Curse his soft heart. Curse those big, pleading eyes.
As royalty, Sidon had plenty of practice denying people’s requests. If he deemed things inappropriate or unwise, a simple ‘no’ from his side was the only thing needed to end any discussion in seconds. No objections, no negotiations, nothing.
Sidon sighed. Begrudgingly, he picked up the silver sword that had been tossed in his direction and faced his opponent.
In front of him stood the Hero of Hyrule with windswept hair and a cocky smile. They were on top of Ploymus Mountain – a location once forbidden to enter for almost certain death awaited hadn’t it been for the Hero himself. Sidon could hardly believe that almost two years had passed since Link had faced down the lynel.
Said hero now met his gaze with a glint in his eyes he’d almost call mischievous. He stood on the opposite side of the plateau; hands relaxed on top of his sword’s handle knob as it rested with the point of its blade on the grassy ground. The midday sun stood high and a metallic shimmer occasionally reflected between strands of the Hylian’s golden hair, moved by the slight breeze.
Three grinning mouths peeked from behind Link’s lean figure - sitting on the lush grass were the little devils who were to blame for this impromptu face-off. Laruta hid something behind her tiny body before Sidon could get a proper look; Tumbo and his brother Keye shuffling closer to her, eyes all innocent.
“Ready?”
Link had lifted his sword up and now strode towards the middle of the plateau. He still wore the tight Sheikah armor sans the mask from a previous mission the elder Impa had sent him to. The fabric moved like a second layer of skin, following the movement of every muscle…
Sidon’s headfin twitched in slight annoyance as he averted his eyes.
Mirroring the Hylian, Sidon moved towards the center and lifted his sword in an easy stance.
“Not the greeting I had anticipated after two months apart, but as I’ll have you know, a prince is always ready.”
Link looked at him, the corners of his mouth lifted. It was not quite a grin, not quite a smirk – but the weightlessness this simple playful expression held almost punched the air out of Sidon’s chest.
As if sensing the prince’s distraction, Link chose this exact moment to charge forward.
While having a significant advantage in water, on land Sidon’s movements were slower. Not sluggish. Not laboured. Not reduced by any means to have a true disadvantage against most opponents.
Link, though, was not most opponents.
Metal clashed, as Link dealt the first blow. Sidon’s arm strained as he engaged the Hylian’s sword in a bind, before pushing him away with a powerful shove.
Sidon staggered as he parried Link’s forceful hits. One successful move on his part was met with two blows that forced awkwardness into his footwork.
Link moved into his space, again and again. Sidon tracked the slender, but powerful muscles work underneath the tight fabric. From the places their bodies made contact, Sidon could tell that the fabric was damp. Did Link already break a sweat or was the moisture just residue from his prior travels?
Sidon wondered if-
The blunt end of Link’s hilt hit him right underneath his gills. Sidon grunted as his upper body reflexively bent over in an unconscious desire to protect his gills.
A lithe thigh curled around his right leg and before he could register what happened, his back hit the dirt.
Sidon blinked, stunned (and a little bit embarrassed how little it took to be incapacitated and thrown on his back given his obvious advantage in mass).
Before he could react further, three small bodies ambushed him.
“Hah! Now you can be part of our secret group!”
Something cold and pointy was shoved atop his head (with no regards how said pointiness almost pierced his skin, ouch).
Sidon sat up, three Zora children still clinging to him on top, as his hand automatically went up to his head to investigate the pointy object. Small hands immediately grabbed onto his to stop its reach.
“No, you can’t take the crown off! That’s against the rules!” Laruta reprimanded him.
Link looked at him with a lopsided grin, as he gestured towards his own head.
The glint in his hair he had detected before, Sidon realized, was light reflected off a small gemstone embedded in a… craftly bended tiara.
“They got me too,” Link shrugged.
Tumbo nodded enthusiastically, his knees pressing into Sidon’s side. “He didn’t even see us coming!” he exclaimed, chest puffing up with pride. The look Link gave him spoke a different tale, but Sidon didn’t care to burst the bubble.
Sidon stood, careful to lower the kids gently to the ground.
“To get the honours to be part of your secret group, shouldn’t I have defeated Link?” he asked, wiping off smudges of dirt from his left thigh.
Keye looked at him as if he had asked the whether the sky was made out of trout.
“No, that doesn’t even make any sense.”
Sidon nodded. “You’re right. Of course it doesn’t.”
The grins returned on the kids’ faces. Without another word, all three of them gave Sidon a quick hug, before running off again, back towards Zora’s Domain.
Sidon stared at the retreating bodies in stunned silence.
A warm body stepped next to his. His gaze shifted to Link, whose expression turned into something more tender.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Sidon playfully rolled his eyes in response.
“You didn’t hit me that hard.”
Link chuckled.
“Well, you seemed rather opposed to the idea of sparring with me.”
Sidon rubbed his neck, as he looked back to where the kids had vanished.
“Well… I just thought our reunion would play out a little differently,” he admitted.
Link stepped in front of him, head tipped up to meet his gaze.
“You did seem awfully distracted…”
Link took a few steps backwards, and as if being pulled by an invisible string, Sidon followed. Link took one of his hands, and turned slightly.
“How about you help me wash up and after that, we will have a proper reunion?”
soo... I haven't been online or writing fic in forever.
Turns out, if you are being retraumatized, all your creative energy, joy and inspiration kinda just... vanish into the ether. :)
My past came back to haunt me, the police is fucking useless and the justice system extremely anti-victim, and I was pretty much in survival mode since 2023.
BUT I AM WELL AGAIN! And I mean it. I am actually stable, happy and living again.
It took A LOT of therapy, an insane amount of inner work, and giving my life/lifestyle a complete overhaul.
ngl, the whole AI crap also kinda played a role why I was hesitant to write again.
But no. I like writing (even if I'm a bit out of practice rn), fuck AI, you aint gonna take that away from me.
I will now work on all the other prompts and my ongoing fics, but it'll take me some time.
I didnt work so hard to recover and build a good new foundation to burn myself out. I'm active again, just a bit slower :)
thank you all for reading, may you have a fabulous morning/day/night <3
Welcome back! I've missed your stories! Hmm, for a prompt, how about: Sidon in the sky islands. How did he get there, and how does he feel about them?
