Chapter Text
A big sigh of relief washed over Link’s soaking wet form as he made his way from King Dorephan’s throne room. The once angry stares from the Zora elders and uncertain looks from the younger Zora were now all a collective glance of respite and happiness. Many of the children frolicked around while others celebrated the lack of rainfall; Link shared that feeling, considering he had spent the last few days trekking through heavy rains while in the domain.
A sore and stiff sensation had spread throughout his body, Link noticed. His body felt warm and his muscles ached severely, but he had just fought the beast plaguing Vah Ruta--a very long and arduous battle especially after he spent so much energy taking control of the Divine Beast’s terminals. He casted the weariness aside as a mere drain on his body from the fight and continued down the spiral stairway.
There was still a lot to do; Link couldn’t afford to waste any time. There were still three other Divine Beasts to free, three other regions of Hyrule that needed his help dearly.
“Link!”
The Hylian turned after hearing a very familiar voice call his name. In an instant, a body of red muscle and scales towered over him. A warm expression greeted him, with a flash of sharp shark-like fangs and golden eyes sparkled like two shimmering orbs.
“Link, you cannot be leaving so soon?” Sidon, the friendly and boisterous Zoran prince, questioned as he and Link paused near one of the diving platforms on the stairwell.
Link gave a half-hearted smile and nodded. He wanted to spend more time admiring Zora’s domain and exploring the aquatic village, but he was pressed for time as it was.
“I see…” Sidon’s voice trailed off as he gaze down at Link with a bittersweet smile. “My people and I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done! I would offer you to stay just for the night, to rest and regain your strength.” The prince’s large hand rested against his chin as he studied Link. “Though I feel you will decline the offer.”
Link smiled again and turned his gaze down the the deep pool below the tower.
“I suppose work never ends for the hero, hm?” Sidon chuckled as he strolled over to Link and followed the young man’s stare, to the young Zora floating in the water. “I--ahh. Link?”
Before he knew it, Sidon closed the distance between them and peered down at him. “Your face looks rather flushed and your breathing sounds ragged.”
Link lifted the back of his palm to his forehead and flinched at how hot his skin felt. His throat was beginning to ache and sent a sting every time he took a gasp of air or swallowed. He made a soft moan and waved a hand at Sidon, trying to reassure the prince. But, several painful and loud sneezes erupted from Link, so sudden that he clutched the railway for support. His head was pounding. He groaned and steadied himself; even with the Zora armor on his person, Link prefered not to lose his footing and plummet hundreds of feet to the water.
“Oh my. Link are you feeling alright?” Sidon was beside him in seconds, pressing his scaly palm against the Hylian’s forehead. A shocked gasp came from Sidon’s mouth as he leaned closer. “You’re sweltering! I have to insist you recuperate.”
Link tried to wave Sidon away again, but with the combination of feeling weak and having Sidon pressed at his side and guiding him with a large webbed hand on his back, Link felt powerless.
As if Sidon heard his silent objections, the Zora gently patted Link’s back. “Even heroes are not immune to catching a cold, my friend.”
Link’s breathing sounded more and more like a stranded fish gasping for air, he began to feel light-headed, and his limbs became heavy like stones. His vision faded in and out in blurry bursts and he collapsed against Sidon. Link whimpered as he clutched against the much taller Zora’s side for support as his eyelids sanked. Before darkness overwhelmed him, the last thing Link remembered was being lifted into the air and carried as Sidon gave some words of encouragement.
When Link came to, he felt a hundred times worse than before.
His mind was foggy, his body was aching and stiff, his throat was painfully dry, his eyes were watery and burned and a fever had set in. Damp sweat coated his forehead, soaking his bangs; when Link reached up to wipe them away from his eyes, he realized his Zora helm had been removed. The entire set was missing and he was now wearing a plain body suit-like tunic decorated with the Zoran emblem on the chest.
He struggled into a sitting position. It was alarming how drained the action left him, how weak and tired simply sitting up made Link. He blinked several times and cocked his head around, trying to get a good look around. He was in some sort of room he didn’t recognize and was laying in a very large water bed. Adjacent to the bed was a long desk, taking up the entirety of its wall with a giant, cushioned chair. Seashells decorated the desk, as well as a large stack of paper rolled up into tubes.
