Chapter Text
It had been a week since the aura surrounding Hyrule castle had vanished; a week since the monsters camped all along Zora river had fled or died. A week since Calamity Ganon had lost . It was unbelievable, but Princess Zelda stood before King Dorephan, Sidon’s father, and conveyed her tale. Sidon could only watch, feeling stunned, as Zelda described the final battle with monstrous Ganon and how Link ultimately ended the beast’s life--the Hylian fought with such courage and bravery.
He should have been happy for Link and he wanted nothing more than to hug his beloved Hylian and embrace him, but...fate was cruel. With teary eyes, Zelda informed Sidon and his father that as soon as Link had struck Ganon down, he vanished in a dust of light. A weight fell upon Sidon’s heart and he had to excuse himself. His father was asking Zelda more questions about her well-being as Sidon quietly left the chambers.
Sidon passed by many concerned faces, but after a few turns he came to a halt at one of the currently abandoned towers. He collapsed against the center pillar as soon as he was out of sight of any other Zora and glanced skywards. In his left hand, he cupped one of his most precious treasures: the Zora Sapphire; three blue jewels adorned with a golden center piece. It was meant to be give to a suitor a Zora princess (or prince) intended to married.
“Link...are you really gone?” Sidon whispered, his voice cracking immediately. “It’s not fair. After everything you’ve done, all the people you’ve helped…I was going to give this to you, you know,” he murmured painfully and studied the Zora Sapphire. “Certainly, you can’t be gone! I had so much to tell you! A-and we had so much to do together, remember?”
He wiped at his eyes and held back a series of gasps. The sorrow and pain was more intense than the day he lost Mipha; then he was just a child, but now he was full-grown. It was an entirely different feeling of loss and it so much harder to endure.
Sidon paused when he heard the sound of approaching voices and quickly straightened himself out. He carefully tucked his Zora Sapphire neatly along his cravat and frowned. While it was true that his people could finally relax and experience peace for the first time in a hundred years, he was their prince. He couldn’t allow them to see him in such a grieving state and he had to be strong.
“--hey wouldn’t let me near them! And they were acting so odd. I’ve never seen one with such coloring either!”
“I’ll inform Prince Sidon soon. He and the King are in a meeting with Princess Zelda.”
“So it’s true then?!”
After a few moments, he dared to look out from his cover and spotted Mei talking to Rivan and Bazz. He took a deep breath in before he ascended down the stairs and approached them.
“Oh! Prince Sidon!” Mei waved as he came closer, while Rivan and Bazz simultaneously saluted him. “I was just telling Captain Bazz about this strange Zora I saw at Lake Hylia!”
“Mei,” Rivan waved her down and tapped his staff on the tile. “I don’t think we should be concerned about it right now. We need to focus our efforts on repairing the Domain and clearing all the monster camps away. The Prince has many more issues at hand instead of a wild goose chase.”
“It’s alright, Rivan,” Sidon assured the guard as he turned his gaze to Mei. “What happened?”
Mei smiled--she always did have a bubbly personality--as she cocked her hands against her waist. “I was fishing at Lake Hylia early yesterday morning and I noticed some strange odd... thing in the water! It was a yellow or gold color and I thought it was some rare fish. So, I dove in after it and watched as it swam up onto the lakeshore! And then when I poke my head back up above the waterline, I see a Zora scrambling away! I tried calling to ‘em and wanted to apologize for spooking them, but they just kept running.”
Bazz made a quizzical hum. “But we’ve never had a yellow or gold colored Zora here.”
“It does sound farfetched,” Sidon considered and rested his fingers against his chin.
“Well, what if they’re from a Zora clan that’s been hidden until now?” Mei offered and lowered her arms.
“It could be possible,” Rivan said with a shrug, but kept his grip tight on his spear. “Wouldn’t they try to get in contact with us though?”
“Perhaps the threat of Calamity Ganon kept them at bay,” Bazz added and quickly glanced up at Sidon for his reaction. “What do you make of it, Highness? Would you like for me to form a party to go investigate?”
Sidon hummed and closed his eyes. “If there are other Zora, we shouldn’t hesitate the chance to find them. As a matter of fact, I will personally go and look into this alone.”
Bazz and Rivan looked surprised. However, Bazz was the first one to step forward. “Prince Sidon?”
“Don’t worry,” Sidon replied and stepped past the group. “Please inform my father where I’m going, Captain.”
