So…Link was right. He had been right in his thoughts about Murdoch. He had been right in his skepticism regarding Murdoch's activities. He had been right in his worry when it came to Murdoch's safety. He had been right in his insistence to seek out Murdoch after consulting Dento for the trident repair. He had been right to assume that Murdoch's stability was falling…or, at least…that it might've been low in the first place. Sometimes…it sucked to be right.

Link was a very humble character, and as such, he rarely acknowledged his own physical and instinctual superiority. However, he had to admit that he was, indeed, considerably observational. He had an unprecedented ability to read the opinions and motivations of others based solely on their tone and body language, as well as exterior context. Those factors had feverishly swirled together with Murdoch over the course of their acquaintance the last few hours, and, combined with Murdoch's natural, inherited display of some of Link's character traits, they had been sending strong, alarming signals to him prior to his retreat to Veiled Falls.

On the other hand, he couldn't shake the feeling that his nagging desire to go locate his son had involved a bit of…divine intervention. Recently, his mind had been wandering back to Mipha from time to time, especially earlier, during the recovery of his latest memory. Although Mipha had had no prioritized connections to any one of her particular children, Link was sure from his memories that she had undoubtedly had an undying and passionate commitment to the safety and well-being of all three of them individually. Therefore, he thought that, perhaps, his intentions to find and protect Murdoch had not been formed by merely his own lone thoughts. Perhaps…a bit of Mipha's spirit was acting within him.

Link stared at Prince Sidon with an intense look on his face. Sidon didn't directly return the favor, as his own gaze was blinking between him and the twins. He waited impatiently for any of the three of them to respond to his urgent announcement. The unsettling silence hung amongst them all for a disturbingly long time as each of them thought differently about the new information. Eventually, something was finally said.

Mira stepped forward with a sad expression, which was also akin to Noelani's at the moment. "Oh, Dad…I'm so sorry. Lani and I…we…we didn't think that Murdoch…would…"

Link put his hand up to silence her mid-sentence. "Don't worry about that now. That's not our concern at the moment."

Her attempted apology was actually well-deserved, Link thought to himself. After all, Murdoch was now on the brink of doing something irreversible, and if it hadn't been for Mira's insistence on ignoring him earlier, Link would've surely hunted him down and stopped him before this point could've been reached. He had trusted her judgment based on the assumption that her greater amount of time with Murdoch would've translated to a greater understanding of him compared to Link's. However, in choosing to trust her judgment, he had also chosen to ignore his own gut, and by doing so, perhaps he had also ignored Mipha's subtle signals…in a way.

That needed to wait until later, however. At the moment, there were more important things at hand.

"How long ago did he leave?" Link asked bluntly.

"Just a couple minutes ago." Sidon answered quickly. "I ran over here as soon as he left my father's chamber."

Link nodded his head once as his thoughts seemed to run completely uninterrupted. "Then we still have time to stop him. We might have to be fast."

"…But how will we catch him in time?" Mira asked with a great deal of worry in her tone. "It's such a long way to the East Reservoir from here!"

As Mira made that point, Link turned and walked quickly to the edge of the cliff behind Sidon. Down below, off the sprawling ledge of the perch on which the base of the falls sat, was the entirety of Zora's Domain, glowing dimly behind the cloudy rain. Directly at the foot of the cliff, separating the falls from the Domain itself, was a lengthy, perilous drop that led to nothing but raging rapids. Upon reaching the cliff's edge, he peered over the side into the waters below, and then out to the Domain in the distance.

"I have a shortcut." He declared, responding confidently to her interjection. "I'll be able to take one of you, and the other two of you will have to go the long way…"

Noelani immediately shot her hand up, nearly cutting Link off in the process. "I'll go with you, Dad."

Startled by his blind daughter's swift and uncompromising answer, Link turned to her in confusion. "Oh…Lani? I'm…not sure you're going to want to join me here."

Noelani looked in his direction to address him, but with her distance, her gaze ended up falling on Prince Sidon instead. "Well…why not?"

Link bit his lip. "Because…it's not really suited for you well. You see…it kind of involves…"

Lost in her sudden, surefire boost of confidence, Noelani completely cut him off. "Forget about that. I'm sticking by you no matter what. I want to be right by your side when you go to appease my brother, every step of the way."

Link was certain he was going to traumatize the poor, unknowing Zora with what he was about to do, but if she was confident enough in her decision, that was good enough for him. Time was of the essence, after all. With a brief sigh, he turned his body around to face the edge of the cliff, and he bent his legs slightly to prep for a jump. Noelani took a few steps toward him.

"Okay, now grab onto my shoulders." He instructed.

Suddenly skeptical by her father's odd command, Noelani cautiously inched forward a few steps with her arms out in front of her until she could feel Link's back. She ran her hands along his wet tunic for a moment before shifting her grip to the hero's shoulders. Both Mira and the prince watched Link with confusion, unsure of what exactly he was planning to do. Link glanced back at them.

"You guys need to get moving. There's no time to waste." With this order, he turned back to Noelani, who was now gently grasping his shoulders from behind. He bent his knees even further. "Alright, Lani, hang on tight."

"Where exactly is this 'shortcut?'" The nervous Zora objected. "I'm not really sure if…AIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Noelani screamed at the top of her lungs as Link jerked his legs forward and leapt right off the side of the cliff. Mira gasped sharply from behind them as she observed the shocking spectacle. Noelani couldn't see exactly what was going on, but once she felt her feet suddenly leave the ground, she knew she was airborne. She didn't have the chance to fall, however, as Link quickly deployed his paraglider above their heads at the top of his arch, causing them to glide gracefully through the skies on the way to the Domain.

His blind daughter did not feel very graceful, though. As Link felt the cold, wet air of the valley brushing past his face during their flight, he also felt Noelani's shallow, panicked breaths tickling the back of his neck. While already clutching her father's shoulders with vise-like strength, she tried several times to grab at Link's chest in an effort to fortify her grip around his neck. Her encapsulating fear of heights was causing her to jitter violently against his back.

"Dad…" She gasped weakly between her ill-controlled, sporadic breaths.

"Just hang on." He replied calmly. "This isn't going to take long."

