Chapter 2 – The Unarmed Carriage
She woke up to the sound of the waterfall rushing gently in the distance, awoken from a dream about her childhood for the first time in years. Ancient memories began to flood her mind and she stood up from her bed to walk over to her dresser. There was a tall white mirror above it, which reflected the morning light into the stillness of the room. She began to put on her traditional day garments and started by placing her Zora Sapphire around her neck. Though her mind was still spinning from her dream, she looked in the mirror and let out a long sigh. She refused to see it; her features were always elegantly displayed before her, and the majesty of her complexion which had been passed down for countless generations was beveled gracefully upon her frame. Just then, she heard a knock on her door, and began to put on the rest of her clothes as she walked towards it.
"Just a moment." she said.
It was typical for her to be alert in the morning, but for some reason on this day she was groggy and a bit restless. After finishing her morning routine, she took one last look in the mirror before heading toward the door. Her room was rather quaint, and the frame stood tall with decadent designs along the edges that resembled an aesthetic similar to that of ancient Zora architecture. She pulled the door open and peered around the corner to see Sidon waiting patiently with a toy spear in his hand. Mipha smiled and took him by the hand as they walked together down the massive water-lined corridor. Her thoughts, however, quickly turned back to him.
"...I wonder where he is."
She thought to herself.
The more she continued to let her mind wander, the more she became unaware of her surroundings. Onward she walked through the long corridor leading to the King's quarters, and as they made their way a guard noticed her and stood to attention.
"Good evening my lady." he said. "It is well to see you up so early – "
The guard cut himself off in shock as Mipha blindly walked past, without addressing him. Sidon was still following alongside and the guard followed after them with urgency. This was quite unlike her.
"M-majesty, I am afraid the child cannot go inside the quarters."
Mipha snapped back to reality as she looked down to see Sidon still tightly in her grip with a slightly confused look in his face.
"Oh my God... Tottika, I am so sorry," she said. "I might have lost my head this morning. I had a strange dream."
Tottika was a guard who typically stood watch over the king's quarters. He was one of the many Zora who had a pitch black color over their white underbellies. Most Zora's of this era had red, blue or even green skin tones, but there were a good amount that were born with high pigmentation which produced a common black skin tone. Tottika was still relatively young - the equivalent of 16 years old - but he stood tall with broad shoulders and had a confident gaze. He looked at Mipha with concern and shook his head quickly.
"No your majesty," he said. "It is just so unlike you to not address one of your fellow legions. I became worried that you may have been unsettled by something."
Mipha shook off her delirium and quickly re-engaged her focus. "Tottika, I apologize. I did not mean to behave so rudely. I believe it may have to do with my current involvement with the Champions... my head is in so many places."
She looked at him with determination and let out a frustrated sigh.
At that moment, Sidon caught sight of one of his close friends from base school and shook lose from Mipha's grip. Franctically, she looked over and saw him barreling towards a small Zora accompanied by a much taller one. The much taller Zora was, in fact, Bazz, a close friend of Mipha's. He was slightly skinnier than Tottika and his shade of black was a bit faded. She sighed in relief and waved at Bazz as he waved back contently.
"..you won't have to worry about Sidon tearing through my father's quarters today." she said.
He put his hand over his face and laughed. "Heh! I'm glad he didn't."
Tottika looked at Mipha with a regained concern.
"My lady... you do recall the King wishes to meet with yourself and the council later this afternoon, correct?"
Mipha froze and stopped her breath short.
"... where is my head..?"
She stared at the ground and shook her head.
"No I completely forgot... I was heading over to see him but I forgot we had a meeting."
Tottika nodded in response and cleared his throat.
"In that case, do not rush. I am sure the King will be ready for you at your convenience. You are welcome to wait inside the quarters in the meantime. I will be here if you need anything."
Mipha sighed and bowed gently toward Tottika.
"Thank you." she said.
