A hundred years was a long time to be out of the loop. It was a long time to be stored away, separate from the universe, in a dreamlike state while the land he knew as home wasted away under Ganon's influence. It was a long time to leave Mira, Noelani, and Murdoch without a father. It was a long time to leave Zora's Domain in fear of an infected machine…that was supposed to be their protector. It was a long time, in general, to be absent.
However, a hundred years was also a long time for that same infected machine to lay dormant while the impending return of the Calamity sat locked in Hyrule Castle. Because of this, Link figured, rather foolishly, that the thing would at least be able to hold off its catastrophic flood powers for a few more days…until he could sort out some pressing personal matters. After all, a hundred years was a long time, and Zora's Domain had turned out to house some serious baggage concerning his past. Reuniting with his precious descendants did not seem like much to ask for, but, quite frankly…Vah Ruta did not answer to the will of mortals.
After allowing the Divine Beast too much time to fill the Eastern Reservoir, Link and Murdoch had realized the severity of the threat to the Zoras and the entire Lanayru Bay. No farther could the water levels rise, or the entire ancient legacy of the Zoras would be lost to the roaring tides. The days they had been allotted were reduced to a couple hours, and so, time could not be wasted reaching the king's chamber on foot. Therefore, as Link's scattered thoughts ran through the potentially disastrous events of the future, he glided along freely through the air on his way back to the grand staircase.
It wasn't until he landed on the halfway point of the connecting bridge, unfortunately, that he realized he didn't have a fast way back up the dam. Gliding down to the Domain was easy, but now that he was landing near the body of the Domain itself, he would have to make another lengthy trek across the bridge and up the stairs to return to the Reservoir. Sidon would certainly have to make the trip as well, since Link would need an escort to move him quickly through the lake, and Murdoch was technically still in recovery. Had they the time for such a route, with Vah Ruta rapidly closing in on the entire valley?
He was about to get some crucial answers, while also hopefully obtaining his century-old Zora armor from either Sidon or King Dorephan. It definitely would've been a useful thing to have sooner.
He barreled his way along the bridge and up the slippery steps of his father-in-law's chamber the moment his feet touched the ground. He passed by the two guards that stood resolutely at the sides of the staircase's base, and as usual, they paid him no mind. It seemed almost spooky that they, along with the rest of the Zoras in the Domain, weren't yet aware of the condition of the East Reservoir. He figured that, hopefully, they wouldn't ever have to find out.
After rushing up the rain-blanketed stairs, slipping a few times in the process, Link stumbled haphazardly into King Dorephan's chamber. True to his expectations, Mira and Prince Sidon were standing in there alongside their elder. Their backs were turned to Link, but as soon as his spongey footsteps could be heard summitting the stairs, they turned around to look at him. Mira reacted swiftly to his presence, with a question he completely expected.
"Dad!" She gasped. "M…Murdoch's okay…right?"
He wasted no time in nodding his head. "Yes, he is. Lani said tha…"
"Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!" She beamed, cutting Link off abruptly. She looked over at Sidon. "See, Uncle, I told you he'd be okay! D'oh…I'm so glad!"
Link managed a small smile. A lot was at stake at the moment, but seeing such radiant happiness coming from one of his children, considering the way things had been, was always a pleasant experience. "Alright, Mira, calm down a bit."
King Dorephan chuckled wholesomely at his granddaughter's gleeful outburst. The room seemed to quiver just slightly from the booming power of the king's laugh, despite its relaxed nature. He narrowed his gaze to Link, his smile still showing.
"By the way, I am surprised to hear you speaking, Link!" He bellowed in his deep voice. "I can't remember the last time I heard that lively voice of yours!"
"I'd say…Mira and her siblings helped break me out of my silence a bit." Link replied with a small shrug. "I'll admit…they've helped separate me from the pressures of venturing to revive Hyrule." The king seemed satisfied with this answer, but he followed up with another question.
"Also…why did you take off on us yesterday? You had me believing you had departed in our hour of need!" He queried with a bit of concern.
Link glanced absently to the side. "I was just confused. Muzu wasn't being very welcoming, and I…guess I didn't know what I had done wrong. Since then, I've just been trying to recover my memories of the Domain after Mira and Lani addressed me at the inn."
The king nodded slowly in acknowledgement, but his face seemed to show something more. A mixture of things, perhaps. "That's perfectly understandable, Link, but…you really had some of us worried. Sidon and I were beginning to wonder if you had possibly abandoned any plans to help us appease Vah Ruta."
"The thought never crossed my mind." Link assured. "In fact, with Mira, Lani, and Murdoch having helped me with my memories, my insistence on saving this Domain is as strong as ever. I now know it as my home, and I would never sit by and watch it flood under Vah Ruta's might."
King Dorephan seemed greatly pleased with Link's promise, but his worry rightfully remained. Nonetheless, a large deal had transpired in the time since their last meeting, and now, the conditions of their consultation were much more desirable. Now that they were on the same page, proper coordinating could be done to ensure the Divine Beast's defeat and the safety of the Zora people. Murdoch's eager plunge into the lake was certainly a notable attempt, but it was executed in all the wrong ways…and for all the wrong reasons. With Link and Sidon working together, though, the king found victory to be well within reach. It was better late than never.
He nodded his head and folded his large, clammy hands together. "That is good to hear, Link. I am ever grateful that my daughter was able to find a spouse like you."
Link genuinely wanted to smile a second time after that compliment was handed, but in reality, the reminder of Mipha's passing just…didn't feel too good. Of course, once the entire matter of Calamity Ganon and the Divine Beasts was handled, he would be able to return to his offspring and continue living in Zora's Domain the way he had intended a hundred years before. Without Mipha, though…it just wouldn't feel the same. There would always be that void to fill…nagging as ever.
Wait…what was he thinking? Now was not the time for this.
"So, uh…I came down here from the Reservoir platform to warn you guys." He declared, leaving the king's compliment awkwardly hanging. "The lake is about to flood."
An atmosphere of shock filled the chamber at Link's announcement as all three recipients of the information reacted differently. Mira made a sharp gasp while bringing her hand up to her mouth. Prince Sidon's eyes widened in concern and…what seemed to be…a miniscule amount of surprise. The king's response was the least external, as his only visible motions were the closing of his eyes and the leaning back of his gargantuan body in his throne.
"So it is, I see." He mumbled solemnly.
"Yes." Link continued with a static expression. "Shortly after Murdoch's revival, we discovered water flowing above the edge of the platform. As we speak, it is dripping down the first few steps of the dam. Murdoch estimates our remaining time at…a few hours, at best."
"I was afraid of this." Prince Sidon added with a shake of his head. "Therefore…I am rather surprised I was not able to notice this trend earlier on the lake. Perhaps…I was merely distracted by the dire condition of my nephew."
"An understandable mistake, my son." The king assured. He continued to look directly at Link with further intent. "Now, Link, regarding this looming threat…there was something I meant to give you yesterday before you left my quarters…"
"My ceremonial armor, correct? The one made for me by Mipha?" Link guessed, cutting the king off.
Rather than getting annoyed, the king merely smirked. "Indeed. You've been catching up on your memories quite well, I assume?"
"Murdoch helped me remember. It's actually what I came back down here for." Link quickly explained.
Sidon stepped around behind his father's throne for a moment, disappearing from sight as he did so. Link and Mira continued to stand side by side before the king, their tiny frames dwarfed by his in the confining chamber. There was a certain atmosphere to the moment…given the rise of their current circumstances…but Link couldn't really describe it. Something mutually eerie could be felt in the silence they shared.
With the way Mira was staring at him, though, he had a feeling she was having similar thoughts, and she probably had a better adjective to use.
