A/N: Sorry this took so long. I had... a lot of life stuff going on plus trying to figure out what changes I wanted was difficult. Add to it that I kept getting mixed feedback from not one, but multiple sources and it's been a pretty frustrating attempt to try and continue this. Since completing the original, I have a better idea of where I'd like to take this.
That being said, I would not expect regular updates on this. I'm in the middle of a self-imposed BotW writing challenge and am trying to get started on my next fic in the series (it's Star Fox, not a direct sequel to this). Anyway, I just thought I'd let y'all know.
With that out of the way, let's get into it.
"… I hope you know that I will always protect you," Mipha said with a fond smile as she finished healing the wound on Link's arm. The Zora Champion retracted her clawed hand as she looked out over the reservoir below. The setting sun cast its warm light over them as the soft oranges and reds glowed around them, illuminating the massive trunk they sat on, as well as the water in which Ruta floated silently. Off in the distance, she could see the glittering city she called home, and upon squinting, she could just make out some of her people wandering about their daily lives. Though she had always wanted to explore the world outside of the Domain, the Zora Princess was certain that the Domain would always be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
And it would always contain some of her favorite memories.
"Thanks."
Of course, Link didn't seem to be as at peace as she was. Even several hours alone with her hadn't been enough for him to let down his guard. Over the years, stoicism had become his shield, even with her. Occasionally, using all of her interpersonal skills as well as a bit of luck and a well-planned excursion, she could get the near-mechanical facade to drop. In those moments, the starry-eyed adventurer she had come to love would resurface, allowing them both to "let down their hair," as he had once said to her.
Her gaze returned to him sadly as he once again fell silent next to her, nothing in his face or body giving any indication of how he felt. "I know better than to ask why you are so quiet, but may I ask one favor of you?"
A glint of life returned to his eyes and he tilted his head slightly, as was his habit when he had a question. She had always found that particular quirk of his to be adorable.
"When all is said and done, will you..." she took a deep breath, suddenly questioning whether or not she really wanted to make the request. All it took was one look at him to know that it was too late to turn back. He wouldn't pressure her, but she would feel his unasked question for hours or even days to come. "… Will you come back?"
His head tilted further, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought.
"Every time you have come back over the years, it seems like more and more of you is left back in Hyrule," she explained tentatively. Though Link didn't show it, she knew he felt just as strongly as anyone. Sometimes, she thought he felt more than most. "When your duty to the Hylian Royal Family is done, will you come back home?"
Link leaned back, eyeing her for a second before turning his emotionless gaze toward the Domain.
The Zora Champion's hands found their way into her lap, where they clasped each other as though they might be separated. With her Hylian friend so distant, she never knew if she was overstepping her boundaries as his friend.
It was a struggle to keep from withdrawing into herself as she waited for rejection.
"Naydra."
Mipha looked up quickly, her mind racing to try and translate the message he had hidden in a single word. It was no secret to her that Link had always had a fascination with the dragon that guarded the region; however, even that wasn't quite enough to help her guess what he was trying to say.
Luckily, he didn't seem intent on making her work to understand.
"I promised I'd go meet her one day."
"I remember," Mipha replied, thinking back to the image of him standing atop the Veiled Falls, shouting to the dragon with all the volume he could muster.
"Will you go with me?"
"I will be there with you, every step of the way."
"Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Not reaching out to him at that moment was one of the greatest struggles of her life. She had always known that he had somehow come to associate Naydra with deep and abiding pain. If he were thinking of his promise to find the dragon's home, then he must have been reflecting on that pain for quite some time. If she could have, she would have done everything in her power to alleviate that pain.
Unfortunately, the powers that earned her such renown could only heal physical hurts. All she could do was to let him know that he was welcome to share his burdens with her and then fight every urge to pressure him into sharing with her.
Quickly being overcome by guilt at her inability to help and shame at her powerlessness, she looked away, seeking comfort in the sight of her homeland.
To her surprise, it wasn't long after her eyes left him that she felt a familiar hand hesitantly take hers. His grip wasn't firm like it had been in his youth, as though he were afraid he would lose her if he didn't cling tight enough. Instead, he held it as though his hand had utterly forgotten how to hold another.
"And I'll try to come home."
"Mipha!"
The Zora Champion blinked rapidly as her surroundings changed in an instant. No longer was she atop Ruta's trunk, basking in the warmth of a setting sun with an old friend. Now, she was on a cold and dreary pier, being shaken by her brother.
"What is it? What is the matter?" she asked quickly.
Link pointed off to the horizon in lieu of an answer and she didn't need to search hard for what he was referring to.
Even through the rain and suffocating darkness that covered the landscape, she could still see the smoke emanating from a harsh orange glow.
"The Lizalfos," Sidon muttered. "Sister, I know you are struggling right now, but do you believe you are able to battle Ruta?"
"Yes." She took a deep breath as she made a difficult decision. "Sidon, I am not as strong as I once was. Can I rely on you to help Link where I cannot?"
