Sidon held the old book in his hands as Link stayed leaning against his side. They were on the second hero's adventure and more and more things were discovered of Link's past. He was, at one point, part of a tribe of tree children and technically the son of the Great Deku tree. The Link in this period of time had also fallen asleep, the only difference was Link had slept for one hundred years and the other hero slept for seven years. Surprisingly enough, the Zora Princess had fallen in love with the "Hero of Time". That little fact only made Sidon feel guilty for his own feelings towards Link. Clearly the Zora's have always had a thing for Link but usually it was the Princesses. There was no page on a Zora Prince.
Sidon pushed that out of his head and continued reading to his beloved friend. This Link was the child of the Great Deku Tree, technically. He was part of a tribe under the Deku Tree's watch but it worked the same way. This Hero also possessed a powerful instrument called an "Ocarina". It supposedly had the power to change the flow of time. The "Ocarina of Time" doubled with the Temple of Time which was what Link had slept in for seven years. Much to Sidon's- and partially Link's- surprise the Temple of Time was still standing in the Great Plateau. Whether it was the exact same temple as before or not, it didn't matter. Link had already made plans to explore that ruined temple more and hopefully find the Ocarina itself. The book they were reading said that there was rumors of the instrument being locked away there or lost forever. Link hoped it was the former.
As Sidon continued reading the words written by their ancestors he kept a close eye on Link. He watched his facial expressions change with every new bit of information. He began noticing smaller things such as how his eyes would light up with excitement whenever a new piece of information on Hyrule was before, on the people, the different races, on the enemy himself. However whenever Link (The Hero of Time in this case) was mentioned, his face grew dark and somewhat guilty. His expression turned sour as his eyes would avert to the ground and his ears would very subtly point downward just a bit. Then, Sidon would read the next page on the hero's great and legendary horse, Epona, and his face would light up again. It was an interesting change in his mood and Sidon made a mental note to ask why Link did that another day.
Late in the afternoon when the book was over and done with. Link stood, stretched, yawned, and began walking up the stairs back into the castle. Sidon stayed back for just a bit, assuring Link he would be up soon. He sat there with the book in his large hands, it was opened to a page with an illustration of princess Ruto. It was amazing how much Zora's have evolved over the years. I'm Sidon's opinion, Zora's seemed more....fish-like back then than now. It didn't matter, the Zora's would always be an extremely strong race no matter what their physical appearance was!
A few moments passed, Sidon silently wondered how his ancestor had managed to even grab Link's attention in a romantic way, before he finally put the book back on its rightful place on the proper shelf. Sidon sighed and began going up the many stairs that led into the castle. He hadn't lost faith in his (hopefully) future relationship with the Hero of the Wild. In fact he was a tad bit more confident knowing a Zora from the past had managed to reel in that Hylian! He was going to give it all he has and if Link...happens to reject him then so be it. Sidon would never let that affect them. He would continue to support him in any way possible. He would bear the pain and continue to show his love for Link in his motivation for him.
Servants buzzed around the castle. Link never actually wanted people in Hyrule Castle, not even if they were servants. He believed he could take care of the whole castle on his own! Plus he didn't want to seem like a power hungry King by having servants. Sidon managed to convince Link that having people working in the castle to keep it tidy would not make him seem power hungry at all. Besides, he wasn't forcing people to be servants. Many, if not all, of those working in the castle did so willingly. The glamour of the newly remodeled building was their motive for working here and they loved spending nearly every minute of every day admiring the beauty of it. To Sidon, the servants were more than just servants. They also served as a sort of monitor for Link. Sidon had secretly asked those working in the parts of the castle Link most often visited to keep an eye on him. Nothing too crazy, just making sure Link was being taken care of and fed and all those basic things. Yes it sounds insane that the King of Hyrule needs to be checked to see if he has eaten yet but Link still hasn't managed to get used to a proper eating schedule or eating at all. Sidon knew this was probably a bit too overprotective but he just wanted to make sure Link didn't accidentally go days without food. This Kingdom can't afford to lose another leader.
Sidon's room was directly across from Link's. His room was new, actually. New to Sidon. Usually the Zora Prince slept out in the moat but Link figured since he was spending so much time at the castle he might as well sleep inside. So he brought in the water beds from Zora's Domain and plopped it in the room across from his own. Link was originally going to ask Sidon to sleep in his room with him but he didn't want anything to be weird. Not yet at least.
So there was Sidon. Door to his room closed behind him and a special project in front of him. That would be acknowledged a little later but for now Sidon sat on his bed and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. He thought of the things he had planned to do today and how little time he really had. Then he thought of Link and how he was planning on going to the ruins of the Temple of Time. Hylia, he couldn't make it up there if his life depended on him but he knew Link would ask to accompany him. But Sidon couldn't. Not today. He glanced over at the special project and sighed. He had been working on it since he had the idea of creating his own Zora armor for Link and yet it still wasn't finished. No, it wasn't Zora armor. He knew better than to make Link another one. That armor was a gift from Mipha and of course Sidon made one of his own for Link. He would feel as if he were dishonoring his dear sister in making more Zora to proclaim his love for the Hylian. Instead he made something more to Link's standards. Something he'd love very much and would most likely use every day (though Sidon didn't want him to use it every day). Though the Prince had very little skills in terms of creating the actual gift, he had a rather close family friend help him.