Back at Veiled Falls, still standing on the edge of the cliff with awe and wonder present on her face, was Mira, dumbfounded at the sight of her father flying her sister over to the Domain. Her jaw hung open.

"…I didn't know Dad had a paraglider…" She mumbled.

"Mira, let's go!" Sidon called from down the hill to her side. He had already begun running back to the bridge before getting to catch his breath from earlier. "We have to catch Murdoch before something bad happens to him!"

She shook herself from her weird trance. "Coming, Uncle!"


The lateral distance between the falls and the Domain was not too great, so just as Link had promised, their flight did not take long. His neck and shoulders had quickly become sore during the glide, since Noelani's grip on them had been overbearing the entire time. He couldn't blame her, really, since she had not been given the chance to prepare herself for a sudden meeting with one of her greatest fears. He did try to warn her, but there was also something to be said about her impressive display of resoluteness. She would be fine, really.

Once Link's feet made contact with the stone ground of the plaza, he lowered his paraglider to give his arms a rest. They landed right on the main level, just twenty feet or so from the Mipha statue. A couple of the Zoras that had been idly wandering around the plaza stepped back a few steps in surprise as the Hylian hero and his trembling daughter descended into the middle of the square. From their landing point at the center of the Domain, the remaining distance to the Eastern Reservoir consisted only of the perimeter bridge and the stairs along the dam.

Since Noelani could not tell where the ground was, her feet dragged sloppily against the stone beneath her as her terrifying flight unexpectedly came to a close. It didn't take her long to regain her balance, but despite her return to solid ground, her grip on her father's shoulders did not loosen. In addition, her shaking did not seem to stop. Link tried, in vain, to jar himself free from her embrace.

"Lani, it's okay. We landed." He sighed.

"D-D…D…Don't ever d-d…do that again…" She jittered through her hyperventilating breaths.

Link reached around behind him and patted the traumatized Zora lightly on her hip. He expected her fidgety movements and tense breathing to endure for at least a few more minutes while she tried to reorient herself. At the moment, though, they had no time to stand around and wait for that to happen. He reached up to his shoulders and carefully pried her clenched hands from his muscles.

"Alright now, just try to keep your fluids in your body. You'll be fine." He told her nonchalantly, seemingly unconcerned with his daughter's mild panic attack. "Now come along, we need to go find your brother."

With her hands still in his own, he made a quick turn for the eastern perimeter bridge and hastily led her along. The end of that bridge had been where he and the twins met Gaddison the night before, and if she was there again, she'd surely be able to report on Murdoch's whereabouts. That was assuming, of course, that Murdoch would've taken the traditional path from the king's chamber to the Eastern Reservoir.

Mira and Prince Sidon were still back on the western bridge, but they were quickly gaining on Link and Noelani's trail. While Link had to carefully watch his speed so as not to overwhelm his already-exerted blind daughter, the other two were in a full sprint. Given the time Sidon had estimated of Murdoch's departure, it was very possible that the young and bold Zora guard was already up on the dock of the lake, ready to dive to his own demise. If they were too late to reach him, it would be very difficult to locate and rescue him.

There was something ominously familiar about Link's urgency. He couldn't exactly pinpoint a specific moment in the past when he had been pressured into hurrying…with so much on the line. Thinking about it, though, reminded him strongly of the Great Calamity. Surely, he figured, he would eventually remember a time from a century ago when he had felt such an imperative need. It wasn't the most pleasant of thoughts from his past, but then again, outside of his romantic life with Mipha, what parts had been pleasant?

With Noelani stumbling close behind him, Link jogged along the flat, straight length of the eastern bridge that had led them to the cliffside by the dam the night before. Had he been alone, he would've sprinted a lot faster, but he instead maintained his average velocity out of courtesy for his blind daughter. He may have been in a desperate hurry to stop Murdoch before he could endanger himself, but regardless, the safety and comfort of Mira and Noelani still mattered as well. After all, the three of them were all equally important to him.

Not surprisingly, Gaddison soon came into view at the end of the bridge, guarding the eastern perimeter as usual. Having gone through her normal routines that morning, nothing about her seemed any more stressed nor disheveled than it had the day before. It only made sense, really, since none of the concerning issues plaguing Link and his family were of any relevance to her. To her, it was merely another uninteresting day at Zora's Domain, the only concern being the ever-present threat of Vah Ruta's rainfall.

As Link and Noelani approached her post at the outskirts of the Domain, Gaddison turned her head to glance at them. "Oh, hello again, Link. Interesting seeing you back out here."

Link was slightly out of breath, but not too considerably, since he had only been running half of his potential speed. "Did Murdoch…come through here…?"

Gaddison nodded her head with a hum. "You know, I had a feeling you were going to ask about him. He came through here on his way to the dam just a few minutes ago."

Normally, Link was not one to open up to those he did not know very well. Although Gaddison had been a companion of his in his past before the Calamity, he had not recovered enough memories about her to consider her an acquaintance at the moment. This categorization was consistent with the silence he had given her the night before on his way up the dam the first time. However, given the stress of the situation, he could not afford to give anyone the silent treatment. His time with his children recently had gradually worked to increase his comfort with speaking to the other native Zoras, and now that he was in a rush to help Murdoch, his walls of silence were crumbling to dust.

In just a few short moments, Mira and Sidon came sprinting up behind the trio as they exchanged information on the edge of the bridge. They were noticeably more beat than both Link and Noelani…for obvious reasons. As soon as they came into sight, Gaddison began to understand…at least to an extent…what was at stake. As her superior officer, Murdoch was well-known to Gaddison, and as such, she understood him to be a very bold, uncompromising character. In order to have been accepted as a recruit to the Zora Guard, Gaddison had to have some observant qualities herself, and after seeing her captain marching by with a Lynel bow, followed shortly by his family and the prince…she was able to make a few connections.

"…I'm assuming something big is about to happen?" She muttered.

"Not…if we have anything…to do about it." Mira responded confidently between heavy breaths.

"…That's right." Prince Sidon added, his chest heaving equally as much. He was getting quite the exercise this day. "Vah Ruta must…be appeased, but not…at this cost."

