Chapter 1: Finny Fun

Link was away on an errand to goddess-knows-where. With nothing to do, Zelda was bored and their home progressively getting lonelier without his company. A sudden urge of productiveness rose within her, filling her with the desire to experiment on different kinds of effects that different materials could create.

Zelda stood from the comfort of her chair and began to gather materials. The thought of doing nothing didn't sit right by her any longer. Prepping all the necessary items, she began making bottle after bottle of elixirs, potions, tonics, and serums. After a long night of losing herself in her experiments and notes she realized she had forgotten to label which bottle was supposed to have which guesstimated effect. She dusted off a shelf and lined up the vials and drams in a nice line.

"Guess I went a bit overboard…" she muttered. "Oh well, a lack of labeling isn't so bad. Keeps things interesting" she mused to herself as she made her way back to her seat to enjoy the sight of her creations.

Zelda sunk into the chair, and began examining her notes by the table side. Her knight had been gone for a couple days already, but was due to return at any minute's notice! However, not as soon as she wished.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes into hours. With nothing to keep her busy the young princess began losing herself in reading and ended up napping on the same table she was studying on.

The sound of a door opening and closing woke the princess from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and looked around in confusion, and was greeted by the grin of a familiar hero.

It was Link!

She bolted from her chair to welcome her Knight with open arms, but before she got to him, he happily greeted her with a bouquet of freshly picked Silent Princesses, which he knew Zelda adored. Link placed them into the vase on the dining room, and looked around and noticed there was notes, tomes, and several bottles around.

"I missed you! What took you so long?" Zelda asked as she gave him a hug from behind. "I know the villagers asked you to gather some materials from-"

Zelda was cut off as two low growls rang around the room. Both blondes looked at each other in surprise and confusion. Zelda blushed in embarrassment as she realized the sound had come from their empty stomachs. Link grinned at her and showed her some fresh ingredients he had caught on his way home.

"Before we catch up… how about a meal?" Link offered. Zelda smiled and nodded gratefully.

With that Link began to work on a pot of stew for dinner, while Zelda made the table for them. The two of them sat and had a chat about what he did on his quest.

Link stood up and got a second serving of stew, as he sat down he noticed something on the wall, he turned to Zelda and pointed at the arrangement of different bottles on the wall. "I'm guessing I wasn't the only one busy today," he muttered. "Any new discoveries Princess?" he asked curiously.

Zelda smiled sweetly at him "Link… I'm… going to need your help with a project of mine." she asked, trying to be as vague as possible to avoid suspicion on her ulterior motives.

"What is it?" he asked as he looked up briefly from his meal.

"I was brewing some new elixirs, and…. As it turns out… I may or may not have remembered to label them as I bottled them." she confessed shyly. "Could you assist me in trying them out as I record the results?"

He paused for a second, "If it has nothing that includes licking frogs, I suppose I can…" he answered and immediately went back to scarfing down his second share.

"Great~! We'll start bright and early tomorrow; get some sleep my dear knight," she beamed. It was hard for Link to say no to her, specially when she got like this.

The next morning Link awoke to a beautiful sunrise. He rolled out of bed first and started to prepare some breakfast before they started their day.

Best to do not do this on an empty stomach, he thought. I'm going to need all the energy I can get if it's anything like the last time… Link's face paled for a second as he recalled the last time they had a potion session. I really hope it doesn't involve the mixing of korok seeds this time… that's what I'm most afraid of.

He shook his head and slapped his cheeks. "Best not think of that!" he said to himself as he began to gather the breakfast ingredients.

Sometime later Zelda was roused awake by the wafting scent of pancakes and the sweet smell of roasted berries. She rose from her bed, donned her robe, and made her way to the table where her share was sitting, pipping hot and smelling oh-so-deliciously.

Zelda eyed the dish in surprise and delight.

"I'm serious Link, even if you hadn't become my knight, you definitely would have still made your way to the castle as a personal chef in time. This is on par or even tops anything that our regular chefs had made for us back then," she chimed.

Link recalled his previous quest and remembered finding the main chef's recipe book, and in it, Zelda's favorite dish, fruit cake. This dish had just been his take on it.

"Thank you Milady. While I appreciate the compliment, it's really nothing that special… I'm just a humble knight after all..." he said, still embarrassed. She really couldn't see him while he had his back turned to her, however Zelda could see a beet red blush spreading all the way to his pointy ears. It mightve been her imagination, but she swore she had seen him smiling proudly.

However, the princess frowned slightly and looked down at the table sadly. She had already been over this with him, but he had yet to fully respect her wishes. But she would made herself be heard!

"You know… There's no need to be so modest anymore Link... the kingdom is no more and…. I think it's about time we drop the formalities," she said staring directly into his eyes as he turned around.

