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On top of Ruto Mountain, a lone Lizalfos sat under a rock overhang keeping watch of its camp. The small outpost was slightly off the mountain trail after taking Luto’s Crossing towards Zora’s Domain. At a glance it seemed like setting up an encampment that close to Zora’s Domain, near the only major road there no less, was tactical suicide. However, it was a lot more boring than one would expect. All the Zoras traveled by the river, anyways, so it’s not like there was any traffic on that road. Hylians hardly ever took the road to Zora’s Domain anymore. Not since The Calamity. The few that did were always accompanied by a Zora escort, which for the Lizalfos meant a swift and merciless death would soon follow. Granted, death had long lost its sting as they would be revived every Blood Moon - provided that they followed orders. Their purpose was merely intimidation; just another way to show the denizens of Hyrule that Ganon’s influence poisoned every nook and cranny of the land. And he had no intention of relinquishing that iron grip any time soon.
The single Lizalfos grumbled to itself as it sharpened its Forked Lizal Spear. Outside of its small shelter, a rather fierce rainstorm beat down on the Lanayru lands. Normally Lizalfos happily welcomed any amount of wetness, but rain this heavy invited bolts of lightning - and Ruto Mountain was a likely target during storms such as these. That was what made the Lizalfos especially miffed. Of all the times it had to keep watch of camp while the rest got to hunt along the Zora River, it had to be this time. Its squad was also taking their sweet time in gathering food for the week. Either that, or the harsh deluge was making time slow down.
Almost on cue the rain started to let up, giving the Lizalfos a little more visibility. That was when it noticed a small shadow right in front of the stone monument it was never able to decipher. The Lizalfos’ tail perked up and it leaned in to try and focus on what was in the distance. It didn’t have the stance of a wild animal - as it was clearly on two legs. Yet, it was not nearly as tall as any of the two-legged creatures it had come across. Way too small to be a Zora, too small for a Hylian as well, and even too small to be a Bokoblin or another Lizalfos. Given the Lizalfos’ orders to eliminate all intruders, it passed the spear to its tail and began to creep on all fours towards the figure - maintaining a low profile.
As the Lizalfos got closer, it noticed the figure had a fairly large head compared to the rest of its body. While the rain and overcast evening made it hard to see details, the stone monument towered over it. Eventually, the Lizalfos was able to see that it’s body color was a vivid blue and it definitely wasn’t a fellow monster. It continued to slither forward, silently as ever, and passed the spear to its hands as it got back on two legs. If there was one thing it knew, it was to never trust anything that moves in this accursed land. Even the smallest being could be a threat. Slowly, the Lizalfos inched closer and closer until it was within a distance to strike. But before it could have a chance to reel back its spear, the figure turned around and saw the menacing Lizalfos towering over it. Except instead of screaming, running away, or cowering in terror just like everything else, the being jumped with excitement.
“It’s a Lizzy!!” it shouted in a language the Lizalfos did not normally speak as it grabbed the reptilian’s nose with its tiny fingers.
The monster jumped in surprise as it was now being held by this small creature. It was so used to seeing fear or violence upon the sight of it, that it genuinely did not know what to do. Its peculiar eyes looked over the being and was able to recognize several details. The big head was almost shaped like a fish - and even had a tail coming out of the back. The eyes were huge, and had a dark yellow coloration. The arms had fins coming out of them, and it was dressed in a very familiar garb of sapphire gems and ornate metal rings. There was also the fact that as the being grabbed its nose, a very distinct scent filled its nostrils. It was one the Lizalfos knew all too well. See, Lizalfos have some of the best sense of smell out of the creatures that roam Hyrule. It is often advised that one should always travel downwind in Lizalfos-heavy regions, or mask your scent in some way to avoid being ambushed. It’s also known that once a Lizalfos remembers a scent, it will never forget it. That was why the Lizalfos was in disbelief, as the creature in front of it reeked of Zora.
“Everyone tells me not to go near Lizzy’s, but you’re silly!” said the creature, still latched onto the Lizalfos’ nose.
Zora language. Now there was definitely no doubt. The Lizalfos shook the Zora child’s hand off its face and recoiled a few steps back. It had no idea that Zoras had smaller versions of themselves, since its experience with Zora have always been with their deadly warriors. The more it thought about the Zora people, the more Malice crept up into its mind. This is an enemy. A traitor to The Calamity came a voice welling up from deep within. Malice began rushing through the Lizalfos’ blood. It was time for battle. It’s orders have been made clear long ago, and this was a perfect opportunity.
Yet, the Lizalfos hesitated. Had its brethren returned by now, it would’ve been over for the Zora. But now that the monster was alone with its thoughts, seeds of doubt began to form in its mind. Is this really needed? It’s completely defenseless. There would be no pleasure in killing without a struggle came another voice inside its head. The first voice instantly retaliated and covered its mind like a dark cloud. It will grow up to be one of the Zora that slaughters us again and again. Eliminate the sprout before it’s a tree.
The Zora child was completely oblivious to the internal turmoil the Lizalfos was facing. She closed the distance the monster created between them and leaned in close to one of its peculiar eyes. “What do they call you, Lizzy? Mother and the rest call me Katela. ” she asked.