Regardless, it wasn't long before Sidon reappeared with what could obviously be seen as Link's custom armor. Its glittery ornaments jingled as the prince carried it over to him. The main structure of it was woven with a pliable, waterproof material that reflected a surprising amount of light coming at it. The ensemble was equipped with a sturdy pair of shiny shoulder pads, able to deflect even the sharpest of arrows, he figured. A thin chain, designed to securely wrap around the shoulder and down to his hip, was included with the set, and it could be seen glinting in his eye with a polished symbol of Nayru…exactly like the one worn on Mipha's and the twins' headpieces. Its entire backside was reinforced with a layer of brownish scales, stitched together in a neat pattern with organized overlaps.
"Wow…" He uttered stupidly as Sidon held the set out to him. Mira smirked at the sight of her mother's expert handiwork.
"Since us Zora cannot handle electricity, as you saw with your son, our hope was that you would use Mipha's armor to ascend Vah Ruta's waterfalls and charge its energy outlets with shock arrows." The king explained. "We see no other way to deal with this Beast."
"Muzu sure had an idea…" Mira mumbled irritably. No one seemed to hear her.
As Link carefully took the armor and began looking through its pieces, Prince Sidon addressed him on some of its properties.
"That rhomboidal neckpiece with the aquamarines on its sides is actually a sealed locket." He informed with a very serious look on his face. "I ask that you please be extremely careful with it, for it contains the last existing scale of my sister."
Link's eyes widened as he was overwhelmed with amazement. "Really? One of Mipha's scales is in here?"
The prince nodded his head and sighed. "Indeed. Whenever a Zora princess crafts armor for her chosen husband, she always includes one of her own scales in the ensemble as a protective offering to the one she loves. It's been a tradition of our people for many generations."
Link was suddenly overcome with an enchanting…but somehow melancholic…feeling as he held the treasure in his hands. Frankly, he had absolutely no clue how such an armor set, with its simple, worldly materials, could allow a Hylian like him to ascend waterfalls like a Zora. It felt almost as if…some kind of magic had to be involved. What mattered more to him, though, was the scale supposedly contained within the shiny neckpiece. It was in perfect condition, along with the rest of the ensemble, which was incredible, given its age. On the other hand, being that the precious armor contained a piece of Mipha herself, perhaps Sidon and the king had felt obligated to keep it all as wear-free as possible.
He felt a strong urge to put the armor on right away and see how it fit after a long century in isolation. His body hadn't changed much, to be honest, so he didn't actually expect it to fit poorly at all. Regardless, he was also eager to once again bear the scale of Mipha around his neck. He felt like doing so would help him feel more closure…
…the closure of being able to fight by his wife's side once more.
He was stopped from doing so, however, as Prince Sidon took a step forward and cleared his throat.
"Um…Link, there's actually one more thing we'd like to give you." He declared.
Link looked up from the neckpiece at which he was staring. He settled his gaze on the prince without a word to reply.
Prince Sidon held up his hand with a fully extended arm, presenting something to Link. It was something small, judging by the intricate curling of his fingers. Link took a couple steps forward and examined the prince's hand, and as he did so, the object held within became clearer to see. Once he determined what it was, he immediately recognized it.
"It's your wedding ring." Prince Sidon stated in a hushed voice. "The proof of our brotherhood. My father and I recovered it after the Great Calamity."
For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Link was speechless. He remembered having briefly lamented over the loss of his wedding ring the day before, shortly after recovering the memory of his marriage to Mipha. Now, it was sitting right here before him, in the palm of Sidon's outstretched hand. Like the neckpiece on his armor containing Mipha's scale, the ring seemed polished beautifully, its smooth, gold finish reflecting the blue light of the chamber into Link's eyes.
He took a few slow steps forward, staring hypnotically at his misplaced ring. The gaze of everyone else in the room remained on him as he moved gradually toward his reunion with one of his most precious belongings. The moment, to him, was on par with the wish-granting powers of the Triforce. It almost seemed too good to be true.
"H…How did you get this…" He uttered, his eyes still fixed on the object.
"Apparently, it was lost in a grassy meadow not too far from Kakariko Village on the day of the Calamity." The prince explained solemnly. "Neither my father nor I have ever been near that location, so I don't know how difficult it would've been to find it."
Link had not yet recovered the memory of his defeat in the Great Calamity, so he also could not picture the location. It made sense that he'd lose his ring in the heat of battle…of all things…especially while fending off the likes of Ganon. However, something immediately struck him as strange upon hearing the prince's explanation.
"Wait…if you've never been there…" He looked up at Sidon. "…how did you recover my ring?"
Prince Sidon smiled a little, which caught Link by surprise. "Princess Zelda returned it to us."
Link stopped everything in his head and blinked a few times. "Er…what?"
Before speaking, Sidon grabbed Link's wrist with his free hand, held it out, and dropped the ring into his palm. Link aptly took the ring in his other hand and steadily slipped it onto his finger. The metal was cold, but it didn't take long to reheat to his body temperature. It felt…right.
"She showed up to my father's chamber the night after the disaster with two sheikah men by her side." The prince began. "She wore her same flowing, white dress, but at that point, it had looked deeply tattered and dirty. Mira, Lani, and Murdoch were all there too, along with Muzu, as he and my father were trying to figure out who was going to care for your little ones after the loss of you and my sister."
"Did she say anything about me?" Link asked curiously.
The prince shook his head with closed eyes. "She only said two sentences the entire time she was in our presence. As she presented the ring to my father and prepared to make her departure, she said…'I'm sorry. I will try to make things right.'" He paused with an intensely pensive look on his face. "When she turned around and began to descend the grand staircase, we all saw your sword fastened to her back. It looked…beaten and rusty."
Link glanced over at Mira as he tried to imagine that moment from her perspective. Being visited by the Hylian princess, after both your parents didn't make it home…well, it must've been pretty hard to endure. It would've been the equivalent of a pair of royal knights showing up at your doorstep with the folded flag of the royal family…except…with two of them. Ouch. And…seeing her father's dilapidated sword at the same time…
He drew in a deep breath. "I…I see."
Prince Sidon rested a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder, seeing the anguish running through his head. "It's okay now. In these troubling times, you have returned to us, and now, we have your support in putting that Beast to rest. The spirit of my sister will live on in all our hearts, and with that fact, there is nothing we won't be able to endure together."
Mira took a few giddy steps toward Link and threw her arms around him, catching him and the prince slightly off guard. King Dorephan sat back in his throne and grinned, satisfied deeply with his son's short, but moving, speech. All the details of the story were there, told in every bit of their dreadfulness, but from the ashes, they knew that new life was always born. Mipha would still always be there from the spirit world, and in the real world, her and Link's children were there to carry on her life and legacy. All was not lost. Was it ever, really?
"I must remember to thank Zelda once I deal with Ganon." Link mentioned. "For saving my ring. Assuming it had fallen off, it must've been impossible to find."
The king hummed in response to this. "Ah, but before you deal with Calamity Ganon…you must dispense with the Divine Beasts."
"This is true." Prince Sidon added with a suggesting glance in Link's direction. "Given the news you provided us with just now, I think I know of a good place to start."
"Oh…right." Link blurted. He shook off his entranced thoughts as he was brought back to the topic he had urgently arrived for in the first place. Murdoch was probably standing up to his ankles in water at the East Reservoir by this point. Something had to be done.
"Indeed." The king declared. "Sidon, you go with Link up to the lake to face Vah Ruta. Link showed us yesterday that he is in possession of shock arrows, so there is no reason for concern on that front. I shall send for Muzu to ensure the town's Zoras do not grow panicked in the event of a negative turnout. And…as for Mira…?"
"I'm going up there with Dad." She answered confidently, slightly cutting him off. "My siblings are up there as well, and this is…you know…very important to us."
