#I was so happy to see Sidon again

[kenneduck]

I love the HC that Yona is Aro/Ace and she is 100% for Sidon being with Link cause she is very happy that if she is to be arranged in a marriage, it's one that's perfectly platonic, where Sidon too is happy.

And just Dorephan like... pestering about grandpups... and Yona like "Oh no... I am not pregnant... again... shucks. Damn. This is crazy. Shits crazy. Wow. Did not see that outcome. Insane."

Once the old man kicks the bucket Sidon is totally making it clear he's wed to Link and changing the dumb betrothal laws so Yona doesn't get screwed over either.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

Yo can I request something kinda like the post I had with the reader as the light dragon but for whoever you want to write for and their reaction? And their reaction when the reader turns back? I can just imagine so much fluffy stuff when they hold the reader in their arms again!

A/n:MY FRIEND! I AM SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG!

This was the only way the only way to make sure everyone you cared for was safe.Tears were streaming down your cheeks as you swallowed the stone, the sword clutched tightly to your chest. A bright light engulfing your body you vaguely heard Zelda’s voice then nothing.

Your last thought of being the one you loved most.

+Link+

Before

Couldn’t believe it at first, refused to believe it but seeing the tears watching what you went through. It made him sick.

He hated that he couldn’t have done something to protect you, He should have protected you because you should have never had to do something like that in the first place.

Link try’s to find comfort knowing you’re still alive, that you’re okay since it’s the only way he can move on.

He has too because it’s the only way he can fight to get you back.

After

Seeing you sleeping in the fields, it took a moment for him to realize that you were finally back, that you were back. He kept chanting in his head as he rushed to your side. He held you close, breathing in your scent praying that this was real. That it wasn’t some dream that he’d soon wake up from.

Your voice was soft as you held him, it finally hit him that he was crying in your arms.

“Thank you Link.”

But nothing mattered because you were back in his arms and he was never going to let you go again.

Pulling back for a moment you let your thumb brush his tears away, Link did his best to press his palm in your hand. He didn’t need to say anything, it just felt good to hold you again.

Leaning in he then placed his lips against yours keeping you tight against his chest. Returning the kiss you nearly melted in the man’s arms, you were finally home.

•

+ Zelda +

Before

She blamed herself, it should have been her! Why wasn’t it her. She couldn’t even look Link in the eyes, she felt so weak. She buries herself into research finding anyway to get you back. She keeps thinking that it should have been her, hates how people keep taking about you.

Zelda is determined to get you back, she will get you back!

After

Immediately tackles you in for a hug, it’s a little suffocating and you’re a little dazed and tired but you’re here and you’re back.

She’s scared to let you go so you just let her hold you, your fingers gently patting her back to reassure her.

“I’m sorry Zelda…I couldn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter! You’re here now y/n.” Zelda smiled softly, tear sliding down her cheeks as she rested her head against yours.

Laughing softly you cupped her cheeks drawing her in for a soft kiss. Breaking the kiss, Zelda let out a soft laugh she let herself relax in your arms. “I am so happy that you are okay.”

•

+ Sidon +

Before

Takes him much longer to find out, he heard rumors about you vanishing along with the Princess and Link and yet he refused to believe it. You couldn’t just vanish with out him knowing. Not when you both had a wedding to plan.

But when he sees a dragon flying over the Zora's Domain he couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity tugging at his heart strings but it wasn’t until Link and Zelda came he finally found out what happened.

He nearly broke down, his love changed to protect everyone. You were so close yet so far away, so out of reach from him. He was going to do anything in his power to get you back to him.

After

You were so tired, you didn’t remember much but it finally felt so good to be back in your lovers arms. Even though the man dwarfed you in height it did not stop him from lifting you off the ground to hold you as he nuzzled his face into your neck.

“I am so happy to have you home my love.”

Blinking back your own tears you smiled hiding your face into his neck. “I am happy to be home to.”

•

+ Teba +

Before

Teba couldn’t help but feel troubled hearing of your disappearance. He scolded himself for even letting you go along with the two. It made him feel worse knowing finding out what really happened to you but of course he would have to keep that information to himself.

He would often find himself flying next to you, it gave him some comfort even though you might not recognize him at least you were still here.

After

Easily caught you as soon as you started to fall, he chuckled at your flushing face. He did not realize how much he missed it. It felt good to hold you again and know matter how much you protested about being put down he knew that was not going to happen anytime soon.

He felt warm, he felt like home and it felt good to see him again. Sighing you shook her head pressing her face into the crook of his neck.

[therubberduckcult]

I feel like Sidlink is a much more interesting ship if you bring up the possible idea that it's Sidon who is in love with Link instead of it being the other way around

Sidon has a little boy crush on Link before the calamity and really looks up to him but knows that he has to push his feelings aside because... Well, he is a bab and his sister is supposed to marry Link

Then everything falls apart right before him and he thinks all is lost, so he grows up. He becomes a prince who his sister would be proud of and secretly hopes Link would have liked...

100 years pass, he is getting better and while he misses his sister, he still has family and friends... And then he sees Link again, and his heart races and he's so happy-

Almost at a loss for words, he still wants him yet he almost feels like he Still can't have him. So he settled for friendship.

Yet, he still wants, still wishes... He has a duty to fulfill but he still wishes...

[samuraionyourmom]

Thinking about BOTW skk AU instead of studying... I was inspired by @sensitiveheartless posts about them and couldn't stop thinking about it. I have some ideas of which characters I would put in which roles, so now you have to deal with my ramblings.

For starters, I'm basing everything off of the idea that Dazai is Zelda and Chuuya is Link, so the other characters will be selected based on their relationship to these two. I am weak for Princess Dazai and Knight in Shining Armor Chuuya in every AU, so if that's not your cup of tea, you probably won't like this.

Let's talk about the Champions. I will dicuss who I decided for each of them and why. I'm not entirely set in stone for this, and I am welcome to any suggestions anyone might have, but these are my choices so far.

Urbosa - Kouyou. In the game, Urbosa acts like a motherly figure towards Zelda, and the two have a very strong familal bond with one another. I was going to have Oda for this since Dazai is Zelda, but Gerudos being women is a pretty big deal in the games, so I just couldn't. Plus, Oda isn't exactly giving strong "Girlboss Queen of a tribe of Warrior Women" vibes. So, in this AU, Chuuya (Link) will be the one to have a close bond with the Gerudo chief instead of Dazai (Zelda).

Mipha - Oda. I would like to preface this that this choice is in no way romantic. No Odazai here. I chose this to balance out the relationships. If Urbosa (Kouyou) is going to be close with Link (Chuuya) in this AU, then Zelda (Dazai) will need someone to fill that role, so I chose Mipha, who orginally has a close relationship with Link. Oda is the one to nurse Dazai back to health in the Day I Picked Up Dazai, so I thought it was fitting that he would be the gentle healer.

Revali - Shirase. They're both little shits. Revali has a rivalry with Link throughout the games that stems from his own insecurities and issues with self-worth, which he takes out on Link, who won't fight back. This is similar to Shirase's own dislike and distrust of Chuuya. Plus, Shirase gets to be pretty sassy with Chuuya in Stormbringer when they meet up again. Idk. I just like to imagine Shirase being a stuck-up bitch to Chuuya like Revali is with Link. It's funny to me.

Daruk - Albatross. I knew I wanted one of the Flags for this role, but I had trouble selecting which one. I chose our little speedster just because he also likes to tease Chuuya like Daruk teases Link. Albatross isn't buffed up like Daruk, which is a bit of a problem for this role, but I think Alby would definitely be the one to dare Chuuya to eat a bunch of rocks like Daruk does in BOTW.

For the Descendants of the Champions, I'm not entirely sure. I'll do my best to put some characters into these roles, but they are subject to change since I haven't thought about this as much.

Riju - Kyouka. I think this one fits pretty well, all things considered. Both Riju and Kyouka are quite young, and both of them like stuffed animals, especially ones of their favorite animals of seals and bunnies, respectively. They try to hide this, though, as they see it as childish, trying to be more grown up than they are. Kyouka being Kouyou's descendant also fits really well, so I'm happy with this.

Sidon - honestly, I don't have a very good fit for this, to be honest. Oda doesn't have any siblings that we know of, and not many people fill the role of bubbly himbo prince. The best I have for this is Atsushi. He is in no way related to Oda like Sidon is with Mipha, but it's the best I can think of in terms of personality. Atsushi is optimistic and cares for the people around him and would gladly risk his life for their safety. Plus, he fits a similar role to Oda in Dazai's life, one that brings him comfort and a desire to do better, so they're related in that sense. Imagine Dazai, after 100 years of holding off Ganon/Fyodor, seeing Atsushi, and for some reason, being reminded of Oda in the boy's willingness to put his own needs aside to help others.

