Hyrule Champions (sidlink)

Leaving

Link's P.O.V.
              I sat up quickly, the remains of a horrible nightmare fading from my memory as I woke up more. Sidon opened one eye slowly, looking up at me.
               "Link, dear, pardon me but, what the fuck?" He said, his voice thick with sleep.
                I rubbed my face, "I had a horrible nightmare," I said, getting off the bed and stretching.
              Sidon propped himself up on his elbows, "what are you doing?" He asked.
              I sighed, "I can't sleep. I might just go for a walk or something," I said as I pulled on some pants and a tunic.
               "Do you want me to come?" He asked, sitting up in bed.
                 I thought for a second, "Are you alright being alone?" I asked, focusing on keeping my voice even.
                He thought for a second and just silently shook his head no. I nodded, smiling a little, "well let's go then," I said, stretching, then putting on my boots.
               He nodded, getting out of bed and pulling on some trousers. He then pulled on a sweater, "it'll be a little cold. Here," he said, throwing a sweater at me.
             I smiled and nodded a thanks. I pulled it over my head, then tied the bottom so that the sweater wasn't a dress. Sidon came up to me, and grabbed my hand.
              "Are you ready?" He asked, seeming unsure. I hummed a little, nodding as I lead him through the door.
We walked in silence for a while. It was still dark, and our breath came out in clouds before us. We stopped in front of the statue of Mipha.
Sidon sighed deeply, "every fucking thing in this Domain reminds me of Lari," he said quietly.
I leaned against him, resting my head on his arm, "I know. I always expect her to come running up with her huge smile. The she'd tell us that we are late for training and that we are lazy bones," I smiled a little at the memories, tears in my eyes once again.
               Sidon kneeled down, then pulled me close. I buried my face in his shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
                 He ran a hand through my hair, "at least we can say that we had the pleasure to know her. She was amazing, and funny, and I hate that she had to leave us so soon. She was our daughter, and we made her feel loved. She was thinking of all the love we felt for her in her last moments, and she knew. That's all we can do," he said, resting his chin on the top of my head.
               I nodded, "you're right. We have to keep living our lives. Plus Lari's up with Mipha now," I said, pulling back to look into Sidon's eyes.
                I reached up and wiped away his tears, then I cupped his face with my hands. He smiled the best he could through this, then I pulled him into a kiss. We pulled apart, "I'm so glad that I have you. I wouldn't have made it through all this without your support," I said, moving my attention and playing with his fins on the side of his face.
             He smiled warmly, and just pulled me back into his arms. He then pulled back, and reached into his trouser pocket. He pulled out a necklace, the same as the ones that Sidon and I wore around our necks.
               I gasped a little, "is that?" I asked in disbelief.
               Sidon nodded, "its Lari's. I didn't take it off her last night, but for some reason I knew it was in my pocket," he said, smiling down at the necklace.
                I chuckled a little, "she's still with us," I said simply, looking up to the statue of Mipha.
                 Sidon nodded, "we should get back home. We have to pack the rest of our things," he said, standing up slowly. He passed me Lari's necklace, then wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
                 We made it back to the room just as the sky started to lighten. We closed the door, and I saw a flash of gold over in a chair. Zelda popped up over the back of the chair, causing Sidon to cry out, and step back.
                   I started to laugh despite myself. He pushed me a little jokingly, a blush on his face, "I wasn't expecting her to be there," he mumbled as he went and started packing his bag.
                   Zelda stood, fumbling with her tunic, "I'm sorry. I just got finicky and I decided to come here, but you guys weren't here, so I sat in the chair. It's calming in here," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.
                    I smiled at her a little, "it's okay Zelda," I said as I started to pack as well. I noticed that she had her large bag beside the door, "Zelda, how are you going to carry that?" I asked, pointing to the bag as I continued to gather items.
                  She tilted her head, "didn't you hear? The king has supplied us with a carriage. He had someone go and get Epona from a near by stable, and hook her up to the carriage," she said.
                 I hummed and nodded. I looked over on our cluttered table, and saw Silver on top of the pile. I went quickly and grabbed it, wrapping the necklace tightly around the handle, just below the blade. I then wrapped it in a piece of red fabric, and tied it with one of my hair ties.
I strapped it to my bag, then slung it over my shoulder. Zelda seemed lost in thought, "you two seem to be in an okay mood," she said, sounding rather unsure.
Sidon hummed, shrugging a little. He pulled his bag onto his shoulder, and then went by the door. Zelda shrugged and grabbed her bag, joining Sidon and I beside the door.
"Alright, let's go wish my father goodbye then we should set out," Sidon said, opening the door and holding it for Zelda and I.
Zelda nodded her thanks and I smiled a little up at Sidon. He just nodded to us both as we passed and closed and locked the door behind us.
I did a quick mental check of everything I had: Zora sapphire, my sword, silver, clothes, hairbrush, elastics, bow and arrow, Alright I think that's it. I thought.
We walked in silence to the throne room, Sidon limping slightly ahead of us. We climbed the stairs, and entered the throne room. Zelda and I bowed slightly, causing Dorephan to chuckle.
                     "How many times do I have to tell you two that you don't have to bow to me," he said, his smile sad.
                    Sidon fixed his bag, "we are going to set out," he said simply.
                   Dorephan sighed, under his eyes were dark and the wrinkles on his face seemed more prominent. He leaned down, "Zelda, could you wait outside for a second. I'm sorry, I wish to speak with my son and his husband," he said.
