Sidon and his guards followed Raghnaid to another enormous cavern, this one with a richly decorated palace built into the back wall. Luminous stone pillars lit the way, carved with more unending spiral patterns, rather than the geometric shapes found in the Domain. Armed guards patrolled the entrance to both the building, and to the plaza before it. Most of these guards, Sidon noticed, were the type with the transparent crest. Their eyes roamed in their heads, allowing the group entry into the plaza when they saw Raghnaid, but looking highly suspicious of the Domain zora.

Just as Turlach had described, there were no bari lamps here, the dark, blue-gray stone lit solely with the teal glow of luminous stone. Raghnaid bypassed the massive plaza, and Sidon found himself disappointed – he wanted to look at all the intricate statues that were scattered about.

Each statue depicted a different type of zora, and Sidon recognized none of them. The oldest almost resembled hylians with fins on their arms, and headtails. Some statues, he noted, were broken. As they got closer to the palace, he noticed a nearly empty platform - only the feet of the statue remained, and they were jagged, as though the piece had been removed by force.

As they came up to the entrance to the building, the guards blocked their way.

"Halt, in the name of the Mormaer," the guard to the left growled, his spear pointed at the Domain zora. "State your business!"

Sidon opened his mouth to speak, but it snapped shut as Raghnaid swam in front of him. She squeaked cheerily.

"Raghnaid," the second guard glowered, his eyes swivelling between her and her charges. "You know full well you can't bring outsiders into the—"

Raghnaid ignored him, and shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Sidon and his unit flinched. He heard a clamor behind the guards, from within the palace itself. As the door opened, Sidon could see a few more guards inside, getting pushed out of the way. A white zora, with the longest tail Sidon had ever seen, scrambled out to the plaza, a poleax in hand.

"Raghnaid!" the white zora shouted. "What's wrong?! What—" He stopped, catching sight of Sidon and his unit, a flabbergasted look on his face.

"Hello," Sidon greeted politely.

"Hi," the white zora greeted back, his expression unchanged, hand still tight around his poleax. "And who the hell might you be?"

"My name is Sidon," the prince inclined his head, offering the newcomer a bright smile. "I'm the prince of the zora."

The white zora's lips quirked up, and then he scoffed with a laugh. "A prince, that's rich. Alright, seriously, though," he started, and then paused. He looked over Sidon. His regalia. His unit, who wore completely different armor from the Province zora guarding the palace.

The white zora's eyes narrowed.

"We're from Hyrule," Sidon explained. "We hail from Zora's Domain."

"I'm sorry, what?" the white zora questioned, walking closer, bypassing the glaring palace guards. "You said Hyrule?"

"Yes," Sidon confirmed, unsure why it was such a shock.

"No shite," the white zora breathed, his eyes wide. He turned to Raghnaid, a disbelieving lilt to his voice. "You didn't tell me you found Hyrule."

Raghnaid shrugged.

Sidon frowned at them, unsure what to make of the other sea zora. The pauldrons on his shoulders were slightly oxidized, like he hadn't been bothering to clean them. There was a set of small, bronze discs and luminous stones hooking the pauldrons together on his chest. In the center, flanked by the bronze and luminous stone, was a perfectly polished crest of the zora royal family.

"And you must be…?" Sidon inclined his head to the other, smiling politely.

"I'm Murchadh. Nice to meet you, Princey," the man grinned broadly in return.

Sidon startled at the sight of Murchadh's grin. The other zora had extra rows of teeth. The prince knew his own could be intimidating, with their sharpness. Murchadh's were different, still, thinner than Sidon's, and more in number. There was something about his face - the stiff grin and wide, blood red eyes - that seemed forced. Unnatural.

The expression unsettled him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mur…" Sidon trailed off, unsure how to replicate the sounds Murchadh had produced. "Mm…Mer-a—?"

"Y'know, actually, Mur's fine," Murchadh declared with a casual wave. "No need to butcher it. My friends call me Mur, anyway."

Sidon inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. The white zora seemed friendly enough, despite the eerie grin. "Splendid," the prince nodded. "You can call me Sidon, in that case."

