Though it felt as if (Y/n) had just arrived at the Domain, she was already on another quest that made her temporarily leave the area, chasing some scary rumors concerning those evil Zora she had heard so much about recently.
Unfortunately, if you hear something a lot of times, there could only be two conclusions that can be drawn.
One, that the rumor is true,
Or, two, the one (Y/n) was hoping for, that it was just a very well spread lie used to scare people, like tales of the Demon King scooping up unruly kids, or something to that effect. Just something fantastical that was a far stretch from the actual truth of the matter.
That was what she was hoping for, but deep down in her gut, she had a feeling that was not what she was going to find out.
At least she had the best protection someone like her could have, and that was the very Prince of the Zora being by her side.
However, Sidon seemed to not be too crazy about (Y/n) seeing him as a prince, so she always just called him by his name, treating him like she would any of the others in the Domain.
"When I got the news after my meeting with the council, I was surprised to hear that the two of us would be embarking on this quest. I have never ventured this far from the Domain before, even as a little minnow." Sidon hummed as he was looking in awe at the greenery the two were now surrounded in. Being so far from the Domain, the blue rocks that made up the area soon came out of view, until all they could see was green.
(Y/n) slowly nodded. "What I would like to know is how the minnows would have known about these "evil Zora" if they haven't branched past the bridges. That sounds very dangerous, even with the Calamity gone." She frowned worriedly.
"Well, we usually travel by the rivers, you see, and very few monsters could catch up with us in the water. Though you do bring up a good point... I guess we will need to assign a guard to keep an eye on them. Perhaps they are feeling a bit more adventurous now that the Calamity has came to an end." Sidon hummed thoughtfully, before his hands were going to run past the leaves of a tree, feeling it's papery texture. Naturally there would be no paper in the Domain, since it would be drenched by the very frequent rain they would get. Instead, any literature was written on special stone tablets.
(Y/n) found herself watching the look of pure, silent enjoyment in Sidon's eyes as his hands then trailed down to the branches, feeling at the bark. Given his tough scales, it wasn't as rough on his hands as it would be if a Hylian were to do the same thing.
There was such a pure joy in his movements, like the wonder of a child first exploring the world for the first time.
That realization made (Y/n) think that being royalty really was stifling, if he was acting this curious about the nature around him that she would consider not out of the ordinary.
After silently admiring him for a few moments, (Y/n) smiled at him.
"You act as if you have never seen a tree before." She quipped.
Sidon snapped back to the moment, and let out a slightly embarrassed laugh, a hand behind his head. "You have caught me. I have seen trees before, but I have never really had the time to see them in such detail before. When I am outside the Domain, I am usually on an important mission, before I am right back to my usual duties. I do not mind it at all, of course, but there are just some times where I just wish..."
Sidon was then raking the leaves with a gentle hand, a soft look in his eyes as he gave a rueful smile. "...I could just explore the world. Like my friend, Link. He has been all over Hyrule, and yet, I have only gotten but a portion of it. I want to know... What is the rest of Hyrule like, and how does it compare to the pictures I have seen of it in the past? Is it even more glorious in person? So many questions..."
(Y/n) placed a hand on her hip. "Well, I am an outsider, and I'd be happy to show you some nearby sights that you couldn't see outside the Domain. I may not be as well traveled as Hyrule's number one swordsman, but I'd be happy to share what I have seen to you." She smiled.
Sidon perked up with a bright grin. "Really?"
(Y/n) then found her other hand being shaken with much gusto by a chirpy Sidon, which made her head bob up and down just from the sheer enthusiasm of the handshake.
"Thank you so much!" He chuckled, really looking ecstatic at the prospect of seeing other things he never had the opportunity to.
"Y-You're welcome!" (Y/n) laughed softly, before she caught in the corner of her eye something that may interest Sidon.
"Speaking of which, look what we have here!" She pointed to a peculiar purple plant, to which Sidon had his intrigue piqued by.
"An Armoranth, a kind of special plant that if you cook it up, your body gets a temporary stronger defense. Especially good in our case, since we have no idea for how long we will be out on this little adventure." (Y/n) explained, before plucking the plant, handing it over to Sidon to investigate with curious, golden eyes.
"Have a feel at it. In this state, it's tough as nails, and if you tried to eat it, you'd break your teeth." (Y/n) giggled as Sidon ran a hand over it. "...You're right. It feels like metal." He then knocked a hand against the tough plant, only to hear a light ding in response. "But if it's tough in this state... How does that change if you cook it?"