Tottika unveiled the seal covering the entrances to the Dorephan's quarters. He bowed once more as Mipha walked up the massive stairs leading up to her father's room. Once she arrived at the main portion of the room, she noticed that the water fountains he usually kept on were turned off. Dorephan's room was this rather lavish and elegant display of lights and water, and the controls for these displays were right next to his throne. Mipha, wishing to be around all things elegant, immediately made her way towards the throne and pulled the main lever which controlled the water ducts from above. A loud clunk was heard followed by the gentle sound of water trickling down the pillars. The ground quickly became covered with highly purified Zoran water, which was said to have profound healing and meditative properties. It covered the ground and within seconds there was over an inch of water covering the floor. The ground was tethered with gorgeous architecture, which guided the water into elegant streams of water that flowed in a continuous motion toward the base of the domain. Mipha took a deep breath in and closed her eyes as the gentle sound of water trickling down the pillars relaxed her mind.
Without even wanting to, her thoughts quickly turned back to him.
"That boy was constantly getting hurt.
I remember I would always heal his wounds for him."
The door behind the throne opened as a massive Zoran figure slowly led his way up the stairs behind the pew.
Mipha, completely in a trance, continued daydreaming.
"It must have been his first time seeing healing magic.
He would always look up at me with those big, round eyes."
King Dorephan grumbled as he made his way to sit down when suddenly he became startled by his daughter's presence. He did a double take as he took notice of Mipha's trance-like state. He did not know she would already be here waiting.
"My daughter," he said. "What a pleasant surprise to see you up so early.
Mipha seemingly unconscious did not even respond to her father.
"Those eyes….. "
Dorephan quickly became concerned and raised his voice slightly. "Mipha..?"
The sound of water rushed inside Mipha's mind as it toned out the sound of her father's voice.
"MIPHA!" Dorephan said with a bellowing tone.
She jolted back to reality and took a sharp breath in. Dorephan leaned in closer with a concerned leer. "Are you alright? You were under quite the spell as I walked in... "
Mipha shook her head. "Sorry..." she said. "I did not get much rest last night... I had such a bizarre dream."
Dorephan looked at her with concern. "What was the dream about?" he asked.
She shook her head in response and straightened her back. "It's nothing." she said. "... I can hardly remember it to be honest."
Her father nodded his head in response and leaned back in his throne. "I believe maybe this new responsibility regarding the kingdom of Hyrule may have you under quite a lot of pressure."
He reached out to Mipha and lifted her chin up with his hand. "Be strong. Please do not scare me like that. I'm sure it is a lot of pressure you are under, but I have no doubt this is something you are fully capable of taking on."
Mipha raised her gaze to meet her eyes with her father's. A feeling of reassurance came through her and she straightened herself upright. He turned around to face the throne and walked up the steps to have a seat. His weight rattled the frame of his quarters as he laid his self down on the throne with a loud grunt. "Well... you're probably sick of hearing about these things, but there are further matters regarding your interaction with the Royal Guard of Hyrule, specifically that pertaining to the control of Divine Beast Ruta."
He looked at his daughter and took a breath before continuing. "The council is closely examining the candidates and almost unanimously, a decision has been made." he said.
Mipha stiffened her gaze on her father as he continued.
"It may come of no surprise to you, but the council and I have decided that the pilot of Divine Beast Vah Ruta should go to no one other than yourself. We think it would be a perfect fit."
Dorephan smiled and took in a deep breath once more, but before he could continue, Tottika stumbled into the room with shrieking urgency and cut off the king in mid-stride. He was sweating profusely, and struggled to catch his breath. Dorephan looked at Tottika with a leer of discontent as he immediately stood at attention.
"Your majesty," he said. "It is with great regret that I interrupt your privacy, but an unarmed carriage has just been marked heading towards the domain without authorization."
Dorephan shook his head in disbelief and looked down at Mipha, who returned his gaze. He turned back to Tottika and tapped his fingers impatiently.
"Well.. who is it?" Dorephan asked.
Tottika began sweating bullets as he maintained his stiffened pose of attention.
"The carriage is currently unidentifiable due to the low-set fog. By what we can tell, the caravan is marked with the traditional Blue seal of the Hylian Royal guard. We may be able to assume ease considering our already stable relations with their kingdom."
Dorephan relaxed as he leaned back against the throne.
"Until the chariot gets closer we cannot fully confirm." he said.
Mipha began to feel lost, as this was all happening so quickly. She could not imagine why the Royal Guard would be sending an unarmed carriage to the Zora Domain without notice.