He grinned. "Very well. I will see you all down here again when the moonlight finally shines on our humble Domain. May you have the best of luck."
Link bowed his head briefly to acknowledge the king's farewell. He then turned around and briskly bounded toward the grand staircase on what would soon be his way back up to the Eastern Reservoir to contend with the Divine Beast. Sidon and Mira followed closely behind him, struggling initially to match his pace. The king watched in calm thought as his gracious kin left his presence to go save their home…and the home of his subjects.
"Mom…" He yawned.
"Hmm?" She responded intently. She shook off her absent thoughts and gave him her full attention.
"…Why is Dad gone so often?"
Murdoch and Mipha were the last active souls still present on the Reservoir platform that night. It had been an exciting and eventful day, filled with splashing and playing in the shallow waters of Mikau Lake, and the drowsy little Zora's sisters were already fast asleep on the two sides of the waterbed behind him. On top of that, Link was gone at the moment, as he was accompanying Zelda at the Spring of Power near North Akkala Valley. He was not expected to return until the wee hours of the morning, at least.
Normally, Mipha would've laid him down next to his siblings at their normal bedtime so they could all sleep together, but…tonight seemed different. She had been so tied up trying to keep Noelani comfortable lately, that…she realized she had not taken much time to sit and share connections with her son. After Link had departed for Akkala with Zelda earlier that evening, and the girls had started drifting off, Murdoch was the only one still standing. So…she decided she'd stay up with him and share a little alone time by the water. He seemed to be…especially thoughtful tonight.
"Well, your dad…he's…very busy, you know. He does a lot for the princess and the kingdom of Hyrule." She explained passively.
"But…you're a princess, too." He mentioned.
She smiled down at him warmly. "That's right."
He continued staring out at the lake, seemingly detached from his surroundings. "So…why can't he stay here and do stuff for you?"
At this, she had to chuckle a little bit. It was clear he missed his father, and with the somewhat sound logic of his childhood innocence, it seemed to show rather clearly. It was also pretty cute the way he made hasty connections like that…as with the tendencies of children his age. However, she felt perfect empathy toward his longing. She wished her husband could be with her always…at all times of the day, but…other things had to come first.
"Oh, Murdoch…he does stuff for me constantly. More than you'd ever know. He tries to be here for us all." She assured.
"Then…" He mumbled. "…why is he always so busy? Can't he be here with us instead of with the princess?"
She sighed very deeply at his lonely questions, turning her head and fixing her gaze on the Divine Beast, which was still sitting in complete silence in the center of the lake. "Because…life is a little tough right now. Strange things are happening, and…your father and I just want to make sure you children are safe and happy. Zelda is trying to help us, too."
"St…Strange things? What things?" He stuttered nervously.
"Just…" She paused for a moment as she tried to conjure a proper euphemism. "…some changes. Old legends tell of some special changes throughout the land, and we just don't know what to expect. We always want to be careful."
She hoped her loving, gentle voice would be enough to soothe him, and for the time being, it seemed like it might've been working. Worry had a tendency to spread, and if she allowed her precious son to catch a glimpse of the Hylian princess's omens, his chances of comfort and happiness might be at stake, as well as those of his siblings. There was no telling when, or even if, Calamity Ganon would return, so she wanted to do her best to keep the worries out of their heads. They were only children, after all, so they didn't deserve to share in her constant fear.
He put his tiny hands on his hips and puffed his chest out slightly. "Well, if I were a big, strong knight like Dad, I would always try to protect you. I'd never leave you, Mom."
Mipha's heart swelled a little bit at his young and powerful words, but something still stuck uncomfortably in her mind. He obviously loved his dad…very, very much…but because of that love, his impressions of him seemed to be a bit…unstable. So much so…that Link's absence seemed to be brewing resentment in their son. It was only slight, of course, and it was always common for young children to feel very strongly in their emotions, but…
…she wished Murdoch would give his father more credit where credit was due.
Murdoch shook his head and blinked a few times, and his quick memory vanished. Staring at the Divine Beast out on the lake just…always seemed to make his mind wander. Sure, everything looked significantly less tranquil now, but the basic sight still implanted the same recollections in his head. He missed the times when Vah Ruta didn't look so…threatening.
He could've sworn that, during that brief fragment of the past, he was able to read into his mother's feelings a few times. It was a strange phenomenon…almost as if he shared the same mind with her. It was now, standing upon the Divine Beast's territory as a grown adult, one hundred years later, that he could begin to see the error in his childhood ways. He had held Link on such a godly pedestal that he let it affect him negatively when his father couldn't meet his expectations. And then when he didn't return…after promising he'd be back…
Yes, it all made sense now. The gentle and nudging voice he had heard at the apex of his attack earlier, on one hand, had helped him to realize the impurities in his behavior as a bitter and judgmental adult. But now…on the other hand…his recent memory, structured oddly with the internal emotions of his mother, was helping him to see his issues as a child. He could suddenly dive into a sense of self-awareness and make the connections between his hidden feelings as a child and his budding loneliness and anger as an adolescent.
Murdoch knew he was intelligent. That much was certain. But it also occurred to him that…self-revelations like this were not typical of his behavior. He never really took the time to step back and reflect on himself, due to feeling so strongly in his convictions. This, amongst other thoughts, swirled about in his head as he stared curiously at the Divine Beast, the overflowing rainwater nipping at his feet, and his sister resting in the bed behind him. Truly, this was an unusual time for him, and, being the second time that day, he got a familiar, dwelling feeling. It felt…almost like…she was speaking to him again.
He finally mustered up the intrigue to speak out loud, albeit in a tiny, weak whisper. "M…Mother? Is…Is that you?"
"Murdoch!" A vibrant, familiar voice called, cutting off his supernatural mind trip.
He jumped a bit, startled at the sudden call. Turning toward the dripping staircase, which was the source of the noise, he spotted Mira just reaching the top alongside Link and Sidon. She looked absurdly ecstatic, as if the greatest thing ever had just happened to her. In a way, that was probably an accurate description, and he could easily figure what that greatest thing was.
As soon as he met her gaze, she began running eagerly towards him, her feet making small splashes in the floodwater beneath. Before he had a chance to react in any way, she jumped onto him and tackled him to the ground, causing a much larger splash against the platform's surface, and a small, surprised cry on his part. This confirmed his hypothesis.
"Well…hello, Mira…" He sputtered as she squeezed his chest. "…this is, uh…quite unlike you, I must say."
Her eyes widened as her brother's words caused her to ease back into reality. "Oh, right…um…" She quickly lifted herself up off the watery ground and imitated the gesture of brushing herself off, which, being entirely wet already from the rain, was rather pointless. "…sorry about that. I'm just…very happy you're alive."
"It's alright." He put his hands beneath him and followed suit in returning himself to a standing position. He grimaced slightly as he did so, thanks to some nerve regions that were still producing unpleasant sensations. "I'm happy to be alive as well."
He held his arms out in front of him and invited his sister for another embrace. Mira stood perfectly still for a moment, looking greatly surprised by his action. The tackle she hit him with a moment ago had been an outward burst of relief and emotion, and after doing it, she had expected a hint of rejection and ridicule from him. This, however?
She stepped forward slowly and accepted Murdoch's offer. Almost immediately, upon feeling the rough patches of partially healed skin on his chest against the side of her head, she was washed over by a wave of nostalgia. They hadn't made any physical contact in countless years, nor have they even communicated much, in fact. Doing so in this moment reminded her of the times they got along in their childhood: laughing, running around, winning hide-and-seek with Noelani, and generally making the days more difficult for Mipha. For a brief time, she could finally recognize her sibling.
"Murdoch, you seem…different. Is everything alright?" She asked quietly, contrasting greatly from her previously euphoric demeanor.
