- "My wife...the mother of my children... she was killed by the Yiga Clan. That is why Koko now acts as Cottla's mother. If only... If only I had been able to stop them..."
- — Dorian
Dorian is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He is a Sheikah who can be found at Kakariko Village in the region of West Necluda. Dorian is one of the two gatekeepers under the employ of Impa.
Biography[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Past[]
After Dorian has been caught red-handed with the heirloom of the Sheikah, he reveals why he did so to Link. He used to be a member of the Yiga Clan before he decided to leave them because he met his lover and had two children, Koko and Cottla. The Yiga Clan, in retaliation for betraying them, decided to attack and kill Dorian's wife.
According to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, Dorian was originally a Yiga Clansman sent to spy on the village though he fell in love with a local girl and decided to leave the Yiga Clan to marry her. However their peaceful life together was shattered when the Yiga Clan killed her in retaliation.
As Impa's Gatekeeper[]
The Yiga Clan threatened to do the same to his two children, and thus, he was blackmailed into gathering info as a unwilling spy for the Yiga as he had originally been sent to spy upon the village. Dorian also alerted the Yiga Clan about Link's presence and fed them info about Kakariko Village in exchange for the safety of his children. However, he decided to abandon his spying position as the pain of losing his wife had encouraged him to do so, feeling that he could protect his children at this point. What forced him to return to spying is that they vowed to kill Impa and Paya if he did not comply. While neither he nor Paya could make Lakna Rokee Shrine rise with the heirloom, Link was able to, being the Goddess's hero chosen by the Master Sword freeing Impa's family from their role of guarding the heirloom. Afterwards Dorian returns to his duties as bodyguard and father freed from the sins of his past.
Having turned his back upon the Yiga Clan and siding with the Kakariko Village Sheikah lead by Impa he became an ally of the Royal Family of Hyrule and its sole remaining heir Princess Zelda whom was known to be forgiving towards her Yiga Clan enemies as she convinced Urbosa to spare the lives of two disguised Yiga Clan assassins after Urbosa defeated them following an attempted assassination on both Champions indicating Impa likewise gave Dorian a second chance as most Yiga Clansmen are considered to be lost souls angered over the Sheikah's past mistreatment. However as shown by Dorian, some Yiga Clansmen are capable of redemption indicating not all are fanatical zealots. His comrade Cado also seems to share the view that the Yiga Clan are misguided souls though it is unclear if he is aware of Dorian's former affiliation with the Yiga Clan.
Bodyguard & Father[]
Dorian wields an Eightfold Blade which is sheathed on his waist. Dorian has hidden his wife's death from his daughters to spare them the horrible truth. However Koko claims her father is a bad liar as she figured out her mother is deceased and buried in the small graveyard north of the village where she secretly pays her respects and grieves without Dorian or Cottla's knowledge. Cottla innocently believes their mother is simply hiding and tries to find her in the mornings by playing hide-and-seek. Due to the area around Cotera's Great Fairy Fountain becoming dangerous, Dorian tells his daughters a ghost story to keep them away from the area though they only work on Koko as Cottla finds the tale exciting due to having a poorer understanding of life, death, and afterlife than her sister. Koko however has taken it upon herself to help Dorian take care of Cottla in their mother's absence though Dorian is unaware she knows her mother is deceased and buried in the graveyard. Dorian is unfamiliar with the traveling Sheikah artist Pikango who was born in Kakariko Village though left before Dorian came to live there and as a result is suspicious of Pikango even writing about his concerns in the Journal of Various Worries under the alias Anonymous Father of Two. Despite spying on the village and his past affiliation with the Yiga Clan, Dorian true loyalty is to Kakariko Village and Impa as the Yiga Clan's murder of his wife and threatening the lives of his children have apparently caused him to see his former Yiga clansmen as enemies and is fully aware how fanatical and dangerous they are thus explaining his suspicions of Pikango unaware he is actually a harmless travelling painter. Dorian even resolves to keep the location of Cotera's Great Fairy Fountain from him which is ironic considering his own activities as an unwilling mole though this may be due to his guilt and simply wishes to prevent anymore information from falling into the Yiga Clan's hands. He ultimately redeems himself by allowing Link the chance to use the Sheikah Heirloom to reveal the Lakna Rokee Shrine and fulfil the prophecy freeing Paya and Impa's family from the task of guarding it. Thus he plays a role in Link receiving Lakna Rokee's Blessing. Freed from his past mistakes, Dorian returns to his role as Impa's bodyguard and continues to raise his two daughters. His history as a Yiga Clansmen also makes him a valuable ally as he knows the Yiga Clan's tactics and fanaticism first hand.
Dorian respects and cares for Impa's daughter Paya whom trusts both Dorian and Cado even asking them why her grandmother simply smiled and listened to her when she innocently sought medicine to deal with the heartache caused by her growing infatuation with Link. Like Impa and Cado, Dorian having known what it was like to be young and in love reacted to Paya attempt to acquire medicine due to her unfamiliarity with such feelings by simply listening and smiling, presumably recognizing Paya's growing infatuation with Link. As a result, Paya failed to acquire the medicine she sought though eventually she came to maturely understand her feelings and accept them while at the same time realizing she was okay if her feelings were never reciprocated simply happy to have known him. Dorian's response implies he like Cado and Impa understood Paya should work things out on her own and that he apparently had no problem with Paya falling for a Hylian, though presumably this was due to him being aware Link's noble character, heroic status, and past association with Impa and Purah.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Gallery[]
