When my eyes opened, the world was much brighter than I remembered.

"Welcome back, Miss Amon."

I sat up, slowly, warm water running down my back. I rubbed the darkness out of my eyes. Then, I saw blue.

"Are you feeling more like yourself today?"

It was that female from the bridge. I turned. She was standing off to my left, folding some towels next to a pair of clothes. I recognized them as mine.

I ran a hand through my wet hair. "I suppose?"

She smiled at me. "That water bath had a healing potion in it. It turns out you got out before you should have. You're supposed to sleep in it for eight hours."

"Oh."

"Don't worry. You haven't missed anything important."

I stretched, and then realized I was naked again. How did this keep happening? I turned away, arms crossed over my chest.

The Zora chuckled. "It's alright. Here are your clothes. I'll turn away."

"Thank you." I stepped out of the water and dried off. On the rooftops, I could hear the rain now. So, it hadn't stopped.

"What's with the weather here?" I asked, pulling my trousers up.

"It's our Divine Beast, Vah Ruta."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Ever since the Calamity, it's been hurling water into the sky, creating a nonstop rainfall for us."

"Oh." My chest felt empty again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It doesn't really hurt us, but it does have some dangerous potential. Our flood barriers can only hold so much water."

I realized where this was going already, but it was too scary for me to say. She continued.

"If things keep going the way they do, Zora's Domain will flood into the rest of Hyrule. It will destroy everything in its path."

She turned to me, shaking her head. "And I wasn't supposed to depress you." She laughed. I wasn't sure what to do, so I fudged a smile.

"I'm Ophele, by the way," she said. "I'm not sure I ever introduced myself."

"Nice to meet you," I said. "And thanks for everything."

"Oh, don't thank me too much. You should probably thank the Prince."

I looked at her. "The Prince?"

"Yeah," she snorted. "Half of his fan-club is probably ready to murder you."

My heart dropped, and she laughed.

"I'm just kidding," Ophele said. "Though I'm sure they're still quite jealous of you."

"What for?" I stammered.

"Nothing crazy. You blacked out in the throne room during your meeting with King Dorephan. The Prince brought you back here." She shrugged. "The whole Domain saw that."

Part of me cursed. This was not the image I wanted to show of myself. I seriously fainted while meeting with the King? I started to remember a little bit now, but it still felt like a confusing mix of fact and dream at this point. That stupid bath. Now, I looked like an incompetent fool, not even close to a warrior of any sort. First, I collapse in a bloody mess at the entrance of Zora's Domain, and then, I black out, drugged up, in front of their king. Jisso's bolstering words about my honor meant nothing now. The Zora couldn't look at me and see a warrior.

"Are you feeling up to meeting with the King again?"

I looked at Ophele. "Does he even want to see me?"

She stared at me, wide eyed. "Absolutely he does."

"Are you sure?"

"Why would he not want to see you?"

"I fainted in his throne room. I looked like an idiot."

"Prince Sidon asked that the meeting be postponed in your favor. You don't look like an idiot."

"I'm thankful that you don't think I do, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the court thinks I do."

A voice came from the door.

"Excuse me."

We both turned and looked. A tall, red and white Zora stood in the frame. His physique was bold and long, and he was trimmed with silver and gems, unlike Ophele. Across his brow, a shark's hammerhead created his forehead, and down his back, a long tail-fin hung. He was different from all the other Zora I had seen.

"I came to see how you were doing!" His voice was excited. His face lit up when he looked me up and down. "You're awake! How are you?"

"I'm alright," I said, shaking a little more than I wanted. I was overwhelmed. He was huge, towering above me with such delight like that. His face beamed with joy.

"Good to hear." He turned to Ophele. "If I could have a moment."

"Of course, my Prince," she said, bowing and exiting the room.

He turned back to me, kneeling, his voice quieter now.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

I hesitated. "I think I am." My embarrassment flooded back in.

