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Sidon was jealous.
However, the stubborn prince would probably never admit it. In fact, Sidon had experienced this emotion so little in his life that he hardly knew how to identify it. The only time he could truly remember feeling anything remotely similar was back when he was still just a guppy, when his parents would send him off to bed while letting Mipha stay awake for just a bit longer, all because she was older.
This newfound emotion was brought on by the visit of a certain hero. Link had come to Zora’s domain to check on Vah Ruta under the orders of Princess Zelda, whose absence was caused by a series of important diplomatic meetings held at Hyrule Castle. His job was to ensure Ruta was working properly, however, the Zora Prince couldn’t help but notice how quickly the young hero was to finish up the day’s work so that he could spend more time with you. By the fourth day of Link’s visit, it was nearly impossible for Sidon to steal even just a moment of your time.
It didn’t help that Link’s arrival was all you could talk about the week prior. Of course, Sidon understood that Link was a very dear friend to you. In fact, one could say that he even owed Link for bringing you into his life. As a determined member of the Sheikah tribe, once Link had awoken from his slumber you felt it was your duty to continue to protect the royal family, even one hundred years after the Great Calamity. You traveled with Link on his journey to save Hyrule and its princess but was forced to part ways with him after sustaining serious injuries during your time in Vah Ruta.
Too weak to continue your journey, you stayed with the Zora during your recovery while Link continued his quest.
As the future ruler of the Zora, Sidon was by your side almost every day, determined to ensure his visitor would get the best care and hospitality possible. At first, he stayed only for a few minutes at a time, not wanting to come off as overbearing, but Sidon soon realized that the two of you had quite a lot in common. For instance, you both shared a sweet tooth and a love for reading. Delighted with this discovery, Sidon would often sneak into the infirmary after visiting hours (much to the annoyance of the healers, as even a prince wasn’t able to break the rules) to share with you a book he had picked up in the library and some sweets he had swiped from the kitchens.
As the weeks went by, your wounds began to close, and strength slowly seeped back into your muscles.
Sidon suddenly found himself worried. Although Link had been successful in his mission to save Hyrule during your recovery, you would eventually have to return to Kakariko, or even join the hero by Zelda’s side. Sidon had begun to consider you a good friend, and the thought of no longer being able to see you daily sent a sharp pang through his heart.
A few nights before you were set to depart from the Domain, Sidon suddenly remembered something. You once mentioned to him that you were interested in learning how to become a healer.
“We Sheikah have our own healing methods,” you stated one afternoon while still in the infirmary. “But different cultures have different techniques. I would love to someday study them all.”
Something in Sidon’s mind suddenly clicked, and first thing in the morning he found himself in front of his father in the throne room, practically begging the king to allow you to stay in Zora’s Domain in order to study Zora medicinal practices. King Dorephan had no objections to this. In fact, he found his son’s behavior rather amusing.
The day before your departure, the king formally invited you to stay with his people, and although surprised, you graciously accepted. Sidon could barely contain his excitement as he stood next to the throne and listened to your answer, much to the dismay of Muzu, who looked down upon such informal behavior.
The sound of your voice pulled Sidon from his thoughts and once again his attention was redirected to the sight just below him. He leaned on the ledge of Luto’s crossing and watched as Link jumped from the rock you rested on to dive headfirst into the river. Ice cold water splashed onto your sunbathing form, and you erupted into a fit of laughter and giggles before jumping into the water to engage in a splashing fight with your friend.
Sidon’s heavy sigh was not overlooked by Kili, who stood a few feet away from his prince. The young Zora warrior glanced down to the river below before looking back at the melancholy look etched onto Sidon’s face. Although still a bit young, even for a Zora warrior, Kili was not oblivious to such matters.
“If I didn’t know any better, my prince,” Kili smirked. “I would say your scales were green instead of red.”
Sidon gave his guard a look of confusion.
“What do you mean?” the prince questioned.
Kili chuckled and shook his head at his oblivious leader.
“Nothing, my lord,” Kili said with a smile. “Nothing at all.”
Sidon had tried getting to dinner early. He practically ran out of the throne room the first chance he had and went straight to the grand dining hall, determined to ensure he saved you a seat next to himself. Minutes went by before you finally walked in with Link at your side
“Y/N!” Sidon jumped up from his seat, causing the dinnerware and wine glass in front of him to almost fall to the floor. You glanced over at him, a smile spreading across your face as you walked up to the prince.
“Sidon!” you grinned at him. “I haven’t seen you all day.”
The sound of his name on your voice sent shivers running down his fins. He had to remind himself to speak.
“Yes, well, I’ve been quite busy with Rito ambassadors you see,” he smiled down at you. “I trust your day has gone well?”