Hello love!
I will save this prompt for a future time for a specific reason:
I stopped writing because I was re-traumatized big time, and during that time I had started playing totk. Stopped the game because I couldn't enjoy it with everything going on in my life and saved it for after I got far enough in recovery to actually feel joy again. Which is now! :D
I'm currently re-playing botw; after that I'll start totk. Once I am familiar enough again with the totk lore, I'll get started on this prompt 🫶
Thank you for your support, I definitely remember you from before!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Sanctity of Twilight
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationship: Jayce Talis/Viktor
Additional Tags: Light BDSM, Oral Sex, Masturbation, Anal Sex, Submissive Jayce, Sub Top Jayce (League of Legends), Dom Bottom Viktor (League of Legends), Soft Dom Viktor (League of Legends), Praise Kink, Sex Toys, Cock Rings, Established Relationship, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Set in Season 01 Between Act 01 and Act 02 (Arcane: League of Legends), Orgasm Edging
Summary:
After a particularily frustrating meeting with the politicians of Piltover, Jayce gets stuck ruminating on his negative thoughts.
Luckily, Viktor knows exactly how to clear his partner's mind.
Excerpt:
Using the wall as support, Viktor steps behind Jayce. The hand on the wall moves over to the chairback, gripping it lightly and brushing Jayce’s shoulder in the process. With fond fascination, Viktor watches the muscles behind the fabric tense, before they relax again; an unconscious reaction on Jayce’s part. His other hand, Viktor lifts to brush against the neatly trimmed back hairs on the other man’s neck.
A shudder runs through Jayce. He tips his head back and meet Viktor’s eyes with an open, almost vulnerable, expression.
The skin on Jayce’s neck feels hot against the coolness of his own hand – sometimes Viktor wonders if the heat of the forge Jayce frequents has somehow found its way inside his blood. Always running hot where Viktor lacked the warmth.
Viktor cups the side of Jayce’s neck and watches as his partner’s eyelids flutter for the split of a second.
“Do you want to be good?”
Jayce’s breath hitches, and then all the tension leaves his body.
“Yes.”
One moment, they were riding comfortably side by side, enjoying the coolness of the night paired with the starry sky, the next moment they were surrounded by lynels.
Link didn’t even know that they hunted in… packs.
Whenever he had encountered them before, he had fought single individuals. Red-maned, blue-maned… never against one in a colour like this one, whose attacks he desperately tried to deflect with his master sword.
When Link had visited Zora’s Domain as a final preparation for his fight against the Calamity, Sidon had proposed to follow Link to Rito Village - opening up new trade options with the whole of Hyrule was the next big step to nurture Zora’s Domain back to its former glory. Link – stupidly infatuated that he was with the Zoran prince – had not been able to deny the proposition as he himself had to seek out Harth for his help to repair the Great Eagle Bow. A weapon, he was sure he needed during his final fight.
The road so far had been long, but the Titans were finally tamed.
The fights had been vicious, but Link had been able to come out victorious through each and every single one.
With the Titan’s reconquest, more and more villages and cities were able to send out troops aiding the fight and eliminating anything that lay between them and peace. While defeating Ganon was only a task the Hero himself could take over, the troops of the different races did whatever was in their might to aid.
It was a shift that had decimated the numbers of the different monster species’s successfully, but with this decimation also came the monsters’s desperation.
Yes, the attacks had lessened, but their severity had increased.
And now Link and Sidon were confronted with not only one, but three lynels at once.
Another blow hit Link’s sword. The hero slipped and almost lost his footing; the ground underneath him slippery with the blood of one of their horses.
His mare- he couldn’t think about her fate now.
Another clash.
His leg muscles quivered under the strain of keeping the body upright under the force of the attack.
Behind himself he could hear the scream of a dying creature; momentarily distracted Link looked to the side and saw one of the two silver lynels collapse to the floor – a grave mistake.
A sharp blade hit him in the shoulder and incapacitated his left arm – reigning his shield arm useless. The heavy metal of the Hylian shield hit the floor, followed by the spilling of his own life essence.
One step forward, two steps back – everything around him became blurry and unfocused.
A golden shadow moved towards him – the golden lynel - how had he never seen one of this colour before? – and Link clenched his teeth together, awaiting the fatal blow.
A red silhouette moved with a speed between Link and the lynel that even the Hero would have found difficult to replicate; being thrown back onto the spoiled grass in the process.
In a daze, Link watched the spectacle in front of him.
Sidon’s teeth were bared; his usually friendly and kind demeanour had changed into the caricature of an animalistic creature.
Watching Sidon take on the beast was like watching two ancient giants fight – awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.
The battle in front of him had no similarities left of the fighting tactics he had learned as a knight and used ever since – it was brute strength against brute strength.
Movement behind him distracted him from the spectacle in front of him – it was one of the collapsed silver lynels. Its side was bleeding heavily – Link guessed that Sidon had pierced one of the beast’s two hearts.
Pushing past the dizziness that overcame him, Link sprang up to his feet and buried his sword with a forceful thrust inside the creature’s torso. The lynel’s sharp claws wrapped around Link’s hand gripping the sword’s hilt, leaving painful claw marks in his skin.
Until-
It collapsed to the ground with nothing more but a dying grunt.
Silence filled the space and after a while, and Link dared to look back and check on Sidon.
The prince was on his knees, clutching his side, the white patterns on his scales darkening with his own blood.
The monster lay motionless in front of the Zora, parts of its torso missing, its bared ribs glistening like a gory piece of art.
Link stood up on unsteady legs and went over to Sidon, gently pulling away the prince’s hand and examining the wound. The Zora’s blood was hot underneath his hand - a stark contrast to the chilly wind blowing around them.
The wound was deep but non-lethal. Link couldn’t believe that they made it out alive.
Slowly, Link’s muscles relaxed. The worst was over.
Link let the relief of victory run through his body until-
Suddenly, Sidon grabbed Link’s arm and held him in a painful clutch.
Before Link was able to ask, Sidon gestured towards the sky behind him, clear fear visible even in the dark.
