Despite his sudden recognition of me, the prince of the Zora said nothing further. His royal guard went along with the silence as they stood in a half circle around us. They stood in confusion. We stood in a stalemate – no words exchanged, but eyes conveying two very prominent emotions.
His anger.
My confusion.
"I'm sorry," I started, laughing to diffuse the tension in the air. "Do you recognize me from somewhere?"
It did the exact opposite. Prince Sidon's anger grew exponentially. The crease of his brow bone deepened along with the downward tilt of his dorsal fin. His fangs were barred. The sharp rows of teeth intimidated me.
"You have the audacity to feign ignorance after what happened 100 years ago?"
I opened my mouth to retaliate – to tell him of my amnesia and my obliviousness to the affairs of Hyrule in the last century. But he continued to fan the flames of his own anger. It sparked wildly despite the tempest that raged around us.
"If you do not remember me, I do not suppose you remember my dear sister?" He asked.
The crowd around us broke into whispers. Tula sidestepped to Tona, asking about the nature of the relationship between the prince and I – if there was any. Tottika was rendered in shock at the possible connection. Ledo began muttering about the lifespan of Hylians and its disparity to the one for Zoras before Torfeau shushed him.
Meanwhile, I dug deep into past conversations and recent events – which is the only form of memory I had at that moment. I didn't even bother trying to remember interactions from 100 years ago. His words were less than helpful, cleverly omitting names and descriptions. Forcing my brain past the barrier of amnesia would be more headache-inducing than deductive reasoning.
If he is the Zora Prince, then his sister must be the Zora Princess. What do I know about the Zoras and their princesses? What did this have to do with my past? What did this have to do with my failure from 100 years ago?
"Her Divine Beast might be the cause of the constant rain…"
"Divine Beast Vah Ruta, controlled by Mipha of the Zora…"
"The Champion Mipha was the Zora Princess…"
I fought the urge to pound my fist in realization.
"Her name was Mipha," I said smoothly. It was a deliberate attempt to hide the fact that I synthesized this answer only seconds before. "She was the Zora Champion that piloted Divine Beast Vah Ruta 100 years ago."
I celebrated my quick thinking and gaged the crowd around us. The other Zoras were nodding along to my response. I must have said something right.
Prince Sidon's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is that all you can remember? Nothing beyond factual information a historian can gather from retellings of the Calamity a century ago?"
The patronization was well-defined in his tone. Instinctually, my ears burned with embarrassment and anger in response.
"So, what if it's information everyone knows? You asked me if I remembered your sister and my answer clearly proves that I do."
He exhaled deeply. I couldn't help but associate the gesture to one of disappointment.
The Zora Prince had wanted something specific. Dare I say, he was hopeful that I prove him wrong with his challenge to remember his sister. And I did prove him wrong. However, he was disappointed with my answer – disappointed when I revealed that I knew nothing else of Mipha beyond information that could be researched.
What is he hiding from me?
"It doesn't matter…" He eventually stated. He fixed me with a firm stare, unrelenting in his stoicism. "You will not be welcomed into Zora's Domain."
I spluttered in indignation at his blunt proclamation. He just stated that I was banned from Zora's Domain – before officially crossing into its territory, no less. Kass, Impa, nor even Eryck ever mentioned that the Zora were such an unreceptive race towards Hylians. Was this hostility specifically reserved for me? He certainly acted as if I had personally wronged him.
Or had I wronged his sister in some way?
"You can't just restrict me from your country, especially when I've done nothing wrong! In fact, I came here because I heard that the Zora are requesting aid," I argued.
He ignored my protests and walked forward in the direction of the wetlands, the tail of his head bouncing with each dignified step. "The Zora appreciate your offer, but we must reject. We will find another Hylian to help us," he spoke with cool indifference.
My heart dropped into my stomach as I similarly fell to my knees. It clenched sharply with the sting of rejection without the chance to even prove myself.
But even worse, I thought about the home of the Zora, of Torfeau's tearful joy at having found me just in time. Eryck estimated that the Rutala River would flood overnight. I already knew firsthand that the river is rising at a faster rate than the water could drain naturally.
In short, there would be no time to find another Hylian. I was their only choice, and their prince just outright rejected my help.
