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The sun was shining brightly over the grassy fields Link currently resided in. The air was warm as it played with his hair, ruffling his bangs back in a friendly manner as it gifted him with the scent of fresh dew on the grass from the last storm. His butt was damp where he sat, but his back was warm where it rested against his horse’s flank.
His horse.
That’s right, he had his own horse now. Sure, he’d jumped on a few wild ones and tamed them enough to be ridden for his purpose, but once he had to go into dangerous territory or knew he’d had to travel on foot, he tended to either set it free or sell it to the nearest stable if he needed the rupees. That is, until he found himself talking to Toffa at the Outskirt Stable, listening to his request to see if the rumor about the Hylian Royal Horse was true. Link may still not have many of his memories from a hundred years ago, but he was certain that if so much of the land was overtaken and destroyed by the corrupted guardians, surely the stables and the horses within them had also perished.
Yet there she had been when he’d crept up to the Sanidin Park Ruins, just grazing under an apple tree completely on her own, the spitting image of Zelda’s pure white horse just over a century ago. He’d initially gone to the area on Impa’s advice to recollect a lost memory, yet the area was barren and overgrown when he got there, a mere half acre of the park still clean and untouched. After he’d recovered the memory, he opened his eyes to find the white mare idly grazing mere yards away, as if she had been waiting for him.
Toffa had warned him that the horse would probably be feisty and hard to get close enough to even mount. Though as Link had approached her from behind, she had turned her head back to look at him with what he swore was incredulity. So he had slowly risen from his crouched position and carefully procured an apple from his travel bag. He watched as her ears perked up and she partially turned to him, her muzzle raised as she sniffed the air that carried the sweet fragrance to her, and she had approached him willingly.
A whicker behind him and large lips nibbling gently on his ponytail brought him back to the present. As if remembering the same thing, the mare lowered her head so that her nose could gently bump the sack sitting next to Link, the adornments on her bridle jingling cheerily as she did. He chuckled and curled his arm under her head and ruffled her ear before he shimmied his hand into the bag. She waited patiently, as she always did, the epitome of perfect manners that no wild horse had ever held. When he finally held the apple to her, she peeled her lips back and gently chomped into the sweet flesh of the fruit. Link had no idea how a horse could eat so politely, though the apple’s juices dribbled over his hand after each bite.
“Your horse has such fine table-manners, champion. You could learn a few things from her,” a voice chuckled lightly, and Link looked over to see none other than Prince Sidon meandering over to them. The hylian was a little surprised, as they were just a bit out of the way of the Zora Domain and the Prince was usually busy attending meetings or entertaining delegates whenever Link visited. He would always spare a couple hours for Link each visit, regardless, and for that the blond was grateful. Though when Link had left the domain after his last visit merely hours ago, the Prince had a full schedule and couldn’t see him off, as he usually did. So as the prince closed the distance between them, Link raised a brow at him in question.
The zora smiled a little guiltily then, “Ah, I admit I felt a bit ashamed for not being able to see you off, though I am glad you did not wander too far.”
Link scoffed and shook his head fondly as he signed, It’s okay. You were busy. The front of Sidon’s head fin wrinkled, and Link silently mused that it reminded him of furrowed brows.
“Yes, but I still found it rude of me not to bid you farewell properly.” He gestured to open area beside the Hylian, “May I?” Link nodded and Sidon gracefully folded his legs under himself and sat down adjacent of the hero. His horse huffed at the newcomer impatiently, and Sidon grinned as he reached over to gently rub the bridge of her nose in greeting. “Of course, it was awful of me not to gift you your farewell carrots, Lucillia.”
The horse whinnied grumpily and shook her head as if to say “Shame on you”, and the prince laughed buoyantly at that, the sound fishing a smile from the hylian.
What are you doing here? Link asked, ears pinned backwards shyly as he watched the other trace his hand movements almost fondly.
“Well, I will admit that our time together during your visit this time was unfairly limited, and that saddened me.” He shifted forward, arm reaching for the sack at Link’s side, and the other moved to meet him, holding the fabric by the nape so the opening was presented to Sidon. The red zora reached in and plucked another apple from it, leaning back to offer it to the horse. “I fear that it has become routine and I hardly see much of you when you visit. I admit that I miss the days when you would accompany me to swim in the upper mountain pools for hours on end.”
Link nodded as he recalled the more joyful days. Even though there was still the ever-looming threat of Calamity Ganon that Zelda was bravely holding inside Hyrule Castle, he had found peace in those precious days he could spend with Sidon and pretend everything was alright, and that they would be okay.
Link knew better now. He was battle-worn and tired, weary from the constant fighting he had to do just to make it from one haven to another. The blood moons had become more frequent, making travel more dangerous as the roads were filled with monsters faster and faster, and Link knew that his time was running out.
It was strange. On days like today, when the sun is bright and the air brushes his cheek like a comforting caress, the smell of Spring enveloping him like a hand-knit blanket, the threat of impending doom seemed so far away it was like a dream. He felt if he closed his eyes and opened them, Calamity Ganon would cease to be, and he would be at Hyrule Castle at Zelda’s side, nothing more than a decoration of her status.
