The jolt in Link's chest made him feel like he was going to have a heart attack. When King Rhoam, on the Great Plateau several days ago, explained Link's role in the Great Calamity, he had at least been decent enough to do so gradually so as to give Link the chance to absorb everything after his hundred-year slumber. Information, especially in large quantities, took time to process for someone without a memory, and who, like him, had been sealed away in hibernation for over a century. Now, while he had been trying to sort things out in his head, a young-looking, blind Zora just walked into the room and called him "Dad." Link was starting to think that, if some answers didn't start coming soon, he really was going to have a heart attack.

While Link tried stomaching even more complicated information, Lani spoke some more. "M...May I touch your face? It's been…a really long time…"

He looked with concern at the other Zora, who continued standing over his bed with a calm and gentle smile on her face. Seeming to read his confusion, she answered what she thought was his question. "That's how she identifies people. It only takes a minute or so."

Without waiting for an answer from Link, Lani took a few steps forward and placed both her soft, scaly hands on his cheeks, rubbing them tenderly. Despite the slight ticklishness of the sensation, Link did not laugh, nor even smile. He held is head perfectly still, his concerned expression remaining as the blind Zora moved her hands along his face, holding her breath. She felt along the crevices by his eyes, the curvature of his forehead, and even the points at the top of his ears. Not even his lips were spared.

She slowly let out the breath she had been holding as her lips curled into a loving smile. Link's skepticism became as strong as ever as Lani, instead of lowering her hands, locked them together behind his neck. She kneeled down to meet his height on the bed…and pulled him into a hug. Link's shock caused him to give a small cry as he was suddenly forced to lean forward. He did not return the gesture, for he was still trying to figure out what was going on.

The other Zora's smile faded as she looked at Link, noticing that he still looked confused and uncomfortable, even after Lani put her arms around him. "You…you remember us, don't you? We're your daughters! Surely…even after all these years…you'd remember…?"

With Lani still attached to him, he turned to look deeply into the vast, golden ocean that was the yet-to-be-named Zora's eyes. In them he saw…loyalty. Respect. Devotion and generosity. But most importantly, he felt like he could sense in her...leadership. She almost seemed like she'd be a worthy carrier of the Master Sword if she so chose. He found it funny that…despite not having any memory of having daughters, he could see a strong reflection of himself in the Zora's hazel eyes.

Unfortunately, however, he could not remember a past with her, nor Lani. At this point, the fact made him feel a bit of guilt, since their whole world almost seemed to revolve around him in his century-long absence. So, to respond to her question, he shook his head. The Zora sighed, her hopeful expression turning to one of sadness.

"Ah…I was…afraid of that. I could see it in the way you looked back at me earlier from atop the grand staircase. I understand you've been through a lot, and you must still have much more ahead of you." She stated, looking over at the pile of gear the hero had left on the ground. Link continued looking directly at her, impressed with her deductive abilities. Their eyes met again when her gaze returned to him.

"So anyway…I hope your hibernation was…as restorative to your mind as it was to your body." She uttered softly, her warm smile returning to her.

Link's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. By the goddess, how did she know about the Shrine of Resurrection? None of that information would've had any way to reach her. With so little information, she seemed able to draw accurate conclusions about several of his crucial aspects. Perhaps she'd be willing to elaborate?

Almost right away, she continued speaking. Lani, even at this moment, was still entwined with Link, her arms around his back and her head on his shoulder. "So, if you truly don't remember, I'll be happy to fill you in." She put her hand on her chest. "My name's Mira. It was the name you gave me, and I couldn't love it more. Some pronounce it 'Mee-rah,' while others prefer to call me 'My-rah.'" She explained, exaggerating the sounds with her lips. "Personally, I like the sound of both!"

Link really wanted to smile, but he was still having trouble getting there. He still had a plethora of problems to untangle in his mind before he'd be ready to jump in and accept his alleged daughters' greeting. Judging by their first impressions, they seemed like the sweetest and most innocent pair he had ever met. All he needed…was some closure.