Teba - I don't have a very good fit for this, either. Teba doesn't offer us much in terms of personality. I'd argue he gives us the least information about himself out of any of the descendants. We know he's pretty isolated, and has a wife and children, but that's about it. I'm going to put Akutagawa in this role for the sake of being teamed up with Atsushi. Akutagawa certainly isn't a married man, and he doesn't have any relation to Shirase, but it's the best I've got.

Yunobo - idk. The Flags don't have much relation to anyone outside of Chuuya, so I don't have much to choose from for Albatross' descendant. For now, I've put Tachihara. He isn't very cowardly like Yunobo, but I wanted someone in the Port Mafia for this role to be somewhat close to Albatross. Also, I think it's funny to imagine Chuuya dragging Tachihara up Death Mountain like a disgruntled parent.

Again, I am open to suggestions if anyone has better ideas for these characters! I would love to talk about this if anyone is interested or has their own take.

Now, for the evil guys.

Ganon - Fyodor. If you've played the game, you know why. Come on. It works perfectly. Asshole that keeps trying to destroy the world who just keeps coming back no matter how many times he's gotten his ass beat. That is him.

Master Kohga - Nikolai. If Fyodor's gonna be Ganon, then of course Nikolai is gonna be Master Kohga. I think it works pretty well. They're both pretty silly but surprisingly capable. Although, I don't think Nikolai has an obsession with bananas...

That's about all I have. I had to write this down. It's been bouncing around in my head for a while. Idk if this even made sense to anyone but me. I hope it's coherent enough.

[leviosally]

2024 Fic Roundup / AO3 Ask Game

Thank you for the tag @gaiaseyes451 ! Sorry it took a bit to get around to this 💜

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens currently, but have written for The Witcher, and a bit for Legend of Zelda

How many words have you published in 2024?

459,251...that's not including my other account. Wahoo!

What is your greatest achievement this year?

I'm just so happy (and a little wistful) to have finished my long fic, Play for Me the Music of Your Heart It's been a long time in the writing (since 2022) and I'm so pleased to have crossed the finish line.

What are your favourite top three fics you've written this year?

(I technically have only written/added on to 2 fics this year 🙈)

Play for Me the Music of Your Heart- My 31 ch. Good Omens university music school AU that I finally finished!! May I offer you violinist Crowley? Or pianist/conductor Aziraphale?

Sweet Things - My short post S3 kinky fic from The Art of Yelling server's Valentine's Kink Calendar event. (CW sex with snake form Crowley)

( I wrote an rpf on almost this exact day a year ago though)

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

I worried myself several times (unnecessarily, but anxiety gremlins) that I would draw a complete blank on the final ch. of my long fic and fail to complete it. I gave the gremlins the finger.

What have you learned?

Tell the story you want to tell. Better to write for yourself and the handful of people the story will resonate with than to force a story you think will appeal to the masses. If it's pulling at you, it's pulling for a reason.--wise words there by gaia that I'm going to leave.

And also, just continuing to learn more about writing, art and the creative process in general.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Nothing that I started that didn't make it, plenty on the idea pile that I want to write.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

I did! I've looked at fic for @dat-carovieh, @nightgazings, @tawnyontumblr, there might be others that I'm forgetting and I'm so sorry, but all of you are wonderful writers and it was a pleasure working with you!

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

The Squire's Wife by @copperplatebeech - Good Omens. I have had it marked for later for forever, because 24 hours/day is criminal. It's wonderful! Copper's signature snappy, crisp prose, her wonderfully witty sense of humor and the absolute sorcery she invokes in her dialogue use make this a wonderful read. And of course, she had me at 'music au'.

The Red King's Consort by @okamiwind - This one is Legend of Zelda (BotW/ToTK) and the pairing Link/Sidon. It is one of the most beautiful fics I have ever read, pairings aside. It is scorching hot, evocative, and just lush. It's like eating a particularly rich truffle, and the pining and longing is off the charts gorgeous.

I did a lot of re-reading of comfort fics as well, as this year was quite stressful, so @mia-ugly Slow Show, @sevdrag, Old Vines, I will always love these from the bottom of my heart.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Let's see...I want to write my own Link/Sidon if the right idea hits. I also have a shorter kink fic in mind for GO as well as a meet-cute that's art student Crowley and figure model Aziraphale. Longer GO fic includes a wildland firefighter Crowley and forest service ranger Aziraphale fic (not 31 chapters again, Someone willing) and we got pretty jazzed about a drum corp AU on The Serpent and the Saint server last night, so...maybe a collab? 👀

I've also been told I need to get cracking on a historical original fic for Liszt/Chopin 😆😏

Who do you want to thank?

Oh godddd, so many amazing people: @ajconstantine, and @tybalttrouble my wonderful betas, and @dawn-the-rithmatist for yelling with me and cheering and also helping beta. WE MADE IT. Everyone on the Art of Yelling discord server, really, y'all are awesome.

@wingsofopal for your amazing art, your encouragement, and for reaching out and prodding me to open The Serpent and the Saint pub discord server to all the amazing people reading and supporting Play for Me the Music of Your Heart. @gaiaseyes451, @paperclipninja, @hermiola, @notalostcausejustyet (and special shout out to you, my dear, for helping me navigate formatting for print) and everyone else I didn't tag who is there, or that I can't find here, I LOVE YOU ALL TO ABSOLUTE BITS AND I DON'T DESERVE YOU 🥹😭🙏🫂

No pressure tags: @dat-carovieh, @badwolfbadwolf, @ambrasue I have no idea who hasn't been tagged yet, if you're mentioned above, also please take it as a tag. If you see this and want to play, please do!

[smallestapplin]

Will you ever learn?

Guess who’s back, and I’m dragging this entire fandom to my domain.

Based off this idea I had.

🔞18+Only! MDNI!🔞

Cw : slightly mean Sidon, DP, fucking his avatar. Afab reader.

Also thank @onestepbackwards for beta reading, I owe them.

-

-

-

To say Sidon was upset was an understatement, he was furious you would do something so careless!

You could’ve gotten hurt, and you didn’t even care, simply asking him ‘was that cool or what?’ He loves you dearly, but you’re going to send him to an early grave at this rate. Yet no matter how much he tried to reason with you, you wouldn’t hear it.

A loving partner must find a suitable punishment, right?

“Sidon, p-pleease! Fuck, fuck!-“

The prince is pulled from his thoughts at your pitiful sounds. He was so lost in his emotions, he almost forgot how he had you. Sidon looks up from his paperwork, nearly purring at the mess you’ve become. His cocks twitch against his stomach, feeling the phantom grip of your wet heat around him.

His avatar has you up, claws digging into your thighs.

It easily keeps them open as it fucks its cock into you, with the second one rubbing against your clit with every quick thrust. You can barely keep yourself up, gripping onto the avatar’s arms for support.

Sidon’s expression doesn’t change, only staring at your stuffed cunt flowing with the fake cum of his shade. He doesn’t recall how long he’s kept you like this, but Sidon is more than happy with the results.

“Please what, love? Last I checked, I didn’t say you could beg. Take your punishment like a good pet.”

He smiles so sweetly at your loud cry. Sidon loves watching how your body jiggles with every rough thrust, how you thrash and plead. You never say the word to end all of this.

The prince swears under his breath, bucking his hips into the air as he feels the sensation of you clenching.

“M’cummiiing!!” You toss your head back against the avatar’s chest, trembling as you cum yet again. You aren’t sure how much more you can take.

Sidon bites his lip, eyes fluttering watching and feeling you cum. His avatar slows to a stop, holding you steady and letting you catch your breath. You fall limp against the blue see-through chest, thinking that was the end of it.

“Hm, I do need to finish signing these. Perhaps you could come closer and let me enjoy the show.” He makes a gesture as his secret stone lights up for a moment.

A yelp escapes your throat as you're pressed against Sidon’s desk. Your hole is now empty, as his shade stands behind you. You’re face to face with your beloved, his smile wide and sharp as usual.

“Let’s prepare you for me.”

A hand is placed in between your shoulders, keeping you pinned, while the other grabs your hips, lifting them for the perfect angle so the avatar can bully both his cocks into you.

“S-Sidon! T’much, t’much, I can’t-!! Fuuuck!” You arch your back as best you could, nearly shrieking at the double intrusion.

Sidon hums softly, taking in your whorish expression. Moving a hand up, he gently glides his sharp claws from your collarbone and up, delighting in your shiver as he makes his way to your chin.

When his avatar pulls back his hips and roughly thrusts forward, you see white, feeling like the air was knocked out of your lungs . It moves its hands, grabbing your wrists and raising you up, exposing your chest to the prince.

Sidon’s eyes nearly glow watching your chest bounce with the ravenous thrusts, how the tears fall down your blissed-out face. You’re truly a sight to behold.

“I’m sorry! Sorry! It won’t- Mm! I won’t do it again!” Your drool hangs down your chin as your words begin to slur.

