Mipha's eyes wore on lazily, scanning overtop the umber landscape that appeared vast among her proximity. Lying at her lover's side, head atop his arm, her attention had been upon his horse's movement for quite some time, having found sleep to be a rather fleeting condition at this point in time.
She had fallen asleep in his embrace, but soon enough had woken in an abashed state, though she dared not threaten the somber state of the man at her side. While wholly embarrassed, her body's adjustment to Link's heat-laced skin no longer allowing her such a hazy state of mind that had sent her against his body in the first place, she took such emotions in stride. She did certainly love the man, she knew, but such a state as this was terribly new to her, and entangled between cloth sheets and Hylian skin, her mind had yet found the proper state to understand such things.
Eventually, however, she had found peace within the same man who had left her so flustered, even as he has been sleeping. Her eyes had found his chest, raising so steadily, so slowly, in comparison to his waking state. It forced a serene smile from her, thinking of how calm her presence made him in sleep, despite how bedraggled she had left him beforehand, then her mind returned to bashful condemnation, so she returned to his chest, so effortlessly rising, falling, like the ebb and flow of the tides as he inhaled delicate breaths that strode along the air above them.
While solely able to breath through their gills beneath the waves, Mipha recalled their ability to both breath through their gill slits as well as though mouths- a recollection rather necessary. Since childhood, for perhaps the same reason handedness is predetermined, she had always found it far more natural to take her breaths through her gills during her every day life. Watching Link's wavering breaths, however…
Mipha's eyes crawled along his skin, her head ever so slightly curling upward until she could glance upon his face in profile. She smiled, wondering what he must be dreaming about in such a surrendering state within her presence; such things were rather unbecoming of a knight, he had once tacitly admitted.
Still, they were in love. He hadn't a reason to fear her benign prodding as he slept, though the idea still brought a grin to Mipha's lips.
Her eyes returned to his chest, watching carefully his rising chest, timing his breaths, giving herself a preliminary moment to judge her next course of action. Then, as she relinquished her breathing along her gills, pulling in the muscles of her stomach to do so, her lips broke apart in a fragile balance as her lungs remained in stasis. Her eyes narrowed as Link's chest flowed, sinking into itself as Mipha readied her own body, taking in an effervescent breath in time with Link, emulating his body movement with her own, unable to hold back her lips from curling into a smirk as she did so.
She giggled mutely before immediately finding pause, not wishing to wake him, not now that she was finding both fun and serenity within his tranquil demeanor. Mipha went on as still as possible, watching Link's chest as it pumped oxygen through his body, continuously timing her own breaths to his, the constant focus and mesmerizing movements bringing a sleepiness back to her.
A hand slithered atop his stomach, only gently caressing his skin, allowing the few, fine hair there to stroke along her scales in another dance that was foreign to the Zora. Almost timidly, a single finger pressed into his skin, finding Link's body to be so taut and brusque- bred for combat, indeed, her mind racing with chivalrous intentions as it wandered over another difference between this man and her Zora brethren. While they were bred for lithe, jolting, graceful actions, due mostly to their naturally sleek and soft construction, owed to their life beneath the water, Link 's body resisted her prodding with tensing musculature that brought an embarrassed look to Mipha's eyes as she thought of, once again, being entangled within that skin-strewn web of brawn beside her.
Her breath left her lips in shivers as her index finger wormed, interlaced, with the rungs of dips atop Link's chest where his muscles were far more pronounced, forcing a gulp from Mipha. Her eyes escaped her finger's motion to check his face, finding him still enchanted with sleep, though now she was merely appreciative that he wasn't awake to find her doing such things to him.
She felt a subtle twinge of experimentation in the intentions behind her movement, causing a wry smirk upon her in deepening thought over that consideration of their future together. So much would be this very same experimentation, she thought; these two discovering what the other found endearing, loving, pleasurable, even. Infinity crossed her mind for but a moment, thinking of growing old with this man, before her mind bolted from such a brazen thought, suddenly swiping her hand across Link's chest as she came to her senses, a grumbled groan suddenly heightening the temperature.
"Ah," Link murmured in a sleepy daze, turning his head to where Mipha lay, his warm breaths coursing around her face, "That hurt."
She bit her lips, "S-Sorry."
"No need," Link assured easily, turning his head back up toward the curtained roof that strewn above the room, "I never sleep on my back because it leaves my stomach vulnerable."
Mipha grinned at such a soldierly observation, "So it's your fault."
Tilting his head to pantomime a shrug, Link managed, "I figure since you're far more capable than me in combat, it wouldn't hurt to leave you in protection of my vulnerable points."
He ran a hand along the subtle scratch marks left upon his chest, "Even if it means surrendering some skin in the process."
"You make it sound like I meant to do that," Mipha wryly retorted.
Link's eyes flashed toward her in the madder red of dim lanternlight, "You stole my heart, figuratively, already. How am I to know you aren't digging for the real thing?"
She smirked wider, "Now I'm a monster."
"No," Link muttered in a warmly low voice, pulling his arm from beneath Mipha's head to her shoulders, pulling her toward the height of his torso, allowing him to embrace her, "You're far too beautiful to be a monster."
Half strewn atop this man's body, Mipha was happy to leave her head handing along the edge of his chest, if only so that only the flame across the room could catch her embarrassment. She shut her eyes, attempting to force away the flutteriness within her body, hoping the renewed silence would help in that endeavor, but to no avail.
Her eyes spun curiously, "Aren't you…embarrassed. too?"
