By UsmaniaDecember 31, 2018
“PRINCE SIDON! WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE!! IT’S DANGEROUS, THEY WILL KILL YOU, MY PRINCE!!”. The sky was grey. In the distance, there was a black and purple cloud, menacing and malevolent in the way it swirled in the sky. This was in stark contrast to the shiny blue floor of the palace belonging to one of Hyrule’s most veteran races, the Zora. At the entrance of the Zora’s Domain, alone stood a small member of the Zora race. He was red and white in color, with distinctive silver jewelry crowning his head, signifying his royalty. Although he looked no older than a 5 year-old in Hylian terms, he was around 25 in Zora age. “LEAVE ME BE!! I SHALL NOT GO ANYWHERE UNTIL SISTER MIPHA RETURNS!!”. The royal attendant, Leli, started to panic. The situation around them was grim. Already there was an evil cloud enveloping around a distant Hyrule Castle. But to make matters worse, an army of what looked like giant mechanical spider-like creatures were getting closer and closer to Zora’s Domain. They were shooting beams, obliterating everything in their path. But to compound matters, Zora’s Domain was also surrounded by masses of human-like figures. These had red and black armor, their faces covered with white masks. They each had bows and arrows pointed towards the Zoras. One of them taunted: “Ha ha ha, give up, you pathetic fish folk! Your domain will be in the fine hands of the Yiga Clan, once the Guardians have incinerated you”. Leli again shouted: “MY PRINCE, PLEASE LISTEN!! YOU ARE IN GRAVE DANGER! WE NEED TO GET YOU TO SAFETY!!!”. But again, Sidon replied: “NO, MIPHA WILL COME BACK!! MY SISTER WILL RETURN!! I WON’T STOP WAITING FOR HER!!”. Suddenly, a Yiga member shot an arrow towards Prince Sidon. It was going straight for his chest, until Leli pushed the infant prince out of the way. The arrow pierced straight through his heart. Leli instantly fell to his death. “NO, LELI!!”, shouted Sidon. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. The Yiga members turned and faced the other way. Some put their hands on their heads, other shook their heads. This was because the sky was filled with a golden haze. It caused the Guardians in the distance to malfunction, some to even explode. This golden haze had a feeling of power, but also solace. Sidon felt it for a moment, however, the sense of tranquility from the haze immediately numbed his senses. He then fell to the ground and completely blacked out.
“Sidon, Sidon! Wake up my son!” Sidon opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of his mother, Queen Mitola. “You’re safe now”, she said with relief. Sidon, with an anxious expression replied: “But Mipha. She’s here right? She used Ruta and defeated that nasty Ganon beast?” But Mitola was silent. The sorrow in her eyes was telling. But Sidon continued: “Mipha made it back right? She had to come back”. At that moment, 3 figures entered the room. One of them was not hard to miss. It was Sidon’s father and the Zora King himself, Dorephan. However, either side of him were two of those same red and black figures pointing bow and arrows at the Zoras earlier. They both had spears pointed at King Dorephan. Sidon ran to his father, but one of the Yiga members pushed Sidon away. Dorephan, clearly overcome with grief, uttered: “I’m sorry my son. Mipha did us all proud. But the enemy was far too strong. Mipha won’t be coming back. She gave her life trying to protect us. I’m so sorry!”. Heartbroken, young Prince Sidon knelt to the ground, tears were flowing from his eyes. One Yiga member laughed: “The Guardians may have been defeated, sparing your annihilation. However, you fish folk will instead be our slaves. Now, kneel before the eye of the Yiga, ha ha ha ha!”
50 years had passed since that fateful day. In that time, Zora’s Domain had become a stronghold for the Yiga Clan. They had enslaved the Zora in their own abode, forcing them to labor, mine resources and hunt for their food. Returning from one of these expeditions was Prince Sidon himself. He had grown to around twice the size of an average Hylian. He was brought before 2 Yiga members and forced to kneel. “Huh, looks like you fish folk are useful for something other than whining like pathetic children”, one of them muttered. Sidon’s fist was clenching. He replied: “You know, you might rule over us now, but mark my words, we will be free again”. The other Yiga member laughed and snarled: “Yeah, and that will be the day when your weakling sister champion comes out of Vah Ruta”. Sidon, eyes full of fury, jumped at the Yiga member and tackled him to the ground, exclaiming: “YOU DARE MENTION MY SISTER!!” Suddenly, Sidon felt an arrow hit his back. His eyes then closed. When he reopened them, he realized himself laying on the ground. He was surrounded by 5 Yiga members. Behind him was his dear father, King Dorephan. One of the Yiga addressed Dorephan, saying: “Count yourself lucky that your foolish son is handy at hunting food for us. Otherwise, that arrow wouldn’t have been dipped in tranquilizing fluid. General Igosa doesn’t want a repeat of this debacle”. The Yiga members then left the room. Sidon then stood up. “Look my son, I know these Yiga Clansmen are the worst of the worst, but you can’t go around doing this”, said a worried Dorephan. Sidon replied: “But father, anyone who mocks at my beloved sister, I can’t let them get away with it”. “Sidon, your mother and I still grieve at the loss of Mipha. We can’t lose you too”. “Father, things may be grim right now, but I promise you, one day we shall take our kingdom back from these deplorable invaders”. With this, Sidon left the room.
