I owe you all an apology! I took ages to update, and I am so sorry for that. I've been taking care of my health, and that was extremely demanding, but I'm back and well! So here's another chapter (fairly short but I'm trying!).

Chapter Thirteen: Evil Lurks Everywhere

It could be the wind that's been giving Piccolo a very chilling feeling. But even the wind didn't make the small Blupee feel so anxious and weary.

Zelda and Link, along with all the Hylian soldiers, prepare their horses to journey off to see the Goron in Goron City. Piccolo holds onto Link very tightly in his hood as the Hero assists Zelda onto her white stallion. He could feel the small creatures tremble, but assumes it simply over the anxiety of travelling once again. Link reaches back and gently pets the blue creature. "We'll be at the next place soon," Link coos, "don't worry."

Sidon walks over to bid them farewell, as the other Zora, too, crowd behind him. "On behalf of Zora's Domain, I am always ever so grateful for your visit. Both The Queen and The Chosen Hero."

Link quickly drops to his knees to bow before Sidon, while Zelda turns her horse to face the crimson Zora. "Don't be silly, Prince Sidon. We've been dying to meet you for a long time, not just for pilot matters, but to see how everyone has been doing in the Domain."

Sidon nods, looking around proudly at his home, "we're so lucky to have had Link come back and save our dear Domain from being completely doused in water. As you two know, you are always welcome here."

"Shall you need any help with Vah Ruta, please don't hesitate to send us a letter," Zelda hums sweetly, "we'll be at Goron City hopefully in just a few days, so if you need anything, we'll be there."

Sidon nods graciously as Muzu walks over to bid his farewell to the Queen and her Hero. "Lady Zelda, Hero of Hyrule!" The elder Zora calls out, his small, green body rushing over to them as fast as he could. Link stands up straight once more, eyeing the approaching Zora. "The King sends me to bid you farewell. The journey up to Vah Ruta has worn him out, and he's back in the throne room, resting."

"We understand," Zelda nods, "going up to that Divine Beast isn't an easy feat, especially those who aren't one with the waters."

Muzu nods sheepishly, "he apologizes for not being able to see you off personally, but he sends his gratitude for visiting and assisting the Prince with his new duties as the Zora Champion."

"We're more grateful to Sidon for taking up such a scary job," Zelda says honestly, "being a pilot and a champion isn't at all easy. I… would also like to apologize…" The Queen looks down shyly at Link, who is now full of concern. "I did not prepare the Champions honorary cloths before we left the castle, as we didn't anticipate Ganon's quick return…"

Sidon looks a bit disheartened, as he would have liked to have matched his sister's cloth and wear it proudly. But he shakes his head and smiles up at the Queen, "missing that cloth doesn't make me any less of a Champion, right?"

Zelda's face lights up once again, "right!" But Link didn't like the idea of Sidon, and all the yet-recruited Champions not having their honorary cloths. So, without much thought, Link began to tear off the bottom of his tunic, causing both Zelda, Sidon, and Muzu to look at him in shock. He lines the rip carefully, ripping the clothing all around the hem. He holds the cerulean strip of clothing and walks over to Sidon.

"Give me your wrist." Sidon immediately offers his hand, curiously watching the Hylian as he wraps and ties the ripped piece of his tunic around the crimson Zora's wrist. Making sure it isn't too tight, Link doesn't wrap it around many times and ties it lightly, but firmly.

Link moves back as Sidon raises his hand and looks at his wrist in awe. With a warm smile, he nods, "this is perfect. Thank you, Link." The Hero nods, stepping back while being silently praised by Zelda behind him.

As the two Royals start chatting away, reassuring one another and explaining the plan to destroy Ganon, Piccolo begins to whimper in Link's hood. The Hero wasn't sure what it was, but Piccolo felt unsafe somehow. But what would he know? Link doesn't necessarily know what Piccolo's type of creature is. Hell, Link hardly knew how to take care of a dog! But he carefully brought his hand up again to pet it, hoping to ease whatever anxiety it was experiencing. But Piccolo only cries louder, and finally grabs the attention of everyone else (to Link's dismay).

"What is it?" Zelda asks worriedly, clenching tightly at the reins. "What's wrong with Piccolo?"

Link plucks him out of his hood, holding him up to see what was wrong. The creature was trembling in the Hero's hands, looking around anxiously as though it were expecting something. "Piccolo?" Link says softly, suddenly very concerned over the creature he accidentally adopted. "What is it, what's wrong?"

The creature, faster than light, grabs Link's tunic by the neck and yanks him down with all its force. Link, not expecting this, is pulled down to the ground, saving his face by quickly putting his hands down against the ground. But his long ears flickered a bit, hearing and feeling the sound of something flying over his head. He quickly pulls Piccolo in, quickly raising his guard as he looks for the source of whatever was thrown at him. He then saw Sidon in a fighting stance, with his trident aiming at the enemy. When Link looks, he sees a floating chunk of Malice.