“Erm. Y-yes, Your Highness!”
Sidon could tell Bazz and Rivan weren’t comfortable with letting him leave alone, but neither made an attempt to stop him. Sidon needed the distraction desperately and he did not anyone to witness him breaking down, if it came to it. He departed at once and dove into Zora River without another word.
It took over half a day to swim from Zora River, then merge to Hylia River, to arrive at Lake Hylia. However, it was a strangely quiet journey. All signs of bokoblins or lizalfos or moblins camped along the riverside had disappeared and any that did remain had fled at the sight of Sidon swimming in the river. Part of Sidon wondered if the presence of Ganon made the monsters aggressive; it was a good chance that was the case, considering how every single creature he spotted chose to avoid confrontation.
Sidon veered towards the left and climbed onto the riverside. He rested by a lone oak tree seated near the mouth of the river. Just after, the mouth pooled into Lake Hylia via a miniature waterfall. And aside from that entrance, there was no other way to swim into the lake. If there was an unfamiliar Zora in those waters, they must have walked from somewhere else in Hyrule.
He scanned the glistening horizon of Lake Hylia’s water and simply waited. His gaze danced back and forth as he watched for movement, making a quiet hum. But, Sidon found that waiting did nothing to help his heartache. It intensified after he spotted the statues hidden at the backside of the tree--old, worn stone in the shape of a married couple.
“I wanted to bring you here, Link. We could have had a private little getaway to celebrate you defeating Calamity Ganon,” he muttered suddenly. Sidon’s hand instinctively reached for his ornament and he squeezed the sapphire, needing the comfort. He wondered what Link’s face would have been if given the Zora Sapphire. Probably embarrassment or surprise. His beautiful blue eyes would have sparkled, his pale cheeks would have flushed red.
Sidon paused when he heard a distant splash and glanced around again. It took a few minutes before he spotted a figure in the distance. They were swimming under the archway of the Hylia bridge. But even then, Sidon couldn’t make out if the figure was the gold or yellow color matching Mei’s description--or if said person was really a Zora or not. He crept closer, keeping his eyes on the splashing in the water, and slipped back into the river. Sidon moved as one with the current and gracefully dove into Lake Hylia.
He exhaled and sank to the lakebed and inched forward. The figure seemed to stick to swimming near the surface, so Sidon took advantage and stayed as low as possible. For now he wanted to merely observe before reaching out for contact. It took many, long, calculated minutes before Sidon even reached the center of the lake. He could make out more thrashing in the water, could feel the changes in the water itself. The Zora prince came to a halt near one of the bridge’s pillars and watched with a keen eye.
Minutes passed before a yellow streak dashed by above him and he watched as a Zora form swam by; Mei had been right after all. Sidon didn’t get a good look at the other’s face or notice any unique characteristics, but he observed as they struggled to chase after a group of hearty bass. He noticed right away that the other Zora was swimming in a clumsy manner: they were awkwardly swinging their arms and kicking one leg off at a time. They struggled to pursue the fish as well. In Zora’s Domain, Zora were taught at an early age how to hunt--pick out the slowest fish or herd them into shallow waters--but even Sidon could see the fish this strange Zora tried to hunt were obviously young and in their prime with energy.
He felt guilty as he watched the blue and orange bass evade capture and dart away from the Zora. There was a frustrated grumble and they swam back up the surface again. Sidon frowned, glanced around in the water, and he shot after a fat and lazy Hyrule bass resting near the bottom of the lake. He caught it in his mouth and bit hard against the fish’s vertebrae, ending it’s life before it could struggle.
Sidon carefully followed after the yellow Zora as they made their way to Hylia Island. He poked his head above water and watched as the Zora climbed onto the largest section of the island, towards a bundle of burned firewood and a handmade tent at the top of the rocky land. How...odd.
He quietly rose from the water and crouched down at the rocky baseline of the island. The other Zora was crouched down over the wood, back facing Sidon. He had a much better view now; their scales was not quite the intense yellow it looked in the water, but more of a warm shade of amber than gold or yellow. The tail protruding down was much longer than a typical Zora Sidon had seen, though it lacked the curves, and the ridges on his head appeared less pointed and more soft and rounded. Blue gills decorated the Zora’s shoulders and sides and the fins attached at his elbows were the same shade of light blue.
