Link's eyes peered tirelessly up toward the stars above, laying on his back with his hands behind his head for support, having tried to go to sleep an hour ago, but to no avail. Instead, he kept his eyes on the passing clouds, the thin, wispy trails all that remained of the storms that met the mighty Gerudo mountains, leaving no rain for the desert sands. The dark strands floating along the dark sky seemed almost eerie, like premonitory symbols meant to be read like tea leaves within a mug.

His eyes traced their way up to the moon, which greeted him on this night , having gone unseen behind the canyon walls the night before, its gentle glowing allowing him a bit of comfort. Restlessly, Link turned to his side, shutting his eyes tight as though to will himself to sleep, crossing his arms and shoving her hands between his arms and sides to keep warm as the breeze picked up, frowning to himself at having remained behind. He realized, too late, that he would have been quick to spend most of this time walking, even if it meant waiting outside Gerudo Town for a few brief moments. Alas, he'd made his bed, so to speak, though he still wasn't exactly content with sleeping atop the rough surface.

There he remained for a time, the seconds passing by slowly as he silently counted them. One… two… three… eighty-eight… eighty-nine… nine…ty… nine…ty o…ne… Sleepiness grew upon him gradually, but surely, his vision hazily leaving the back of his eyelids as he so slowly lost himself to-

"SNNNNNNOOOOOOCCK!" came an intense rumbling of a snore from nearby, sending Link's eyes wide open as he jerked his head around in shock, finding Revali sprawled out on his back, arms out wide as his open beaks emulated a steam engine, "SNNNNNOOOOOOCK!"

Link's eyes went red with tired futility, grumbling obscenities to himself as he returned to his napping position, eyes rolling with ire before shutting once again with a lengthy sigh escaping his nose. Not too long into this latest attempt at rest, however, Link's eyes opened once again, catching the sight of Mipha's equipment resting in line with the two of theirs, but she hadn't come to sleep yet, leaving a curious pang to cross Link's mind. Surely it was too late for her to be up doing much of anything, but what matter of it was his? He wasn't a Champion, despite that dutiful reverberation in his chest that demanded his unit be at its best.

Still, he'd known this person for most his life, and on that front, figured he was somewhat able to have such feelings in the way of camaraderie. He'd always had a soft spot for the Zora people, so dutifully adept at any and all skills they perused, almost as though each act of theirs was some religion- some worthwhile endeavor worthy of worship, of endless devotion. Such a righteous sense came to bear within Link as well when it came to his knightly duties, making them a people after his own soldierly soul.

Plus, they were friends, he and Mipha- not mere companions on this aimless journey. Link pushed himself up to his feet, finally surrendering to his body's revulsion of sleep, and made his way out from the space between tents that had been constructed near the edge of the Bazaar. The chilly breeze had died down, much to his relief, leaving him more willing to venture out and search for the young woman already so capable of looking out for herself. He'd known defeat at her hands far too many times to know anything else.

He made his way through the grove of tents made up by weary travelers, keeping an eye out for any adversarial activity, as was his instinct by this point. His steps tread carefully through the sand, hands help out in balance as he rounded the final tent, his vision just coming across the small pond at the head of the Bazaar with a-

He paused, stopping his advance with a jolt as his eyes locked onto the gentle waters of the oasis, a pang rushing through his chest at the sight. Bathed between the still waters below and the moonlight from above, Mipha floated atop the oasis waters, her eye in profile narrowed calmly while she took in the efflorescence of stars held up in the sky. Link's eyes froze, slowly sending his body toward the nearest tent as if to conceal himself; his mind aflutter by both the sheer beauty of this creature as well as why he hadn't noticed it before.

Without any sense of withdrawal, his eyes ran the length of her lithe body, curving and winding its way atop the still waters while still finding secrecy underneath the surface, its distortion only alluding to things unseen- things hidden. Link had known she was something of a pretty young woman, at least within a Zora's time-scale, but seeing her like this, nearly glowing, her crimson scales nearly glittering with starlight while curving around that body, so pert and slender. Without realizing, his hand and raised to clutch his shirt at his chest, hanging there as if to catch himself, though he wasn't falling.

Slowly, Mipha's head fell to the side, her eyes reflecting the moonlight and peering toward him like diamonds, watching him with growing confusion as her brow fell, forcing Link to rapidly regain something of composure, though in such a measly amount of time, this meant he more or less cleared his throat and turned off toward the Bazaar, pointing a finger with feigned confidence.