"Well, you guys might want to get moving quickly, then." Gaddison warned. "With how much time he's had before you showed up, I'd say Captain Murdoch is already up on the platform by now."

Without another word, nor any form of heads-up, Link immediately turned toward the dam and continued his mad dash. Noelani's hand was still settled in his grip, however, and as soon as he took off from the rest of the group, she was violently yanked along with him. She let out a small yelp as she was caught off guard and forced to keep running behind him. Startled by Link's sudden exit, Mira and Sidon kicked themselves into gear in order to keep up with him.

The trip from the Domain's perimeter to the base of the dam was not long, luckily, but as Link had remembered from the previous evening, the dam had stairs that needed to be scaled. Even while tugging Noelani closely behind him, he was moving considerably quickly past the prevalent rocks and through the flowing grass of the eastern cliffside, with his destination firmly in his mind. Mira and Sidon, sprinting unimpeded in his wake, were still struggling to catch up to him, surprisingly. It seemed that the closer he was getting to the East Reservoir, the more his urgency was rising. He continued to experience an ever-increasing feeling of pressure as he kept reminding himself of what would happen to Murdoch if he shot that insane bow.

Reaching the base of the sprawling staircase in no more than twenty seconds, Link finally let go of Noelani's hand. She panted softly after finally getting the chance to recompose herself, and in doing so, she found it necessary to double over a bit. Link did not take notice of his daughter's mounting exhaustion, however, as he positioned his hands behind him impatiently.

"Only the stairs remain, Lani. Almost there." He declared quietly. "Hop on."

There was a pause before Noelani's response, as her shortness of breath and racing heart were still overpowering her. "Dad…wait. I'm…going to let Uncle Sidon carry me up there…in a few moments."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically at her unexpected response. "What? Why?"

She managed a small smile through her tired, feminine wheezes. "I could feel you struggling yesterday while trying to carry me up these stairs. I know I'm pretty heavy to you, despite my small size."

"It's not such a big deal." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I can easily do it again. We just need to hurry."

She shook her head. "You go ahead, Dad. You can get there much faster without me. I'll be right up behind you with sis and Uncle Sidon in just a few minutes."

Even still, while Noelani kept trying to push her father along, he resisted. He had turned his whole body around at this point, and he looked at her with a bit of concern. Her behavior now seemed opposite of what it had been just earlier at the base of Veiled Falls. Now…she seemed more reserved again.

"But…didn't you say you wanted to be right by my side during this? Every step?" Link stammered.

"I was just trying to look bold in front of Uncle Sidon." She replied with a hearty chuckle. "I realized after landing in the plaza earlier that I was only slowing you down, and I don't want to get in the way of you and my brother. Just go on ahead, and I'll be right behind soon." She paused for a moment to look up at her father, causing him to get another perfect view of her misty blue eyes as she stared through him into her private darkness. "Murdoch's more important than me, you know."

Link began to realize just how much he could learn from his own daughter. Her maturity, selflessness, and humility were surely unable to go unnoticed. Of course, Link had a special affinity for helping others, no matter the cost, but in his natural and unending silence outside the Domain, he always secretly…expected things in return. He expected rupees…rare gear…directions…et cetera. Noelani, however…seemed to acknowledge her smallness in the world, and in turn, she often seemed more than happy to set herself aside for the sake of others…for no reward. Her humility seemed to be her own reward to herself. Yet again, this was a trait that reminded him of Mipha. Out of all the traits he found in his children…why did his favorite ones always have to come from Mipha?

He said nothing. In reality…there really was nothing he could say. He knew he was wasting each second by not bolting up the stairs, but in this very moment, he couldn't bring himself to move an inch. As Noelani's thoughtful change of mind played out again in Link's head, he began feeling a surge of emotion. Her willingness to look out for her brother, even after getting tossed aside by him, spoke large volumes to Link about their family dynamic. It may have only been a small sacrifice…her presence for his safety…but to Link, that selfless exchange symbolized so much more. As his daughter's words sent these thoughts through his mind, coupled with the cascading ocean of honesty and affection in her eyes, Link found himself paralyzed as he began falling in love with Mipha and his family all over again. Truly…they were Hylia's reward to him for his burdensome role as the chosen hero.

While still totally silent, Link took a step towards Noelani and put his arms around her. Noelani jumped a little when she felt his arms, as she had not expected such a gesture from her father. Without any hesitation in her mind, she returned the gesture by reaching around his upper body and grasping at the wet tunic covering his back. She was keen on giving him hugs, but receiving the initial advance from him this time held special significance to her. She wished the moment could last longer, but right now, there was an elephant in the room, and Link was still aware of it.

After only a few seconds of their embrace, Link separated himself from her, turned around, and began running up the stairs. Although Noelani couldn't tell from just sound alone, he was skipping up two steps at a time. It was imperative to him that he reach Murdoch quickly so his separation from the rest of his family wouldn't be in vain. It was unfathomable…how much they cared.

Just after Link disappeared up the stairs, Mira and Sidon arrived at the scene and stopped next to Noelani. Noelani could hear their approach, but her distant eyes remained fixed in the direction of the staircase. She didn't say anything until Mira addressed her.

"Did Dad run up there without you?"

Her blind sister shook her head. "No, I told him to go without me. He can climb the stairs faster without the extra weight."

A noble answer, they thought. Both Mira and the prince grinned at her remark.


Considering the speed at which Link launched himself up the stairs, it did not take him long to reach the top. As soon as the stone stairs beneath his feet flattened into the platform at the bank of East Reservoir Lake, he made the sharp turn right and stepped out into the open. The rain returned to him once again after his short period of coverage, and all of a sudden, it felt like it was coming down with great force. Standing ever closer to Vah Ruta and its storming power, Link found the atmospheric blockage all around the East Reservoir to be much uglier than it had been the night before.

The sky looked darker than it ever had before on top of the dam. The clouds formed by the Divine Beast's skyward-ejecting water eclipsed almost all the sunlight over the lake, making the specific region around Vah Ruta much darker than the Domain and the surrounding mountains. This new level of darkness must've been incredibly recent, Link thought, since the sight had not occurred in the skies anytime previously. While observing the spectacle, he began to feel chafing on his head and shoulders from the sheer punch brought by the unusually large raindrops. He figured, at the rate it was going, this greater intensity would spread out from the Divine Beast and plague the rest of the Domain by the end of the day.