Mira, as her name was, continued. "My lovebug sister there is Noelani. Most of us Zoras at the Domain call her 'Lani' for short, but 'Noelani' was the full name given to her by our mother. It means 'mist of heaven' in a forgotten, ancient language." She paused after saying this, letting out a long, dreamy sigh. "I figured you'd be able to tell by now, but she's actually blind. She's been that way since the day she hatched. She doesn't know what it's like to see, but she's still the most supportive and loving thing I ever knew." Again, she paused, giving Link a moment to absorb the information. "…She's so much like our mother."

Noelani giggled, causing Mira to do the same. She finally raised her head up from Link's shoulder, but she kept her arms around him as she took a moment to face him. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to gaze directly into her father's eyes, but alas, her cloudy irises remained unfocused, always staring an infinite distance behind him. At the same time, Link stared back at her, studying her cloudy blue eyes as he had done with Mira's gold ones. In doing so, he saw…kindness. Innocence. Patience. At the same time, though, he also sensed in her…resolve. Passion. And most importantly…strength. Her blindness only seemed to contribute to the admirability of her character. Upon leaving the Shrine of Resurrection, Zelda had spoken to Link, referring to him as "the light that must shine upon Hyrule once again." As he sat now, though, drifting through the boundless skies contained within Noelani's eyes, it seemed to him like that description fit her better. She had all the qualities of an amazing young woman. He still couldn't remember, however, who that reminded him of.

"Our attitudes may not show it," Mira resumed, "but we were hatched at the same time. We're your little twins." She beamed.

Link was starting to find this all very heartwarming, but one thing still confused him regarding his alleged offspring…or rather, quite a few things. Who exactly was their mother? Had he really shared love for a Zora before the Great Calamity? Had he gotten married? Were these children of his adopted, or had he really…conceived them on his own? Was their mother still around today? Would she be willing to speak with him, or had he hurt her in the past and couldn't remember?

Again, Mira seemed to read his mind, like she had mysteriously been doing several times already. "Are you wondering about our mother? You seemed like you were curious, since, well…you hadn't seemed to remember us either."

Link looked back at Mira and expressed his answer with another nod. This was a rather huge matter, and getting his questions answered would perhaps also lead to the answering of his other concerns regarding Muzu and the king. It would seem to him that Mira and Noelani were the lights at the end of his tunnel.

Mira turned toward the inn's exit, motioning with her head for him to follow her. "Come, I can show you to her."

Noelani finally released her grip on Link and stood up to meet her sister. Mira instinctively reached out and gently took her blind sibling's hand, as if she had been used to doing it on routine. Once they started walking away from the bed, Link scrambled to a standing position. He quickly went around to the other side of the bed to retrieve his belongings and, after shuffling awkwardly with them for a moment, jogged over anxiously to follow the two timid Zoras.


The pattering raindrops from the possessed Divine Beast on the mountain returned to Link as he followed his alleged daughters back out of the inn and onto the Domain's main plaza. He had gotten used to the sound of the drops hitting the carved surface of the Domain, but he still found it to be a minor shock when the cold water found its way back onto his head and his clothes. They never really had a chance to dry in the short time he had been in the inn. In addition, the persistent, misty clouds dangling over the Domain made it difficult to tell the time of day. Zora's Domain truly looked like it would be a beautiful location if it weren't for the dreary overhang and the accompanying rain getting in the way.

Link wondered to himself what his supposed lover might've looked like a hundred years ago. It was already shocking enough to learn that he had supposedly settled down with a Zora, but now, as the possibilities started flowing of who exactly he chose, the hero's mind was running as actively as ever. Was she the shy and timid type, like his daughters seemed to be? Was she short like him, or did she tower high like Prince Sidon? Had he fallen for her and confessed his love, or had she made the first move?