A sick and heavy feeling spread in Link’s pit of the stomach.
Already knowing what he would see, he turned.
The first rays of crimson light started to paint the surface into a nightmarish image. And with the arrival of the moon, the lynels corpses began to change.
Link knew that they only had fractions of moments to react.
“We need to go – NOW!”
His voice, rarely used, was raspier and more silent than he had intended, but the urgency still came through.
Together, they ran away from the battle scene and towards a cliff.
They looked down the ravine and Link’s heart dropped to his stomach.
He had lost his paraglider in the midst of battle, and while there was a river running underneath, jumping would mean his sure death.
Collecting all his courage, the Hylian made a decision.
He couldn’t let another loved person die. He wouldn’t.
Readying the master sword, he never let go off inside his hand, Link turned to Sidon with a determined gaze.
“Go. I will fend them off and give you some time. I have the protection of the former champions – you don’t.”
Sidon looked at him, unbelieving.
“I am not going to leave you here!”
Link gritted his teeth in stress and frustration.
“There is no other way, we won’t make it otherwise!”
Even with the champion’s protection, Link wasn’t sure he would make it. He didn’t voice the concern.
Sidon gripped the hero’s arm once more. While it was less forceful, it didn’t lose its intensity.
“We will jump.”
“I won’t be able to-“
Sidon silenced Link by placing his free hand on Link’s cheek. It was so big compared to Link’s fine features.
“I know. I will take the impact; my body can handle it.” Sidon’s facial expression became more serious than he had ever seen it before.
Before Link could protest, Sidon asked a question that rendered him silent.
“Do you trust me?”
Link stared into the golden irises in front of him. His throat felt tight with all the anxiety he felt, but –
He nodded.
The lynels started rising once more and after sheathing his sword, he closed his eyes, surrendering to Sidon’s ministrations.
The enraged roar was the last thing he heard before Sidon wrapped his arms around the smaller body and jumped over the edge.
Fandom: The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild
Pairing: Sidon / Link
Rating: T (depiction of wounds)
Word Count: 1.6k
A/N: I had this finished almost twice... and guess how many times my laptop had rebooted before that. So in theory I wrote 4.8k. Bon appétit ;* and thanks ♥
Link good-naturedly rolled his eyes as he hoisted the heavy net into his small ship.
“It’s not the first time I go out there, Zelda,” Link retorted as he turned towards his friend. Her golden hair had been tied up into a messy bun; a fruitless endeavour since the wind had loosened most of her strands again.
“Yes,” Zelda replied with her hands clasped in front of her chest, “but you never went alone before.”
Link picked up his little bag containing the knives he would need later this day. Laying a comforting hand on top of Zelda’s shoulder he said, “It’s going to be alright. I’ll be back by the evening.”
Zelda looked unhappy, but in the end, she knew that she couldn’t convince her friend to stay.
*
A few weeks ago, Impa and Link had found a rock structure a two-hour ship trip away from the main coast. While too small to be considered an actual island, the underwater structure did offer hiding and spawning opportunities for many fish; a perfect place to catch them.
Link threw the anchor into the water and waited for it to grab hold of the rocky ground underneath before securing the anchor’s rope on a metal hook.
Thinking back, Link never would have thought that he would end up becoming a fisherman.
Always dreaming about the big, wide world, he always had thought that he might go down the path of science or military. But fate had had other plans in store for him, and in order to support his parents, he had had to put his dreams to rest.
It wasn’t bad, really. He enjoyed being out in the ocean, especially on days as fine as this one.
Sunshine and wind; in Link’s opinion the perfect match.
The blond leaned over the railing.
Instead of the net’s silhouette, only bits and pieces of the net’s rope were visible. It looked like it had been torn by something big; a big hole gashed through its middle and part of the fishing net seemed to be… gone.
Link frowned.
It looked like something big had pulled the ropes apart, but in his knowledge, nothing big enough to be able to lived in these waters.
Feeling a slight unease settle in the pit of his stomach, Link looked back up and scanned the waters nearby. It was difficult to see anything underneath due to the sunshine; the bright light’s reflection sparkled in tandem with the rippling of the surface waves.
Sighing, Link discarded his shirt. Years of fishing had taught him one thing: never underestimate how cold it could get on the ocean while travelling with wet clothes.
The blond took the hooking rod and started fishing out the parts of the net he could find. Some unfortunate fish got tangled inside the cold yarn, but the haul was less than satisfying. At least they wouldn’t have to go without food, Link thought slightly ill-humoured. Who didn’t like having nothing but fish on their meal plan?
After he fished the last visible piece out of the water, Link lifted his gaze in search. At least half of the netting was still missing. While he wouldn’t be able to use the destroyed item in the future anymore, he didn’t just want to leave it in the waters.
Scanning the area, his eyes got caught on a strip of rope peeking out of the water right behind the rock.
Alright, time to start up the engine again, hoist the anchor and relocate the ship.
Moving the ship was a task of only a few minutes. Stop the engine, throw out the anchor, get the hook.
Link leaned, hook in hand, over the railing to check for the remaining net. The water looked tainted and when he lifted his gaze-
Golden eyes stared right back at him.
Link stumbled back, heart in his throat, and stumbled over the discarded rope on the ground, falling down hard. He couldn’t feel the pain in his back through the shock and adrenaline pumping through his veins.
He tried to calm his breath; he had just imagined looking into eerily human eyes, right?
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Link got back up onto his feet.
He had to have been imagining things, that much he was sure of. But, just for safety measures, he grabbed the fishing spear leaning behind him as he slowly approached the ship’s railing once more.
More and more rock exposed itself to his gaze and- Those eyes were still there.
Link tried to swallow down the fear as he gripped the spear tightly and put it protectively between himself and that- thing.
A creature was sitting on one of the rock’s ledges, of deep red and bright white colour. It looked humanoid – and yet, still like a beast with its (his? her?) teeth bared. Despite there only being the sound of seagulls and waves, a deafening noise filled Link’s head.
He had heard of stories talking about terrifying merfolk; big and deadly. Mainly the older villagers told tales about them; Link had always marked those stories down as old sailor’s yarn. Nothing more than phantastic stories with the purpose to keep kids away from the deeper waters.