The last thing Link noticed upon returning to his family's historical bonding place was…the lightning. With average frequency, cracks of light streaked across the sky through the clouds, illuminating the mighty Divine Beast for brief instances. The bolts of light cut through the thick haze created by the rain and gave images of the entire East Reservoir through the darkness. Following the flashes, unsettling cracks of thunder ripped across the horizon and swept through the hero's shocked ears, stunning him each time they occurred. Why hadn't he heard any of this at the bottom of the dam earlier? Had it just now started…right as he reached the platform?

During one of the quick flashes, Link quickly got a glimpse of the dock out at the center of the platform, sticking outward into the lake as it always had. However, in the short instant it had come into view, he spotted a familiar figure standing motionlessly on the end of the dock, just inches from the water's edge. The figure's back was turned to the platform as it seemed to stare out at the Divine Beast on the lake. The second Link caught sight of this, he sprinted toward the dock with all the speed he could muster. This is what it all seemed to come down to.

It was after reaching the center of the platform and turning onto the dock that Link actually noticed the water level in the lake. A quick glance to the left and right of the dock was enough for him to see the alarmingly dire shape the East Reservoir was in. The raging, active waters of the lake lapped up against the sides of the smooth, stone platform and splashed onto its surface, creating multiple patches of puddled water over the walking space. Some of the particularly high waves created splashes against the platform that billowed as high as Link's thighs. The unimpeded portions of the waves themselves managed to rumble over the edge of the dock entirely, making the platform seem as if it were being swallowed by the lake. If given another day without attention, the Reservoir was sure to claim the likes of Link and Mipha's special waterbed, and after that…the rest of the Domain.

Link's sprint slowed to a jog as he approached behind the figure on the end of the dock. At this distance, the figure could clearly be seen as Murdoch, but this came as no surprise to Link. There was nobody else in all of Hyrule that would be standing at this spot at a time like this, with Vah Ruta practically decimating the Eastern Reservoir. Another thing that came into view as Link came up behind his son was the Lynel Bow strapped to the Zora's back. It was undoubtedly a metallic menace, with its sharp, jagged edges and thick, curved body reflecting Link's image like a polished mirror. Tied around Murdoch's waist was a modest-sized quiver, packed to its full capacity with shock arrows. The arrows seemed to give the quiver an ominous and discomforting yellow glow.

At the same instant Link came to a halt a few feet behind Murdoch, Vah Ruta let out another powerful, trumpeting roar. Link quickly covered his ears as the Beast's cry echoed out into the air with earthshattering strength, causing the very ground beneath their feet to tremble. The overflowing waters of the Reservoir rippled violently from the intensity of the roar, licking at Link's feet. Murdoch did not move, however, and the roar didn't seem to faze him.

The guard captain sighed thoughtfully at the mighty noise. "It's as if Mother is calling out to me…"

At this point, just like before on the western bridge, Murdoch seemed to know that Link was standing behind him. With that as the case, Link found it necessary to cut to the chase, rather than trying to catch his son's attention. This mess needed to end.

"Murdoch, you're making a big mistake!" He chided with a raised voice. He was forced to speak loudly so his voice could be heard over the pouring rain and streaking thunder. Murdoch still did not move, despite being addressed by Link once again.

"Ah, Father. You know…I found it unlikely that you'd have the decency to leave me alone in this endeavor." He stated coldly. His calmness was chilling to Link, especially since he had been angry and yelling the last time they spoke.

"Listen, what you're doing is insane! This is not your battle to fight!" Link cried.

Murdoch turned around suddenly and stared at Link. Once again, Link was able to see the anger and annoyance in his son's face. "How would saving Zora's Domain and putting my mother's soul to rest not be my own business? Tell me, whose battle is it, then?"

Link sighed as he started to see where this confrontation would be headed. "Murdoch…this is my battle. Mipha may have been your mother, but…she was also my wife, you know. And this is not the kind of thing that would let her soul rest in peace."

After Link suddenly toned his voice down to a more conversational level, Murdoch responded at a similar volume. For a while, it seemed like they would be able to talk calmly. "How would you know what Mother wanted? You barely remember her."

"I think you would be surprised how much I've recovered since arriving here yesterday." Link replied solemnly. "And I can tell you…Mipha wanted a life of peace and happiness for you and your sisters. She and I put ourselves on the line for all of us…not just for each other. Now, a hundred years later, I've been called to finally set things right in Hyrule. This is my mission."

Murdoch's face scrunched up in disgust. He scoffed in bitter disapproval of that statement. "Pfft, your 'mission.' Everything I've ever had to suffer in my life was because of your pretentious 'missions.' Your 'high and mighty' endeavors even caused Mother to suffer."

Link was not backing down this time. It was time Murdoch understood what the past truly held, because his twisted interpretations were the very reason the two of them were in this mess right now. "You don't seem to understand…Murdoch…that there was no one else who could've taken my place. I learned in my travels that the Master Sword chooses exactly one wielder, and that wielder is forever bound to the responsibilities of the hero of legend. I carried that burden with me every day, and to be honest, I couldn't stand it."

Murdoch crossed his arms in front of him. "Where exactly is that 'legendary' sword of yours? I don't think I've ever seen you with it."

Link glanced behind himself at the dull soldier's sword that sat in the scabbard on his back, and he sighed. "I lost it. Ever since waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection, I haven't had the slightest clue where it is. I know you've seen me with it before, though. You were just too young to remember."

He watched his son shake his head dubiously. "Losing it doesn't sound very responsible to me."

"Look, that's not the point!" Link jabbed with quick smack of his forehead. "The thing is, without that sword…neither you nor your sisters would've ever been born." Murdoch began to interrupt again, but Link held up his hand to silence him. The misinterpretations were going to stop now. "I first met your mother in my earliest childhood years, back when I could barely walk straight. She felt more like a mother to me, if I had to be honest. She tended to my wounds, and she was always there to talk and laugh with me. But…it wasn't until I claimed the Master Sword and set out on my missions that I got led back to the Domain to see her again after nearly fifteen years. She looked like she hadn't aged a day in all that time."