"Absolutely!" the Prince responded. He waited for no other orders or requests as he dove into the reservoir and resurfaced near instantly. "I will get you close to the Divine Beast, Link!"
She gave the barest nod, knowing that Link was silently awaiting her direction. Once she had given him her signal of approval, he jumped in after Sidon and climbed onto the Prince's back.
With her two companions being ready, Mipha set aside all of her misgivings, knowing that they would only hinder her in the minutes and hours to come. Following their example, she dove into the reservoir after them.
Despite Sidon's grin and Link's focused countenance, the Zora Champion could sense the urgency they both felt, and it was a mirror of her own. "Both of you need to promise me that you will be careful, and if you -"
"We're not leaving you," Link stated.
"No, we will not," Sidon agreed. "Don't worry, sister, I am unstoppable in the water!" The Zora Prince dashed ahead, cutting through the water as though hoping to prove his point.
"Sidon, wait!" she cried as she darted after him. He hadn't even given her the opportunity to warn them both of Ruta's external defenses. Certainly, her little brother could adapt to the ice attacks that Ruta might use, but she would be able to focus far better if she knew they were armed with greater knowledge of the Divine Beast.
Instead, the Zora Champion would have to rely on their ability to think quickly and adapt even faster. Both of whom had displayed such qualities in their own quirky ways.
While there was an astounding number of worse positions to be in, her current one was still what she considered to be awful. Two people that she loved dearly were still putting themselves at risk because of her failures and that was something she wasn't sure she'd be able to forgive herself for, at least, not at that moment.
The internal conflict that Mipha suffered from was soon forgotten as she noticed several airborne objects growing around Ruta.
"Be careful!" she called as she witnessed the projectiles alter their trajectory to home in on them. While the open waters of the reservoir would provide ample space for her to maneuver and defend herself, Sidon would be hampered with Link clinging to his back. Her brother would never be able to jump, flip around, or dive into the depths with the Hylian Champion in tow. As such, she'd not only have to defend herself but them as well.
"Sidon, keep swimming!" she called out as the first of the icy clusters drew near. "I'll -" the Zora Champion was cut off as the nearest hunk of ice exploded. Looking away for just a moment, Mipha caught sight of Link, who had pushed himself up and was holding the Slate out in front of him. She had never seen the Cryonis rune in action, but the sound of yet another projectile shattering was enough to convince her of its use.
Tightening her grip on the Lightscale Trident, Mipha returned her focus to the impending attack. The Slate would be useful, but even it wouldn't be enough to protect her two companions. Judging by the time between the destruction of the chunks of ice, Link needed time to aim and destroy them. It would be her role to buy him time and cover his blind spots in the meantime.
It would certainly be more manageable than she had originally believed. That did little to ease her concerns, as loved ones were in just as much danger as they were before.
Seeing another projectile closing in, Mipha leaped up, spinning through the air and using her momentum to knock the block of ice heading toward Link off course. There was no time to celebrate, as she could feel another closing in on her. She dove down, giving herself a chance to create distance between herself and the object. Within a few seconds, the Zora Champion flipped around, stabbing toward it with her weapon. Mipha felt rather than heard the ice shatter beneath the force of her trident and, thankfully, that was the only attack she had felt coming.
Allowing herself no breaks, the Zora Champion raced back to the surface, picking up speed as she saw a large ball of ice closing in on Sidon. She broke the surface, once again readying herself to defend her brother and friend, only to find the projectile had already disappeared.
"See Mipha?!" Sidon shouted, almost sounding gleeful as he turned sharply toward the Divine Beast. "Between the three of us, there is nothing to worry about!"
Mipha grimaced, deciding against reminding her brother that they had yet to even draw close enough to Ruta to counterattack. She remembered that he would sometimes rush ahead when he failed to make progress as fast as he liked. The Zora Champion had witnessed far more self-control in him than she remembered; however, she wasn't going to take any chances where their safety was concerned.
Sidon must have understood the gravity of the situation, as he swam the fastest she had yet seen. Link was forced to lean forward in order to keep ahold of the Zora Prince, just as Mipha had to pick up her own pace.
She could see ice collecting out of her peripheral vision just as Sidon leaped out of the water, launching the Hylian Champion toward the first of the falls pouring out of Ruta's joints. Her attention was pulled in two different directions as she tried to track Link's progress and maintain awareness of Ruta's ice attacks.
Much to her surprise, Link rocketed up the stream of water faster than she had anticipated. She had known that he had been exhausted when she found him training, but he must have hidden it better than she had suspected. He reached the top before Ruta could muster a counter-attack, sending himself soaring skyward as he brought out his bow. Unfortunately, Mipha saw nothing more than him drawing a shock arrow as Ruta renewed its assault.
Diving down once again, the Zora Champion flipped around, bringing her trident to bear as blocks of ice descended on her. She stabbed the first in the new wave of projectiles. As fast and strong as she was in the water, she couldn't muster enough strength to completely destroy it. Thankfully, it was enough to send it careening past her.
