the title sound like the title of an actual Soul Eater episode. You know, they're always two sentences, one with an exclamation point and the one after is a question. Creativity. Right there, in the flesh. (Lol no)

Other than that, thanks for reading!