As Link was reaching a minor pause in his reflective monologue, Sidon and the twins finally reached the top of the stairs off behind him on the platform. Noelani, true to routine, was fastened to the prince's back as they climbed the final steps, and upon reaching the top, the much larger Zora bent over to gently release her to a standing position. He and Mira gasped a little when they laid eyes on the dock and saw the distant silhouettes of Link and Murdoch through the thick, heavy rain. Behind all the rain and thunder, though, it was impossible to hear their conversation. Despite that, they decided to keep their distance so as to avoid disturbing the duo's supposed talk of disarmament.

With his focus still on his father, Murdoch didn't seem to notice the rest of his family standing off at the base of the platform. Therefore, he continued his argument with Link uninterrupted.

"What does any of that have to do with the Master Sword?" He sneered.

"Here's the bottom line. I agree that my burdening role in the Great Calamity was a tragic and unfortunate fate for us to have gone through, especially for costing Mipha her life, but it's the only way we ever could've been happy together in the first place." Murdoch gave him a skeptical and confused glare as he said this, but regardless, he stood his ground and proceeded with the wrap-up to his explanation. "I know you may feel like my numerous missions were pulling me away from our family, but Murdoch…it was on one of my missions that your mother and I first connected. Without my role as the chosen hero, Mipha would've merely been a distant childhood memory to me. A friend."

Link expected his son to start opening up and realizing his misunderstandings at this point, but instead, he seemed to remain fixated on his prejudices. It was almost as if the loss of both his parents in the Great Calamity had scarred him so badly, he didn't know how to understand. Link only hoped he'd be able to at least keep the troubled guard captain from going after the Divine Beast with his lethal shock-arrow shotgun. That, in itself, would be enough of a victory for the time being.

"That doesn't change the fact that you tossed us all aside once you actually had us…all in favor of your damn 'missions.' I would've expected you to care about us enough to at least stop Mother from handing herself over to your awful activities, but instead, I'll be having to clean up your mess for you." Murdoch spat.

"You will not be sacrificing yourself to avenge your mother. Not while I can still do it safely myself. By the way, I'll have you know that I hated having to leave all of you each time Zelda needed my assistance. If I had had the opportunity to lay down my duties and live out the rest of my life here with all of you, I would have done it in a heartbeat." He sighed as he put his hand on his forehead. "…That's not how Calamity Ganon works, though."

Murdoch's first response to that anecdote was not what Link expected. "How do you remember all this? According to my subordinates, you haven't even been here for twenty-four hours."

Link merely shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said, Murdoch, you'd be surprised by how much your sisters have helped me remember. I've managed to recover a few specific, descriptive moments from my past, but in between, I've been constantly remembering the feelings and emotions I've experienced from having Mipha as my wife and raising you children." He stared up at his son's face with the most serious face he could make, as this moment was one of his life's most important. "Just listen to my voice. Twenty-four hours ago, I couldn't even bring myself to speak with words. Now…I feel like a changed person because of you guys."

There was a sudden silence when Link finished his speech as Murdoch put a hand on his chin thoughtfully. Link had completely drowned out the rain and the thunder during their heated conversation, and as a result, he essentially forgot that they were standing in a thunderstorm. His debates with Murdoch always seemed to deprive him of his environmental awareness, which, for a warrior of his stature, was quite noteworthy. Once the silence arose, however, the ambient noises of Vah Ruta's tantrum returned to his conscience. From studying Murdoch's pensive behavior in this moment, he hoped he was finally getting somewhere with the stubborn Zora.

"Here, I have one for you. If your memory is so absorbent as you so claim." Murdoch proposed. "Do you remember the day Mother tried teaching us to climb waterfalls?"

Link's face lit up at this initial prompt. "Why, yes. That was at Veiled Falls. I was just there earlier with Mira and Lani."

"Do you remember any other details about that day? Anything else significant?" Murdoch queried. He had a confusingly judgmental tone in his voice while delivering that question.

"Other things?" Link repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Not really…"

Link was getting intrigued by whatever game Murdoch was suddenly playing. He had thought, for a moment, that he was finally getting his son to understand the reality of their past, but instead, it seemed almost like the cunning guard captain was steadily setting up another argument. The only choice he had, though…was to follow along and see what he had to say.

"After Mother's lesson." Murdoch continued. "Back home, right here, on the East Reservoir. There was a visitor."

Link started to recover a few memory pieces from Murdoch's description, but it was still too vague and hazy. He squinted his eyes as he tried to remember, but it wasn't coming right away. More explanation would be needed. "I…can't really…"

"I'm certain you remember the moment Calamity Ganon showed up. It was earlier that same day. Mother had had her waterfall lessons with us on the morning before the Great Calamity." The guard captain added with a narrowing of his gaze. He eyed his father directly as he waited patiently for him to put two and two together.

Shockingly, the mentioning of Mipha's waterfall lessons being on the day of the Calamity caused a click in Link's mind. Suddenly, he was given a chronology through which he could organize the events in his head, and in doing so, he was able to make connections between that morning at Veiled Falls and the evening he experienced the arrival of Calamity Ganon next to Mipha and the other Champions at the foot of Mt. Lanayru. From there, the afternoon Murdoch was trying to get him to remember was able to fall into the puzzle between two larger, more discernible events.

It was with that click that Link remembered his final moments together with his family before the deadly occurrence that would tear them apart for the next one hundred years. He remembered the last things he would do and say before departing from the Domain for the remainder of his children's adolescent lives. He remembered…the afternoon on the Eastern Reservoir, following Mipha's waterfall lessons.


"Oh, Link…I just wish I knew how to discipline them." Mipha sighed distantly.

"What do you mean?" Link responded with a raised eyebrow.

"You know…teaching them obedience. I love encouraging them whenever they do nice things…" She sighed again and bit her lip. "…but…even if they do something bad, or they don't listen to me, I don't want to have to punish them. I just end up feeling bad."

"Hey, now, I've seen you tell off Sidon a number of times when your father's not around!" Link replied with a warm chuckle. "I think you're pretty good at discipline."