The Prince sighs, wishing he could believe that, but knowing you, you’ll think of a stunt to one-up the last.

“I’m sure you are, but we have to make sure you know better.”

You wail as Sidon’s hand cups your tits, caressing the supple skin before pinching and tugging at your nipples. Between his avatar’s hips violently bucking and his rough touches, you’re losing your mind.

“You make such a mess.” Sidon chuckles breathlessly, being able to feel you squeezing around his cocks.

“Too much! O-oh goddess t’deep-!!” Your mouth drops open, squealing. Your eyes roll back and your vision blurs.

Sidon swears, hips jolting as he cums with you, leaving his cum painting his stomach and lap. But it’s all worth it just to see you tremble and fall limp. He’s quick to make his avatar pull out of your well-loved hole, and carefully pick you up, the shade carries you around his desk to him, to which Sidon gently holds your panting form in his lap.

“You did so well for me, my little hero.” The large zora kisses your temple, before dismissing his avatar.

You faintly hum, leaning into him and his touch, feeling so fucked out of it.

“I suppose I was a little rough with you, I shall remedy that! Let’s get you cleaned up. After all, you were so good for me.”

You can barely giggle at the dozens of kisses he showers onto your sweaty, tear-stained face.

Unfortunately for Sidon, this might have had the opposite effect of what he wanted.

[jeannereames]

Two related questions :)

1. We know that over time Hephastion will become an important commander, how will your Hephastion behave as a commander? what will be his main qualities and what are the main differences between him and Alexander in terms of command?

2. I noticed that in the first book Cleitus doesn't get along very well with Hephastion, how do you see them both getting along with joint command of the most prestigious unit in the army?

For other readers, these questions are about Dancing with the Lion, the novels, not the historical people. While my characters are informed by my academic work, I obviously have to flesh them out for the books.

(My) Hephaistion is a reluctant but highly competent commander. I foreshadowed this in Rise when he takes command early in Alexandros’s self-imposed exile. Alexandros is too emotionally numb to do, so Hephaistion steps in. And he’s good at it. That’s the first hint of where he’ll excel: logistics and organization. But as soon as Alexandros is ready to resume leadership, Hephaistion is happy to hand it over. He’s simply not ambitious. People can be good at something without necessarily wanting to do it (regularly).

In the novels, Hephaistion won’t have much in the way of command initially because Alexandros has numerous older commanders who he inherited from Philippos. It wouldn’t be politically astute to just demote or get rid of these men. In his first few years in Asia, he did appoint several to fill satrapies in areas he’d conquered, men such as Antigonos, Balakros…even Nearchos. Nearchos doesn’t become his admiral until much later in the campaign when he’s recalled east from his assignment on the coast (Lycia/Pamphylia). Although in Nearchos’s case, he was there because Alexander (the historical man) trusted him. Alexandros (the character) will assign him there to keep an eye on the other powerful men who Alexandros doesn’t trust as much.

It won’t be until these replacements happen that we’ll see Hephaistion gradually move up. His first big assignment occurs in Sidon (slightly skewed in the novel from the histories, which are presented as a moral tale meant to mimic popular Roman myths of [et al.] Cincinnatus).

In general, he accepts commands because incompetence annoys him. In that, he and Alexandros are much alike. But while Alexandros will charm his way into “helping” you, Hephaistion will just rip whatever it is out of your hands and do it himself…faster. So, I don’t see him as a beloved commander, but do see him as a respected one, at least by the men he commands—who directly benefit from his competence (and fairness).

In terms of his skill-set, it’s the same as the historical man’s: organization/logistics and diplomacy. (My) Hephaistion is not, however, the person Alexandros sends when he wants to charm somebody. But he is the person Alexandros sends when he needs a commander who can effect a quick (and accurate) assessment of interpersonal dynamics and any weaknesses (or strengths) of an opponent. He’s not easy to fool.

Moreover, if he may not be the soul of charm, he also isn’t a bull in a China shop; he can be perfectly polite, if reserved. He can also be sneaky in a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth way—also not unlike Alexandros. In book 3, King, he’ll function as Alexandros’s spy at one point, precisely because he can convincingly play pretty-but-dumb. This, again, was foreshadowed in book one, Becoming, where he tricks Kassandros at the very beginning by pretending to be what Kassandros took him for: a backwoods bumpkin. (That’s still one of my favorite scenes in book 1, and among the few I wrote way back in 1988/89 that’s still in the published version.)

Anyway, Hephaistion is diplomatic in the sense that he “reads the room” well and doesn’t often lose his cool (or his temper). When he decides to go after somebody, it will be entirely pre-meditated, and usually devastating. In that, he’s completely different from the hot-tempered Alexandros (and most of their friends). But it works well for him in command because the soldiers, and later officers, serving under him can’t easily rile him up. (Krateros is another matter, but more on that later.)

As for the second half of your question: Kleitos and Hephaistion will never be bosom buddies because they’re such different personalities, but over time, Kleitos has revised his opinion of Hephaistion. When the latter first arrived in Pella, Kleitos thought him a spoilt fancy-boy, which drove Hephaistion’s reactionary responses. At that point, he’s still young enough to be triggered. As he ages, and grows in confidence, he’s less easy to provoke. Kleitos also comes to recognize his skill as a fighter. Hephaistion will never be an especially gifted battle commander, nor is he “warm” enough that men will follow him through hell and high water the way the will Alexandros, or Parmenion, or Krateros. But he is a leader rather than a “boss,” which goes a long way. He learned that from Alexandros, and it’s also in his basic nature. He won’t ask people to do what he won’t do himself. But he also won’t chit-chat with you while you’re both doing it. 😆

Thus, Kleitos comes to respect him. At the end of Rise, note that Hephaistion has beaten Kleitos in Single Combat, even if he didn’t win overall first place. That little victory goes some way towards Hephaistion being able to let go of his long-nursed resentment towards Kleitos. He’s proven himself to himself, which matters most.

So yes, they’ll be able to work with each other later.

[that-vexaholic-cryptid]

Flurry Rush

The light came through the sky so brightly it seemed to make everything it touched new again. All around where I stood, Hyrule shed the darkness that suffocated it for a century. The water, the earth, the air in my own lungs was radiant with life. Yet, I could not breathe.

"Do you really remember me?," she asked.

There she stood, no longer a voice in my head. No longer a splinter in my mind. No longer a figment of my imagination. Her Highness, the pure white of her sacremental gown still caked in dirt and dried blood, like the memory. I think it was a memory. But her eyes, that smile as warm as the sun, her hands clasped to her chest as if she was praying to Hylia still when she asked that question.

"Do you really remember me?" echoed internally.

The question struck me like a moblin's club. My chest twinged and I felt time stop as if I was striking down a hoard of enemies or loosing a dozen arrows. Was this what it felt like to be on the other side of that?

Ever since leaving the Great Plateau, it had seldom occurred to me to dwell on... me. Or him. Or the he I used to be. I am He... aren't I?

All I knew when I stepped on to that cliff was that I was alive, and happy. And confused. And hungry. The world was familiar but unrecognizable at the same time. I did what the old man asked and just wanted to be done with him so I could find some shelter that wasn't falling apart and get food. If I was really asleep for a hundred years, my stomach certainly felt like it. And I hated that man.

Before I knew anything else, it was him. I had nothing but rags and a stick, and here this man is, chuckling, demanding, ordering. Every time he spoke, my joy at being alive was sunk by what he expected of me. This alleged king, King of Ashes. King of Ruins. King of Nothing. At the bottom of the weight I felt anywhere near him was disdain that I knew went far back into who I used to be.

"Do you really remember me?" Answer her, you fool! Speak! Speak, damnit!

But there are no words. I was frozen, falling, trying to aim, where am I falling, is this another flashback, again, now? Answer... What is my answer!? I can find it... aim... breathe... aim... breathe... breathe...

Her Highness is a supernaturally patient woman.

I have been all over this land, I have scoured from under every bush and picked from every tree. I have climbed to every peak and fallen into every lake and stream. I have met every person and battled every beast from the drifts of Gerudo Highlands to the sands of Rist. But why? Why did I do this? Because it was fun. I enjoyed it. I loved stopping at stables and joking with children, and helping those who needed it. If nothing else, I could cook food and listen to their stories. These people filled me with so much curiosity and joy. I was having so much fun out here, away from that old man, away from that dank cave. The more I wandered, the more connected I felt to everything around me. Connected to... there... this... place... Impa said when I was ready... I'm.... I'm not...I'm falling.... At

This

Place

I can't see

Everything hurts

There's.... screaming

They can't get through. The swords can't get through them... Those machines.... They can't get through! There's so much screaming, so much fire, stay behind me! Stay behind me! Behind me... My sister?... Home. They can't get through! Princess, stay down! Please, get back! That sound... What is that sound? Lieutenant, flank right and aim for the eyes! The eyes! They're crawling up the walls... They're crawling up the walls... THEY'RE CRAWLING UP THE WALLS...

