Title: Tell Me...Why Him?
Pairing: Sidlink
Tags: Fluff, immense fluff, just all the fluff
Summary: After Link's and Sidon's engagement is announced, Muzu poses a question to the Zora Prince: why him? why chose Link over all the other potential mates? The question appears easy enough to answer at first, but it is it truly something he can coherently explain?
A/N: Written for @sidlinkweek! Specifically for day one’s prompt, Blessings, which I realize has passed but better late than never so! Ye
Cross posted on my AO3 so if you’d like to read it there! Comments, reblogs, and kudoes are highly appreciated!
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The loud, excited squeals and shouts of children always served as a perfect indication that Link had entered Zora’s Domain.
With a small smile on his face, Sidon quietly made his way down the steps leading away from the King Chambers, his eyes glued on the adorable scene taking place in the courtyard. Surrounded by a small crowd of children who were all clamoring for his attention, tugging on his tunic, and trying to get into his bag to see what kind of treats he had brought them this time. All the while, Link had the usual huge grin on his handsome face, blue eyes twinkling as he responded best he could to each individual child.
Dropping his bag from his shoulders, he knelt down so he was at eye level with a lot of the children and began to talk in earnest to them. Stopping by Mipha’s statue, Sidon lightly crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the edge of the small fountain that surrounded the statue and, though he wanted to greet his love, he settled on waiting for a short while. After all, it wasn’t too bad to just watch as Link enjoyed himself.
“May I speak honestly, Prince?” A familiar voice spoke up from behind him.
Turning, he found Muzu standing a few steps away from him, his eyes also on the scene playing out before them. Now that the children had wrestled out the large sack of what was most likely sweets from Link’s bag, their full attention was on Link who was going through what was what, where it came from and what it was made out of. Sometimes, Sidon could swear that the children were more interested in the stories behind the candy, rather than the candy itself. Though, it wasn’t as though he could blame them - Zora children weren’t allowed to venture outside until they were of a certain age and the ones surrounding Link weren’t even remotely close to that limit so his stories were all they had of the outside world.
“Of course, Muzu.” Sidon replied easily, knowing that this conversation was going to involve Link in some way. He was hopeful that it would be positive but given that Muzu, despite having started acting civilly towards the Hylian, had never truly warmed up to him.
As the children collectively let out a loud laugh at something Link had said, Muzu stepped forward and stopped by his side. Clasping his hands behind his back, he watched for a moment more with a small smile on his face before he tilted his head slightly to look up at Sidon and asked, “Pardon my rudeness in asking this. I truly do mean no harm but if I may inquire, just what do you see in him? Why him? What makes him more special than the multitude of other potential Zora mates that you could easily find?”
Not the question he had been expecting but also not one he was surprised to hear. Ever since it was announced that he and Link were engaged, both of them had been the subject of curiosity all throughout the Domain, as well as outside of the Domain. While he hadn’t received too many nosy questions about their relationship, he had seen the befuddled looks, heard the whispering behind his back and could just generally sense it in the air. While it could get rather annoying, he had decided early on that he would just shrug it off, smile and not let it get to him. While he didn’t exactly appreciate Muzu’s question, he could respect his honesty and coming forward to clear up something he didn’t or couldn’t understand.
He gazed quietly at Muzu for several moments before slowly turning his attention back to Link. At some point, he had picked up one of the children, a boy who looked no older than his 20th year, and was talking quietly with him. His other hand was currently occupied by another child, a girl who was definitely the youngest of the bunch. She was standing quietly, though there was almost a look of triumph on her face, like she had claimed some great treasure by taking Link’s hand. The other children were all standing quiet, enraptured with whatever Link was saying. By his body language and the expression on his face, he could tell that Link had, once again, been pulled into regaling the group with another tale of his adventuring. Though, he highly doubted Link minded - he was quite the storyteller and loved entertaining the children with fantastical tales.
“Can you truly not understand?” Sidon asked quietly.
Muzu remained silent, clearly having no answer to his question so Sidon continued on, “I don’t expect you to completely understand as how can one individual truly comprehend with the other is feeling but is it really so difficult to understand why?”