All the Lizalfos could do was stare into the eyes of the small Zora as the spear trembled in its hands. More and more tumultuous whispers filled the head of the creature. Like the constant rain hitting its head, calls of Kill Kill Kill beat down at its consciousness. These fought against the pleas of Mercy Mercy Mercy battling within its own psyche, with neither side relenting. The Zora child’s question invited even more thoughts from both sides. While it understood Zora, many concepts present in the language were foreign to the Lizalfos. What are we called? We are Lizalfos. But Zora called us Lizzy. No. We are all Lizalfos. But what if we could be a Lizzy?
If this wasn’t enough to fry the Lizalfos’ mind, Katela’s next sentence sure was. At first it could not find an equivalent word in its language for “Mother”, desperately trying to rack its brain for answers. That was when, in the deepest recesses of its subconsciousness, did a word emerge. It was not one of its current vernacular, but it felt uncannily familiar. To any Hylian, it wouldn’t sound much different than a usual Lizalfos vocalization, but it had a much deeper meaning: Protective One .
Immediately the Lizalfos felt the world spinning and it fell backwards. Its vision became a blur as an ancient presence surfaced in its mind. At first there was only darkness, but it was not the cold and cruel darkness of the Malice. Instead, it was warm and inviting. Its eyes came into focus and at first it could only see a sea of green scales that looked like they were slowly breathing. That was when it realized it was curled up and nested next to about a dozen other sleeping Lizalfos that looked way more infantile than normal. It struggled to stay awake as the coziness was lulling it back into a drowsy state.
A shadow was cast on the Lizalfos, causing it to look up. There was an enormous Lizalfos towering over it. Except this one looked very different. There was no battle armor arching down its back. Its eyes did not have the red glow of Malice, and instead they had a light brown coloration with a small dark pupil. Upon seeing the creature tower over it, the Lizalfos did not get an urge to run or fight. Instead, it felt a warm glow of nostalgia and comfort. It felt....safe.
That same bygone word resonated through its head, and it could hear itself cry it out again and again - alongside the rest of its kin as they gradually woke up. The larger Lizalfos made a reptilian purring sound and turned its back - heading towards the river. All of the smaller Lizalfos got on their feet and hastily followed. The vision ended right as it dived into the cold rushing water and a blinding light took the Lizalfos back to reality.
The Lizalfos woke up facing the overcast grey sky. Was that a memory? If it was, it was certainly not a memory of its own. Before it had time to dwell on the matter, the familiar face of the Zora child came into view.
“Are you okay, Lizzy? There was an explosion and you did a fall.” she said innocently.
It winced, bracing its mind for the barrage of loud conflicting voices - but none came. It waited for the Malice that permeated its body to make the call for violence and bloodshed, but instead all that was in its head was itself. The Lizalfos jumped to its feet, almost bonking heads with the Zora child. It was raining harder than before, and the Lizalfos could now feel each individual drop on its skin. There was a small dirty puddle next to it that gave a slight reflection, muddled by the increasing rainfall. Through the murk the Lizalfos was able to see that the distinct shine of its eyes no longer bared the glow of Malice. Rather, it had a soft light-brown hue with a jet black pupil right in the center - just like the Lizalfos in the vision. “ Who do we serve? ” it asked itself, expecting to hear the call of Lord Ganon as always. When there was no reply, it decided to make a reply of its own. “We serve ourselves.”’
Before the Lizalfos could reflect on this any further, a lightning bolt struck a short distance away. A BA-BOOOOM resonated through the air and both the Lizalfos and Katela jumped in surprise. The monster turned towards the Zora child and saw her covering her eyes in fear. That was when an instinct kicked in. It wasn’t a voice, but rather a will from deep within. Protect.
“Not safe here. Shelter close. Follow.” it said to Katela in its best attempt at Zora as it offered its hand to the child. She meekly reached to the outstretched arm. Quickly the Lizalfos swung Katela on its back, guiding her to hold onto its horn. Then it grabbed the Forked Lizalfos Spear it dropped earlier with its tail and made a mad dash for the outcropping of rock - staying as low to the ground as possible.
It was much too wet to start a fire, but the Lizalfos and Katela were still safe from any stray lightning under the overhang. The two sat in silence for a while, with the Lizalfos doing nothing but staring blankly out onto the rainy landscape - the spear loosely clutched in its hands. It was still having a hard time processing what this all meant. The Malice had left its body, so did this mean it could go as it pleased? But if the answer was yes, then what did it even desire? With its sole purpose of obeying The Calamity gone, what was it to do? It was far past the point of no return. If it were to try to return to Ganon, then punishment would be certain for its defiance...and Lord Ganon was never known to be merciful. Trying to connect with the other races of Hyrule was right out as well. After all, if Lizalfos met any enemies of The Calamity with immediate violence, then it would expect the same to be done upon it. Maybe there was a Hylian or Zora or whatever out there that would hear the Lizalfos out, but it was not willing to take that gamble.
“Are the other Lizzys like you?” Katela asked, breaking the silence and causing the Lizalfos to jump in surprise. “All the elders tell us to stay away. That Lizzys are dangerous.”
The Lizalfos felt a pit form in its throat. A new emotion washed over it that caused the monster to tense up. Was it guilt? Shame? Regardless, it shook its head and tried to come up with the right words in the Zora tongue. “No. Lizalfos follow Ganon. Zora are enemy. Listen to advice. Stay away after storm ends.” it said softly as its head lowered.
