".......So what you're saying is that you've NEVER had a friend in your entire life?"
"Does my mom count?"
Scala rubbed her temples with her two index fingers.
"Just....Just how many winters are you exactly?" She asked wearily.
"23 winters, from birth to now-"
"Wait you were born a Wildling?! That's awesome! I wasn't a Wildling until uh......well I can't exactly remember my life before being a Wildling, but my mom says I was very tiny and was walked up to her - so I'd assume maybe at least 2 winters?" Namira piped in excitedly, catching Link off guard.
"I thought being born as a Wildling was normal....?" Link was starting to feel more like an outcast.
"Well uh....no not really.... b-but I have a theory on why we became Wildlings!" She got up and begin to dramatically exaggerate her movements.
"So me, Scala, and Ton all have similar beginning stories - when our parents found us it was right after something supposably traumatic happened. I say supposably because we don't actually remember our previous lives, and it's probably for the better." She placed a hand onto herself. "Mom told me she found me crying outside of a burning cottage, assumedly my home. She also said there were burnt corpses littered around and that I kept clinging on to her. I'm kinda glad I don't remember any of this......" She muttered the last part out sadly.
Namira then pointed at Scala, who had her head in her heads, shaking it from side to side.
"She says her parents found her at a village that was recently raided by bandits. She had been the only survivor. Apparently she was more angry than sad, but was no longer speaking in the Hyrulean's language - so that made it easier for her parents to calm her down. Plus her mom thought she was feisty and cute!"
She then hopped onto a tree stump and raised her hand high into the air.
"Then finally there's Ton! He's like REAAAALLLYYYY tall! Like SUPER tall! I swear being raised by a Moblin played a part in him being sooooo tall!" She jumped up to try demonstrate his exact height.
"He was fairly older than us, like 13 winters. Mon was 1 winters and Yon hadn't even been found or possibly been born yet! He wouldn't give much detail, but I think it involved a cult or something? Either way something really bad happened and he ended up becoming like us - memories were blocked and he was speaking our language. So I have a theory-" she jumped off the stumped, towering over Link.
"If everyone goes through, like, a terrible time or something, then the WHOLE world can be full of wildlings! Or perhaps we can just take in troubled children because that sounds a little better than forcefully causing harms to other- I dunno what do you think, Scala?" Namira whipped her head to an irritated Scala.
"Okay.....I know you get excited about your theories and all, BUT IN NO WAY WERE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT TRAGIC BACKSTORIES AND ALL THAT PERSONAL BUSINESS. WE WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND YOU HAD TO JUST BUTT IN WITH YOUR CONSPIRACIES!" Hissed Scala, rubbing her temples.
"B-But this is really important to me!!! I-I just want Wildlings to be able to live more freely and need any support I can get...." Namira was at the point of tears.
Scala sighed and walked over to ruffle Namira's hair.
"....There's a time and place for everything, kiddo." She cooed.
Scala then turned to Link with a perplexed look on her face.
"It just doesn't make any sense. How were you not able to make a single friend throughout your current life span?"
Link pondered at this. This all seemed normal to him, was he really that different?
"....I really-"
"Papa, I think I heard an animal!" All the wildlings froze, turning their heads to the source.
"Shhhh..... Don't make to much noise or else the monsters will hear us!"
"S-Sorry papa...."
"Damn.....hyruleans...." Scala took a deep breath.
"You guys stay here. I've got this." She then proceeded to march out towards the small group.
Link and Namira scurried to a bush to hide that was also within seeing range of where Scala was.
Scala was waving over towards the group, signaling them to come closer to her.
"Evening gentlemen! Are you in need of any assistance?" She spoke.
The man sighed in relief, realizing this wasn't some bandit trying to rob them. He stuck out his hand in order to shake hers. She accepted and shook it back.
"Y-Yes! Thank you! Me, my son, my daughter and my wife got separated. We were hoping to find a stable to reside in since the sun is setting and hopefully catch up to them later or even at the stable. Do you know where the nearest stable could be?" He asked while his son quivered from his head to his toes.
"Hmmmm." Scala thought to herself for a second. "I'm ssurprised you didn't see it while walking along the trail. It's that way, after all." She said while pointing the opposite direction of where the man and his son were standing. The man looked surprised but quickly grabbed his son and dashed off, yelling a distant "thank you!"
Scala walked back over to the group.
"That should keep him busy. Hopefully his wife and daughter aren't dead - but I mean if so then them's-the-breaks." Namira nodded along, completely used to whatever had just happened - but Link on the other hand...
"W-What in Ganon's name were those noises that you were making?!" He chirped confusedly.
Scala just gave him an odd look.
"Uhh....Hyrulean? The universal language?" She said as if it was obvious.
"I thought Hyrulean was just a race....????"
Scala gave him a pitying look.
"Oh my Ganon..... You poor naive thing...." She cooed sadly.

