A Champion's Love |Sidon x Reader|

36. The Frozen Tundra

This chapter is a bit on the shorter side, sorry for that. I try to aim for 4k words per chapter on this fic, but I only got past 3.2k for this one (I had to end it there, otherwise it would have been too awkward to transition into the next chapter)

CW: Animal death

...

"... dead?"

You stumble backwards from the prince, eyes wide.

"That... that can't be right," you whisper, "how... how could that happen?"

Sidon falters as he glances down at the letter in his hands once more, "Bazz wrote this. He has made it clear that this was not a death by natural causes."

You shake your head. This can't be happening. Your hands tremble as you try to speak, "the Yiga- it had to be one of them- there's, there's no other-"

Your eyes flicker around. A pang of paranoia and fear strikes through your heart. You've suddenly become all too aware of your surroundings, all too aware of the amount of strangers and travelers around you.

"We need to go," you mutter, "we need to leave, now."

All too quickly you hop onto Persephone's back. Sidon is quick to follow, mounting his own horse. Zelda, though confused, follows. You'll explain it to her once you get farther away from the stable. You steer your horse towards the north road and she takes off at a steady gallop, the prince and princess following close behind.

The road takes you uphill, far past the stable and far past the valley that the Rito lived within. You felt as if there were eyes on you from all directions. Suddenly there were too many people around, there was too much noise, you were far too exposed and out in the open.

You don't slow your pace until you enter the snowy paths of the Hebra region, the cold wind biting at your skin. Zelda's horse, Storm, trots beside you. You can see the concern on her face.

"What happened?" she asks, the wind causing her long blonde hair to billow behind her.

Your grip on the reins tighten. You stare ahead, the midday sun bouncing off of the white now. It's bright enough to be blinding.

"Sidon got a letter," you reply, your voice tense, "our messenger bird- Archimedo- they found him dead in Zora's Domain."

"You don't think it was the Yiga Clan, do you?" she replies.

"It has to be," you say with a frown, "they intercepted the letter I sent, which I predicted. But I never thought that they would..."

You thought back to a man you'd met in Kakariko village. Dorian, a father of two and one of Impa's guards. You had once stumbled across him at night when he was in a tense discussion with a Yiga Blademaster. Dorian had once been a part of the clan, and when he left they had murdered his wife in retaliation.

The Yiga were so much more than just a group of bumbling fools with swords. They were capable of great harm, you knew that. You'd been underestimating them.

You tug on Persephone's reins and bring her to a stop, before turning to face the prince and princess. Your voice falters.

"I let my guard down," you say to them, nervously fumbling with the ropes, "I'm sorry. I've been underestimating the threat we face, and what they're capable of. It's more than likely that we've been spied on every step of the way, what they did to Archimedo was meant as a sign... I apologize for the position I've put you both in."

Your manner of speaking is unnatural, and it reminds you of your earliest days in the Hyrule Military.

Sidon's expression is empathetic. "You cannot take all of the blame. The Yiga were never going to leave us alone, especially after vanquishing Calamity Ganon. You have done a marvelous job thus far."