Hyrule was ruined 100 years ago due to my own failure. Will my failure here result the same?
There was a heavy, but comforting weight on my shoulder. When I glanced up, Tula was giving me a hopeful smile.
"Do not fret, Hylian. We are on your side. His highness will surely come around," she comforted.
She helped me to stand and gently brushed off the mud and blades of grass that clung to my knees. In a maternal gesture, Tula fixed the hood of my cloak upon my head again.
Meanwhile, Tottika and Torfeau were running to catch up with the prince. I could hear their small dispute by how passionately they were debating with him.
"My prince, you know of the danger Zora's Domain faces. If the East Reservoir floods, it will be too late to save our kingdom!" Torfeau yelled.
Tottika nodded along, attempting to run ahead of Prince Sidon so that he could block his path. "She's right, your highness. The tidal wave would be so large; it would wash away everything within the Lanayru Region."
The Zora Prince attempted to push past Tottika, which resulted in the two getting into a small wrestling match. It was only stopped once Tottika pushed him away and Torfeau joined by his side. Together, they crossed their spears – forbidding him from proceeding into the wetlands.
He scoffed and turned around with a fury. In a petty move, the tail of his head lightly smacked Tottika, but the Zora warrior wasn't fazed by the prince's tantrum.
Ledo suddenly approached from behind, moving past Tula and me. He intercepted the Zora Prince from jumping into the Zora River with a firm grip on his wrist.
"Your highness, if that flood merges with the Hylia River, eastern Hyrule will be destroyed beyond salvation. The downfall of the domain will be on your hands. I urge you to set your emotions aside and think rationally before you make a decision you will regret."
Tona spoke from behind Tula and me. Her eyes betrayed a certain kind of sadness as she watched Prince Sidon lose himself to his anger.
"Lady Mipha would not want you acting like this. If it pleases you, my prince, think of this as nothing but a negotiation. But like it or not, we need the Hylian. We need her."
The prince visibly struggled with an internal battle as he tossed their counsel in his head. Finally, he gave resigned sigh and wretched himself away from Ledo's hold. He approached me. His anger was contained as he graced me with one, final, calculating look.
"I relent. We will escort you to Zora's Domain." He walked to the edge of Inogo Bridge.
Tula shared a bright grin with Tona before following him. As Tottika and Torfeau passed by, they raised their silver spears in celebration and shared jubilant expressions. Ledo brought up the rear and guided me alongside them, a gentle but encouraging pat on my shoulders.
Prince Sidon pointed in the distance, across the lake. There was something blue glowing against the backdrop of grey. It had the same glow as the material Inogo Bridge was made from. The small and cylindrical shape led me to believe that they were lamps intended to guide travelers along the paths. They peeked out from the pine trees that spiraled along the dirt road. The lamps eventually led to the top of the waterfall, where the road continues beyond.
"Because of the rain, the cliffs are too wet to climb. To reach the domain, you will need to go straight along this path. As a Hylian, I know you are unable to swim up the river. As such, the path to the domain may be a bit treacherous. The plan is that my royal guard and I will scout ahead, neutralizing as many enemies as we can in order to make a safer journey for you."
He nodded to his guards. At his signal, they gracefully dove into the water and swam upstream.
There were some ripples in the water ahead. Once I saw those beady eyes pop up from the edge of the lake, I knew it was a Lizalfo. It sounded its horn and a couple of them scuttled from the bushes along the bay. The matchup was even in terms of numbers. However, it looked as if the Zora were specialized in team attacks. Tottika seemed to be leading the charge.
He was guiding them in the pincer attack formation we had utilized in the wetlands.
Before I could watch their spectacular spear skills and teamwork in motion, Prince Sidon called my attention.
"I must warn you: there is nothing we can do about the electric foes in the area. You would need to fight them yourself should you encounter them." He reached into his pack and retrieved a glass bottle. I caught it when he tossed it over. In it was a neon yellow liquid that crackled when shaken. "That is an Electro Elixir. It will increase your resistance to electricity for a short amount of time."
He turned to dive into the river.
"Wait!" Before he could, I reached out to him.
