Two days.

Link and Sidon had been walking in the swampy, misty, exhausting forest for two days now.

The only reason they knew this was because their Sheikah Slates had clocks in them; otherwise they would have had to make guesses based on the frequency of their breaks and meals, because it wasn't like they could see the sun to keep track of time the usual way. And let's just say that their guesses would have been very off if they had based them on those factors, because Link needed to rest his poor feet all the damn time and he was constantly starved because of the amount of energy he expelled just by walking. This terrain was worse than snow or sand in his opinion, even though he hated walking in the desert and the snowy areas as well.

The only positive thing about this place was that Sidon was thriving. The moisture in the air did his gills and scales wonders after about two weeks of mostly traveling on land. He occasionally ran ahead of Link to spend quality time in the bog holes while Link trudged forward in his bog flippers, and then easily caught up with him again after letting him walk passed him and giving him a good long head start as well. Sidon was simply made for this terrain.

On the flip side, Link had trouble walking, breathing, seeing, hearing, AND he was sweaty at all times because of the effort and the humidity. He did his best to keep his complaints to himself, however, because there was nothing that could be done and he didn't want to ruin Sidon's joy for no good reason. Sidon had managed to walk on land for weeks with a minimum amount of complaining, and Link would be damned by Hylia herself if he couldn't do the same for a few days himself.

Additionally, Sidon was having a blast with his meals that now consisted of thick shrimp broth with tadpole bits. The only downside on said meals was the fact that they had to eat everything cold because nothing caught fire in the humid woods – they only belatedly realized that they should have bought Fire Chuchu jelly from the marketplace to use as a substitute campfire. It hadn't occurred to them because between Toadstool Town and Fog City had been actual camping spots with means to start fires and warm up. The Lost Woods had no such places, presumably because the path was less traversed and everyone had their own way through if they managed to even stay on any one path in the first place.

Oh right, because they couldn't have campfires Link was also wet and cold at all times and it was a wonder he hadn't caught the flu yet – he must not be carrying any disease starters at the moment. After all, Zelda said that the flu came from other people, not from out of nowhere, as little sense as that made. Link didn't get it, but he believed her – she was smart and very knowledgeable, so surely she knew what she was talking about.

As it was, they had gotten up, eaten cold breakfast, and started walking just a little while ago, so while Link's feet were currently fine after an entire night's rest, they had a whole day of walking ahead of them again.

Hylia help him.

"Link, look!" Sidon said enthusiastically and pointed forward to an enormous tree stump that had an odd elongated triangle on the side. From their current distance Link couldn't tell if it was painted or magicked on or what, but he knew it was supposed to be a picture of the typical Minish head wear and had likely been purposefully made. They had seen a couple of them on their way already. "We're still right on the path Festari drew for us. We're halfway there now!"

Now that was excellent news! Sidon was the one in charge of reading the map and leading them, as he actually knew how to do that with a map that didn't conveniently keep a track of your position at all times. He seemed to be able to actually somehow read the swamp around them as well to keep them on some kind of a path, and Link wasn't going to question it as long as it worked, which it seemed to do.

He could only imagine how lost he would be right now without Sidon, and it wasn't a pretty image.

"Hmm…" Sidon hummed, frowning at the map thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Link asked, assuming it couldn't be about their route, since they were firmly on it, and thus he had no idea what had his boyfriend so pensive.

Sidon looked at him, and then to their left. "It's just… This is the spot where Misteri's map would have led us astray."

Link looked sharply in the direction Sidon indicated. He couldn't really see anything except swampland and mist there, but…

That was where Misteri would have led them. A dangerous bog area, Festari had said.

But Link didn't agree with that assessment. Or at least he didn't agree that it was just dangerous terrain out there.

No, he was almost certain the Vaatian hideout was out there. Or at least an ambush or a Vaatian patrolling route or something. Enemies rarely wanted him vaguely probably dead by natural causes; they typically wanted to personally kill him or capture him or both, sometimes in that order even.

"Link?"

"Sidon", Link said, and looked at his vaguely concerned and questioning face. "I have reasons to believe that the Vaatian hideout is at the end of the path that Misteri drew us."

Sidon actually gasped in surprise and potentially shock. He looked at the map, the direction it would have led them, then the direction they were supposed to go, and then back at Link. He was frowning again, and his head tail was twitching in an uneasy manner.

"You aren't… suggesting we go there, are you?" he asked slowly, but then waved his hands to retract the question. "Actually, a more pressing question is: why didn't you tell that to Festari or the guard when we were still in the city?"