"Deathly," Link admitted, "I've never been this close to a woman, so- I suppose I'm still rather afraid I'll do something improper."
Mipha felt his body shiver in realization, "But it's you. and only you. I don't mind embarrassment if that's the case."
Her lips curled at the sweet nothings crossing her ear. Mipha allowed her head to release its resistance, falling along Link's side as he shoved her arms underneath his body, leaving her posture astraddle.
"Then I won't mind," she confirmed quietly.
A jolt arose from within as Link's touch came upon the top of her head, his hand caressing her in tender caress. Her blood boiled with renewed vigor, surrounded as she was beneath that quilt, now sharing all the heat Link had to offer, their body's energies now dancing between them much as their arms were prone to do.
"I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you," Link suddenly offered with a whisper.
Mipha's skin crawled at the twinge of regret in his voice. Inquirously, she pulled her head to rest atop his chest, her eyes watching him curiously while his face remained beyond her vision.
"Don't go."
Her heart trembled. She knew what ached at his core.
"Link-"
His embrace tightened, "Just- Don't go. I've lost enough people that I love- I can't-"
A gentle, frosty sensation came to his cheek as Mipha comforted him, "Link. I love you. With every breath I take, I silently affirm that fact. When I saw you plummeting to your death, I- If I was so willing to sacrifice my home- my people- to save you…"
Her body slowly crept upward, her knees carefully coming up along his sides as she straddled his chest, her upper body cascading just above Link's face as she smiled down toward his trembling face, "My duty as Princess has always been to Hyrule, and although that doesn't mean I love you any less-"
She sighed, thinking of the proper words, "There will come a time when Hyrule needs saving. and as much as you enjoy deferring to my own talents- I know all to well."
"Hmm," she grinned, thinking of that muscular form that was know beneath her, much how it might if she were a Hylian woman, "But you- You won't ever need saving. because that's how good you are. how resilient."
She lowered her head, pressing the crown of her head against his forehead as their eyes met, "When I started this journey, I understood the risks. but I agreed. I agreed because Hyrule needs me- us. Perhaps more than it's ever needed anyone else."
"I'm afraid."
Mipha's smile faded in that instant of weakness that Link only allowed her to bear witness to.
He shook his head, turning it away to hide the tears welling up, forcing them toward the pillow beneath him, "I've spent my entire life shutting away everybody else simply to avoid that possibility of losing someone else. That's why I became the Knight that I did- but even if I failed, I made sure that nobody else would bring me what my mother's death tore through me."
Eyes shut, Link battled his will to continue, "I'm afraid of losing you."
Slowly, effortlessly, Mipha allowed her lithe body to contort downward to allow her arms to wrap around his head, pulling him closer against that space upon her chest, "You won't lose me. You seriously think that after all the times I've defeated you in duels, I'd fail to remind you, incessantly, for the rest of time?"
Despite the emotions welling up against his face, Link couldn't help but bite back a laugh at her childish bravado, shaking his head, "Shut up."
Hiding a giggle of her own, Mipha gave him a kiss, "I'll tell you what. I'm a Princess with a duty to this land- but I'm not stupid. If we go see this fellow and he hasn't any solid ideas-"
She paused for a moment, checking the gravitas of the situation, "Then I won't go."
Link's eyes turned just enough to peer up toward her, "Are you sure?"
Nodding gently, she smiled with a weakness that broke his attention.
He grumbled under his breath, "Well now I just feel selfish."
"Selfish is fine," Mipha concluded warmly, nuzzling her face against his neck, "I'm selfish, too."
He frowned, "If you turn that into a pun-…"
A mischievous smile grew at her lips, "I was simply going to say that I'm selfish too."
A stifled giggle caused her body to shake as she gave a quick nibble with her fangs atop Link's shoulder, "I may not want you to leave this bed, even in the morning. I've grown quite accustomed to your warmth; I don't see how I'll ever be able to return to the cold."
"How about this," Link offered plainly, "If ever you feel too cold- Just let me know. I'll do whatever I can."
"Mmm," Mipha mused with anticipatory zeal, "You mean it?"
Link nodded, "Always."
His hands ran down the small of her back, whirling to the outside of her hips before returning to her shoulders before repeating the motion, smiling satisfactorily as Mipha twitched to one side in a halting movement.
Smirking proudly, Link took a hand away, covering the pride smeared across his face as he held Mipha's hand to bring to his lips, kissing her gently before his voice rang out, "I feel guilty now."
Mipha rolled her eyes, "You have to pick one."
Ejecting a frustrated breath, Link frowned, leaving Mipha to conclude simply, "I've directed you to many a defeat at my hand. You may direct me now."
Now sighing in some complacency, Link closed his eyes, "We'll see, then."
"As you wish," Mipha smiled, nary a trace of that regret Link had seen moments earlier.
Before much more interlude could occur, Link reached a hand around Mipha's head, stroking her steady dorsal fin before finding the opposite end of her, pulling her in for another kiss before Mipha stretched herself back out atop of him, the two indulging only for a few moments before Link curled up on his side to hold onto Mipha this time, resting his head on top of her chest as the tender scratched of her fingers trailed through his hair.
"I love you," spoke Mipha with luster in her voice, only causing Link to nuzzle ever closer against her chest, that much closer to her heart.
He muttered in reply, "Were all the years to pass- Were I to lose my very mind. If I forgot everything about you-"
A soft peck grabbed at her most delicate scales.
"My heart would never allow me to stop."
Mipha giggled, "So poetic for a Knight."
"Only for your Knight," Link reminded, easily.