"I wanted to check personally. It seems that healing potion got you, didn't it?"

"I guess."

He chuckled. "You're tenacious for being able to wake up so early while still under its influence. Not many people can do that. You must really be strong-willed." He looked at me, and suddenly, his smile disappeared. "Oh, don't tell me you're upset about yesterday."

"You're the Prince," I said, trying to regain some composure. His nod clarified my words. "Ophele told me that you took care of everything. I'm thankful, but you shouldn't have had to. I caused such a hassle by doing all that."

He frowned. "Don't worry about that." Before I could say anything, he stood and turned toward the door. "We really should go to see my father. He has much to speak to you about."

"About the Beast."

He looked back at me. "Yes." His brow furrowed in concern when I didn't follow him. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like I had to tell someone I was a fraud, and he seemed like the only one I could truly tell.

"You guys don't really think I can beat that, do you?"

My voice seemed to echo. Slowly, his gaze fell, a troubled expression settling on his features. I took in a breath.

"I don't want to waste your time," I said.

"Let's talk to my father first. We'll see what he says." His eyes met mine. "You don't have to pretend to be something you're not." He held out a hand. I looked down. What was the point? Once I talked to the King, it would all be over, and I would just be on my way. I wouldn't be able to help them, and I'd be destroyed from the inside out. I wanted to help. I wanted to make things better. But that was impossible.

I stepped through the door. He didn't say anything on the way up to the throne room. It was raining just as hard as it had been the day before. As I stepped inside, the Prince passed me to stand by his father. He glanced back at me and smiled.

"Warrior Amon," said the King. "It is good to see you back on your feet again. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," I replied, looking up at him clearly now. He was much larger than the rest of the Zora. "Your healing potion was very effective."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said. "Even though it did end up causing you some problems, which I regret. However, it's good to hear all is well now." He paused for a moment, in transition. "I'd like to talk to you about why you're here. No doubt, the Warrior Coalition leader, Jisso, informed you of our letter to him."

"Yes, he did."

"We have a problem with a Divine Beast, Vah Ruta."

I nodded.

"You've heard, I imagine, from some of our people. Our flood waters continue to rise because of the Beast, and if they get too high, Hyrule will be in grave danger. All of our water will empty down into the valleys of Hyrule, flooding the plains and forests and completely washing them out."

I wasn't sure what to say. The problem loomed over me. I couldn't do anything.

"I would like for you to go and see Vah Ruta. My son will take you."

"Your Majesty," I said. My voice was starting to shake. "I have never fought a Divine Beast. I am not sure I could subdue it."

The King went quiet for a moment. A stir seemed to go around the room. My eyes flitted to the Prince. He didn't seem alarmed. But his expression didn't really calm me.

"Warrior Amon," King Dorephan said. "When I sent the letter to Jisso, I was aware I was not likely to find the Champion we were looking for. I was surprised Jisso sent anyone at all, considering I described the Divine Beast. And yet, he sent you, and you came."

"I didn't want to break my loyalty to him, Your Majesty."

"You have loyalty to him? I thought you were a solitary warrior."

I hesitated. "I was in the coalition for a time. Even before that, Jisso was like a father to me growing up."

"I see." The King nodded to the Prince. "My son will take you to see Vah Ruta. You may assess the situation, and then report to him what your next course of action will be. Please take your time."

The Prince walked down from the platform and led me out the door. As soon as I was out of earshot of the throne room, I spoke.

"Did I do okay?"

He looked back at me, a bit shocked. "Of course!"

"So, what do I do when I can't fight this thing?"

He shook his head, stopping on the stairs. "Whatever you want to do. Nobody is keeping you here, especially if you can't defeat a Divine Beast. That's a tall order."

"I thought that was the order you all wanted."

"Well, it would be nice, but we don't want to send you to your death."

"If I'm not the Champion," I said. "Then why does the King still want me around at all?"

The Prince sighed. "You really put so much doubt in yourself."

