Chapter Text
Expertly weaving through the undulating mass of people, keeping an eye out for the noticeable flash of the blue and gold that would indicate a guard being nearby, Link made his way towards the massive, imposing opera house. In the distance, the ancient clock towering high above the town told him that he still had time - it was thirty minutes to sundown, and even then, the curtains would not part until fifteen minutes after so he was doing good. Bobbing, weaving, a ghost in the shadows, Link dipped in and out of the marketplace, using the side alleys when the skin at the base of his skull tingled, a warning sign that danger might be lurking nearby. Not many paid any mind to him - he was just another grimy face in a sea of dirty, hard, grim faces and as long as he steered clear of the stalls, there was no point in giving him any attention. Still, a life spent in the cracks had taught him to not disregard instinct.
Thankfully, every tingling warning was unfounded. He did catch a couple glimpses of guards but their attention was focused elsewhere so it was no problem at all to slip easily by them. In no time at all, he had reached his destination: the back of the opera house. Specifically, at the very bottom of the building, where there were no legitimate doors and the only windows that were too small for even his 5 foot, 90 pound self to crawl through. What was there, though, was a hole that led directly into the basement. Hidden by a thick brush of ivy, it was invisible unless you knew exactly where to look. Link had stumbled across it while on the run from the guards a few years back. Since then, it had provided not only a place to hide but access to a place that a lowly cretin like him was absolutely not allowed into.
Wiggling in through the hole, immediately swamped by the darkness and stuffiness of the basement, Link strolled forward confidently, knowing exactly where to go. There was a door that opened up to a staircase at the very far end of the basement but that led up into the pantry. Going up that route was just asking to be seen, which would, obviously, be disastrous for him so instead, he made a hard left, heading towards another old, abandoned, incredibly unsafe staircase. Many of the stairs were missing, all those remaining were rotten and rickety but he climbed up them regardless, nimbly hopping around, not staying in one place for too long out of fear that one of the stairs might break.
He had traveled up the stairs so often that he was able to get to the top without issue. From there, he headed down the dark, dusty hallway until he reached a turn, around which was yet another old staircase. This one, however, was a little less dangerous so he didn’t have to be as careful going up it. From there, there were more empty, musty, dark hallways and staircases in varying stages of decomposition. On and on he went until he reached the top floor or, at least, what he thought was the top floor, given that the only floor above it was the attic. Oddly enough, the top floor was in the most disarray. There were boxes, barrels and other random garbage everywhere. Lining the peeling walls were lanterns that were so old and dusty that, if they were lit, he wouldn’t be able to tell. The first time he had wandered all the way up to the top floor, an attempt had been made to look through the various debris but that had only gotten him an immense sneezing fit so no further attempts had been made, despite there being the chance of something valuable hiding within the depths of wood, dust and trash. At the very end was the only door. It led out into the newer part of the building, which had been built some years prior, and above that door was what he was interested in: the entrance to the attic.
Despite never having witnessed anyone appear in this area of the building, Link still quietly and carefully snuck over to the door. However, when he got there, he knew it was better to be quick then careful. Jumping up, he grabbed the cord, wrenched the trap door down, grimacing at the loud squeal it emitted then scrambled up the stairs, pulling the door back in one smooth, quick movement. Once everything was back where it should be, he paused for several moments, ears trained for any suspicious sounds, heart pounding in his chest, as it always did, despite the many times he had done this but when he heard nothing out of the ordinary, he let out a long breath. Honestly, all of this? Probably immensely, incredibly stupid - Hylia only knew what the guards would do to him if they found him - but the reward for this asinine activity was more than worth it.
The attic was mostly empty. Far as he knew, a lot of what had been stored up here had been moved to the storerooms of the new part of the opera house so he didn’t have to worry about anyone appearing coming up here to fetch something or store something. To the far left was a row of somewhat dirty windows. Looking out of them provided a breathtaking view of Castle Town but that wasn’t what he was here for. The only thing that interested him was to the right. Striding across the attic, his quiet footfalls sending up puffs of dust, a steady thrum of excitement began to pulse in his chest. There was a large section of the wall cut out and covered with some kind of thin fabric. Time had long since worn away a good amount of it. Link’s hands had long since ripped a large hole in it.
