: viNotes:

alright so this is a really messy chapter but my goal was basically to portray that there will be a struggle on the road ahead. bare with me as i write this to the best of my ability ;~;

Chapter Text

It didn't take long after that for Link to recover. He was able to stand, walk, and eat without any problems after an extra day of rest. However, his mind is uneasy as he hangs onto Sidon's arm as they walk to the throne room to meet the Zora king. Dorephan is his name, Link has been told.

The news that king Dorephan had fallen ill has Sidon on edge. He's quiet as he walks by Link's side. The little Hylian looks up at the prince, and Sidon catches his gaze.

"Don't worry, my dear," Sidon forces a smile. "I'll be just fine."

Link has to take Sidon's word for it.

They enter the throne room, and there he is, the king himself – goddesses is he huge – and both Sidon and Link bow their heads in respect.

Dorephan's skin is a faded color, surely do to his illness. His breathing is shallow, and Link can tell the king is trying his hardest to keep himself alive.

"Father, there's someone I want you to meet," Sidon begins, and Link releases his hold on the Zora's arm. "He's very special to me, and-"

"You've taken a Hylian... as a mate?" Dorephan's voice rumbles, his words coming out in short breaths. "How interesting..."

Sidon's expression changes to one of puzzlement. "How did you-"

"We've been smelling him for days," a Zora elder speaks. Muzu, the Zora from when Link first arrived, grumbles as he steps forward. "This wasn't at all what I meant when I said he's a special one, my prince."

Sidon laughs nervously. "Well, yes, of course, but..."

"I was hoping... you'd bring me grandchildren... before I leave this realm," the king sighs. "But it seems that the Zora people... will be left without an heir, after you've become king... If Mipha were here, what would she think?"

Sidon's hands ball into fists. "It's been a hundred years, father, with all due respect, why bring her into this?"

The king narrows his round eyes on Link.

"You have... a strange power in you," Dorephan continues. "Please... come closer."

Link looks up at Sidon for confirmation, and Sidon flashes a reassuring smile and nods.

Slowly, Link steps forward, until the king is towering over him. Dorephan leans forward on his throne, and reaches a shaking hand forward. "I grow weaker... by the day. But at least... I get to meet my son's mate... before I go."

Link notices the hand, and reaches back.

"I can sense a great deal of power in you... Enough... that it reminds me of... my dear Mipha, and her healing abilities." The king pauses to cough. "I wonder... if you share a connection with her... as the Hylian that did... one hundred years ago..."

Tilting his head, Link reaches to his hip to pull out his Sheikah slate. He scans through it, until he comes up to that foggy picture of Mipha in the distance.

The king's eyes widen. "That's my daughter... my Mipha..." He breathes. "My son... where... did this boy come from?"

Sidon is caught off guard by the question. "He was found in the Gerudo desert with no memory, other than his name."

Muzu speaks up. "How mysterious. The picture may very well be proof, but if this Hylian shares connection to the hero, he will need more than just an ominous picture of our dear Mipha."

Poor Link is lost. However, the gears are turning in his head. He turns to Sidon, pleading for his help. Sidon looks just as confused, though he certainly seems more calm than Link is.

"There's another reason I wanted you to meet him, father," Sidon steps forward. "I want him to stay here with me, in Zora's Domain."

The king hums. "As much as I want you to be happy... I cannot take... what isn't ours..."

While Link's heart is breaking, Sidon's shocked expression stirs Muzu.

"We can't have him stay here," the elder speaks in a rough tone. "It's one thing to have him as a guest, but what will the people think of him as your mate-"

"I don't care!" Sidon's voice echoes in the throne room, and Link jumps at the sound of ferocity in the Zora's voice. "He is my mate and for you to talk to him as though he's not in the room is insulting to both me, and him. You will treat him with respect, yes?" The prince's teeth are bared in a threatening way, and Muzu tries to stand tall to hide his fear.

The tension in the room is silenced by the king's coughing.

"I haven't much time, my son..." The king whispers. "The Gerudo are a proud people... I will not start a war... over one boy..."

"Father-"

"I must rest," the king says. "It is an honor... to meet someone who shares a connection to the hero that fought by my Mipha's side... all those years ago."

The pair are escorted out of the throne room.

Immediately, Sidon is furious. With a growl, he kicks over a vase, letting the glass shatter against the marble floor.

Link can only watch sadly as his prince lets out his rage.

Sidon snaps out of it as soon as he remembers Link is watching. "Forgive me, my pearl," he breathes out. "I will do anything and everything in my power to ensure that you do not return to Gerudo Town tomorrow." The prince kneels before Link, and holds the little Hylian's waist. "But I fear that the odds may be against us."

Unable to give any response, Link just falls forward and embraces the prince, who returns the action with a hug of his own.

"With every fiber of my being, I will fight tooth and nail for us to be together."