“Come on, just a little more, and… got it!”



Link jiggled his sheikah slate back and forth, tugging a sunken metal chest free from the soft soil underneath using magnesis and cheering as it burst from the surface of Toto Lake, shimmering under the moonlight and gently dripping as Link carefully placed it down on the pillar next to him, just barely enough space for the two of them on the ruins protruding from the water.

Link opened the waterlogged chest and reached in to find, resting suitably enough in the water within, a beautifully crafted helmet in the shape of a Zora’s head, a long tail reaching down the back. Link let out a wistful smile at the helm, the shape reminding him the most of Mipha and her delicate, aristocratic features that were quite unlike most Zora women. And it certainly should, Link thought to himself as he casually shoved the chest back into the water to make room for him to begin stripping, as it was made by Mipha herself in the tradition of every Zora princess crafting hand-made armour for her future husband, and was the final piece of the set, Link already owning the body of the suit. It was no coincidence that it was sized for a human and not a comparatively towering Zora, although Link thought to himself with a wry smile that Mipha herself was probably the only Zora he knew who could have worn it herself. Mipha had been well below average for a Zora, a trait of the unusual royal family that varied wildly in shape and size. The only consistent part was the princesses being smaller and having more in common with humans than anything, and it was generally considered to be a sign of beauty as a result. Shorter Zora women tended to have noble blood running through their veins, even if their families had long since lost any real status over the years.

Symbolic value aside, Mipha’s handmade armour was a gift for its practical purposes as well. Slipping into the suit and completing it with the helmet, fitting perfectly snugly and smooth on his body, Link dove into the water below him, enjoying just how smoothly he cut through the water with ease he could only dream of before. With this he could swim faster and further, a tiny slice of what it was like to be more comfortable in the water than on land like the Zoras. Link’s fun was interrupted when he surfaced for air and found himself bathed in crimson light, turning to find an evil aura in the air wherever the light was cast. Were his hair not soaked it would have stood on end, knowing that Ganon’s power was resurrecting each and every monster he had slain over the last month, dooming Hyrule to a perpetual cycle of unending monsters for as long as Ganon still lived. The reflection of the blood moon hung over the lake, and if Link were standing above as he was before, he would have noticed that he was dead centre in the middle of its image.

Normally, Link would have had an uneasy feeling and nothing more, but tonight, he had the misfortune of literally carrying unusual circumstances on his shoulders, the energy of the blood moon soaking into the armour he wore. Crafted from dragon scales and even a scale of Mipha’s own, plus the heart, soul, and feelings poured into it. This unique combination was receptive to the power of the blood moon, and a strange feeling coursed through Link, his body going stiff, gasping as a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt before, his whole body tingling as he awkwardly paddled for the shore. He didn’t know what was going on, but he had no intention of seizing up and drowning here. Link began to panic as his strength faded, taking one last desperate breath as his head sank below the otherwise still surface of the lake, and yet no sooner did he fully submerge did he feel a strange sense of comfort. It was there, floating just below the surface, ancient magic coursing through his veins, that Link began to change.

Immediately, Link felt the cool water against his bare skin. Not through the suit, but as if he were wearing nothing at all, at least through the bodysuit. He opened his eyes, able to see strangely clearly without any blur or string, and looked down to see that the blue chest of his suit had turned a pale white, much like the chest of a real zora. He brushed his fingers against it, and again it felt like it had vanished entirely, yet that couldn’t be possible. It certainly wasn’t human skin he was touching, but it wasn’t the material of the suit either. It was smooth yet tough, almost like… like real zora skin! The white pattern extended down the entire inside of his body, the only blue he could still see being on his arms where the sleeves should be, yet those seemed uncovered too. The straps, metal, and decorations of the armour were still there, but were starting to come loose, seemingly attached to nothing, and one of his shoulderpads slipped down to show blue shoulders transitioning cleanly into the inner white skin. But, Link realised, still trying to catch up with his surreal situation, if the bodysuit was gone, then he was practically naked! But strangely, he couldn’t feel anything down below in his nether regions… in fact, he realised with instant panic, he couldn’t feel anything at all! His hands, naturally shot down to his groin, where a vitally important thing should have been floating freely, but there was nothing but smooth, strangely sensitive skin!