----------------------------------------------

A small young Zora was standing all by himself, playing nervously with his fins. He stared into the abyss known as the forest. He was so close. Just a few more steps and he'd be free.
"Reylin! What are you doing so far from the daycare?!" A young Zoran woman had picked him up.
Reylin hissed angrily at his 'caretaker', struggling to get out of her hold.
"Reylin please please PLEASE stop making those noises! You need to speak like the rest of us!" Her only response was an angry growl.
"Is everything alright, Madame?" The woman froze. She turned around to see none other than Prince Sidon himself standing before her.
"P-Prince Sidon! I-I was just getting little Reylin and was going to put him back in the daycare!"
"I heard something about 'speaking'? Is there something wrong with his speech?" Sidon inquired.
"Y-Yes, actually. He's never been much of a talker, even during his hatchling years, but things just have been getting....worse. He's slower than some of the other Zoran children, yes I do realize that, but his speech has become....animalistic. Feral even! It started happening right after his parents....passed." She recounted sadly.
Sidon pondered to himself about this.
"Perhaps it's his way of dealing with trauma?"
"I've just never seen trauma acted like....this. He'll get better! I'll make sure of it! I'll fix him!"
'That is not what I was trying to say nor imply.....' He thought to himself.
The woman thanked Sidon (which he had no clue as to why) and proceeded to drag off the wild child to the daycare. Just before leaving Sidon's peripheral vision, the young Zoran gave one last glance to him. He looked sad.
Sidon sighed. He knew exactly what that kid was going through, yet there was nothing for him to do about it. Truthfully, he was somewhat bitter towards the caretaker. Whether this is trauma or simply a disability, Sidon still felt that the woman's attitude towards the situation was wrong. Trying to "fix" something like that took time and support. Time was what Sidon luckily had, support was a different story. It's hard for others to understand that even more bad things could happen in a bad situation - Sidon experienced it firsthand.
Sidon sighed. This wasn't something he should be getting worked up over, yet he still couldn't help but worry for the poor kid. There was something deep within him that longed to comfort that poor Zoran child, and that feeling made the prince feel uncomfortable.
Reluctantly and quietly, he retreated back to his chambers.

"Has anyone seen him???"
"N-No! Keep looking!"
"Oh where did you go?!"
Sidon peered out of his window, looking down upon several frantic Zoras, shambling aimlessly about.
"I wonder what's all the ruckus about....?" Sidon thought aloud. It wasn't like he could do much anyways, he was currently on 'house-arrest' ever since his little Lynel/Hylian incident and had to strictly be in his room when night came.
He just rolled his eyes and flopped back into his water pool. He felt like he was a prisoner, or like that one princess from that fictional fairytale with the long hair.
No matter what analogy he used - he was still deemed trapped.
Sidon dipped his head under the water, trying to muffle out the panicked yelling coming from the Zoras outside (and the internal screaming from within, but that was something else entirely).
Slowly, the waves drifted.
Back and forth.
Until finally, he was asleep.

".....don...!"
".....idon!"
"S.......don!"
"SIDON!"
"HUH, WHA-?" Sidon opened his eyes in alert and looked around, only to be met with nothing but a pitch dark void around him.
"What is-" his voiced echoed in a way that made it seem like it was projecting from all around him. He covered his mouth, feeling self-conscious.
"Sidon! C-Can you see me?" A timid voice asked, almost hopefully.
He turned to the source to find a young woman with long blonde hair and white clothing.
He recognized her.
"You're-" He began, but quickly stopped after hearing his booming voice.
"Oh..." She sobbed. "I-I'm so glad you can see me.... It's been too long...and you've grown so much...."
She took a minute to compose herself.
"Sidon. I know you may have a lot of questions, but my time is limited. I need your help."
Sidon dumbly nodded.
"My trusted knight, my..hero...is currently lost in the world. He was to be reborn after the fatal fight with Ganon but something happened. He is following a path of evil and needs guidance. Please, lead him on the right track." She requested.
"Link....is still alive?" Sidon mumbled to myself in disbelief.
Without hesitation, He nodded in agreement.
".....Thank you. It's dangerous to go alone. Here, take this." She produced a stone tablet with an eerie looking eye on it as well as a sash for it to hang on.
"This is the Shiekah Slate. It will help you throughout your adventures." She handed it to him and smiled sorrowfully.
"Please find him Sidon. This is our last hope to save Hyrule."
And with that, he woke up.

Sidon was sweating and breathing profusely.
"It had to be a dream!" He thought. "A hallucination perhaps! Princess Zelda herself wouldn't ask someone like ME for help!"
He placed his hands outside of his water pool to get out, only to feel something cold and unfamiliar.
Slowly looking to his left was a stone tablet, staring straight back at him.

(Would you call that a plot twist? Sidon is now the Hero of Hyrule! May even make him be able to see koroks, bc idk that be p funny I guess. Quick question - should I make ALL wildlings be able to see Koroks And that can add to their (crazy) or make only Link and Sidon be able to see them (Sidon bc he got the slate and it has that automatic game function of korok finding and Link bc its canon). I will probably add some trippy-ness with Sidon and the slate and its functions. Anyways I hope you like this chapter it s bit all over the place but oh whale - will probably re-edit later! Stay orange!)