Swords and screaming and I can't breath, I can't breathe.. I can't... Zelda no... Please... Plea.... I can't... See... I can't see... see.

"Do you really remember me?"

The light. The blinding light. I remember the light. And that's the last thing I remember.

But I have been told more. I paid no attention to those things until meeting Sidon. He was a strange person, but stranger still was that he believed in believed in me so completely without knowing me. I think? He brought me to his people and they certainly seemed to know me. But as beautiful as Zora's Domain was, there was something beneath it.

The statue in the center of it all. Mipha, I'm told. I looked up at her. If her diary is to be believed, which I've no reason to doubt, I spent much of my life looking up at her. The chastising. Zelda did that, too. I remembered Mipha's healing touch on my wounds. Her touch, her gaze, her voice. It was all so soft. But here she is now, cut into stone. Cold. Dead.

And all the Zora knew me as the reason why. Except Sidon. If he knew me when Mipha had, would he hate me too? Maybe, but right now he didn't care. He knew only that I was right for his task, and knew I could do it. I was just going along with this excitable stranger because he was another person in need and had a smile that made me laugh. Besides, how could I turn down so much effervescent charm?

At least until I saw the statue. And Muzu. He spoke with such conviction regarding my failure. And shame could have poured out of me like so many of the waterfalls that surrounded us.

I knew I couldn't fail again. I had to do this. And I saw what Sidon was putting me up against and I thought he was out of his briney mind. I was terrified the entire time. Sidon moved so fast the water rushing seemed to burn, the constant barrage of shards of ice, dangling off the nose of a thousand foot mechical beast... And the blight. The blight that smelled like a corpse and dripped with rage. The shock and satisfaction that surged through me knowing that I destroyed what took her away. The relief when I saw her and knew that she forgave me. She remembered me. She believed in me. Sidon believed in me. The Zora now believed in me. And now I believed in me.

"Do you really remember me?"

I believed in her. I always believed in her.

The flashbacks could only tell me so much. They can tell me what happened, but not who I am. I'm not sure I ever knew who I was. I was young, I had friends, I had family, and I loved to explore. Mipha knew all of that to be true. And she loved me for it. Yet what it got me took me away from her, from myself. There would have been no difference between me finding this sword in the forest or falling into a hole in the ground. I took it back to father who saw it, dropped his ax, and rushed me inside. He sent for a Sheikah, who brought another, and another, each one looking more serious than the last. I sat in the back of the house and watched for hours as my future was planned out for me by strangers. My father, a veteran himself, arguing with a Royal Guard captain with tears in his eyes. He knew what this meant. They all knew what this meant. I didn't know what this meant. But it wasn't my choice. By the end of the night, my childhood was over.

The next day a side of my father came out I'd never seen before. He was a soldier in his own home. As the day broke, we went to the side yard and stared at the banner of The Kingdom of Hyrule waving in the sunrise, saluted, and we drilled. For hours. Days. Years. Until I was the youngest cadet ever admitted to the academy. I could pick up the sword, I could make it dance through the air, but no matter how much I trained with it, it never felt lighter. Despite this, I rose through the ranks. Defeated challenger after challenger. It seemed like I could level a dozen men in the blink of an eye. I was respected. Admired. Awarded with a deep blue Guard uniform and cap. And in short order, I was commanding men of the same rank that visited my house that day.

I looked up and saluted the old man, and caught a glimpse of his daughter over his shoulder. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy. The sudden death of the Queen had shaken us all, but none more than this family. No one knew what had happened. The Sheikah advisors made it seem like she was suddenly called up to the heavens and no further explanation was offered, except for Seer Astor asserting "the time has come for us all, the future as it will and must be."

King Rhoam had the same gaze as my father. Our first duty was to protect him and Princess Zelda, who was no older than me. The Royal Guard was assigned to protect the palace as the delegations from Gerudo, Zora, and Gorons arrived to pay their respects. Chief Urbosa was granted free movement around the palace as she was set on consoling the Princess and would simply not be told otherwise.

The Kingdom and the Gerudo Tribe had never has the friendliest relations, but what was going on between the King and Chief Urbosa was something else entirely. The two met privately in the Dining Hall and shouted at each other for hours, and when Urbosa shouted me and the men could feel our hair stand on end. When she finally burst out of the door, she strode up to me with her hand toward my face. A spark whipped from her finger as she wagged it at me before saying as calmly as she could, "No matter happens, you protect that girl. Understood?" I swallowed and nodded, and she departed. She stormed by the great Daruk of the Gorons, who seemed to mouth 'yikes' before following her at a safe distance.

That was the last time she allowed on palace grounds until she was made Champion at the Princess' request.

The Princess kept a low profile. She was rarely allowed out of the castle except for diplomatic errands. Servants would come and go from her study with stacks of books, some looking like they hadn't been opened in a thousand years. If her company wasn't kept by scholars and librarians, it was the Sheikah priests and priestesses and poets and researchers. I watched her spend years with people constantly circling around her like vultures. Princess Zelda only knew me by the sword I carried, and once in awhile she would glance at me as if I was mocking her with it. She never spoke to me directly until I was assigned to be her escort. But I knew the weight she was carrying. It was as heavy as mine.

"Link... Link... Wake up, Link."

I drew my breath in sharply.

"Do you really remember me?"

There were no words. In that moment, I remembered everything. Fragments of broken memories fell into place. I knew why I did it all. I knew why the light at Fort Hateno felt so warm that night. I knew failure and forgiveness. I knew regret and I knew relief. I knew gratitude and I knew grief. But is it mine, or is it his? How could I possibly answer her if I don't know myself?

Time was speeding up. I can't keep her waiting much longer. It was all too much. It felt at once like I'd known her my whole life and we were just meeting for the first time.

She looked at me, her smile like the sun, and I walked to her, buried my face in her shoulder, and sobbed.

We both dropped to the ground in silence. We held each other. We watched the chaos of the Calamity dissolve into mist. Every remaining Sheikah came rushing to the castle grounds bringing food and blankets. Zelda and I simply sat at watched the commotion for awhile, we were both so very tired. Impa sent Cado and Dorian to secure the castle while Paya excitedly retrieved Zelda's belongings and new clothing. Robbie and Purah materialized out of thin air and almost immediately began to bicker about recycling all of mechanical debris. It was all okay, it was all out of love. Zelda and I looked at each other and laughed. We could breathe again.

We took one last look back at what we were leaving behind of ourselves, of what we needed to be. And the spirits of our loved ones that looked upon us with pride. Even Revali seemed to make a nod of approval, then a sarcastic gesture in my direction, before flying into the clouds one last time.

Impa approached us gingerly. "There may yet be other threats lying in wait, Your Highness. Hyrule is now yours, and we are at your service. But you cannot stay here. This castle still fills me with unease. Where would you like to go?"

Zelda looked to me and I nodded in return, then she returned to Impa, who seemed to already know the answer.

"Ahem," she began, blushing. "Link and I will be retiring to Hateno. It is quiet and safe. I firmly believe I will be of greatest use there, and Link has volunteered his continued services as my escort. And personal cook." she added, her cheeks now red as hearty radishes.

"Oooh," Impa acknowledged, "how very sweet of him."

I let out a "huh?" before standing at attention. Zelda began "Yes he certainly... I mean of course! He's simply doing his duty. Are you implying something? Don't be silly... we're simply..." Impa turned and walked us to the carriage. "Of course, Your Highness, of course."

~Disclaimer~ This is the first fanfic I've ever written.

[ellies-chaos-corner]

So I'm writing a sidlinkyona fanfic-

@pseudocyance gave me the idea to post it on Tumblr, and I'll post it in chapters!

Without further ado, here is chapter 1 of Water and Wishes!

---------------------------------------------------

It was a moonlit night in Hyrule, and Link was all alone. Hyrule had already been saved, and Link's obligation to save Hyrule had been broken. The hero was still yearning for someone however, and that someone was a certain king of the Zora.

Sidon was his best friend—and even though Link wanted to just think of him as that—he couldn't suppress the feeling of love for him. It didn't help that Sidon was already engaged to Yona. Even if Link wanted to ask Sidon to be his lover, he couldn't because the king already loved Yona. Link wasn't mad at either of them; he just wanted to love Sidon.

Link couldn’t help but glance at Sidon's avatar, which was standing watch beside him. It was his best friend in spirit, but it wasn't really him. It wasn't Sidon; Link would have to go to the domain to see the real king. Why did he feel like this? What made Sidon so… different from everybody else?

Link could only wonder as he sat by the water of Lake Hylia. He looked over at Sidon's avatar again, and he sighed softly.

“Why do you have to be so… perfect?” Link asked Sidon's avatar. “Why do you have to be the greatest guy I've ever met?”