That night, Sidon was walking in one of the back rooms of Zora’s Domain. One of these rooms had a statue of a past Zora King in the middle. He then hid behind the statue, helped by the fact that this past King was very rotund in stature. Sidon waited for the Yiga member patrolling these rooms to walk out of sight. He then proceeded to gently lift the statue and push it aside. This revealed a hole in the ground full of water. Sidon then went into this hole of water, and then quietly pulled this statue gently back into place. Sidon then swam down the hole. This took him into the main waters surrounding Zora’s Domain. He then swam through a tunnel at the side. The tunnel was long, but at the end, he emerged out of a lake. He walked out of the lake and was surrounded by multicolored trees. The air was fresh and serene. He was in the Akkala region. Suddenly, a figure came from the sky. It swooped down and stood on the rock in front of the Zora Prince. It was standing tall, had a yellow beak, long wings and sharp talons. Its body was white in color. It was a member of Hyrule’s birdlike race, the Rito. “You’re five minutes late boy”. “I’m ever so sorry Master Hurbit. Navigating past those Yiga Clansmen took slightly longer today”, replied Sidon. “Not to worry my boy, for today, let’s practice your reflex skills”.
Hurbit was an elder member of the Rito tribe. Sidon had encountered Hurbit on one of his food hunting expeditions in the wild. Hurbit was one of the most seasoned and experienced warriors of the Rito, having briefly trained alongside the Rito Champion Revali as a young adult 50 years ago. Seeing the plight of the young Zora prince, he agreed to train Sidon in secret. For the last three months, Sidon had been sneaking out of a secret back exit under a Zora statue and, using the tunnel under the waters of Zora’s Domain, would swim to the peaceful Akkala region every night to train under Hurbit. Hurbit had been teaching Sidon the specifics of combat, speed, power, agility and the psychology of battle. Throughout this training, Sidon was driven by one goal, to become strong enough to take on the usurpers of his home, defeat their stronghold leader, General Igosa, and free his people from their illegitimate rule.
As the days went by, Sidon was getting stronger, faster and more powerful in combat. He was even beginning to show noticeable muscle on his physique. One night, as a reward, Hurbit decided to treat his pupil to one of Akkala’s finest boar meat, which they cooked on a campfire. “Wow Sidon, you really are coming along in your training. I sense the day is close when you will be able to take down these morons in red and black”, said Hurbit. “I most certainly hope so, Master Hurbit. It’s been 50 years since these savages took over my home”, replied Sidon with a sad expression. “Well, if it weren’t for the bravery of Hyrule’s princess on that day, the Yiga Clan would have taken all of Hyrule. It was her awakened powers which stopped the Guardians in their tracks”. This revelation by Hurbit gave Sidon the explanation he had been seeking for the mysterious golden haze which stopped the Guardians from invading Zora’s Domain. But he still wasn’t satisfied. “However, this didn’t stop the Yiga from enslaving my people”. To this, Hurbit replied: “Zora’s Domain wasn’t the only place the Yiga tried to capture. After the Guardians fell that night, they pressed on with their plans. They tried to enslave all tribes across Hyrule. However, with Goron City, the first thing going against them was the perilous heat of Death Mountain. Most of the Yiga couldn’t even make it to Goron City, but the ones who did were completely outnumbered by the Goron, who are a mighty race in themselves. They fought off the Yiga Clan and saved their home. Coming to the desert woman tribe, the Gerudo, they are a race built on war. From childhood, each Gerudo is taught how to fight and are always prepared against invasions. When the Yiga went there, the Gerudo showed exactly who they were and utterly brutalized them. It was a massacre, and the Yiga who had the good fortune of surviving retreated with their tails between their legs. As for my race, the Rito, we were actually fortunate not to have met the same fate as the Zora. We were all surrounded by the Yiga Clansmen and were on the verge of surrender. However, in the last instant, our Chieftan at the time came up with a plan. We had seen our Champion, Revali, single-handedly create an updraft to enable him to fly straight up into the sky. It was a feat no other Rito had ever accomplished and still hasn’t to this day. However, the chieftain declared that together, we may be able to pull it off. So all the Rito flapped their wings up and down. Suddenly, we created a powerful whirlwind, raising all of us into the sky. This completely turned the tide. We were all above the Yiga Clansmen. We used this advantage and rained down arrows upon the invaders and staved off their attempted enslavement. As for other areas, the Yiga did not dare enter Kakariko and Hateno Village, due to their fear of the power and wisdom of Sheikah members such as Impa, Rob and Purah… hey Sidon, are you OK?” Upon hearing this story from Hurbit, Sidon had an expression of pure anger and sorrow. “So we were weak. That’s why we couldn’t protect ourselves. The other races beat them, we couldn’t. How humiliating!”. “That’s not true Sidon. If the Zora were weak, then how do you explain being one of Hyrule’s most oldest and respected races? In fact, if the legends are true, then we Rito owe our existence to the Zora. We are connected”. At this, Sidon’s eyes gave an astonished look. “Yes Sidon, legend has it that we Rito were once a part of the Zora. And if that’s true, then there is no bigger honor for me as a Rito to have a connection with a noble a race such as the Zora. And when the day comes that you rid yourselves of these freaks, and trust me that day will come, it will further demonstrate your people’s resilience. And I believe that you will go down as one of your people’s most decorated members”. This dramatically improved Sidon’s mood. With a smile, he declared: “Then I will train even harder”. “That’s the spirit my boy! You know, you remind me of my grandson. He’s just a child right now, but very strict on his training. You know, I believe that the both of you are destined to play a role in saving the whole of Hyrule one day. Now then, let’s carry on training!”.