Link went pale, or at least he would have had his new skin allowed for it. This wasn’t some strange misunderstanding or a suddenly vanishing bodysuit, there was some serious change going through his body! He held up his arms, eyes widening as he saw two strange growths near his forearms, a long, thin growth that was getting longer by the second. It grew inch by inch until Link was able to identify the shape: fins! Ones as long as half his arms themselves, and ones that were very much real, Link able to feel them pleasantly glide through the water, his arms moving as if he were above water, without any of the sluggishness he usually dealt with. But he hardly had time to marvel at it before his head began to feel strange, a short and slightly painful feeling running through his scalp that left as soon as it came, and when it did leave, his head felt much heavier all of a sudden.He clutched at the helm, trying to pull it free to relieve himself of the discomfort, only to painfully dig into his own skin, feeling like he was trying to pull his own head off. He pulled harder and it only got worse, so he moved to trying to pull the tail of the helmet, only to feel a painful yank in the back of his head! Although LInk wouldn’t comprehend it just yet, the helm had fused with his head itself, his hair vanishing entirely underneath as his face turned white save for the area around his eyes and nose which matched the pale blue of the colourful parts of his body. Everything from his forehead upwards resembled a Zora’s head, down to the gently swaying fish-like tail that hung from the back of his head like a hood.

Link nearly snorted as his nose flattened, his chin narrowing and his features growing more delicate, more feminine, while his lips puffed up slightly, turning a solid blue. Link had always been androgynous bordering on girly, but anybody who looked at him now would have never hesitated to say that they were looking at a girl, and a rather beautiful one at that, both from the perspective of a human and a zora. Link felt large flaps on the sides of his head brush against his cheeks, then his shoulders, another inhuman part inherited from the helmet. Link was bewildered, panicking as he knew he was becoming more than human, and in a sudden moment of clarity, realised that he must have been underwater for minutes, yet wasn’t suffocating at all. He had been so distracted by his changes that he hadn’t noticed that he had been breathing gently the whole time, letting out a panicked gasp as water flowed through his mouth, yet didn’t choke him at all.

More pieces of his armour slipped from his body, having become subtly more petite as he transformed, his arms and legs no longer enough to keep the pieces on. Greaves slipped from skinny legs, gauntlets fell from slender arms, until finally, Link was nearly naked save for a handful of straps and accessories. Despite his situation, he felt strangely relaxed in the water, ceasing his struggling and taking deep breaths in and out. He almost felt like Mipha, never one to panic in a situation like this, merely to go with the flow and know what she couldn’t control. But although he was relaxed, it wasn’t enough to stop him from wincing as the final stage of transformation began, his hips cracking loudly as they pushed outwards, gaining feminine curves as his thighs plumped up and his waist narrowed, cinching inwards with an uncomfortable snap of his own. Although it was slight, his slim chest’s pecs softened then pushed outwards into a definitively feminine shape, not quite as much as Mipha’s, but enough to identify what humans would have called breasts. The now girlish Link slipped into an almost meditative state as the transformation completed, and when he finally opened his eyes, he could no longer see red light streaming through the water, and suddenly, everything came back to him.

Link burst from the water with a high-pitched gasp, almost flailing as he swam for the shore. What was that!? What had just happened to him!? He dragged himself over the shore and out of the water, unnecessarily gasping for air and coughing the last of the water out of him.