She obviously knew Link had been bound by duty before, but she was ready to be a normal, average Hylian girl. "Please... I want you to address me as Zelda. Not Princess nor Milady, Zelda and only Zelda," she added.

Link looked at her in shock, it was hard for him to contain his surprise. This request had come before, but nowhere near this direct. He could see in her eyes that addressing her as royalty and not an equal was bothering her. But it went against everything he had trained for, and her image as princess was hard to erase from his mind… but if it was what his lady wanted...

"I understand Mila-No! I-I mean… Z-z-" he mumbled. "Ze-Zelda," he stammered, finally.

I can tell it's gonna be hard to break old habits. Zelda stared blankly for a second, only to suddenly begin giggling to herself.

"That's better! Now come over here and enjoy your food before it gets cold. This is too good to pass up," she said as she chew through a chunk of the pancake, quite unlady like.

Link chuckled at her antics as he rubbed the back of his head and then joined her at the table.

Not even eight minutes had passed and his share was but a distant memory, as he licked the plate clean.

The hero gathered the dishes to clean by the creek, while Zelda got things set up inside.

Link made his way back home just in time as Zelda finished lining up the bottles in the table. She made sure to bring out the comfy chairs they used while sitting next to the hearth, just as a precaution.

"That should do it. Now what I want you to do is pick a vial, and drink the contents. We'll wait for the effects to kick in. If something does happen, we'll figure out what to do from there," she instructed her little guinea pig. Link took a seat and followed her directions.

"Well here goes nothing! Bottom's up!" Link yelled as he raised his bottle up jokingly making a toast and then swallowed the contents rapidly.

The potion itself tasted of the ocean, salty and a bit fishy.

Suddenly, his eyes bulged slightly and his throat dried almost in seconds. Thirst crept up on him, forcing him to run out the house and onto the pond around the other side of the property. After stumbling himself to the edge of the pond and satiating himself, Zelda came running scared of the unexpected outcome.

Link cried out in surprise as he felt his legs were suddenly fusing into one another, to what seemed to be a fish tail of sorts.

Zelda looked in surprise as the unimaginable happened. It's not a fish tail... its definitely dolphin like… It kinda reminds me of Mipha's tail. Zelda mused, lost in thought. The skin on his legs began dull a bit, gaining a grayish-blue hue. Are these the effects of the Zora Scale potion I made? I figured he would gain more stamina to swim… but is this what a Zora scale mixture can do when ingested?

"Zelda! What's happening!? A little help please! It seems as if I've fallen and I can't get up..." Link shouted over to Zelda, who was still dumbfounded from what she just witnessed.

"Link, give me a minute! I think I have an idea. Just wait in the pond while I figure this out." She yelled in a panic. She had NOT expected this outcome in the LEAST. So she didn't have certain parameters set up.

If only I labeled it as I should have while I was working… Suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. What if I borrowed a cart from one of the neighbors? That would work to transport Link to a bigger body of water…

She immediately took off for the shopping area. Luckily, one of the farmers had a spare wagon to borrow and was more than glad to let her borrow it. Of course she didn't mention the fact that Link was suddenly a…. Mer...maid?… mer...merman?

She went to fetch Epona from the stables next to the house and hitched the wagon to her. Somehow, Zelda managed to help Link in, and lead the horse to Hateno Bay.

"Why are we going there?" Link wondered, "Shouldn't I stay close in case something else happens while it's still affecting me?"

"Somehow, Link, I doubt anything worse can happen..."

Zelda tried to give some comfort to her friend. "Although… I was thinking, why don't you take advantage of your predicament and explore the depths on Hateno Bay? You may find some treasure that even the Magnesis rune couldn't reach."

Although Link didn't completely appreciate the current situation, Zelda's words rung true.

"You're not wrong…" he said as he mulled over the map in his mind, trying to remember where those spots were. "Why… we may even strike it rich!" he said with enthusiasm.

"Now that's the knight I know," she encouraged. "Now once you return to normal, you should be capable of walking back, the trek isn't too far."

They pulled up to the shore and the two of them worked together to slide Link off of the cart. Somehow Link squirmed his way to the water and tossed Zelda his tunic.

"I doubt that I'm going to need that given my current form, keep it safe while I'm out here please, I shouldn't be too long… hopefully" he reassured Zelda.

While Link got used to his new bearings, Zelda sketched out what the results looked like in her records. After an hour or two, Link had managed to get used to the new changes in his body. After a while longer, Zelda gathered their belongings in the wagon and got Epona set up for their journey back.

"Have a safe trip back," he said with a smile. Zelda smiled in return… but then looked down sadly.

She was the one that had gotten him into this situation, and wasn't even gonna be able to stay by his side. "I'm… sorry I got you in this predicament…" she muttered sadly.