Sidon held the Hyrule bass at his side as he climbed up the rocky island, keeping a respectful distance. The Zora hadn’t noticed him yet--which was good, Sidon didn’t want to frighten him off--as Sidon made it up to a flatter section of the miniature mountain. He was distracted with trying to light a fire by banging a piece of flint and rock together over the firewood.
The Zora prince brushed himself off, straightened his cravat, and smiled. “Ah, hello?”
He heard a surprised gasp as the Zora spun around, dropping his rock and flint. Two baby blue eyes stared at Sidon, wide and surprised, as the Zora quickly stood up.
“Pardon me, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Sidon murmured, trying to appear as friendly as possible. “I was only hoping to talk for a moment.”
The other Zora blinked frantically, his hands fidgeted nervously, and he winced.
“My name is Sidon,” he said with a smile and held out the Hyrule bass. “I happened to be passing by when I saw you in the water.”
A twinge of red appeared on the Zora’s pale cheeks and he shyly glanced down.
“Ah...Excuse me, I didn’t mean it like that,” Sidon corrected himself and stepped closer, still holding out the large fish. “Please, think of it as a friendly gesture.”
Those soft blue eyes gazed at the fish with suspicion but the Zora still remained quiet.
“You see, I’m the prince of Zora Domain and honestly...I’ve never seen anyone with your appearance before,” he admitted with a soft chuckle and stepped closer. The other Zora didn’t react aside from looking Sidon up and down silently. While he was taller than most of the other Zora, he only came to Sidon’s chest in height. “I would love to hear about you. Are there others like you? A clan hiding somewhere in Hyrule?” Sidon gently pressed and reached forward. He dropped the bass in the other Zora’s arms and smiled at him.
The Zora opened and closed his mouth several times and bowed his head with a guilty flinch.
“What’s wrong?” Sidon questioned and stared down at him. He watched as the Zora sank down into a sitting position and then looked back up to Sidon. He used one hand to rub against his throat. “Oh my. You cannot speak?”
The Zora grunted and slowly shook his head, his headfin falling over his shoulder.
“I see,” Sidon whispered sympathetically. “I suppose you can’t tell me your name either then.”
He tilted his head before gasping and snapping his fingers. The Zora leaned over, and began to wipe at the soft dirt at their feet. Sidon squinted and peered closer when he realized that the other Zora was writing something. He squatted down and watched as he wrote out a reply, letter by letter.
R. A. V. I. O.
“Ravio?” Sidon tested and tilted his head.
The Zora--Ravio--nodded.
“Ahh...That’s a nice name.” Sidon sat down a few feet away from Ravio and studied him briefly. “Pardon me for staring. Heh. It sounds unbelievable, but you remind me of someone.”
Ravio didn’t look at Sidon but he shrugged. He lifted the Hyrule bass up and sniffed at the fish. Ravio’s eyes went wide and he quickly chomped into the bass’ side. Sidon frowned again, surprised at how hungry the other Zora must have been. He watched in amazement as Ravio ate away at the fat fish, coating his arms and face in bits and pieces of the fish’s flesh and scales. Sidon noticed that instead of having a bottom and top row of sharp fangs, Ravio only had sharp canines and the rest of his teeth weren’t as pointed.
“Is it good?” Sidon asked, teasing the other Zora a smidgen. He chuckled as Ravio paused, tried to wipe at his mouth. “Would you be interested in coming with me back to Zora’s Domain? To meet my father and my people?” He was certain the king would love to meet this strange Zora. Every at the domain would be intrigued by his coloring as well.
Ravio hesitated, pausing mid-bite, and made a soft grunt. Sidon could tell the Zora was worried; Ravio’s fins drooped, his eyes gave off a strange sadness, his mouth clamped shut.
“I don’t expect an answer right away,” Sidon clarified and reached over to squeeze his shoulder is assurance. “I will be here for a couple days scouting Lake Hylia for any signs of trouble, so take your time considering the offer. I’ll let you eat in peace now!”
Ravio blinked in surprise as Sidon stood up, waved him farewell, and dove back into the lake.
The Zora prince darted off away from the island and swam several hundred feet away to the lakeshore across the water. He briskly walked onto the land and spun around to keep watch of Ravio; Sidon decided he was...interesting and so different from most Zoras he ever met. A part of him hoped that he would consider and take Sidon up on his offer.
As Sidon sat on the bank, legs dipped into the water, he closed his eyes and leaned back. He took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes. “Sister, at least Link can keep you company now…”
Sidon spent the rest of day staring at the sky with damp eyes.