Peering through provided a near perfect view of the stage. From his position, he could watch the plays play out, entirely unseen, safe and secluded in the old attic. Just being able to witness something that was normally restricted to those like him was exhilarating enough but tonight was extra extraordinarily special. Tonight’s opera was headlined by the Prince of the Opera, the gorgeous, incredible and extraordinarily talented Sidon. From the very little Link knew about him, he was an upcoming star who had captured the hearts of nearly every noble. Watching him perform, it wasn’t hard to see why. Not only was he beautiful with an amazing singing voice that could bring even the most stalwart men to tears but the enthusiasm, the energy, the earnestness with which he performed sucked the audience in, and held them tightly, even after the show was over. Link had found himself underneath the Hylian’s spell the moment he laid eyes on him. Ever since, he had braved whatever punishment that would find him if he were caught to be able to watch him perform.
However, six months ago, Sidon went on hiatus. There was no explanation given, or, at least, Link hadn’t heard of one. He was certain that if he were privy to the gossiping of upper class ladies, he would have heard all kinds of theories but there wasn’t much discussion of the going ons of opera singers in the gutter so he hadn’t the foggiest clue as to what had happened. Regardless, tonight, Sidon had returned. The hiatus had ended, and the Prince of the Opera was returning! It was obvious that Link wasn’t the only one excited. Below, the house was near to bursting with people. A quick glance upwards showed that all the balconies were lined with row after row of spectators. Coming up from the ground floor was loud, exuberant chattering. He couldn’t make out anything, there was too much noise, but all of it oozed positive energy. A slight smile tugged at his lips. Sidon was going to receive a very warm welcome upon his return.
Settling down, Link waited impatiently for the lights to dim. At some point, it sounded like there was an argument happening. Whoever was screaming was doing so at such a loud volume that even Link could hear them clearly. Apparently, someone was not happy that there were no more seats available. It went on and on then, as abruptly as it started, it ended. Either someone had been removed or a emergency seat had been found. If he had to gander a guess, he’d say it was the second one. Not that he cared - they had finally shut up and it had been an entertaining distraction that made the time until curtains open go by much faster. By the time everything had settled down, there were only minutes left. Excitement fluttering like a startled bird within the confines of his ribs, Link’s breath caught in his throat when the lights dimmed. Scooting forwards, his eyes hyper focused on the stage, he counted the seconds as the crowd below went silent, the curtains slowly pulled open and the stage lights came on.
The stage was obviously set to resemble a town. Milling about were extras in peasant clothing, going about their daily chores. In the center of the stage was a beautiful Hylian woman, dressed simply and deeply engrossed in a book. Soft, pleasant music was coming from the orchestra pit. Within a few moments of the curtains opening, the woman began to sing. Her voice rang out sweetly but it was in a language Link didn’t know so he had no idea what she was actually singing about. Not that it mattered - he often didn’t know what was happening since there was no translation for a lot of the operas. He didn’t mind just listening and enjoying, though she wasn’t the one he was there for.
His primary interest appeared just as her song was ending. Strolling onto the stage, dressed in fancy, noble clothing, was Sidon. Link’s slowly heart sunk like a stone down into his stomach the moment he saw him. Something was wrong. He couldn’t quite describe what made him think that but as he watched him move, listened to his voice as he spoke and sang, he could just tell. The energy was all wrong. Something was just off. Excitement was quickly replaced with concern. Had the hiatus been due to something serious? Had he been forced to come back? Was he sick?! Link was a distance away but there didn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with Sidon. His voice was still clear and strong, He was still as handsome as ever - beautiful brown skin, creamy and dusky in the brightness of the stage lights; vibrant golden eyes that were bright and visible even at a distance; a long wave of red hair that was currently tied back in a messy braid; a muscular, broad, tall frame that swept across the stage with strength and grace. From appearances alone, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong but Link could just tell. Instinct didn’t lie to him - Sidon was not ready to be back so why was he here?
The opera continued on but Link found himself too distracted to pay attention. His eyes followed only Sidon, desperately trying to find some iota of a hint that could indicate what was going on. If anyone else had caught on, they weren’t expressing it. Then again, he was so far away and couldn’t make out much in the dark area of the floor. Stress began to tick at the back of his brain. As the opera progressed, becoming more intense as another Hylian entered the picture, clearly a rival to Sidon’s hero, the feeling that something was wrong grew and grew. By the time the opera had reached the intermission phase, Link was so stressed that he wanted to leave. He couldn’t stand to watch anymore but it was too dangerous for him to flee, not when nobles were milling about. As the intermission got underway, and chatter filled the air once again, Link got the sense that he wasn’t the only one who caught on to the odd atmosphere. There was no excitement but a mixture of disappointment and irritation. Clearly, the nobles were more concerned with Sidon not performing as expected, rather than the fact that something must be wrong with him.