"I feel great." He answered calmly. "My arms and my ribcage have seen better days, but emotionally, I'm…feeling much better. I've been realizing things since that attack."
She grinned. "That's interesting, considering you were unconscious most of the time since then. I wonder if…wait…" She paused suddenly as she was hit by an unexplained feeling in her gut. Her smile vanished, and she got very quiet and secretive. Standing on her webbed toes, she leaned up near the side of Murdoch's head. "Did…Did Mom talk to you out there? By Vah Ruta?"
Sidon cut in from the sidelines before Murdoch could answer her. "Alright, guys, Link and I don't have time to be standing around. All of this water has been flowing uncontrollably down the staircase, and I don't want to think about what'll happen if the dam eventually decides it's had enough."
Murdoch appeared to have been gawking at Mira in shock, but when Sidon spoke up, he returned to focus. The two of them turned their attention to both Sidon and Link, the latter of which had removed his tunic and was trying awkwardly to wrestle his Zora armor on in the rain. Sidon glanced over at the waterbed, where Noelani was still sound asleep.
"We might need Lani again. Shall we wake her and ensure she's ready to handle one of us if something goes wrong?" He requested.
Mira bit her lip as she followed his gaze to the awning. "I…really think we should let Lani sleep. The healing magic takes a lot out of her sometimes, and she did…you know…just bring Murdoch back from the brink of death."
Murdoch stepped forward to add his own bit. "And also, Uncle, with all due respect…I have decided I will be taking it from here with Father."
Prince Sidon seemed taken aback by his nephew's unexpected declaration. "You plan to help Link with Vah Ruta? You have only just recovered from your last attempt! Surely, you must consider…"
"I am aware of that fact, Uncle." Murdoch jabbed, interrupting the prince. "I appreciate your concern, and I understand you are only watching out for me, but I am adamant in this decision. I feel it is something I must do."
"Murdoch…it's good to see that you've changed your…disagreeable ways as of late. But…I don't want to be a witness to any more terrible disasters." The prince stated.
"I owe it to my father to assist him in correcting a great wrong in our family. We know I am a skilled and agile swimmer, and most importantly, I won't be the one shooting any shock arrows this time. I made a promise, and I won't soon be breaking it because of a mistake I made earlier." Murdoch demanded firmly. He stood his ground with a rational composure.
Sidon paused. "A…promise?"
"Yes. You wouldn't understand. It was…a long time ago." He sighed.
The prince took a deep, pensive breath, and he let it out slowly. Murdoch's and Mira's eyes were fixated on him, and he could feel their hopeful thoughts. He thought every day about how much he missed his sister, but truly, Link and his kids were on a completely different level. They were an unstoppable force together, and right now, Mipha was on their minds, more than ever.
"…Okay. I'll let you take the reigns on this. Just please don't overextend yourselves. It's for everyone's sake." The prince ordered worriedly.
Murdoch nodded his head once. "Thank you, Uncle. With our combined skills, I know Vah Ruta will pose us no issues."
"Be careful, guys." Mira added. "I don't want to have to put any more pressure on Lani. She's done a lot today as it is."
"Mira, you have nothing to worry about. Trust me this time." Murdoch assured. He winked at her with a small smirk. His confidence did make her feel a bit better, but there was nothing that would completely mitigate the natural worry she had for the safety of her loved ones.
Murdoch turned back to Link as he began walking toward the dock. "Are you ready, Father?"
Link looked up from his chest as he was finally pulling the last bits of the skintight armor over his body. The shoulder guards fastened on quite easily, given their flawless dimensions, and after that, he was finally looking worthy of Zora royalty. He let out a huff and jogged to meet up with his son.
"It's now or never."
Mira waved goodbye to the duo as they prepared for their follow-up attack. Link double checked to make sure his shock arrows were properly stowed in his quiver, and also that he was using his ideal knight's bow. He wouldn't have minded having the advantage of using a large, killer apparatus of death like Murdoch's Lynel bow, but that was now sitting at the bottom of the East Reservoir…after he had dropped it in the incident. Oh well.
Murdoch leapt into the deeper area of the water with the same majestic twirl he had done the first time. Once he was positioned readily in the water, Link stepped cautiously off the side of the dock and plopped into the water, albeit much less stunningly. Murdoch waited patiently for Link to swim over to him and rest his hands on his shoulders, and once he did, the two of them immediately took off toward the Divine Beast for the second time that evening.
This time, they knew…they would return with clear skies.
Catching his breath was proving to be a struggle. He had climbed mountains before, traversed deserts, lifted heavy things, and even helped build a house in Hateno Village one time, but this was an entirely new challenge he had not prepared for. And it definitely did not help that he had chosen against wearing his marriage armor for it.
"Mipha…slow down just a bit…" He wheezed.
She turned around in a quick motion and flashed him a playful smile. "Come now, you said you'd be able to handle this!"
"I know, but…apparently I was wrong." He panted.
"You mean the Great Chosen Protector of Hyrule can't swim a short distance without losing his breath?" She tried her best to imitate a harsh drill sergeant. "I want to see a better hustle from you!"
He managed a small smile through his laboring movements. "I wouldn't call Vah Ruta a 'short distance' from the dock, you know. I'm not a Zora like you."
"Well this Zora's carrying a great deal of extra weight, and she can still outswim you without breaking a sweat!"
Mipha had been subtly bugging Link lately about spending time together inside the Divine Beast, and every time, he had been stuck having to assist Zelda on some kind of excursion. They weren't unpleasant, of course, as Zelda was a cultured individual who shared a surprising amount of interests with him. However, in his eerie silence, he always longed to return to the company of his Zora wife. After all, he was entirely unsure when she was due to lay her eggs, and he absolutely did not want to miss it. Now that they finally had a day to spend together, he was quick to oblige to her numerous requests.
He did not anticipate the difficulty he would have in swimming to the Beast, though. They were almost there, having covered at least three-quarters of the distance, but at this point, he was putting up with searing fire in both his lungs and his lanky ligaments. All the while, Mipha seemed to be living up the experience, taking every opportunity to poke fun at him and nag him to pick up the pace. She was usually a much more gentle and reserved character, so this type of behavior was not in her nature, but he still found it to be kind of fun. Perhaps she was just excited that they were finally going to visit Vah Ruta.
He scoffed. "First of all, I don't even think Zoras can sweat. Mainly, though, I want to remind you to be very careful with that 'extra weight' you speak of. You, of all beings, ought to know how fragile your cargo is."
She giggled slightly, feeling somewhat lovestruck all over again. She shimmied over to him in the water and pecked him softly on the forehead. "You know I'm responsible, my love. All my subjects can testify for me."
It felt like such a blessing to see Mipha in such a good mood, he had to admit. Various unexpected occurrences had been keeping her from setting out on her Champion's Trials recently, one of which was…well…being pregnant. Therefore, she was rather behind on those. Also, the ever-looming threat of Calamity Ganon was ensuring that she never had the opportunity to relax and live life with Link in the slow lane. It felt like there was always something they needed to do. Therefore, when she was happy, it just…made his troubles seem to melt away.
Her playful comments continued on tap for the next couple minutes until, finally, they came up on the Divine Beast. Link couldn't tell if his exhaustion from swimming was making his eyes play tricks on him, but it seemed almost like the blue highlights dotting the giant machine began to glow brighter as Mipha swam closer to it. They made it look sort of like Vah Ruta was responding to its master's presence.
She stopped just short of the Beast's trunk, and she held her hand out in front of Link to halt him as well. "Pardon me for just a moment, Link. There is something I've always wanted to try…now that Vah Ruta answers to me."
"Just…please be careful." Link urged through thick breaths.
