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Zelda awoke the next day and quickly dressed in her blue tunic and leggings. She barely had her boots pulled on when someone knocked on her door.

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Prince Sidon, and Zelda raised an eyebrow to his sudden presence.

"Good morning, Zelda! What is on the agenda for today?"

The Hylian Princess stood from where she had been seated on her bed and self-consciously ran a hand through her hair, giving him a confused expression. "Are you…planning on accompanying me today as well?"

A tinge of rejection flashed across the Zora's face, and Zelda scrambled to put him at ease, "Not that I don't want you to, I would be delighted to share in your company again today."

He seemed to relax at this, so Zelda continued, "Though, I figured you would be leaving for another patrol again. This is the third day you have forfeited your duties to entertain me. I do hope I am not a bother."

Sidon shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Things have been rather quiet lately, and it'd be rude of me to patrol and leave you behind to have to piddle around the Domain." He flashed her a grin, "I do not want you to grow lonely. Or worse, force you to sit all day listening to my father's stories over tea."

Zelda wagged her finger in a playful, scolding manner. "Do not speak ill of your father, he is wonderful company! No need to be so harsh on the man."

Sidon rolled his eyes. "It is kind of you to defend my silly father. Though I can't help but get the impression that you want me to leave, seeing as you keep mentioning for me to get back to work."

Uncertainty clouded Zelda's eyes at this and she frowned. "I do not want you to leave. I just…" She trailed off, trying to figure out how to word her self-consciousness, "You may have experienced the same thing, but it's not uncommon for someone to drop everything and completely go out of their way to attend to me. Even though I have been gone for years, people still will stop and see to me first before themselves. I wish to be treated like anyone else, so I don't want to be a burden to anyone because they think they have to attend to me at all times."

Sidon studied her unsure expression before confidently speaking, "Believe me when I say that you are not a burden to me at all, and that I'd rather be spending this time with you."

Zelda looked up at him through her dark lashes, and Sidon felt warmth flood his being at the sight of her shy smile.

"Alright, if you say so."

"I do say so! Anyways, I believe my father mentioned Link ought to be returning tomorrow. So one more day with you couldn't hurt anything."

Zelda scoffed at his flippant jab and admitted defeat as she accompanied Sidon out into the square.

Many Zora passing by turned to smile and wave at their Prince and the Hylian Princess before going back to their duties, while others were too preoccupied with their own chores to notice the pair. The stone statue of Mipha kept watch over the bustling square, and Zelda stared up at the beautiful tribute for the hundredth time since she had arrived at the Domain.

It was weird that in her memory of the Domain, this fountain and statue did not exist. But it was here now, and while it always panged Zelda as a grim reminder of her dear friend, it brought an extra weight of beauty and history to the previously plain square.

This thought struck Zelda and she turned to Sidon, "I think for my last day I want to go up into the mountains and forage around a bit."

Despite his earlier lighthearted joke on the subject, Sidon's heart lurched at the realization that his time with Zelda would be coming to an end soon.

This would be her last day here at the Domain.

For some reason, he felt disappointed to know his time with her was coming to an end.

Mipha had been able to spend more than three days by Zelda's side.

The prince peered down at his companion, who gazed with faraway eyes at the statue of his sister. His heart warmed at the sight – it was obvious how much Zelda cared about Mipha. It reminded him of Link's own soft gaze that Sidon would occasionally catch directed at the statue of his sister.

Sidon remembered the image of Link's hand gently placed on Mipha's arm in the old photo. A pang of jealousy shot through his system - jealous that his sister still held their love and devotion so many years after her death, and jealous that they got to remember Mipha for who she truly was.

Sidon hated admitting that he could hardly remember his sister from his own accounts. He was more familiar with the image of her everyone else painted, as he himself only had fleeting memories from a blurry childhood. Even so, he cherished his sister and her memory dearly, and was glad Mipha really had been special to both of his Hylian friends.

Sidon appreciated their loyalty to her.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Zelda. I know a great place to take you, though I don't believe anyone has patrolled that far out in quite a few weeks. It would be best to head out now, so we can have plenty of time before the sun sets. We shouldn't run into any trouble, but I'll fetch my bow just in case."

Zelda nodded as Sidon jogged off, and she returned to her room at the inn to quickly fetch a small pack before they departed.

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Zelda looked around as Sidon led her up the mountain path. They were currently making their way up towards a clearing that the Zora Prince said held many berries and mushrooms to forage. The Princess had expressed wanting to explore around the mountain some, and to collect items to craft a dish in offering for Mipha.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as stopped to look down and sidestep a rough patch of rocks. Sidon turned as he noticed she was not by his side, and patiently waited for her to catch up to him. Zelda smiled graciously and watched the Zora Prince out of the corner of her eye as they walked.

