Chapter 9: Armor for Whom?

In-game quest description: A client who wishes to be anonymous has noticed his daughter staying up late into the night, crafting armor for… someone. Worried for her health, he asks for a supply of energizing foods. The client's daughter completed the armor without incident and in good health. Still, he could not help but wonder to whom she intended to give the item…

Note: Ok, we made it through the main story! (Well, not counting the Terrako ending; that will happen between either this and next chapter, or right before the final chapter - I'm still figuring out the timing.) One thing I did want to mention: I've been going back through some of the side material, specifically the Zora stone history tablets, and I realized that Dento actually built the Lightscale Trident for Mipha when she was a baby. For now, I'm content with the idea that he built it while he was an apprentice and took over as the main craftsman once he had mastered armor crafting in addition to weapons crafting. If I ever change my mind, you'll know because Dento's name will be swapped out with an original character. Ultimately, not the biggest deal, but I know I like to try to square the peg when fitting fanfictions I read with the main story, so that's the in-universe explanation for that timing, in case anyone wanted to know!

Also, the beginning of the chapter is a tad self-indulgent, going into areas of Hyrule that aren't relevant, but the main story did just end and I wanted to give a feel for how the kingdoms were reacting to the victory.

The first days and weeks after the defeat of Calamity Ganon were a mix of celebration and rest for everyone. The sudden absence of malice in the morning after was a welcome sight to the citizens who had been in affected areas, and Ganon's defeat must have rung through the monsters' souls because they began to flee. Over these next couple of weeks, monster hordes would occasionally assemble in a seemingly last gasp to regain control, but these attacks were far more manageable, and a sense of peace was being felt even in those hours after the victory at Hyrule Castle.

Unbeknownst to much of the kingdom, four of the most important heroes of the day only got to celebrate for a short time. The champions of the future - Rito Warrior Teba, Gerudo Chief Riju, Zora Prince Sidon, and Goron powerhouse Yunobo - had done a great service around Hyrule since the Calamity had started. They jumped into the past, unsure of the effects that would befall them, to save the people's current champions, and were sent away in those wee morning hours after the battle.

Additionally, the guardian responsible for bringing them to the past, for giving them the knowledge to begin preparations sooner and accelerate plans, had been destroyed in the final battle. In an age where so many of the heroes of the past were made into legends, where the Divine Beasts bore the names of great sages, warriors and leaders, a small guardian named Terrako arrived in anonymity and was content to die in it as well.

This sense of anonymity, however, was not something that the current champions could feel in the slightest. Celebrations over the victory spread like wildfire through the kingdoms. Rito Village held a solemn ceremony honoring the great Revali, dedicating his training ground for building up the next generation of great warriors, of which Teba would eventually become. Revali never broke his serious expression during the proceedings, but it seemed clear to all present that he had been moved by these acknowledgements. He decided to stay around the village for some time after the battle, both to serve as protector and to figure a path for what he wanted to do next, though he did venture out for functions where all champions were requested.

Gerudo Town had a celebration outside the town limits so that voe and vai could be present. It was rare that a festival had such grandeur and was so inviting, but Urbosa wanted to give her people a sense of purpose; their future chief had proven to be quite popular in her brief time there, and really strengthened their sense of pride. Urbosa wanted the town to have a chance to display that pride to the various militaries that had helped them reach victory.

While many non-Gorons had trouble getting to Death Mountain, the champions all had standing invites to use the hot springs to relax. Each one that showed up got a hero's welcome and were invited to partake in a dance party in the evening. There was also a feast, but only Link was able to eat most of what was available.

Hyrule Castle had many repairs to do, but offerings of thanks and gratitude flooded Princess Zelda. She was grateful for the gifts she received, but the biggest gift for her was the peace that finally allowed her to conduct research on her own terms. She and Impa began searching for parts to rebuild Terrako, and she had messages prepared for each champion in case materials were available to find in their areas.

Since Zelda was mostly staying in the area around the castle, and Impa was acting as an attendant, Link was needed less often, so he stayed around Hateno Village more, focusing on rebuilding the area and reinforcing his house. The town never got to properly celebrate the victory in their region, so they took that opportunity with some evening banquets. He loved the food in this area of Hyrule, and since Zora's Domain was nearby, he made weekly visits to pick up fish and supplies, and he was always certain to visit Mipha, though they were in the palace far less during these visits. Mipha always wanted to venture outside the domain for some reason, and she made excuses for why they couldn't enter the living quarters.

What Link didn't realize was that Mipha's behavior was constant since returning to Zora's Domain. Upon returning, the Zoras wanted to hold a major celebration as well, honoring Mipha, future Sidon and all of the other Zora soldiers who helped during this Calamity. Mipha had suggested something exclusive to the Zoras to begin with and to save the major, multi-kingdom celebration for a few weeks later. This was because a major celebration would likely require her input a lot more, while she could allow the Zoras to surprise her with a more intimate celebration among just her people.

Well, this was the excuse she gave her father. In truth, King Dorephan knew she wanted to maximize the amount of time each night she was dedicating to the massive project that had overtaken her training space. She was trying to hide it so it didn't become the stuff of gossip around the palace, but the king had been aware of the supplies that were coming into the building and had spotted her a few times with equipment clearly meant for crafting.

He knew she was building armor.

This was both exciting for King Dorephan as well as nerve-wracking. Of course, he knew it was the ceremonial engagement armor; any armor made for the Zora royal family was crafted by a master craftsman. The only time a Zora royal made armor themselves was for this ritual specifically.