As he held back a safe distance, Mipha turned her body to face the Divine Beast directly, and she closed her eyes. While using her wavelike body movements to keep herself suspended at the water's surface, she raised her arms to her chest and, with flattened palms, lowered them gradually until they came to rest on her distended abdomen. In tandem with her gentle movements, Vah Ruta's trunk began to magically lower until it formed a hook-like curl against the surface of the lake.
Well…perhaps it wasn't appropriate to call it "magic." There was obviously some kind of interplanar communication going on between the machine and his wife, causing it to respond mechanically to her specific inputs. Regardless, he still found it mystic how she could get it to assume certain poses simply by doing what seemed like yoga imitations. She must've had the poses present in her mind when she did the moves, or else…there seemed like no way to get the detailed formations out of such vague instructions.
Once the Beast's trunk was positioned to her liking, she followed up with a quick snap of her fingers. Link flinched backward as, immediately, a pounding current of water began pouring out of the end of the machine's trunk, ascending a few dozen feet into the air. His ears were rocked to the core as Mipha's giant pet released a mighty, powerful roar, causing jittery ripples in the water of the East Reservoir. The airborne water from the trunk's jet stream fell back to the lake just as the roar subsided, and an arch of misty current was left visible from the Beast's front end. The rainbows it created, Link admitted, were beautiful.
Mipha wasn't done yet, though. After the descending half of the Beast's water jet made contact with the rest of the lake, the resulting arch formed a perfect makeshift waterfall for her to climb. She brought her hands down by her sides, dove headfirst into the falling water, and began to ascend against its downward direction. She was now miraculously using the Divine Beast to gain altitude.
Link was greatly impressed as he watched the athletic spectacle from his petty spot down in the lake. He couldn't help but notice, though, that the water arch topped off at only the Beast's forehead, so he didn't know what Mipha was going to do once she reached the top of the current. He braced himself for some sort of spectacular midair twirl, or perhaps a daring nosedive. He hoped it wouldn't be the latter, in all honesty, since we worried constantly for the soft, vulnerable eggs she was developing inside her.
Instead, before reaching the top, she seemed to gradually raise her arms above her head. While she did so, her rhythmical shimmying kept her body traveling upward. Link never understood how Zoras were able to swim powerfully enough to defy the laws of physics, but it sure looked amazing. Once he got around to fighting a waterfall in his Zora armor, he'd supposedly know what it felt like.
He could see Mipha's hands come together at full extension above her head, and as soon as they did, Vah Ruta's trunk began to raise. It seemed to maintain its hook shape, but its tip continued facing the sky as the rest of the mechanical appendage moved to slowly elevate it. Naturally, the water ejecting from the trunk began to raise as well, adjusting the size of the arch over time in the process. Mipha continued climbing the current, and now that Vah Ruta's trunk was moving to accommodate a larger arch of water, she was able to ascend past her previous limit.
Link almost forgot he was treading water as he looked on in awe at his talented wife. She seemed to have the entire assembly of Vah Ruta down to a science. The way she moved her body…the way she utilized its movements with impeccable timing…the way she predicted its effects…it was as if the two of them were one body. He had caught minor glimpses of the other Champions using their Divine Beasts, but never before had he seen it done with such unflinching grace and mastery. He simply couldn't take his eyes off.
At the new apex formed by the raised trunk, Mipha tore through the top of the stream of water and ascended into the air above with a signature Zora twirl. She snapped her fingers again at the moment her upward momentum began to diminish, and in its obedience, Vah Ruta immediately cut the water flow from its trunk. Mipha oriented herself upwards as she completed her twirl, and she planted her feet firmly on the end of the Beast's trunk, which was held perfectly upright to act as an effective platform. She was now standing an impressive height above the waters of the East Reservoir, having used the abilities of the Divine Beast to get herself there.
Link let out the breath that he had been holding as he stared in disbelief. After a moment in shocked silence, he saw the tiny, distant figure of his wife step to the edge of the elevated trunk and look down at him.
"Amazing!" He yelled up at her.
He couldn't hear her very well, due to their distance, but he faintly caught a response from her from her dizzying perch. "Swim around this way! I'll open the entrance for you!"
"Father? Father!"
Link's eyes jolted open as he was jarred from his sudden memory. He blinked his eyes a few times to rid them of the rushing rain in his face. "Huh? What?"
"You didn't fall asleep on me, did you?" His son asked curiously.
"Oh, uh…no, no I didn't. It was…nothing." He replied.
"Good, because we're getting close to the Divine Beast. I'm going to bring you right up to the first waterfall on its front-right side. Do you have your materials ready?"
"Yeah, I checked all that back at the…"
Vah Ruta roared again suddenly, catching the hero completely off guard. He lowered his head by the back of Murdoch's neck, since he was unable to cover his ears to block the noise. His vision went blurry, and his thoughts were shattered like glass. It sounded so desperate…so lonely. It was a painful sound, differing significantly from the roar he recognized in his memories. All he could imagine was Mipha, crying out through the machine's echoing roars, for all the Zoras of the Domain to hear. Somehow, it would have to be stopped.
"Alright, I'm not wasting any time!" Murdoch exclaimed. "Get that bow out, and prepare to dismount! I'm going in!"
Link had to quickly wipe his distracting jumble of thoughts out of his mind as Murdoch made a sharp left and began hurdling himself right up along the right side of the Beast. They were positioned to skim right along the base of the two waterfalls, and from the looks of it, he would have to leap off his back and swim up the waterfall…for the first time…at a moment's notice.
He let go of Murdoch's shoulders with both his hands, and he used his right one to reach around and grab his bow. With his hands freed, and his bow in hand, he geared himself up for an experience that he himself would probably never understand. Murdoch was coming up on the waterfall rather quickly.
When the timing felt right, Murdoch leapt a few feet out of the water, propelling Link into the midst of the waterfall's rushing current. It all happened too quickly, with large quantities of water pounding down on Link's head before he even had a chance to calculate his movements. As a result, he fell back down into the lake without so much as a mite of resistance. Murdoch took his time circling back around to the waterfall, as he expected Link to have already been making his ascent.
He shook his head a few times to clear his mind. He was not looking to disappoint his son this time, with a task that, to him, probably seemed elementary. Therefore, before Murdoch could return to the waterfall's base, Link reoriented himself vertically and tried to focus on the water plummeting down on him.
Mipha had been able to maneuver herself upwards in the opposing current without her arms, he remembered. Often times, in his memories, she would have an object in her hand, and she'd still be able to climb vertical drops with almost no effort. He recalled briefly, as Vah Ruta's waters descended all around him, Mipha's snakelike maneuvers when climbing the Divine Beast herself. The way her torso shimmied back and forth…aligning with her legs and her chest to form fluidlike motions…
He grasped his bow in both hands and drew in another breath. It was worth a shot. If there had been anyone in Hyrule with this kind of expertise, it was Mipha. Remembering her techniques, he figured, was his best strategy for accomplishing this task. It just didn't seem like it would work, with him being a Hylian and all, but he had to trust the armor he was wearing. Certainly, they stood nothing to gain in lying to him about it.
Throwing all doubts from his mind, he kicked his legs downward for a starting boost, and he subsequently began mimicking Mipha's movements from his memory. Elongated shimmy movements, similar to the flowing waves of water itself, seemed like the way to go. It must've looked a little weird, he thought, but then again, Zoras used that kind of swimming technique on a regular basis. He was probably just overthinking it.
However, much to his shock and disbelief, he actually began to gain elevation…rather quickly, in fact. He kept his head completely straight and let the top of his skull take the impact of the current. All of a sudden, the falling water all around him, which should've been pulling him down, felt to him like a curtain through which he could push upwards. In a way, he felt almost…weightless. It was a feeling he couldn't describe, and in trying, he was merely getting tangled in his own mind. One thing was certain, though, and that was the fact that this ability would definitely come in handy down the road.