She continued upwards, dodging past several other pillars of ice, sending herself into the air once reaching the surface. As she fell back down toward the water, she spun around, knocking one of the blocks out of the way before running her trident through another. The sound of another one of the frozen projectiles shattering reached her from somewhere nearby. Evidently, Sidon and Link were watching her back as much as she was watching theirs.
There was no reprieve; however, as she felt even more movement in the water around her.
"Sidon! Do you have Link?!"
"Yes!"
"Then pull back!"
The two siblings retreated with the Hylian Champion in tow. Once again, they were swimming around the outskirts of the reservoir as several projectiles homed in on them.
"That was simply incredible!" Sidon shouted over his shoulder. "To think you could loose two arrows before falling back down!"
"Sidon, you need to focus!" Mipha didn't particularly care for reprimanding her brother in the middle of a battle but she couldn't help but worry that he was becoming overly distracted.
"Don't worry, Mipha!" he called back as he suddenly pulled to the left. A round, spiked projectile erupted out of the water just beside him. Link was quick to react, destroying it before it could alter its trajectory.
Despite how easily they had avoided the attack, the Zora Champion didn't feel any more at ease. That was the first attack of its shape she had seen and, thus far, Ruta's attacks had only submerged themselves to follow them. If attacks were now coming from below, that meant that Ruta was evolving its tactics.
"Mipha!"
Catching her attention briefly, Link pointed toward the Divine Beast. Ruta was surrounded by a blue aura as a rounded wall of ice erected itself around the ancient machine. Bit by bit, the sheets of ice erected themselves at an astonishing pace. Mipha was dumbfounded by the defenses she hadn't even known existed. In no time at all, Ruta would cut off access to itself, and there was no telling when they'd get another chance.
"Follow me!" Sidon called over his shoulder as his toothy grin disappeared into a frown.
Not knowing what the Zora Prince had planned but choosing to trust him anyway, Mipha stuck as close behind as she felt was safe.
Her younger brother charged toward Ruta even as the ice wall grew beyond what they could jump over; however, Sidon only sped up. Knowing that there was no stopping him, Mipha could only hope that he knew what he was doing. She could only assume that he meant for Link to use the Cryonis rune to break through but she doubted that even the power of the Slate would be enough to break such a massive structure. Perhaps bombs might have helped, but they would have to get far too close for Link to be able to throw it.
The sound of ice shattering reached her ears just before Sidon would have crashed into the still-growing barrier. Instead, he passed through a hole that Link must have created seamlessly. Mipha felt her muscles recoil slightly as she entered the frigid waters just behind him; however, she ignored it as she caught motion at the edges of her vision. Reacting quickly, she once again leapt over Sidon, swinging her trident in a wide circle as she spiraled through the air. The Zora Champion knocked away two projectiles that had been flanking her brother on both sides, allowing him to continue ferrying Link to Ruta's side.
Mipha quickly lost track of her brother and friend as she was assaulted from several angles. Knowing she didn't have time to knock any of the Divine Beast's attacks away, she resorted to dodging and weaving through what space she had available to her.
Projectiles came at her from all angles and continued to chase her when she dodged them. Without the use of her trident, the only way to nullify the attacks and further protect herself was to hope that the objects would slam themselves into the wall of ice and break themselves on it.
"Sidon!?" she called out, not even sure where to begin looking for her little brother.
"I'm fine! We just need a few more seconds!"
Mipha was unsure that they had even a few seconds. There was no time to even stop and take stock of her surroundings, let alone catch her breath. Every time she narrowly avoided being crushed by an icy projectile, another was closing in on her from another angle. She was a strong swimmer, even by Zora standards, but she was reaching the limits of what she could handle.
Suddenly, sharp cracks resounded around her. She continued moving, shocked as she felt several oddly shaped shards of ice colliding with the water's surface. The water currents that moved across her gills indicated that there were collisions everywhere within her immediate vicinity.
She retreated from the icy barrier, allowing it to collapse without harming her in the slightest.
"Sidon? Link?" she called out as she scanned her surroundings, unconcerned with the fact that Ruta had lowered itself and was resting on the water's surface.
Neither was anywhere in sight.
"Sido-"
She was cut off as she felt movement just below her. Mipha breathed a sigh of relief as Sidon breached next to her with Link in tow.
"Thank goodness you both are all right."
"Sorry to worry you," the Prince apologized. "Since you and I are unstoppable in the water, I thought it was better to find Link quickly and protect him."
"I'm just glad you are both safe." Though the dread of what was to come still hung over her, Mipha allowed herself to relax slightly. Her intuition warned her that there was something worse awaiting them within Ruta's interior; however, she took a moment to be grateful that they had all overcome the first trial only a little worse for wear.
"Are you hurt?" Link asked as she and Sidon swam side by side, cautiously approaching the Divine Beast.
"No," the Zora Champion responded as she guided them to Ruta's side, where a platform had extended out just above the calm waters. She could feel his eyes on her, perhaps knowing that she wasn't being entirely honest. She hadn't been hurt but she was certainly winded.