I stared at him. He eyed me, a smile flashing across his face.

"You really shouldn't assume you're useless," he said. "It's not good for your self-esteem."

"I can't do the job I was asked to do."

"And?"

"So, I've failed."

He shook his head, almost laughing. "Come on. Let me show you Vah Ruta. Then you can say whether you've failed or not." He started down the stairs again, leaving me standing there. I tried to keep up, amidst my shock. He wasn't listening. He wasn't hearing a word I said, not taking me seriously when I said I had no idea what I was doing. Didn't that mean anything to any of these people? He couldn't ignore his elders' discontentment with me. But he was bounding down the stairs faster than I could keep up, crossing walkways and jogging through water, and I scrambled to catch up, struggling not to slip and faceplant. Then, finally, he turned around, right in front of a bridge.

"Head across and up the stairs! I'll meet you there!"

Before I could answer, he had jumped off the edge of the bridge. I jumped back, half ready to shriek, and then, I remembered the Zora were fish-people. I deadpanned at myself.

Slowly, my heartbeat returned to its normal speed. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. Already, the undercut was growing in. My sopping wet hair just didn't look the same as before, and it was getting so long that it got in my eyes. I shoved it out of the way and crossed the bridge. I hoped I didn't look like a boyish idiot. That could only make things worse, and I was tired of looking bad.

When I crossed over the bridge, sure enough, there were stairs heading upward. The flights seemed to climb endlessly higher, into a foggy abyss that poured over the edge of the mountain. Here, I noticed, the rain poured even harder.

I reached the top, and already, I could see the Prince's head bobbing at the edge of the water. I picked up my pace, but then, through the mist behind him, I saw a shadow.

It was huge.

I stopped cold. I could hear machinery, iron motors.

"It's alright, Amon."

My eyes darted back down. The Prince was leaning against the edge of the dock, his arms out of the water.

"You can come closer. It won't hurt us all the way out here."

I hesitated. "We're not that far."

"I know."

"What is it?"

"Vah Ruta? It's a machine. It utilizes water, or at least that's what my sister told me."

"You have a sister?" I asked.

He looked back into the mist. "She was the Champion of the Zora, in charge of Vah Ruta until the Calamity struck."

"Oh." A lump formed in my throat, and I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I should have known that."

He turned to me. "Nonsense. It's alright."

"I should have known. Jisso told me about the Calamity, I should have remembered."

"There you go again." He rested his head on his arms, leaning against the dock, looking up at me. "You think the world's out to condemn you."

I stared down at him. "I don't think that. I was trying to be sensitive to your feelings. It's hard to lose a loved one."

He nodded, his face going serious. "It is."

For a while, it was quiet. I looked back out at the Divine Beast. I couldn't see it well through the fog and mist. But it was there, clamoring away, shooting water into the sky, as Ophele said. I wondered how it did that.

"Well?" the Prince said. "Should we go see it?"

I glanced down at him. "Go?"

"Sure."

"You mean go out there?"

He blinked. "Yes."

I looked at him, then the shadow of Vah Ruta, and then back at him.

"How?"

"By swimming, of course."

I stared at him. We were going closer to that thing?

"I'm not so sure about this."

"It'll be fine."

"I can't swim all that fast."

He looked at me. "I wasn't expecting you to swim. I was going to take you out there."

"All the way out there?" My voice was trembling.

"We'll stay far enough away from it that it won't attack."

"It attacks?" That was it for me. Nobody had told me that part.

"Sure, it does," he said. "It's a Divine Beast." He started to laugh. "You were listening to Jisso alright."

"I'm—" I took a step back. "I'm not sure I want to do this."

Suddenly, the Prince launched himself out of the water, startling me. He landed on his feet on the dock with a huge thump and stood, towering over me. Then, seeing our height difference, he knelt again.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, his voice soft.

I looked him up and down. I wasn't sure.

