"Zora's Domain is peaceful at this time." Zelda noted as they came up to the entrance of the watery Kingdom.
The knights couldn't agree more as they watched the Zoras go about their day. The Zora guards holding their spears did their rounds and the others ran around, some were peacefully walking whilst others were taking off to check downstream to make sure everything was going smoothly. Zelda walked forward, making sure to nod respectfully to the other Zoras before being told their King was where he usually was; and like always, Zelda headed straight for the throne room.
"Princess Zelda!" King Dorephan's voice rang out loudly as he watched the Hylian approach the throne. Next to him was, of course, one of his council members; Muzu. "To what do I owe the pleasure in this visit to Zora's Domain?"
"It's good to see you, King Dorephan," Zelda greeted right back. "I have come with some news that… well, that isn't fairly good in terms of speaking. Hyrule will need the aid of the Zoras."
"News? Please, tell me!" King Dorephan nodded, giving her permission to speak, hoping it wasn't as horrid as he thought.
"It's been revealed that Calamity Ganon has his incoming return," Zelda explained, watching as both King Dorephan and Muzu's eyes widened in shock.
"C-Calamity Ganon?" Muzu coughed, eyes darting to his King. "And you wish to have the Zoras aid you for this?"
"Muzu, watch the tone," King Dorephan warned before turning his attention back to the Hylian in front of him. "Of course the Zoras will aid their help. How can we help our ally?"
"We need a Zora Champion to pilot Divine Beast Vah Ruta," Zelda explained.
King Dorephan was taken aback. "Divine Beast?" he repeated. "If you don't mind me asking… but what's this Divine Beast you speak of, Princess?"
"A Divine Beast is an ancient relic that we can control," answered the Hylian. "The Sheikahs have found them and are working on getting them up and running again. The Zoras will have Vah Ruta— an elephant— in order to help us. There's been nothing to explain how they work or their specialities, but Dr. Purah and Dr. Robbie are working on finding them."
"And us Zoras will have the elephant?" hissed Muzu, eyeing the Hylian. "How can you be sure this won't fail?"
"Do you doubt the words of the Sheikah?" questioned Zelda as she stared the Zora down. The two knights in the back scowled and strengthened their grip on their spears they had with them. "The Sheikahs don't lie, Muzu."
The elderly Zora was about to respond when a clearing of the throat interrupted him. His eyes darted back to Dorephan and found the King glaring with heavy disappointment dancing in them; it made the Zora shake his head.
"No, your highness, I don't doubt them," Muzu sighed. "But there still a chance this could fail and these Divine Beasts won't work. Just because Miss Purah and Mr. Robbie working on them doesn't mean they'll succeed in finding a way to activate them."
Zelda refused to allow how his words hit a little too close to home. There was the lingering fear the Divine Beasts wouldn't be activated in time for Ganon's return, but they didn't want to think about the possibility. Impa had sent a letter explaining her sister's hard work and lack of sleep; they didn't want this to be for nothing. They couldn't allow Hyrule to fall now.
They just couldn't.
"I understand the sense of fear and worry, Muzu," she said after a moment's worth of silence. "But we need to trust the Sheikahs."
King Dorephan cleared his throat. "You have my word that the Zoras will aid you in this quest," he declared. "Who shall you pick to be the Zora Champion?"
Zelda smiled a bit sheepishly as she thought back to Link's words. "That's the thing…" she trailed off, unsure. "Er… I was told your daughter, Lady Mipha, has wonderful healing techniques and the Champions could desperately use a healer. So… I was perhaps thinking Lady Mipha could be the Zora Champion? Under your agreement and hers, of course!"
It was silent in the throne room as King Dorephan and Muzu shared a glance. Zelda could feel her heart pounding as she waited for a reply. This was Link's idea, damnit and it could've just cost them the chance at having a healer.
It felt like an eternity before King Dorephan finally turned back to her; the look he had was that of a protective father.
"You wish to make my daughter the Zora Champion," he stated bluntly. "You will only do so if I approve and she does too?"
"Of course," she replied. "We wouldn't dream of trapping someone into something they wouldn't want— it's based on agreement and approval."
King Dorephan took her words in and thought for another minute or two. He could see the look in Muzu's eyes; the pleading to say no and keep his student safe from the possible danger. But deep down, he knew Mipha would fight him on this— she wanted to keep everyone safe from harm and she wanted to help others. This chance would help her achieve what she wanted more than anything.
In his eyes, he didn't have a choice.
"You have my approval and agreement," King Dorephan finally said with a firm nod, much to Muzu's dismay. "You shall find my daughter alongside my son at the waterfall near the entrance. Mipha promised to teach him how to swim up waterfalls."
Zelda gave a respectful bow. "Thank you, King Dorephan," she smiled. "I promise you Lady Mipha will be in no harm or danger."
With that, she turned on her heels and walked away. Ignoring the way Muzu went off about his Lord's answer.
…
King Dorephan hadn't been lying.