Master Hurbit truly was a source of welcome relief for Sidon. He had taught him patience, control, and provided him hope at a very difficult time. Every day, Sidon would look forward to the night and training with Hurbit. This night was no different. Again he sneaked out to reach the Akkala region. However, upon emerging from the secret tunnel, he found Hurbit already standing there. This was rather unusual for him. “Master, you look in a hurry to start today”, said a confused Sidon. “Let’s go to the woods, kid”, replied the white Rito. Upon arriving at the woods, Sidon inquired: “What will I be learning today?”. “Ah yes, the important takeaway point from today is that this lesson… IS YOUR LAST!”. Suddenly, Hurbit’s body blew up in black smoke, and in his place stood a Yiga Clansman. “Sneaking out all this time fishboy, and you really thought we, the masters of stealth, would never find out? Ha ha ha ha. We’ve had spies on you for a long time. But I think now’s the time you die!”. Sidon was overtaken with shock, but he knew he had to stand up for himself here. “You monsters need to be taught a lesson. Leave Zora’s Domain!”. The Yiga member shot three arrows at Sidon, however, he managed to dodge all three. The training with Hurbit was paying dividends. Sidon then impaled the Yiga member with his spear. However, he then felt a powerful wind behind him. He turned around to see another Yiga member. This one was over twice the size of a regular Yiga warrior and much more bulkier in size. He had hit his sword into the ground, which was releasing a strong gust towards Sidon. Sidon then jumped into the air and threw his spear at the Yiga member, who simply swatted it away with his sword. Suddenly, Sidon felt a strong pain in his calf. He looked down to see it pierced with an arrow. Another Yiga warrior was standing below him. Sidon fell to the ground. “Ha ha ha ha, we’ve come to finish you off for good, foolish prince. After all, General Igosa wants your scaly head on a platter”. Sidon couldn’t stand. The heavyweight Yiga member came up to him. He raised his sword to decapitate the Zora Prince. Sidon was sure this was the end for him. Suddenly, a figure charged at the Yiga warrior. This put him off balance. He was then impaled with three arrows, each of which exploded on impact, vaporizing the strongman in red and black. Sidon looked up to see Hurbit standing there, bow in hand. “Looks like I’m the one who was late today, my boy”. Sidon gave a smile as long as the Great Bridge of Hylia. “Go home Sidon, I will take these fools out”. With that, Hurbit flicked his bow in the air and flew towards two Yiga warriors, who dodged him. One of them ran for the cliff-side. Hurbit gave chase. He had reached the edge, when Hurbit went in for the swoop. However, the Yiga warrior seemed to disappear. This caught Hurbit off guard, who turned back towards the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, the Yiga warrior reappeared behind him. Sidon, who finally managed to stand up, shouted: “BEHIND YOU!”. He turned around, however, the second Yiga warrior emerged onto the edge of the cliff and while his back was turned to him, he shot the Rito with his arrow. “MASTER, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”. Hurbit, gave a lifeless expression, his wings drooped and his body descended rapidly and completely out of site. “That will teach that stupid bird!”, taunted one of the Yiga warriors. Sidon limped towards the edge of the cliff, but suddenly, one of the Yiga warriors appeared in front of him. Sidon exclaimed: “YOU DIE FOR THIS!!”, but he could hardly move with his calf wound. The Yiga warrior tripped him to the ground. Then the other Yiga member also reappeared. He shot an arrow right through Sidon’s chest. Blood gushed out of Sidon. He felt his life force abruptly leaving him. “Hu hu hu. Long live the Prince!”. Sidon rapidly lost consciousness, until finally, his eyes closed. He reopened his eyes to find himself in a place completely white. Nothing was around him, just empty white space. Had he died? He felt there was no other explanation. Suddenly, he heard a voice. “Sidon?” “Whose there?” he replied. He turned around to see a very familiar figure. Same red and white body color, although a little more faded. Sidon’s eyes immediately began to tear up. “It’s you, Mipha!”