"I'm assuming you're on official business? Hyrule seems like…" Murchadh smirked, as though he was trying not to laugh again. "Well, a rather long way away for a pleasure visit."

"Yes, we…" Sidon glanced at Bazz uneasily. If there was a joke in the words, he'd missed it. "We didn't know the Province was even here, until your soldiers arrived on our shores."

Murchadh hummed, his smile practically plastered on his face. "I think we've got a lot to discuss. Why don't we go inside, instead of standing around out here? You can follow me." He turned to the guards of the palace, shooing them off with his hand.

The left guard stood firm. "Murchadh, this is not—"

"Humor me," Murchadh smiled, his eyes narrowing. "They're my guests now."

Begrudgingly, the guards moved for him, allowing the Domain zora and Raghnaid to enter the palace.

The ceiling was high above their heads, set in an intricate mosaic of a hylian woman with blue hair, holding a strange, blue and pink harp. Sidon marveled at it, briefly, before looking down the long hallway before him, spotting a gigantic door decorated with an absurd amount of gemstones, the Zora royal crest emblazoned in gold and sapphires.

"Fancy," Bazz breathed from behind Sidon. "This might be bigger than the Domain's."

Sidon frowned at his guard petulantly. This was a province - an offshoot of something larger. The Domain was traditionally the home of the zora, in plain view of their allies, not some city under the sea.

The prince couldn't deny that the size was a bit daunting, though.

"We're going this way," Murchadh called, leading the group to the right.

Sidon followed him, his eyes drawn to the various corals and stone carvings as they walked down the hall. 'These decorations must be from someplace else,' he thought, the brightly colored shells in the walls at odds with the dark depths outside. Where they could be from, though, he was uncertain.

Murchadh led the group around several corners, to a relatively small room. There were shelves stretching to the ceiling, littered with slates of varying sizes. A large desk sat by the far wall, and Sidon frowned at the numerous scratch marks on its surface, wondering what could have damaged it. He could see deeper gashes in the stone, partially hidden under the documentation that was spilling over the sides. This room, unlike the opulent halls before it, was sparsely decorated, with small lamps that were nearly dwarfed by more slates and waterproofed tomes.

Murchadh walked over to the desk, and then placed his poleax against the wall. "So, Princey," he chirped, leaning on the desk as he looked at the group, "To what do I owe the pleasure of having your illustrious presence in our little Province?"

Sidon had the distinct impression the white-scaled zora was being sarcastic. He grimaced inwardly, keeping his distaste for Murchadh's tone off his face. "Your soldiers have been attacking our allies off the coast of Hyrule," he explained.

"Ah, yes, Hyrule," Murchadh chuckled. He nodded to the guards behind the prince. "I suppose that's where you got that fanciful armor, then? Fairy land?"

Sidon did frown at that comment. "What do you mean by 'fairy land?'" he asked. Hyrule certainly had fairies, though they were rare. He'd assumed the same would be true for the Province.

Raghnaid made an annoyed squeak at Murchadh, signing to him.

Murchadh stared at the girl long after her hands fell, in contemplative silence. Then he stared blatantly at the lot of them, his hand over his lips as he scrutinized the Domain zora. His eyes flicked over their bright scales again. The luminous stone in Sidon's regalia. The shimmering silver armor and intricately designed spears on their backs.

Eventually, he perked up, clearing his throat.

"Alright, Princey—" he flinched. "Sorry. Prince Sidon." He rubbed the lids of his eyes tiredly. "Hyrule's a...It's a myth. The Province has fairy tales about it, but we never thought it was an actual place." He shot a glare at Raghnaid. "Or, it was, until someone apparently stumbled into it and didn't tell me she'd found the real thing."

"I can assure you, it's very real," Sidon asserted, though he relaxed his guard, somewhat. The incredulous reaction made a bit more sense, as did Turlach's bafflement back on the shores of Akkala. Murchadh must have thought him a complete lunatic, if he believed Hyrule didn't exist. "We're just to the west of here—Or at least, the country of Hyrule is. Zora's Domain is further south."