Zelda easily found Mipha with her little brother, Sidon, at a nearby waterfall. She watched for a split moment as Mipha went over a few things with her brother before demonstrating how to swim upwards. Sidon watched with amazement as he cheered for his sister. Soon enough, Mipha came down from the top, sticking her landing perfectly.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" Zelda said, making herself known as she stepped towards them.
Mipha immediately stiffened at the sight before relaxing, smiling softly as she shook her head in reply to Zelda's statement. Sidon gave the Hylian a wide smile before heading over to the water, sensing she would want to speak with his sister alone.
"Princess Zelda," Mipha greeted her. Her voice is as soft as ever. "I didn't know you would be visiting Zora's Domain. I would have been with my father if I had known you were coming."
"No," Zelda shook her head. "I know this was sudden. I merely came to ask you something important."
At those words, Mipha was on alert. There was something about Zelda's tone that made her senses up high and click on. Her eyes darted quickly to Sidon before heading back to the Hylian in front of her; was this going to be about Link? Hyrule? Perhaps the allyship between the Hylians and Zoras? Whatever it would be, Mipha would try to deal with it as much as she could, hoping for a good outcome.
As if sensing Mipha's fears and worries, Zelda placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Her eyes told the Zora princess it wasn't anything bad, but merely something she needed to know.
Taking a deep breath, Mipha took a moment to calm herself. When she was done, she nodded to the Hylian, silently saying she was okay and she could continue onwards with what she needed to say.
"Hyrule needs four Champions," Zelda began. "Thus far, only the Rito and Goron Champions have been chosen."
"Why do you need Champions?" Mipha asked, a bit nervous to know the answer to her question. "Is something happening, Princess Zelda?"
"You could say that, Lady Mipha. I'll be frank; the Sheikahs have discovered Calamity Ganon is on the rise and has an incoming return. Thankfully, they've found ancient relics that had been made to destroy Ganon," Zelda explained sternly. "The Zoras— the Sheikahs have decided Divine Beasts Vah Ruta is a perfect match for your kind."
Mipha gave a confused expression. "Divine Beasts?"
"They're ancient relics we can control. The Ritos have been chosen for Vah Medoh, the Gorons have Vah Rudania, the Gerudos have Vah Naboris, and the Zoras have Vah Ruta. Vah Ruta is an elephant— a gentle animal much like yourself," Zelda smiled as she attempted to make Mipha understand what she was saying.
Mipha took in her words, smiling softly as she thought about an elephant's kind and gentle nature. It mirrored her own in a way. "Ruta sounds lovely, and close to the name Ruto," she added.
Zelda nodded. "From what I understand, they named the Divine Beasts after famous kin members. I can only imagine that's who Ruta was named after; Ruto."
"I would have to check but I'm sure we're correct. But, if I may, why do you need to tell me this?" questioned Mipha.
Zelda took a deep breath, echoing Link's words in her mind. "The Champions need a healer to tend to their wounds," she explained. "I was told your healing techniques are the best out of every Zora here— and it was Link who told me— so, I was wondering if you'd like to join the Champions. I already have your father's approval and agreement but we need yours."
"You want me to be the Zora Champion?" Mipha clarified, feeling honored and if her father agreed to this; she could help people.
"Yes," Zelda agreed. "You would be a wonderful Champion. I have no doubt you'll be able to get along with Revali and Daruk too."
"Are those the Rito and Goron Champions?"
"Yes."
If Link had suggested her to be the Zora Champion; there was no way she could turn them down. It was a given opportunity and this would help her be able to help everyone out in ways she always dreamed about. And if Ganon was on the rise, there was no way she could ever say no. He would threaten each race and the entire Kingdom to no end with his raise to power if they didn't stop him.
With a deep breath, Mipha nodded.
"I accept," she said in reply. "I accept being the Zora Champion."
Zelda beamed. "Excellent! There'll be a summons for you once the last Champion has been chosen for the ceremony to welcome them."
Mipha nodded. "Is there anyone leading the Champions?"
"I am."
The Hylian could see the gears working in Mipha's head as the shock registered but unlike Revali's and Daruk's shock, it quickly faded away as a bright, shy smile took over the Zora's expression as she congratulated the princess, saying she was looking forward to working with her in terms of Champion business.
It was a massive relief for Zelda.
"One more thing," she added, "— we'll also have the Master Sword's Chosen. The Chosen One will be revealed at the ceremony too."
"I understand. I'll be looking forward to the summons."
Zelda grinned as she spoke with Mipha about a few more things concerning Ruta that she had heard from the Sheikahs when Sidon ran out of the water and towards her; tugging on her hand, saying how he wanted to show her how he managed to get up the waterfall a littleways before he fell back down. He also said he wanted Zelda to watch as well, sensing she was his sister's friend.
The Hylian couldn't help the cute giggle that escaped past her lips as she nodded, following the siblings to the water, sitting down on a rock as she watched Sidon show them how far he was able to make it up the waterfall before he fell down back into the water, coming up with a bright, proud smile.