I knew I had to be bigger person in this situation. After all, hatred only breeds more hatred, and the cycle would only continue with more hostility. The Zora Prince had his walls up for a reason. That reason somehow involved me. But if I can't break them down now, the least I could do was treat him with the warmth I wish he would treat me. Maybe then I could get him to thaw.
"Thank you," I said, smiling as best as I could.
His expression was pained for a second. The corner of his lip was turned down and deepened as his gaze went deep into the water but narrowed at the surface.
"Do not thank me," He finally said. "I am not so sure you will like what you see once you arrive…"
Before I could ask him what he meant, Tottika called out from the distance. I saw the remains and weaponry of the Lizalfos floating idly in the river. They left those for me to take use of.
One by one, they swam up the waterfall – disappearing over the cliff.
Sidon jumped into the river. Although he didn't mean to, the resonating splash was large enough to wet the sole of shoes from where I stood on the bridge. He didn't resurface immediately and so; I took that as my cue to start on the journey ahead.
I placed the elixir into my pouch. The rain came down harder and the wind began to whistle as I half expected the pine trees to yield to its strength. I was so focused on the disgusting sludge caking inside my boots that I almost missed the river's ripples.
"Good luck. I am counting on you."
It was a start.
The Lizalfos seem to have an affinity for bows. Just from the spoils of Tottika and his squadron, I've gathered more than double the amount of bows I currently have. The Lizalfos have fashioned a reinforced bow of wood, steel, and fish bones. My quiver was bountiful with arrows to match. However, they all seem to be regular arrows and none of the elemental ones I've seen thus far. I still anticipated some electric foes, but for now, none of them seem out of the ordinary.
There was a lone Lizalfo suspended on top of a platform held afloat by Octoroks. Tottika and the others couldn't defeat it due to its height over the lake. It wasn't too hard, though. Using the plethora of arrows I gathered, I merely hid behind some bushes to conceal my presence. I knocked out an Octorok which greatly offset the platform. The Lizalfo landed in the water with a dull splash.
It wouldn't die. Lizalfos are amphibious, after all. But it knocked it out of its strategic vantage point, allowing me to move without the constant concern of an arrow piercing me.
There was one last Lizalfo hiding strategically at the apex of the cliff. It used its camouflage ability to hide amongst the foliage. Wooden crates and a wagon full of supplies was stacked behind it.
I waited until it turned around. Walking up the hill in a crouch, I readied the guardian blade for a quick, sneak attack. The Lizalfo went down easily enough with a quick strike to its jugular and the tell-tale purple mist confirmed its demise.
The crates contained some food and more arrows. As I ravaged the surrounding area for anymore supplies, a voice called out from the river.
"Hylian!" It sounded like Torfeau. "Over here! By the river!"
I approached the stream. There was the bioluminescent sign that I saw from the bridge. It just clarified that Zora's Domain was further along the path.
In the water, Torfeau swam idly despite the strong current. Beside her, some trout were flopping over the surface in order to swim ahead.
"Sorry for calling out to you. Since I pressured you into coming, I was not sure you would really push through. I am pleased things are going well!" She said brightly.
I nodded. "There were only a few Lizalfos along the trail. I thank all of you for making the journey easy."
"No, no! We should be the ones thanking you," she argued, a bashful smile painting her cheeks. "I know that the prince didn't take too kindly to your presence. It must have been a hard decision to help us despite the hostility he displayed. To be honest, it surprised all of us. Prince Sidon is usually an optimistic, open-minded individual."
"Really? Do you have any idea what could have caused the sudden change? As far as I know, this is the first time I've met any of you."
Torfeau bit her lip, unsure of her answer. "There are a few things that could invoke the prince's anger. He despises injustice and cruelty, and treasures his family above all. Unless you've done something to King Dorephan or Princess Mipha, he really had no right to treat you as callously as he did."
I sensed the gap was there. So, there was something I had done to Prince Sidon's family in the past. Whatever it was, I would find out either from the prince himself or through my own volition. The mystery was maddening either way. I couldn't stand someone being so vicious to me while I stood ignorant of the crime.
"I've taken too much of you time," Torfeau interrupts. She points to the waters ahead. "The prince and the rest of the guard are scouting ahead. Just follow the lampposts up the cliff."
