Offspring

Chapter 6: Consternation

There was so much that Link wanted to say to his son. Now that their duel was complete, he'd hopefully be able to share a deep and engaging conversation with the one he had wronged so deeply...apparently. While Mira and Noelani had basically thrown themselves right at him the day before, Murdoch's unwillingness to come clean was causing the hero lots of genuine stress. He and his sisters were the only pieces Link had left of his deceased wife, so in order to move past her death more easily, he absolutely needed to reconcile with him. Wronging Murdoch...almost felt like wronging Mipha.

The guard captain, having just lost his very first duel, stood motionlessly with his back facing his father. Link dumped his spear on the ground next to the rest of his gear and walked sympathetically up to his silent Zora, who stood completely still with his trident held in one hand. He really gazed at him...the way he stood...the way he poised his weapon...the way the Divine Beast's raindrops slid down his fins and dripped onto the ground. It was not enough, though, to see what his son held on the inside.

Link reached up to rest his palm on Murdoch's back, a gesture that would've marked their first physical contact in over a hundred years. Just before he could do so, however, Murdoch's fist tightened around the handle of his trident. Link flinched backwards as his son lifted the weapon high above his head using his one hand...and hurled it at the ground as hard as he could, giving a loud, frustrated cry in the process. The elegant trident's impact with the tough stone made a shrill clattering noise that tore through the Hylian's unprepared eardrums.

"Murdoch, what..." Link began, before Murdoch loudly cut him off.

"I've wasted so much time!" The distressed Zora howled, his face aimed toward the ground.

Link took the risk of stepping around to Murdoch's other side so he could view his son's face during his...fretful moment. His expression could only be described as one of intense, burning irritation...and a fair share of regret. Link looked directly up at his face, trying hard to see into his eyes and decipher what was truly ailing him. Despite his concerned father standing in the corner of his vision, Murdoch refused to make eye contact. Without a chance to connect with him through a shared gaze, Link was unable to see past the grueling frustration and suffocating confusion that was enveloping the towering Zora.

"'Wasted time?' What do you mean by that?" He asked calmly, bringing his hand forward to caress Murdoch's forearm.

Murdoch swatted his father's hand away, a cold response to a caring gesture. "I'm talking about my training! My preparation! It was all for nothing! It's taken me a century to reach my current standing, and this loss shows that I've proven nothing!"

Link's interest grew. This was something he had not heard before. On top of this, it was greatly intriguing to find Murdoch's calm, professional stature in a state of total decay. "What do you feel like you need to prove? You should understand that I don't mi..."

Murdoch cut him off again, his irritation remaining at a relatively hostile level. "I need to prove my worth, Father. Someone had to step forward and avenge Mother after the Great Calamity, and I would've been damned if I was going to stand by and let the deed go unfulfilled!"