Dorephan sighed and shook his head.
"I guess we'll have to postpone the council meeting." He said.
He reached behind his throne and pulled out a large trident spear.
"We must continue to maintain watch on the caravan until it becomes identifiable."
Tottika nodded and readied his weapon.
"Understood. We will mobilize and stand guard at once."
Tottika turned around and beckoned to a group of soldiers from below the main foyer, and they swiftly made their way towards the main entrance of the domain. Mipha stared in confusion. It was strange that the Royal Guard would have sent a carriage to the domain unannounced, but it seemed even stranger that the Zoran Guard was so quick to become apprehensive.
She turned to Dorephan.
"Father," she said. "is there a reason to create such alarm?"
Dorephan looked deep into Mipha's eyes and chuckled lightly.
"...My sweet daughter.." he said.
"There was a time many centuries ago when the Royal Guard was known to have rather hasty practices."
He stretched as he arose from the throne.
"Not to say they have ever betrayed us, but there have been – lets say – miscommunications in the past that have led to rather messy situations. It truly is no reason to cause alarm, but we would be unwise to become complacent at any time."
Mipha continued looking at her father but finally relaxed in agreement.
"I understand." she replied.
She reached behind her father's throne and withdrew a slightly more decadent spear with perfectly cut rubies beveled across the handle.
"I will come with you then."
Dozens of Zora soldiers took watch across the palace spires, and Mipha stood at the main entrance with her father and her 2 chief guards, Tottika and Gaddison. It was fair to say that they were an odd pair for being cheif guards. Gaddison was a female Zora with a very peculiar skin pigmentation. Her's was not like any of the other hues typically seen around the domain. She had a light pink skin tone and she was relatively short for her age - she was closer to the equivalent of about 18 years old. Gifted early with the passion for enchantments and ancient magic, she was a keen mentalist, and offered insight in ways that most in the Domain simply did not understand, but held in high esteem. As the fog continued to clear, she contemplated the possibility of the carriage carrying another aid, returning to request more tasks of the Zora Domain. The thought of more responsibility immediately doubled the gravity that she had already felt previously. She reached into a pouch on her waist and pulled out a set of binoculars.
"I have a visual on the carriage" she said.
"It is still hidden densely beneath the fog, but it should not be much longer before it clears."
Mipha squinted her eyes toward the bridge in front of the main entrance and focused carefully. She could barely make out the traditional Hylian logo plated on the front of the carriage. Suddenly she became nervous. Her hands grew clammy as she could feel her body start to tremble. Gaddison sensed her discomfort and firmly placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, my lady." she said.
"I'm sure there is a very reasonable explanation for all of this."
Mipha nodded and continued to focus on the bridge. The fog finally cleared as the carriage made it's way past the first gate. The guards lined along the domain walls readied their weapons as the gates began to open in front of the caravan. A stiffening silence dropped over the domain as the horses slowed to a halt in front of the chief guards. Gaddison stepped forward to greet the coachman and presented her spear in acknowledgment.
"In the name of the great Zoran Kingdom and the spirit of Nayru, I command you to state your affairs." she said.
The Royal Guard driving the chariot jumped down from his seat and let out a loud grunt. He smiled warmly as he approached Gaddison.
"Greetings, neighbors," said the Royal Guard.
"...We have come to introduce the Appointed Knight to the Zora's Domain and all of its legions."
Mipha winced in disbelief. She gripped on to her spear, and her knees grew weaker and weaker. Gaddison turned to Tottika in shock and he returned her look of dismay.
"Did you know anything about this?" Gaddison asked.
Tottika looked at her with benightedness and shook his head.
"No... this wouldn't be the first time the Royal Guard has shown up unannounced." Tottika whispered.
Just then, the Royal Guard approached the passenger side of the carriage, and opened the door. The hull rocked back and forth as a stocky figure clad in royal blue garments dismounted from the seat. The dust from the ground rose as the knight's boots hit the ground. He pulled back his hood to reveal his face and Mipha's hands began to tremble. At that very moment, she had laid eyes on him for the first time in years. Her lip began to quiver and a mix of fear and ecstasy rushed through her body. She took a step back and pulled her spear close to her chest.