In no time at all, the intermission was over, the nobles quieted once more and the curtains opened to reveal a dramatic scene change. On stage was the Hylian woman, the rival and Sidon. Nothing had changed over the break - if anything, it felt like it had gotten worse. There was a listlessness to Sidon that was incredibly alarming. He didn’t look invested in the slightest. Holding his breath, Link watched the scene get underway. Keeping his eyes on Sidon, he realized things were about to reach their breaking point. The skin at the base of his skull was vibrating. Holding tightly onto his elbows, sweat popping up on his forehead, Link started to feel nauseous. Watching Sidon, it was almost...no, it was painful. He had been forced out of hiatus too early. Whatever was wrong, it was still affecting him, and Link hated it. Yes, he had wanted to see Sidon perform again but not when it was so obvious that he wasn’t ready!
The scene was reaching its pinnacle. Rival was making what seemed to be threats, Sidon was coldly deflecting them, the Hylian woman was desperately moving between them, reaching out to both, clearly trying to calm the situation. Suddenly, the rival drew his sword, brandished at Sidon and obviously said something that had to be ‘draw your sword’. Sidon stared at him, unmoving. From the reaction of the two other actors, it was obvious that wasn’t what he was supposed to be doing. Rival glanced nervously at the Hylian woman, who began to adlib, waving her hands around frantically, sending pleading glances to someone off stage. Suddenly, Sidon heaved a massive sigh, turned on his heel and strode off the stage without a single glance back. Both actors stared after him then the curtains were slamming closed, and a fat man in a too small suit came stumbling out onto stage. Holding his hands out in an attempt to calm the outcry coming from the audience, he called out in a thin, reedy voice that they were experiencing some difficulties and would be doing everything in their power to get everything back on track. With that, amongst the disgruntled sneers from the nobles, he scurried away, disappearing backstage. Link watched the scene below him for a few moments then slid back.
There was no point in remaining. He was being given a chance to get out while the nobles, and guards were occupied so he might as well take it. Moving quickly, he went back the way he came, weaving along the hallways and staircases until he was once more in the dark basement. Standing in the darkness, he felt sad, worried and stressed. Well, the night hadn’t played out as he had expected. All he could hope for was that Sidon was given the time needed to recover or overcome whatever was going on with him, and next time he was on stage, it would be because he wanted to be, not because someone had forced him back.
Pushing himself up through the hole, Link got halfway out before freezing in place, his heart skidding to a halt inside his chest. There, standing not 10 feet away, was Sidon. Startled golden eyes stared back at him. An odd combination of fear and excitement collided in his stomach. He had been caught but it had been by someone he so dearly admired. He hadn’t ever thought he’d even be able to see Sidon from a seat in the audience, yet there he was, close enough that he could see there were green flecks in his golden eyes. Sliding completely free of the hole, Link held up his hands, palms forward, meaning to give some kind of excuse when Sidon suddenly spoke softly, “It’s alright. I have no intention to call the guards.”
Some of the tension fled his shoulders. Slowly standing, Link swallowed hard, nervously gripping his elbows. The sense that something was wrong was even stronger now that he was closer. He could see now - Sidon was obviously exhausted. There were large dark circles underneath his eyes. About him was a sense of weariness, as though he hadn’t slept for days. When Sidon made no attempt to move away, continuing to watch him with a blank stare, Link gathered up the courage to ask, “Are you alright?”
“Am I alright?” Sidon repeated, raising one eyebrow slightly, “Why do you ask?”
Something about his tone sounded like an accusation. Fidgeting in place, wondering if it was truly alright for him to be poking his nose into matters that didn’t concern him but really unable to keep himself silent, Link said, “I was just worried that someone had forced you to come back.”
Both thick eyebrows flew upwards, nearly meeting his smooth, red hairline. Tilting his head, eyes wide, Sidon asked, “What makes you think that?”
