Sidon hadn’t slept in days.

Ever since Link first went into labor, the Zora prince had been wired, adrenaline coursing through him and keeping him locked on to the needs of his beloved Hylian…

And then after hours and hours, their beautiful pups finally entered the world, with Sidon’s scales and Link’s eyes…

It was the best moment of Sidon’s life, undoubtedly, even though he and Link were both exhausted and disheveled. It was the feeling of seeing their children finally here, finally holding them in his arms, that kept Sidon going in the days after the birth.

But that wasn’t to say that the days afterward were easy, by any means…the most recent example being that Link was not in bed resting when Sidon returned from a brief visit to the medical wing of the palace to check in.

“Link-?!” Sidon’s instincts were automatically on red alert, shooting through the roof when he realized that the pups weren’t in their bassinet either. “Link!!”

Sidon tore through the room, until he saw Link on the floor in the closet, cradling the pups to his chest and gripping the Master Sword tightly in his other hand, the blade facing outward to defend against no foe at all.

“By the Goddess, Link, what the blazes are you doing?!” Sidon exclaimed, quickly kneeling and gathering Link and the pups in his arms. “Why did you get out of bed—why were you hiding, beloved, I thought s-something happened-!”