"Simple. Cooking it softens the fibers, and brings out the defense effect of the plant. Think of it like how swift violets make you faster when you cook them." (Y/n) explained, as Sidon nodded softly in response. "Of course. Still incredible how merely cooking it could soften it by that much... Does it taste bad?" He asked.
"Not if you cook it with some spices, no, and you're in luck, because I brought with me plenty of spices." (Y/n) beamed proudly, as Sidon was then tucking the plant they obtained into the pack designated as their food pack. Due to this task they were given, they packed for every occasion, since it's always best to be over prepared than not, especially out in the wild.
"I am glad that I am on this expedition with you, (Y/n). It's funny, it feels as if the teacher role is being reversed." Sidon lightly joked, which made (Y/n) wink playfully at him. "I do try." She giggled, which made the both of them laugh.
Looking ahead, (Y/n) then caught sight of a familiar plume pattern of smoke, causing her to beam with delight.
"And another new sight for you, Sidon! Up ahead is a stable!" (Y/n) pointed, before she was then running to the back of the wagon they had built for their journey. "Grab the front, and let's go!" She encouraged with a grin.
Sidon chuckled softly at just how enthused (Y/n) was to show him more new sights, and he had to admit, he was just as excited to see them. Grabbing the handles to the front of the wagon, the two were then towing it along the path that headed towards the stable. To anyone watching them tow the wagon, it was quite the comical sight just how enthusiastic the two of them were. To anyone who didn't know any better, they would think the two were lovers, by the way they were acting.
Just like she had experienced when on her trip to the Domain, the Hylians at the stable immediately eyed the two of them in wonder. Two grown Zora this far out from the Domain? It was definitely an unusual sight for them.
"Welcome to Woodland Stable! I have to admit, it is definitely the first time I have seen Zora this far out from the Domain. Are you merchants, perhaps?" The stablehand that ran the front of the stable asked, to which (Y/n) tilted her head. "Well, I am a merchant, but he is not. We are just on a... personal journey." She told the man, who nodded slowly in understanding.
This task they were given could be regarded as such. Besides, there was no need to cause alarm of the potential sightings of Evil Zora. From what she heard, at least, there was no one being harmed, so that was a plus. Perhaps these Evil Zora were not so evil, and there was another explanation just waiting to be found.
"I totally understand. After the end of the Calamity, I have been seeing a lot of couples around on their search of a retreat of sorts. We do have a pond here that you two are more than free to swim in." He offered, to which (Y/n) immediately tensed up, suddenly feeling a light fire coming onto her cheeks.
This man was mistaken! Very, very, much mistaken!
"Thank you for the offer, we will be sure to keep that in mind. May we put our wagon inside? We have walked quite a ways." Sidon merely smiled at the stablehand, much to (Y/n)'s shock.
Why was he not refuting the insinuation of the two being a couple?
Did he misunderstood the stablehand?
Did he... Not mind the insinuation?
After the stablehand agreed, and the two went to put the wagon inside, (Y/n) cleared her throat, not being able to look Sidon in the eye.
"Um, Sidon... You know that stablehand thinks we're a couple, right?..."
Sidon's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth going agape in shock. "He does?! I thought he was merely pointing out that he has seen a lot of couples. I didn't assume he was including us into that..." He turned his head away, his cheeks turning as red as his scales.
Great, she just had to make it awkward between the two of them! Of course Sidon didn't take note of that man's words in the same way she did!
She had to have a rein on this... infatuation of hers!
"S-Sorry, I just, um, mistook the stablehand's meaning. I think you were right." (Y/n) was quick to apologize, causing the prince to shake his head.
"No, it is very easy to make that assumption. After all, here we are with a wagon of our belongings, towing it together. It would only be logical to make that conclusion without knowing our reasons." Sidon told her.
"Y-Yeah... But it's not like we actually are a... couple..." (Y/n) bashfully murmured.
"Yeah..." Sidon smiled softly, running a shy hand over his head tail.
He is a prince, and she is a mere resident of the Domain. Even if they were a couple, Sidon knew the council would never approve, that he would only be able to marry a princess, as per the tradition of the royal family.
Sidon really was fond of (Y/n). She was very kind, and made him laugh a lot, especially during the swimming lessons he would give her at night. The way she would pout, and hit her hands against the lake's floor in frustration, grumbling a bunch of complaints in ways he had never heard of before...
In a strange way, it was quite adorable. It made him even more determined to help her succeed and learn to swim. She really had a lot of spirit.
She... Sure was something different. Something... different and refreshing in his life.
This was just the start of their journey. Would they be running into more misunderstandings like what had just happened with the stablehand? He hoped that wasn't the case, so (Y/n) wouldn't feel embarrassed.