Sidon's avatar didn't respond, as it was just his spirit. Why did everything have to be so difficult? Link's mind then drifted to thoughts of what it would be like if Sidon loved him. It would be wonderful to be loved by him in Link's opinion. Sidon was just so dreamy to Link.

Meanwhile, Sidon was alone with Yona in their room in the Zora Palace. They were madly in love with each other, even though their marriage was arranged by their fathers. Sidon and Yona were perfect for one another, but Sidon still felt incomplete. He too loved Link—and he knew that Yona wouldn't mind—but he didn't want to tell her. Yona herself had a hunch that Sidon was head over fins for Link, as she noticed that Sidon spoke of him so fondly and often.

“Sidon, dear, is there anything you'd like to tell me?” Yona asked, a smug smile on her face.

“What? No, everything is fine!” Sidon responded. “Though I have to tell you that I'm so glad to have you as my queen.”

“You do know that you can tell me anything, right dear? Is there anything you'd like to tell me about Link?”

“Anything other than that he is my best friend?”

“Yes, Sidon. I already know that. It's just that you seem very enamored by him.”

“Enamored? What do you mean, Yona?”

“You love him, Sidon. I know that you do.”

“What? No! I can't love him, I already love you so much!”

“You can love more than one person, Sidon. I don't mind that you love him, I just want you to be happy. He's a charmer I must admit, and I can see why you love him so much.”

“You've caught me red-handed, Yona. I do love Link. You really don't mind?”

“No, I don't mind one bit, Sidon. We should have a picnic with him soon, so that we can both confess our feelings to him and have a nice conversation.”

“That sounds perfect, Yona. You are the best queen I could ever ask for!”

“And you're the best king that I could hope for, Sidon.”

[aikoiya]

LoZ TotK: The Symbolism Behind Link's Rings & the Handshakes

I actually don't really see the scene where Sidon kneels to Link & gives him a ring in a proposal way.

For one, the ring that appeared was on Link's right-hand pointer finger, not the left-hand ring finger, which is an important distinction as a ring on the right pointer is symbolic of authority, leadership, self-esteem, & confidence. It was also the most common place for a man's signet or crest. In some parts of Europe, it was even forbidden for people below a certain rank to wear one as it denotes a very specific family status. It's also a common place for fraternal or family rings. Which actually makes perfect sense for Sidon as a person as well as his relationship with Link. Seeing that, before the Calamity, he likely believed that his sister would marry Link who would then be his brother-in-law as indicated here.

Now, admittedly, a man's right pointer is used for wedding bands in the Jewish culture, but somehow I doubt that Sidon is representative of being Jewish.

There is also the way that Sidon's holding Link's hand when he makes his vow as a sage, which appears to be in more of a two-handed handshake which are typically used by politicians to convey that they are warm, trustworthy, friendly, & honest. Specifically, Sidon's hand is on top of Link's, but very specifically isn't touching his arm or wrist, which is supposed to convey sincerity. If his hands had been touching either, then it would indicate that Sidon wanted something from Link. I've also seen it said that it's a sign of gratitude & that when someone shakes your hand like that, they are conveying that they are genuinely, sincerely happy to see you.

Yes, he's kneeling, but keep in mind that Sidon is also very tall & it's possible that Sidon wanted to give them a more even playing field.

As such, all the signals I'm getting are pointing towards this interaction being platonic & possibly fraternal in nature.

If this were a confession or a proposal, the way that Sidon would be holding Link's hand would be far more tender than it is.

However, let's walk through the other rings & possibly their handshakes as well real quick & see if there's a trend.

Yunobo's was the right thumb which symbolizes wealth & influence, as well as strength of character, willpower, & freedom of thought. Which could work as he's the president of YunoboCo. Thumb gestures are also associated with interaction & friendship. Again, this works. Add to that the fact that the ring was passed via fist bump, which can be used as a sign of giving someone your respect or approval as well as signifying a companionship between the 2 involved, which you also can see Yunobo's expression of respect & approval for Link when he does it.

Tulin's ring is on the right pinky, which in the case of a man's right hand specifically, represents things you have accomplished personally as well as intelligence & communication skills. It is often where you wear family crests. Also fairly accurate considering Tulin's arc was about proving himself fully-fledged to his father. I couldn't really get a good look at Tulin's handshake, but it appeared to be a typical, friendly shake. So, not much there.

Mineru's is on the right middle finger, which symbolizes structure, balance, conscience, order, & purpose. It can also reflect things for which you feel responsible or ways that you seek balance in your life. And, I could see this working for her, I suppose.

Her handshake...

No idea what the hell kinda shake that is, but I'll do some research & get back to you.

I'm seeing that turning one's palm face upward is a sign of submissiveness, but I dunno. Someone did bring up the fact that this was essentially Mineru holding her brother's hand one last time, which is important here, because for every other Sage, the thing highlighted was their relationship with Link, but it's possible that whatever the hell kinda handshake is going on here might have some significance to Mineru's relationship with Rauru.

Anyway, Riju's ring is on the right ring finger, which depends on the culture we're talking about. The right ring finger, of course, symbolizes engagement here in the west, but that'd be creepy af in this situation, so hell no. Now, in some religious organizations, this is also a symbol of a sign of the individual's authority & religious devotion. Not to mention, it's also associated with the sun, as well as beauty & creativity. If nothing else, authority, the sun, & beauty works for her as the Gerudo Chief. Not to mention, her fighting style in AoC was pretty damn creative.

As for her handshake, it at first seems to be a regular one until just after, when she pushes back & away, indicating that she is performing "the pusher." This is done by extending the arm so that Link can't get closer to her, which would be interesting as it'd indicate that she needs both physical & emotional space to be comfortable. This suggests that she's hesitant to let others get closer to her. Which is interesting considering what we read about her in her journal.

I suppose that in a way, I believe that I see these vows & rings as being more signs of the Sages swearing oaths of fealty to a king.

After all, Link gains the right arm of a king in this game. It's also been implied throughout both games that there's something going on between Link & Zelda. This game, specifically, suggests that they are not only living in the same house, but sleeping in the same, very small bed. Which would mean that they were common law married.

If this is true, then it's possible that Link could become, depending on how Hyrule's customs involving such things work, King of Hyrule & if not that then Prince-Consort.

Ganon's declaration at the beginning of the Japanese version of the game that "I am the true King of Hyrule" even gives a bit of an impression.

There's also how the illusion in the castle showcased 2 thrones sitting side-by-side rather than just one.

As such, it's clear that Ganondorf at least believes that the 2 are together.

While up in the air, I feel like there's enough evidence to suggest that my theory could be possible.

LoZ Wild Masterlist

[thezoraprince]

“Will You Marry Me?” - Sidon x reader

“I have no idea how to word this and I’m so sorry if it’s a bad request but randomly I just thought of Sidon and hylian reader being friends when they were younger and Sidon asking her to marry him or something (the zora way), and she just responds with “if you can ask me that same question in a hundred years, I’ll marry you” and then they meet up again a hundred years later cause we started traveling with link and now they are sitting in the same spot and Sidon asks the same question😭 I know this is really bad but like” - anon

oh. mY. GOD! THE FEELS!! the friendship. the passing of time. everything. everything about this request is great. trust me, you did the lord’s work here by sending this in :’)

i had this all written out, and wanted to wait to post this one tomorrow. however, i’m feeling emotional tonight, and i felt posting it was needed.

i hope you enjoy (because this one is probably one of my favorites) <333

y/n - your name

“When we’re old enough, will you marry me?”

you were just kids

play pretending around the Bank of Wishes

but he wasn’t playing at the moment

he was serious about his statement

“Sidon… Zora’s age a little differently than Hylians…”

“I know…”

you sighed

“If you can ask me that again in a hundred years, I will.”

Sidon laughed

he knew your answer would have been different if Hylian’s and Zora’s aged the same

however, he also knew that you were both too young to get married regardless

time passed 

things changed

but your friendship never faded

never

but then

you were put into stasis

Purah and Impa thought it was best, since you were technically helping Link on his quest to save Hyrule

you wake up in a foggy haze

hardly remembering anything 

‘Where am I?’

as you venture along though, your memories start to return

even before you remember Sidon and Zora’s Domain, you’re heading that way

because your body just… leads you

it remembers the things you don’t

and here you are

standing in the domain’s center

hoping that someone could lead you in the right direction

lead you to remembering why you’re here

and there’s Sidon

Vah Ruta had already been taken care of

and he was running his daily errands

when he sees you, he drops EVERYTHING in his arms

he runs to you

wrapping his arms so tightly around your body

as if you’d been missing for a century

to him, though, you had been

“Y/n!”

he’s holding you so tightly

tears streaming down his cheeks and into your hair

you’re still trying to remember

but his touch feels so familiar to you

the Zoras in the area are starting 

but Sidon doesn’t care

“I’m so happy you’re safe.”

it takes some time to re-familiarize yourself with the domain

and Sidon is more than happy to help you regain your memories

he’s so understanding

and patient

oH HYLIA this man is patient

he tells you stories of your past

and stories of after you’d left

he makes everything seem so crystal clear

and once you fully regain a sense of self

and once your memories have returned

you remember what he said all those years ago

but you don’t say anything

because you know he couldn’t possibly remember something so small and silly

but still

you find yourselves sat at the Bank of Wishes

wading your feet in the water

your head laying against Sidon’s arm

and he smiles at you

“You know I love you, right?”

and you smile with a light, cheerful laugh

“I do.”

and he’s silent for a moment

he stares out into the water, thinking

“Do you remember what I asked the last time we were here? I’m sure it’s a bit fuzzy, but I wan—”

“I remember, Sidon.”

and his focus shifts to you

his eyes are wide

and he looks as if he’s seen a ghost

“I remember it well, actually. I remember the lotus flowers being in full bloom, just like they are now; how clear the sky was; how… how young we were…”

he’s silent still

“I remember.”