Sidon was unlike most princes she had met in her lifetime.

While the princes she had been forced into socializing with in her past had been pompous and unabashedly egotistical, Sidon was grounded and thoughtful, and Zelda could tell he cared a great deal about other people and how they perceived him. Despite his intimidating exterior, she had learned he was a gentle soul who only wanted to do what was right by others. Even though he could be a goof a times, Zelda found him quite charming.

A slight blush rose to her cheeks, and she had to look away for fear of him noticing her staring. Zelda licked her lips, suddenly feeling parched.

After a few minutes of quietly trekking up the path, Sidon tensed beside her and he held a serious expression. Zelda quirked an eyebrow as she peered up at him.

"What is wrong, Sidon?"

"We're encroaching upon known monster territory. We have driven them far enough away from the Domain, but sometimes I catch a few wandering around this area. Like I said earlier, it has been a few weeks since anyone last ran patrols around here." He spoke in a quiet tone, and his amber eyes scanned the trees that lined the edge of the cliff off to the side from them. The silver adornments and armor that decorated his person glittered in the sunlight.

"I'm just trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. They've grown to become quite crafty with their ambushes. But don't worry, I'll protect you."

Zelda nodded. Months of traveling with Link have proven to her that it is better to remain silent when a companion is trying to keep an eye out for danger, as talking or making excessive noise could cause a distraction and allow any potential enemies to gain the upper hand.

Her hands moved up to grip the straps of her pack as her shoulders tensed. Normally she would argue that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but decided not to push it, as she was technically a guest and Sidon was acting as her escort.

They continued on, and minutes passed without incident. As they walked, the side of the mountain to their right formed to jut out above them. It cast a shadow over half of the path, and they moved to remain in the sunlight from above.

Right as Zelda was about to make a comment on the strange natural formation, Sidon froze and snapped his head up, bringing with it Zelda's attention. Her gaze landed on a blue pig creature, and she gasped as it screeched upon seeing them.

Suddenly a much taller, lankier silver pig appeared, and before she could react it quickly moved to push a large boulder off the cliff, meant to crush them in an instant.

A scream got caught in her throat, and then a sudden weight surrounded her, followed by dizzying movement.

Blinking slowly, Zelda looked up to realize Sidon had grabbed her and flung them under the overpass of the cliff, and they were now hidden in the shadows.

A large, muscular arm was wrapped around her, holding her flush against his body, and the other was pressed against the rock wall to steady himself from the sudden force of lunging out of the way. Sidon was a tall Zora, but being so close to him made Zelda painfully aware of their size difference, as the top of her head barely reached his chest.

Her face was buried in his abdomen, and the scent of rain and salt blurred her senses.

Link had held her close like this on many occasions, but for some reason she felt her heart raced so quickly that Zelda could barely breath.

The excitement and hesitancy she felt in this moment was not unlike the same sensation she felt when held by Revali all those years ago, and a pang of longing for her departed Champion shot through her.

The cries of the monsters above reminded her that they needed to assess the situation, and prepare to fight if need be.

Zelda stood still in the Zora Prince's embrace and relished in his sudden closeness before looking up. Sidon's head was held high and alert as he watched the path behind them for more incoming danger.

Ocean blue eyes assessed his strong profile for a moment, and her mind dared to wonder if he felt affected by her proximity as well.

If he was, he did not show it.

The boulder that had been unceremoniously dropped had rolled down the cliff, and Zelda was about to pull away when another boulder suddenly smashed into the ground, causing her to jump and squeak in surprise. Sidon's hold on her instinctively tightened and he pressed her closer to his body.

All that could be heard was the warbled noises from the monsters above. Both royal heirs breathed heavily and remained silent. Zelda moved a hand to rest on the bicep of the arm that was around her, causing Sidon to stiffen and peer down at her.

"Are you alright, Princess?"

Ignoring his sudden switch to formality, she nodded and swallowed in an attempt to regain her composure.

The Zora Prince's offered her a reassuring smile. "Good thing I brought my bow, eh?"

He released her and stepped back, taking his body heat with him. The Zora moved to unhook his bow from the holster draped across his shoulders, and Zelda marveled at the beauty of the weapon in his hands.

It was much larger than any bow she had ever seen, but then again, it was made for a Zora to wield. The bow was silver and encrusted with jewels, and the image of Mipha's trident flashed before her eyes, as both weapons bore a striking resemblance in aesthetics and design. No doubt Dento crafted both of the Zora heir's signature weapons.