“Perhaps not,” Muzu replied carefully, “but perhaps I merely wanted to hear your reasons. To this day, I still do not understand why Mipha loved him dearly enough to create him armor meant for her husband and I wonder about it every time the Hylian appears in our Domain. Given the news of your engagement, I thought it time to ask how you felt and why.” Muzu paused for a moment, tilting his head back slightly to gaze mournfully at the statue of Mipha, “Perhaps, I thought, if I were to learn of your reasoning, I could understand hers as well.”
A jolt ran through his body as he looked down at Muzu in surprise. While the older Zora rarely held back on expressing what he was feeling or thinking, an omission like this was extraordinarily rare. Frowning deeply, he sighed softly and said, “I do not know if I can provide the answers you seek, though I will try my best to explain.”
“That’s all I ask.” Muzu replied softly, a grateful expression on his wrinkled face.
Turning back towards Link, Sidon took a moment’s pause to think before starting, “His story could have destroyed him, Muzu.”
“Eh?” The older Zora asked in confusion.
“He lost everything. Friends, family, his home and kingdom, and awoke with no memory, only to have immense weight placed on his shoulders the moment he opened his eyes. The stress of that, the terror of having so much expected of you and not even truly understanding your role in the world or even the world itself, and yet, tasked with the important mission to save it from an immense evil, don’t you think it would have destroyed most?”
Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Sidon continued, “But, has he ever faltered? Ever even considered giving up? No, he continues forward, his eyes set straight ahead. Of course, he gets scared, angry and grieves just like everyone else but never has it crossed his mind to stop moving. Even if he’s forced to bow his head, to drag himself along by nothing but his fingertips, he stays true to his path and tries his damnedest to help everyone he can. Not out of a sense of duty or for the glory of it but simply because that is who he is.”
“That only indicates admiration, Prince.” Muzu gently replied, “I can understand that at the very most, I’m not saying he’s not a man worthy of respect, but it doesn’t explain love.”
Pausing for a moment, realizing Muzu was quite right, Sidon leaned back slightly, breathed in deeply before letting it slowly. He had never truly thought he would have to explain why he loved Link so dearly to anyone, thus he was a little embarrassed to realize that he didn’t actually know how to correctly verbalize it. To him, the feelings made perfect sense. When he looked at Link, everything was crystal clear, there was no question in his mind as to why he felt this way but actually trying to put that in words, he didn’t realize how difficult it would be.
“Take your time, Prince.” The older Zora patiently spoke up. “Love is never an easy thing to explain, after all. And given that it seems your fiance is tied up elsewhere, I think you have the time to work out what to say.”
It did seem as though it would be quite a while until he would be able to pull Link away from the mob of children that had gathered around him. The Hylian Champion was now sitting on the courtyard floor, surrounded on all sides by wide eyed children, as well as a few adults who were watching in quiet, peaceful amusement. Sidon had seen the scene well enough to know that until Link’s story was done and the children were satisfied, he wasn’t moving. Pulling in another deep breath, relieved for the extra time to think, Sidon let his focus drop to the polished floor.
Why did he love Link? Was there truly any way to put that into words? Were there words that existed that could even begin to describe just how important Link was to him? He felt there had to be, he just had to find them somewhere in his mind. Impatiently tossing around options around in his mind, he began to get slightly agitated with just how difficult this was proving. Was it supposed to be? Muzu said love was hard to explain, but should it truly be this much of a task?
Or, perhaps, he was overthinking it. Sidon paused, slightly startled by this new revelation. He had been so caught up in trying to explain it accurately but that had muddled the rational realization that there was no accurate way to describe love. Why did he love him? Raising his gaze to settle it on Link once more, he was lucky enough to look up just in time to see him flash one of those beautiful, wide smiles that turned his entire beautiful face into the shining sun. He felt his heart lift as though it had grown wings. Warmth spread along his skin, leaving behind a pleasant tingling in its wake. For a moment, he was breathless, overwhelmed and unable to perceive anything around him except for Link. It passed quickly as the world slowly came back into focus but despite how brief the moment had been, he felt as though he could finally coherently speak.