Link dusted his cloak and began to walk towards Tottika and Gaddison. He knelt down in respect as he approached their gaze. Gaddison and Tottika both twitched an eyebrow, they still had not shaken off the surprise.
"Link," Gaddison said.
"What a pleasant surprise to see you here. It is a shame that we could not better prepare for your arrival."
Gaddison scanned over Link's belongings and noticed that he was not carrying the sword which sealed the darkness, confirming that this caravan was in fact completely unarmed. She turned and looked at Tottika.
"What do you think?" Gaddison asked.
"Should we take him to greet the King?"
Tottika nodded and looked back at Mipha.
"It looks like that's what they've come for." Tottika said.
Gaddison nodded. "Master Link, since you have come to our domain, it is customary that you greet our King as a respect to the kingdom." she said.
"Since you have brought no weapons, there will be no need to search your belongings. Please, follow me."
Gaddison turned as Link followed closely behind. Mipha, still paralyzed, began to tremble as Link grew closer and closer to her. Link squinted, as he could not quite recognize the figure standing next to Dorephan. When he finally locked eyes with her, he regained his memory of the last time he visited the domain, and quickly found himself staring at her for quite some time as he approached her. Something had changed about her. She seemed obviously more mature, but there was something infectiously appealing about her developed demeanor. Mipha noticed that he was staring at her and she shifted in place.
"Oh no..."
Her breath grew short and her heart skipped a beat as he continued to lock eyes with Link.
"He's really hot…"
He continued to fix his gaze upon her as he closely examined her features. He's been trained to have the highest discipline, but for some reason, he simply could not pull his sights off of her. Mipha's face swelled up red as she could feel his eyes upon her. She suddenly began to savor the fact that he seemed to enjoy what he was looking at. She dug her teeth into her lower lip and her belly filled up with butterflies. Link approached them both and stopped in front of Mipha with his eyes locked on hers. They stared at each other for a moment as Gaddison spoke up from beside them on behalf of the King.
"Your majesty," she said.
"It is with great honor to the whole dominion that I present to you the Appointed Knight of the Royal Guard."
Link turned his eyes toward Dorephan and immediately he dropped down on one knee in respect.
"King Dorephan," he said.
"I am humbled by your kingdom's presence."
He raised his gaze to meet the King's.
"It is an honor to be at your service once more."
Dorephan chortled and smiled at Link.
"You gave us quite the scare there, buddy," he said as he placed his massive hand on Link's shoulder.
"But nonetheless, it is truly a pleasure to see you here once more. You were much smaller the last time we saw you." Dorephan said, laughing.
Link chuckled as he stood up and scratched the back of his head.
"I guess it has been a while." said Link.
He looked over to Mipha who was still blushing bright red in front of him. She looked down at the ground before locking eyes with him once more. She let out a gentle smile, and her face brimmed with joy.
"Hi Link…" she whispered quietly.
He choked slightly and became lost for words. Dorephan immediately looked down at Mipha with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you remember this boy?" he asked.
Mipha turned to her father and nodded in response. The King turned and looked back at Link, leering intensively. He quickly stiffened up with discomfort. Mipha flared her brow and interjected before her father could continue.
"Please be kind.." she said to him quietly.
The king smiled and laid his hand on Mipha.
"Oh, don't you worry, my child." he whispered. "I only want to make sure he behaves."
The King winked and turned to look at Link once more. his eyes widened as the King laughed bigly.
"Come now my boy," Dorephan said, pulling Link in for a hug.
Link grunted as his bones cracked under the pressure of the Dorephan's massive arms.
"It's only once in a blue moon that I get to pick on my favorite Hylian." Dorephan said with bellowing laughter. Link broke a sweat as he looked at Mipha with a frightened glare. Mipha covered her mouth, giggling quietly to herself. Dorephan put Link down with a loud thud.
"Now, sire," he said.
"It's probably wise that you meet at once with the council to introduce yourself. We had already planned to meet with the committee anyway, so it works out perfectly. Gaddison and Tottika are the chief councilmen along with a few other great minds." Dorephan beckoned the two guards to come closer.
"They will gladly show you the way to the assembly hall."
Before the guards could speak, Mipha turned to her father and interrupted.