You nodded and glanced over at the Hylian next to you.
“Yeah! Link finished his inspection of Ruta early on today, so we decided to go for a swim. It was quite relaxing.”
“Is that so? I’m very glad.” Sidon muttered as he continued to smile, wanting very much to change the subject. “Well, I saved your usual seat. Please, sit!”
Sidon hurriedly pulled out your chair for you. You were about to take a seat, but suddenly stood still.
“Oh, thank you Sidon, but there’s no place for Link,” you said as you glanced at the seat next to yours. Sure enough, an older Rito had taken the open spot.
“Oh,” Sidon muttered. He quickly wondered if he should ask Link to sit somewhere else, but immediately thought that to be rude.
“It’s no problem, there’s a couple seats at the far end of the table. We’ll just sit there tonight! Thank you anyway though, Sidon!” you smiled widely at the Zora Prince once more before ushering Link away, leaving a dejected Sidon in your wake.
Even though he was supposed to be engaged in a conversation about establishing new trade routes, Sidon couldn’t help but continue glancing over to the far end of the table.
You and Link were huddled close together, food completely forgotten as you whispered and snickered at what Sidon believed to be inside jokes between the two of you.
Sidon sighed as he absentmindedly pushed a piece of seared salmon around his plate. How was he supposed to compete with Link, the savior of Hyrule? The Hero Chosen by the Goddess? Sure, Sidon had spent quite some time with you during your stay at Zora’s Domain, but Link had ventured with you. He had shared experiences with you that Sidon probably couldn’t dream of. It was obvious that you two had developed some sort of bond during your time together. Was it even possible to recreate something such as that?
Why are you even thinking about this? Sidon questioned himself. Y/N is your friend. Nothing more.
Sidon’s unusual behavior did not go unnoticed by his father. Throughout the meal, King Dorephan kept an eye on his son’s continuous glances to the far end of table, as well as the emptiness in his voice whenever Sidon was addressed by one of the other dinner guests.
King Dorephan had lived long to understand what was happening. Over the past several months he had watched his son develop quite a close friendship with you. He had wondered how long it would be before Sidon would begin to realize his true feelings, and it seems as though the time had finally come.
Sidon was quick to excuse himself to his chambers once dinner was finished and the guests had left (you and Link included), but King Dorephan was not letting him off that easily.
“Something was on your mind tonight, my son.” King Dorephan stated, looking down upon Sidon. “Tell me, what troubles you?”
“It was nothing, Father.” Sidon replied, keeping his eyesight on the ground. “I’m just a little tired from the last few days.”
King Dorephan hummed in thought as his son continued to keep his attention on the floor.
“Y/N and Link seem quite close.” The King stated nonchalantly.
Sidon bit his lip as he flinched slightly, but he quickly recovered. “Yes, they are good friends.”
“One could only wonder, could they ever possibly be something… more?”
Sidon kept quiet for a moment, still not daring to look his father in the eye.
“Whether or not they are or will be is none of my business, Father,” Sidon said. “Y/N is free to be with whomever she chooses.”
King Dorephan sat quietly for a moment. Sidon said nothing more.
“Do you know how I courted your mother?” The King broke the silence. Sidon suddenly looked up at his father, a look of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
“No, I don’t believe you’ve ever told me.”
The King smiled down at his son, happy to now have his full attention.
“Your mother and I were actually not meant to be wed.” The King stated. Sidon’s eyes grew wide at this new piece of information.
“What?” he voiced after a moment. “I… I wasn’t aware of this.”
The King chuckled softly.
“When I was but a guppy, my father had already arranged for me to marry another. It was set in stone before I could even speak. Of course, I had some objections to it, but I was also a prince. I knew that sometimes matters such as these were out of my control… but then I met your mother.” King Dorephan glanced upward for a moment, as if remembering something, a small smile on his face.
“From the moment I saw her, I knew the Goddesses had meant for us to be together. Lucky for me, the feeling was mutual.”
“But, the arrangements?” Sidon cut in. The King’s smile disappeared.
“Yes. As much as your mother and I wanted to be together, I still had a duty to fulfill as Prince. I was torn. Follow the current set for me, or make my own?”
“Obviously you and mother were able to be together in the end,” Sidon muttered. “But… how? What did you do?”
The King chuckled once more before continuing his story. “I decided to stand up to my father. I told him I wouldn’t go through with the marriage. As disappointed as he was at first, my father soon realized that I was determined to make my own choices. Eventually, he came to respect that.”
Sidon smiled at his father. It was a lovely story, and he was grateful to have heard it.
“Thank you for sharing that with me, Father,” Sidon said. “However, I don’t understand what that had to do with Y/N?”