“Good.”

your focus on the water now 

you’re half expecting him to make a joke about how young and naive the both of you were

but

he doesn’t

“My feelings for you haven’t faded, you know…”

and you simply nod, still staring at the waves in the river

he caresses your face

“Y/n…”

you turn to face him

and his eyes gleaming from the sunlight’s reflection on the water

he stares at you for just a moment before placing his lips on yours

he’s soft

he’s warm

inviting

he pulls away slowly, his hand still placed on your cheek

“Is your answer still the same?”

you don’t speak

he knows your answer

but he still wants to ask

“Y/n, will you marry me?”

[askthezoraprince]

🦈 - "Hold on for just a moment, I thought I was the Prince of the Zora?"

- @ask-sidlink

(OOC my Sidon is from a universe where AoC didn't happen, so you're welcome for universe breaking :3)

Two of me? Again? Well, I'm glad to see that you've found happiness in your parallel universe! How did things work out with Link?

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #32 | 06.27.23

Hi everyone!

I'm here! With an Update! This is an exciting one because I am Finally releasing a Full! Game! <3 I will obviously still be talking about Alaris, but I am vibrating with excitement because I can't wait to release intertwine to you all! THE RELEASE DATE APPROACHES

Writing

Because we entered crunch mode for intertwine, this month was mostly focused on continuing to fill out Druk's route and my dissertation.

I didn't make as much progress on Druk's route as I would've liked (I was hoping to FINISH it, but Otojam crunch wrecked my ass). But I do have most of the route finished! At this point, I only have the final chapter to go, so we are Very Close! Druk's route is shaping up to be a really fun one. I like to sprinkle humor into all the routes, but because of Druk's character, there are a lot of funny (at least to me) cast interactions. I hope people enjoy it as much as I do because I have a big fat crush on him now!

Regarding editing, we are just about rounding out the last of Fenir's developmental edits (courtesy of local superhero dev Wudgeous of Herotome) and Kayn's line edits (courtesy of local royalty IF writer Vi of Next in Line). With Fenir's script coming up on the last of the developmental edits, that is basically two routes that are going to be ready for beta-testing after the updated demo, which is very exciting! I am extremely happy with how Fenir's route has turned out after some developmental revisions, and I hope you all like the sweet little (grumpy) baby's route!

Art

Again, most (all) of my attention was on intertwine art assets this month. I was focused on the rest of the GUI, sprite expression, and CGs so that the game will be ready for release at the end of this month!

I'm really happy with how intertwine has come out visually considering the two month time crunch! Many of the playtesters mentioned how they liked the GUI and overall aesthetic of the game, which---for my pea-sized brain that has no object permanence when it comes to compliments---meant the world to me!

Review of intertwine Screenshots (left to right, starting at the top row): Main Menu Screen, Options/Preferences Screen, In-Game Dialogue Preview, Exhibit Preview

For Alaris, I did still get some new backgrounds from Vui, and while they are beautiful, I can no longer share them since they venture into spoiler territory. Sorry folks!

I have a sneak peek of a little Something Something.

Adorable emotes for a certain Something Something! That's all I will leave you with for now <3

Additional Notes

I spent A LOT of this month coding. I re-entered programming hell to get intertwine up and running. There were a lot of features that I coded for the first time, like a texting interface, some animations, and one Special, Very Game-Centric Feature That I Can't Disclose Due to Extreme Spoilers. It was really rewarding to see it all come together, and I am pretty happy with the end result ^^

You don't even know the hell I went through to customize this texting feature

We also have a lovely voice actor for Van, which we revealed on Twitter. Max has been an amazing talent to work with, and I am in love with the way he brought Van to life!!

Finally, I spontaneously ended up working with Orpheo Fenn and Kija of Faefield Productions for a custom intertwine soundtrack. I've been wanting to work with them for a while, so I'm so happy we were able to collab!

No market research this month, except for the fact that I played Tears of the Kingdom a little bit in my free time ^^ I am so in love with Link. Also, I didn't see the appeal to Sidon in the first game, but for some reason in this game, It Clicked. Like I Get It.

That's all from me for this month. Look forward to an intertwine release in the coming days! I'm excited to get back into Alaris full-swing this upcoming month. I didn't think I'd feel this way after feeling oversaturated with them for a hot minute, but I miss my Alaris gang <3 See you all next month, and stay safe!

[fatuismooches]

Happy 2 year anniversary for one of the best blog for us Fatui kissers 🙏🛐 💞 thank u for always providing (blessed) us Harbinger content (even though we always experiencing having a long drought of Fatui content-) and still writing them for the past 2 years.

Don't forget to take care of ur self and stay safe. I wish u a good fortune for u, ur family and ur future 🙏🛐 *sending virtual hugs to u* good luck with ur Zelda gameplay there 👀

-🥝

THANK YOU BELOVED 🥝 ANON!!! I'M SO HAPPY YOU'VE BEEN AROUND THE WHOLE TIME!! ❤️❤️❤️ and i am more than happy to keep writing for these sillies, yea we're not seeing them anytime soon but i will write the canon myself if i have to <3

Please take care of yourself too 🥝 anon and thank you ❤️ *hugs* AND YEA EWJDBEWDB- it's very fun and refreshing to dive into a new game again- however i must say i am a Sidon kisser. i have no regrets. Guardians are too scary though, and i suck at perfect dodging but we will get there!!

[clockwise-works]

I swear you made a post talking about Miphlink TotK and I liked a lot of points in it and don’t have a chance to reblog but maybe I’m going insane 😂

Anyway, I’ve got a whole morning to vibe and am trying to figure out if I’m gonna vibe with Miphlink Baby Brainrot

Your definitely not going insane, I just wanna reassure you on that.

Being completely honest I ended up deleting it about 2 nights ago. I definitely regret it now, but at the time it had gotten maybe one note over a little under a week's course, and I began to think it wasn't all that good and I was flooding the miphlink tag with garbage, or that i was annoying people and directly tagging you was overstepping (which im certain isnt the case, just that late night worse case thinking). I think i also ended up removing two art posts since i wasnt happy with them, so my lesson has been learned. Don't make unchangeable decisions about your blog at 3am 😅

As for the post itself, I am glad that you liked the points! I could try to retype it up and readjust some stuff with hindsight (like instead of saying Sidon got sent off to Yona's domain when Link went missing, he was simply visiting Yona's domain prior to Ganondorf's awakening, and has remained there when everything went to shit. Still a little contrived, but not as much). The main thing I wasn't happy with was Zelda, as it seems like see was still boxed into "being sent to the past." One of the coolest parts of AoC was watching her grow and become more self-assured and confident, eventually leading all of Hyrule herself. She had dominant control over the story in the present, and it would be cool to see that continue in a Zonai Age AoC followup story, but it's tough trying to figure out what to do with her. Unfortunately I am at work, so if I do type this up again it would take some time, so Miphlink Morning Vibes will most likely be over 😔

[sombersummerskies]

A Champion's Love: Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Trails End Word Count: 4011 CW: Blood