“What on earth was that?” Link asked, his voice strangely soft and extremely high-pitched. He looked over his arms and legs, able to see them even more clearly on land: there was no denying it, this was the body of a zora, with fins on his hips, a long, heavy head, smooth skin, and the ability to breathe underwater. He didn’t know how it had happened, but somehow the blood moon had caused the zora armour to merge with him and transform him into a full zora. Link climbed to his feet, running his eyes over his body over and over. Just why had he-

“Excuse me, young lady!”

Link’s overworked head whipped around to face a familiar bombastic voice interrupting his thoughts and an even more familiar smile: it was Prince Sidon, the overly enthusiastic young (for a zora) man who Link had struck up something of a friendship with. What was he doing here? But more importantly…

“Young lady?” Link asked, in a voice that certainly sounded like it belonged to one.

“Yes, you! I’m glad you heard me!” Sidon misinterpreted her tone entirely and began moving towards Link.

“Hang on, hang on!” Link cried, stopping Sidon in his tracks. “There’s a lot of things I need to say, but first, I’m not a -”

Link paused, looking down at himself again. He was about to say “not a woman”, but as he turned back towards the lake and gazed down at his reflection, he wasn’t so sure he could say that with confidence anymore. That was definitely a girl’s face, and definitely a girl’s body, and definitely a girl’s voice, and most worryingly of all, turning once again down to Sidon’s lower half, then to her own, she was definitely lacking in manhood!

“Not a what, young lady?” Sidon said obliviously, Link’s mouth hanging open wordlessly for a second, before she finally found the strength to talk.

“Um, nothing, never mind.” Link said quickly. “Um, what brings you here, Prince Sidon?”

“Me? I was looking for a good friend of mine!” Sidon said as proudly as ever. “Link, the Hylian who saved our domain quite recently! Perhaps  you’ve heard of him? Oh, perhaps even better yet, you’ve seen him! I heard he was heading up this way to look for something and thought that I’d offer my assistance! But instead so far I’ve only found you, which is quite worrying! Not because I didn’t find him, but because there’s just been a blood moon, which means there’s monsters afoot!”

“Link? I… well, you see…” Link stammered, casting her gaze downward and unconsciously shifting her hips back and forth, her hands together in a rather feminine display of indecision. What should she do? Tell the truth? That she was he, and that she had just transformed into a zora? The thought was mortifying, her pride as a man wounded by her sudden girlhood. Her behaviour was suspicious enough that Sidon should have sensed that something was off, but for better or worse, Sidon wasn’t much for noticing subtle details, and merely saw a pretty young girl who was probably starstruck by his appearance like most of the ladies tended to be.

“Um, you just missed him! He left just a few minutes ago!” Link burst out suddenly, unsure if she had made the right decision or not. “He was fishing around for something, then, um, he found it, so, he left!”

“I see!” Sidon nodded. “I don’t suppose you could tell me which way he went? Perhaps we can still catch up to him!”

“Oh, he, um, turned into blue light and vanished! It was awfully odd!” Link said quickly, quickly pushing her sheikah slate on her thankfully remaining belt behind her so Sidon couldn’t see it.

“I see! In that case, it can’t be helped! I’m sure a man like LInk can take care of himself!” Sidon laughed, then looked directly into Link’s eyes, Link shying away and averting her gaze. “By the way, young lady, what are you doing out here by yourself?”

“Oh, I was just, you know, going for a stroll.” Link gave the first excuse that popped into her head. “And, uh, a private dip! It’s awfully quiet up here, you see. A lady does need her privacy, doesn’t she?”

Link’s face burned red with embarrassment at her choice of words, Sidon still hardly noticing.

“I see!” He said, totally unquestioning. “Well, there’s monsters afoot now, so why don’t I escort you back home? I promise I’ll keep you safe from any creatures that come your way!”

“Oh no, I’m sure that I can-” Link tried to turn him down, but Sidon, ever the chivalrous one, wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Oh no, I insist! Better to be safe than sorry! Come, let’s get going!” Sidon grabbed her hand and practically yanked her away, the comparatively tiny Link stumbling to try to keep up with him.