“My point is, Sidon,” King Dorehan started. “That life will often put a blockade in between you and what you truly desire. Sometimes these blockades are meant to be there, but more often than not, they are meant as a test. Will you let them dictate where life leads you? Or will find a way around them and lead yourself?”
The prince was silent as he let his father’s words sink into him. A slight blush began to creep across his white cheeks and he quickly returned his attention to the ground.
“Thank you, Father. I understand…” Sidon said sheepishly. “May I please retire to my chambers now?”
The King smiled softly at his son before allowing him to head to his resting pool, knowing that Sidon would eventually make the right decision.
Sidon hardly slept that night. The meaning of his father’s words swirled through his head as he tossed and turned in his resting waters. He wondered when he had begun to develop such feelings for you. Was it during one of the many long night you two had spent together in the library? Or the time you had learned how to properly care for Zora eggs and begged him to stay with you through the night just to see them hatch? Perhaps it was even that one day he took you swimming, when he had noticed the way the sun had made your silver hair beam as though it were gifted by the moon itself, or the way the water slid down of your perfectly sculpted curves-
*Ahem*
Sidon coughed and shook his head, quickly gathering himself as he silently thanked the Goddesses he was still alone in his room.
He supposed there was no way of pinpointing exactly when his feelings began to develop. The fact was that they were here now, and he had to deal with them.
Probably sooner rather than later, Sidon thought to himself as Link suddenly appeared in his mind. Sidon felt terrible that he was now thinking of such a good friend as a sort of threat. He prayed that his suspicions of the relationship between you and Link were wrong.
Even after a restless night he still hadn’t come up with a way to confess his true feelings for you. Goddess, he didn’t even know if you would feel the same way. What if you didn’t? What would he do then? It suddenly occurred to him that your whole friendship could be ruined.
As Sidon sat at his desk, his mind a complete mess as he worried about his current situation, a loud, hurried knock came to his door.
“Prince Sidon!” Tully, a young Zora warrior said in a tense voice as Sidon opened his door.
Sidon could see the worry in her eyes.
“Tully, what’s wrong?”
Her grip on her spear tightened as she looked up at her prince.
“It’s Y/N,” she stated.
Sidon’s heart dropped.
“She and Master Link were exploring the cliffs around the Domain, she lost her footing and hit her head when she fell-”
Sidon didn’t stay to hear the rest. He ran to the infirmary as fast as his legs would take him, praying to Hylia that you were alright.
“What’s happening? Is she okay? Can I see her?”
Sidon was out of breath, but that didn’t stop him from bombarding the healers with questions. They told him to slow down, catch a breath. He soon learned that although you were a little banged up, the damage is much less serious than they first anticipated. You were going to be fine.
Sidon sighed with relief and thanked the Goddesses above for watching over you.
“She’s been asking for you, actually,” one of the healers said to him as they gave him a knowing glance.
Sidon’s eyes grew wide.
“She… she has?” he asked in a nervous voice.
“She didn’t stop the whole way back.” A voice said.
Sidon turned to see his Hylian friend standing near doorway of your room. Link smiled softly up at him.
“You’re all she’s talked about all week.”
Sidon’s heart raced at this. Had everything, all of his worries, just been in his head?
Link chuckled a bit as he headed away from the doorway to main entrance of the infirmary. The young hero stopped just short of the entrance and turned back to the Zora prince.
“Sidon,” Link started.
Sidon turned back to him, a curious look in his yellow eyes.
Link glanced down to the floor as he thought about what to say. The hero didn’t really have a way with words, after all.
“Take care of her.” He said finally with a warm smile.
Sidon gave the Hylian a hard nod before his signature sharp-toothed grin graced his features.
“Of course, my friend.”
“Sidon,” you smiled sleepily at your shark-like friend as he took a seat next to your bed. Apparently, you didn’t have a concussion, but the healers still advised you to stay awake a bit longer.
“Why must you keep getting yourself hurt, little guppy?” Sidon laughed lightly as he laid his hand down onto yours. “You do know we can talk whenever, don’t you? Not just when you’re in the infirmary.”
You rolled your eyes at him but smiled weakly at his lame joke.
“Maybe I just like having a prince take care of me.” You jabbed playfully back at him. He chuckled softly.
“If that’s the case, then you’re in luck.” Sidon stated. Until this moment, you hadn’t noticed he had been carrying a small satchel. He opened it and pulled out an older book the two of you had planned on reading together, along with a few of your favorite cake-like treats from the kitchens.
“Thank you, Sidon,” you smiled up at him. “Hey, this is just like old times, right?”
Sidon smiled widely as you beamed at the gifts he had brought you. Perhaps the precise details of his confession could wait. For now, he was content to just share this moment with you.
“Yes,” he muttered. “Just like old times.”