At the top of the waterfall, by the shoulder of the Beast, Link busted free of the current and sailed another few yards into the air. His view from this height was breathtaking, but unfortunately, he didn't have time to sightsee. As soon as he felt his ascent changing direction, he quickly reached into his arrow quiver and pulled out a shock arrow.
For a moment, Link couldn't tell what he was supposed to be shooting, as the Beast seemed to be similarly colored all along its head and back. Its pink highlights, though, appeared to stick out very sorely against the blandness of the background, so he figured they'd be a good place to start. From there, it wasn't a stretch to locate the four large, pulsating pressure points on the ballpoints of the Beast's limbs, each one positioned near a pouring waterfall.
While still at the top of his arc, Link docked the yellow, glowing arrow, and he aimed his bow outwards. He only had a second to react, but given his level of focus, that was more than enough time. His bow began to glow slightly and give off small sparks as he drew the arrow back, but it wasn't enough to distract him. Then, when he released the arrow and sent the small bundle of energy hurdling towards Vah Ruta's first limb, his bow reacted with a minor discharge, traveling through his fingers and giving his nerves a small tickle. Compared to the blast that nearly took out his son, it was nothing at all.
He could see from the trajectory of the arrow that he was going to hit his mark, so in the last fraction of a moment he had before falling back down to the lake, he pivoted his body to the side and whipped another arrow out of the quiver. Vah Ruta had another glowing pressure point on Link's side, so he decided to go for a shot before falling back down in order to save time. He would surely have to land back down and catch his breath before heading around to the other side for the other two targets.
With much more haste than his first shot, he docked the arrow, pulled back, and released the shot in one quick move. As he was doing so, he felt the effects of gravity steadily yanking him back down to the waters below, where Murdoch was probably waiting. The arrow had way more velocity than he did, though, so he was able to see it make its landing before he fell too far. The projectile impacted the very center of the glowing region, impaling it with a shot of electricity from the enchanted shock arrow. The pressure point flickered to a brilliant yellow shade.
Link's focus diminished after seeing that he had hit his second target. He took satisfaction in his accuracy, but at the same time, he came to expect nothing but perfection from himself. It was his no-tolerance policy that allowed him to achieve the prowess he currently held. There was natural talent in there, of course, but even the best of the best could only get so far without determination. He knew that.
The wind flying past him as he fell provided a similar rush to his crazy ascent just moments prior. It was hard for even himself to wrap his head around the caliber of the acrobatics he was performing. Hopefully the rest of his journey would prove to be this exciting.
He landed feet-first in the lake after a quick plummet, kicking up a large splash. Murdoch was waiting in a prepped orientation in the water directly next to Link's landing point, and when Link resurfaced and rubbed his eyes, he could see approval in his son's expression. Going for that second pressure point had acted as killing the second bird with his stone, and in doing so, they were gearing up to complete their task in half the time. All he'd have to do is repeat the process on the Beast's other side.
"You ready?" Murdoch asked.
Link climbed onto his back and returned his grip to his shoulders. He lowered his head to reduce their wind resistance. "Onward!"
"Wow, it's…really spacious in here." Link commented.
"I would say so too. It's really quite fascinating…when you consider what this machine can do. Most of it is just empty space." Mipha replied.
Mipha had given the signal for Vah Ruta to lower its trunk shortly after guiding Link to the entrance, making it perfectly straight and parallel to the earth so she could walk across it and join her husband in the interior of the Divine Beast. It was on the lower level that they now resided, right through the main archway and into the first room, where a bridge through a small artificial pond led to a guidance stone. To the right of the entrance, another connecting archway led to the sanctum of the Beast, where the main control unit was held. Sounds within the chambers of the Beast seemed to echo in an eerie fashion.
"What can it do?" Link asked with delightful curiosity. "I don't believe you've ever told me."
Mipha looked over at him. He stopped walking when he noticed her gaze, and the two of them stared at each other in blissful silence for a few moments. It was a genuine and meaningful question, in his mind, and with the way she was building up for the answer, he felt like it was going to be either really stupid, or absolutely extraordinary. The Divine Beasts were practically works of art, and because of that fact, he'd come to believe any answer she gave him.
The suspenseful tension created by her silent stare melted away completely as she gave him a cute and inspiring smile. "He can create an endless supply of water...completely from nothing."
Link was blown away. It was visible in his now-widened eyes. "Are you serious?"
She nodded, her smile still going strong. "Indeed. The water I climbed earlier from Vah Ruta's trunk was not sucked from the Reservoir, but, rather, formed completely anew! The water level of the Reservoir is actually higher now than it was before."
He scratched his head. "But…how does that work?"
Mipha's smile only seemed to grow. She continued looking at Link with what was now the face of a true Divine-Beast-enthusiast, her sharp, fanglike teeth showing through her parted lips. "Your guess is as good as mine!"
The couple resumed their walk, which took them through the opening on the other side of the room. This led them back outside along the Beast's other hip, on a ramp that sloped upward to the next floor. Link could still feel the bits of cool mist in the air from the stream Mipha had summoned from the trunk just minutes ago. It felt nice in contrast to the rays of the sun.
Link could tell how much Mipha seemed to enjoy talking about the Divine Beast, so he decided to please her by striking up more conversation. After all, she had been waiting forever to go visit Vah Ruta with him, so now that they were finally doing it, he wanted to make the trip worthwhile for her.
"So…Zelda talks about the Divine Beasts having been used to defeat Ganon some ten thousand years ago. What exactly can Vah Ruta do that's…you know…weaponized?"
"Vah Ruta has both an offensive and a defensive mechanism." Mipha explained in response, without hesitating. "His offensive weapon is a special beam that fires from the tusks. It supposedly locks onto Calamity Ganon's aura and works to drain his power. I haven't been told this, but I think it'd make sense to assume that all four Divine Beasts have that feature."
"So that would've made it easier for the hero of that time to deal the fatal blow using the Master Sword…" Link thought aloud. The sheikah sure knew how to cover all bases.
Mipha sighed pensively as the two of them summited the ramp and turned back into the Divine Beast's upper floor. The first thing to catch Link's eye was a sizable pair of cogwheels, one significantly larger than the other. A terminal sat on the inner circumference of the larger wheel, but it was upside down and inaccessible at the moment. Not that it mattered, he figured, since Mipha already had Vah Ruta active and under her control.
"I take it these wheels turn when the Beast is moving?" He asked.
"When he's producing water, actually." She corrected him politely. "That's why the wheels aren't turning now." She took a long pause and stopped to look around at their surroundings. She seemed to be reflecting deeply about something, judging by the solemnity in her expression. "You know…back during my childhood…when I used to escape to the East Reservoir to be with my own thoughts, Vah Ruta hadn't been discovered yet. I thought that…nothing could beat the peace and solitude the lake provided me, and now…I sometimes wish I could live my life in here. The connections I feel to this creature make me feel comfortable when I'm around it. It's…hard to understand."
Link remained quiet for another moment after she finished talking, just in case she had more to say. After a moment of continued silence between them, when it seemed like she had finished, he asked the question that had arisen in his mind.
"What about the children? Did you ever plan to introduce them to the Beast?"
Mipha, with another loving grin, glanced down at her enlarged abdomen. She reached inward and rubbed over the white skin of her midsection with her one hand, thinking deeply on her husband's question. Vah Ruta, for all intents and purposes, was an extension of herself, but whether it should be a big part of her upcoming offspring's life was a plausible query. She had had a few past ideas on the topic, but she wanted to wait for a better moment to bring them up.
"Maybe we'll talk about that later."