"The, uh, safflinas are in bloom," he managed, only forcing his own confusion to arise, "That is- to say…"

Mipha gave a helpful smile as the remained lying there atop the water, Link's eyes desperately remaining averted, lest they find themselves resting atop her body once more. The Zora spun in a reflexively spry manner, dipping her body forward into the oasis before sommersaulting in the water, allowing herself to more or less float upright as her head popped forth, still smiling with a friendly sort of warmth. Link remained unconvincingly preoccupied by the dark Bazaar, until Mipha spoke up with a calm voice.

"Did you come for a swim, too?"

"N-No!" Link assured, as though having been accused, throwing his attention back toward her, "I just- I couldn't sleep and noticed you hadn't gotten into your sleeping sack, so-"

Mipha smiled, "I can take care of myself, you assuredly already know."

A nervous sort of tone lined Link's voice, "I, uh- actually thought the same thing before coming to find you."

Giggling in reply, Mipha fell backward with something only quietly resembling a splash, disappearing into the shallow oasis waters. Link was rather astounded that such a tiny amount of water could be used with such contentedness by a Zora who was used to traveling up powerful streams and traversing great distances at once, his feet moving him closer as curiosity consumed him. Was she simply swimming in circles, or-?

Having only slightly closed the distance between himself and those waters, Mipha reappeared with the same near-silence she'd disappeared with, throwing her head upward, the exploding splash of droplets shimmering, surrounding her with starlit jewels for only a brief moment. Link's eyes locked onto her bare chest, catching emotions he might have had for a Hylian woman were he not so used to associating such women with dutiful actions. Hylian men and women were meant to be protected by his hand. This woman, however…

Link's eyes rebounded quickly as Mipha's stare returned to him, her hand gently stroking her dorsal fin as she floated there upright, drops of water glittering down her skin, "You know, we Zora that frequent enough ponds, lakes, rivers- we begin to get acquainted with them almost. You recognize the feel of them, the tastes, the oxygen content, everything. This oasis-"

She grinned, turning her head downward to examine the lowly body of water, "-it's almost playful in a sense, I don't know. It goes through so much just to remain here; perhaps it enjoys a friendly swim once and a while. just to make all those trials worth it."

Link remained still, almost frightfully so, forcing a smirk along Mipha's face as she decided to goad him along, "Come on. I want to show you something."

His brow scrunched in confusion, Link slowly approached the oasis waters, watching Mipha carefully as if expecting a prank to be pulled on him. Sure enough, she only replied with a smile, cupping her hands before dropping them into the water, only pulling themselves back out once Link arrived. She dropped her head in direction, to which Link answered by sitting there at the water's edge, cross-legged, as Mipha offered her hands toward him.

"You know where this water came from?" she asked.

Link replied, "Is that a serious question?"

Another brief giggle before Mipha nodded, "Go ahead."

A quick, reflexive frown crossed Link's face dismissively for only a second before lowering his head, only getting his body more enraptured by how close he was getting to those sleek hands of Mipha's. Taking a cue from her earlier words, he figured smelling the water was as good of an investigative technique as anything else at his disposal, lowering his head so that his nose came just at the cupped water's surface.

"Well, uh-" Link muttered, "It's still."

Mipha smirked, pulling her hands toward her face, "There's some smells here, like Tabantha creeks. some bits of Lanayru tidepools- that might add a bit of liveliness. That water ascends to form clouds, and only the smallest amount can truly conquer the Gerudo Mountains and make it here."

Her eyes jumped up from her low-hanging head, catching Link's attention with an allure he hadn't known from this woman, her voice lowering questioningly, causing a pattering alongside Link's beating heart, "Have you caught on that I'm joking?"

"We- Well, I-" Link nervously replied, Mipha only grinning mischievously before dropping the water from her hands and pushing herself backwards, further into the shallow waters.

"Got you," she spoke up happily, almost snickering proudly.

Link sighed, raising his head with some dignity, "Maybe this one time, sure."

"Uh huh," Mipha cooed teasingly, pulling in her mischievousness to speak sincerely, "Would you like to join me? It's not that cold."

Link eyed her, "Spoken like a true cold-blood."

She only grinned, "Okay, maybe at first, but- you'll get used to it."

"After the hypothermia sets in, sure," Link challenged with a wry grin, finding a method of changing the subject, "Speaking of, do you know how to spell that in Hylian?"