And yet, right in front of him sat a creature fitting the old tales.
It was huge; at least two times Link’s height. Even the fins around its head looked huge; adorning its face like nothing living he had ever seen.
Its eyes were golden, almost catlike. If fear hadn’t gipped his heart as tightly, Link could have thought of them as beautiful.
Then, his eyes landed on the creatures left upper arm.
The unmistakable rod of a harpoon stuck out of the creature’s – no, merman’s – muscle. Blood flowed down the arm in rivulets, the creature’s clawed hand with an iron grip around the arm. It was even painful just to look at the damage, and with that, the grip around his heart loosened.
With the vanishing fear, clarity got its hold back on him.
The merman didn’t look threatening, not even dangerous, not like he he had thought just mere moments ago - he instead looked scared. Link’s heart made a decision for him without consulting his head first.
He let the fishing spear fall back and took a step towards the railing. The merman flinched back, his teeth still bared and visible distress written all over him.
Taking a deep breath Link raised his hands.
“I will not hurt you,” he began explaining, “but you need help. The harpoon in your arm needs to go and you won’t be able to get it out yourself.”
Link took another cautious step forwards.
“Do you understand what I am saying?”
So many moments passed that the blond started to believe the merman couldn’t understand, until he was gifted with a small, tentative nod.
Link smiled disarmingly as he lowered his hands again.
“I’ll take the first-aid kit and come down to you, is that okay with you?” Another nod.
Quickly, but without any sharp, sudden movements, Link discarded his boots, gathered the kit and jumped over the railing into the cold water. Swimming with one arm incapacitated was more difficult than he had anticipated, but not impossible.
The merman watched him wearily as he climbed upon the ledge and settled, kit between his spread, kneeling legs, right across the enormous creature.
Surface water washed around Link’s knees as he regarded the wound. He blew air out of his nose. This was going to hurt.
“I am going to get the harpoon out. It will be unpleasant, but I’ll try to be as fast as possible, okay?”
Link waited for the answering nod before he started to dispatch the harpoon’s spear head. The enormous body in front of him tensed and a pained hiss escaped the merman’s lips. The blond grimaced in sympathy – this had to hurt a lot.
He tried to work as quickly as possible and was, after a few minutes, able to remove the metal from the merman’s muscle. The merman slumped in visible relief and Link opened the kit.
“The worst is over now. I’ll disinfect the wound and then sew it shut. You can’t go back into the water if it keeps bleeding like this.”
The merman nodded once more. As Link started to clean the wound, he could feel those golden eyes glued on his own, much smaller form. An electrical feeling climbed up his spine, but this time not out of fear. He ignored his quickening pulse as he set the first stitch.
“I never believed them, you know?” he started rambling instead. “The elders, I mean. They talked about merfolk – you guys – but I always thought the stories were made up.” Link chuckled. “But civilisation down there makes more sense than up here, right? Since there is more ocean than land on this world.”
One side down, one more to go.
“I-“ Link faltered for a moment as he regarded the wound. “I am sorry. About this. Not all of us are like that.”
While Link only killed to sustain his and others lives, some of the people he knew were greedy and killed everything and anything non-human they deemed special.
He finished stitching up the backside of the merman’s upper arm and sat back on his heels.
It didn’t look pretty, but it would do its job.
The merman stared at him and heat creeped up Link’s neck.
The enormous red body leaned over and for a moment, the blond's heart forgot how to beat.
Their faces were only inches apart, when-
“I know now.”
A warm kiss on his cheek followed.
“And we are called Zora, not merfolk.” With those words, spoken by a melodious, beautiful voice, the Zora disappeared.
Link lifted his hand and rested it atop the skin the Zora’s lips had touched, eyes glued on the spot the other had been just moments before.
A shiver ran up his spine and he looked down towards his soaked pants.
Well, it looked like he had to drive back shivering after all.
"Was Valka right, by the way?” The seers curious gaze pinned Eivor. “Did you part ways with that girl, Randvi, as she foresaw?”
Eivor shook her head. “No… Randvi was never on the Isle of Skye.”
Kassandra turned around and locked eyes with Eivor for what felt like the last time. A goodbye… the parting of ways with no sure way if they’d ever see each other again.
Despite their rough beginning, Eivor couldn’t let Kassandra go when the time for silent farewells arrived. Not now, not like this.
*
In which Eivor convinces Kassandra to come with her to Ravensthorpe.
When laughing from the bottom of her heart, Caitlyn sometimes tended to snort.
Whenever this happened in the past, she was not quite embarrassed, but her mother’s words telling her how ‘out of place for a Councilor’s daughter it was to act this inappropriately’ would echo through her head, and subconsciously she would quell the sound whenever it threatened to leave her lips.
The first time Vi had heard that sound, she had been enamored by it. It had been a sound so honest and innocent - a sound she remembered last hearing in her youth (coming from Powder... oh what a bittersweet heartache).
Determined, Vi had made it her personal duty to get that sound out of Caitlyn as often as possible - never once realising that it also acted as a balm for her own bruised heart.
With all the Divine Beasts back under their control and their powers weakening the Calamity, only one thing was left to be done: travel to the castle and defeat Ganon.
Vah Ruta was the last Titan Link had reclaimed; his previous travels had led him all across the country, meeting people of all kinds and making friends along the way. Some people who claimed had known ‘someone like him’ before and many who had become new acquaintances.
Link had met many people ever since he had woken up from his 100-year sleep; and yet, the intense feeling of loneliness had accompanied him everywhere.
With only one exception… the Zora Domain.
The Zora didn’t just claim to had known someone like him, but truly remembered the life Link had led before. While the elders’ animosity thrown his way had been an uncomfortable experience, many others had met him with open friendship and delight.
For the first time ever since he had woken up, Link truly had felt like he belonged.
And part of the reason was now standing with him atop the Great Zora Bridge, holding Link’s hands.
“I cannot thank you enough for what you have done, my dearest friend! I can’t leave the Domain behind for too long, especially now that we need to rebuild some structures and trading routes that had been destroyed by Vah Ruta’s rampage. But please let me accompany you at least to the Indigo Bridge!”