Katela tilted her head sideways. “But that makes no sense!” she said, pounding her tiny fists into the damp ground. “If you helped me, and you’re a Lizzy, then what’s stopping the other Lizzys?”
There was so much the Lizalfos wanted to explain, but it had no idea where to start. There was also the fact that it could hardly speak Zora, and it was talking to a child that had yet seen firsthand the horrors that plagued Hyrule. It wasn’t sure why, but the instinct of protection from before was also kicking in here. “Not that simple” it said. “Ganon inside our heads. Tells us to do bad things.”
“So?” Katela huffed in exasperation. “I sometimes hear something telling me to steal a fish, or to bother Ol’ Muzu! But I don’t...usually” she said, her voice trailing off.
A sigh escaped the Lizalfos’ mouth. “Worse for Lizalfos. Much worse. With many Lizalfos, Ganon is louder. Impossible to ignore. Zora lucky only us found. Or else...” it said before stopping itself, realizing it might be a better idea not to tell Katela just how close it was to ending her life.
Katela nodded, not totally getting it but understanding the gist. “So does that mean you still hear him, Lizzy?” she asked.
The Lizalfos shook its head. “No. Ganon is gone. Not sure why. We think Zora helped.” it said, looking at itself through the small reflection in the sharp spear.
The small Zora clapped her hands in delight. “I did?! Hooray! I can’t wait to tell everyone about this! Maybe if I beg the elders you could stay with us.”
Deep in its heart, the Lizalfos knew that idea was a complete longshot, yet it gave a small smile anyways. It felt a new warmth deep in its chest. Is this what they called ‘hope’? Unfortunately, the feeling would not last for long as it heard the shuffling of many feet and a cacophony of conversation not that far in the distance.
The reality dawned on the Lizalfos and its blood ran cold. The rest of its camp. It had completely forgotten the remaining Lizalfos that were coming back from the hunt - and they were close. The rain had muddled the air, otherwise it would have smelled them long before. They were close enough that the only options of escape were either storming right through the monsters, or taking a chance to the merciless cliffs. The Lizalfos’ panicked as it tried to come up with a way to keep the Zora child safe. If they even caught a glimpse of her it would get really ugly really fast. It jumped to its feet and started dragging a wooden storage box under the outcropping.
“What are you doing, Lizzy?” Katela asked, not aware of the impending danger.
“Shhhhh. No talk.” the Lizalfos said in a hushed voice. “Rest coming back. Zora in danger. No time for run. Hide.” it ordered as it scooped up Katela and threw her into the nearly empty crate. It could still hear her muffled complaints, and the rest of the squad could be seen very faintly coming over the ridge. As covertly as possible, it opened the crate again. “Does Zora not understand? Other Lizalfos with Ganon. They will kill Zora if found. Stay quiet. Stay safe. Lizzy will protect.” it whispered with absolute urgency. Katela gave a meek nod, the gravity of the situation finally dawning on her, and the Lizalfos closed the crate then sat against it.
Soon enough about half a dozen Lizalfos approached their base camp, dragging behind them a full net of fish. Lizzy tried to look natural and went back to sharpening its spear. A flash of lightning blazed in the distance followed by the muffled rumble of thunder, causing the rest of the Lizalfos squad to scurry to the rock overhang. The net they were lugging behind them looked much fuller than usual - to the point where there were weakly flopping fish slowly leaking from some of the larger holes.
“Good haul today” said a Black Lizalfos in Malician as it threw the Fishing Harpoon in its hands aside.
“Would be better if the skies didn’t crackle” grumbled the Silver Lizalfos - the leader of their stationed squad. “Seems like we had a boring watch.” it said to Lizzy as the rest of the group dragged the net under their shelter. One of the Lizalfos nonchalantly reached for the lid of the crate, causing Lizzy to panic and swat its hand away. Suddenly the gaggle stopped and all eyes were on it. The Silver Lizalfos cocked its head sideways suspiciously.
“We’ll take care of the fish storage” Lizzy stammered, trying to cover up its impulsiveness. “We didn’t help on the hunt, after all” it said, mentally cursing itself for reacting like that. If more suspicions arose, the Zora child would be in even graver danger. Katela was already having a rough time stuck in the storage box. To her, all she could hear from the outside were the grunts and chirps of the Lizalfos - uncertain of what her fate will be.
The leader shrugged. “If that’s what Green one of us wants, we won’t stop us” it said.
Lizzy nodded and pulled the mouth of the net towards the crate. It winced thinking of Katela inside and how there was no way of notifying her what was happening. Dear whatever-gods-were-out-there, why didn’t it just grab the Zora and make a mad dash away from there? Lizzy gingerly opened the lid of the crate as narrow as it possibly could and set the chute of the net inside. Katela started to panic when light suddenly entered her hiding place, but she remained silent as Lizzy told her. Slowly, the Lizalfos started to feed the fish through the net so Katela would have ample time to avoid being smothered. She shallowed her breath, not knowing if the one sending fish into her hiding spot was Lizzy or not, and crept into the opposite corner of the box.
