Surfing with the Fishes by Ghoststhough
Notes: This one shot can be viewed as either pure friendship or 'pre-slash', if one so wishes. Please be respectful to one another's preferences! In addition, Link is selectively mute, and will sometimes be signing instead of speaking.
"Link, why are you leading me towards Shatterback Point?" Sidon had stopped despite Link's insistence that he continue and watched on as his resilience caused his friend's shoulders to slump.
The two of them had just swam up to the banks of Lulu Lake, and now walked up to Ploymus Mountain on the overgrown trail leading up to Shatterback Point. Straight into the maws of the Lynel encroaching on Zora's Domain.
Link raised his hands, and as before he signed, 'It's a surprise.' This time his hands were jerky, betraying his impatience, but Sidon rooted himself to the spot.
"Normally surprises do not involve shields," he pointed out. Strapped to his back was a silver Zora shield, a piece of equipment that Link was adamant he obtain once revealing his intentions of surprising him.
Link had defeated Vah Ruta not long ago, putting an end to the dangers the unending rain had brought. In the process, Vah Ruta's defeat had spelled the end to Sidon's hope. Although he knew the odds, in the century since Calamity Ganon rose back to prominence, he had not let go of the possibility that Mipha had been preserved, and he would again see her alive and well in her rightful place as the future queen of Zora's domain. When the waterflow from Vah Ruta's trunk had ceased, and he saw Link again in the throne room sans his sister by his side, every part of him fell numb. Several days stretched between then and now, and still a dark cloud loomed over Sidon's head, showering him in a torrential downpour. Every night was now spent by Mipha's statue. He had made it a habit to talk to the statue when alone, discussing his worries and doubts as if Mipha would one day materialize and respond. So lost he was in talking to her statue, he hadn't noticed Link come up the shrine's staircase, nor come to his side.
Once he did however, he was quick to compose himself. "Ah, Link…I am sorry you had to see me in such a moment of weakness."
Link had shaken his head. "C'mon, I want to show you something," he had said, and cut off Sidon's attempt to ask for details by adding, "It's a surprise."
Sidon had been reluctant to abandon his schedule. He still had about an hour left until morning to spend with Mipha, but after further insisting from Link, he conceded.
"Alright, show me what is it you wish to surprise me with," he said begrudgingly, forgetting his manners for a moment.
"There is something you will need first," Link said, heading in the direction of the armory.
"And what would that be?" Sidon asked.
The smirk Link sent him then was devious. "A shield."
Sidon had no idea what role a shield would serve him in Link's plans. However, he trusted his friend, and followed along despite his bewilderment. After shepherding him to the armory and finding him a strong, unused shield, he led him east across the bridge towards Mikau Lake. Gaddison had stopped them on their way out, asking Link where he was taking Sidon. As Link told Sidon, he said, "I have a surprise for him."
Gaddison had looked to Sidon for confirmation, and upon receiving a nod from her prince, she returned to Link. Sighing, she had instructed firmly, "Please keep him safe and have him back soon." With those parting words, they left, swimming up the falls until reaching the top at Lulu Lake.
When Link from there started leading him towards Shatterback Point, Sidon had to put his foot down.
"The beast is dead," Link explained to him, catching onto Sidon's caution. "I killed it."
This caught Sidon off guard. "When did this happen?"
"A while ago. A Zora had asked me to take a picture of it." He paused. "Plus, I wanted the mons."
"Mons? What is that?" Sidon asked, but Link was already waving him forward. Clearly, Link was done talking.
The sky had been a soft gradient of black to a light rosy purple when they had set out, and now transitioned into a steadily lightening blue as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. From the night's shroud appeared large, lumpy clouds that caught and helped spread the golden light across Hyrule. There wasn't much time before they would have to head back, as Sidon's duties as prince demanded.
Sidon complied to Link's ushering, trusting that his friend took care of the threat. However, as a precaution, instead of walking side-by-side he let Link walk in front of him. Together they made their way past the sign pointing them up to Shatterback Point and stopped at the pine tree marking the entrance to the Lynel's territory.
Although Link had said he took care of the beast haunting the grounds, Sidon still peered around the clearing for any sign of the Lynel. He and his people had learned long ago that every blood moon brought with it the resurrection of the dead. In the hundred years of Calamity Ganon's reign, across the land many had made it a point to cremate their dead than see their bodies resurrect or their bones reassemble under Ganon's influence. Funeral pyres had been built across the land to send off the dead, and when they were able, they did the same of their enemies.
He could not be certain Link had known to do such a thing, neither did he remember when the last blood moon had been. However, as they made their way through the clearing and no sounds of hooves or sizzling of a nocked shock arrow could be heard, his shoulders marginally relaxed.