To the left of the bed, there was a painting hanging on the wall and Link studied it for a few moments. It was handpainted, with precise and colorful brushstrokes. Mipha--the exact image of her that Link remembered from a hundred years ago--was seated on the right of the painting with a very young Zora with the same red scales sitting beside her. There was something familiar about the young Zora, specifically the toothy grin they had.
The doorway shuffled open, snapping Link’s attention from the painting. He gaped at the sight of Sidon stepping into the room, carrying an armful of several different bottled liquids. The Zora paused mid-step and stared at Link, perking up at the sight of the Hylian. “Ah, Link! You’re awake. I’ve returned with medicine and potions!”
Link blinked several times in confusion and hesitantly shifted his gaze all around the room again.
“Pardon the mess,” Sidon explained as he grabbed a stool and dragged it over to the bedside. “I wasn’t expecting to house company in my room.”
Link’s grew wide, even despite how groggy he currently felt. Was it really ok he was resting in Prince Sidon’s bed of all places? Despite the Zora’s words, Link didn’t think the room looked ‘messy’ at all, aside from the small clutter on the desk. It was dark, with the exception of a few lanterns hanging above, and simple in appearance--very different than what Link assumed a prince’s room would look like.
“No, no, no! Don’t fret,” Sidon assured him as he rummaged through the bottles in his arm and set them down one by one. “The healers said you would need to rest for a few days and I thought it best you’d get peace and quiet. My people want to shower you in praise, even yet. And, believe it or not, we Zora do not require sleep on a daily basis. After childhood, we can easily go three or four days without it,” he continued on as he sorted through the bottles and gave Link a warm smile. “So, what better place to keep an eye on you?”
Link stared as he was handed two of the glass bottles--one with a bright blue liquid and the other a dark custard yellow--and raised a brow.
“The yellow one is medicine and the blue will help keep your fever down. Please drink, you need to regain your health!”
Link grimaced as he twisted the cork from the yellow bottle and stared at its contents. It smelled strange...He licked his mouth with uncertainty and squeezed his eyes shut. Link gulped the contents down in one go as a shiver of disgust ran through his body. The medicine was a very thick liquid and had a very bitter taste, overpowering and repugnant. He nearly gagged a few times before he could swallow it down.
Sidon watched with amusement and grinned, his mouth exposing his very white and pointy fangs. “I should have warned you the taste is a tad surprising. Forgive me, Link.” The prince was still smiling and sat down on his stool. “The other one tastes much better, I promise!”
Link frowned, tried to reply to Sidon, but his words came out with an incoherent scratchy sound. He rubbed his throat, dipped his shoulders back, and sighed with exasperation.
It was then that Sidon flashed a sympathetic expression, ridges of his brow bending down and a frown now occupying his visage. “You can’t finish your duties and win against Calamity Ganon if you don’t get better. Hyrule can withstand a few more days without you,” he murmured and twisted open the blue bottle for Link. “Here, you’ve turned as red as a spicy pepper!”
Link took the drink without a second thought and carefully sipped at it. He was relieved when a sweet and cooling sensation flowed into his mouth and he swallowed it down easily enough. It soothed his throat, leaving an aftertaste of honey, and a cold wave spread into Link’s chest. The Hylian made an exhausted sigh and sank back into the water bed, rubbing at his eyes. Every small movement took its toll on his body and left him with little energy. Right now, the gigantic bed felt too comfortable to leave.
Sidon reached over and gently pulled a blanket over Link’s body--one made of a pelt from some woodland creature. Having the Zora prince so close, practically taking up his entire vision, made Link realize just how giant Sidan was; despite his size, how regality radiated from his form. If Link were more sound of mind, he’d admire the speckled dots decorating Sidon’s arms, trailing all the way to the ridges of his forehead and how shiny his red scales were.
“I have some work to do, but I’ll be right at my desk if you need anything,” Sidon explained and squeezed Link’s shoulder in encouragement. “Get some sleep, Link.”
Link wasn’t sure if he was delirious or not, but he felt his hair being tussled as Sidon stood up. He watched as the Zora made his way to the desk across the room and observed him unrolling one of the tubes of parchment. Sidon hunched over the flat surface and began scrawling away on the paper, leaving Link to his miserable silence.
Link wheezed in quiet huffs as he tried to turn into a fetal position, but the blanket felt like an immovable weight on his chest, and he quickly gave up. He then settled for running his fingers through the soft tuffs of fur on the blanket and closed his eyes again. Scratches of quill on paper caught his attention for a short time, before darkness swarmed his senses and he drifted off into much needed sleep.