“Pardon me, but I don’t know your name.” Sidon said, looking down at her with no sign that he suspected that she was anything but a totally ordinary zora girl. Meanwhile Link was sweating bullets, wondering just what was going to happen to her now. “Usually I’d never forget the name of a beautiful young woman like yourself, I suppose we must not have met before!”

“B-beautiful!?” Link gasped, tugging her hand free and covering her mouth and her bright red blush that stood out against her white and blue skin.

“Yes, quite so!” Sidon’s smile practically shone, and Link’s heart nearly skipped a beat. Was it just her, or was Sidon particularly handsome today? Link could always tell that he was handsome for a zora, even without his groupies, but today there was something strangely attractive about him. Attractive? Why had she used that particular word? Was it his handsome face, his hunky chest, his muscular body, or his… why was she paying so much attention to his body in the first place!?

“Um, uh…” Link nearly drooled as she stared at his chest, needing to crane her head upwards to see any more. “My name’s Li…”

Link suddenly snapped back to reality, realising what she was about to do.

“...Lu!”

“Lilu?” Sidon cocked his head slightly, which Link found absolutely adorable for some reason.

“Lulu! I’m Lulu!” Link hurried. “You must have misheard me.”



“I suppose I did.” Sidon shrugged. “Still, I do feel like I’ve seen you somewhere… You aren’t nobility, are you?”



“I don’t think so?” Link wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. “Why do you ask?”



“I don’t see many girls like you amongst the commoners. No offense to them, of course! You just remind me a little of my sister, that’s all” Sidon said, sounding a little wistful with his last comment. Of course she did, Link thought ruefully, it was her armour that turned her into this in the first place!

“Still, you’re seem to be more refined than most of the noblewomen I know!” Sidon claimed. “No offense to them, of course!”

“Is that so?” Link shrugged it off, unaware that her mannerisms were distinctly feminine the whole trip.

“Alright, let’s go down here.” Sidon said as the two approached a waterfall, gesturing for her to leap right down it. “Ladies first!”

“Huh? Are you sure?” Link said nervously, staring over the cliff face. In her new form, even though she was even better suited for it than before, doing it for the first time was rather intimidating. “Um, I don’t suppose there’s another way d-ooooooown!”

Link let out a girly squeal as what was meant to be an encouraging slap on the shoulder launched her over the edge entirely, Link instinctively managing to wrench herself into a swan dive and land perfectly, slicing through the water like a hot knife, her fear turning to exhilaration as she re-entered the water. She was joined moments later by Sidon, and the two swam the short distance back to Zora’s Domain before climbing the waterfall up, Link finding it even easier than when she had been making do with the ability the armour had granted.

“Well then, good night!” Sidon waved goodbye and marched off as quickly as he came, “Lulu” being just another citizen and damsel, to which offering his help was as natural as breathing, and earned no special treatment.

“Um, thank you!” Link called, and just like that, she was left to her own devices, and to be quite honest, had absolutely no idea what to do now. Search for a cure? Where would she even start? She wandered aimlessly through Zora’s Domain, her eyes constantly darting around expecting somebody to pull her over for being suspicious. But while there were the occasional eyes on her, Link quickly realised that they were interrogating eyes. She recognised those eyes, whether they were on humans or zoras: they were the particular look of one struck by seeing a beautiful woman, most noticeable on the men, and from a few envious women. Link became acutely aware that some of the men were whispering to their friends about her, and scurried off towards the inn, a blush on her face.

Thankfully still having her money on her, Link paid for a bed at the inn, not realising until it was too late that for a zora customer, a bed meant a private pool like how the average zora slept. Not wanting to look odd, Link decided to not complain and ask for a waterbed, instead sinking into the slightly warm and soothing water. She closed her eyes with a sigh, wondering what she was going to do next. Continue her journey, perhaps? Climb Vah Ruta and see if Mipha’s ghostly shade could offer any answers? They were all questions for another day, and a new her…