“You asked me what I see in him, what sets him apart from everyone else. Part of that reason is due to what I said before. I deeply admire and adore him because of his strength, his resolve, his kindness. Those aspects of him were what caught my attention in the beginning, and are what lead me to seek him out in an effort to know him better. When I did, when he opened up to me, I found not a hero or a Champion but a man. A man who bled, cried and laughed like any other. He was flawed and complex - angry, grieving, guilt stricken, terrified and lonely but still immensely kind, generous, loyal and sweet. He was admirable, respectable, and quickly became one of my closest and dearest friends, but why love?”
He paused for a moment, before smiling slightly, “You said before love is difficult to explain, but it is truly simple: I love him because of who he is. In my eyes, Muzu, he is a blessing sent from the Goddesses themselves. Flawed, imperfect but beautiful. Not someone to be worshiped or revered but someone who wants to be my side, to be my confidant, my friend and asks for nothing more than for me to want the same. And I do, Muzu. I want to be with him, I want to make him happy, I want to give him a safe, peaceful home. Not out of a sense of duty or to repay him for all he’s done but because I love him. You asked why I picked him, but I didn’t, Muzu. When I first approached him, it was in an attempt to become friends and it was only over time, after we had opened up to one another, confided in one another, did we find ourselves moving towards love. There was no conscious choice in that entire journey, it is simply where we ended up. Fate? Chance? I couldn’t tell you but this is the path that something, somewhere set us down and this is where it led.”
Turning, he smiled down at the older Zora, “I cannot say for certain, Muzu but I feel within my heart that if it were Mipha standing here instead of I, you would be hearing the same reason. You said love is difficult to explain, and there is some truth in that simply because there really is no logic or reason when it comes to love. I love him because he’s a good, strong, kind man, but I also love him because he can be an idiot, stubborn to the point of it being enraging, and deeply scarred, scared and hurt by what he’s been through. I love him because he’s caring, honest and sweet, but also because he’s as dense as a rock and if I don’t say something clearly, he won’t comprehend. I love him because he’s deeply thoughtful, considerate and perceptive, but I also love him because he’s simple, frank and unsophisticated to almost the point of hilarity . He can be infuriating, annoying, and immature but I’m exactly the same way at times, and yet, he loves me just as I love him. There’s nothing perfect about him, Muzu - just as there’s nothing perfect about me. He’s as imperfect as they come and all of that, every piece, fiber and ounce of his being, I deeply and truly love.”
Muzu stared back at him in silence for a moment, his gaze deeply thoughtful before he turned away, his eyes finding Link. Sidon let out a deep breath, his heart thundering wildly in his chest. In all truthfulness, he wasn’t certain he had done the best job at describing what he felt for Link but, weirdly, in a way, he felt satisfied with his explanation. Letting his own gaze drift to his beloved Hylian, who now seemed to be done with his storytelling and was attempting to get up while the children still tugged on him, obviously wanting more tales, Sidon nodded slightly. A blessing...yes, that seemed the right way to put it. They had strode casually into each other’s lives and before they could even blink, their feelings for each other had grown from friends to lovers. He hadn’t given it too much thought. Even now, he wasn’t too concerned with the why or how. When the Goddesses decide they were going to give you a blessing - in this case, a man whom he was intent on spending the rest of his life with and doing everything within his power to ensure his happiness, all the while knowing that the other was doing the same - the last thing that should be done-
“Is question it.” He murmured aloud.
“Prince?”
Shaking his head, he smiled slightly at Muzu before striding forward. Link had finally managed to untangle himself from the crowd of children. With that big, sunny smile still on his face, he was carefully maneuvering around them, patting their heads and shaking his own when loud cries for him to stay a little longer were raised. Reaching the edge of the crowd, Sidon easily reached over them, slipped his hands underneath Link’s arms and lifted him up. Without hesitation, he pulled Link closer, pressed a quick, soft kiss against his smiling lips, loving the feeling of his warm breath brushing across his skin as Link happily returned the kiss, as well as the mixture of ‘awww’s’ and ‘ewwww’s’ that the children let out before setting him down.
“Hello, love.” He whispered, bumping their foreheads together.