Yeah, that part would look bad, wouldn't it?

"I hadn't yet thought of it then, don't worry", Link placated. "I would have told them if I had. A whole secret hideout of enemies is a little much even for me. Trust me, been there, done that; not keen on repeating."

Sidon looked relieved for about a second before getting suspicious again. "I sense a 'but' there."

Link smiled, happy that his boyfriend knew him so well. "Yes. I'm not keen on it, but we could go anyway. I did deal with the Yiga hideout on my own, and now there's two of us. We could take them."

Sidon shook his head. "Excuse me for being bold enough to doubt your word, but I disagree. I know you're an amazing warrior and tactician – please never doubt that – but we were barely able to handle four of them, and that was in a limited space and without the terrain severely handicapping you. We're on an important mission of our own too. We could just inform the officials in the city in the Korok Forest and let them deal with the threat in good time, with a good plan, and with proper troops."

Link bristled at the word "handicap" and had to take a moment to remind himself that Sidon wasn't dismissing him, and actually had a point even. He had multiple good points, really.

Link hated it.

"We were caught by surprise in the museum", he reasoned. "But now we know what we're walking into, and we know how the Vaatians fight. And you have an advantage in this terrain. I could be your backup this time."

Sidon disagreed. Heavily. "No, we don't know what we're walking into nor do we know how the Vaatians fight! We don't know if that really is the hideout or if it's something else. We don't know how many enemies to expect. And we don't know if what we experienced in the museum is their typical style of combat or if we were dealing with new troops. The wizard seemed like a seasoned warrior, but the rest were amateurish and may not represent the troops they have in their hideout. It's too dangerous to just walk in. Besides, you as the backup is a terrible idea; you should always be in the lead because of your superior battle prowess. I know I'm a formidable warrior of my own right – and in any other company I would absolutely be in the first line of attack – but you're the hero who calmed Vah Ruta and defeated Calamity Ganon. If an attack plan relegates you to the sideline, the plan is terrible by design."

Link was speechless, and not in his usual way of being unable to vocalize. He just didn't know how to even begin rebuffing Sidon's arguments. Yes, he was the stronger warrior. Yes, he should lead any attacks. Yes, they had very little information about their enemy.

But Hylia damn it, he didn't want to just walk past a probable enemy swarm and let them continue to cause trouble for the civilians they left behind!

Yes, Princess, he had a massive hero complex.

He made a 'hold on' gesture and took a moment to think. Sidon granted it to him, only crossing his arms in wait and looking around them in poorly hidden impatience.

Sidon was adorably bad at waiting for anything outside of his own control.

"You're right", Link finally said with a nod, done with revamping his plan – he was nothing if not a quick strategist. "I can't counter your points. But I still maintain that we should go – maybe not to attack, but to scout. We could walk close to the mark in the map, then I could stay behind at an eye sight distance to watch your back so I won't blow your cover with my clumsiness in this terrain. If we run into trouble, we escape – my staying behind buys me more time to run or hide, too. We make no contact with the enemy unless they force our hand. Scouting and information gathering only. It's better than doing nothing."

He didn't like the plan, but like he said, it was better than nothing. Sidon didn't seem to realize it, but he was actually in charge while they were in the Lost Woods; Link wouldn't be able to run or sneak off on his own here, because Sidon was much more agile in this terrain. Sidon also had the map and was able to read it, so Link would potentially get lost without him anyway. In short, he had to convince Sidon to go with him or follow him towards the Korok Forest while muttering angrily to himself. If this meant compromising, then so be it.

Sidon was scowling and staring at Link, his arms slowly uncrossing. He looked around again, then in the direction of the map partly protruding from his bag. "That… would be useful for any operation the Minish guards might want to plan after we tell them of your suspicion. And scouting would prove your hypothesis either right or wrong so it's no longer just a guess."

Yes!

"And if Slateri has been captured, he will be at the Vaatian hideout or be carted towards it, so this is not even us straying from our goal if you think about it", Link added with a wide smile. Of course straying from the direct path also meant that if Slateri wasn't yet captured they might miss warning him in time, but that was a risk Link was willing to take in this specific situation – he was more used to rescuing captured people than preventing capture anyway.

Sidon nodded, a smile replacing his frown. "You're right! Scouting is very important if a rescue mission might be in the cards! Even if he isn't there now, we will be better equipped to find him later if needed! Oh Link, you're a genius! Why did I ever doubt you?"

It seemed their next stop would be the dangerous bog area!