Linked AU One-Shots

16. Fishy Secrets

Prompt: mermaid

A bit of context / fun fact, The first two LoZ games (so Hyrule's) had Christianity as a religion. In the original Japanese version, Link even had a Bible. (In the English translation, they change it to Magic Book). In later games, they made their own religion. It stands to reason that Hyrule would be very familiar with it (if not Christian himself) while the others haven't heard of it since its not mentioned after the Adventure of Link. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Legend sighed as he peered down into the lake. He glanced behind him, noting how the others were pulling out various kinds of gear: Zora masks and armor, a pair of boots, and the like. "There's gotta be some other way." He swallowed. His eyes lingered on Sky and Wind; those two weren't pulling anything out.

"Vah Ruta is in the center. There's no way around it." Wild replied, shaking his head as his Zora suit appeared in place of his regular clothes. "If you can't swim, one of the Zoras will gladly carry you on their backs."

But that wasn't the problem, Legend scowled. He forced his eyes shut so tight that he felt the edge of headache coming on. He had to think of something, otherwise... He sighed audibly as he turned towards the lake with the towering beast, opening his eyes again. Even if he rode a Zora, he would transform if he so much skimmed the water.

"Will you be alright?" A soft voice asked beside him. Hyrule, of course. His face was painted in concern in a way that made Legend's heart twist. He hated how much he had come to care for the boy in these short few months.

"Yeah," He grumbled, averting eye contact so that he wouldn't have to see the sadness and concern he didn't deserve.

"You can use my boots if you like?" Hyrule asked in turn, his eyes glancing down at his new shoes. "They can walk on water just like Jesus did. You won't even get wet – not a little. I can ride a Zora, it's no issue, really." He showed such a genuine smile that Legend couldn't help but feel guilty. Maybe it would work, that was true, but then Legend glanced over at the Zora. Not only would he be making Hyrule more uncomfortable, but he would be making others work needlessly hard.

"Hyrule, we don't know who this magic Jesus guy is," He reminded gently, but more just to stall for time. He watched as Roolie's shoulders slumped and he immediately felt all the worse. "Keep your stupid boots. I got something better."

And before the other could respond, Legend ran as fast as he could off the dock. He dived in a perfect form before splashing in the water. As he felt his form descend into the depths of the water, he felt his lower half grow increasingly numb. He held his breath as the feeling became almost unbearable before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He sighed, watching how the bubbles of oxygen left his mouth in favor of the thick, cool seawater. He took a few moments to remind himself how to move his tail in an effective manner so he could swim. It was only after he mostly got it down that he swam back up to the surface, popping his head out. He could breathe through his gills, so he didn't have to worry about suffocating.

Hanging over the ledge of the dock, Hyrule's eyes were wide even before he spotted Legend. "Legend!" He exclaimed. "You were down under for quite some time... are you sure you're alright?"

Curse this kid, worrying about him so much. For making him care in turn. It made him angry. He hesitated for a few moments. "Look, the truth is..." he began, but he shook his head. Instead, he moved his tail so that it would come out into the open air. It was a slight awkward maneuver, but it was easier than saying it.

"Oh," Hyrule exclaimed, his eyes widening even further. "You're a–"

"You're a mermaid!" Wind exclaimed as he ran up to the edge of the deck. He began doing some kind of little dance in his excitement. "That's so COOL! Vet, you've gotta tell me! Does it hurt? Can you sing underwater? Do you lead boats astray like in the stories I've heard? Do you choose when you turn into a mermaid? Or is it whenever you touch water? Do you eat fish– Oh wait! I bet you make a lot of friends with them, don't you? Oh and–"

"I don't make friends with nobody." Legend scowled, lifting his torso above the water so they could see how his arms were now crossed.

"Now, we all know that's not true." Time's voice hummed before he appeared, along with Sky. He was smiling, almost as though he wasn't fazed by this at all. "You've made friends with all of us, whether you care to admit it or not." Something about those words made Legend flush, and so he huffed in annoyance. "This may be... a surprise to us, but I think we've all got some rather bizarre secrets. We won't comment on it if you don't want us to."

Legend nodded, averting his eyes. "Fine, do what you want." He huffed, but he couldn't help but be relieved.