Sink or Swim|Link/Sidon Fanfiction

Chapter Six: Recovery

Only hours have passed since the incident of the previous night, and yet I feel as though Mipha's presence has been all but gone for as long as it truly has, all sense of her abilities having abandoned me as quickly as they came. Yet, this time, she chose to extend them beyond me; instead, her focus was on her brother, more so bringing him back into the world he shouldn't have been so horribly ripped from. And, though I feel guilt from being the cause of the catastrophe that occurred upon Shatterback Point, I can't keep blaming myself.

It was all the fault of these marks. The hideous marks, desperate to meddle with my life and happiness in any way they're able. But, as long as I live to fight the darkness, I refuse to let them completely override my ability to feel joy. No. It ends now, all of the paranoia of what they intend to do to me the moment the blood moon takes a place in the sky. When evil magic reaches its peak. I'll tackle this fear with a stone-cold expression, and I'll stand my ground in the face of horror. What hero would I be if I didn't?

"Link? I thought I might find you here," the same, silken voice that I'm all but used to by now hums from behind me, a palm gently settling upon my shoulder whilst Sidon's shadow eclipses my smaller form. And, though I go to retort, to tell him that he should be resting, he presses a single finger to my lips, quirking his brow with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I've been given the all-clear. There's no reason for me to stay in the medical bay; I'm back to full health," he explains, scanning my features with those attentive, golden irises.

"I'm glad. For a moment, I was so afraid of losing you. You've been nothing but a good friend to me, and to know you could've died because of my mistake on the battlefield-"

"-Now is not the time to think of that. I would put myself in harm's way again if it meant protecting you, hero of Hyrule," he murmurs, shuffling closer and perching beside me, my eyes setting their sights on the large lake splayed out before the two of us. I'm not sure if he intended to reassure me with his words, but they manage to have the opposite effect. 

Once was bad enough, I can't even begin to think of the repercussions should he try something like that again. Losing him isn't an option, not just for me, but for his people. They need a king, and he will one day take that place. So, if anything, I should be protecting him as thoroughly as I do Zelda.

"No. I won't let you, Sidon. You will never try to sacrifice yourself to protect me again," I state with a harsh and firm tone, my eyes narrowing a little as I stare down at the lazily-shifting water. Never again. He won't ever be harmed because of me again, that much is final. Of course, as expected, the Zora prince does flinch a touch before daring to look my way again, his sturdy, yet nimble, fingers gingerly prying back my hood.

"Of course. I was being reckless. My feelings are controlling my actions. I'm sorry," he murmurs, using the length of one of his nails to tilt my head in his direction, thumb sweeping over my darkness-ridden cheek. "These marks, they didn't vanish when my sister's powers graced you. Link, what are we to do?" He asks, a hint of soft panic to his eyes. Though, in that moment, I don't see Sidon; instead, I envision Mipha, and the dread that she felt upon Calamity Ganon's return, wondering just what our options were should he ever decide to strike again. I suppose the resemblance is uncanny.

"We do all we can to fight it. I know when the power controlling them will begin to grow, and I'll just have to fight to resist," I explain, keeping my eyes lowered, despite how much I desire to look right into Sidon's irises and tell him that everything will be okay. Because, for once, there's a high chance that it won't, and I think the both of us are slowly reaching that realisation.

Nonetheless, he nods and pulls back from me before our faces can inch any closer to one another, slipping into the water as silently as always, ducking beneath the surface in order to cool off. Chuckling, tilting my head fondly at the way his burgundy silhouette swirls through the liquid crystal, I opt to shrug off my enshrouding cloak, letting it fall beside the boots that I've long-since removed.

Once finished, I say nothing, sliding in beside the great beast of a prince, quirking a brow at his mischievous smirk. Before I can even resist, his hand is around my wrist, and my body is splayed upon his broad chest, his impressive form keeping me afloat. It takes all I have to not blush upon feeling the solidity of his coiling muscles beneath me.

"Are you quite comfortable?" He chuckles, voice satisfied and tinted with amusement. I smile, nodding with a response that flickers with care. I can't deny that this does feel incredible, floating atop one of the most beautiful bodies of water in Hyrule, all whilst using Prince Sidon, of all people, as my raft. The thought brings a chuckle to my lips.

One which causes his features to illuminate cheerily, a beam stretching across his lips. Even now, I still can't quite get used to the scale of his pointed teeth. "You're laughing. Are you finally beginning to cheer up?" He hums, and all I can do is stare. Stare at the honesty in his eyes, the genuine desire to make my life as content as possible, despite everything. I truly couldn't find companionship in anyone better, that much is for certain.

Prince Sidon is perfect for me.

~

WHY YES, LINK. YES HE IS.

Sorrynotsorry.

So, as you can probably expect, I've been playing Splatoon 2 a lot recently, so that might make a slight excuse for my absence. Also, I've had this chapter written for a while, I think I just forgot to upload it ^^'

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it; this story's gonna start getting gayer from here on out :DD

Until next time n.n