A tapping on Sidon's elbow drew his attention back down to Link. "My apologies Link, I didn't mean to ignore you. What did you need?"
"Watch me," was all Link said, then turned back in the direction they came. He looked determined, with his eyebrows pinching together and a serious frown on his lips. He equipped his shield - a silver spiked shield Sidon recognized as one that belonged to the Lizalfos - and then as suddenly as he was there he was leaping into the air. Sidon's eyes widened, watching as Link effortlessly somersaulted, tucking his shield beneath his feet as he did, and landed. Then he slid forward with his arms out and both feet balanced on the shield. Very soon he was carted off down the slope, and Sidon momentarily lost sight of him as he curved around the bend. There was a pause. Sidon hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until a gusty sigh left him at the sight of Link, all in one piece, running back towards him, shield on his arm and a toothy grin across his face.
Sidon couldn't help but mimic him.
"Amazing!" Sidon exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. He stared at Link's shield with newfound reverence. "What do you call this, my friend?"
"Shield surfing," Link said. He lost his voice to the excitement, and instead his hands rose, signing erratically. 'It's very fun!'
"Do you do this often?"
Link made a so-so motion. 'Shield surfing breaks down my shields easily,' he explained. 'It can become dangerous if the damage becomes too much.'
"That explains why you insisted I get a shield with little wear," Sidon deduced.
'You want to try?' Link asked.
Even if Sidon had any intentions of saying no, there was no conceivable way he would have found the strength to deny Link given his wide-eyed, smiling face.
"Absolutely!" he exclaimed, unstrapping his shield from his back and readying it the same way Link had. "So, all I have to do is take a running leap and place the shield under my feet?"
Link shook his head. 'I was showing off,' he admitted as pink rose in his cheeks and the tips of his pointed ears. 'You can set your shield on the ground and push yourself off that way.' He joined Sidon then, setting his shield down beside Sidon's. 'Be careful,' he warned. 'Leap off if you end up veering off course.'
"You got it!" Sidon said. "For starters, shall we race to that tree?" He pointed to the pine tree below, nestled behind the sign for Shatterback Point. It was a short racing track, but one better suited for a beginner like himself. Although, as a trained warrior, he was confident keeping his balance would not be the problem here. Beating an experienced shield surfer like Link in a race would be.
Sidon readied himself the moment Link gave his consent: Placing a foot on the ground to push off with, the other in the shield, and arms prepared to balance him. Beside him, Link did the same, and thus began the shield surfing race.
"On the count of three, we go," Sidon said, bending his knees and digging the ball of his foot into the ground. "One…Two…THREE!"
Sidon pushed off and had to thrice more before his shield was gripped by gravity, and he was off. Link had pulled ahead long ago, given his lighter frame and experience. When he planted his other foot in the shield, he wobbled, and fought to keep his balance when all his shield wanted to do was fly out from under him. His arms pinwheeled in his efforts, but as his weight combined with the slope of the mountain grew steeper, he steadily gained momentum. His balance came to him more easily then, and with a wide pointy grin, he crouched forward and raced off after Link.
Link looked back once, and only once, as his eyes widened at seeing Sidon closing in. He too crouched lower, and both moved swiftly down the trail.
However, as soon as they started, the tree was there, and Link was the first one to reach out and touch it. Sidon leaped from his shield and rested a foot on top to stop it from continuing off the cliff. He glared over at a smirking Link, although a grin threatened to curl up his own lips.
"Best two out of three," Sidon ordered. Link agreed, and they made their way back up to the starting point.
This time around, Sidon knew just what he had to do. Upon reaching the count of three, he pumped his leg several times and leant forward once his shield started going.
He and Link were neck-in-neck heading down, however Sidon was at the advantage; with his larger size came longer arms, and he reached out to tag the tree before Link could.
It was his turn to smirk and for Link to glare.
Sidon started back up the hill with a slight swagger in his step. Over his shoulder, he called, "The next one determines the winner!"
He heard Link's chuckle and sped up when his friend initiated a race up the trail. They arrived at their starting place breathless, but with Sidon now the sore loser. Hylians and their long legs could easily outrun anyone on foot.
"This time let's race to the tree by the bottom of this trail, near the top of Lulu Lake's falls," Link said, meeting Sidon's eyes with a cocked eyebrow. "Unless you're too chicken."
It was a challenge, one that Sidon would be hard pressed to deny.
"More time for me to win," Sidon said in agreement. Link rolled his eyes, but a smile was on both their faces as they readied themselves.
On three Sidon took off down the path. He was alone for a long moment and casted a confused look back to see what was up. This glance served as an impetus to get going, as a hazy shadow leaped across the grass and stones, and then from the skies Link dropped down beside him. He sent Sidon a jaunty wave and leaned forward, easily taking first in their descent.