"Can you trust me on this?" His eyes were bright golden. Even while kneeling, he towered over me. It was obvious he could swim, much faster than I ever could. Carrying me would probably be easy for him. He seemed confident enough.

"I can try," I said finally. He smiled.

"That's it," he said, beaming. "Hopefulness suits you."

I couldn't tell if he was being condescending or not. Could someone with such a kind voice be sarcastic? I had no idea. He turned back and got into the water. Then, an outstretched hand waited for me.

"I'll help you." His voice was soft. Like in the throne room. Only this time, he was pushing me out of my comfort zone. I stepped forward, stopping only to take off my shoes. Taking his hand, it felt smooth, and not at all what I expected to feel. Human hands were different than this. And his hands were so big. Despite being fishlike, they were warm. His smile was reassuring. I sat down at the edge of the water, and my feet touched the water. Instantly, I recoiled. His eyes went wide.

"It's cold," he said.

"Yes, it is." I could only stammer. To think I almost jumped in.

He sighed, clearly chastising himself. "I forgot humans had trouble with temperatures like this." He looked back up at me. "I'll see if I can have something made for you. Something to protect from the cold."

Made for me? Like clothing? I wasn't sure this was necessary.

"Is there another way to see Vah Ruta?" I asked. He shook his head, jumping out of the water again. It was incredible that he could just launch like that.

"The only way is to swim out there," he said. "I'll make sure you have something to wear that will keep you warm. Don't worry."

My chest swelled a little. His eyes were deep and golden. I didn't know what to say. All at once, I was uncomfortable in my own skin. My hair was a mess, I knew.

"Thank you, Prince Sidon," I mumbled, trying not to touch my hair. I didn't deserve any of this extra effort, what, just to see a Divine Beast that I couldn't possibly defeat. This was going overboard.

"Oh, no," he said. "Just Sidon is fine."

Suddenly, erupting from the mist, a roar shook my insides. The monstrous cry of an elephant rocked me, my whole body going cold. I nearly fell to the ground. Sidon looked back into the mist, where I dared not gaze, his hand touching my shoulder. A dim, pink light reflected faintly on his face.

"It's probably for the best we don't try again today," he said, his voice serious now. It almost didn't sound like him at all. But when he turned to look at me, his face melted into a cheerful smile, and he led me back to the stairs. This time, he walked down alongside me.

"You really don't have to do this," I said finally, on the second flight.

"Of course, I do," he said. Then, he stopped. "You know, I think you misunderstand how important your presence is to us. You do realize there hasn't been a human or Hylian in Zora's Domain in almost one-hundred years, don't you?"

I was silent. I didn't know what to say. I didn't feel worthy of this. His golden gaze pierced me.

"You shouldn't demean yourself. I want you to know how much this means to us—to me."

I looked away. It seemed there was nothing I could say to change his mind. His words weren't quite the same as the ones I remembered hearing in the throne room. Maybe those voices weren't real after all, but some part of me felt they were.

"I want you to try your best," Sidon said. His hand rested on my shoulder. I glanced back up at him, into his eyes. My heart suddenly jumped. "How can you do your best if you have no way of trying?" He smiled. "Come on, now. Let's get some proper swimming clothes started for you."

"Sidon."

In that moment, my resolve disappeared. He looked back at me, and I couldn't quite say what I wanted to. I didn't know why. Some part of it felt wrong. He was a prince and I was calling him just by his name, and I was actively saying things that made him chastise me for being so negative. How could I do anything but be honest? I couldn't lie to myself, or to him, or to anyone here. I wasn't the Savior. I wasn't even close.

"I really don't think this is necessary."

The second that came out of my mouth, I instantly regretted it. How could I say something so disrespectful?

Still, against all logic, the Prince smiled.

"Nah, it totally is."

I almost didn't know what to say. But he was already down the stairs ahead of me. Then, I realized it: that was his tactic, to just say something so absurd that it caught you off-guard, and then he'd run away before you could object. If he couldn't hear you object, then you'd lost to him. He grinned down at me.