He figured that, given the hue of Mira and Noelani, their mother would've had to be some shade of red or pink, since Link didn't really have any genes of that type to pass on. The whole concept of genetics, in fact, confused him in this case. How exactly had it been determined that his children wound up being Zoras and not Hylians? Why hadn't there been a mixture? They were among the questions he would probably never have answered.

Still holding Noelani's hand to keep her from unknowingly wandering off, Mira stopped at the base of the large Mipha statue where she and her sister had been standing earlier. She turned around to face Link and stunned him with another spot-on answer to his mental question.

"You know, it's a lesser-known fact in Hyrule that the Rito and us Zoras are the only races capable of marrying with Hylians and having children that are entirely of one race or the other." She stated, trailing off idly. Link raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued as she continued. "Having a Hylian like you as a father always made me interested in learning about this kind of stuff. I asked my mother once how it all worked, and how…being that we were all Zoras, you could be a Hylian and still be a member of our family." She giggled softly as she reflected on the small memory. "I remembered the loving grin on her face when she answered me. She told me that the race of the children always matches the race of the mother, since we and the Rito both lay eggs. Hylian mothers give live birth to Hylians, despite the race of their husbands. I, um…find it to be really fascinating!"

Link nodded in understanding, his hand placed on his chin as he listened to Mira's explanation. He chose not to press the matter further and start wondering about conception, since Mira's seemingly telepathic mind would've probably tried to answer that one too. Although, he had to admit…the goddesses worked in pretty mysterious ways. He wondered if Zelda or any of the castle's scientists had researched genetics before the Great Calamity a hundred years ago. If they had, they probably would've made some interesting discoveries.

"So anyway, uh…back to our topic from earlier." Mira announced. Link's full attention returned to the shy Zora. "Since you don't seem to remember, I'll fill you in. Our mother, she's…well, she's no longer with us." Link caught a glimpse of her hand squeezing Noelani's a little harder than usual. "She passed away in the Great Calamity."

Link's heart sank at this news. Since the moment Mira and Noelani first approached him at the inn earlier, claiming to be his daughters, he had been afraid of this being the case. The Calamity had apparently left more scars in his life than he initially thought. Meeting his Zoran lover from a century ago would've been an incredible opportunity, but apparently Calamity Ganon had had other plans. He looked up into the eyes of the two sisters, expecting to see tears, but there were, in fact, none to be found.

"We've…learned to move on from our mother's death during the last century. The first few years were…well…extremely tough for us, since, um…we sort of lost you too." Mira uttered.

Link suddenly realized the truth of the Zora's words. Remembering what the spirit of King Rhoam had told him on the Great Plateau, Link understood that he had also fallen to the Great Calamity, but the Shrine of Resurrection had preserved him and saved his life over the course of the century. As far as his daughters were concerned, however, he had basically died a warrior's death. Young and defenseless at the time, Mira and Noelani had lost both their parents at once when Calamity Ganon had laid his siege on Hyrule. And now, here they stood before him, proud and strong, as independent Zora women in the prime of their lives. Surely, Link was beginning to feel a growing spark of acceptance and affection for the Zoras he could call his children.

Mira had left a long pause in her speech so Link could reminisce on these sentiments. Strangely enough, like all the times she had answered the exact question he was thinking, it was as if she knew exactly what was in his mind as he was thinking it. This fascinated and intrigued him, and he was determined to find out later how she did it. For now, though, he was intent on listening.

"Anyway, after the tragic events of the Calamity, we were suddenly without parents. It was after our mother died and you didn't come back that…Muzu offered to take us in. He's been providing us with his care and guidance ever since those troubling times." She explained, putting her free arm around Noelani as she nuzzled close to her sister.

Link's jaw opened at this news. Their caregiver had been…Muzu? He couldn't help but to remember the wild episode from earlier, inside the king's chamber, when Muzu had outwardly expressed his contempt for Link before marching coldly out of the room. The elder seemed like a very bitter character, but his hatred seemed to stem from something specific. One sentence from the stingray Zora had stuck prominently in Link's mind: "Have you forgotten what he did to dear Mipha?"