Loud rustling was heard just outside the Zora's door and he instantly knew that it would be time for Link to come knocking and invite him out for another adventure. He stood, took in another deep breath to compose himself, and opened the door. Standing just outside was Link in his casual, travelers attire (and mandatory crown) with his fist in the air. The King smiled up to his Zora friend and raised his other hand in there to begin signing his invitation. Before Link could even spell out a single word Sidon spoke.
"I apologize my dear friend, I cannot accompany you today. I fear I have some chores to take care of here at the castle. However I will eagerly wait for your return later this day to hear all about your adventure. Please forgive me." Link's face fell slightly but he nodded. He stood there awkwardly a moment before signing a quick goodbye. Sidon wasn't going to let him go that easily, however. "Woah there, your majesty. Don't believe you can just leave without a proper goodbye." Sidon knelt down and hugged the small Hylian tightly, but not too tightly of course. He had gotten into the habit of hugging Link goodbye. He learned that the physical contact made Link feel loved and appreciated and it just made Sidon happy. The two broke apart and the Zora Prince gave his friends a few departing words of encouragement before the King jogged down the hallway, around the corner, and out of sight.
Finally.
Sidon quickly shut the door behind him once more and plopped down on the bed. His project was staring him straight in the eye and Sidon knew that if he didn't finish it soon he never would. With a long, exasperated sigh he mentally prepared himself and picked up the half-done gift to try to get closer to its completion. Hopefully by the time Link returned he'd have at least half of it finished.
-
"What do you mean he hasn't returned? He must've returned at some point in the night!" A member of the new Royal Guard yelled out to a gatekeeper in a panicked tone. "Why didn't anyone bother to accompany him? He is the King of Hyrule!"
"He...He's also the Hylian Champion who defeated the Great Calamity and....survived on his own in the wilderness surrounded by Lynels, Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos for a fairly long time...Not to mention he, uh, reclaimed the Divine Beasts..." a new soldier in training piped up. She was a Zora and had always heard rumors of how amazing a fighter Link was. She believed he was fit to take care of himself. Too bad her commander didn't share her opinion.
"Yes but he is the KING of HYRULE! If he is to die then...then this Kingdom is doomed! Again!" The Royal Guard Knight continued his angry yelling just outside of Link's empty room to the small group of underclass soldiers. Unluckily for Sidon this also happened to be just outside his bedroom door. For a moment he attempted to stifle the yells but once he heard the words "Link" and "missing" being used he shoot up and stumbled to open the door.
"What do you mean Link has gone missing?!" Sidon boasted before he even managed to pry open the door. "He was only to go to the ruins in the Great Plateau and return!"
"Your highness," all knights bowed and averted their eyes as the Royal Guardsman spoke to Sidon, "It seems the King of Hyrule has not yet returned from-" a thunderous roar echoed throughout the castle and cut off the Royal Guardsman mid-sentence. Outside shrill screeches were heard followed by another roar. A moment hadn't passed and yet half the soldiers and soldiers in training were rushing to see what the ruckus was about.
"Oh dear Hylia!" Sidon yelled as he watched the epic battle between Link and a Lynel unfold far too close to Castle Town. Link was smacked right into the town square by the gigantic bat-looking weapon the Lynel held. The King wasted no time in springing to his feet and sprinting towards the silver monster. The Lynel was charging straight to the gate into Castle Town and it was at this time that Sidon ordered the Royal Guard Commander to hurry down and protect the residents. In the moment that he tore his eyes away from Link, Link had managed to mount the savage monster and steer him a somewhat safe distance away from the town. The monster didn't like that so of course it grabbed the small King and flung him down onto the ground. Another thunderous roar ripped through the air and Link had barely enough time to dodge a deadly swing from the Lynel. While the beast prepared for another attack, the Hylian pulled out his bow and shot an array of three arrows. While the monster was down he took this opportunity to lunge at the beast and attack. At this point the soldiers were making a protective barrier in front of the open gate of Castle Town. The residents were standing behind them and watching in fear, shock, and some amazement as Link continued to attack the beast. The Lynel quickly recovered, shoved Link to the ground rather forcefully and slammed its weapon down on the ground creating a dome of fire around them. Before the fire died down a rumble rippled through the air and all was silent.
Out of the dust came a whistle which Sidon immediately recognized as the one Link used to call for his horses. He looked down to where he last saw the King of Hyrule only to see him now standing on the corpse of the silver Lynel, holding what looked like the Ocarina and had a gigantic smile on his face. Link was looking in Sidon's direction, holding the Ocarina with a big 'ol thumbs up accompanying it. As if nothing had just happened, Link slid off the Lynel and walked cheerily to the town's entrance.