Link smiled in response, touched by this gesture.
Together, they walked down the bridge and onto the path Link had passed weeks prior. Link was not overly worried about meeting monsters down the road; ever since arriving in Lanayru he had made sure to secure the paths around the rivers and lakes frequented by Zora.
Clouds were hanging low in the sky; Link could feel a storm brewing.
Sidon was talking animatedly next to him. Whenever it was the Hylian’s turn to respond, the prince made sure to turn towards the blond and watch the hand gestures. Link had been deeply touched by Sidon’s sympathy shown his way; while Link was theoretically able to talk, he preferred not to. Around the Zora, he never had been forced to explain, they simply had accepted it without questioning his actions.
While a gesture much appreciated, it was in hindsight probably what had led to the following situation.
They were already close to the Indigo Bridge, passing through the Tabahl Woods, when the world around them exploded.
At first, Link couldn’t make sense of what happened. Heat and bright lights surrounded them, knocked them off their feet, while pain travelled down Link’s right side. Shaking his head, forcing himself not to lose his grasp of reality, Link jumped back up his feet and unsheathed his sword.
He was surrounded by Lizalfos, enemies he had thought defeated prior this day.
Not hesitating any further, Link raised his blade and lunged for the first strike.
The battle was short; the Lizalfos around him dropped like sickened trees felled by a storm.
With heaving breath Link straightened himself, readying himself for another ambush that never came.
The air seemed static with the silence surrounding them; countless bodies of Lizalfos scattered around the clearing with no detectable movement. The only thing audible were the sound of cicadas and the homogenous sound of the flowing river close by.
Once the battle rush settled down, Link looked around himself, checking the situation and looking out for Sidon.
When his gaze landed on the familiar shade of red mixed with another, much darker shade. His heart stopped for a moment, before continuing in a rapid beat.
Not caring about his surroundings or looking out for further danger, Link ran towards the injured man lying on the ground.
Blood was pouring out of a head wound, pooling around the unconscious Zora. Sidon’s right side was covered in burnt scales and all of a sudden, Link knew what they had run into. An ambush, a trap… even if Link had rarely run into a planned ambush by monsters, it had happened before.
The distant roar of a thunderstorm was audible; the sky became darker and heavier by the second. Electric buzzing filled the air; it was only a matter of minutes until the lightning would reach them.
Link knew of the Zora’s weakness towards electricity… if Sidon had to take electrical damage on top of his already present wounds, he surely wouldn’t survive.
He had to find a hideout, and quick. Link checked the area, growing more desperate with every passing moment, until he laid eyes on a small cavity, not big enough to be a cave, but definitely spacey enough to find shelter during the impending thunderstorm.
Gathering all his strength, Link stepped in front of his friend and grabbed his arms, throwing them over his own shoulders. The positioning was less than perfect; he would have to drag the prince towards the cavity in a very un-royalty like manner.
Link huffed in exertion while he heaved the prince’s body mass underneath the sheltered area - and not a second too early. Lightning struck at the clearing they had been at only moments before. A few moments longer, and they might have died upon the impact.
Now, with at least some shelter protecting them from the elements, Link was able to focus his full attention on Sidon’s wounds. Ever since travelling through the lands, knowing his destiny and fighting evil on a daily basis, he had made it a habit to carry wound care with himself. Usually, it was only used to treat his own injuries, but whenever he stumbled upon a person in need, he would reach out a helping hand and take care of their wounds as well. (Way too many times had he been forced to help other Hylians during battles against Bokoblins; tending to their wounds seemed just like the next logical step.)
Sidon was sprawled out in front of the Hylian warrior, unconscious, but breathing steadily.
Link tended the wounds of his friend; stitching the head injury, spreading ointment over the burns. And while the wounds seemed painful, Link knew that they were not fatal. A wave of relief washed over him, painted by the sounds of thunder.
Link lifted Sidon’s head and pillowed it on top of his own lap.
Now, all he had to do was wait and keep dangers away from his beloved friend.
"You are going to be alright," the hero rasped with a voice rarely used.
*
Link waited hours with only the sounds of thunder and heavy rainfall keeping him company. The monotony of the sounds made his eyelids grow heavy and his mind sluggish.
Link was mere moments away from falling asleep, when-
"Link? Dear Hylia, your side!"
Startled out of his doze, Link flinched underneath the Zora prince.
When Sidon sat up and reached anxiously towards Link's wounded side, all Link could do was laugh.
The frantic screaming of a Zora woman had Sidon running down the stairs and upon arriving on the lower level, he could see Dunma dragging a lifeless body over the bridge.
The commotion around her made it difficult to recognize the person she was carrying – was it another guard? Had they been hurt by an electric Lizalfos?
Sidon rushed towards her, aiming to help in any capacity needed.
He mentally prepared himself to see a fellow Zora in need; what he didn’t expect, though, was the actual sight that was presented to him.
The first thing he saw was red; deep, mesmerizing red. The kind of colour you instinctively know you are not supposed to see.
And then he realized whom he was looking at: the Hero of Hyrule, broken and beaten. Sidon’s heart rate quickened and fear was settling deep inside his stomach.
“What happened?” he demanded. His voice was steadier than he himself felt. He hurried towards Dunma and took the weight of the Hylian off her tired arms.
“I don’t know,” she replied, visibly shaken. “I went through my usual patrols and found him just outside the Domain. He was barely conscious; I tried to get back as soon as soon as I could!”
Sidon nodded, wrestling the panic down.
“I need Ranei with me, now!” His voice was strong and demanding. He rarely used this tone, but now he needed instant compliance.
A blue scaled Zora woman ran towards him, medical supplies in her arms. Nobody in their Domain ever managed to reach the same healing abilities Mipha had been blessed with, but Ranei was on her way to become a competent healer herself.
“Prince Sidon, put him on the floor, I need to stop the bleeding!”
Sidon only hesitated for a split second before he complied.
Knowing that he would be more of a hindrance than any real help, he stepped back. Only now was he able to notice the intensity of his pulse rushing past his hearing organs.
The more layers of Link’s clothing were removed, the more obvious it became how serious his injuries actually were.