She ducked underneath the current and swam ahead, maneuvering under a natural bridge made from rock.
The path ahead naturally thinned out to water. I crossed to the other side of the stream, using the bridge and ran along its length. Eventually, another natural formation led over the rapids – putting me back on the side I started on.
There were terraces of waterfalls ahead. Each one led to a level that matched the height of the road I was on.
There was another Lizalfo suspended over the water by an Octorok platform. It had the perfect view to snipe me if I didn't take it out right there.
Nocking an arrow onto my bow, I drew back and let it fly towards the Octorok. Like before, the platform was unbalanced – causing the Lizalfo to fall into the water. It was unscathed, but it was out of sight for now. I was free to walk up the hill without obstruction.
I saw the familiar glow of the lamppost radiating in the grey scenery. It marked the bend before the path, situated right in front of a large boulder. When I arrived before it, I saw a forest of pine peeking from behind the crook.
It was then that Prince Sidon popped his head up from the currents below.
"Zelda," he whispered lowly, as if the utterance of my name could bring misfortune. I didn't blame him. With my current track record, I expected Yiga soldiers to manifest out of the mist. "I should warn you that the river does not flow through Tabahl Woods. You will be on your own until you reach the Bank of Wishes."
It was hard to determine the time because the sun was shrouded by clouds. A quick glance at the Sheikah Slate's analogue clock reminded me that it was well past noon. With nighttime soon approaching, I didn't like my chances. It wasn't like I could strike a campfire and bide my time until morning. The embers would be extinguished by the downpour. Moreover, I wouldn't want to wait until morning anyways, if the Rutala River was predicted to flood overnight.
I brought out the Sheikah Slate and examined the terrain ahead. As the prince informed, the Zora River moved around the Tabahl Woods – which made a good 6.5 km until I would reunite with them. That meant 6.5 km of uncharted territory full of enemies, and in the woods, no less. No allies to rely on. Just myself, my combat and wilderness skills.
To further stack the odds against me, Prince Sidon gave a summary of the path ahead. "None of the Zora know the state of the area, as we strictly use the river to travel. I am sorry that I cannot be any more of use to you here, but I urge you to practice caution."
Unnecessary to say, but it wasn't helpful.
I still thanked him, only because it was the first interaction where it didn't feel like he was one second away from throttling me. In fact, there was a muted concern that painted his expression.
It was kind of adorable.
"I have faith in you…" Prince Sidon muttered, nervously picking at his fingers. It was a stark contrast to his standoffish behavior from before. I wondered what caused the change. "But please remember to use that elixir I gave you. Ever since this strange rumbling that occurred a week ago, there have been a lot of monsters around here. Be careful as you proceed!"
He dove back under the current, leaving me alone for the time being.
When he disappeared, I ran around the bend. I reasoned with myself that I would have a moment of respite before being ambushed. There was no way monsters would be perched at the entrance of the forest when they had the whole 6.5 km of woodland to hide.
My wishful thinking was in vain as a Lizalfo and I similarly shrieked in surprise upon seeing each other. Luckily, it seemed to be a normal, blue Lizalfo – and weaponless! I hadn't yet encountered one of the electric enemies everyone had warned me about. It was guarding the way in. Past it, I could see a walk-through created out of rock. The path created a place of brief respite from the rain.
It sensed my desire to push forward in that direction. It immediately leapt towards me in an attack.
I rolled out of the way, brandishing my sword from the baldric belt around my back. I lunged forward for a hit. However, the Lizalfo predicted my move and jumped backwards to put distance between us. I drew my bow, prepared to counter its long-distance attack – but the Lizalfo was quicker. Soon, I was protecting myself with the Kakariko Shield from acidic saliva.
The wood splintered and came apart in my hands.
This was bad. I had only defeated one Lizalfo and it was with a partner. In terms of solo combat against one, I had only knocked them from their platforms and ran out of sight. My chances of winning this were low.
I turned and saw that the walk-through was unguarded. During my dodge, I had rolled into where the Lizalfo stood. And when I went in for the attack, I had forced it out of the vicinity.