There was nothing hostile about his tone. He sounded genuinely surprised. Tugging nervously on one a lock of hair, Link continued on, “It was just a feeling, You didn’t seem comfortable or like you wanted to be on stage.” When that got no response, Link added in a panicky voice, “I’m not trying to assume how you feel, it’s just that-”
“You were concerned for me.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. The golden gaze on him now was more confused than anything. Sidon was looking at him was though he was something foreign, something he had never heard of or seen before in his lifetime.
“Well...yeah, I was.” Link admitted sheepishly.
“Why?” Sidon asked, his tone suddenly becoming hard and hostile. “What is it you want?”
Jerking backwards, a tiny twinge of fear squeaking at the base of his skull, he instinctively held his hands out in a ‘I mean no harm’ gesture, and said, “Nothing! I don’t want anything!”
“Then why be concerned?” Sidon snapped.
“You were clearly not ready to be back!” Link squeaked nervously, words pouring out his mouth without him really thinking about what he was saying, slowly inching away, eyes darting about, looking for the best escape route. Sidon might be someone he admired but he was still a noble and nobles could easily bring him a lot of pain if he wasn’t careful. Ending up in a dungeon was not how he wanted to end this weird, disappointing night, “I wanted to watch you perform but not at the behest of your health! I don’t know what’s wrong or what’s going on, and I won’t assume - that’s not my place. It was just obvious something was wrong and that whatever it was is still affecting you so I was concerned.”
“You don’t want anything?” Sidon asked after a few moments of tense silence, “Nothing?”
“No, I don’t want anything.” There was an alleyway to his left that was at the perfect angle for a quick getaway. He just needed to wait until the right moment to make his move.
“You were concerned-”
“Because everything about you while you were performing screamed that you weren’t ready to be back. It was distressing, watching you perform. When you walked off stage, I was relieved that you were removing yourself from a situation that was obviously causing you discomfort.”
“You wanted to watch me perform?” Sidon asked, the expression on his face softening. Relaxing his broad shoulders, he turned fully to face Link, regarding him with an unreadable look.
“I did.”
“And what if I told you that I don’t want to ever perform again?”
Blinking in surprise, startled by this sudden question, Link blinked then slowly shrugged, “That’s your decision. I’d be sad but you should do what is best for you.” Offering a small smile, he said, “You being happy and healthy is worth more to me than any performance.”
Sidon stared at him blankly for several moments then said, “You don’t know me. You want nothing from me. Why offer such kind words?”
The shock in his tone made Link’s heart ache. Was it truly so common in the higher realms of society for mere kindness to be such a rarity? The moment the question popped into his head, he knew it to be a foolish one. Of course it was. All he had to do was take a single look around, and it’d be obvious that was the truth. Nobles cared for no one but themselves. Kindness was a weapon or a tool to be used to get what they wanted. Sidon, who had been embroiled in that life since birth, would obviously be suspectful of kindness of any kind. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Link carefully considered his next words before speaking, “You’ve given me a lot of happiness.”
“Pardon?”
“I come from the slums. You can’t get any further into the cracks in society than I am and, I won’t lie to you, it isn’t an easy life. It’s hard and vicious and cruel but when I’m up there,” he pointed towards the attic, “watching you perform, it’s like I can forget all of it. Watching you perform, it makes me happy and gives me a temporary peace that is invaluable to me.” Link shrugged slightly, “I don’t know you and I don’t assume to know anything about you but isn’t it normal to want someone who’s given you something invaluable to be safe and happy?”
“My performance makes you happy so why say it’s alright for me to stop?”
“There’s no happiness to be found in someone else’s suffering.” Link replied firmly, unconsciously straightening his spine, “I’d rather never see you perform again and you be happy, than selfishly demand you continue performing so that I alone can have happiness.”
The blank expression returned for several long, silent moments. Link shifted uncomfortably, halfway wishing he hadn’t bothered speaking up at all. Sidon was a noble, why did he think expressing concern for him would be well received? Glancing at the alleyway, he wondered if it might be best to just excuse himself and take off. This conversation had put his foot on a path he wasn’t certain he wanted to go down. Not to mention, guards could show up at any moment. He couldn’t be sure that Sidon would help him out if they spotted him, given that it seemed as though his inquiries about his well-being had been taken as an offense.