"Come on, now!"

He called up to me, and immediately, I started running down the stairs after him. A look of pleasant shock appeared in his eyes, and he stopped there on the landing, until I reached him.

"I like that energy," he said. "It looks nice on you." Suddenly, his voice dropped away, and he shifted awkwardly. As I caught my breath from that little burst, I glanced up at him.

"Thanks."

"Uh-huh." His voice was no less embarrassed. I was too busy panting to feel strange about it, or even think about it.

"How fast are you all on land?"

His eyes widened, but he didn't respond.

"You're fast in the water, for sure," I said. "Are you just as fast on land?"

He looked himself up and down. "Perhaps."

"You guys have it all."

"I don't mean to outrun you."

I sniggered, hopping down the stairs ahead of him. "I'm sure."

"No, really. I don't mean to leave you behind like that. Does it bother you?"

I turned around, confused. His face was so serious. I shook my head, trying to brush it off with a smile. "No."

"I can slow down." He wasn't even joking. He was being completely sincere.

"It's nothing, really," I said quietly, shrugging. Now, my heart was starting to beat faster. But it wasn't because of the run I'd just made up the stairs.

"I know I can be a bit overexcited sometimes." His hand had reached behind his head in sheepishness. He chuckled at a thought. "It does bother the elders sometimes."

"Weren't you the one who's been telling me all this time not to be self-deprecating?" I asked, my arms crossed, looking up at him smartly.

"I suppose so." He giggled. His smile was radiant, and when he opened his eyes, they met mine, and I felt a jump in my chest. Suddenly, I couldn't hold his gaze, and I turned away. What was wrong with me? He was the Zora Prince. He was a Zora. I shoved the thought out of my mind before it could go any further, and my legs started moving down the stairs on their own accord. Out of politeness, I turned to look back to him, just so I didn't seem rude.

First of all, I didn't expect anything. I didn't know him all that well, aside from his bright personality, and he was also the Prince. I was a hired warrior. He was a Zora and I was a human. Based on the way he'd been acting, as I had initially read it, and based on the contractual nature of our relationship, I really didn't expect any of this. And yet, it happened.

When I turned around, he looked at me again.

But he didn't just look at me. If it was just a regular look, that would have been different. I knew what looks meant most of the time, whether they were intentional or not. But it took only a second for me to realize that the Zora Prince was looking at me in a way that was not at all platonic. The first time it had happened was just a minute prior, I admit, though I was wallowing in my own embarrassment. I wrote it off as me taking things the wrong way. And I would have completely brushed it off if that was the first and last time it happened.

But it wasn't.

It was longer than a simple gaze. I knew that look. It wasn't quite the look of an almost drunk, horny young man in a tavern, but it was getting there. It was further along than the farmer's boy who couldn't even look at me without blushing. It was on the tier of a Zora Prince looking at me and wondering if I was potential.

And then, just like that, it was over.

He started down the stairs again, and I continued, too, until we reached the bottom. Then, he stopped in the grass, and I waited for him to say something. He looked around for a little bit, and then, he pointed across the way toward the palace.

"Let's get you measured." He started to walk, and I could almost feel him cringe at what he'd just said. "For clothes." The correction didn't make it any better. I was having a hard time actually believing that this was happening, as you can probably guess. It wasn't that often that anyone really hit on me. It used to happen more often when my hair was longer and I was less boyish-looking than I was now, but it usually only occurred with people who were not royalty. I hadn't run into many royal, or even important people in my life as a warrior, so perhaps that was a contributing factor, but being flirted with by a prince of an entirely different species of people was still a bit shocking to me. And now, my brain was kind of wondering if this kind of thing was physically possible. Now, I had to start slowing down.

Was he really flirting with me? Even worse, whether he was or not, was I actually considering doing anything on my side?