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

~~~ <> ~~~

“So, I surveyed the land today in an effort to both keep myself busy and plan for the next trial. Past the eastern exit of the palace is Mikau Lake, this is where the glowing point shows up on the slate’s map,” Zelda explained to you, “at the base of the lake is a glowing blue ring, similar to the one you described for the first trial. I can only assume that this reflects the final verse in Kass’ song ‘chase rings of the waterfall’. Above Mikau Lake is a series of small and large waterfalls which end at a small cliff below the very top of Ploymus Mountain.”

You were listening intently to the princess as she spoke. Your meeting with the king had been adjourned and he’d been happy to approve of your trip to the next trial point upon seeing that you were indeed healthy and properly healed. Now you were sitting on the steps leading up to the throne room, looking down at the map of Zora’s Domain as she pointed out each spot.

“Brilliant. Shall we head out now?” the prince asks.

He was standing a few steps behind you, and while you couldn’t see him, you could practically feel his presence.

Zelda nods as she hands the Sheikah Slate over to you for safekeeping, “I don’t see why not. We’ve got plenty of daylight left, and it wouldn’t take us long at all to reach Mikau Lake. We should have no need to bring a squadron of guards this time, upon my survey of the land I saw no monsters in the area.”

You push yourself up and stretch your arms up, “sounds good to me, I’ve just gotta get the Zora armor then I’ll meet you guys at the east exit?

“Yes of course, I’ll let Muzu know that we’re leaving and meet you there as well,” Zelda replies, giving you a small wave before she walks up the steps back into the throne room.

This leaves you alone with the prince, whom you smile awkwardly at before dashing down the steps. You hear him call out your name, yet you pretend not to hear him as you speedily head into the palace corridors back to your bedchambers.

‘Ughhh, what are you doing? You can’t just blow him off and ignore him like that after what just happened, you’ll have to talk to him about it eventually,’ you grumble inwardly. 

You move quickly once in your room, fitting the armor over your torso and securing it in all the right places. As you tighten all of the necessary straps and slip on your gloves, your mind is swimming with thoughts and questions. However, you attempt to push them all aside as you run out of the bedchambers and up to the east exit.

You arrive at the center of the bridge where a small arch offers shade from the sunlight. You lean against the pillar of the arch and sigh, thinking to yourself, ‘I’ll talk to him after this final trial. Let’s sort out this Divine Beast business, then I can sort out these feelings.’

A few minutes pass and eventually Sidon shows up, with Captain Bazz walking beside him. The two are having what appears to be a rushed conversation, speaking in hushed tones. You notice that as they approach the arch way, Bazz repeatedly throws a few glances your way before leaning over to the prince and whispering something to him.

Sidon brushes his friend away, and the captain laughs playfully as he jogs away, most likely to return to his post. The prince sighs, adjusting his arm bands and sash before walking up to you. You notice him hesitate before he speaks.

“Hello again, little one,” he greets you nervously, with a very visible blue blush on his face, “would you mind if we discussed what happened before-”

You’re quick to interrupt him, your own face feeling hot with blush, “look, can we talk about this after the final trial? I feel like it might be a… complicated conversation.”

The prince quickly nods in agreement, “yes yes, you’re correct, apologies.”

He goes silent, as do you, and the tension in the air feels thick enough to be sliced by even the dullest, rusted blade.

There’s a pitter patter against the smooth stone flooring, and you look up to see the princess running over with a smile on her face, “the King is aware of the trip, and Captain Bazz says he’ll be keeping an eye on the area just in case any trouble arises- ummm… are you two alright?”

She looks between both you and Sidon with a confused expression.

“Y-yeah! No, we're fine, everything’s good, we were just waiting for you!” you quickly stammer out, giving her a not-so-convincing grin.

You were lying through your teeth, but if Zelda noticed she said nothing about it. “Wonderful, though… I will have to stay behind for the final trial. A group of Zora architects have arranged for a meeting with King Dorephan and I so we can discuss future renovations for Hyrule Castle. I’d hate to keep them waiting for another occasion to speak with us while I’m still in Zora’s Domain. I know the two of you are more than capable of handling this last part of the trials alone, yes?”

You go slightly wide eyed at this. You’d been leaning on the idea that Zelda would stay with you and Sidon to keep the tension level low. You force yourself to nod though, smiling at the princess as you wave her off, “no worries, Zelda, we’ll be alright. Go have your meeting, we can handle this trial.”

Zelda grins, wishing the both of you luck before turning back and heading towards the throne room once more.

Looking to your side, you lock eyes with the prince before quickly turning away bashfully.

Together, the two of you walk down the rest of the bridge, heading towards Mikau Lake. It’s less of a lake and more of a pond, quaint and small, but with a tall waterfall feeding into it from the series of lakes above that lead all the way up the side of Ploymus Mountain.

A pair of ducks fly away as you approach, splashing the water and honking noisily. “Guess we disturbed them,” you giggle, unhooking the Sheikah Slate from your belt as you approach the pond’s edge.

Blue light comes into your sight, and you’re able to see the first blue ring that Zelda had told you about. It’s hovering midair above the pond, a circle identical to the one you’d touched in the Lanayru sea.

“After you,” you say to the prince, letting him walk ahead of you to touch the ring.

He smiles, before approaching the light and gently holding a hand out. His fingers just barely brush against the blue glow before a chiming sound rings out and the ring shrinks into a much smaller light. It zips past both of you, bouncing over a rock that juts out of the lake before settling a few feet above the ground atop the waterfall.

The ring sits horizontal now. 

“Looks like we’ve got to go up,” you murmur, putting the slate back on your belt as you ready yourself to swim.

There’s a touch on your shoulder and you visibly jump, backing away from the prince. He drops his hand, and there’s a look of hurt on his face - followed by a pang in your heart.

“Apologies for startling you, I was simply going to offer you a ride on my back to ascend these waterfalls. There’s multiple, so I assumed that it would make it simpler for the both of us as you’re still recovering from your injuries,” he explains, his eyes flicking up to meet your own.

‘Sidon, I healed myself, the only ‘injury’ I’ve got now is the hickey you left on my neck.’

You don’t dare say that out loud though. Rather, you let out a sigh and smile at him shyly, “nah, it’s okay, just a bit, um… jumpy. Right now. But yeah, I can ride on your back, there’s no better swimmer in the domain than you after all.”

This makes him grin, and you’re happy to see his signature smile once more. The two of you wade into the water, and once you’re at the base of the fall you climb onto his back, securing your legs around his torso and arms around his neck. Being flush against him like this makes you feel slightly hot and bothered, but you push that aside as you focus on the task at hand.

“Alright, all you’ve gotta do is swim right through the ring and follow it to wherever it goes next,” you instruct.

The prince shivers beneath you. He shivers. You quickly realize that it’s because you were speaking against his ear, practically breathing on his neck.

“Hold on tight, little one,” he replies, and then you’re off.

You can’t help the grin that plays on your lips as you zip up the side of the waterfall, droplets of water whipping past you as the prince shows off his swimming finesse. 

He dashes through the center of the ring, and just as before it shrinks into a smaller light and flies ahead of both of you, forming into a second ring to swim through. Sidon repeats this process, swimming through each ring the light forms for him until the both of you have reached the very top of the waterfall. 

He jumps out, maneuvering in the air so that he holds you in his arms as he lands on firm ground. It was such a rush, an absolute thrill and you found yourself grinning as the both of you found your footing once more. You attempted to, still, ignore how hot and flushed his grasp made you feel.

“Um, Sidon,” you mumble, tapping his chest, “you can put me down now.”

His eyes go wide as he loosens his hold and quickly sets you down, “yes, so sorry, my thoughts keep getting away from me.”

You quickly balance in the grassy area, looking towards the next lake where the ring has settled. “Welp, guess we’re doing it again. C’mon, princey,” you wave him along, jogging to the next pond.

The prince chuckles as he follows along, and you continue the trial as a pair.

…

After ascending the rest of the waterfalls together, the two of you finally reach the top. You’d perfected your landing strategy while chasing the rings, and now Sidon would no longer have to hold you when you jumped out of the water. Now you would simply need to twist in the air and land at the same time, keeping one another balanced.

The final ring is on land. It’s much larger and intricate than any of the others before it, surrounded by floating Sheikah symbols. The prince walks towards it, brushing his fingers against the circle. The ring of light shrinks, though this time there is no light remaining.

You look around confused, until a sudden rumbling nearly shakes you off of your feet. A shrine emerges from the ground before you, identical to the previous two. Once it’s fully revealed, the rumbling stops, and the shrine building glows a bright orange.

You hop onto the shrine platform and unhook the slate from your belt, swiping it across the pedestal. Its orange lights dim and turn blue, and the shrine door unlocks and reveals its hollow interior.

“One more time?” you ask Sidon, turning to look back at him with a smile.

“One last time,” he replies with a grin.

Together you walk into the shrine, the prince having to hunch over in its small space. You press the button to activate the elevator, and very quickly the two of you are descending into the final shrine puzzle.

… 