The rest of the Lizalfos took a spot near the wet fire pit. The flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder became more frequent, and progressively louder. The usual chatter continued, but all of the Lizalfos would shudder whenever another bolt from the heavens resonated through the air. For Lizzy, the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Its mind was racing with options to get out of this mess. Maybe waiting until the rest were asleep to get the Zora child out of here was the best option. As it was mulling the entire situation over, hands shaking as it continued to slowly fill the crate with fish, one of the other Lizalfos shot its extended tongue towards Lizzy. It made its mark on the side of the crate and Lizzy almost fell back in shock. It turned to see that the Blue Lizalfos that startled it was holding its hands out.
“Toss us a blue fish. A blue fish!”
Lizzy sighed with chagrin and pulled a Hearty Bass out of the net, tossing it to the Blue Lizalfos who grabbed it midair with its tongue. Before it could even reel its treat, the center of the tongue was grabbed by the Silver Lizalfos - causing the Blue Lizalfos to jerk forward in surprise and yelp in pain. The tongue laid limp in its hands and the fish was pried from the sticky tongue tip.
“We think that we have had enough today. We have not forgotten all the fish Blue one of us ate on the way back” the leader said to the Blue Lizalfos, which growled in disappointment and sucked its tongue back up. The Silver Lizalfos was about to swallow the Hearty Bass whole when it caught a very familiar scent as it passed its lips.
“Zora…” it said as it took another whiff of the Bass “...this fish smells of Zora.” It’s words deafened the entire camp and all attention was on the leader. The Silver Lizalfos began walking towards Lizzy, whose heart was thumping into its throat. It was glared down by the larger, more intimidating Lizalfos and curiously sniffed.
The small eyes on the Silver monster narrowed. “Green one of us also smells of Zora” it growled and half a dozen eyes were suddenly on Lizzy.
“Zora scent flows everywhere in these lands. We must be smelling that” said Lizzy, who would be sweating profusely if it was able to. Its reasoning did not stop the Silver Lizalfos from advancing towards it, causing the frightened reptile to back up.
“No. Those scents are faint, lingering. Green one of us’ scent is fresh, stronger” it said. “Green one of us looks different than when we left. Acts different. Walks different. Are we not with us, anymore?” it said as it slowly lumbered towards Lizzy, the red glow in its eyes shining brighter.
Frantically, Lizzy grabbed its spear and held it in front of the Silver Lizalfos - its arms shivering meekly. All of the other Lizalfos were fixated on the confrontation, although their eyes simultaneously grew more red as they heard subtle suggestions from the back of their minds. That is, all Lizalfos except one. The Blue Lizalfos that was scorned from its snack was trying to sneak another Hearty Bass from the net while its leader was occupied. What it failed to take into account was the Silver Lizalfos’ impeccable hearing and its ability to see in 360 degrees due to the species’ fused eyelids. In one swift motion, it spun around and whapped the Blue Lizalfos onto the ground with its tail - and then proceeded to flip the storage crate over in a fit of rage.
“We said no more fish!” it shouted, its eyes now burning a blood red. Its anger towards its own kin did not last for long, though, as the whole camp heard a small “Ungh!” come from the crate. All heads turned towards the spilled pile of fish, where they saw a small moving creature lying amongst the catch. The Silver Lizalfos could almost visualize the scent of Zora trailing from the fish, to Lizzy, then to the small creature near the overturned crate. It did not take long to put two-and-two together.
Meanwhile, Lizzy could feel every heartbeat as the worst possible scenario was now at its feet. Adrenaline flowed through its blood, giving it a sensation it had never felt before - yet it was familiar in the sort of primal sense. With its powerful legs, Lizzy leapt towards the pile of fish and put itself between the Zora child and the rest of its squad. It would protect Katela - even at the cost of its own life.
“Zora…” the Silver Lizalfos droned, “...Green one of us is allied with the Zora.” The other Lizalfos of the camp repeated this phrase, slowly reaching for any weapon within an arm's reach. “Traitor...Defector...enemy to The Calamity itself” said the Silver Lizalfos, with the others also repeating its words. “Kill...Kill ... KILL THE DEFECTOR. KILL THE ZORA.” they all chanted in unison, their blood-red eyes shining through the darkened overcast like torches as they advanced towards Lizzy.
Katela was quickly grabbed by Lizzy’s tail and placed where she was clinging onto its back armor for dear life. It readied the Forked Lizal Spear in a fighting stance as it backed away from the rock overhang and into the storm. The rest of the Lizalfos slightly hesitated. Almost as if a sliver of self-preservation was trying to stop them going out into the open during a thunderstorm. But alas, they were too infected by the Malice at this point to be making moves of their own volition anymore.
Two Blue Lizalfos leapt high in the air and tried to lunge down towards Lizzy with their harpoons. The assault was easily dodged, leaving their spears to get stuck deep in the soft and wet mud. As they tried pulling their weapons out of the ground, a Black Lizalfos stepped forward with a Zora Sword the group had scavenged from earlier. It tried to go for an overhead swing, which Lizzy blocked with the shaft of its spear. Luckily Zora Swords were made for thrusting, not cutting, so the block was successful. Meanwhile, another Green Lizalfos had clambered atop the outcropping and was taking potshots of its spit at Lizzy. It continued to block the onslaught of attacks from the Black Lizalfos, yet it did not make attempts to counterattack - still holding reservations about potentially killing a member of its own race. All the while, the thunder only seemed to grow louder and the lightning bursts much more frequent.