“What’s your name?” Sidon suddenly asked.
“What?”
“Your name, tell me.”
Link blinked hard in surprise, tilted his head slightly and responded, “Link. I’m Link.”
“Have you eaten tonight, Link?”
“No?” Link answered, confused as to what that had to do with anything.
“Would you join me for a late dinner?”
Now it was Link’s eyebrows turn to shoot up practically to the hairline. His jaw practically dropped to the ground. Too startled to speak, unable to believe that a Noble was offering to not only get him food but to eat with him, Link waited for the punchline, for Sidon to laugh in his face and mock him for thinking he was serious. The expected reaction never came. Sidon watched him patiently, only moving to brush a lock of vibrant red hair away from his face. Nervously licking his lips, only half noticing when Sidon’s golden eyes flickered down to follow the movement, Link briefly argued with himself on whether or not he should accept the invitation. One on hand, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity - dinner with Sidon! Not to mention, food. He hadn’t realized it until just then but he was starving. He hadn’t eaten since that morning and all that had gone into his stomach was a single baked apple.
But...Sidon was a Noble, high class, so far above him on the social status ladder that he was practically swimming the clouds while Link was buried in the dirt. Was it wise to get involved with someone like that? Wasn’t Sidon someone he was only allowed to view from a distance? Kind of like those massively important works of arts in a museum; off limits with a big, thick cord of rope distancing them from everyone and everything else. It was just dinner, nothing really that special but wasn’t it better to distance himself before thinking one little thing was okay got himself into a world of trouble?
“You really wanted nothing.” Sidon said quietly, “Nothing at all.” A small, surprised smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, “You really just wanted to know if I was okay.”
Slowly shaking his head, although this entire scenario was absurd to him, Sidon laughed underneath his breath, brushed hair away from his handsome face and held out a hand to Link. Smiling sweetly, his eyes warm and inviting, he said, “Please? I treated you most unfairly so please, let me make it up to you.”
Heat flooding his cheeks, the pace of his heart picking up as that gaze, that smile warmed him through and through, Link replied, “You don’t need to-”
“I know I do not need to. I want to.” Striding forward, holding him captive with those gorgeous golden eyes, stealing his breath away with every step, Sidon stopped a few inches away from him, reached forward and took one of Link’s smaller hands into both of his larger ones. Warm, smooth skin with just a hint of roughness slid across his own, sending a jolt of electricity racing up his arm. Gently caressing the top of his hand with the pads of his fingers, Sidon chuckled, “You are the first person in a very long while who has shown any kind of concern for me without wanting anything in return. Yet, here I am, snarling like a cornered animal while you offer genuine words of kindness. Please, allow me to make up for my actions.”
Struggling to think clearly with Sidon so close, close enough that each breath he pulled in was tinted with his scent, and was touching him, actually, literally touching him, Link swallowed hard, his throat suddenly drier than the old aqueducts that ran underneath the city. Half wanting to pull his hand away, half wanting Sidon to slide those hands up further, to trace that warmth, that hint of callousness up his arm, Link mumbled, “It’s fine. I understand why’d you react like you did.”
“Regardless,” Sidon gave his hand a gentle squeeze, “I will not be able to sleep tonight if I do not do something to repay your kindness. So, please?” He smiled widely, showing two straight lines of bright white teeth. A weird hot pang reverberated through his chest when he realized that Sidon’s canines were exceptionally sharp.
Having him this close, having that smile and those warm eyes bearing down on him, and the sensation of their skin pressed together - all of it was making it very hard to turn him down. Nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another, Link lowered his gaze, struggled with the decision for a short while longer before hunger finally won out. Bowing his head even further, his face burning, he mumbled, “Okay.”
“Excellent!” Sidon declared in a startlingly exuberant voice. “Come along, then!”
Before Link had time to react, Sidon was pulling him towards the main street. His first instinct was to resist - walking brazenly down the main street was not something up his alley - but he quickly came to the realization that he was being led around by someone who was obviously a Noble. Even if the guards decided to bother them, he was pretty sure Sidon would just brush them off, which meant he was going to be able to walk down the main street for the first time in forever without having to worry about the guards. Tonight really was starting to look like the night that miracles happened. He could hardly believe any of it.
It was utterly bizarre, a little terrifying but he couldn’t help feeling excited, eager to see where this weird night would take him next.