The elevator deposits you in a very tall room. Ahead of you in a shallow waterfall, one not deep enough to swim up. In front of the waterfall are two large metal blocks with indents, you’d be able to climb either of them. The metal blocks are connected to rail meaning you can move them up and down. There’s two landings on either side of the waterfall, though you’re willing to bet that the one highest above the ground is what will take you to the exit of the shrine.

“It’s a puzzle,” you murmur, brow furrowed as you examine the wall, “we have to get up onto that landing. We’ll have to use those metal blocks somehow, luckily I’ve got plenty of runes to figure it out.”

“Well, the only way to solve a puzzle is to attempt every solution we come up with,” Sidon grins, walking down the steps and hopping onto the water covered flooring.

The next few minutes are filled with you and the prince performing every possible answer to the puzzle you can come up with. Eventually, you use the water on the floor to put cryonis pillars beneath both of the metal blocks. With Sidon’s help, you climb up onto the lower platform, and in an alcove in the wall is a third, smaller metal block that you can use to stack upon the others.

Eventually, you end up making a stairway of sorts, using the metal blocks and ice pillars. 

“Damn, it’s almost enough to reach that top platform, but we don’t have anything else to build with,” you curse looking up at your latest attempt.

“Well, all we can do is climb and see how close we can get,” Sidon suggests, digging his fingers into the ice pillar as he begins his climb.

With a shrug of your shoulders, you follow up after him, managing to climb to the very top where you’d used the last metal block. The higher landing you needed to reach was just barely out of your grasp- but you could make it.

“Give me a lift?” you ask Sidon with a shy smile.

The prince is more than happy to oblige, picking you up in his arms and boosting you up onto the platform. You climb atop it, before reaching your hands down and helping him up as well. You bump into one another and giggle nervously, like a pair of shy teenagers.

Rounding the corner, you’re greeted by the sight of a monk. It’s the end of the shrine.

Sidon, who’s become familiar with the routine, approaches the monk’s pedestal and places his hand upon the blue barrier. It shatters, and a light appears before the monk, and very soon the prince now has his third of Ruta’s tokens.

As the monk disintegrates, you turn to look at the Zora, “well, guess we should head out and see what happens now, yeah?”

He nods and grins, “so we shall.”

…

Walking out of the shrine, you’re greeted by the soft hues of a setting sun. You’d been in the shrine for far longer than you thought, the sky was a gradient of gentle oranges and deep violets.

There’s a buzz on your hip. Confused, you take the slate off of your belt and check the map. There’s a new glowing point, and it’s right where Divine Beast Vah Ruta is situated in the mountainous area of Zora’s Domain.

You quickly show Sidon, who seems intrigued by the new information. “Let’s return to the palace and let Zelda now. I have a feeling that this is where the trial will truly be completed,” he decides.

The pair of you quickly traverse back to the palace, taking advantage of the waterfalls and lakes until you return to the eastern exit you’d used hours previously. Together, you run across the bridge and up the stairs that lead into the throne room.

“Zelda!” you shout once you reach the top of the staircase.

Conveniently the princess is there, having what appears to be a polite conversation with King Dorephan. She looks somewhat startled at your sudden interruption, but grins upon seeing you, “_____! Sidon! How’d the trial go?”

“Brilliantly,” Sidon exclaims with his signature smile.

“Yeah!” you agree, unhooking the slate from your belt and holding it out to her, “plus we’ve got a new spot on the map. We need to go to the Divine Beast.”

The princess takes the Sheikah Slate into her hands and looks over the map curiously, reading up on any new information it has to offer her, “fascinating. Well, do you want to wait? Do you want to go now? Whatever you choose to do next, I’m fully supportive.”

You turn, looking back towards Sidon. “Well… it’s your trial. What do you want to do?” you ask him.

The prince brings his hand to his chin, mulling over it for a few moments, before a beaming smile spreads across his face, “well, I don’t see why we can’t very well go to the Divine Beast right now. Perhaps it’s simply my enthusiasm and curiosity getting the better of me, but I’m bursting at the seams in anticipation of what may come next.”

You hear the king chuckle behind you, “ah, that sounds very much like you, my son. Though the sun may be setting by no means must you put this next adventure on hold. Go on and go forth! I must admit that I too am quite excited to see what follows.”

“Well, my meeting with the architects is complete, and if we’re leaving for Ruta now I’d be more than happy to tag along,” Zelda smiles, handing the slate back to you.

You hook it back onto your belt, and when you look up you see everyone in the room looking expectantly towards you. It takes you a moment to realize that they’re awaiting your approval for the mission. “Oh! Yes, of course I’ll be coming too.”

Sidon laughs before taking a step towards the staircase, “I’ll ask Bazz to come with us, nightfall might cause some added dangers as we trek through Upperland Zorana. We’ll bring torches as well. Zelda, _____, meet me at the Great Zora Bridge?”

“Will do,” you agree, and princess Zelda nods as well.

The next few minutes are a rush, you eat a quick dinner, change into some dry clothing, help Zelda pack a bag with all her notes and books on Ruta (just in case they’ll be needed), and get accosted by the Zora children before finally getting to the Great Zora Bridge.

You greet Bazz, who seems happier to see you than normal, before the four of you head up into the mountains to continue the trials.

…

It takes a few hours, but you finally make it in the middle of the night. Luckily, the monster activity was little to none, the biggest threat was a small camp of Bokoblins that both you and Bazz were able to wipe out in a matter of seconds.

You arrive at the plateau that the Divine Beast calls its home. Its blue glow keeps the area around it lit brightly, and you put out the flames of your torch as you walk up to it.

“Sidon, you’ve got all three tokens, yes?” you ask him, turning to look at him as he walks closer to you.

“Yes, I -” he begins, but as soon as he sets foot on the plateau there’s a toll that rings out in the air, and a voice begins to speak.

“To the one who approaches this Divine Beast… In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial. In exchange for Ruta’s Emblems… you will be granted the chance to tread through the realm of memories.”

“... memories?” you ask aloud, confused. Looking back to the prince, the three tokens he held in his hands glow bright before disappearing, and the voice continues to speak.

“Those who lack determination will find this trial unforgiving. Do not take this place lightly, nor dismiss it as merely a world within your mind. The truth is much deeper than you know.”

Everything goes silent. Deathly silent. Nobody moves, not even the water beneath the Divine Beast seems to trickle.

Then suddenly the prince gasps. He bends over and clutches his chest as though he’s in pain.

“S-Sidon?” you stammer, scared as you attempt to walk towards him.

You don’t get a chance to approach before he’s suddenly enveloped in a bright golden light. The light grows smaller, shifting into an orb roughly the size of your hand. The orb floats in the air momentarily before zipping away, flittering towards the Divine Beast. 

The torch and spear the prince had been holding both fell, clattering on the ground.

“Sidon!” you scream, running towards the Divine Beast, but there’s a force that blocks you from entering.

Panic and fear well up in your chest, and you stumbled backwards, falling onto the ground.

You weren’t the only one panicking.

“Where is he? Where did that thing take him?” Bazz exclaims, running towards Ruta only to be held back as well.

“Both of you! Fretting like this will solve nothing,” Zelda exclaims, speaking in a stern tone of voice she rarely used, “all we can do is await his return. This is a part of the pilot’s trial. We cannot interfere or stop it.”

So you sit. And wait. And wait. And wait.

Judging by the clock on the Sheikah Slate, hours pass, and nothing happens.

Princess Zelda sat near the edge of the Plateau, using the slate to tirelessly read through notes and see if Mipha had written anything about what just happened during her own experience becoming a pilot. Bazz stood watch beside her, needing something to keep him distracted from the prince’s disappearance.

You, however, were sitting in the water, staring up at the Divine Beast. Your thoughts could not stop rushing, and you felt sick to your stomach with anxiety.

You just wanted him to be safe. You needed him to be safe. There was so much you hadn’t gotten the chance to tell him…

From this vantage point, you could easily see the Lanayru sea in the distance, and this meant you were able to see the first rays of light as the sun slowly began to rise up above the horizon.

You sniffle and raise your hand to your face as you watch the sky lighten up. There were tear streaks on your cheeks. You hadn’t even realized you’d been crying.

Suddenly, Ruta’s light glows an even brighter blue. You’re quick to stand up, pushing yourself up off the ground. The golden orb that’d taken Sidon reappears, floating down from the top of the beast and settling near the ground.

The orb bursts, and the prince is placed down onto the plateau.

His body is littered with bruises and open, bleeding wounds. 

“... Sidon?” you ask carefully, taking a fearful step towards him.

He, however, is quick to whip around and look towards you. His eyes scan over your figure, and before you can react he runs towards you, swooping you up into his arms and hugging you tightly.

You can’t help the smile playing on your lips, and hug him back as best you can. “Sidon, what hap-” you attempt to ask, but he moves faster than you yet again.

He loosens his grip and pulls back just enough for your eyes to meet. He gives you an inquisitive look before leaning in and-

Kissing you.

He kisses you.

Sidon is kissing you.

You squeak in surprise, your face red hot with blush before you finally come to your senses and kiss him back. Bringing your hands up, you hold his face carefully, and it’s only when he pulls back that you realize you’ve been left breathless

You’re doing mental somersaults as you’re set down on the ground. Behind Sidon, you’re able to see the shocked faces of both the princess and the captain.

“Sidon, are you-” you begin, yet there’s another interruption.

The prince stumbles backwards, before passing out and crumpling onto the ground in a heap.

~~~ <> ~~~

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