A burst of the spit from the Green Lizalfos made a clean hit on Lizzy, causing it to stagger. However, this time Katela was caught in the crossfire and a splash of the spit, which contained Lizalfos stomach acid, landed across her arm. She let out a loud yelp in pain and Lizzy instantly darted its eyes back in panic. This was not the time for fighting back. It had created enough distance that running away was the best option. Lizzy propped itself on its tail and delivered a mighty kick right into the chest of the Black Lizalfos. As the foe was knocked off its feet, the panicked monster turned tail and began scampering away.
That was when the Silver Lizalfos capitalized. It had been standing near the back of the pack - waiting for just the right moment. When Lizzy made a break for it, the leader now had a clear shot of the traitor. A sharp fwipfwipfwipfwipfwip rang through the air as a Lizal Tri-Boomerang headed right towards Lizzy. It was still tunnel-visioned on saving the Zora so it did not notice the deadly weapon hurtling its way until it was too late. While it missed any vital parts of the body, the deadly serrated metal tore right across one of Lizzy’s legs.The fleeing Lizalfos immediately lost control and face-planted onto the wet ground, sending Katela tumbling off its back and towards the main road. Lizzy’s mind was almost overloaded by experiencing such a burning pain for the first time in its life. It looked down and saw purple blood oozing from the wound, quickly washing away from the downpour. It tried to get back on its feet quickly like it normally would. But as it put pressure on the injured leg, the cut violently spurted blood and Lizzy felt an even more painful sting - causing it to fall back on the ground. It looked ahead towards Katela with great distress. She was too far away for Lizzy to reach before the other Lizalfos could close the distance. Still, it could hear the whispers of primal instincts even louder than before: Protect. Protect the child. To make matters worse, Katela was frozen in fear. She could only stare at her supposed savior in horror.
“Run!” Lizzy cried out to her in a desperate attempt. “Get away!”
Katela did not want to leave her new friend behind, but she knew the situation was dire. She painfully turned her head and started hobbling down the mountain path. Meanwhile, the two Blue Lizalfos had finally wrenched their harpoons from the muddy ground and the Black Lizalfos got back on its feet. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Lizzy looked towards the Silver Lizalfos to see it pull out a Steel Lizal Bow. It watched in horror as the merciless squad leader notched an arrow and aimed right at Katela. There was no time left to think. Lizzy held the Forked Lizal Spear like a javelin and readied to throw it at the Silver Lizalfos. That would leave it defenseless against the other Lizalfos, but it had already made peace with its fate.
But Lizzy never got a chance to throw the spear. After a fierce rush of wind and water that came from the south, the Silver Lizalfos was suddenly gone.
The sudden shift caused everyone to snap their heads towards the rock overhang, including Katela. At first, all Lizzy could see was a huge menacing figure standing on top of the rock. A flash of lightning close by illuminated the whole scene. While the light was fleeting, the view burned into Lizzy’s vision. Atop the rock was probably the largest Zora it had ever seen. It had to be nearly twice its height with the most vivid coloration of crimson and white. Lizzy could feel the gleam in the Zora’s eyes, even from a distance, that could only be described as pure unadulterated rage. In its right hand was a large trident - although most of it was obscured by the twitching body of the Silver Lizalfos dangling in the air. The middle portion of the trident had gone right through its chest, purple blood dripping down the shaft. In the Zora’s left hand, it was gripping the neck of the now-motionless Green Lizalfos.
“Sidon…” Katela said under her breath.
The Ceremonial Trident skewering the Silver Lizalfos was emphatically waved through the air, causing the monster to get flung off and go hurtling down the cliff nearby. Sidon simultaneously dropped the Green Lizalfos as the Malice had already started to rapidly decompose its corpse. His boisterous entrance certainly drew the remaining Lizalfos’ attention away from Katela, as they were now transfixed on the Zora Prince. As they charged towards Sidon, he pulled out the second trident that was strapped to his back.
“I will NOT let you hurt her, filth!” he bellowed as he leapt from the rock overhang.
There are not that many tales spoken by the monsters of Hyrule. However, there is a common story shared by the Lizalfos whenever they are in the Lanayru region. The Zora may be a formidable enemy, but they always tell of one specific Zora warrior that has managed to wipe out entire garrisons of Lizalfos single-handedly. Every single monster that has encountered that particular Zora was sent straight back to the Malice from whence it came. Thus it was appropriately nicknamed by the Lizalfos as “The Red Death”.
And that name was exactly what was going through Lizzy’s mind as it saw Sidon descend upon them. It had been slain by Zora many times before this, but that was when it was still under The Calamity - when death was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. Now that the dark pact had somehow been severed and Malice no longer flowed through its veins, it felt a very haunting and very real sense of mortality. Its heart thumped faster than it thought possible, and a lightheadedness began to set in from hyperventilation. The spear once confidently held in its hands wobbled. Lizzy pleaded with its body to move, but it remained petrified at the dreadful realization that it had become the prey - now face-to-face with a terrifying monster.
For the first time in its life, the Lizalfos knew true fear.