                  Zelda nodded, mumbling as she walked quickly from the room. Dorephan turned back to us and sighed, rubbing his eyes.
                    "Are you sure that this is the best thing?" He asked carefully. I don't know why he was tiptoeing around Sidon so much.
                     Sidon snorted humourlessly, "its a little late for that now, but yep," he said flippantly.
                     Dorephan sighed again, "if you think so, then I wish you well," he said, sitting up again.
                   Sidon nodded, "you as well," he said as he turned and left. Dorephan sighed, "Link wait a second," he said.
                 He held out his hand, so I climbed on and sat down. He lifted me up so I was level with him, "Link, I'm so sorry for Sidon's actions," he said.
                 I titled by head, "why?" I asked, not really understanding.
               "When Sidon goes into grieving, he becomes irritable," he said simply, seeming unsure.
                 I nodded, "I understand. I should go though, we have to set out before sunrise," I said, Dorephan nodded and sat me down on the stone floor.
                 I waved goodbye to my father in law, as I walked out of the throne room. I saw Sidon leaning against a pillar with his arms folded, and Zelda was shifting on her feet, kicking around a small rock.
Zelda perked up when she saw me. I found it odd that Sidon and Zelda weren't talking, because they were friends before everything happened.
Sidon nodded to me and set off towards the entrance of the Domain. Zelda and I looked at each other, having a silent conversation.
What's up with him? Zelda signed at me. I sighed, shaking my head, I have no clue, I signed at her. She furrowed her brow, are you okay? She asked. I shrugged again, focusing on the ground at my feet as I walked.
Zelda sighed, walking in silence. We made it to the entrance to the Domain, my Snow White horse eating grass as she was hooked up to a covered carriage.
"I'll drive first," I said, throwing my stuff in the back of the carriage. Zelda threw her stuff in next, then climbed into the carriage without a word. Her brow was furrowed and I could tell she was deep in thought.
Sidon threw his stuff in then climbed up after Zelda. I groaned a little and went up to say hello to Epona. I ran a hand down her soft muzzle, then I ran my hand down her neck and side as I walked to the front of the carriage.
                  I climbed up and clicked the reigns. Epona neighed slightly and started forward at a walk. I kept her walking through the trail that leads to the Domain, because of the sharp turns and uneven road.
                    We all travelled in silence. I would only break the silence with the click and beep of my sheikah slate, so I could check the map.
                   The sun was going down, as I pulled up to the front of a stable. Zelda peaked up through the front of the carriage.
                  "Why are we stopping?" She asked, looking around with wide eyes. I sighed, exhausted, and I just wanted this to all be over already.
                   "We need more supplies, and I want to switch out with someone. Zelda will you go around and find some fresh stuff. Also take your bow and try to take down some fresh game. It's good practice," I said, getting down from the front seat of the carriage.
                     Zelda nodded, disappearing into the carriage again. She appeared a couple moments later, she had a large, empty sack slung over her shoulder and her golden bow was in her hands. A quiver of arrows hung around her hips, and she had a strip of fabric around her neck, that I'm assuming is a mask to cover her golden hair, and to go over her mouth to muffle her breathing. She nodded to me and then disappeared into the nearby forest.
I took a deep breath, walking up to Epona. I ran a hand down her soft muzzle, and she nuzzled into my chest. I almost started crying, so I buried my face into her soft forehead, her soft mane ticking my face.
Sidon came up behind me and cleared his throat, "what do you want me to do?" He asked, his arms folded and his voice sharp.
I looked up at him, and he has a sneer on his face. A scoffed, returning me attention to Epona, "I want you to drive next. I'm going to go gather water," I said as I let go of Epona. I grabbed our water jugs and slung then over my shoulder. Sidon leaned against the carriage, kicking a stone with the toe of his boot.
I rolled my eyes and went towards a nearby stream. I filled up the jugs one by one, then I lugged the back to the carriage. I heaved them up into the carriage, grunting with the weight.
I managed to get the jugs into the back, and return them to their regular place. I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands. What is with Sidon? He is being a total dick. This is so far from his character, and truth be told I'm scared of him when he's like this.
I sighed, grabbing my bow and a hunting knife, and a small sack. I jumped down from the carriage, and I walked into the forest. I immediately crouched down, bringing my hands to my mouth. I let out a soft bird call, then I sat in silence. The same call mirrored mine through the forest. I knew this was Zelda, because we had derived this call while I would hunt for food before I fell to Ganon. This lets us know of each other, so hopefully, no one gets shot.
I started sneaking slowly through the tall grass. I stopped only on occasion to pick up fresh vegetables and mushrooms. I heard the same call, but this time it was directly above me. I jumped a little and looked up; Zelda was perched in a tree above my head, smiling wryly down at me.
I noticed now that her sack of food was at the base of the tree. It looked fairly full, and I saw a whole deer carcass beside the bag. I snorted a little, then turned up to Zelda again.
Come on, that's enough for now. I signed up at her. She nodded, then flipped gracefully from the tree, crouching as she landed to absorb the shock of the fall. She stood up straight and brushed herself off, pulling the hood from her head and letting her golden hair wash down her shoulders.
I passed her my bag and went to the stag. I heaved it over my shoulders, then lead the way from the forest. We came up to the carriage, where Sidon was nowhere to be found.