Link chuckled a little. "Alright then, let me shoot you another one. What was Vah Ruta's defensive mechanism again?"
Her face lit up. "Oh, right! I forgot to bring that one up. Well, I haven't gotten it to work yet, but I heard from the sheikah scientists that the Beast can defend itself with…"
"…Ice!"
Link was startled out of his second memory by another loud call from Murdoch. Once again, the sidetracked hero was forced to refocus his mind as their current mission was slammed back on him. It was easy to mix up the past and the present, assuming he let his mind wander for a long enough time. He was starting to realize the importance in keeping his head in check.
"What? Ice?"
"Don't be so distracted, Father! Vah Ruta is fighting back on us!" Murdoch cried.
Against the dark, blending colors of the horizon, Link had absolutely no trouble spotting the upcoming blocks of ice once Murdoch had pointed them out. Their sky-blue, luminescent appearance, by comparison, almost made the rest of the lake seem like it wasn't even there. Murdoch would obviously be able to dodge the obstacles on their way in, but they were sure to pursue until they hit a target. Therefore, the two of them were in agreement that the mysterious entities needed to be destroyed.
Link immediately reached for his bow again after spotting the threat. He'd unfortunately have to sacrifice a few shock arrows to deal with the blocks, as they were the only things in his quiver at the moment, and he certainly didn't have time to rummage in his pack and swap them out. He hadn't kept track of his stash during his adventure thus far, so he hoped he had enough to carry out the mission. If he happened to run out, they'd probably have to start all over after restocking.
He quickly drew an arrow, docked it in the bow, and pulled back the string. But then…he stopped. His aim was centered right on the closest ice block, but as he focused his vision on his target, something about it seemed to strike him funny. Almost…familiar. He lowered his bow and took another close look.
"I hope you're preparing to take those things out!" Murdoch called from below. "I won't hesitate to make evasive maneuvers!"
Link ignored his son's remarks as he took the moment to study Vah Ruta's incoming, frozen projectiles. They each had an interesting pattern of wavy lines perforating their surfaces, mimicking the typical trademark designs of ancient sheikah technology. He remembered seeing the exact same design on the ice blocks that had been thrown at him and Sidon earlier that afternoon. They reminded him of…his sheikah slate.
One of the runes he had accumulated for his slate back on the Great Plateau was labeled "cryonis." It granted him the ability to create and destroy small pillars of ice over surfaces of water, primarily with the intent of crossing hazardous rivers or providing cover from enemy sight. He hadn't really used it much outside of the shrine he had found it in, but luckily, he could still remember some of the key details about it. One of those details being…the design of the ice pillars, which looked identical to the ice being used by the Divine Beast. It had all been created by the same sheikah tribe, so the same principles had to apply, right?
Link hastily exchanged his bow for the sheikah slate, and he set the rune to cryonis just as the attacking ice block reached a dangerous distance from Murdoch's heels. Hoping for the best, he aimed the device behind him at the giant mass, and he tapped the screen.
He blinked as the ice block instantly shattered, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of fine particulates that settled over the lake's surface after a few seconds. Ah, what a convenient little turnout. Having acquired this new, useful knowledge, Link aimed the miniature tablet at the other approaching masses and, with a smirk, tapped the screen again on each one, watching them disintegrate with a satisfying smashing sound. Despite what he had reasoned earlier, he really wanted to call this phenomenon…magic.
"What did you just do?" Murdoch blurted in surprise.
"I'll tell you later!" Link answered back, trying to hold in his childish laughter. "Just turn in now! You have a clear shot!"
Murdoch obeyed right away. Link lowered his body closer to Murdoch's back again for better balance as he swerved to the right and directed himself at the other side of Vah Ruta's vulnerable body. Link took out his bow one last time as he prepared to take the final two shots that would supposedly stop the waterflow and save Zora's Domain. He knew, though, from his various sources, that accomplishing this task would not be the end of his work with the Divine Beast.
He waited patiently as the waterfalls cascading down Vah Ruta's left hip got ever closer to him and Murdoch. Being the efficient adapter he was, he was more prepared to handle the maneuvers necessary to climb the falls in ample time. Every ounce of his brainpower was focused on this upcoming task. His success was for the sake of every Zora in the Domain, including the ones no longer inhabiting the physical world. Peace had to endure.
Murdoch zipped up on the waterfall's base at full speed, and as soon as his body lined up with the mist, he copied his previous action by thrusting out of the water and tossing his passenger into the falling current. Link timed the extension of his legs perfectly to get the biggest boost out of his son's jump. Then, with cutthroat precision, he initiated his swimming movements on contact with the waterfall. He was already halfway up the side of the Divine Beast before Murdoch could even arc away from the drop-off point.
Two shock arrows were all he needed. His bow was already equipped in one hand, and an arrow was already being held in the other. He didn't need his hands to ascend the waterfall, as he had learned a few minutes prior, so he figured he could only benefit by using them ahead of time in his preparation. Two shots, it was. And their nightmare would be over.
He broke free from the sliding current of the water much faster than he had expected at first. With his budding familiarity, his climbing speed must've increased, amongst other things. That was not something to dwell on, though, for he now had to initiate the second phase.
As his body was still gaining elevation, Link docked the arrow in his bow right away, and he pulled back the string. He was more than familiar with the exterior layout of Vah Ruta at this point, so aiming his bow at the proper location was nothing short of a cakewalk. Unlike his last pair of shots, he did not even need to draw in a breath this time. He released the arrow, grabbing the next one from his quiver before even watching the first one hit its mark.
Ah, how he never felt more alive. Being there, facing the odds, fighting the good fight, etcetera, especially for the sake of ones he held dear…there was nothing quite like it. This moment, leading up to his planned invasion of the possessed Beast, was about to act as his first major accomplishment since his reawakening. It was time to finally show Ganon that he was back, and he was going to go down swinging before he'd let him attack his family any longer.
"My turn…" He whispered menacingly. He sucked a quick breath in through his nose, aimed his weapon at the last remaining pressure point…and took the shot.
This felt like the right place to be. Something about it held a certain, unmatched charm, and for the moment, it was basically the most enchanting place to spend time with her. The spiraling elevation of their perch also held its own lure. They felt more…private. More so than they could've felt in their usual place down on the platform. Of course, it also had its classic déjà vu effect, since it wasn't the first time they had been up here.
"Remember the first time you took me here?" Link mentioned. "You healed a wound I had from a Moblin hit."
Mipha giggled. "Of course I remember. It was shortly after that special night we had together. Before I looked…like this." She glanced goofily at her rounded belly, which made Link share in a smile. "I promised you I would heal you at every given opportunity, no matter the cost. I hope you will always remember that promise."
Link loved these kinds of moments. The two of them, together, felt like the only thing that mattered in the world around them. In the recent months, it was kind of rare to have that relaxing feeling. After all, everything seemed to matter…all the time. Additionally, being able to reminisce on their past often helped them feel more connected. They were essential times to share. Just listening to her talk made him feel…perfect.
"I could never forget." He assured. "Simply looking at Vah Ruta reminds me of you in every way."
"And rightfully so!" Mipha replied with a wide grin. "I feel like Vah Ruta…just…makes me my best self. He was discovered only a couple years after your first appearance here in the Domain, back when you were only as big as Sidon!" They both chuckled quietly. "But since then, much has changed. Now that he and I share an official connection, I sometimes feel like there's nowhere I'd rather be. Being up here, with you…"
"If only it could last forever, right?" Link chimed.
"Ah, Link, if only." She sighed wishfully. She rested both her hands on her abdomen again. "You know, regarding your question earlier…I'd raise our kids here if I could. The water down in the main control room is the perfect depth for the eggs."
His eyes widened. "Oh, really? That'd be quite a bold decision."