Mipha bit her lip, averting her eyes as her swimming body came to a stop, "Well, no, but I'm working on it."

She smiled weakly, "Your Princess must know herself. She's all to ready to hand me the map, while also proclaiming the names of places, as though giving me some guidance in what to look for."

"Subtle studies," Link chuckled, lowering his face as Mipha's body returned to its gentle skimming along the water's surface.

It was only with the slightest bit of apprehension that he allowed his eyes to roll upward, catching Mipha's body ever so delicately sliding along the oasis, having returned to lying out on her back and simply floating there, Link's proximity allowing him to catch her fins trailing along underneath her, fluttering silently as they slid through the water. He wondered what her skin must feel like atop of his, quickly jolting free from such dangerous thoughts as Mipha's voice broke through, a tender, longing tone accompanying it.

"You know, we used to worship the moon as our goddess," Mipha explained quietly, "It creates the tides, so- when our distant ancestors first strode onto the earth from the oceans, it was only due to her coercion. It took the form of a celestial mother almost, casting the sun's light upon us even in the dark of night; the moonlight has a subtle kind of warmth to it, not- It's more comforting than the sunlight, which is far more useful in basking."

She turned an eye toward Link, "Can you not feel its warmth?"

Skeptically, Link replied, "Trying to get me again, huh?"

"No," Mipha insisted with a giggle.

Playfully speeding up her gliding along her back, she somersaulted once again, Link captivated by her lithe form once again, before straightening up and swimming her way closer to Link, his eyes staying on her apprehensively as she approached within those soft waters. Without speaking, she stuck out an arm from the tiny pond, reaching out toward Link's side and shoving a single finger into the sand, curving it into the unmistakable shapes of Hylian script, leaving Link with a raised brow, surprised that she was making sense to him with her movements.

"Mipha " the Zora smiled, raising her eyes toward Link proudly so, contented with her ability after only a handful of days.

Link nodded in assurance, "Not bad. You must have a knack for languages."

She frowned, "We're that the case, I'd have picked it up by now. Then again, Hylian books are rare in Zora's Domain, ever since Muzu had them all banished, so this journey has been more exposure to your written word than I'm normally exposed to."

"I thought it might just be a biological thing," Link shrugged, "Like, do you take to your native tongue easier just because of how you are?"

Mipha wondered silently, her eyes fluttering off toward the distance as she did so, "I've never thought of it. Though, our native 'tongue' isn't."

"Huh?"

Giggling weakly, Mipha lowered her head with slight embarrassment, "Well, uh- In the water, speech doesn't travel…you know. Our native langue was more like…clicking and stuff."

Link's lips turned up with amusement, more due to how ashamed Mipha seemed to be of the topic, "Really? How does it go?"

"W-Well, I, uh-" she spoke up, flustered, recalling Link's inability to enter the water, "That is, I- I can't do it outside the water, so- it's a futile effort otherwise."

Link thought of the frigid air surrounding him, but quickly put it aside, thinking so much more about how she'd played him moments earlier and how the score needed to be settled. As a wave of relief coursed through Mipha's body, believing she had successfully thwarted the embarrassing act of speaking in her native 'language', her eyes immediately jolted open as Link rose to his feet, crossing his arms and taking hold of the bottom end of his shirt.

"J-J-J-Just what're you doing?!" she questioned in a desperate attempt at understanding, though Link simply pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it atop a nearby tent.

He shrugged, "You said you could only do it underwater, so-"

Between his bare torso, its muscular tone that immediately drew Mipha's attention, and his wording, she immediately gave a nervous chattering of her teeth, "W-W-What?!"

"Your ancient language," Link clarified with a grin.

She barely even heard him that time as well, her eyes still struggling to remain off his pale skin which had gradually begun to rise with a tiny of scarlet, the cold air having brought his blood forward to better warm himself. Her breath nearly caught in a faraway place for how decadently warm and muscular he seemed to be, even as he kicked off his boots and tossed away his socks. She still hadn't a word as he stepped into the oasis with a shivering gasp before settling in.

"Goddess, it's cold," he griped, though quickly turned toward Mipha, "Well, is there a specific depth you need to be or anything?"

Mipha's feigned confidence, quickly taking a brave face as she cleared her throat, "N-No, I can be anywhere, but- Won't you be cold submerging yourself?"

Link shrugged, "Its not too bad; I'm warm-natured anyway, so the cold is actually pretty nice against my skin."