As she and Link climbed onto the platform, Mipha noticed that the Hylian Champion stepped with a slight limp. If he was showing signs of an injury, then it was more than a minor concern.
"Before we continue, I need to heal you."
"It's not bad."
"Sit down," she commanded, leaving no room for argument. She was not about to allow him to put himself further at risk because he was too proud or didn't want to inconvenience her.
The Hylian Champion acquiesced, nearly snapping as he complied.
Once he was settled, Mipha set to work, using her magic to restore him.
The Zora Champion was so busy tending to her friend's wound that she failed to notice that her brother was floating beside the platform, watching them both.
"I, uh..." Sidon took a moment to clear his throat as his older sister and her friend looked back at him. "I know that we all are missing so many memories of our time together, but I hope you both know that I believe in you. If anyone can calm Ruta and save our home, it's you both!" he finished with a wide, toothy grin.
"You're going to go help Urbosa and the others, aren't you?" Mipha asked quietly.
"Yes. I think I would only be in the way here but Lady Urbosa and Bazz will need all the help they can get."
Mipha and Link jolted slightly as the platform came to life underneath them, rising up toward Ruta.
"Link!" Sidon called out as both Champions peered down at the Zora Prince over the edge. "Take care of my sister for me!"
Link, quiet as ever, simply nodded. The Prince must have seen it as he turned back toward the pier and swam away, leaving both Champions alone with the Divine Beast.
The platform came to a stop before a large door. Beside it was a pedestal that was nearly identical to the ones they had found in the shrines on the Great Plateau. Mipha watched as Link stepped forward and set the Sheikah Slate on the terminal without hesitation.
She felt a tremor pass through Ruta as the door came to life, rising to grant them entrance to the Divine Beast.
Link must have noticed that she had not moved a muscle, as he looked back at her questioningly.
"There's something I need you to know." Why? Of all the times she could have chosen to have this discussion with him, why now? This couldn't possibly be the last time they'd fight side by side. Surely, she would have other, more opportune times to tell him about what the armor he wore meant.
So why now?
Maybe it had something to do with being reunited with Ruta once again. As the adrenaline from the fight started to wind down, she found herself once again battling her anxiety.
"..."
He must have understood that the matter at hand was important to her as he turned to face her directly. Remaining silent, he waited patiently for her to continue.
"Do you remember the legend of the White Scale?"
She was certain that he had spent at least some time at her father's feet, just as every child in the Domain had, to listen to him recount tales of the past. It, being one of her personal favorites, was one the King had told regularly after the late Queen's passing. Unfortunately, just because she had regained memories of the stories didn't mean Link had.
"No."
"I don't have time to tell you the whole story but it led to a tradition in which every Zora Princess crafts special armor for the man they intend to marry."
The Hylian Champion looked down at the armor he wore with a slightly puzzled expression. She could tell that the gears in his head were starting to turn.
"You made this, didn't you?" he asked finally.
"I did." She wasn't sure what the blank look on his face meant.
"I'm sorry…" he looked back up at her with a mix of concern and sadness. "I can take it off if you'd like."
Mipha took a deep breath, ready to explain herself; however, she couldn't find the words she needed. Even in the past, the Zora Champion hadn't ever developed a plan to confess to him.
An awkward silence fell between them, only broken when Link started unfastening the chest plate he wore.
"Don't!" she said quickly, causing him to freeze up and send her a questioning look. "I think it would be safer for you to wear it right now."
"But-"
"Please don't worry about it!" she interrupted, sounding far more shrill than she meant to.
Her childhood friend frowned at her but she made no attempt to explain herself. After a few seconds, his hands dropped away from the straps. He opened his mouth to say something; however, after eyeing her, he closed his mouth again and nodded. Mipha could see in his face that he wasn't content with the outcome of their conversation but she had no idea how to say what she needed to.
Unable to look at him any longer, she allowed her gaze to fall down to her clasped hands. The Zora Champion took a deep breath, taking a moment to gather herself before raising her head. "I think it would be best if we discussed this later. For now, please wear the armor for me, will you?"
Link studied her for a moment. "Okay."
Knowing that time had been short before the conversation had started, Mipha set aside her emotional responses and stepped toward the entrance. "My memories of Ruta are still incomplete but I believe I can guide us through most of it."
"Right."
Together, the two Champions entered the Divine Beast warily, ready for any potential attack.
Torfeau stuck close to her fellow knights as they swam downstream with extreme urgency. It had taken them far too long to regroup after they had been forced to retreat from the highlands. The ambush had taken them by surprise, and the explosion that had closely followed had added to their disorientation. To top it all off, there had been an overbearing fear coursing through the Zora ranks at the thought of the impending battle. Many of the older generations had become disillusioned with the glory of battle after the Age of Burning Fields had begun, and the following generations had never seen more than a few small skirmishes.
This was beyond anything that any of them had been prepared for.
Now, the freshly minted knight was rushing down the river with her brothers and sisters in arms to enact the strategy that could make or break their defense.