As Sidon landed onto the wet ground, the impact caused a miniature shockwave as the water seemed to be at his very beck and call. This did not stop the two Blue Lizalfos from charging at him with their harpoons. One of them went for an upwards thrust towards Sidon’s chest. With expert precision, he caught the harpoon in-between the forks of his trident and gave it a hearty twist - snapping the head of the weapon clean off. The second Blue Lizalfos tried to go for a stab at Sidon’s legs - which he intercepted by plunging the second trident into the ground, taking the harpoon with it and sending the Lizalfos jerking forward. He then made a wide backhand swing with the first trident, knocking both Lizalfos back and slicing deep gashes right through their scales. Before they even had a chance to hit the ground, Sidon took a big step forward and yanked the second trident out of the mud. Then it almost looked as if he was being propelled by water as he burst forward with incredible speed and drove the tridents right through the monsters’ chests.
The bloodbath of a sight was enough to spring Lizzy into action and take cover. Putting all its might into its legs, Lizzy threw itself through the air to get as far as possible from Sidon. There was a fairly large boulder nearby and it dragged its body behind the cover to hide, watching the spectacle from afar.
Meanwhile the thrust from Sidon’s fearsome tridents nearly split the two Blue Lizalfos in half, so the Zora Prince effortlessly yanked them out and turned to face the Black Lizalfos. Even with the death or betrayal of all of its comrades, it was not phazed in the slightest. It still maintained that same murderous gaze as it went for an amatuer swing with the Zora Sword. Sidon parried it with ease and brought the sword to the ground. When he noticed it was a weapon of his own people, his rage seemed to grow even stronger and he violently sunk the second trident right into the Black Lizalfos’ neck with surgical precision. He continued the momentum, pinning the monster down to the ground in a splash of purple blood. The Lizalfos violently twitched for a few seconds and then went still, it’s whole body rapidly turning jet black and decaying from the Malice.
Katela was in complete awe from what she just saw. She was equally astonished and horrified from seeing what the Prince of Zora’s Domain was actually capable of. She began to run towards Sidon when he cautiously held out his hand and shouted “Wait, Katela! It’s still not safe!” He eyed the surrounding cliffside and the nearby rocks with suspicious eyes. He had a gut feeling that he did not take out all the Lizalfos at the camp. Slowly, he approached a collection of rocks close to the stone monument.
Meanwhile Lizzy was crouched behind a boulder, using a unique Lizalfos trait of changing the color of its skin to blend in with the surroundings. Lizzy’s body was now a dark grey, with its bloody leg hiding behind the cover. It kept an eye on Sidon, hoping the disguise and the darkness from the heavy rain was enough to convince the Zora his job was done. However, that moment didn’t come. Rather, Sidon drew closer and scanned the cliffside. Lizzy’s heartbeat picked up even faster than before, but it tried to remain absolutely still. Sidon took a deep breath and the rain around him almost seemed to suspend midair and swirl around him. Slowly the water surrounding him grew from small droplets to more defined shapes: a fin, a tail, a face. The rain collection now resembled a gigantic salmon that was guided by Sidon’s right arm. His face snapped right to the boulder where Lizzy was residing behind and he forcefully threw the trident like a dagger, making a deliberate and violent yell. The water salmon encased the trident as it sailed right towards its target. Lizzy only had a fraction of a second to react, quickly leaping out from its hiding place and recovering with a combat roll - passing the Forked Lizal Spear from its tail to its hands. The boulder was utterly obliterated in a fantastic display not a millisecond after Lizzy dived out of the way. The trident made contact and sent large cracks down the center - creating a point of entry for the rain familiar to smash the entire rock to smithereens.
As the dust quickly began to settle, the last Lizalfos found itself staring Sidon directly down. For what seemed to be an eternity, neither made a move. Lizzy had the same fear from before, but it also felt another aura. This time, it was an overwhelming urge to fight back, to survive, to self-persevere. It still refused to take a single step forward knowing what would happen if it did. That was when Lizzy tried a risky gamble and let go of its spear, letting it drop to the wet ground with a meek paff. It then raised its peculiar hands up - palms facing the Zora Prince.
Sidon was utterly bewildered. Never in his long life had he seen a Lizalfos act like this. He slowly blinked twice and cocked his head to the side. Katela is safe. Maybe I should just leave, he thought. But perhaps that was the Lizalfos’ trick all along: to get Sidon to lower his guard so it could strike back. Damn, he knew Lizalfos were crafty but he had no idea the lengths they could go to. He slowly raised his remaining trident up higher, causing the Lizalfos visual distress. But what if I’m overthinking things? Should I pity this creature? As he continued to gaze at the Lizalfos, more memories surfaced. Painful, painful memories. Memories he has spent literal decades trying to move past. No, he concluded, these monsters have shown no mercy to our land or to my people. Why would they deserve any of mine? A scowl tore across his face as he let out yet another warcry and lunged straight for the Lizalfos.