Panic was winning the wrestling match and fear started to tighten itself around his throat like a string.
*
The lifting and lowering of Link’s chest were barely visible under the covers. Ranei had done everything in her power, but she had informed Sidon that the rest was now up to Link.
The odds… the odds were not in Link’s favour, though. The amount of blood he had lost would have killed any other Hylian; it came close to a miracle that Link was still alive at this point.
Sidon stared at the small hand resting inside his own. He had never considered the Hero to be fragile or delicate - quite the contrary. He had always seen him as the manifestation of strength and courage. Weak or frail had never been words he had associated with the Hylian. And yet, seeing him unconscious and broken made him fear about the capability of Link’s body to recover from this.
Link’s skin was cold – too cold.
Moving out of the chair and kneeling in front of the bed, Sidon lifted the cold, damp hand towards his head and pressed the crest on his forehead against it.
“Please, Link, please fight…”
Sidon stared down at the blanked with an unfocused gaze.
*
Hours later, the situation had worsened.
The previously cold skin was now burning up. One of Link’s wounds had gotten infected, the skin around the sutures swollen and angry looking.
Ranei had put an intravenous line into one of Link’s veins and injected anti-inflammatory medication, but there was nothing more she had been able to do.
Losing the Champion to his severe wounds was now a frightening possibility. And with that, Sidon was faced with the monstrous likelihood of living the rest of his days without Link by his side.
Bile rose up into his throat, and for the first time he was able to see a truth he had hidden deep inside himself.
He didn’t want to live a life without the Hylian Champion by his side.
He didn’t want to face a reality where he would never see that mischievous smile again; a reality without their deep conversations and silly little competitions.
He had always mistaken his excitedly beating heart upon seeing the Hylian for friendly joy and curious anticipation over seeing a friend’s face, but-
But that wasn’t the truth, was it?
Sidon’s breath got caught inside his lungs and for a moment he was sure that his heart had forgotten to beat before continuing in an erratic rhythm.
Link was The One. Probably had been ever since the time they had spent together in their quest to calm Vah Ruta.
Sidon leaned forward and buried his head inside the blanket covering Link’s chest.
“Dear sister, please forgive me,” he whispered into the fabric. He had fought tooth and nail to hold back the tears, but now, they flowed freely down his face into the blanket.
Something cold brushed his cheek – for a second, he believed it must have been Link touching him. But upon lifting his head he realized that the Hylian hadn’t moved an inch.
He was about to write it off as his imagination when an old, but familiar scent surrounded him.
Sidon’s stomach cramped up – he didn’t dare to hope.
And then, a beautifully dear voice chimed through his head.
‘It’s going to be alright, little brother.’
Only moments later did the clammy hand inside his own return Sidon’s grip.
@cloudyguardian asked for “Reunion” (sorry, the ask got eaten, but I didn’t forget!)
______
When word of the Defeat of the Calamity reached Zora Domain, Sidon grabbed nothing but his sword before he went off to travel towards Hyrule Castle. He was accompanied by several of his guards, who refused to let Sidon go by himself, as well as his father himself.
Even travelling by river would take almost a whole day to reach the site, even more by the fact that he wasn’t travelling alone. Every single hour of the voyage was one too many to his rapidly beating heart.
Vah Naboris had been the last Titan Link had to calm – Sidon had received a letter informing him of the successful taming of the Divine Beast and that it had now been the time to face off the last of their foes – Calamity Ganon.
He had tried to hide it, but Sidon knew that his father and some of the elders had been able to look through his façade. Nerve-wracking tension and agitation had taken over every fibre in his being. While he never questioned Link’s strength and worthiness to face the fate he had been burdened with, Sidon couldn’t help but fear that against all odds the worst news would reach him.
Learning that Link had been successful had released all the anxiety within Sidon at one go.
Upon hearing the news, there had only been one thought occupying his mind: he desperately wanted to see his beloved friend.
*
The Hyrule Castle stood tall and proud on the battle marked fields.
Its partly decay was apparent and yet, it owned a beauty and regalness that couldn’t be taken away.
Finding the Champion turned out to be an easier task than Sidon had assumed. He and the Princess were in front of the castle; there was already a small gathering of all the nations of Hyrule cumulating on the Central Square.
Word must had spread fast throughout the land.
It appeared that everyone present had made their way towards Central Hyrule as soon as the news made its rounds.
Sidon spotted Link talking to two Ritos; a stern-looking white feathered Rito man as well as a blue feathered one holding an accordion. The tight grip around his heart loosened – seeing that his beloved friend truly was alive and well soothed the vicious ghosts haunting his mind.
Upon moving closer the signs of tiredness encompassing Link were almost palpable. Sidon’s heart ached; he hadn’t been that much of a help during Link’s journey defeating the evil roots poisoning Hyrule, but he promised himself that he would now be at the hero’s side in any capacity needed.
While he cut his way through the crowd, Link’s eyes met his own. A tired smile spread across the Champion’s face; Sidon’s heart sang.
“Link, my dearest friend! It is so good to see your face!” He took Link’s smaller hands into his own and squeezed them once, before releasing them again.
He turned towards Zelda, who was only mere meters away.
“Princess Zelda, it is so good to finally see you again.”
All attention was now on him and suddenly, Sidon knew exactly what to do.
He dropped down on one knee, fist resting against his steady heartbeat, and bowed down.
“I thank both of you, Princess and Hero of Hyrule, for the sacrifices you made to protect this land. We – the people of the Zora – will be forever in your debt.”
He looked up and nodded towards Zelda. Shuffling sounds travelled over the castle square, and Sidon knew that the others – his people, as well as all the other nations – had joined Sidon in paying their respect.
Link looked deeply overwhelmed – fighting evil was one thing, having everyone’s attention quite another.
“We will always be at your service, in whatever capacity needed.”
Sidon locked eyes with Link.
“Don’t ever refrain from reaching out to us-“ Sidon hesitated only for a split second, “- and to me.”
His last words were almost whispered, but Sidon knew Link had gotten their meaning the moment his eyes widened.
The frantic screaming of a Zora woman had Sidon running down the stairs and upon arriving on the lower level, he could see Dunma dragging a lifeless body over the bridge.