They passed the tree they had been stopping at, curving around the bend and closing in on the tree they marked as their goal. However, when both their hands reached out, neither of them could figure out who had touched the trunk first.
"Let's do this once more," Sidon said. "If it ends up as another draw, we'll both humbly concede."
Link agreed to that plan, and once more they found themselves at the starting tree. It was there that Sidon first felt it: A drop on his shoulder, that soon was joined by another and then another. Swiftly, a light sprinkle became a downpour, and a quick glance up confirmed that the large clouds he had seen earlier had turned gray. Underneath their feet, the dry dirt became dark under the onslaught. He glanced at Link and was met with an expectant raised eyebrow.
"It's just rain," he said, easing Sidon's nerves. The lightning storms across Hyrule were as dangerous as the Guardians and were the sworn enemy of the Zora.
"Then let us begin!" he said. The countdown begun, and as the other three times, he pushed off with four hard kicks.
Unlike the first three times, he flew.
The mud dragged him down, faster than ever before, and when the bend approached, he was helpless to stop.
"JUMP!" he heard Link shout, but it was far too late to head his wise words. Sidon's shield hit the rock behind the pine tree, and like a slingshot he was flung forward.
His world was a whirl of green, gray, and blue, and then he was falling through the free air. He saw rushing water before his world flashed white. Water closed in around him; the shocking transition from air to water made him still. The muted splash and sight of familiar blue and silver of Zora armor however was an impetus to swim upwards.
When he resurfaced, he saw Link there, eyes wide with worry.
"Are you alright?" he asked, moving as close as he could without falling into the deep end.
"I fell down the falls," Sidon said. Then, he laughed.
It was no normal laugh too. Not the dignified chuckle expectant of a prince, but a head back guffaw that sounded, loud and clear, over the thrum of rain. He could feel the tingle of Link's stare, but now, he couldn't find any reason to care. His shield surfing adventures ended with him somersaulting across and over the falls, and into the depths of Lulu Lake. Just imagining the sight he must have made brought him to tears.
Another laugh soon joined his own, and then they were both reduced to tears. Link fell back against the bolder, hunched over and holding his stomach, his face becoming as red as Sidon's scales from how hard he laughed. Sidon had to move to the shallow end when his laughter impeded his ability to swim.
It was like this that Gaddison had eventually found them. The sun had risen further in the sky, signaling the start of a meeting with the king's court. As prince and future king, he was needed by his father's side. Gaddison had come for him when it became clear he wouldn't be arriving on time.
However, the sight she stumbled upon in Lulu Lake was enough to bring a grin to her face. "My prince, the king is looking for you. You have a meeting to attend."
He and Link's laughter died out, but their smiles remained. They shared a look, and quickly had to look away when more chuckles threatened to overtake them once more. Sidon exited the lake with Link at his side, and when he answered Gaddison, his voice was hoarse. "Alright, I will head there in a moment." Gaddison nodded, and when Sidon turned to Link she backed off a few paces to give them privacy. When she was some ways away, Sidon said to Link, "Thank you, my friend. I have not laughed like that in some time."
Link eyes crinkled from the force of his smile. 'I hope we can do this again sometime.'
"I would begrudge you if we didn't. Although, preferably without me being flung down a waterfall." They chuckled. "I hope to see you around Zora's Domain," he said, hopefully, and grinned even wider, if it were possible, when Link nodded.
Later, after he entered the throne room with several apologies for his belatedness and following a reprimand from the king once the meeting was adjourned, he was stopped from leaving when his father called after him.
"Oh, and Sidon?"
"Yes, father?" he asked, turning around.
His father had a wide, delighted grin on his face.
"It's nice to see you smiling again, my son," his father said.
Sidon felt his face and found that he indeed was still smiling. And not his usual toothy front, but a genuine one, one that he hadn't shown in quite some time. Chest and face feeling warm, he said, "Yeah…It feels nice, too."
Link might have stopped Vah Ruta's constant downpour, but the knowledge that Mipha truly had not survived Calamity Ganon's wrath followed Sidon around as its own little storm cloud. While it would be some time before his heart wouldn't ache, and he wouldn't fall to tears thinking of his beloved older sister, his morning with Link was a step towards healing. A step towards not falling into grief over his sister, but in happiness over the memories he had once shared with her.
End Notes: This was a blast to write and would have been out sooner had I made up my mind and wrote down my idea sooner rather than later. I hope you all enjoyed! I fully intend to publish a multi-chaptered BotW story soon, although it will not be for SidLink, but for Zelda x Mipha.