“Hello,” Link responded, pushing lightly back into him. “I brought you those mushrooms you like.”
“Ah, you’re too kind.” Leaning back, he smiled down brightly at his fiance, “And I have that fish you’re so fond of.”
His smile widened as obvious excited anticipation immediately filled the Hylian’s face. The pointy ears that stuck out adorably from his blonde hair twitched happily. He could practically see the scene Link was imaging playing out in his eyes: dinner composed of the food he loved, followed by hours spent snuggled close to one another, conversing on what had happened since they had last been together, as well as their upcoming wedding and, finally, sex. At least, right now, that was the plan. He was hoping his Father wouldn’t want to speak in length with Link and he’d finally be able to have his little Hylian all to himself. Suddenly, Link’s blue eyes flicked over down to his side. Turning, he found that Muzu standing there, with that introspective look still on his face. Link leaned over slightly, nodded in hello and said, “Good evening, Muzu.”
“Good evening, Champion.” Muzu replied respectively. “Prince, if I may, would it be alright if I posed the same question to Link as I had to you?”
“If you wish.” Sidon replied nonchalantly, a little bit curious himself as to how Link would respond. While he had no doubt that Link deeply loved him, he knew it would prove interesting to hear his answer. As he had mentioned to Muzu before, Link could be very eloquent at times but when it came to feelings like love and anger, he tended to be straightforward, blunt and, well, simple. Metaphors, allegories and the like didn’t come easily to him so he tended to stick to just plainly spelling out of he was feeling.
Muzu nodded appreciatively before settling an unflinching gaze on Link, “Champion, I asked this of the Prince not a few minutes ago and he gave a eloquent, moving response but I want to hear your reasoning as well. I asked Prince Sidon what he saw in you, why he picked you over all the others and just why it was you. Why was it that he loved you so dearly. And to you, I pose the same questions.”
Link stared blankly at the older Zora for a few moments of silence then tilted his head, blinked and responded, “Sidon is Sidon, and I love Sidon. Do I need any other reason than that?”
Now, it was Muzu’s turn to stare in surprised silence. Unable to help himself, Sidon burst out laughing, reaching down to gently stroke the backs of his fingers along Link’s cheek. The Hylian turned to looked up at him with a confused gaze, obviously not understanding why he was laughing but Sidon just shook his head, leaned down and lightly kissed his cheek. Straightening up, he turned to Muzu and said, “If you’re expecting a detailed, complicated answer, you simply won’t find it here.”
The older Zora gazed quietly up at him for a moment, tilted his head and asked, “That does not bother you?”
Sidon shrugged lightly, “Why would it? I don’t need an immense confession detailing every reason why. That alone is more than enough for me. Poetry isn’t meant for everyone. Sometimes, a heartfelt, simple statement is worth more than all the pretty words or complicated metaphors in the world.”
Muzu stared at him for a moment more before nodding slowly. Turning away, he clasped his hands behind his back, lifted his head to look at Mipha’s statue and said, “I think I understand now, Prince. Thank you, and I apologize for prying.”
He waved a hand dismissively, “No need for apologies, Muzu. I am simply glad I-we were able to help.”
“I still cannot say that I approve,” he admitted quietly, “but given that the Champion will be with us for many years to come, that may one day change.”
With that, the older Zora walked away, leaving Sidon smiling softly and Link still looking very confused.
“What was that all about?” he asked, taking his bag from one of the young girls and hoisting it up onto his shoulder, “Why does it matter why we love each other? Shouldn’t it just be enough that we do?”
“I’ll explain later but yes, I agree. It should have been enough, though I think you’ll understand once I give Muzu’s reason. Now,” Sidon turned back to his little Hylian, “shall we go prepare our supper? I’m sure you have lots to tell me.”
“Yes!” Link exclaimed excitedly, “And I want to hear everything that’s been going on with you too.”
“Of course,” he replied, holding out one of his hands for Link to take. Feeling his smile widen as Link slipped one of his small, calloused, rough hands into his own, he curled his fingers around it, and brought it to his lips so he could place a gentle kiss against one of the scarred knuckles, “my love.”
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