"Link!" Sidon frightens the Hero with his loud concern, "are you alright? Did it hit you?"

Link shakes his head while holding Piccolo a little tighter. "No," Link hums while shaking his head, "Piccolo made me dodge it."

The Hero pets the Blupee gently before hiding it in his hood again. He couldn't believe that Piccolo protected him, but now Link knows he must keep this creature close and safe. As Link gets back on his feet, he eyes the floating bit of Malice, with blobs of purple and black oozing from it. He quickly draws his sword out and rushes in front of Zelda. She holds onto the reins of her horse tightly as Hylian guards surround her.

"What is that thing?" Sidon asks, making sure Muzu stays behind him. The Malice remained still for a few more moments before it began shooting out black blobs onto the Domain. Everyone on the bridge looks around, where the black blobs landed and begins to emit Malice. "What is this?"

"Wait for it," Link warns, quickly standing front and center of the orbs that were thrown at the exit of the Domain. The black orbs soon took shape, and turned into Ganon's minions. All sorts of Bokoblins and Moblins appeared, with weapons in hand and screeches leaving their drooling mouths. Menacing sets of blue and orange eyes targeted the Queen, hungry to capture her for their leader.

This isn't anything new to Link. All his scars, bruises, and unremovable wounds were caused by these disgraceful beings. Their daunting eyes illuminate with revenge as they hold up their clubs and yell out battle cries. As one tries to run with its club raised to hit Zelda, Link immediately throws his sword at the mob, hitting it square in the forehead. While the defeated creature evaporates in Malice, Link walks over to retrieve his sword from the grip.

Sidon stabs a Bokoblin with his trident, before stabbing the one next to it. He sees many Zora guards in battle but remembers something very important. "Bring Muzu to my father!" Sidon instructs. "Protect them in the throne room!" The proud crimson Zora looks back at Link while both the Hylian and Zora guards do their best to defeat the surrounding enemies. "Link, you take the Queen and get out of here!"

Zelda looks back at Sidon while attempting to calm down her horse by the reins, "no, we can't leave you to deal with this on your own!"

Sidon's head tail twitches a bit, having him keep his eyes on Zelda as he raises his trident and stabs the white and purple Bokoblin that tried to fly and attack him. "You needn't worry about me and the Domain, My Queen. Did you already forget who the Zora Champion is?"

Dropping the trident on the floor, Sidon puts his arms up in the air, his hands flat as he closes his eyes. Link continues to battle while instructing a few guards to keep Sidon safe. He didn't know what he was doing, but the Hero knew that the Prince needed a bit of time. Minutes later, Sidon opens his eyes. With one foul (and fateful) swoop, water is brought up into the air, and washes away all their enemies from the bridge. The Zora guards smile happily at their Prince, their skin shiny from the water. But when Sidon turns around, he quickly gets embarrassed.

"S-sorry," Sidon immediately spews. Link glares at him as Zelda and the Hylian guards are sopping wet. But they quickly get over it when they refocus their attention on the floating Malice before them. "Ganon!" Sidon shouts at the Malice, "who said you could invite yourself to Zora's Domain?"

The Malice remains wordless, but begins to start sizzling. Link and Zelda narrow their eyes on it, unsure as to what it was doing. But the center of the black/purple blob begins to bubble, and an eye slowly begins to come to view. It was quite squeamish to watch, but they had no choice but to watch as an eye grew from the Malice. It looks around in sudden turns, almost analyzing everyone on the bridge. As if it were looking for something.

"Answer me, you monster!" Sidon says with a much louder tone. "Why don't you come in your real form, you coward!" But with those words, the eye of the Malice immediately locks on Sidon, observing him. "Alright, I've had enough of this. Link, take Zelda and hurry out of here!"

"No Sidon, we cannot leave you with this… thing!" Zelda insists.

Sidon shakes his head, "I'll be damned if harm comes to you in my own home. Link, get going!"

Link nods, ignoring Zelda's cries and pleads as he mounts on her horse. Sitting behind her, he snatches the reins from her hands and whips them, causing the horse to run forward on the bridge. Hylian guards quickly snap to it, grabbing Link's horse as well as their own to tail right behind them. Zelda looks back, worriedly watching as Sidon grabs his trident once again.

Prince Sidon stands proudly before the Malice, watching as it eerily snaps out thin arms from its being. Clicking sounds emit from the being while it grew in size, but Sidon didn't seem at all concerned. He lightly taps the bridge with his trident, looking over at Link and Zelda ride away. He gives them yet another winning smile before returning his eyes to whatever it is Ganon has created and sent their way.