Murchadh let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the sides of his crest like he was trying to soothe a headache. "Alright. So Hyrule's real. That'll be at the top of my list of surprises for the century." He straightened, inclining his head to Sidon. "My apologies then, for my ignorance, your highness."

Sidon blinked at the sudden shift. "That's, uh, quite alright, Mur," he fumbled. "I daresay it's been a confusing time finding out about the Province, as well."

"You said our soldiers were attacking your allies?" Murchadh asked with a grimace. He turned to Raghnaid. "You told me you were fighting tokay."

Raghnaid trilled, shaking her head.

At Murchadh's responding sigh, Sidon gestured between the pair. "What does that mean? That wasn't Lizal, was it?"

"It means 'I was wrong,'" Murchadh explained. "It's just how Ragh talks, it's not...Wait, 'Lizal?'" he questioned, confused. "What is that?"

"The other language your soldiers speak," Sidon clarified. "The same one that our allies, the lizalfos speak - It's known as Lizal, in Hyrule."

Murchadh tapped his lips with a finger thoughtfully. Then he growled, "Your 'Lizal' - does it sound like this, by chance?"

Sidon and his unit startled. There was an odd accent to it, but it was still the language Sidon was familiar with. "Yes," Sidon confirmed.

"It's Zola," Murchadh continued with another frown. "Though, I wonder if it's not the same language...It's ancient - we teach it to our pups so it doesn't die out."

"It's fortunate you speak Hylian," Sidon commented. "My Zola, as you put it, isn't exactly fluent, yet."

Murchadh considered the prince and his guards for a moment. His eyes flicked to the shelves of books to his right. "Seems there's some disconnect in our histories, if you've never heard the term Zola, and we thought Hyrule didn't exist." He bit the inside of his lip, frustrated. "If those myths have any truth to them, then...I'll have to talk to our historians - I'll see if they know anything."

"Perhaps we could arrange for an exchange of information," Sidon suggested. "I know our own historians would be happy to assist fellow zora."

Murchadh nodded, though he seemed distracted. "Sure, good. At any rate, we've got more urgent matters at hand, aye?" he asked, indicating Sidon's armor. "Your tok...Your 'lizalfos' friends, do you know what reparations they want for attacking them?" He gestured to Raghnaid. "I know our scouts. I can't imagine either side's completely unscathed."

"I'll confer with their King, as well as any hylians who were involved, but for now, I think, simply ceasing the assault on our beaches would suffice," Sidon offered. He didn't know if Gerald would want much of anything from the sea zora. Tristram would likely complain, but the lizalfos in general were a hardy bunch of warriors. Gerald might be dramatic, but he was kind-hearted. He'd be happy to work something out. Sidon's fingers touched the topaz bracer on his wrist, idly, thinking. "...Perhaps an apology would be in order, as well."

"Consider it done," Murchadh stated. "I'll draft one up to send back with you, and if they want anything else, I'll negotiate it with them myself."

Sidon blinked at Murchadh, surprised. That was simple. Almost as simple as all of this should have been from the start.

In fact, it almost seemed too easy.

"I...Thank you, Mur, but don't you have to confer with the Mormaer to make such a decision?" Sidon brought up, unsure of how the Province handled their politics. "Shouldn't we speak with him?"

"He'll be fine," Murchadh answered blandly. "I'll see to it. My word holds about the same sway as his, and I was the one who sent Ragh out there. I'll take responsibility."

"...I see." Sidon looked over the white-scaled zora dubiously. Turlach had called Murchadh 'the Mormaer's right-hand,' although Sidon wasn't entirely sure what that entailed. He had much more clout than the prince expected. "Why did you send soldiers to Hyrule in the first place?" he asked. "Turlach mentioned something about fish."

"Ah, that," Murchadh nodded. "Occasionally we'll find fish with special properties that swim in from the west. Ones with extreme beneficial healing aspects. I sent Raghnaid to search for more, and to find out where they were coming from."

