Linkguistics

Part 4: My Apologies to the Sidon Fans

Link sighed. He couldn't rest, relax, and take his time to figure out conjugations on his own time. As he traveled, glimpses of the swirling darkness surrounding Hyrule Castle captured his attention. Every single Blood Moon he heard a sad voice warn him of the danger. It had been several times before Link decided it wasn't just in his head. In Link's mind, the girl's voice seemed to be in perfect Ancient Hylian. This had initially led him to think it was a hallucination, but there was an instinct which told Link otherwise.

He was surprised when another girl's voice could be heard in a place where no girl could be seen. Maybe it was that sinister goop? Sidon looked at him like he was crazy when he tried to ask if he heard the girl too. Maybe he wasn't just amnesiac and a pyromaniac? This was a really worrying development. Not only did he have a voice in his head, he had two which spoke different languages.

Great.

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Sidon watched the strange Hylian. "Are you sure the voice said 'Mipha?'" This guy had been helpful getting in here but Sidon wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going. The thought of his sister's spirit being trapped here on this accursed machine haunted him now. His temper was shorter and he was starting to doubt Link's reliability. It was creeping him out when the small man stopped to listen to sounds which Sidon could not hear.

Link was tense and wary. He splashed on through Vah Ruta in a blue armored shirt which was definitely too big for him. It was a shirt made to be form fitting on an adult Zora and, were it any larger, would be a short dress on Link. Even with the belt it looked ridiculous. Muzu had a lot of objections to the previous king's engagement armor being appropriated for this. Link was at least alert enough to notice when Sidon's leg was hurt by a Guardian.

"You hurt!"

"Not really."

"Need to bandage now so-"

"Nope. We need to finish freeing the Divine Beast. We only just got here." Sidon said to Link as he frowned.

Link pestered him for a while longer before finally letting the issue drop. It was another terminal later when Prince Sidon watched Link stop to listen to the flowing waters and then head to an outside ledge. He peered intently downwards from his perch and Sidon wondered if there was a switch down the wall. He came to the ledge and looked downwards into the lake below Vah Ruta. Nothing caught his eye.

Sidon's musings about what kind of hallucinations Link had were cut short when Link seemed to vanish and Sidon felt a push from behind accompanied by a clinking sort of sound. It seemed like several smaller pushes at once which combined into a shove of just enough force to send Sidon down into the water below.

"WHYYYYyyyyyyy?!"

"Mipha told me to!," Link yelled back in response. He wasn't sure Sidon would hear it but felt the need to explain himself and the use of Stasis. "Mipha said to keep smiling! She loves you!"

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Now that Vah Ruta had stopped flooding the place, it was time to move on. He'd rebooted Vah Ruta and set a few things in the SheikahOS to help prevent further issues. He may not remember his own past, and was hallucinating ghost Zoras, but he could read the menu options on startup. Link knew he was going to have to travel a good distance to get to Death Mountain but he was looking forward to the trip for a few reasons.

First reason: He wanted to be dry and warm for a while.

Second reason: Link wouldn't necessarily need to ask for directions. Death Mountain was a highly visible landmark.

Third, and most important, reason: No one can arrest you for arson if the entire place is already perpetually on fire.

Link stopped for a victory apple as the ghost Zora he was hallucinating spoke with a good deal of joy, a lot of sorrow, and a touch of irritation. "I amr eal, I'ma fra id. Thankyo ufor getti ngmy brot herto saf etyan dfree ing Vah Ruta. Whyi sitth aty ouhea rme, but Sidon ca nnot?"

"Nope. Not doing this. The amnesia and arson are bad enough." Link said to the girl which totally should not exist. He mused about how to avoid setting a wildfire on the road. He'd leave before the region finished drying off.

"Your emi ndme o fsome thi ng, mi ght iseey ourf ace, please?..." The Zora was getting a better look at his face now and Link realized something.

The Zora girl was triggering a memory.