“Link?” The hero’s eyes fluttered open, having not realized he’d closed them, and he looked over to see Sidon peering at him curiously. “Are you alright?”
Link nodded, Tired.
Sidon nodded, being able to tell as much from the diluted shadows that hung under the other’s eyes, “Is that why you didn’t travel too far from the domain? You know you’re more than welcome to stay longer if you need to.”
Link shrugged and looked back across the field before him, his eyes grazing the colored freckles among the grass made by wildflowers. Rivers of light raced across the overgrown grass, ruffling the flowers’ petals as the wind danced by. Link allowed himself to slouch down, eyes sliding shut once more as his head dipped back to comfortably rest against Lucillia’s side, her strong but gentle breathing beneath him like a soundless lullaby.
He heard Sidon get up, cracking open an eye to watch him walk over to a particularly dense patch of wildflowers. He could just barely hear the zora humming to himself as he crouched down and began to carefully pick an assortment of flowers, and Link smiled to himself before he let his eye shut once more. Birdsong filtered into Sidon’s humming, and Lucillia curled her head around so her nose rested against Link’s thigh.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this at peace.
When he heard Sidon make his way back towards them, Link was very nearly asleep, his breathing soft and gentle under loosely crossed arms. Still, when he heard Sidon’s sigh, he lolled his head to the side and forced his lids to lift halfway. He saw Sidon looking at him with such a soft, loving look that it made his chest tight with an embarrassed glee, and he couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“Rest, my hero,” Sidon said softly, easily reaching over from where he sat to drag his palm lightly over Link’s bangs, smoothing them back for a brief moment before they fell back in place. Link hummed a content note and closed his eyes at the contact, though he watched the zora through his lashes as Sidon began pondering over the bushel of flowers in his arms.
Carefully, the zora pulled out a long-stemmed flower, the petals a pastel blue, and began to braid it into Lucillia’s mane. Even though the zora did not keep horses of their own and Sidon himself was far too big to ride any, the prince had spent enough time with Link’s own precious travelling companion that Link had taught him the ways of caring and bonding with the creature. Link had even taught him how to weave locks of hair together to keep it tidy and out of the horse’s face so that she could see where she was going, or just for when Link felt like doing something with his hands while they rested.
Still, seeing the eleven-foot-tall zora sitting hunched over an array of flowers while he carefully picked and braided each one into his horse’s mane, just the tiniest tip of his tongue peeking out as he concentrated on being gentle so as not to pull on Lucillia’s hair, was both completely adorable and hilariously out of character.
Link couldn’t help a soft titter from leaving him, and he saw Sidon glance over at him, his tongue disappearing back into his mouth as his lips quirked up in a questioning smile, “And what, pray tell, has you so amused?”
Link opened his eyes a little more, meeting Sidon’s eyes with how own smiling ones as he jutted his chin in his direction to indicate: You.
“What about me?” Sidon asked as he pulled a Swift Violet from the bunch in his lap, eyes never leaving Link’s as he began to braid it further down Lucillia’s mane.
I just think it’s funny how a huge, intimidating, zora prince knows how to braid flowers into my horse’s hair, he signed back, grinning when he saw the creamy scales of Sidon’s face flush turquoise.
“Well, I had a good teacher,” the prince replied, huffing a bit before he grinned. “Very knowledgeable in the art of flower weaving, and diligent in passing such a fine art to me.” Link rolled his eyes but felt heat rise to his own cheeks as he looked back down at Sidon’s hands, watching large, red fingers expertly thread themselves through Lucillia’s blonde hair only to leave waves of color in their wake. It was entrancing to watch, for sure, but Link couldn’t help but feel a touch jealous at the special attention his horse was getting. A silly feeling, really, and he rolled his head parallel to his shoulders again and closed his eyes.
No sooner had he done so, did he feel Sidon’s hand in his own hair, and the telltale feeling of something being delicately interlaced among golden locks. His eyes fluttered open, lashes brushing against the underside of one large hand as it worked with another to give Link the same treatment as his horse. He held still, naturally, and waited until Sidon had sewed no less than seven flowers in his hair before he disentangled his arms and captured one of the zora’s hands. He gently pressed his cheek into it, relishing in the feeling of fingers melding to the shape of his head while the thumb traced a thin scar that ran from Link’s jaw halfway up his cheek.
He turned his head to press a kiss into the silky palm of the other, and smiled against it when he heard Sidon croon softly. His kisses travelled slowly to the prince’s wrist, drawing a path up the sensitive inside of his arm until he reached the bend. That’s when Sidon’s free hand reached down to slide under Link’s chin and tilt the hero’s head up so that the playful smile resting on Link’s lips met the loving embrace of Sidon’s own. He hummed into it, one hand interwoven with Sidon’s, the other reaching up to cradle his jaw as he let his eyes close in contentment.
Link barely put enough space between them to sign, I wish we could stay like this.
“I can’t agree more” Sidon breathed against him, and Link could only tilt his head up to meet the Prince once more, the sweet smell of wildflowers tying them together.