"You were only after hearty bass?" Sidon clarified. "A few fish with healing properties doesn't seem like a reason worth invading a country. Surely you have your own doctors and healing techniques?"

"Raghnaid's unit was under the impression that the lizalfos were trying to steal their catches, so they fought back. At least," his eyes narrowed at Raghnaid, "That's what she told me."

Raghnaid nodded, though she shrunk a bit, looking remorseful at the err in judgement.

"The fish aren't for any zora, besides," Murchadh continued. "They're for our Jabu."

The entire group of Domain zora gasped in unison.

"You have a Jabu?!" Tottika piped up.

"I didn't know there were any left," Bazz breathed.

"You truly have a descendant of Lord Jabu Jabu?" Sidon asked, beaming eagerly at the Province zora. "The Lord Jabu Jabu? We only have mentions of him in our history books!"

Murchadh and Raghnaid looked at each other, confused at the reaction. "His name's Jabu Orkú," Murchadh provided. "I'm in charge of him."

"Could we see him?" Sidon asked, raising his fists with excitement. The legends of a giant whale deity with a labyrinth in its stomach was too enticing to resist. "Our own Jabu died many, many centuries ago, and no new one was ever found. Seeing a Jabu alive and well would be magnificent!"

Muchadh laughed awkwardly. "Well, that's the thing. He's not exactly well, at the moment."

"He isn't?" Sidon questioned, his face falling. "What's happened to him?"

"We aren't sure," Murchadh said with a shake of his head. "Those healing fish from Hyrule help him better than anything our doctors have tried, but he just keeps gradually getting worse." His claws twitched over the stone of his desk, scratching lightly. "Nothing's cured him. Not for good."

Sidon hummed, bringing a finger to his lips in thought. A Jabu was precious to the zora as a whole. More than precious. A patron god, lesser in power than Hylia, but no less important. As he looked at Murchadh, he felt he could understand, to some extent. He was sure the Domain zora would do the same. They'd go wherever they could to find something that helped.

The Domain, at least, could rely on her allies.

"Perhaps we could assist," Sidon offered. "I would hate to leave such an important creature in the lurch, and I know we can find more hearty fish in the meantime."

Raghnaid lit up with a happy trill.

Murchadh, on the other hand, looked dubious. "...You'd do that?" he asked. "You've only just found out he exists. You haven't even seen him, yet."

"Is that any reason not to help?" Sidon countered. He grinned reassuringly at the other, his hand over the royal crest holding his cravat. "We lost our own Jabu, so all the more reason to spare yours from the same fate! We're both zora, are we not?" He could hear one of his guards let out an amused huff behind him, at his somewhat predictable eagerness, but Sidon paid it no mind. If he assisted the sea zora, they wouldn't have to fight the lizalfos over hearty fish, and the lizalfos would have nothing to worry about. They could solve everything neatly, and perhaps gain new allies, besides.

Plus, he could recruit Link into finding more hearty fish, or even a cure.

"That's...That's awfully generous of you, Prince Sidon," Murchadh commented hesitantly. "This is a Province problem, though, I wouldn't want to impose on—"

"Nonsense," Sidon interrupted with a laugh. "I'll discuss the specifics with my father. I'm certain we can find a method that will work!"

After another moment's hesitation, Murchadh's lips quirked up. "Don't suppose you've got any fancy magic healing potions, in Hyrule?"

The group of Domain guards all turned to each other. Bazz pulled a hearty potion from his pack, holding it out for Murchadh to see. "You mean like this?"

Murchadh stilled at the sight of the vial, an incredulous laugh on his lips. "...You've got to be kidding."

"They work better on Hylians, so I'm afraid a small batch of hearty potion may not completely heal a giant whale," Sidon explained as Bazz placed the vial back in his pouch. "But, in short, yes. We do have healing potions - many varieties of elixirs, in fact."

Murchadh scrutinized the group again, almost as if he expected them to suddenly vanish, or combust, or some other nonsensical trick. After nothing happened, he smiled. "There's actually one in particular, that I was thinking of. There's a legend about the Hero of Hyrule healing old King Zora with a magic potion - one that could even revive a Hylian from death."