Mipha clasped her hands together as she moved to tell her brother how proud she was, and Zelda backed up the statement with her own words of approval for Sidon's improvement thus far.
The look on his face was more than enough to send waves of happiness in Zelda's heart.
"Do you think dad will be proud?" Sidon asked.
Mipha smiled softly. "I have no doubt our father will be proud of you," she replied. "He's always proud of us, after all. He reminds of us all the time."
Somehow, the words hit so close to home in Zelda, and she had a hard time keeping her flinch to herself. Thankfully, neither sibling noticed how she flinched at the statement. If King Dorephan kept reminding his children about his pride in them, why couldn't her father do the same?
Why did he only say he was proud when he was forced to admit it? When he did finally tell her; it felt so forced that Zelda knew the only reason why he was saying it was because there was something else to do in that moment in order to make things better between them, so he sought out the easiest way out. Did he fail to realize she was more like her mother than he believed?
Once upon a time, Julia kept telling Zelda how proud she was, and for that reason alone Zelda was more close with her mother than her father. King Rhoam had to do all the hard work when it came to the Kingdom as he was the one who was born out of Royal Blood, not Julia. But it still would've been nice if he was a bit more like his deceased wife in terms of parenting; always reminding her that he was proud of her and her achievements instead of looking down on them.
She shivered when she remembered the look of her father the last time she had done something worth being praising for. Impa, who had been there at the time along with Purah, was overly proud of her friend's achievement and spent an hour being happy and praising her; Purah had clasped her hands together, said her words of encouragement, promising to take her out for a trip at the lab or to get a drink sometime whilst her father stared with eyes that screamed how he didn't see the massive achievement.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low and flat. Zelda remembered feeling her heart tighten as Impa and Purah watched with growing anger as King Rhoam stated how it was something that wasn't exactly going to help them in the future but he supposed he was pleased with her work. While Impa comforted the princess, Purah spent the entire hour or so scolding King Rhoam for his words.
Snapping back into reality, Zelda felt her throat tightened slightly as she watched the pair get along. She needed to head back to Hyrule Castle to plan the trip to the Gerudo Town; they needed Urbosa to be the Gerudo Champion.
"I'll see you at Hyrule Castle at the ceremony, Lady Mipha," Zelda choked out, hoping Mipha didn't take notice of her shaky voice.
"Of course," Mipha nodded, watching as Zelda turned on her heels.
There was something off about her, but she couldn't figure out what.
…
The moment Zelda got back to the Castle, Link had taken notice of the sudden change in mood. Without thinking, he dropped his rounds he was doing, hurrying over to see her break slightly as she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
"Princess! What's wrong?" questioned Link as he searched her for any injuries before glancing back at the knights behind her. They paled in color when they saw the anger flash in his eyes, staggering back uncomfortably. "What did you do? What happened?"
"They did nothing," Zelda weakly pointed out, halting him.
"They did nothing?" Link repeated, watching as she gave a slight confirmation to her sentence. He gave them a glare and within an instant, the knights took off to report back to their captain. Link took a deep breath to calm himself. "Princess, what happened? Why are you so upset?"
This wasn't like her and he hated seeing her like this.
"I was just simply remembering a few things is all…" Zelda mumbled in answer, not wanting to talk about it further. "Anyways—" she wiped her eyes away from the tears that threatened to fall, "— you've gotten your wish to have Mipha as the Zora Champion. King Dorephan has agreed."
"She has?" his eyes widened in surprise, but he couldn't feel happiness. "That's nice."
Zelda eyed him. "Shouldn't you be more happy with this information?" she questioned softly, glancing away. "You have your childhood best friend working with you to stop Ganon."
"I can't." he admitted. "You're upset."
He could see the look of shock spreading across her features as she realized he was worried about her. Zelda didn't know what to think as she took in the information; she could see the worry in his eyes and that's what made her think. Why was he so concerned with her? She didn't need him to worry about her.
There was no right to worry about her belonging to him.
Channeling her inner bravery, Zelda stood tall as she clutched her fists at the side, ignoring the way Link's hands were on her shoulders. "You don't need to worry about me," she commanded, making him jerk back. "I'm fine— just be glad I took it into account that your friend could be of use to the Champions."
There was nothing the hero could've done to stop his jaw dropping at the sudden sourness of her tone. Were they back at square one now?
"Princess, what—"
"Leave me be, Chosen One."
The way she spat out that title as she brushed past him cut deeply. Link didn't know what to think as he watched her storm off. He wanted to head after her; but he knew it wouldn't do much— she would just command him to leave her alone. She was his Commander after all.
She led the Champions and he was one of them.
He had to obey her words.
"Just what happened at Zora's Domain?" he wondered as he turned on his heels, making his way to finish his rounds. "There's no way Mipha could've upset her— she's far too nice for her own good to even consider making enemies with Zelda. Plus, why does it hurt so much to see Zelda upset?"
Maybe he should ask his parents.