"Oh dear Hylia!" Sidon wheezed out as he turned away from the window he was staring through and leaned against the wall. He was out of breath and his heart was beating a million beats a minute. "Oh my...oh Goddess..." Sidon had fought Octoroks and the Divine Beast Vah Ruta but nothing was as terrifying and nerve racking as watching Link battle a Lynel.
"My Prince!" A Zora soldier- the one from earlier- quickly ran over to the wheezing prince. "Shall I help you back to your room? Shall I seek some medical attention?" Sidon shook his head and waved the soldier's helping hand away.
"Thank you, my dear, but I am fine..." Inhaling deeply, Sidon attempted to compose himself. He fixed his posture and stood tall. His heart was still racing but at least he wasn't gasping for air like before. "Please, do me a favor and inform the King that I wish to see him. No, tell the King I demand to see him at once." The Zora soldier nodded and hurried off. However she didn't need to go very far. A second later Link came sprinting in. He ran into the the poor Zora, smearing a mixture of his and the Lynel's blood on her, apologized quickly and scrambled to Sidon.
"Oh Hylia, Link you're dying!" Link looked confused, very confused. He tilted his head at Sidon. Sidon of course, meant that Link was bleeding a bit too much for comfort and it looked like his injuries were fatal. However Link seemed just fine despite these dangerous looking injuries. "Oh Goddess...come, come this way." Sidon practically dragged the Hylian into his room (thankfully his nearly finished gift was put away and out of sight) to try to find perhaps fairy tonic to try to fix Link up. "Sit here." Sidon pointed to his bed and began digging through various cabinets. It wasn't long before Link began to notice the immense lack of blood in his body and how Sidon was probably right to worry, however Link didn't really think much of his current state. He laid himself down, closed his eyes, and relaxed. For just a moment his body let go. In that moment a pale blue light enshrouded the Hylian King and Mipha's soft voice rang out that it was her pleasure. A split second later and Link was fully healed and felt like he had energy to spare.
Sidon paused for a second. Hearing his sister's soothingly familiar voice always made him sad inside. He didn't believe he would ever get used to hearing it no matter how many times Link was saved from the brink of death from her healing gift. The Zora Prince put a stop to what he was doing and turned around. Link was sitting there with his wounds all healed and blood gone. A nice grin was plastered on his face as he looked at Sidon with pure excitement. Clasped in his hands was the same Ocarina he was proudly displaying earlier.
"Ah, I see your trip to the Temple of Time proved itself to be worthy." Sidon spoke softly. "You have found the seemingly lost ancient instrument." Link shook his head rapidly, a grin still on his face. He set the ocarina aside to explain himself as Sidon slowly seated himself besides his friend.
"No, I couldn't find the Ocarina at all. There was no secret doors or anything so I started thinking, maybe to access that room I needed one of my own! So I made one!" Sidon looked over to the instrument again and noticed things he hadn't before. For one, this one was a nice shade of wooden brown instead of the royal blue ocarina they had seen in the book. This ocarina was also a bit...rough around the edges. It wasn't smooth and clearly was made by someone not too experienced with carving. "Once I made it I tried to play the song the book had but nothing happened."
"Is this why you took so long to return?" Link shook his head once more.
"No. For some reason I felt too...at home in the Temple with this in my hands. I stayed up and played the song for hours and something just felt so right." Sidon nodded, not quite sure what Link meant but he somewhat understood. "After a while I began thinking of myself and eventually you. I don't know why or how but while playing the ancient song in the book I managed to completely blow that off and created something new. I've dedicated it to you since you were on my mind at the time." Sidon felt his cheeks flush just a bit and his eyes widen. "Maybe one day I'll play it for you. Once it's finished." Link stood and stretched, completely oblivious to the blushing Zora.
"Oh!" Link resumed signing, this time with one hand so he could use the other to pull out whatever it was he was reaching for in his too-small pouch attacked to his hip. "That Lynel was also for you. Not the actual monster but the goods you can scavenge from it once you defeat it." He pulled out a diamond, a star fragment, and pieces of the actual beast including its oddly colored insides (ew). Link smiled widely at Sidon who simply stared down at the loot in his hands before looking back up at Link. "I'm going out to apologize to the soldiers and Castle Town. I'll see you at dinner though- I'll ask the kitchen staff to prepare your favorite meal." Link walked out of Sidon's room with his ocarina and left the poor shark prince alone with the nice though admittedly gross gifts. However one thing in the small pile of treasure caught Sidon's eye. He gently pushed aside the diamond and Lynel horn to reveal what was hidden underneath; a beautiful blue nightshade. What? Lynels don't drop flowers. Why was it in the pile of gifts given to Sidon? Unless...Link had scavenged for one on Hyrule Field. Oh no, he was blushing again.
As he stared down at the gifts given to him Sidon's face only reddened even more. The fact that Link had gone out of his way to gather some pretty unusual gifts, created a song on a replica of an ancient instrument, and just flat out thought about Sidon when he was off on an adventure for himself only assured Sidon that he was most certainly the one for him. With a surge of motivation Sidon stood and pulled out the nearly completed gift. It would be done and whatever would happen between the two of them would be up to the Goddesses.