To say that she was frightened was an understatement. Thankfully, the two leaders in charge of the defense had put on a brave face, regardless of how they truly felt.
The Lady Urbosa and Captain Bazz had determined that their best hope was to use the Zora's affinity for water to perform small strikes on the enemy. The group's targets were Lizalfos using shock weapons, particularly those with arrows.
Torfeau fought the urge to freeze up as her superior angled upward sharply, guiding her and her comrades toward the surface. With the speed that only a member of the aquatic race could muster, she broke the surface, leaping high up into the air and landing on the rocky trail.
No sooner than her feet touched the trail, chaos broke loose all around her. Shouts, flailing limbs, and a broad spectrum of colors filled her surroundings, making it nearly impossible for the knight to track anything. The black-scaled Zora could feel her muscles tightening as she tried desperately to find some kind of order in the frenetic mess.
An alien shriek cut through her confusion, pulling her attention to a green form rushing toward her.
Years of training kicked in as she tightened her grip on her weapon, bringing it up and ramming it through the creature. It dropped to the ground, thrashing as she removed her weapon.
The attack had an oddly clearing effect on her mind. Now, she was able to make out who her allies and who her enemies were as well as remembering to keep an eye out for the harsh glow of shock weapons. Simultaneously, she found her nearest ally and took to his side. They pressed forward as more and more of the knights found their bearing and began linking up.
Between the Zoras' sudden ambush and an overall lack of discipline, the knights took ground quickly. The only real danger any single one of them faced was being overwhelmed by a horde; however, even that danger was slightly mitigated by linking together.
It didn't take long for yellow swords and spears to appear in her peripheries.
When Torfeau had first learned of the battle to come, she had requested to speak with Captain Bazz as soon as possible. Upon meeting her superior, the young knight had proceeded to ask him for advice, looking for anything to help relieve the immense stress that weighed her down. The Captain, calm as ever, had told her simply to remember her training and act on it.
She hadn't understood the meaning behind his words, but she understood that she could trust him. So, she took the simple words to heart. When given an assignment to help bolster the defense, she had set to it with her best effort. Immediately, she had noticed just a bit more confidence in herself and their odds.
Of course, it had been just the slightest boost but it had been enough to give her faith in the Captain's words.
So, when shock weapons started appearing, she lunged toward the nearest Lizalfos and drove her spear through it. Retreating quickly, she rejoined the line, waiting for the next monster to get within range.
She could feel her brothers and sisters copying her feet, stepping out just enough to strike at a target, but not enough to break their line.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to turn the tide of the battle.
The first arrow to fall missed everyone in the company but others soon followed.
Looking up, the young knight noticed a line of Lizalfos standing on the cliffs above, aiming bows down at them.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
The knight standing to her left was struck just as they started to pull back. Instinctively, Torfeau reached out as he, unable to even cry out; however, a purple-scaled hand reached out and snatched her wrist.
"There's nothing you can do!"
Torfeau found herself being dragged along as she watched a couple of her other comrades fall. Her stomach twisted painfully as she recognized a few familiar faces. Some had been more than just her fellow knights.
"Torfeau?! Torfeau!" the knight in question finally looked away from them to find Dunma dragging her toward the edge of the river. "There's nothing we can do! We have to leave and report to Captain Bazz!"
Behind them, another volley of arrows rained down as they reached the edge of the river. Without waiting to see if Torfeau was any more aware of what was happening, Dunma pushed her off the ledge and into the river below.
There was a moment where her stomach leaped into her throat as she fell, which only ended when she crashed into the raging waters. She felt herself being dragged downstream before her senses finally kicked back in. Righting herself, the young knight began pushing against the current as she tried desperately to wipe the previous few minutes from her mind.
What had happened, why it happened, and what came next were all things that were far too much for her to handle right now. It was all she could do to keep the river from sweeping her far away as she broke down.
Why had it come to this? To watching her friends die and not being able to do a thing about it. Hadn't she chosen to undergo the rigorous training to become a knight so she could protect the people she cared about?
As she continued fighting the flow of the flooded river, she focused on what Dunma had stated just before she had shoved Torfeau into the waters. She had to report back to Captain Bazz.
He would know what to do.
The urge to vomit had become so strong that Mipha was struggling to walk normally. She would have fallen to her knees upon first entering the Beast if Link had not been there to catch her. Though she tried to hide the true extent of her physical distress from Link she could tell that he knew something was very wrong. Normally, he would have been wandering short distances away to explore the things that caught his eye. Now though, he stayed by her side, far less relaxed than he should have been.
It was very sweet of him but she almost wished he would leave her for a few minutes. For as long as she could remember she had been trained to maintain a perfect facade around others. Even with him, it was nearly impossible for her to allow herself to sit down and be ill for just a moment.
Even so, she refrained from sending him away. Yes, she had spent a number of years in Ruta but now she was in enemy territory. Walking into the Divine Beast had nearly been enough to knock her off her feet. Defending herself would be a monumental challenge at this particular point and not one she was certain she would be able to overcome in her current condition.