The more he thought about it, the more this seemed to point towards only one thing. After only a moment, though, his suspicion was confirmed by Mira, with yet more perfect timing.

"Yes, Dad…" She began, seeming to read his mind once again. "…our mother…is the one depicted in this great statue right here, immortalized for all of our people to appreciate." She paused again, giving Link a chance to absorb the information. "You married her right here in the Domain, and you decided to have children shortly after. You fathered us with Princess Mipha."

This was a curveball Link had not been expecting. Nonetheless, it now made perfect sense as to how the twins' mother had died in the Calamity. After all, the princess in the statue fit the ideal description of a warrior, her spear an all-too-clear indicator. She must've died defending the Domain with other Zora guards, he figured. It did, however, seem like an odd choice that the princess of the Zoras be placed on the frontlines with common guards. Perhaps it wasn't a relevant thought.

His jaw still slack, he turned from Mira's solemn gaze to the carved face of the statue beneath which they stood. By staring into the empty, stone eyes of the statue, he was essentially staring into the eyes of his wife. For the first time since reaching the Domain, he took the time to drink in her features. Her flowing, shoulder-length side fins…her fragile, gentle fingers…her elegant, brilliant jewelry…

Studying the sculpted image of his past lover worked to kick Link's brain into gear. He squinted at the statue as, gradually, a memory began to form in his head. A glimmer of joy appeared in Mira's eyes as she sensed part of her father's memory returning to him. A memory which would hopefully pave the way to the revival of their family. It seemed all had not been lost.

As the memory formed fully together in the dripping wet hero's mind, his squinted eyes suddenly widened. He remembered one of his most notable encounters with Princess Mipha.


The air was warm and soft, with a very mild breeze to tickle at Link's hair. Hylia had blessed Zora's Domain with one of the sunniest days in its history, the golden beams of light streaming into the king's chamber from all sides as the congregation waited. Standing to the left of the chamber, leading all the way down the grand staircase and into the plaza, was the entirety of the Domain's Zoras, waiting patiently for the historical event to begin. At the foot of the throne, on the left side, Muzu and the baby prince, Sidon, stood with their hands folded in front of them. The young prince held a small ring and a pair of silver wrist cuffs in his tiny hands. King Dorephan, as big as he was, sat overlooking the congregation from the comfort of his throne, his subjects sprawling all the way out of his sight. Link and the steadily-aging Zora priest, Kapson, stood proudly in front of the throne's center.

Link also stood with his hands together in front of him, his eyes on the grand staircase in anticipation for the arrival of his bride. As per the Zora tradition, he wore on his body a sacred Zora chestplate, handmade specifically for him by his fiancée. Happiness could be seen in the smile on his face.

Finally, after a long several days in her absence, Link's smile grew as his beloved Mipha appeared on the steps, ascending them quietly as the subjects in the throne room looked on admiringly. She wore a thin, white dress that dragged only slightly behind her, with an even thinner white veil covering her rose-tinted, dolphin-like head. It was incredibly modest attire for the occasion, especially given her royal status in the Domain. As she ascended the grand staircase, the Zoras she passed each bowed their heads, one by one.

Unlike Hylian weddings, Zoran weddings traditionally included no music, especially those of a royal nature. Therefore, as the young and radiant Zora princess made her way to the king's chamber where they'd begin the ceremony, the only sounds that could be heard were the gentle pats of her feet on the chiseled stairs and the chirps of birds in the skies above.

When she reached the chamber and stopped at the foot of the throne next to Link and Kapson, the ceremony promptly began after a short moment of silence. The couple looked deeply into each other's eyes, their admiration for their lover glowing brightly through the white veil that separated them.

"Dearly beloved members of Zora's Domain…" Kapson exclaimed, loudly enough for the distant onlookers in the plaza to hear. "…we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of our dear princess, Mipha, and Link, the highly-esteemed Hylian knight, in sacred matrimony! The connection this fateful couple shares is undeniable!"