It seemed to register its fatal mistake, but it was too late. I scurried to my feet and ran into the walk-through. My footsteps echoed in the expanse of the trail, accompanied with the hallow beat of raindrops above.
There was a wall of thorns that greeted me. It grew from the top of the cavern to the dirt below, completely obstructing my path.
Behind, I heard the slap of footsteps slowly gaining.
I tossed the blade in my hand, knowing that I could easily cut through the thorns. However, it wouldn't stop the Lizalfo. It would force me out to the other side, and I had no idea what the rest of the forest had in store for me.
Leave the thorns. You can use them to your advantage.
I sheathed my blade and ducked underneath the widest opening. The gravel dug into my knees. I felt my clothing tug with whatever barb it brushed up against. Nothing tore, but I eventually felt the sharp sting of a thin cut along my arms and back. I forced myself forward in an army crawl until the foliage cleared above my head.
When I glanced back, the Lizalfo was rightfully outraged. It was stuck on the other side of the thorns, without a weapon to cut them down.
To my complete surprise, it opened its mouth. And through a small sliver, its long tongue darted outwards – intending to strike me.
I dodged by moving my head to the left. Before the Lizalfo could retract its tongue, I grabbed hold of it and in an instinctual daze, brought down my sword to cleave it off.
The monster began shrieking. As the tongue retracted back into its mouth, purple blood splattered on the cavern's floors. In a trance, I barely registered the remnants of its tongue in my hand until it wriggled. Disgusted, I threw it into the dirt. It continued to spasm.
I quickly gathered myself and ran the rest of the way out, leaving the Lizalfo shrieking in pain.
At the end of the tunnel, there was something glowing. I ran blindly towards it. Until I was only a few meters away from the end of the cave, I crouched below and examined the object further.
It was inverted into the dirt – an arrow. The shaft was wooden and the fletchings were made of feathers. However, the bullet point didn't resemble a normal arrowhead made of sharpened stone or steel. The glow came from it, a bright yellow. It was pronged and the air around it seemed to buzz.
I reached forward and touched it with my index finger. A slight jolt coursed through my body, not enough to hurt but enough to decipher this new weaponry. The bullet point crackled.
Shock Arrows. And where there are electric weapons, electric foes are near…
I heard shrieking, reminiscent to one a Bokoblin makes when having found my position. It was more guttural and had a gurgle reverb to it, as if the creature had water lodged in its throat. Then, I heard the tell-tale sound of a horn.
There seemed to be a camp of Lizalfos ahead. And they had been alerted to my presence.
I glanced back to the way I came and cursed. Had the previous Lizalfo alerted them with its shrieks of pain? I was forced to go forward either way. Surely, the Lizalfo I had mutilated would be waiting for me.
This was a lot harder than I anticipated.
I breathed through my nose to calm myself down. I thought about the elixir and reached into my pouch. Uncorking the stopper, I let the yellow liquid flow over my tongue – tasting something distinctly numbing – and into my throat. My skin hummed with electricity.
From my back, I drew my bow and nocked an arrow against its sights.
I didn't have a plan, but I was determined not to die here.
I pulled back on the drawstring and aimed my sights forward. Cautiously, I inched out of the cave.
There were three Lizalfos, all perched upon parapets with bows and quivers full of shock arrows. I didn't doubt that there were more ahead. Oddly, though, their bows weren't trained on me. I'd hasten to say that they didn't even register my presence…
…because they were focused on the Zora warrior ahead.
He was dark-colored, reminding me of Tottika's cloak. Clad in the same armor, I almost mistook him for Tottika. However, his fins had a brilliant blue and yellow coloring compared to Tottika's green and white detailing. This Zora was also taller than the Zora warrior from Prince Sidon's guard. He held a familiar looking spear – sterling silver and the cutting edge designed to look like a whale's tail. And his spear looked more decorated. It had jewels of coral and blue spiraling along its shaft, leading me to believe that this specific Zora was higher on the hierarchy of knights.
And it certainly moved like one. As Lizalfos rained lightning down upon him – a detrimental weakness of the Zora, as Prince Sidon informed – he dodged them all with flexibility and grace. If he was struggling, his precise and confident movements didn't show it. He wasn't in the water, but he moved just as quickly.