It had honestly slipped his mind that Mipha had crossed the threshold for marrying age a while back. In his mind, she had always been his young daughter, but there was no question that she had reached a new era in her life, and it made him happy to know that the stress of this Calamity had not blunted her ability to love or find love. It was said that relationships forged in such rough conditions were among the strongest bonds because they had already experienced the highest levels of stress during their formation, so he was excited to meet the lucky, special one who Mipha had deemed worthy of being a partner.

But that was the question: Who? He hadn't seen anyone pass through the living quarters in ages, and the little digging he did via his contacts in the unit had not revealed any special treatment of any specific soldier. Could it be someone within the kingdom not in the military? It was possible, but he needed more information to go on.

This was far from the biggest problem, though. Mipha had become a bit shut in since returning. Not in a manner that was noticeable to the citizens, mind you. She was still out during the day and engaged in training exercises. She still spoke to people, and the whole desire to put off an ornate celebration was very fitting for her humble nature and desire to hold up the Domain, not herself.

But King Dorephan knew better. Her appearances were more rigid time-wise, and she was regularly home a good two hours sooner than she used to be. The reason was simple enough: She wanted to eat dinner and spend time with Sidon earlier in the day so she could dedicate the entire time after dinner to working on her armor. As he began trying to track a pattern, he realized she was pushing herself to the point that her sleep was degrading. She was getting, at best, half the time she was meant to, and she was standing for so long that he was getting concerned that the long gap between dinner and breakfast would prove too taxing if she wasn't using that time to rest.

Sensing this to be a possible problem, he solicited assistance from the Zora vendors, asking for a supply of energizing meals and snacks that could be used to assist her as she continued what was quickly becoming a hyper-detailed process.

As it so happened, he had someone who quickly took on the challenge. As he was sitting in the palace, he saw Link enter. Before he could say anything, though, Mipha burst through the passageway that led to the living quarters.

"Ah, hello Link! It's good to see you. I thought you might be coming so I took the liberty of gathering supplies. I thought we could go near the waterfall to spar and catch fish for lunch."

Link replied by holding up a small bag. "I'm ahead of you there, actually. The market below was asking for a large supply of energy-boosting meals, but I set two aside for ourselves."

"Is that so?" King Dorephan asked. "It was incredibly helpful of you to do such a thing, Link. You are truly a friend to this kingdom!"

"Agreed," Mipha quickly replied, "but if it's alright with you, father, I'd like to see Link out quickly so that we can maximize our daylight."

Link looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. She suddenly minded greatly the time of day during these last few visits and seemed to want to complete her duties and social time as early as possible. He hadn't asked about it yet, but it definitely was something that was worth mentioning soon.

"Shall we?"

Link shook off his confusion and acquiesced. As they walked out, King Dorephan told his advisers that he wouldn't be taking guests for the rest of the day. He quickly went down to the lower levels and awaited his supply of foods to be brought to him.

After a brief time, Muzu came through with a box of energizing foods and drinks already prepared.

"The merchant said that most of these were already prepared before he got them. Should we test them to make sure they aren't tainted?"

King Dorephan shook his head. "No, I know the person who took on the job. He's trustworthy."

Muzu looked like he wanted to say something or ask about how he knew the person who took the job if he gave the job out anonymously, but chose not to press the matter. "The merchant seemed to hint that these were for the princess but didn't give me a reason why. Should I be concerned about Mipha?"

"I don't believe so," King Dorephan said. "She has taken to using the nights to work on crafting and I just want to make sure she has the energy needed to stay awake and sufficiently energized."

"It's wonderful to hear that the princess has found a passionate hobby in the time since this whole champion business has ended. Truthfully, while I was worried for her safety, I was equally worried that such a stressful task would leave her unable to find excitement in her daily life."

King Dorephan nodded. "I hadn't considered that myself until I saw how much she threw herself into training. She commits fully to everything she holds with value, and we certainly can agree it's wonderful to see her showing passion towards more peaceful ventures now that we have entered a more tranquil time.

"And for the subjects of her passion, they are truly lucky. They won't find a more committed young woman anywhere in the entirety of Hyrule."

Muzu agreed. "If she plans to do projects like this more often, perhaps you could create an arts and crafts studio. As she gets more skilled, she may even want others present to see such work."

At that, the king chuckled. "That won't be necessary. Based on the project she's working on, I'm hoping this will be a one-time creation."

Muzu searched for a moment for the meaning of what King Dorephan was saying before stopping cold. "You- you don't mean-"

"Shhhh. It's a secret to everybody."

And with that, King Dorephan took the foods and placed them in a container with an ice block. This was then sent to Mipha's quarters. When she returned from her day with Link, King Dorephan stopped her.

"I've noticed you have been awake later and later in the nights."

"Oh, y-you have? I apologize for worrying you, father. I assure you nothing is wrong."

"I didn't think there was. I had food brought to your room, and we have supplies for about two weeks' worth. A word of advice: Your mother always told me the neckline was the most intensive, and she worked tired because of the late nights too. Use the energizing foods to help you."

Mipha's eyes got wide. "So… so you know I'm creating an armor piece?"

"I do."

"Do- do you know who it's for?"

King Dorephan shook his head. "I do not, but rest assured, you have my blessing regardless. You have consistently proven to be the heart of Zora's Domain. If you are in love with someone enough to craft the Zora armor for them, then I have no doubt they are deserving of your love.

"Just promise me that you will love them with the same passion you love all our people. And that you expect the same from them in return."

Mipha looked like she was about to cry. She hadn't expected such a vote of confidence over this. "Thank you, and I will. I am certain that you will love the recipient as I do."

"Well maybe not as you do, but as another child of mine? Yes, I could believe that."

Mipha rolled her eyes at the dad-joke and moved in to hug her father.

"I love you."

"I love you too, my daughter."