The commotion around her made it difficult to recognize the person she was carrying – was it another guard? Had they been hurt by an electric Lizalfos?
Sidon rushed towards her, aiming to help in any capacity needed.
He mentally prepared himself to see a fellow Zora in need; what he didn’t expect, though, was the actual sight that was presented to him.
The first thing he saw was red; deep, mesmerizing red. The kind of colour you instinctively know you are not supposed to see.
And then he realized whom he was looking at: the Hero of Hyrule, broken and beaten. Sidon’s heart rate quickened and fear was settling deep inside his stomach.
“What happened?” he demanded. His voice was steadier than he himself felt. He hurried towards Dunma and took the weight of the Hylian off her tired arms.
“I don’t know,” she replied, visibly shaken. “I went through my usual patrols and found him just outside the Domain. He was barely conscious; I tried to get back as soon as soon as I could!”
Sidon nodded, wrestling the panic down.
“I need Ranei with me, now!” His voice was strong and demanding. He rarely used this tone, but now he needed instant compliance.
A blue scaled Zora woman ran towards him, medical supplies in her arms. Nobody in their Domain ever managed to reach the same healing abilities Mipha had been blessed with, but Ranei was on her way to become a competent healer herself.
“Prince Sidon, put him on the floor, I need to stop the bleeding!”
Sidon only hesitated for a split second before he complied.
Knowing that he would be more of a hindrance than any real help, he stepped back. Only now was he able to notice the intensity of his pulse rushing past his hearing organs.
The more layers of Link’s clothing were removed, the more obvious it became how serious his injuries actually were.
Panic was winning the wrestling match and fear started to tighten itself around his throat like a string.
*
The lifting and lowering of Link’s chest were barely visible under the covers. Ranei had done everything in her power, but she had informed Sidon that the rest was now up to Link.
The odds… the odds were not in Link’s favour, though. The amount of blood he had lost would have killed any other Hylian; it came close to a miracle that Link was still alive at this point.
Sidon stared at the small hand resting inside his own. He had never considered the Hero to be fragile or delicate - quite the contrary. He had always seen him as the manifestation of strength and courage. Weak or frail had never been words he had associated with the Hylian. And yet, seeing him unconscious and broken made him fear about the capability of Link’s body to recover from this.
Link’s skin was cold – too cold.
Moving out of the chair and kneeling in front of the bed, Sidon lifted the cold, damp hand towards his head and pressed the crest on his forehead against it.
“Please, Link, please fight…”
Sidon stared down at the blanked with an unfocused gaze.
*
Hours later, the situation had worsened.
The previously cold skin was now burning up. One of Link’s wounds had gotten infected, the skin around the sutures swollen and angry looking.
Ranei had put an intravenous line into one of Link’s veins and injected anti-inflammatory medication, but there was nothing more she had been able to do.
Losing the Champion to his severe wounds was now a frightening possibility. And with that, Sidon was faced with the monstrous likelihood of living the rest of his days without Link by his side.
Bile rose up into his throat, and for the first time he was able to see a truth he had hidden deep inside himself.
He didn’t want to live a life without the Hylian Champion by his side.
He didn’t want to face a reality where he would never see that mischievous smile again; a reality without their deep conversations and silly little competitions.
He had always mistaken his excitedly beating heart upon seeing the Hylian for friendly joy and curious anticipation over seeing a friend’s face, but-
But that wasn’t the truth, was it?
Sidon’s breath got caught inside his lungs and for a moment he was sure that his heart had forgotten to beat before continuing in an erratic rhythm.
Link was The One. Probably had been ever since the time they had spent together in their quest to calm Vah Ruta.
Sidon leaned forward and buried his head inside the blanket covering Link’s chest.
“Dear sister, please forgive me,” he whispered into the fabric. He had fought tooth and nail to hold back the tears, but now, they flowed freely down his face into the blanket.
Something cold brushed his cheek – for a second, he believed it must have been Link touching him. But upon lifting his head he realized that the Hylian hadn’t moved an inch.
He was about to write it off as his imagination when an old, but familiar scent surrounded him.
Sidon’s stomach cramped up – he didn’t dare to hope.
And then, a beautifully dear voice chimed through his head.
‘It’s going to be alright, little brother.’
Only moments later did the clammy hand inside his own return Sidon’s grip.
“Link… I usually don’t question your decisions, but I am not sure if we should do this…”
Worriedly, Sidon looked down the Lanayru Tower. It was rather… high. Being an aquatic creature made him by nature water and land bound. While he had a rather adventurous side on him, climbing up tall buildings and structures usually wasn’t part of it. His webbed feet and hands simply weren’t meant for climbing. And yet, here he was. Looking down the tower, the ground being dozens of meters away.
It had been Link’s idea – he had said that he wanted to show his friend (were they really just friends?) one of his biggest joys in this life: flying.
Zora… Zora weren’t meant for the sky, though. (‘And neither are Hylians,’ Link had signed smugly.)
‘Don’t you trust me?’
Now, that was just not playing fair.
“Of course, I trust you! There is no one I trust more than you!” Sidon endorsed.
‘Then trust me on this, you’ll love it!’
Sidon didn’t look convinced.
It was during one of their long talks that Link had expressed this idea and it went somewhat like this:
~
‘Sidon, have you ever flown?’
“Well, since I am a Zora and not a Rito, I can’t say that I have!”
‘If you ever were able to… would you like to try it?’
“Of course, at the first chance I get!”
~
And that was how he now found himself standing way too high above the ground, an eager Hylian with a paraglider in front of him.
Sidon’s guts were coiling inside; maybe they tied a bow around one of his organs as if to be presented as a gift. Once his body hit the ground and cracked open to display his innards, maybe one of the local carnivores would take them as such.
‘Just grab the handle right next to my hands and hold tight. It is way easier than it looks!’
Sidon fidgeted in a very un-princely manner.
“Are you sure this thing can hold us both? I am way heavier than you are, dear friend.” He hated how the nervousness was palpable in his voice.
Link laughed. Despite all the hardship he had been through, endearing crinkles of laugh lines were forming around his eyes; they made the prince’s heart beat even harder than a few moments before.