Lizzy half-expected this outcome, but rather than give in to fear it lifted its spear back to its hands and made another dive to the side - this time putting its back towards the camp rather than to the treacherous cliffs. Sidon easily course corrected, the deadly pronged weapon still heading straight for Lizzy. The Lizalfos didn’t really know what to do at first. Its species’ fighting style has always been “charge recklessly and overwhelm with sheer numbers”. Blocking and avoidance was always secondary. But now that there were actual stakes for Lizzy, it would have to learn fast. As the trident closed in towards Lizzy, its hands guided the spear to where the forked end was able to intercept Sidon’s weapon - as if its muscle memory knew just what to do. But that was impossible, right? Regardless, the two spears met head-on and Lizzy slid back on the muddy ground. That was when Lizzy was able to see the murderous intent in the Zora Prince’s eyes as his grimace showed off his sparkling white, razor sharp teeth. The wooden shaft of Lizzy’s spear creaked in complaint as it held firm against Sidon. Its bleeding leg also cried out in agony as it held back the Zora’s immense weight. Lizzy quickly thought on its feet and unlocked the spears, rolling away to the side before it could get pinned to the rock wall.
Sidon’s momentum almost made him run right into the overhang of the Lizalfos camp. He did a quick turn around and took some deep breaths. Lizzy made a guarding stance as Sidon lunged forward again, this time not extending the spear until he was close enough to find an opening. Time almost seemed to slow down for Lizzy as it saw Sidon aim his trident at its non-dominant foot. Rather than stopping the trident outright and having a repeat incident, Lizzy sidestepped slightly to the right and pushed its spear against the head of the trident - guiding it away from the Lizalfos. Sidon stumbled a bit from the surprise deflect, but found his footing again and made a sweeping slice at Lizzy’s legs. While the Lizalfos still had its wound, enough adrenaline was pumping through its veins that it could barely feel the pain anymore. It saw the easily telegraphed attack and jumped right over the trident - causing the wound to spurt more of its purple blood. The leap sent the Lizalfos back towards the Zora Stone Monument and closer to the precarious cliffside.
I’ve never seen a Lizalfos evade like this Sidon thought, breathing heavily. This is more dangerous than I realized. I need to end this soon.
Sidon leapt forward and went for another powerful sweep with his trident - this time aiming right for the Lizalfos’ head. Lizzy tried to leap away like before, but it had put too much strain on its injured leg from the last jump and its body refused. In a burst of resourcefulness, Lizzy pivoted off its strong leg and held its spear up to intercept the bludgeoning. Unfortunately the trident was blocked by the shaft instead of the head, and Sidon had no problem smashing the wooden shaft like it was a twig. The force caused Lizzy to recoil back and drop the two halves - the momentum wrenching them from its grasp sending them flying across the air. Now Lizzy had its back to the cliff, facing the terrifying Zora Prince.
A slight chuckle escaped Sidon’s mouth. Now it was really over. He held the Ceremonial Trident with both hands over his head and got ready to plunge it right into the monster. Lizzy glanced behind itself. Even through the heavy rain, it could see that the drop was sharp and brutal. The distance from the cliffs to the Zora River didn’t seem that long, but Lizzy doubted if it could jump far enough to reach the water in its current state. Although it would much rather face a chance at the rocks than the certain death that was Prince Sidon. As it saw the Zora reel back and prepare the final blow, Lizzy crouched down. Maybe if it could use Sidon’s momentum to its advantage it could reach the river. Sidon took a leap into the air and made a loud shout as he descended towards the Lizalfos.
“Sidon! Stop!!” shouted Katela as she suddenly appeared in-between him and Lizzy, arms outstretched. Sidon’s eyes became wide with panic as he saw Katela put herself directly in the line of fire. With all his might, he veered the trident from its original course and plunged it into the rock directly to the right. The very ground shook from the impact and Katela was almost knocked off her feet. Meanwhile, Lizzy could only stare in awe at the Zora child risking her life to save it.
“Katela, get out of the way! That thing is dangerous, you have no idea what it can do!” Sidon pleaded with her.
Rather than back down, Katela shook her head and stomped a foot on the ground. “No, Sidon! This Lizzy helped me! It’s not a bad Lizzy!” she desperately yelled.
Sidon took a deep breath and yanked the trident from the ground, pointing it directly above Katela’s head at the Lizalfos. “I’m sorry, Katela but it must have been your imagination. These things are hatred incarnate that do nothing but destroy. They would never help a Zora, let alone another living soul!”
Katela’s lip quivered in frustration. “I’m telling the truth, Sidon! This Lizzy was fighting all the other Lizzys by itself before you came!” she said, then turned towards the Lizalfos and pointed back to Sidon. “Lizzy, tell him! I know you can!”
Before Katela could say anything more, Sidon grabbed her and set her down behind his back - causing Katela to let out a loud “Hey!”. He looked right at the Lizalfos with a mixture of anger and confusion, his trident still pointed right at its neck. Lizzy stared back, racking its brain for the correct Zora dialect to use. After all, its life depended on it.
“We help Zora,” it said, “no longer under Ganon.” It tried to think of one more word, one that was unknown in its language but it had heard before. It needed something to describe the camaraderie it felt when it assisted the Zora child. A simple word welled up into its mind. “...Friend.” it said softly.
Katela looked up at Sidon hopefully, but the Zora Prince had a different reaction. He pushed the trident closer to Lizzy’s neck, forcing its chin up. “I’m not buying it. It’s either learned to imitate our language, or it’s trying to trick us” he said, his voice quivering.
Lizzy opened its mouth to interject, but it felt the trident push closer.
“Do you expect us to believe that?” he growled at the Lizalfos “You monsters have been Ganon’s servants since the dawn of time. I highly doubt any of you would have a change of heart so quickly.”