Zelda pulled her pack off her shoulders and rummaged through it, locating her trusty old dagger. She wasn't sure if she'd need it, but better to be armed in case something unexpected happened.

"Stand back, they're coming." He murmured as he fingered the steel arrow that he strung against the cord of his bow.

Though she was unsure of why she had to step back, Zelda followed orders and moved to where she was a safe distance from Sidon, though still held visual of the path ahead.

Sure enough, the monsters filed down the dirt path with their weapons flailing above their heads. They screeched as they ran towards Sidon, and Zelda watched in astonishment as blue energy began to gather in the arrow at his fingertips as he stood steadfast.

Zelda was about to bark out for him to do something, as the monsters were becoming too close to combat with archery, when suddenly a whooshing noise rang out, followed by a gust of air that blew back at her with a terrifying force. Zelda brought her arms up to shield her eyes as her hair whipped around behind her.

As quickly as it appeared, the wind was gone, and she peered over her arms to spot the army of bokoblins and moblins crumple to the floor in unison and disintegrate into puffs of dark smoke.

Zelda stood still, and met Sidon's gaze when he turned to look at her. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Blinking in astonishment, she looked back to where the mob of monsters had been, and then back to the Zora Prince. "Pretty cool is a bit of an understatement, I'm afraid."

This earned a hearty laugh from Sidon, who clicked his bow in place on his back. "I have a few tricks up my sleeves. I can do more than just swim, you know."

He motioned for her to join his side again, and after he looked her over to make sure she was unharmed, they continued their trek up the mountainside now that the coast was clear.

"Where did you learn that from?" Zelda asked as she tucked her dagger away back into her pack.

"Believe it or not, I learned it from my father."

This earned a skeptical look from the Princess, and Sidon continued, "Obviously my father is not the warrior he once was, but from what I've heard, I am apparently the spitting image of him when he was my age. I hope to keep my current physique when I get to be his age, though." He grinned, and Zelda tutted him for bashing on the King again.

"It seems you have inherited a power much like Mipha's, is that correct?"

Sidon nodded, "Yes, within our bloodline is a power from the ancient Zora. I can only focus mine in short bursts, so I've found it effective when combined with my bow and arrows. Mipha's power was substantially greater than mine, and she was able to use it for extended periods of time and managed to teach herself how to use it to heal wounds."

He noticed Zelda held that faraway look in her eyes again as she thought about his sister.

Sidon muttered under his breath, suddenly feeling foolish as he realized Zelda had experienced Mipha's power firsthand all those years ago. "But I suppose you knew that already."

Why did being around this girl make his confidence wane?

Sidon noticed he was finding it harder to focus while around Zelda, and anytime his sister was brought up, he couldn't help but feel a flare of jealousy.

Mipha was better than him in every way. She was a war hero, and all he had to show for himself was an ugly scar for defeating an Octorock of all things. He inwardly groaned at how juvenile his thoughts were.

Zelda softly spoke up, "Yes, Mipha was a talented healer…her power was always so warm and inviting."

Sidon's lips twitched into a slight frown as he looked away.

"But, you are warm and inviting in your own way, Sidon. Your ability to focus your power to combine it with your archery is genius. Do not lose sight of your own power and being. You are not your sister, but I like that about you."

Heat rose to the Prince's cheeks at her soft encouragement, and he unconsciously scratched the side of his face in embarrassment.

When he chanced a glance at her, he noticed a light blush set on the apples of her cheeks.

Once again, she effortlessly pinpointed and lay rest to his insecurities. His heart fluttered, and he caught himself in awe of her calm wisdom yet again. Zelda was the Goddess incarnate, and held hidden powers he could only fathom, so he shouldn't be surprised that she could be so perceptive to his misgivings.

Sidon cleared his through as he pointed ahead, "Well, we're almost there. It's just right up this hill."

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A/N: When I wrote this story, I didn't really pay attention on who I was focusing on in the narrative, so while rereading/editing it, I notice I tend to flip-flop between them before eventually reverting back to Sidon's POV haha! He's just quite a lot of fun to write, and his characterization comes more naturally to me than Zelda's does. I don't think I've really grasped Zelda's character enough to make her feelings or thoughts super believable, but eh, I'm trying!

I totally made up all that about Sidon's power and combining it with his arrows for fun, but I thought it was certainly plausible! He is said to be quite skilled with a bow, and since the poor guy can't use shock arrows, I could imagine him using some creativity to make up for it ;) Feel free to let me know your thoughts! xx Cafalla