Mipha looked at her husband with a silly grin on her face before returning to her audible thinking. "Yeah, well, Sidon's my brother, which is a different story entirely. Mira, Noelani, and Murdoch are my children, so…discouraging them just…doesn't feel right, even if it's for a good cause. Being a parent is something I'm still just not used to, I suppose."

A couple hours prior, the family had wrapped up their fruitless waterfall lessons at Veiled Falls for the morning. After a considerable amount of time spent trying to get her younglings to focus, Mipha had given up and elected for the family to depart and return to their private home on the East Reservoir platform. The walk through the Domain was uneventful, save for the few Zoras that paused their activities to acknowledge their princess and admire her little toddlers. Link had gotten a few nods as well, but he had received considerably less attention than his wife.

At the moment, they were settled comfortably by the water on the Reservoir's dock, enjoying more of the pristine weather. Link sat cross-legged with Murdoch hanging mischievously from the back of his shoulders like a chimpanzee. Mipha sat directly next to him in close proximity, with her legs dangling over the side into the water. Her daughters were positioned nicely on her lap, with Mira on her left thigh, and Noelani on her right. She kept her arms around them and held them close, both for protection and comfort. Mira seemed to be drifting off to sleep in her mother's arm, likely due to her explosion of activity back at the falls.

Link shrugged nonchalantly. "They seem pretty well-behaved to me. I think you do a great job."

Mipha, while appreciating her husband's compliment, did not exactly agree with him. "The real problem is Mira. She's always at her sister for some reason. I can tell her to stop, but without imposing any consequences, she always goes back at her again." She leaned forward and gazed thoughtfully at the sleeping Zora's face as it was buried in the softness of her mother's midsection. "It's only when she's tired that Lani gets the chance to thrive and relax."

Link took the chance to lean forward a bit and glance around Mira at Noelani's face. Their blind daughter did not have any sort of identifiable expression on her face. Her eyelids were half-closed, and her cloudy irises seemed to stare blankly through her sister and into the distance beyond. "You know…Lani looks pretty sleepy, too."

Mipha turned her head and followed Link's gaze to their daughter's ghostly-looking face. "Oh, she's not tired. Not at all."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Mipha nodded her head solemnly as she turned back to look directly at her husband. "Certainly. As you know, you're gone on your missions a lot, so you don't often get to see her like this." She explained softly, with a bit of worried emotion in her voice. "While you're gone, when I'm alone up here with them, she seems to do that a lot. It almost looks like she's…thinking about something. Her quietness and lack of energy…it just…really worries me sometimes. She should be acting more playful like her siblings."

"…Do you think it has something to do with Mira? Like perhaps she's more reserved because she's afraid of her sister?" He suggested.

"I don't know, maybe." Mipha shrugged unsurely. "I've been planning to sit down with little Lani one of these days and have a heartfelt one-on-one with her. I want to know what kind of things go through her head in times like this. I want to know if she'll be okay."

Link nodded his head in understanding. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll have no issue watching Mira and Murdoch for you in the meantime."

Mipha grinned at him, causing his heart to flutter for a quick moment. "Do you really think you can handle Murdoch and Mira at the same time? Murdoch alone can be quite a handful, you know."

Just as she had said this, Murdoch yanked down really hard on Link's shoulders and propelled himself upward, around the side of his father's head. Landing square on Link's crossed thighs after a graceful arc through the air, his eager son glanced up into his eyes with an abundant cache of energy that apparently seemed to outlast his rambunctious sister. After Link's startled, wide eyes returned to normal, a smile appeared on his face.

"Hey Dad, Dad, lookit this!" He beamed. He held up one of his hands, and to Link's complete surprise, a hot-footed frog was sitting in his outstretched palm. It looked an awful lot like the same one he had showed him back at the falls earlier.

Link gasped at this sight. "Murdoch, where did you get that? I thought I told you to put that frog back before we left Veiled Falls!"

Murdoch's only response was a mischievous giggle. Mipha glared at him in slight disapproval, but just as before, she did not say anything. She glanced up at Link for a moment to see what his next move would be.

Link scratched the back of his head. "How did you even get that all the way here without me seeing it?"

Again, Murdoch did not answer with words. Instead, he opened his mouth as widely as he could, exposing his pointy, shark-like teeth to his father. Then, he reached up with his free hand, and he pointed inward towards the back of his throat. Link grimaced as he was shown this display. Mipha even cringed a little.

"Okay…that's kind of nasty." Link uttered. He reared his head back at the pungent smell of frog on his son's breath. "…Not to mention dangerous. You don't know where that frog has been."

During one of his earlier trips with Princess Zelda, in a field just west of the castle, she had mentioned something to him about frogs causing special effects if ingested. The effects differed depending on the frog, obviously, but in this case, Link was unsure if Zoras could even be affected by such things. If they could, though, whatever effect it caused would wear off eventually. Whatever the deal was, it was probably best that his son discard the frog like he had been asked before.

Mipha finally decided to step in for him. "Alright, Murdoch, why don't you let him go now? He needs to go back to the water where he belongs."

Still, Murdoch decided not to say anything. In response to his mother's gentle demand, he turned in place toward the lake, where Vah Ruta remained in its calm, dormant state, and he brought his frog hand back behind his head. Then, before either of his parents could realize what he was doing, he whipped his arm forward in an overhand swing and chucked the small amphibian as hard as he could toward the Divine Beast. It soared through the air in a rather sizable arc before plummeting downwards and splashing out in the deepest region of the water. Link and Mipha stared at the frog's landing point with slacked jaws.

"Well…that's one way to do it…" Link stammered awkwardly. Murdoch began giggling playfully again at his father's response, as he seemed to find no fault in the thing he had just done.

Mipha shook her head as she looked over at Link with another relaxed grin. "Speaking of 'discipline,' Link…you might not be so good at it yourself."

Link couldn't hold back a hearty chuckle as he turned to look at his reckless and frisky son. "Hey, what can I say? Murdoch and I are best pals!" He made a funny face at Murdoch. "Isn't that right?"