He lowered his head, turning to Mipha. Mipha glanced away from Link, taking the moment to look over at Kapson as he proceeded with the ceremony. "Mipha…princess of our people…it is now, on the day of your wedding, with your subjects as your witnesses, that you shall profess, as the eldest child of King Dorephan. Do you choose to accept your line of succession, or do you relinquish the throne on behalf of yourself and your groom?"

Mipha looked back at Link for a moment before glancing behind her at Prince Sidon. He had been blankly staring off in the distance, paying no attention to the ceremony. When he caught sight of his big sister looking at him, though, his bored expression turned into a wide smile. His pointy teeth glittered in the sunlight. She smiled back at him.

Turning back to Kapson and her fiancée, she gave her answer. "We relinquish the throne."

Kapson nodded in acknowledgement. "On that note, do you, Princess Mipha of the Zoras, take Link to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

She looked directly into Link's eyes, and without a moment's hesitation, answered, "I do."

Kapson then turned to Link. "Sir Link of Hyrule, do you take Mipha to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

Link took a moment to take in Mipha's beauty. The gentle breeze blew the loose ends of her dress around, as well as the fins on her arms and her head. The sunlight that made it through her veil reflected off her eyes, causing them to sparkle their signature golden hue. The entire Domain continued to sit in complete silence as Link surveyed his soon-to-be wife, the lack of noise further allowing him to get lost in the moment. He felt like he was falling in love with her all over again.

He whispered, "…I do."

Kapson grinned, raising both his hands above his head. "I now pronounce this couple…husband and wife!"

Link lifted the veil that covered Mipha's face, but before he could lean in for the kiss, the lovestruck Zora princess jumped onto him and got him with it first. As the newlyweds shared each other's lips at the foot of the throne, the crowd of Zora witnesses began to cheer and applaud. It was a joyful and momentous day at Zora's Domain.


Link didn't notice that his eyes had been shut until the moment he snapped them back open. He took one more look up at the statue, remembering completely his wedding with Mipha. It was then that he noticed the silver wrist cuffs that were securely fastened to the precisely-carved wrists of the statue. They were of their usual metallic color, shining separately from the aqua blue shade of the rest of the stone. He studied them curiously, noticing their striking resemblance to the pair of wrist cuffs he had put on Mipha himself during their wedding ceremony.

Mira examined Link's curious expression, still looking rather satisfied with his revelation. "It looks like the statue must've stirred your memory a bit! Whatever you remembered…I hope it was a reminder of how much Mom loved you."

Noelani nodded in agreement to her sister's statement, her head still pressed against the taller sibling's chest. Link glanced over at them, enchanted by the sight of the two sisters looking so close and connected with each other. Despite the dreary overhang and the drenching rain, Link caught a brief glint in Mira's golden eyes…a picturesque resemblance to those of Mipha. At that moment, he felt any remaining doubt of his fatherhood to Mira and Noelani…begin to melt.

On top of Mipha's wrist cuffs, Link also remembered the ring that Sidon had been holding during his flashback. It was easy to assume, given the context, that he had accepted the ring to mark his marriage a hundred years ago just as Mipha had accepted the cuffs. When he looked down at his pruny, dripping hands, however, he was dismayed to find that his century-old wedding ring was not there. Admittedly, he would've seen it sooner had it been on his finger where it belonged. It must've gotten lost during his skirmishes with the Great Calamity.

Mira connected her father's thoughts in her own head as she watched him glance down at his hands. Putting his sequence of actions together, she formed a pretty good idea of what his memory must've been about. If she was right, it would've been a memory she was not around to witness herself. There were, however, some things of which she did have knowledge, and she was prepared to share them with him very soon. She took a few steps toward Link.

"Come on, Dad, let's go on our own little adventure." She cooed, smiling. "There are some more places I think you should see."