Luckily, it was only able to hinder her so much. Years of exploring Ruta's inner chambers and learning to perform some basic maintenance on the Divine Beast had ingrained the layout within her mind. She guided her friend toward the area that held a terminal that they would use to start the cycling process.
The terminal lay on the other side of a large pool of water, with a large gate extending far below the surface. Accessing it would require her to swim deep below the surface to pass underneath the gate.
"Give me just a moment to -"
"No," Link interrupted.
"But we need to -"
"I'll do it."
Mipha considered arguing with the Hylian Champion; however, she knew it would be best to allow him to help her now. "Thank you."
Link nodded before diving into the pool at their feet. She gave him a few seconds before sinking down to her knees. She took a few deep breaths, trying to manage her nausea as it welled up once again. Apparently, allowing herself a moment of weakness only led to her condition worsening. It became too much for her to handle, causing her to lean over and empty the content of her stomach into the pool of water.
And once she started, she couldn't stop.
Unable to support her own weight anymore, the Zora Champion sunk to the floor of the Divine Beast. She was so preoccupied that she didn't even hear the light splashing of water as Link climbed up out of the pool. A comforting hand was set on her back, gently alternating between rubbing and patting her.
Mipha would have been humiliated if her throat wasn't burning and she wasn't struggling to breathe.
Eventually, there was nothing left in her stomach, leaving her to lay quietly next to the water. Thankfully, the floor was cool, helping to soothe her. Link remained by her side, continuing to rub her back gently. Mipha wasn't sure what it was about the simple action, but it helped to ease her nerves. She could still feel the rage and hatred emanating from Ruta and that was nothing compared to the oily sickness that permeated the Divine Beast's mind. Though she could not decipher his emotions, the action helped to anchor her, helped her to start pulling away from Ruta.
The Zora Champion took a deep breath, steeling herself as she finally pushed herself up. Slowly, trying to prevent a resurgence of vertigo, she climbed to her feet. "Thank you," she murmured after cleaning herself up with a rag that Link handed to her.
Link said nothing but he gave her a small smile.
"Were you able to activate the terminal?"
"Yes." The Hylian Champion removed the Sheikah Slate from his belt, holding it upwards between them as an image appeared above its face.
"What is this?" She asked in wonder as she recognized Ruta's form. However, there were a few other symbols surrounding the Divine Beast. "What do you suppose these are?" she asked as she tapped one. A shudder passed through the ancient machine, followed by a cry as the image above the Slate began to move. "Amazing," she breathed as Ruta moved to match the new position shown on the Slate.
"These are terminals?" Link asked as he pointed to four dots spread out across the Divine Beasts interior.
"Yes." Mipha eyed the makeshift map before her, considering the various options they had to proceed with. Despite the fact that the Divine Beast had clearly been designed with Zora in mind, Link would still be able to access even the upper levels of Ruta. She didn't much care for the idea of splitting up but it would certainly be faster. Not to mention that Link had always had a penchant for solving puzzles. If she remembered which terminals had always been a challenge for her, she might have been able to direct him to those terminals. With her memories as hazy as they were, it was likely that he would be able to gain access to them faster than she. "I think we should spl - "
"No."
"I'm sorry?"
"We're not splitting up," Link clarified.
"It will be faster."
"You're not well."
Mipha stopped, turning over his response carefully. She knew well that when he made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to dissuade him from his chosen course of action. "I'm feeling much better."
"Still not splitting up."
That was the answer she had been expecting. "Thank you."
Looking back toward the map, she planned a new route that they could both take. Even if two separate paths would lead them to the same place, the Hylian Champion would insist that they take one or the other. "I think we should start here," she murmured as she pointed toward a terminal toward the far end of the Divine Beast. "Then, we can make our way to this one," she continued, drawing a path out for the two of them that would end with them relatively close to the main console, which would have to be activated after all the other terminals had been attended to.
Link watched her draw out the plan, his eyes occasionally flicking to meet her own. When she finished, he nodded, lowering the Slate and sidling up to her. "Can you handle this?"
"I will," she confirmed. While it wasn't quite as awful as it had been a few short minutes prior, Mipha still felt ill. Regardless, she had no choice but to press forward. There was no way she was going to allow her best friend to face whatever dangers lay ahead on his own, especially since there was so much that was unknown. "Allow me to lead the way."
Now was the time to be strong.
Urbosa slammed her shield into another charging Lizalfos, knocking it off balance and following up with a swift strike of her blade.
The Gerudo Champion wasn't sure how she was still moving. She, along with the rest of the Bazz Brigade, had been fighting an endless horde for what felt like hours. The explosion, combined with the rain had sapped her strength, and that was before the battle had started. Even with as many stamina potions as she had taken (enough that Bazz had warned about potential hazards to her health), she was barely keeping it together.