I thought the prince said that Zoras strictly use the river to travel. What was he doing here?
The Zora batted away a volley of shock arrows, just missing the electrical discharge that would have been his demise.
I counted the number of arrows that struck at this given time. With that information, I was able to determine that there were at least seven Lizalfos poised along this trail. They all seem to have an abundance of shock arrows. Their plan was to tire out the Zora before landing one fatal strike.
The Zora and I wouldn't be able to get out of here without each other's help. Battling Lizalfos did seem to be a team effort. No wonder Prince Sidon and his guard specialized in team attacks.
As long as the Lizalfos were focused on the Zora, I would be able to snipe out some of them without attracting attention.
I ran to the nearest parapet. The Lizalfo was still focused on hitting the Zora that it hadn't noticed my presence. I quickly scaled the structure and landed behind the monster. Brandishing my blade, I cleaved into its neck with a heavy strike – sending it down and motionless. Purple fumes began spiraling from its evaporating corpse.
One down, six to go.
Across, another Lizalfo had noticed its partner go down. I quickly knocked it down with a headshot before it could draw its bow or call the crowd to me.
Okay. That makes it two. Five more.
The next Lizalfo hid behind some wooden barricades. That meant that it couldn't see me. Rather than sniping it out with an arrow, I holstered my bow and deployed the Paraglider. I glided over the wooden bearings and behind the monster. Brandishing my blade once more, I brought it down with an almighty clang! The Lizalfo slumped over dead.
Three.
There were two Lizalfos parallel on either side of the path ahead. The Lizalfo across needed to be taken care of it first since it had a clear angle to shoot. With a single headshot, the monster came careening down from its perch.
Four. More than halfway done.
I hid behind the wooden barricade as the other Lizalfo registered my presence. Static crackled against the coppice but was rendered useless. Once the barrage stopped, I drew my own bow and shot the Lizalfo. Two arrows later and there was one less Lizalfo to worry about.
Five. Just two more!
I climbed the parapet that the recent Lizalfo occupied. I drew my bow from the vantage and let it fly. Across the path, the Lizalfo was stunned out of concentration. The shock arrow fell uselessly to the ground and emitted an electric shock where the monster stood. Once recovering, the remaining two monsters registered that I had arrived.
The Zora wrenched his head back, to the direction from which the arrow came. "A Hylian?!" he shouted in disbelief.
I nodded and smiled at the relief in his expression before letting an arrow fly. It hit one of the two Lizalfos and the purple wisps ascended from its prone form.
One left!
The Zora suddenly turned. When I blinked, a silver spear came hurling in my direction. I clenched my eyes shut and braced myself, completely unprepared for the sudden attack – from my own comrade no less.
There was a sickening squelch and I fell backwards.
My back came into contact with something scaly. Opening my eyes and glancing up, the sterling silver of the spear gleamed down at me. The head was colored purple. Above, a Lizalfo – one I hadn't accounted for – was poised with a bladed boomerang. It was angled to pierce me where I stood if the Zora didn't intervene.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My widened eyes made contact with the Zora ahead.
He pulled his arm back from the position used to throw the spear. He gave me a gentle and promising smile.
Before I could return it, beady eyes suddenly peeked from the woodland behind him. The last Lizalfo drew its bow, a yellow glow glaring down at the defenseless Zora below.
My limbs burned with motion as I holstered the Paraglider and leaped off my vantage.
The arrow was released at the same time I drew my bow in midair. As bullet time surrounded me, I closed my fist over the shaft of the moving shock arrow. I turned it around and nocked it against my own bow, drawing the string taut against my chin. With a flick of my fingers, the arrow was sent flying.
Sparks erupted upon contact with the scaly skin of the monster. Yellow and green electricity was amplified by the water that poured around us.
When I landed and time resumed as normal, the Lizalfo laid crisped in the glade. And victory was ours.
"Hylian, your marksmanship and combat expertise were absolutely incredible!" The Zora exclaimed in adoration. I couldn't respond as I was still recovering from the adrenaline that coursed through me. However, he only took that as a cue to continue showering me in praise. "I mean, when you caught the arrow midflight and midair?! And when you instinctively ducked when I threw my spear at that Lizalfo? Ugh, amazing!"