"Father, if I may." she said with haste. "It may be best for me to guide the Appointed Knight into our assembly hall, since after all Gaddison and Tottika must both prepare the council for our meeting."
Dorephan turned to Gaddison and Tottika, who both shrugged with complete indifference.
"Is this the case?" Dorephan asked.
Gaddison and Tottika both nodded in response.
"Very well then," he said. "Mipha, you will see to it that our guests are prepared to meet with the council by nightfall. I will be in my quarters if you may need me."
She nodded and turned to look at Link, who snuck a surprised smile across his face.
"Right this way." she said to him.
Mipha was typically known to be shy in all ways. She was never one to demonstrate much confidence in herself - let alone around people she admired. But with the combination of such a pleasant surprise and a bit of teenage influence, Mipha suddenly began to demonstrate unrelenting confidence for the Hylian warrior. In the ecstasy of this moment, she felt no hesitation to engage Link in further intimate interactions. If anything, she noticed that at this time it was Link that was behaving shyly, and she was surprisingly drawn to this. He was now tall with broad shoulders, and he had the look of mystery elegantly painted over his face. He was much quieter and more serious - not nearly as full of energy as the last time he visited. In an attempt to peel back his layers, Mipha began conversing with him as they walked slowly together towards the Assembly hall.
"It's been quite some time since I last saw you," she said gently.
"You've gotten much taller."
Link looked at her momentarily and nodded before continuing his gaze forward. Determined to open up his mind, she continued conversing.
"It's impressive to me how Hylians age," she said. "When we first met, you looked old enough to be my brother. Now you look almost twice my age."
This managed to pry a half-smile out of Link, but not much of one; By the look in his eyes, she could tell that he simply did not know what to say, so on she persisted.
"You probably don't remember Sidon, do you? He was barely a hatchling by the time you first visited," she said. "I'm sure he would love to see you again."
Link suddenly gained interest and made eye contact with Mipha.
"I do remember him." he said.
"He was tiny."
She gave a short laugh as he continuted looking forward, sternly adjusting his waistband. It was strange for her to hear his voice for the first time in this way. She could tell that with his newfound demeanor, he likely never spoke up. It puzzled her as to what could make him change so drastically. When he was a child, he was boisterous and full of energy. Her mind began to wander, and she completely lost track of the conversation. He sensed her shift in energy and he politely re-engaged her.
"... I'm sure now he's less tiny." He said.
Suddenly she began to feel more closely re-connected with him, and less estranged. Her thoughts went blank as her mind and body filled with nervous ecstasy.
"I must be dreaming"
she thought.
"I have to be dreaming"
Link raised an eyebrow and he stared at her with concern. Her body rushed with excitement when she felt his eyes upon her. Her heart was pounding for some reason and she fought to control the pace of her breath. In an attempt to regain her composure, she finally responded.
"...Yes.. he is.." she said aimlessly.
"... he's less tiny but... he's still somewhat tiny."
Excitement was an understatement. Her lips were clearly beginning to mince her words. She couldn't tell if she hated this feeling or loved it. She felt so oddly attracted to him. By the time she prepared her response, they were already at the entrance to the assembly hall. Though she started off strong, she couldn't stand the rush of emotions he was making her feel.
In a sudden moment of fight or flight, she nervously jerked backward and looked away from him. The gesture took him by surprise and a look of confusion came across his face. In respsone, she looked him in the eye and took in a deep breath.
"I believe this is where you want to be," she said.
"Please excuse me."
Mipha turned around and hastily pushed her way down the hallway as she fought to keep back her emotions. She was overwhelmed with insatiable fellings and did not want to embarrass herself in front of Link. She paced down the rest of the corridor before turning the corner to the main foyer.
As she walked away, he stood quietly for a moment, and let out a long sigh. He turned around and pulled open the door to the assembly hall and the door closed tightly behind him. He took in a deep breath as he prepared himself for what was about to be one of the most grueling political experiences of his life.
He knew this wasn't going to be easy.
🎶 Solidarity Hymn - The Beam I Sought Always Burnt 🎶
Oh hey, today was my birthday so I totally caved and decided to post this chapter a couple of days early ~(-.-~) Sort of a long one - trying to set the mood for the later chapters
Please smash that review/comment/follow and enjoy the next chapter!