"Yeeeeeah!" Murdoch cheered. He threw both his arms in the air above his head before falling forward and letting them land on Link's waist. "Best pals!"

Mipha was truly moved by what she was seeing. Her husband seemed connected on such a deep level with their son. For someone who constantly had to deal with a plethora of binding responsibilities, Link really had himself dedicated to the family he had agreed to have with her. She, along with the children she bore, seemed to truly be the light in his world. Despite their nagging and stressful roles as Hyrule's Champions, it truly filled Mipha with peace to know that she and their family could give Link so much happiness. Surely, such perfection could never be forgotten.

Their moment together was interrupted, suddenly, as the sound of many footsteps began to reach their ears from the platform behind them. Judging by the quantity of them, they interpreted the steps as those of a large group, rather than of one or two visitors. Startled by the noise, Mipha turned around toward the base of the dock, followed shortly by Link.

Behind them, walking towards the dock from the top of the stairs, was Princess Zelda. Behind her, following in a loosely-knit bundle, were the other three Champions. Urbosa, the chief of the Gerudo, walked almost directly by Zelda's side. Revali, principal warrior of the Rito, strolled carelessly behind the Hylian princess, unamused as usual. In the back, behind the other three, was the great Daruk, boss of the Goron people. Muzu was even amongst the group, walking next to Daruk behind the others, with Prince Sidon hoisted in his arms.

The princess greeted Link and Mipha with a warm, but stern, smile. "It's good to see you two again. Mipha, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Mipha chuckled nervously. "Yeah, um…I…I would say so. Happy seventeenth birthday, Princess." Her back was still facing the group, along with Link's, which shielded their children from the Champions' view. She and Link had done a good job of keeping their family life secret from the rest of the Champions, and at this moment, she wondered if it'd really be the best time to reveal the truth to their unexpecting eyes.

Link, on the other hand, fell into complete and utter silence again. Even after being his spouse for many months now, Mipha still could not figure out what about him caused him to go mute whenever Zelda or the other Champions were around him. It was honestly like he was barring himself from the outside world, only revealing his true spirit to her and the children. It appeared she would have to draw some time to talk with him as well and figure out where his insecurities lay.

At the moment, however, she and Link were stuck looking back from the edge of the dock at the crowd of Champions with a deer-in-the-headlights look in their eyes. Undoubtedly, they had not expected the princess to come visit them so soon.

"What have you got there? Pardon my nosiness, but it looks like you're each holding something." Zelda asked politely.

Mipha looked over at Link, and he glanced back at her. They may not have been able to discuss this with each other aloud, but in reality, it was not really needed. From merely staring at each other, they could agree on how stranded they were in this situation. And so, after sharing each other's gaze for a brief moment, they took their only option. She sighed, and the two of them reluctantly stood up and turned their bodies around. Once they did so, Mira, Noelani, and Murdoch entered the view of Zelda and the Champions. Mira was still asleep, and Noelani couldn't see what was going on, but when Murdoch was revealed to the unfamiliar group standing before him, his smile faded, and he turned to hide his face in Link's tunic.

A long and drawn-out gasp emanated from the group, save for Muzu and the young prince in his arms. Everyone's eyes widened in utter shock and awe at the sight of the little Zora toddlers, and they engaged in a quiet flurry of amazed murmurs. Zelda accompanied her surprised reaction with a hand on her chest.

"Oh! Oh…Oh my…" She stuttered.

Urbosa's shocked expression quickly faded into an intrigued smile as she put her hand on her hip. "Well, I'll be…"

"So…you've been busy, eh?" Revali added with a disapproving scoff. "…Cute."

Daruk nudged Revali in the back, causing him to lose his footing and stumble a bit. "Revali, be nice." He ordered in his deep, booming voice. "I think they're adorable, little guy."

"They're somewhere between four and five months old." Muzu informed from behind the stunned Champions. "Their eggs all hatched at the same time, making them the third group of triplets born in recorded Zoran history. They have each developed maturity equal to that of a Hylian four-year-old."

"That's so fascinating…" Zelda whispered hypnotically. Her eyes were focused on the girls in Mipha's arms, and as she and the other Champions listened to Muzu's informative dialogue, she stepped closer to Mipha on the dock. "…So this is what you've been doing during your time off…"

She reached out with her soft, gentle hand to caress Noelani's cheek as the tiny Zora stared obliviously in another direction. Before she could do so, however, Mipha took a step backward and shifted Noelani out of the princess's reach before shaking her head. Zelda retreated her hand back as she received the Zora Champion's subtle rejection.

"Please excuse my bluntness, Princess, but I would advise against touching Noelani. You see…she was born blind, and as such, she's…very easily startled." Mipha explained timidly.

There was another gasp from the group as she said this. It was not immediately obvious what the Champions thought of Link and Mipha's offspring…whether it was joy, confusion, envy, disgust…they couldn't be sure. The thing that was obvious, though, was their sheer interest in the couple's younglings. It seemed especially apparent in Zelda's behavior.

"What are their names?" She asked eagerly.

Mipha took a deep breath. She'd answer the question, but neither she nor Link were in the mood to go sharing too many details to their sudden visitors. "The one I just mentioned is Noelani. The sleeping one next to her is Mira. And…over there in Link's arms…is Murdoch."

The two of them earned loving coos from Zelda, Urbosa, and Daruk as Mipha listed the children's names. Revali merely crossed his feathery arms and refused to even smile. Muzu did not react, since he was obviously familiar with the Zora Champion's family already. There was a small glimmer of recognition in Zelda's eyes upon hearing their son's name.

"Murdoch…that's an extraordinary name. It means 'protector of the sea,' doesn't it?" She asked with intrigue. Link answered her question with a simple nod of his head.

Muzu could tell how uncomfortable Zelda's questions were making Link and Mipha, so he decided to cut to the chase for them. No one could really blame the princess for being curious, though. After all, this was her first time learning of an entire secret life held by her bodyguard and one of her selected Champions. Surely, such information would pass as a remarkable surprise to anyone. She seemed genuinely interested in the two of them and their three children, but beneath that, it was impossible for him to tell if her thoughts were positive or negative.