"I don't know of such a potion, myself, but I could consult with our Hero," Sidon smiled back. "His name is Link - He saved Hyrule from a terrible Calamity, and he knows a thing or two about powerful elixirs."

"So the Hero exists, too?" Murchadh asked, but then scoffed at himself. "What am I saying. Of course he does."

Sidon nodded, a proud grin on his face. "Yes, he's my beloved, and I know he'll be happy to help, as well."

Raghnaid squeaked at Murchadh, signing to him with a small, excited hop. She trilled again as she finished, fists on her hips in a confident stance.

Murchadh hummed at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ragh wants you to bring him with you, next time," he translated. "He stayed behind?"

"Ah, yes, well…" Sidon sighed. "He doesn't have the means to swim out this far, or this deep. He is a hylian, after all."

Raghnaid nudged Murchadh's arm insistently, swimming to his other side with a chirp.

Murchadh's eyes narrowed at her, briefly, but he was soon smiling at Sidon again. "...We might have something that could help."

"You...You do?" The prince's jaw dropped, aghast. "You have something that would let a hylian…?"

"We've got a bunch of ancient artifacts from the old Domain," Murchadh shrugged. He took his poleax off the wall, and gestured for the prince to follow him. "I'll take you to the treasury - we might have something in there."

"You're really just going to give it to us?" Sidon inquired as they walked, unable to believe his luck. He had to jog a bit to keep up with Murchadh's longer legs, directing a curious stare at the sea zora once he caught up. "Just like that?"

"If I can find the thing I'm thinking of, sure," Murchadh quipped, gesturing vaguely down the twisting hallway. "Zora don't have a use for it." He turned to Raghnaid with a frown. "What was it called again? That thing from the myth about the Hero going into Jabu."

Raghnaid chirped happily, signing back to him as she swam, instead of walked.

"Mermaid Suit, right," Murchadh mumbled pensively. He looked to the prince next to him. "It should let your Hero breathe underwater, if the legends are true. Which, considering you're here, I'm guessing they're at least somewhat accurate. You should probably test it before he tries to swim here, though."

"And it's alright for you to give away such a precious item?" Sidon inquired. The more Murchadh spoke, the more power he seemed to wield in the Province. Generous as the gesture was, to not include their steward in the decision seemed strange. "I really do think we should consult with your Mormaer—"

"It's fine," Murchadh reassured him. "Uisdean won't care - The Mermaid Suit's no use to him, anyway."

As they traveled through more interconnected tunnels, Sidon studied the white-scaled zora. His cooperation was an absolute relief after all the miscommunications, and he appeared to be a just individual, agreeing so readily to offering reparations. Still, something didn't quite feel right. Something was off, about the whole situation. If they were in the Domain, they would have been taken to the King first and foremost.

Here, it was almost as if their steward didn't make the decisions.

When they reached the treasury, Murchadh shoved the door open, entirely ignoring the guards stationed at the entrance. They grimaced at him, but made no protest.

Before the group were numerous chests, as well as glittering gold, shimmering gems, and stone statues. Some of the statues were in pieces, and Sidon realized they must be connected to the ones outside the palace. As the prince looked toward the ceiling, he saw an exit to an air pocket. Even more space for an already massive collection.

Sidon approached Murchadh as the sea zora looked over the labels on the chests. "Mur, what is your title, exactly?" he queried.

"I'm the Province's Sage," Murchadh answered casually. He frowned at the chest in front of him, moving onto the next.

A lofty title, as Sidon recalled from the Domain's records, but certainly not one that would let him make these decisions without consulting their steward. "Does that serve a different purpose in the Province? Sages in the Domain usually aren't involved in politics."

A sneer flashed across Murchadh's face, but he quickly schooled it into a kinder expression, almost faster than Sidon could catch. "My main duty is taking care of Jabu," he explained. "I've been helping out in the palace for ages, though. There's a lot to do." The sage's eyes flicked to Sidon, then, studying him. "...You're wondering why you're talking to me, instead of Uisdean, I'm guessing."