Dear Hylia, he was royalty! If his most treasured friend (the Hero of Hyrule and the wielder of the Master Sword at that) said it was going to be alright, then it was going to be alright!
Biting his lower lip one more time, he squared his shoulders.
It would be alright.
“Alright, dear friend. Show me how it’s done.”
Link’s smile was almost blinding.
‘Alright, step behind me and grab the handle just as I said. Count to three and once you reach 'three' we jump off. ’
Link’s features softened around his smile.
‘Don’t worry, if this can take a Goron, it can definitely take us. Just trust me.’
Sidon nodded.
He positioned himself behind Link, feeling the other’s body heat warming his own chilled skin. Sidon couldn’t tell whether the height or the proximity to Link made his heart beat in a staccato rhythm.
“Alright… one… two…”
Sidon’s heart almost jumped into his throat.
“Three.”
Together they pushed off the railing and jumped towards the great depths beneath.
They only fell for the split of a second, but to Sidon it felt like a little eternity.
And then – once the air caught the paraglider’s wings - they were flying.
Sidon couldn’t believe it.
The cold wind blew over his face and finally, his heart didn’t feel like trying to break out of its boney cage.
The heat of Link’s body in front of him and the cold of the crispy air surrounding them made for a delicious mixture.
A laugh was ripped out of his chest; they were flying!
The birds curiously swarming them scattered away, frightened by the unfamiliar sound.
Sidon didn’t care.
He felt free. He felt like nothing could stop him, his dreams, his ambitions.
~
It was over way too soon.
Sidon was overwhelmed by all the feelings inside his body.
When Link turned around back on the ground, with an all-consuming grin painting his face, there was only one thing Sidon wanted to do.
He grabbed the Hero by the face and dragged him towards himself, letting their lips connect.
Link’s heart beat like the gallops of a herd of spooked wild horses. He had defeated the Calamity, faced off countless guardians, and proven himself worthy enough to wield the Master Sword. And yet, being in Gerudo Town and standing in front of rather… revealing garments had him sweat more than anything before.
Maybe, he thought, maybe this had been one of his stupider ideas.
A saleswoman stepped right behind him, a knowing glint in her eyes.
“It looks like you have found the right Voe, hm?” The teasing tone in her voice made Link want to rip out his hair and run; he did neither of those things. Instead, he nodded.
“Aaaah, and let me guess; you want to bewitch him in a way that he never thinks of leaving again,” the Gerudo woman said, already moving around Link and pulling out those garments more fitting to his physique.
“Don’t you worry, tiny one. Once I am finished with you, he won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
*
Dressed in his Sheikah armour, Link crossed the bridge leading towards the Zora Domain and entered it. The soft blue light had a calming effect on him, and for a little while he could ignore the feeling of the tights garments hugging his body underneath his armour.
Bazz was the first to notice and greet him, the other guards soon followed.
Ever since defeating the Calamity, the Domain had become like a second home to him. Not only did he visit it often, the people here already felt like… his people.
Link and Bazz caught up, sharing all the important news coming from the Castle and the Domain. It only took a few more moments for another party to arrive – a big shadow loomed over the conversing pair and Link instantly knew that he was finally here.
“It’s so good to see you, old friend!”
A big hand was placed on Link’s shoulder and his heart stumbled up into his throat.
*
Sidon and Link retired quickly into the royal private chambers. Even if a new era of peace had started, they equally had only little time left for each other due to the now undergoing reconstructive work.
They also hadn’t made their still young relationship public, yet. The only two other people who knew were Zelda (‘He is quite handsome, isn’t he?’) and King Dorephan (‘I’ve got to admit, you’ve got quite the talent in bewitching my children, Hero of Hyrule.’), and he wanted their bond to stay out of people’s scrutiny for a little while longer, if he was being completely honest. Was it a selfish thing? Maybe, but Link thought that he deserved a little bit of selfishness after all the fights he had went through to defend Hyrule.
Sidon was already sitting on the big, comfortable bed, taking off the jewellery that marked him as royalty. (And even without it; nobody would ever mistake Sidon’s blood as anything other than royal.)
Excitement bubbled up in Link’s stomach; it was now or never.
He stepped between Sidon’s spread thighs and was pleased to see that all the prince’s attention immediately snapped towards him. He was still in his Sheikah armour, and yet, Sidon’s eyes travelled up and down his body, the hunger only poorly masked.
This made him feel more powerful than anything ever had before.
‘I’ve got a surprise for you,’ Link signed, watching curious anticipation wash over Sidon’s face.
“And what might that surprise be, my beloved?”
Link traced his hands over Sidon’s sides, gently petting the gills. Gills and lungs, legs and webbings; a creature made for the life on land and in water. Zora were truly one of the Goddess’s finest compositions.
‘I’ll show you.’
Slowly, Link reached behind him and unzipped the upper part of the armour. Pulling down the fabric, he revealed what was lying underneath it, inch by inch.
The sharp gasp he got as a response was all the affirmation he needed.
Letting the fabric fall to the ground, he just stood in front of Sidon and let the other look his fill. Sidon’s hands traced the delicate fabric adorning his body.
A cupless bralette flattered the outlines of Link’s pecs, its light blue colour complimenting his fair skin. A garter belt decorated his waist; exotic looking dark blue desert flowers running down his hips, blending into the light blue satin straps holding his lace thigh highs.
The lace panties were barely big enough to hold in all of his manhood, but somehow, that made the look even sexier (and somewhat wicked).
Sidon didn’t say anything for a long time. Instead, he traced the lace and satin with his claws, gently pulling on the garments without the actual intention of undressing (just yet).
“You are a marvel, my beloved.” Sidon’s voice was breathless.
Link didn’t resist the manhandling when he was pulled on top of Sidon’s thighs, a feverish kiss following.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Title: Moonlight Songs
Pairing: Sidon/Link
Fandom: The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild
Rating: Explicit
Additional Tags: Marriage Proposal
Link could hear a commotion starting behind him, but he paid it no mind. It was not uncommon for the castle grounds to get a little livelier. He was about to correct the defensive sword hold of one of the knights in training when Demar, his second in command, interrupted him.