The elder Zora cleared his throat. "Zelda has arrived at our Domain today to request your accompaniment at Mt. Lanayru. I was informed that you'll be needed as her usual bodyguard, and dear Mipha will be required to stand vigilantly with the other Champions in the event of an unexpected catastrophe."

Zelda folded her hands in front of her and, while looking directly at Link and Mipha, nodded her head once to confirm Muzu's description. Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk all stared at them as well in patient wait for their response. All four Champions, as well as Link and Zelda, knew the truth, and that was that there wouldn't really be a choice. Hyrule's priorities were the Champions' priorities, and there weren't going to be any questions about it. Therefore, the time Mipha had been dreading…was upon them.

"But…" She quivered. "…who will watch…the…?"

Muzu stepped forward and quietly cut her off. "I'll watch the kids, Princess. It's actually why I came up here with the other Champions in the first place. It's really no trouble."

With her head held down sorrowfully, Mipha began to walk slowly toward the Champions on her way to the awning, carrying her twins in each arm. Link followed closely behind her with Murdoch held firmly against his chest. As the couple approached the group, they all stepped aside and allowed them to pass through on their way to their bed under the awning. Muzu followed the two of them to the awning after they passed him.

"Do you know how to take care of them?" She asked uncertainly.

The elder let out a dry, raspy chuckle. "Of course. I took care of you in your infant years, didn't I?"

Mipha managed a weak smile at Muzu's assuring confidence. "I tell you, Mira and Murdoch can be really wild sometimes. The hardest part is keeping Noelani protected from her sister, and keeping Murdoch from…well…swallowing any frogs."

"I'm an old master, Princess. It shall be no problem at all." He repeated calmly. "Plus, it's only until this evening, so even if they're getting difficult, I know you'll be able to handle them later tonight."

Mipha nodded at his last statement as she leaned over the bed with her daughters. As carefully as possible, to avoid waking her up, she laid Mira down on the pillow, turned sideways so her short tailfin wouldn't get tugged under her body. She then did the same thing with Noelani, but at the foot of the bed, and she was sure to position her so she was sitting up. The blind Zora's eyes were still fixed on an unknown void object…as if she had barely been paying attention to anything going on around her.

After Mipha stepped away, Link stepped in to hand Murdoch directly to Muzu. Had he decided to set his son down on the bed or the ground, it probably wouldn't have been long before he'd start tearing into the drink glasses on the banister or trying to wake up his napping sister. Muzu shifted Prince Sidon over to his right arm so he could reach out with his left and accept Link and Mipha's jumpy son. Murdoch immediately unhid his face and turned to look at his parting father.

"Well…I suppose that covers everything." Mipha stated sadly. "Murdoch, you be good to Muzu, alright?"

"What about Lani?" Murdoch pouted in response. "Doesn't she have to be good?"

Mipha gave her son a stern glare. "Lani is always good. You could learn a thing or two from her, you know."

The Champions all laughed wholesomely at Mipha's clever, parental jab. She wanted to laugh herself, but on the inside, she was beginning to feel the pain of having to leave her children behind. It was the kind of thing the children were supposed to do to the parents when they were older, not the other way around just months after they're first hatched. She instead took a deep breath and tried to push the thoughts from her mind. She was just overreacting. After all…it was just for the day…

She turned to face Zelda and her fellow Champions after her brief internal struggle. "Okay…I think Link and I are ready to go. My Champion's cloth is downstairs in my father's chamber."

Muzu stayed up on the platform with Sidon and the kids while the newly-unified group of Champions began to exit on their way to the staircase. Link and Mipha were the last ones in the group to leave the platform, and on their way out, Link stopped as he heard a soft noise come from Noelani. It was the first time she spoke since returning to the East Reservoir that afternoon.

"Bye, Daddy…" She said quietly. "…I love you."

Link stood in emotional silence for a moment as he tried to stomach those words. He may have only been leaving for the day, as he had done many times before, but something felt heavy about his daughter's words as they were said. Something sat heavy in his heart.

"I love you, too." He whispered back.

Murdoch suddenly added his own input, at a much higher volume. "Dad, don't leave! I'll miss you!" Muzu had to quietly shush the jittery Zora as he said this, in order to remind him of his sleeping sister.

"It's only for the day, Murdoch!" Link called. "I promise, I'll be back soon!"

But, the truth was…Link would not be back soon. As he turned back around and descended the stairs of the East Reservoir by Mipha's side, he left his children behind for what would be a staggering one hundred years. Their kids would get the chance to briefly see their mother one last time before she entered the Divine Beast later that evening, but as for their father…

He would not be returning anytime soon.


Link almost did not want to open his eyes. As his mind began to force him back to the present, his ears became filled with the familiar sound of the pounding rain and roaring thunder around him. He knew Murdoch would be staring at him judgmentally, and that thought did not exactly make him any more comfortable. Eventually, though, he figured, he had to take charge. When his eyelids slowly opened and got reintroduced to Vah Ruta's howling wetness, his suspicion was confirmed.

"So." Murdoch began coldly. Link was suddenly taken aback by how tall and intimidating his son was compared to his early childhood. "Was that enjoyable?"

"Murdoch, I…it…you know…" He stopped and took a deep breath. "…No, it wasn't."

"It shouldn't have been." The guard captain scowled. "That was the moment you broke my heart and betrayed us all."

"I didn't want to do it…" The defeated Hylian uttered. "…I would've given anything…"

Murdoch put his hand up. "You know, Father, don't worry about it. It's okay."

Link's eyes widened slightly. "R…Really?"

"Yes, it's okay." His son repeated as he reached behind his head and withdrew his stolen Lynel bow. "Because I'm about to finally make things right."

Murdoch turned around on the dock and directed his focus at Vah Ruta, just in time for it to release another wind-piercing roar. Link was forced to cover his ears again, and with barely enough time to comprehend what his son was doing, he watched as Murdoch bent his knees and prepared for a jump.

"Wait, Murdoch…NO!"

As the words escaped Link's mouth, Murdoch leapt gracefully into the air and, with a twirl, dove into the sloshing waters of the East Reservoir. Link, along with Mira and Sidon on the platform, watched in utter dismay as the guard captain slithered underwater toward the Divine Beast.