Sidon nodded to him with a perplexed frown. "It...does seem a bit odd, to me. He is your ruler, isn't he?"

"The Province and Uisdean do things a little differently," Murchadh clarified with a pleasant smile. Or, it would be, if it reached his eyes at all. "He's our leader, sure. He's just busy with other things. I pick up the slack." He moved onto the next set of chests, frowning at them. "...It's not here," he observed, annoyed. He inclined his head apologetically to Sidon. "If I find the Mermaid Suit, I'll send it to the Domain with Ragh, but it might take me some time to track down."

"That's quite alright - It would be wonderful if you do," Sidon responded. "It's very generous of you to offer it in the first place."

"Wish we had something to give you for offering to help Jabu," Murchadh muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around the room.

Raghnaid swam up next to them, sporting several gold necklaces. She grinned widely at Murchadh.

"Stop that," the sage chastised, giving her a flat look. "At any rate, I'm sure you and your guards are tired from that swim, aye?" he asked, looking back at Sidon. "Ragh can bring you to some spare rooms. I'll notify the kitchen that we've got guests."

"We'd greatly appreciate it," Sidon acknowledged, his shoulders slumping slightly at the thought of getting some rest. His stomach felt suddenly hollow, at the mention of food. "You've been very accommodating, Mur," he added. "Thank you."

Murchadh waved it off. "Been my pleasure. Just follow Ragh out. I'll keep looking for the suit."

Raghnaid took the jewelry off with a pout, but she was soon chirping at the Domain zora, zipping around them and then out of the room.

Some hours after the Domain zora had turned in for the evening, Turlach entered Murchadh's office, knocking gently on the door. "You wanted to see me?"

"Turlach," Murchadh acknowledged, though his eyes remained on the slate he was writing on. "Shut the door."

The guard complied, shuffling awkwardly to Murchadh's desk. He fiddled with the long spine on his tail, the bulb at the end dark. "So...how'd the meeting with the Hyrule zora go?" Turlach asked, watching as Murchadh's claws scratched into a deep, old set of grooves in his battered desk.

Murchadh fixed the guard with a glare. "Ragh's been reckless again."

"Well, she usually is," Turlach laughed. As Murchadh continued to glare, though, his good humor died. "We...We lost some people on the beaches. She wanted to get back at the tok...the lizalfos, but then Prince Sidon showed up with the Hero and—"

"I know," Murchadh sighed, placing his head in his hands. "I know, it's settled, mostly, we just can't have them sticking around."

Turlach frowned at the sage in confusion. "Why not?"

Murchadh regarded him with an exasperated grimace. "What do you think Uisdean will do to a prince, Turlach? You think he's just going to welcome the Domain into the Province with open arms? Arrange for new trade routes with Hyrule for magic potions and fairies?"

Turlach flinched, pouting. "...It wasn't my idea to bring them here."

"Aye, it was Raghnaid's," Murchadh grumbled, standing from his desk. He glanced at the slate he'd been working on. Next to it were expense reports, with far too many negatives. Citizen complaints, stacked in a high pile, threatening to topple off his desk.

"She thinks they can help," Turlach pressed, crossing his arms over his cuirass. "I mean, they're supposed to have magic, right? Maybe they can."

Murchadh looked back up at Turlach with a scowl. "I know exactly what Ragh's thinking. I also know that she hasn't thought of the consequences." He took the slate he'd written on, shoving it into Turlach's hands. "Take this letter, bring it to the tokay, or lizalfos or whatever the bloody hell they are."

"Now?" Turlach questioned incredulously.

"No. Tomorrow," Murchadh clarified. "You're going to wake up early and get Prince Sidon and his guards out of here, before Raghnaid or Uisdean know they're gone."

"But, Mur, if we tell them about Uisdean, maybe—"

"No," Murchadh snarled. "Ragh doesn't understand what she's done. We're not getting another country involved in this mess." He pressed a finger to Turlach's cuirass, staring the shorter zora down with eyes that almost burned in the dim light. "Get them out."