Shades of Blue

Drowning Domain

Wind rises and falls and rises

Rises and rises and rises

Water gives and drowns and gives

Drowns and drowns and drowns

Lives are in danger, to fall and drown

Find hope in those who must be found

Her statue was enormous. Far larger than he had thought it would be, when Sidon had mentioned it carefully the day before. Something about its towering stature struck him as wrong in an ironic sort of way, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. The memory that should have been there slipped through his fingers, as usual.

In spite of its absence, he stared up at her anyway, begging whatever deity would listen for a memory to come to him. Something, anything to remember her by, other than the passing seconds he had glimpsed her in the memories he did have back.

Nothing came to him. The statue stared back with its empty eyes, uncaring for his plight.

That was wrong too. Mipha would have cared. He didn't need to remember her to know that, at least.

Zora's Domain was quiet. Almost too quiet. The rain had not stopped once since he had escaped the healing halls, and that was well over four hours ago, now. All day the sky rolled with the same dark, churning clouds, crying endless tears that pinged and panged on the stone of the Domain's columns and walls. The few Zora not worn down by the weather stood guard at the entrance bridges, or at the scout posts, expressions similarly grim in spite of their varying ages and duties.

Only a few of them had noticed him as he snuck around. None of them seemed to pay him any mind, beyond the occasional lingering stare. Maybe they looked for longer, though, after he darted his eyes away. Maybe they were concerned, or suspicious, or some other mix of emotions that he couldn't bear to think about just now.

He was far too distracted by the ever-present pain still beating in his chest, the hole where Revali should have been, and the newer, different (but no less painful) gap where Mipha should have been, too.

The shame and guilt had not stopped burning in him since he fled the healing halls. How could he have not recognized Sidon immediately? Yes, he was quite a bit older and taller than his sister had been, but the similarities in their appearances were almost astounding. They shared the same coloring, the same eyes, and clearly the same deep concern and caring for others. Sidon had been trying to speak to him almost nonstop, since he'd woken up.

And he'd been largely ignoring him. What good behavior he was on...

"Mr. Link? Are you okay?"

He barely withheld a flinch, looking behind him quickly to find little Keye staring up at him with surprisingly concerned eyes. "I'm fine," he signed after a pause.

Keye was a young Zora, barely reaching Link's waist, with dark blue scales and sharp yellow eyes. Most days that Link had seen him or his brother Tumbo, Keye would only glare for a moment before going back to 'practicing his spearwork' with a stick. His brother was more likely to humor questions.

But it seemed that even Keye could tell that something was off with the lone Hylian in town, as he frowned up at Link with a sternly drawn expression. "You're lying. Mom says it's not good to lie, even when it's something small. And I don't think feelin' bad is something small. You look sick."

A sound halfway between a sigh and a laugh left him, and he slumped to a seat at the statue's base. "I guess I am."

Keye frowned even deeper. "Didn't they make you take medicine? The healers always have medicine."