The Thieves of Otar

The Trial

"I'm sorry about the clothes change, miss," Link said. "But that dress you were wearing was covered in filth, and I didn't want the dirt on it to get inside any of your wounds and cause infection. I didn't have any other dresses-"

"It's fine, Link," Zia said.

"If you'd like, you can change back into your dress. I've washed it for you." Link held up her old tattered dress. Zia had never seen it look so clean. The faded color made the brown fabric look more like a gray.

The idea of changing out of the white wool tunic and breeches she was wearing and into a frilly little dress made her want to cringe. "It's okay, Link," she said again. "I like these." She gestured to her clothes. "Honestly."

Link nodded. "If you're sure. Don't go saying that to spare my feelings, now."

"Honest, Link," Zia said. "I'll stick with what I have. I like this better."

Link stared hard into her eyes to tell if she was lying. Satisfied that she was not, he started to say, "Well-" but he was cut off by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Link crossed over to the door and opened it.

Zia was surprised to see that it was Jay, the Royal Guard. Zia stood from the stool she had been seated on and joined Link at the door.

"Captain!" Link said. "What a surprise!"

Jay smiled. "It's just Jay, Link. Good to see you again."

"Won't you come in, just Jay?" Link asked.

Jay shook his head. "I came to get you and the girl, actually." When he saw Zia next to Link, he smiled and said, "Feeling better?"

"Much," Zia agreed. "What did I do now?"

Jay chuckled kindly. "Nothing. Your father's trial will take place in about an hour, and the King and Queen have requested the presence of both of you as witnesses. Arch Reems will be joining us as well. He's on his way there with one of my Guards as we speak."

"Well, of course!" Link said. He jumped into action and grabbed the patient analysis he had been working on that morning, and stuffed it carefully into his healer's bag. "We best be off then!"

Jay stood aside, allowing Link and Zia to pass.

Two horses stood outside, pounding the ground with hooves so powerful they made Zia shudder to think about being underneath them.

One of them was bigger than the other and had a gleaming brown coat that had been scrubbed and brushed till it shone. The smaller one was white and gray, and kept its head low, while the other one held its head up high and proud.

Jay offered a hand to Link as he mounted a horse. It was more of a pony, but still it was a struggle for the short healer to get up. Link was looking very pale from being so high off the ground.

Jay swung Zia up onto the other horse, and then climbed on behind her, just like he had when he had brought her home to Daxtor. The memory made her involuntarily shudder, and Jay said, "Don't worry. Chestnut is a good horse. She won't let you fall."

He thought she was afraid of the horse! She wasn't scared of Chestnut at all, but the memory of being on it. She tilted her chin up in the air a notch. "I'm not scared. I'm just a little chilly. The air's getting cold."

"Yes it is," he agreed. "The King and Queen have ordered nearly all the fireplaces in the castle to have a fire running all day and all night."

He kicked the horse's sides, and Chestnut started to move in a gentle trot. The horse Link was astride followed without a question. He was trained to follow without being guided by the rider, Zia realized. It hit her what a great strategy this was. If the rider tried to escape on the horse, it would be in vain because it was trained to follow, not obey the rider. The only way they could get away was to get off when the horse in the lead stopped, or to jump off while it was moving. Thinking about her earlier thought of the horse's hooves made her think that you'd have to be either really desperate or really have a death wish to do that.