Her three companions seemed to be holding up moderately better than she but Urbosa could see that the physical toll of the battle was starting to catch up to them as well. It didn't help that they had suffered a few barrages of shock arrows. Their armor was a saving grace: however, as it protected them from the true dangers of the arrows. Urbosa, being positioned under the cliff, had been safe from the volleys that had rained down.
Urbosa's next swing was enough to unbalance her, causing her to collapse against the rocky wall beside her.
Pushing herself up, the Gerudo Champion readied herself for the next wave as a dark blue form dashed past her. Midna tackled the nearest monster, knocking it to the ground and clamping her jaws around its throat. The wolf shook her head back and forth a few times, killing it quickly before retreating back to Urbosa's side.
"And where did you come from?" she panted as looked down at the wolf.
Midna growled, sounding rather put off by the whole thing.
"I'm sorry!" she said as she lashed out at another monster. "I didn't mean to inconvenience you!"
The wolf made no response. She crouched low, ready to pounce on the next enemy foolish enough to draw near.
Despite how little she could actually add to their odds of success, there was still some comfort to be found in Minda's presence. She would have been lying if she had claimed that seeing the small strike team Bazz had sent out return noticeably smaller hadn't lowered her morale. So, even the sight of one of her companions helped give her a small boost.
Even so, fatigue continued to sap her strength more and more. The feeling that had returned to her arms and legs had long since faded away, and it was sheer determination that kept her on her feet. But determination would only carry her so far and Urbosa was well aware of this fact.
The Gerudo Champion temporarily caught sight of the path ahead as she downed yet another monster. Her sharp eyes caught several arrows falling down toward them; however, there was no time to call out as they fell and pierced the enemy's front lines.
She stared uncomprehendingly at the fallen monsters as a familiar gust of wind rushed past her.
Reflexively, she looked upward, trying to assess the danger she and her allies were in. "Relax, I already took those 'archers' out. Honestly, I leave you alone for a few days and this is what I come back to?"
Urbosa had never been more relieved to hear the snide voice of the Rito Champion.
"It's about time you showed up," she grunted as lowered her weapons slightly. "I can't imagine Daruk was happy to send you here by yourself."
Ordinarily, she might have been interested to pursue the line of questioning when she saw how his face twisted at the comment; however, she was a little too tired to care.
"He's on his way."
"Come again."
"Look," the Rito Champion sighed, extending a wing and gesturing further down the path.
Revali's appearance had momentarily caused the Gerudo Champion to forget herself. In the time since he'd landed, neither of them had been forced to defend themselves from an onslaught and it wasn't difficult to see why when she followed the Rito's finger.
A way down the path, she saw a giant silhouette barreling through the Lizalfos. Every enemy in his path was tossed into the sky, only to come crashing back down to the earth behind the large form. As it drew near, her ears perked up as she heard a familiar shout. Daruk, even from the rear, had such a presence on the battlefield that the enemy's ranks were breaking down as he approached.
"Do I want to know?"
"No," Revali answered irritably.
"Urbosa!" Daruk roared, his voice reverberating through her skull. She had to resist the urge to cover her ears before he spoke again.
"There's no need to shout, Big Guy."
"Oh, sorry!"
"Quieter," she replied patiently.
"Sorry!" he whispered, holding a hand over his mouth.
"I would love nothing more than a heartfelt reunion," Revali snarked loudly, "but I think there's a bit much going on for that."
"I agree," Captain Bazz replied as he and his two subordinates joined them, still catching his breath. "I take it these are the companions you mentioned earlier."
"Yep!" Daruk roared. "We're great friends!"
"Will you stop shouting?!" Revali snapped.
"Sorry!"
The three Zora seemed dazed by the behavior they were witnessing but shook it off rather quickly. "Any friends of yours are friends of ours," the captain replied as he and his knights assumed a defensive pose, ready for the onslaught to resume; however, the enemy was still reeling around in confusion.
"What's happening?" Rivan asked as they watched the chaos unfold before them. A few of the monsters had looked back at them, appearing on the verge of panic before something tore their attention back down from the direction they had come.
"It looks like they're trying to handle an attack from the rear," Urbosa noted.
"That shouldn't be," Captain Bazz noted. "The regiment I sent out suffered casualties and had to retreat. There's no way..."
"Captain Bazz!"
The Champions and knights wheeled around to find a large company of Zora warriors approaching.
"Torfeau?" Bazz called out to a young knight that was ahead of the rest. "What are you doing here?"
"Prince Sidon appeared and recruited a few of our number to lead an attack on the enemy further downriver."
"When did this happen?" Bazz asked quickly.
"Not long ago."
"We need to send him some support," the Captain answered swiftly. "We can't risk the same thing happening again."
"We may be able to help with that." The Gerudo Champion turned to Revali. "Feathers, can you take out any Lizalfos with shock weapons?"
"In my sleep," he replied as he spread his wings. Without another word, he launched himself upward through the torrential downpour. She had expected a bit more of an irritable response or self-promotion from him, but he must have been just as exhausted as the rest of them. He was soaked through just like she was, and he'd had to keep himself airborne for who knew how long.
