If I'm the King, Then So Are You

Drowned

Link made his way outside, where many of the residents of Zora's domain and bystanders met him with wandering eyes. They knew the tradition was that it was inconsiderate to see the upcoming queen before her wedding ceremony.

Eyes drawled onto Link's form, and as the Hylian continued to walk, he felt more and more self conscious about his appearance. Was something off? He kept wondering, his mind once again racing to find a solution.

His worries were soothed by the words of a Zora woman with bright blue eyes in a singsongy voice: "That dress looks incredible on you, Your Highness. We're all at a loss for words. Congratulations on your marriage!"

Link smiled at her and nodded, continuing with much more ease.

~~~

"Sidon, you've got to be kidding me," Muzu chastised, fixing Sidon's collar. "Your father would be very disappointed if he'd found out what you have done. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Sidon looked down regretfully. He was only partway dressed and hadn't prepared anything for the wedding, yet the ceremony was meant to commence in an hour.

"Apologies, Muzu. I was just so caught up in the idea of the wedding itself that I completely forgot about preparing the actual wedding," Sidon responded, slightly embarassed about his little mishap.

"That's no excuse! Now everyone is in a hustle to get the ceremony set up now, thanks to you! I swear, this is going to be a mess..." Muzu sighed, knowing that he truly did love the prince but he was most of the time completely ignorant of his duties. In some ways, he was nervous about him becoming king because of this.

"I understand. I will formally apologize to all of the people who are working so hard on this." Sidon burned with guilt. He did not think his nonchalance would end up making other people suffer instead.

Muzu nodded understandably, silently helping Sidon clean up before he was presented to the public. A prince always had to set a good example for the public, especially if he was to be crowned king soon enough.

"Are you ready, your Highness?" Muzu asked, fixing up his collar and looking for any blemishes on the prince's suit.

Sidon hesitantly nodded, slowly leading himself out of the room. If the prince had ever been so nervous, it was now.

He knew that after they had married, he would not be able to hold Link's secret much longer. This facade would only last for so long, and he knew it. But he loved Link, with all of his being, so if anything were to go wrong, Sidon swore to himself that he would go with him.

He wasn't sure if Link knew this yet, but maybe he should let him know as soon as possible.

-

The flower girl approached Sidon with a bright smile. It painfully reminded him of Mipha in her younger years, when she cared for him so dearly as an infant. Days when mother was still alive, and father could walk around on his own.

Days that Sidon should not be missing at this moment. He was about to begin a new life with Link, and this was a very happy moment for him. If any time, he should not be dwelling on the past now. He should be looking towards the future, and the beaming ray of hope it opens up to him.

And what a ray of hope he was. Sidon could not think of anyone else in Hyrule that he wished to marry. Link... Link was his everything and more. Nobody else but Link could have Sidon feel so soft inside and make his heart sputter a million times per minute.

Did Link want this? Sidon asked himself, then pushed the question away. He knew he should be asking this question out loud, to Link's face, but something in him kept pulling him back: like some imaginary hope that he has clung on to for far too long to let go of.

The flower girl eventually noticed he had been staring off, completely distracted by the world in his mind, and walked away.

As he walked down the aisle with Muzu at his side, Sidon knew he was in love with Link, and not Esther. And if Link had any refusal to this, he would have voiced his opinion already.

The princess' dress dragged along the white ice floor, blending an awe-inspiring contrast with the dark glamour of Esther's wedding dress. It was breathtaking, so breathtaking that it made Sidon drown on air. It was horrifying how dangerously beautiful Sidon found Link, so this sight brought it to a whole new level.

Link finally met Sidon at the front, and clasped Sidon's hands tightly. His hands were rough and calloused, but Link tried to hide such a rustic appearance with nail polish. Sidon hoped with everything that he had that he would hold these hands for the rest of his life.

Amber eyes met blue ones, and the prepared to exchange vows. Link gave the impression that Sidon was to go first, but Sidon still needed to ask him a question before the ceremony commenced.

"Do you want this?" Sidon asked, cool breath gently tickling Link's ear. Link looked at him for a moment, with an unreadable expression. Then he smiled, such a genuine and relieving smile that Sidon wanted to live in this moment forever.

"Li— Esther," Sidon pronounced louder for the crowd to hear, catching on his mistake quicker than anyone could notice. "You have supported me all this time, with your kind actions and words. You have watched me suffer and struggle, but have built me up because of your presence. I would not choose to spend my life with anyone else. I love you."

Some women in the crowd were already tearing up, and a few men were pulling out their handkerchiefs. The Zora were always such a deeply emotional people.

"I always ask myself — how do I love someone so dearly? You are the only one that I would risk every single aspect of my life just to be with you. You will make a beautiful and benevolent queen when the time comes for you."

Sidon heard Link sniffle, and when he finally looked at Link, he could see a small tear trickle down his cheek. Sidon held his face, scaly palms meeting delicate skin.

"I have more to say, but not in front of a crowd. You deserve more than just a public wedding," Sidon winked after that statement, a sinister smirk on his face. Some people in the crowd chuckled, but some more conservative audience members shrieked. "Now Esther, that is all I have to say to you for now."

Link was smiling still, and Sidon didn't know if he had ever seen him happier. He did not want to take this smile away for the world, though.

"Sidon..." Link spoke, the name spoken so perfectly that all the goddesses singing in harmony couldn't compare to those two syllables. "My heart goes out to you. Always and forever. You have a huge heart and love too many for just one person to handle, but you also deserve more appreciation than you recieve. No one else but you can continue to keep a smile on my face. And I mean it, Esther or not."

That last statement was meant for Sidon only, but the whole crowd surely had heard it. Nobody seemed to think anything of it, though, so Sidon returned the smile and desperately wanted to kiss Link in that moment, but he knew he had to wait a little bit longer.

Sidon and Link were each handed two gold bands, with a small shard of the sapphire that was handed to Link on the day of his proposal. Sidon slipped the ring onto Link's left ring finger, and soon Link did the same. What seemed like a millisecond afterwards, Link pulled Sidon's head towards him and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Sidon quickly returned the kiss, stomach flipping and heart fluttering.

Oh, how he's waited so long to kiss Link like this. It was just coincidence that this was their wedding kiss, but also their true first kiss. A kiss that could burn his memory with longing to kiss Link again when he awoke in the morning, every morning, for the rest of his life, and know that Link would want to kiss him back.

That Link loves him, and that Sidon was the luckiest man in the world in this moment.

So when the crowd starts cheering, they part, noticing that they are not the only ones there anymore.

[End of Part 1]
Thanks for reading! Part 2 will be coming out in the next few months or so. (I'm a lazy writer so don't depend too much on that due date.)