Link noticed the guilt in her face, and immediately responded.

"Nonsense! Thanks to you I have this once in a lifetime opportunity!" he beamed. "My only regret is Prince Sidon isn't here to see which of us is faster," he laughed as he winked at her jokingly.

Zelda felt her heart pound heavily. It hadn't even been a full day since she had reunited with her knight, and here they were forced to say their goodbyes yet again.

Without warning Zelda began running and jumped into the water, and made her way to Link.

"Pri-Princess!?" he yelped in surprise.

She stopped inches away and pouted at him. Realizing his mistake, Link began stammering.

"M-My apologies! Please forgive me Zelda, i-it might take some time but I promise I'll get used to calling you by your first name… please don't take it to heart" he shuddered, eyes closed.

All of the sudden he felt something around him, and opened his eyes in surprise to see Zelda embracing him.

"As if I'd get mad over something like that…" she muttered, not looking him in the eyes. "Have a good time, my dear knight, and please… please be safe."

Link was slightly confused by the situation, but returned the hug. "Don't worry Zelda, I'll be careful, and although I'm no longer needed… I'm still the Hero of the Wilds, I'll be fine," he said as he grinned down on her.

Both let go of each other after a while. Zelda returned to the shore and slowly made her way home while looking back to make sure he was okay, he waved one final time as he suddenly sped away from the shoreline.

Link was a bit giddy inside. Part amazed that a single potion could have these effects, part excited for a new adventure and hidden treasures to find.

I should see if I can find something for Zelda as thanks for her efforts… After all, this wouldn't be possible without her or her zany experiments.

Link dove below the surface and meandered for awhile till he spotted something sparkling with a blue hue deep below. He swam closer to see. It was some ore that he never found on the mainland before.

I think I could make something with this… after I get my legs back that is.

He took his time, and enjoyed swimming freely. When he usually swam before he had to budget his energy so he wouldn't cramp up and drown. With the magical effects of the potion, he could swim as fast as a Zora, even without the Zora armor on. He could even dive deeper and breathe under the sea without the help of an ancient item. He had the most fun doing turns, flips, and launching out of the water, flying several feet into the air.

Link decided it was for the best to keep his hair binder in. It would be less of a hassle than, returning to normal with a rat's nest for hair.

Soon the sun began to set. I think it's time to figure out accommodations for the night. Best to get back to the shore… Link crawled up and sprawled on the warm, wet sand and dozed off…

After a few days of going up and down the coast, Link was suddenly hit with boredom. He was kind of stuck in the water till the concoction wore off.

I'm really missing my bed right now… I wonder what Mil- Zelda's doing… Dangit, I did it again...

The next morning his prayers were answered and he awoke on the beach to find his fins went away and his legs were back to normal. It took him a few moments to get his bearings straight, as he hadn't walked on solid ground for a few days.

He yelped in surprise as he noticed his manly bits were out and about. Thankfully Zelda had predicted this would happen and had left him a change of clothes next to a palm tree by where they had parted ways.

He grabbed the stone he found in the depths and made his way back to home.

Zelda was waiting inside by the table. When he walked in she bolted towards him with a peck on the cheek and a hug. She followed up with an array of questions for him.

"Relax, I'll field them, just let me get reaquainted with the Rito feather bed," he mumbled as he collapsed on the chair Zelda pulled out for him. He was having a bit of a backlash from floating and swimming for days.

"I found something for you though," he said as he pulled the stone from his pouch and showed it to Zelda.

"Oh my goodness! I know this! Its turquoise! Supposedly, it's rare and you can only find it in deep waters," she began geeking out. "Look at this, it's so beautiful, and the marbling on it is exquisite~."

Link turned his attention to the table, eyeing up the other bottles by the table, he knew there was more to do.

"Can we wait on the next bottle?," he asked, "I'm exhausted from all the swimming, and I know my body is going to pay for it tomorrow..."

Truth be told, Zelda had been contemplating disposing of the potions. After what happened to Link she felt too guilty about having him try any more. However… if he still felt up to the task...

"I suppose we could do that…or…." she paused.

Link shuddered, pausing was never a good sign.

"I've got something that can help with the muscle aches and there should be some pain relievers somewhere around here…." She began to rummage through her medicinal supplies and found a few items.

"What harm could one more little bottle do?" Link questioned sarcastically. He was expecting a rebuttal, but it only encouraged her.

"The medicine should be ready by morning, go and get some rest, my dear knight" Zelda purred delighted by his enthusiasm.

Link groaned inwardly, regretting his poor choice of words. "I'll take ya up on your offer, Princess. Good Knight" he punned one last time before following suit. Link barely managed to climb the stairs to the loft. Zelda heard a soft puff of the bed and she knew he was out cold.

"Good Night" she whispered under her breath.