"We still need to send a regiment to aid the Prince. Rivan and Gaddison, I need you -"
The rest of the conversation was lost on Urbosa as she felt a massive force on her back, nearly knocking her off her feet.
"Oh, sorry!" Daruk whispered as he held his hands up placatingly.
"It's fine," she grunted as she climbed back to her feet. She was starting to understand how Link felt when Daruk had slammed him on the back. "What is it?"
"Who's this Sidon fella?"
"Mipha's younger brother."
"What?!" Everyone in the vicinity, including the Gerudo Champion, covered their ears and fell silent as the irate Goron clenched his fists.
"Where is he?"
Despite how serious the situation was, and how angry her friend sounded, Urbosa almost snorted as she heard the slight slurring of his words. "Further down the path," she responded for the Zora, as even Bazz was still recovering from the outburst.
"We're goin'!"
"We can't just charge blindly!" Bazz replied sharply, finally regaining his composure.
"We're goin'!" the Goron Champion repeated. He gave no time for argument as he gave an earth-shaking roar and charged toward the horde ahead. Behind her, the Zora took up the cry as they began following after him. Watching her companion rush forward, unphased by numbers, and hearing his voice renewed her fighting spirit and bringing new life to her exhausted body. Hers joined the cacophony of voices echoing across the battlefield as she joined the charge. Being designed more for land than a Zora, it didn't take long for her and Midna to outpace their allies and find themselves just behind Daruk.
The Lizalfos, lacking the discipline of the knights and the Champions, was still shaken by previous events. Seeing the same Goron that had just broken through them with ease returning must have filled them with fear as many scrambled to escape. They climbed up the cliff face and jumped into the river just to get out of the Goron's warpath. Those that hadn't lost courage or were too slow to escape were flung upwards or tossed aside with ease, making them simple for Urbosa, Midna, and the Zora to dispose of.
As they pushed forward, the enemy's number grew so that even Daruk's wild swings weren't enough to take care of every monster in their path. Their progress slowed as they had to cut through more and more of the enemy. Unfortunately for the Lizalfos, the Zora had the advantage when it came to being more well-rested. The rain also acted as a boon, helping to keep them energized as they cut through the horde, with the exception of Urbosa and Midna. Despite how exhausted she was, Urbosa endured. A friend's family and home were at stake.
She felt another surge of energy as Daruk's shouts rang out over the rain and thunder, and arrows fell from the sky. Not only holding their ground but advancing proved to spur her into pushing through. All it would take was everything she had for a little longer.
"I see him!" Daruk shouted. With renewed vigor, he barreled through a particularly dense cluster of monsters, sending many of them flying into the air. Behind the cluster, a small regiment of Zora lined up to halt the charging Goron. At their head stood Sidon, who looked disturbingly calm. The Zora Prince lowered his rapier as the monsters around them temporarily scattered.
"Prince Sidon!" Bazz wasn't far behind, gaining the Zora Prince's attention. The Zora knights with Sidon perked up considerably as they saw the Captain.
"Captain Bazz! I knew you would not be far behind but you exceeded my expectations! Simply fantastic, my old friend!"
"My Prince we must get you ba -"
"I'm afraid not," the Prince replied, his smile fading. He pointed with his weapon, turning everyone's attention toward the Lizalfos, which were beginning to regroup. Leading them was a single lizard with silvery-white skin. "Until that one is dead, our-"
The rest of the Prince's words were lost as Daruk sprang into action, drowning out his voice.
"Incredible! He reminds me of Link!" Prince Sidon was quick to follow, spurring Urbosa and Bazz into action. The Gerudo Champion was running on pure adrenaline, well beyond thought now. All that registered was the movement all around her. Her arms and legs were numb, her lungs were on fire, and she was having trouble deciphering all of the blurred colors. Thankfully, her body seemed to know when to attack and when to leave another be.
The Goron Champion met the silver Lizalfos head-on, destroying its weapon with his fist before grabbing onto it. The monster, not willing to give in without a fight, grappled with the Champion. Both held each other at bay as the remaining Zora and Lizalfos forces slammed into each other.
Urbosa, Midna, and Sidon rushed in to aid Daruk, with the wolf clamping down on the monster's leg. Urbosa drew a large slash across its chest with her scimitar while Sidon attacked with a flurry of quick thrusts. The monster, tougher than its brethren, stumbled back under the onslaught. The Goron Champion drew back and smashed it in the face with his fist, knocking it to the ground.
Even after such a strike, it struggled to stand again; however, Midna pounced, biting down on its throat and twisting it violently. After a few seconds, there was a popping sound and the monster went limp. Even so, the wolf continued a few seconds longer, likely making sure it was dead.
Urbosa stumbled back as she looked up, watching as her allies thoroughly routed the enemy. Now…
The scene shifted, with Zora that had been eye level now appearing above. She closed her eyes as she watched a few scaled persons reaching for her with worried eyes. It was almost amusing how concerned they had looked and sounded. All she needed was to rest her eyes for just a moment.