Her heart skipping a beat, Mipha's eyes glazed over but for a moment, such a phrase easily misinterpretable as something of a flirty advance, though Link remained placid, simply watching as Mipha did her best to compose herself. She cleared her throat once more, silently praised any and all gods, as well as the moon, for her inability to blush, and offered one last chance for surrender.

"I won't have to save you from drowning again, will I?" she asked with a smirk.

"Hey," Link reminded quickly, "I'm pretty sure Jiahto had more to do with rescuing me. Either way, I've become quite the adept swimmer in my adulthood."

Mipha watched him nervously, the pounding in her chest increasing as she further battled the urge to glance any lower than his chin. How was it that she desired nothing more than to do nothing but lay atop this man, basking not in the sun, but in his powerful, spirited, courageous flame, set alight within his very spirit? The thought itself frightened her, and for a brief moment, she was relieved as she descended into the waters below, allowing herself a quick moment to groan to herself before Link could join her, hoping to have released so much emotion in order to better focus.

Joined beneath the water's surface, Link watched Mipha attentively, his cheeks puffed in withheld breath. The sight was truly childish, though Mipha was quick to remain neutral; besides, she needed to focus, recalling what exactly it was she had to do. Ancient Zora language was in disuse, carried only by royalty, really, alongside a few outliers who found interest in the sonar-like speech. Mipha concentrated, long enough that Link had to return for another breath, the Zora woman having made a motion for him to do so after signaling toward her head to symbolize her thinking.

Finally, she had something, her eyes cast just below her cranial ridge as they watched Link shyly. He only watched attentively, the growing nerves swelling up within Mipha's chest. It was already quite embarrassing, and a bit undignified considering how able the Zora were, now, with their tongues capable of actual speech, but Link had asked- this Hylian- this man, whom she'd known as a boy. How had he grown into such a handsome man? That clumsy little thing, who'd hardly come up to Mipha's shoulders as a young teenager.

She remembered that promise she'd made to herself. Promising herself to this strong, courageous man, only if he returned taller than she. He had unknowingly kept that bargain, and her heart was take-

"SquEEEEK-!"

Mipha's hands flew up to cover her mouth, eyes shooting open wide in terror as her vocal cords recoiled from their sudden, unexpected chirping, almost that of a dolphin's, as Link's mouth immediately let loose a flurry of bubbles as he laughed, forcing himself to surface before his lungs took on water.

"Pfft, ha ha!" he finished, struggling to catch a breath between his laughs, throwing his hands up along his forehead to remove his hair from his face, "Mipha, that-"

He couldn't withhold his chuckles, even after noticing Mipha simply staying underwater, too terrified and embarrassed to face the man once again. Link gently reached for her in hopes of guiding her back to the surface, but her body immediately swirled away, her speed tremendous in that aquatic environment.

"Mipha…" Link muttered dishearteningly, despite her being unable to hear.

She finally surfaced at the far end of the oasis, still covering her face as she began exiting the pool of water, shaking her head in utter humiliation until Link spoke up, "Mipha, don't-! It was just cute, okay?"

Those words did little to soothe her embarrassment, yet- She stopped in her tracks, turning back around to face him with a low, downtrodden face, her voice lined with dejection.

"I- didn't even do it right," she admitted weakly.

Link shrugged, "I wouldn't have even know had you not said anything. Look-"

He swam over toward her, his body's athletic movement catching Mipha's eye. Half her body still submerged, Link came close by, still having to wade within the water as she stood, kicking his feet restlessly as he explained.

"I didn't mean it to be mean, I- If it had been such a big deal, I would have dropped it," he concluded softly, "Sorry."

Mipha's lips had curled into a frown, though they'd subtly grown content with his words. For all that was embarrassing about her aquatic speaking in general- she truly had wanted to ease Link's interest. She wanted him to know- well, maybe wanted him to know, through such subtle means, that she trusted him. And then to mess up as she had…

"I couldn't swim," Link suddenly spoke up, tearing Mipha from her mind's eye.

"Huh?"

Link's lips rolled inward with knowing defeat, "Yeah, I was- pretty terrified of water, really. I was kind of scrappy as a kind, with my curiosity to broad for my abilities at the time. I got into a few fights, 'n one of them involved me nearly drowning. Some kid shoved my head in a fountain, and- If our instructor hadn't shown up, I might not be here today. But I was terrified of water for the longest time."

Mipha watched him cautiously, "I don't under-"

"Well, I figured it's a tradeoff," he explained, "One embarrassing thing for another."