I smiled and shouldered my weapons, seeing no threat with him. "You're not too bad yourself. You moved like a snake out there and you must be strong to kill a Lizalfo with one throw."
Red colored his cheeks as he bashfully played with the tip of his fin. "Oh, that was nothing…If you wanted to see combat prowess, you should have seen my childhood friend 100 years ago. She was a menace with a sword. In fact, it is only thanks to her that I was able to become strong enough to be the Captain of the Zora Guard. Oh, but where are my manners?" He held out a hand. "My name is Bazz."
"Captain, you say?" I asked, shaking his hand. I was deliberately keeping my name from him by changing subjects. If my name drew a volatile reaction from the prince, I didn't know who else could react the same way. It was best to be cautious. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here – in the woodland? Prince Sidon told me that the Zora exclusively travel through the river because, y'know—" I motioned to his fins. "—water."
Bazz went over to retrieve his spear from the pile of Lizalfo parts it was impaled through. He spoke as he cleaned the blood from the tip. "I was sent by King Dorephan to notify the prince that the situation in the Domain has gotten dire. Since the royal guard has been deployed in the wetlands and the remaining troops are needed to watch over the reservoir, I volunteered. I am the only Zora that could make this trip alone. However, I did not expect a blockade of Lizalfos near the Bank of Wishes. I had to continue on land to avoid any unnecessary encounters. That seldom worked as the archers spotted me first, here."
There was a brief second of silence before our words registered in each other's brain.
"Did you say you spoke with Prince Sidon?!"
"Did you say that there's a blockade at the Bank of Wishes?!"
Bazz held out his hands. "Wait, wait a minute. Just who are you?"
It was the exact question I was trying to avoid.
"I am…the Hylian that Prince Sidon recruited to help!" I answered, smiling cheekily.
He regarded my answer for a second. Suddenly, his expression brightened – so much so that the storm didn't hold a candle to his smile.
"Really?! Oh, that is wonderful! You saved me another mile and a half trip!" He quickly turned on his heel and continued down the path I was heading. "So, Prince Sidon and the others must be swimming upstream now, right? If we hurry, we can meet them at the Bank of Wishes!"
"Will the Lizalfo blockade be an issue?" I asked.
Bazz shook his head. "It is only an issue if I was tackling them alone. If Prince Sidon is there with his royal guard, they will be able to break through. But in the case they need assistance, we need to hurry! Better to show up in the middle of a fight than at the very end!"
He walked forward with a spring in his step. I had to run just to catch up with his eager stride.
As we braved the downpour, Bazz hummed to himself – too happy to care about the dreary atmosphere we were subjected to. I think he was just happy to be alive – as well as not having to swim further downstream. Still, I admired his optimism.
"Where sky and water meet, where the waves grow ever sweet. The siren's songs sing to dawn's aurora. With fluffy white clouds, there are…" he sang.
Clear blue Zora.
A/N: Something a little more lighthearted. I always liked that Link had a childhood in Zora's Domain. It was especially cute to find out that Bazz was trained by Link as a child, and now, he's the Captain of the Zora Guard.
This chapter was actually split. I was going to write up until Zelda enters Zora's Domain, but I'll save that drama for next week's update. For now, enjoy some wholesome Bazz and Zelda moments and some badass fight scenes. Fun fact, the catching the arrow and firing back move was inspired by a scene in Princess Mononoke. Fitting since BOTW was inspired by the same Ghibli film. And the first lyrics were actually from C.S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The lyrics after that are some improv I threw together.
Hopefully Sidon's personality change isn't too jarring. While he is still resentful of Zelda, Ledo and the others did knock some sense into him. He's respecting her as a Hylian who just wants to help. For now, he's holding those personal, hostile emotions at bay. At the same time, Zelda is just bombarding him with kindness so that cold front won't last for too long! He's bound to break for some character development and heart-to-hearts with the heroine. Please bear with mopey Sidon for a little longer! And it is a stylistic choice to have Zelda always refer to him as "Prince Sidon" or "The Zora Prince" since they aren't close...yet
As always, please review and provide constructive criticism. I'll see you all next week for the next update!