"I've always wanted to meet you, Ganon," Sidon confesses. Once again, the being remains silent. Sidon scoffs at it, "you were the one who took away my sister from us… from the entire Domain. You took away our brightest light, and you've left this place in darkness for many years. But we're very lucky to have Link in our lifetime, who returned light back to our home."

"Prince Sidon, be careful!" A few Zora guards cry. "It's dangerous to talk that way! You don't know what it's willing to do!"

Sidon could only laugh at those words. He shakes his head, his eyes glancing towards the reservoir. "I don't know what he's willing to do, but I do know what I will do. And that is to do the duty a Zora Prince and Champion must do."

Zora's Domain grows smaller in sight, but Zelda couldn't keep her eyes from looking as Link brought them far away from the Domain. Her eyes widen when she sees Vah Ruta stand at the very edge of the reservoir, its laser meant for the castle, aiming at the floating Malice. Sidon hit his trident down harshly at the bridge, causing water to rise from the lake under the Domain, dousing the Malice in water. The Malice struggles, it's scrawny arms panicking around. But the eye kept looking at Sidon, who was still unbothered.

"Vah Ruta," Sidon says loudly, "this is your moment of vengeance. Do to Ganon what it has done to you and my precious sister."

Vah Ruta roars loudly. Surprising everyone, the water around the Malice began to freeze. Its arms were still, and there was no longer a struggle. But that eye still remains open and staring at the Prince. Quickly, a blue spirit jumps out of Vah Ruta and begins to surround the frozen Malice in little blue fires. Sidon could only smile when he was met with his sister's back. She says nothing, and doesn't turn around. She could no longer interact with the overworld. Instead, she takes the iced Malice and shoots straight down into the water. Vah Ruta howls again.

In the water, the eye studies Mipha, finding a familiarity in her face. But Mipha wasn't angry, or happy. Her face could only look at the Malice curiously. 'Don't worry,' Mipha speaks sweetly, 'I'll rest you near my body.' Bringing it to the very bottom of the water, where light can no longer reach, Mipha looks and pats at a small hole in the sand. Placing it down gently, she closes her eyes. She tilts her head before opening them once again. 'I do apologize,' Mipha hums. 'Vah Ruta doesn't want you anywhere near my body, but it has quickly found a place for you.'

Mipha only watches as a whirlpool collects under the water and suddenly forces the frozen Malice into the earth. Vah Ruta sends the Malice down through the crater, going past the layers, until it is met with a warmth. Moments later, that warmth became an unbearable heat that completely turned that Malice into nothing.

Back at the Domain, Sidon and the Zora tentatively watch the water, awaiting whatever may come back up. The Prince narrows his eyes at it, his trident in hand while waiting for whatever else Ganon might have up his sleeve. A few bubbles pop up from the water, shaking the Zora but quickly relieving them. Prince Sidon wasn't quite sure it was over yet.

"Keep your guard up everyone," Prince Sidon warns, "Ganon isn't a light threat. That thing is one of his minions doing his bidding. We should not underestimate it."

And, to prove his warning, Malice flew out of the water, some dissolving into the air while others creating black blobs in the water. The Zora guards watch in disgust as the blobs form Ganon's infamous water-advantaged minions. Nasty Lizalfos and Octoroks quickly took over the water, hissing up at the Zora. Octoroks immediately begin to shoot rocks at the Zora, who easily dodge them by moving or breaking them with their tridents and swords.

Sidon laughs, "how weak… Zora!" He calls out to all the guards of the Domain. "Show this monsters who really control the waters of this world!"

"Yes, sir!" The Zora guards, without another second to waste, dive into the water, aiming their weapons down to pierce right through any of the enemies they can land on. Prince Sidon watches proudly as his brothers and sisters take down Ganon's minions, protecting their home, and taking their own personal revenge against the very demon that tried to take everything from them. Allowing them to fight, Sidon walks over to the end of the bridge, looking around to spot Link and the Queen.

When he sees them at the bottom of the trail towards the Domain, he cups his hands around his mouth and shouts at them. "Link! Lady Zelda!" Link immediately stops the horse and turns to look up and see the massive, crimson Zora standing at the edge of the Domain. Zelda looks up, relieved that all is well up there. "Zora's Domain will stand right beside you against this foe- forever and always!"

Link takes out his sword and raises it in the air, a yellow light illuminating from his hand. Sidon raises his own trident in unity as Link quickly puts his sword away and whips the horse's reins. The Prince watches as the Hero and the Queen set off once more to recruit the next Champion. He smiles warmly before turning around to his home. Looking around to see more enemies, he smirks. "So you guys left me some, huh?" He shouts excitedly before dashing off the bridge to join his people in the fight.