The Zora smiled lightly, "Being afraid of the water isn't that embarrassing, at least for a Hylian."

"Well, making pretty noises like that shouldn't be embarrassing for a Zora."

A chill crossed Mipha's spine, those deep-seated emotions she'd had about this man swelling up within her. Her head hung low, she raised her eyesight just enough to catch Link's warm look, with that face that so easily melted her heart on occasion. She knew it was wrong- it always had been. But she couldn't help it.

Link's hands went numb, knowing he'd gone a word too far with his last statement. He worried he had gone too far, knowing that Mipha certainly had something a little bit more than friendship when it came to the two of them. He always thought it might have been some childish thing, but, looking back after being told that Lady Mipha would be joining this Company- But he was a soldier, and despite imbibing in a little fun with her, hadn't any intentions of leading her on. But that word, 'pretty'- it had certainly gone too far.

"Sorry, I-"

He suddenly spit out in the aftermath of a burst of water crashing against his face, jerking his head to the side in recoil before returning to find Mipha with her hands in the water, clutched together to create a squirt gun with her fingers acting as pressure gauges to launch a small amount of water into the air. Link watched her in confusion, remembering having taught her that very thing as children, with only a mischievous smirk crawling upon his face, quickly replicating her motion as she pressed on, squirting him again as Link tensed, blindly firing his own stream of water back at her as she dove into the water, leaving Link to spin in following her direction, his hands coupled, primed to fire.

"Hey, no fair," he asserted as Mipha quickly burst through the bottom of the oasis' waters.

She seemed to have heard him, immediately heading for the surface with a burst of water splashing from her exit, collapsing onto Link's head and rendering him blind once again as she fired at him once more. The two resorted to laughing fits as Link simply resorted to slicing his open palms through the water's surface, sending bursts of water in Mipha's direction as she slammed her dorsal fin, clapping against the water to emit bursts of water. Their playful act continued until Link raised his hands in surrender, his legs having begun to tire.

"Alright, alright, you win," he admitted weakly, his breaths ragged.

Mipha grinned, "Again, you mean."

Link groaned, rolling his eyes, "Okay, I suppose that's twice now, tonight. There'll be more though, I swear."

"Uh huh," Mipha teased, quickly rushing over amidst noticing his weakened swimming, "And if you drown, that's another in my column."

Link chuckled, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Gently, her arms wrapped around his bare chest. Link's eyes remained forward nervously, not wanting to turn to face the woman who'd just taken him into her arms. There came a pause between the two, Mipha's heart racing at the sensations that began swirling around within her. This man was so warm, she thought, even in these cool waters. The two feelings rendered the two of them speechless, still in the middle of the oasis with Mipha holding Link afloat while his legs slowed.

"I wouldn't like that," she admitted carefully, her voice a whisper before kicking her own legs to direct him toward the embankment, smiling as if to attempt to diffuse the situation, "You know, you're rather uncouth for a Royal Knight."

Link's eyes turned toward her, catching her glance as his feet hit the sand at the bottom, "I mean, I haven't a Princess to protect right now, so…"

Mipha bit her tongue, her heart begging for her to speak, though her head only fell with a lonesome smirk, betraying her heartfelt tugging. How she so desperately wished to be that Princess behind his breath. Within in arms. Perhaps even within his heart… Yet she couldn't bear to speak, Link's hands coming up to her arms gently, worry beginning to set in.

"Thanks," Link nodded, "I don't have much fun these days, but- You kind of take me back, I guess, to those days where everything was so less serious and strenuous. Everything was less worrisome and all that, so-"

Mipha smiled, "I had fun too. Even with the embarrassment."

"Got you," Link smirked boyishly, carefully working his way out from the oasis as Mipha watched his bare back dripping with water, wholly allured by the sight of him glistening along muscular ridges.

He retrieved his shirt and socks before turning back toward Mipha, nodding toward her, "If anything, it got me all tired, so I'll head back. Make sure you get some rest too, though, okay?"

Mipha nodded obediently, watching as Link disappeared behind the line of tents that sat nearby. Instead of returning to her swimming, however, she simply watched the waters before her, watching their rippling motions, still from Link's having left. Each ripple, almost as if Link were still there, still brushing up against her skin with every ridge atop the water. She crossed her arms, holding herself as her eyes closed softly, imaging it were he in her arms and not herself.

How she so desperately wanted to be that Princess to him.