Before I could even make a proper diagnosis, he had dropped me off with a Zora clothes-maker with instructions about an insulated water-suit. And I just sat there.

Would I have come more willingly to Zora's Domain if someone told me the Prince was into humans? Boyish humans?

Some part of me started to doubt that he was even flirting. Maybe he was just flustered. There hadn't been humans in Zora's Domain for almost a century. It made some sense that he was staring at me like that. I wanted to stare at all the Zora here; I'd never even seen a Zora. But considering their lifespan, the Prince was probably around to see humans and Hylians even before a century ago. So, there was no way I was shocking to him. Sure, it'd been a hundred years, but didn't the Zora definitely got out. The scouts that picked me up weren't at all surprised to see me. The Prince should not have been that floored.

But he was.

He was so delightfully awkward. Now that I was thinking about it, it was starting to come together a little more. It didn't even seem like him to be so embarrassed from what little I knew. He wasn't an awkward person in front of the other Zora.

All the while as I analyzed his every move and word, the Zora clothes-maker was measuring me, and I was trying to remain alert. Those attempts were a bit unsuccessful.

The Prince was kind of attractive.

Gods, what was I thinking? How scandalous would it look if a warrior just swooped in and snagged the Prince?

I almost laughed. That had to be impossible. I'd slept with plenty of people before, but I was not a pro. I wasn't even trying to do anything up until now.

His voice even shook a little when he was talking to the Zora worker.

"I would like insulated clothes to be made for Amon." The Prince had gestured back at me, only looking at me for a second before breaking away again. "I want her to swim with no trouble in cold water."

"Yes, my Prince," replied the older Zora.

"When can I expect it?"

"Within two weeks, my Prince."

"Very good." His voice was strange, as if he were a nervous child trying to pretend he was a king. He turned around and faced me, seemingly searching for something to say. But nothing came out of his mouth. I stepped toward the Zora clothes-maker, and Sidon took a deep breath.

"I'll just be outside." His eyes widened when I looked at him, and he stammered. "No, wait, I need to report to my father. Just to let him know what's happening."

"Alright," I said. He hesitated.

"I'll see you later, then."

"See you."

With nothing left to say, the Prince paused awkwardly, and then exited the room much faster than was probably normal for a prince. The clothes-maker turned to me and started measuring.

He was still wrapping the tape around places, almost every part of my body I could imagine.

"How often do you all make clothes for humans?" I asked.

"Not often," he answered, not looking at me, measuring the circumference of my thigh, and then my calf. He wrote down those and did a couple more. Finally, he closed his notebook, which was completely full of numbers by then.

"That should be it."

I nodded and thanked him.

"Should be done in about two weeks," he said. "I'll work with Prince Sidon over a few details. It should end up helping you swim faster, and it'll help you stay warm in the water."

"Thank you."

"So, you're the human warrior from the coalition, if you don't mind my intrusion."

"Yes, I am." I didn't bother to correct him.

He mused to himself, turning around to his desk. "How interesting indeed."

"What do you mean, interesting?" I asked.

He looked back at me, smiling. "Oh, nothing. I don't think I've seen the Prince blush like that since he was a child."

My chest swelled a little.

"It's probably none of my business," he continued, in a lower voice, as if he didn't want to be heard. "But I suppose you don't know much about Zora customs, do you?"

I leaned in closer, awkwardly mirroring his secrecy. "Not really, no."

He chuckled. "It's not my place to assume. But Zora armor is always made by women for their future husbands. But Prince Sidon always stood out, always did his own thing, even from a young age." He looked directly at me. "So, I can't say I'm too shocked by this development."

I just sort of stood there.

"I'm pretty sure it's just so I can see Vah Ruta without freezing my ass off."

He let out a laugh. "I suppose so. Forgive me if I've overstepped and upset you. It's just fun for us to speculate about our Prince; he's a popular figure here."

Then, with that, he returned silently to his worktable, and I walked alone out into the rain, left to consider it all.