#daemoniumregem

Sidon couldn't help it; he beamed. "There's a saying—that Zora are masters of two arts; fishing, and first impressions! Behold its truth!"

They stood together, royals from east and west, at the peak of the Rutala Dam. In the pale glow of the late moon, the crystal pillars and rising platforms of Zora's Domain shimmered with dazzling silvers and resplendent blues below. 'Behold its truth'—he'd laughed after he'd said it, but Sidon was evermore a proud son of its makers.

But this time, his eyes stayed not with the striking arc of the great stone fish, but with Ganondorf, curious and alert with interest. The air of grandeur and power matched the many tales of the Gerudo, who were otherwise seldom seen by Zoras. Word of the Gerudo king himself, however, were two-fold; there was the one that his people knew best—the terrifying battle master of the Lightning Country whom few challenged and survived.

And then there was the word of Link, who insisted on his benevolence. And surely as he trusted Link, Sidon trusted this—no matter the low thunder of dread the sound 'Ganon' made in his heart. At least, this was the word he chose to act on.

What of these words did Ganondorf hear? Which did he believe?

Ganondorf watched him sign and he nodded. "You know, you couldn't have said it better, honestly. That's the whole reason I am here. To make sure that history doesn't repeat itself. To be able to help and rebuild. All of this is my fault anyway, so I want to clean up my mess," he spoke before standing up. "Thank you for understanding."

Link gave a silent nod to Ganondorf's words. Not that he fully blamed Ganondorf, since it seemed to him there was still more to the story than he'd heard.

"Not for lack of trying, it seems," Mimir commented good naturedly before his eyes widened, swooping forward to catch the other much taller figure before he collapsed to the ground. The last thing Ganondorf needed was additional injuries from a fall.

His rage expected, Nabooru stood her ground, chin lifted and spine rigid. Unflinching, golden gaze held his as amber shifted to bloody crimson and back again. It was rare to see him show vulnerability, to open up to anyone, least of all her, and the pain of his hopelessness rippled violently outward, threatening to grip her in the undertow.

The familiar, sharp pain in her chest. Her throat closing up. Guilt. The despised feeling of being so utterly helpless.

Not this time. She refused.

Automatic, with little regard to the fact that he might snap her hand off her wrist for it, she stretched an arm upward to rest her hand on his cheek, thumb wiping away the single tear as she held back a wave of her own. " You're not useless. And I know better than anyone your true potential as a king. I saw it time and time again. " She bit her lip, gaze dropping to her feet for the first time, but only for a second. Gaze burning fiercely, she continued:

Link scowled at the Gerudo warrior for a moment. For one thing, signing was silent so it wasn't like any noise he made drew the giant monster's attention. And for another thing, he wasn't nearly oblivious enough to miss the dragon-like creature nearby. Fingers signed a rather rude gesture before he scooted back from their viewing spot--at least the gleeok hadn't attacked (yet)--and he tried to pin down exactly where the odd sensation of being watched came from.

Link beamed as Ganondorf approached, relieved and pleased that he had fought the lynel so well. It was only a moment too late that he realized what the Gerudo meant to do, the hand slamming into his back a moment later, chasing the breath from his lungs.