“Sidon, please…” Katela begged, tugging at the Prince’s leg.
“No, you don’t understand, Katela!” Sidon snapped, his voice cracking and tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. “You have no idea what these monsters took from me! From our people! They are a blight to our Domain and they must be eliminated at all costs!” he shouted, pushing his trident slightly forward and forcing Lizzy to back up right to the slippery edge of the cliff - the sharp prongs nearly breaking through the scales. By now Katela’s large eyes were full of tears and she turned away, not wanting to witness what would happen next.
“You’re just like the elders, Sidon.”
Sidon gasped as a very recent memory flooded his mind. It was when his boundless optimism was tested as he saw the special Hylian he had invited to the Domain be treated with immediate hostility. He remembered watching from afar as Muzu and the others berated the Hylian again and again, and how vulnerable the young man looked. He remembered pushing his past convictions aside as he stood alone for the Hylian, the whole Domain either turning their anger towards him or simply looking away. He remembered that night as he gazed at the opal statue of his dear sister, the Hylian came up to him and cried in his arms - wondering why he was being punished for a failure he could not even remember.
A single tear streaked down Sidon’s face, nearly indistinguishable from the softening rainfall. He tried again to well up the rage for the monsters he had harbored for years, yet he could not find it. Maybe he wasn’t ready to forgive, but perhaps he was ready to start moving on. Slowly he lowered his Ceremonial Trident and backed away, maintaining eye contact with the Lizalfos the whole time. Lizzy took a deep sigh of relief and inched itself away from the teetering cliff edge, sitting down on the wet rock. Katela reluctantly turned around only to see the Lizalfos still in front of her with Sidon strapping the trident onto his back again. She made a hopeful gasp and looked up at the Prince.
“Do you have a name?” Sidon asked the Lizalfos.
“Little Zora calls us ‘Lizzy’” it said, pointing to Katela.
Sidon did his best to hold in a laugh. “All right then...Lizzy...I am giving you a second chance. A chance for mercy. If you have any respect for the dead - any remorse for what your kind have done to mine - then you will leave Zora’s Domain. Do you understand?”
Lizzy nodded.
The Zora Prince’s finger pointed to the heavens. “You have until the rain ends to gather what you need to survive. As soon as the clouds clear, I will return to ensure your end of the bargain is kept. Am I clear?”
Lizzy nodded again.
“Tell me that you accept this agreement.” Sidon said.
“Lizzy understands. Lizzy will leave.”
For a moment the two looked at each other in silence. This was the first time Sidon had actually looked at Lizzy directly in the eyes. While he was always a little unsettled by the weird omni-rotational eyes the Lizalfos had, he couldn’t help but notice something was different. The pupils no longer shone a bright crimson red, and he was able to discern an actual iris and pupil. All other Lizalfos he had encountered seemed like nothing more than hunks of flesh moved by Malice but this one looked...alive. Maybe it is possible Sidon thought as he picked up Katela and placed her on his shoulder. It was then that Sidon noticed the gash in the Lizalfos’ leg, the wound faintly leaking blood. The neckerchief that hung from his armor was unfastened and tossed to Lizzy.
“You should take care of that before it turns nasty” he said, gesturing to the injured leg. Lizzy nodded and began wrapping the neckerchief around the cut like a bandage. Katela waved goodbye to her unlikely friend as Sidon began to walk back towards the mountain road, but he abruptly stopped while he was still in earshot.
“There’s one more thing.” Sidon said, still facing away from Lizzy. “If you really did help Katela, then I feel like I owe you some gratitude. Things could have gone worse - a lot worse. So from the bottom of my heart…” he trailed off before turning his head back around and looking at Lizzy one more time “...Thank you.”
The Lizalfos soon found itself sitting alone, the steady pitter-patter of rain being the only noise throughout the mountainside. Lizzy walked back to the former camp and began quickly salvaging anything of use. It grabbed the Steel Lizal Bow, the Tri-Forked Boomerang, and a fishing harpoon then strapped them to its back. The large net was cut and fashioned into a small knapsack. It could only hold a few fish and not much else - but it would have to do for now. Before heading down the mountain to the river, Lizzy took one somber gaze up at the soft grey sky. There was no more thunder and lightning - just a soft drizzle of rain falling onto its head. The clouds were starting to part, showing the red evening sky and Lizzy took that cue to head out. But to where? Where would it go? The prospect of venturing out into the great wilds of Hyrule gave Lizzy an exhilaration it had never experienced before. For the first time in its life, it was free to go wherever it pleased. Destination mattered little, but the journey meant everything.
Maybe there would come a day where the Lizalfos could visit Zora’s Domain again. Not as an intruder, but as a friend.
…
That night Sidon gathered a full testimony from Katela on what exactly happened in her encounter with the strange Lizalfos. The most chilling part of her story was how a black and red cloud almost seemed to explode out from the Lizalfos’ head. Sidon had to infer that it was the Malice being expunged from the monster’s body. But what caused it? Could it be recreated? Why hasn’t anyone else experienced this before? Sidon had a fair number of conclusions he could draw from this knowledge, none of them particularly good. The next day Sidon called a meeting to present his findings to the Zora Council, declaring that it is imperative to put resources into investigating this phenomenon further.
The proposal ultimately failed on a 1-6 vote. Sidon was the only “aye”.