"Yes, but…I mustn't think of only myself." She stated sadly. Link noticed her begin to steadily rub her belly as she spoke. "At the end of the day, Vah Ruta is a weapon, not a playground. And not only that, our children are going to require an environment where they can more openly interact with my fellow Zoras. We're not much different from Hylians, as you know, and therefore, we can be fairly social creatures. The little ones will need regular access to the Domain if they're going to thrive."
Mipha seemed to have her entire parenting deal already sorted out, which, to Link, was more than admirable. There weren't many who could dedicate so much thought to unborn children while the rest of their life was practically crashing down on them. His wife's selflessness, surely, knew no limits. Discussions like these always reminded him of how flawless she really was.
"You make a good point." He responded. "So…where were you thinking of laying them, then?"
She was surprisingly quick to answer. "The tradition has always been for the eggs of the royal family to hatch in the king's chamber. Both I and Sidon were born in there, as well as my father, and so on. But…I don't want our young ones to inherit the responsibilities of the royal title, for reasons we already discussed. I spoke to my father very delicately about it, and he reluctantly agreed that I may have my spawn in the shallows of the East Reservoir's secondary shores. Over…that way." She pointed somewhere east of their location.
Link sat silently for a moment as he pondered her description. He didn't remember ever traveling to that side of the East Reservoir, but regardless, he trusted her judgment in picking a good spot for such an…important event. He just hoped he wouldn't have to be out somewhere helping Zelda when the big moment came around.
"I will try to be there for you when the time comes." He declared solemnly.
Mipha leaned forward and embraced her husband without another word. Vah Ruta tended to host some pretty touching moments, it seemed. It served as a haven for the Zora people, but more secretly, as a haven for Mipha, and also for her and Link's relationship. It could've been debated whether the other Divine Beasts served as such epicenters of importance as Vah Ruta did for the Zoras. It would hopefully stand as a symbol of Mipha's love…for ages to come.
"Oh, Link?"
"Hmm?"
She pulled away from him for a moment. "Apologies for this, but I regret to inform you of an errand that I must run tomorrow. Will you be free?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Well, earlier, in the Beast's chest, I sensed a bit of an…imperfection. Something appears to be wrong with Vah Ruta's laser beam. It will need to be fixed soon, should it be needed for something unexpectedly." She explained sheepishly.
"Um…I see. So…what will be done about it?"
"We'll need to travel to Hyrule Castle to report the problem to the royal council. The sheikah scientists there should know how to deal with malfunctions concerning the Divine Beasts. It pains me that we have to do this, but none of us are experts at fixing these kinds of issues."
He let out a huff. "I see. Well, the way I figure, I can stay here with you tonight, and then tomorrow afternoon, we can travel to the castle along the quickened route. It'll take us around the base of Crenel Peak and over the Hylia River. Does that sound okay?"
She nodded once, still looking a bit awkward at her own request. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you."
One last thundering roar escaped from Vah Ruta as Link began falling back down to the lake below. The young hero was hit with many sensations at once, involving his memory, his successful shots, and the physical feeling of water splashing all around him a second time. What a way to begin the night, he thought.
Murdoch swam up beside him in the water. After wiping the wetness away from his eyes, Link could see his son looking visibly pleased.
"Nice shots, Father! You finally stopped the Divine Beast's waterflow!" He exclaimed.
As with his other two mental derailments, Link needed a moment to reorganize his thoughts before he could analyze his surroundings. Each time, though, Murdoch had been there to help him get back on track, and this time was no different. Hearing the good news from him, Link turned around in the water and looked toward the sky.
While the waterfalls pouring from Vah Ruta's sides were just beginning to shut off at that point, the Beast's upward-facing trunk had indeed stopped its torrential onslaught, from what the two of them could see. That very trunk had been responsible for the depressing haze hanging over Zora's Domain during the last several weeks, and as Link looked up at it, it seemed to have gone dormant. With the water spout finally quiet, the thick clouds over the Lanayru region were expected to dissipate and give way to warm, clear skies. Obviously, that would not happen right away, though. They did observe, however, the Divine Beast lower its trunk and lift slowly out of the water, revealing an entrance platform to their right.
"You know, I've done it myself now, and…" Link shook off his wet hair as he floated in the water. "…I still don't understand how you Zoras climb waterfalls."
Murdoch laughed heartily at his father's joke. Overall, he seemed noticeably overjoyed that the threat to his home had finally been addressed, and even more so that a step had been taken to achieve his lifelong goal of giving back to Mipha. As Link swam around behind Murdoch and climbed onto his back, he smiled. After the events of the last twenty-four hours, he'd probably never get sick of seeing his son so happy.
"Alright, Father, let's get you back to the Domain so we can tell everyone the good news." He announced.
Link bit his lip. "Actually, Murdoch, wait. I need you to take me the other way, toward the Divine Beast's entrance platform."
His shocking words caused the guard captain to freeze in place. "What? Are you saying you plan to enter Vah Ruta?"
Link nodded, though he realized Murdoch wasn't able to see it. "Yes. The water may have stopped, but this machine is still under Calamity Ganon's control. It's part of my new mission to free the Beasts and use them to save Hyrule. Zelda is fighting tooth-and-nail in the castle to make sure I have enough time for this task."
Murdoch gritted his teeth upon hearing his father use the word "mission" again. Dark thoughts, similar to the pain and vengefulness he had felt as a child, welled to the surface for a moment as he imagined the possibility of Ganon taking Link's life during his endeavors. He suddenly remembered his mother's words to him, however, and he began to calm himself down. He took a few deep breaths to help himself with this process.
"Okay. I understand."
He turned around slowly in the water and began carrying Link to the newly-accessible entrance platform of the Divine Beast. They were already on Vah Ruta's right side, so it was not a long trip in the slightest. The giant machine waited patiently in its current position, almost as if it were expecting Link's arrival. He found that to be quite luring, but at the same time, unsettling.
Link hopped onto the platform after being aligned with its side by Murdoch. Once he was there, he turned around to face his son in the water.
"Well…I suppose this is it, then." Murdoch sighed. "I can't express how much I want you to make it out of this."
"If your mother has told you anything, it's that you can count on me to avoid imbalanced confrontations. Just be sure to tell Mira and Lani that I'm alright." Link requested. "I don't want them to begin freaking out when you return to them by yourself."
"Naturally." Murdoch replied with a nod. "And, lastly…if you happen to see or hear from Mother…don't keep it secret from us."
"You know I won't. I miss her just as much as you guys do."
A small smile appeared on Murdoch's face, which Link copied. It was a bit of a tough farewell, but deep inside, Murdoch knew it wouldn't be for long. He had trusted that it wouldn't be long the first time this sort of thing happened, and the result of those events had haunted him for the entire following century. This time, however, despite those painful occurrences, he had no doubts that it would be okay.
"I'll see you soon, Father. Good luck in there."
As Murdoch turned around and swam away, Link directed his attention to his new directive. A guidance stone was present on the entrance platform with him, and it was looking like a good place to start his trek. He had no idea what to expect.
He drew his sword alongside his sheikah slate as a safety measure. Then, he stepped cautiously over to the ancient pedestal and pressed the sheikah slate to it. Almost right away, a bright blue flash cascaded from the carvings in the stone's face as it reacted to his device's aura. He stepped to the side as the large carving on the ground followed suit, lighting up the entire platform in the same brilliant shade. His work on the Divine Beast had officially begun.
What happened next, though, shook him to the core. A voice…speaking to him from all directions at once. It sounded…otherworldly, as if it were everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It must've been unlocked through the tiny bit of the Divine Beast Link had freed, and…it sounded familiar. Hell, he recognized it immediately. There was no one else it could've been.
"You're…here…"