65th Entry: Ruto's Love

"Are you…Ruto, the Sage of Water?" Mipha guessed.

The blue-skinned Zora female folded her finned arms. "It's Princess Ruto."

"Oh, sorry, Princess Ruto," Mipha apologized. "Did Lana send you?"

"She did, though I'm surprised it took you this long to get my attention," Ruto remarked in a judgmental manner.

"I'm sorry, it's just—

"What are you apologizing for? Now's the time to act, not to think."

"You're right. I shouldn't let my own self-doubts stop me from saving my people, and the land of Hyrule."

"Exactly! So collect those Tears of Light and free the Light Spirit in this hunk of metal already."

Mipha knew from her history lessons that her ancestor Princess Ruto was a standoffish Zora, but being with her in person made Mipha wonder how the Hero of Time was able to put up with her. But rather than dwelling on it, Mipha preoccupied herself with collecting the Tears of Light bugs by stabbing them midair with her Lightscale Trident. They turned into balls of light that attached themselves to a grapevine that was now hanging from Mipha's jeweled sash. Remembering that her fellow champions had the same thing happen to them, she continued with her task while Ruto insisted on following her throughout Vah Ruta because she didn't want to be left alone.

"My feet are killing me," Ruto complained. "Would you mind carrying me for a while?"

"Why would your feet get tired?" Mipha questioned. "Aren't you a ghost?"

Ruto looked insulted. "I may be a ghost, but I'm not immune to pain! Now, would you please carry me?"

"I'm not strong enough to carry you," Mipha admitted. "But I can do this for you."

Kneeling down, Mipha waved her hands over Ruto's feet. A shimmering light followed, and died down shortly afterward.

"Wow, my feet feel so much better than before," Ruto said, wiggling her webbed toes. "How did you do that?"

"It's an ability I have called Mipha's Grace," Mipha admitted shyly. "I can heal other people's injuries, except my own."

"That's an incredible ability, though," Ruto stated and brought Mipha to her feet. "And you should be proud that you have it."

Mipha nodded in agreement and collected the last Tears of Light. She then placed the full grapevine on the main terminal, where a glowing creature shaped like a monkey appeared out of the flower-shaped terminal.

"Finally, I am free!" The monkey-shaped creature cried in a deep female voice. "Thanks to you, Mipha, Champion of the Zora."

Embarrassed, Mipha lowered her head. "I do not deserve your thanks, Light Spirit. The other Champions freed their Light Spirits in record time, while I stood by and did nothing for an entire day."

Next to Mipha, Ruto's face turned red and she slapped Mipha on the shoulder. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself! Instead of focusing on the past, think of what you've accomplished in the present. You may not think you're strong, but you are in your own way."

"Exactly," the monkey-shaped creature chimed in. "I, Faron, sense great strength in you, Mipha, that has yet to be fully realized."

"Really?" Mipha smiled. "That makes me happy, because that means I can be just as strong as…he is."

Ruto looked interested. "Oh? Do you have someone special that you love?"

"Love?" Mipha blushed. "I'm not sure if that's what I feel, but I care a lot about this person and want to be just as strong as them."

"That seems like a worthy cause to keep growing stronger," Faron acknowledged.

"But there is no harm in being selfish every once in a while, as long as it gives you the mental strength to help others in turn," Ruto added.

In a flash of light, Mipha thought she saw Faron transform into a dragon wearing a blue robe with reflective scales and a feminine face. Then Ruto vanished as Mipha's vision went from being negative back to normal. She quickly went outside and saw that the sky over Zora's Domain and the nearby Faron Province were free of the Twilight. Only Hyrule Castle and the surrounding field was still covered in Twilight, along with the mountains where Kakariko and Hateno Village were.

Mipha called her fellow champions on the Sheikah Slate, who told her to come to the Arbiter's Grounds in the Gerudo Desert, and she immediately activated Vah Ruta. As soon as the blue lights along the beast lit up, the elephant-shaped Vah Ruta dived into the river below the plateau soaking up water into its internal tanks. It also swam along the river towards the Gerudo Desert, where it steadily walked the rest of the way toward the colosseum-shaped Arbiter's Grounds that lay past Gerudo Town.

###

"So what were you busy with when I called you?" Revali asked Riju.

They were both standing near the main terminal of Vah Naboris with Vah Medoh perched on Vah Naboris' top hump. Yunobo was with them too, while Vah Rudania was parked next to Vah Naboris in front of the Arbiter's Grounds with the sun setting behind it.

"I was talking with the Shaman Renado, who brought in a cartload of Hylian children that happened to be the same ones who were taken from Lurelin Village," Riju explained. "He said that a Sheikah boy named Sheik had rescued them, who had a wolf companion named Link."

"That's odd," Revali said. "Who would name their wolf Link?"

"You're missing the point," Riju said irritably. "If you recall, Premier Rhoam said he was going to send a Sheikah squadron to locate the Yiga Clan hideout while we were instructed to keep an eye out for Yiga Clan activity. So doesn't it seem strange that only one Sheikah managed to rescue all those children, yet there's been no word from either our Link or any of the other Sheikah squadron members including Paya?"

"Well, to be fair, the Hyrule Network hasn't been working right since the Twilight appeared," Yunobo brought up.

"But the message I sent to you guys the other day made it to Paya's Sheikah Slate, so either she's still alive or...Sheik took Paya's Sheikah Slate because something happened to her," Riju guessed.

Yunobo frowned. "I hope it's not the latter."

"You seem to care a great deal about Paya," Revali noticed. "Are you in love with her?"

"No, it's just that she's so tiny and I don't want anything bad to happen to her," Yunobo claimed, looking flustered.

Just then, Riju heard a trumpeting sound and looked back.

"It's Vah Ruta!" Riju said, pointing at the elephant-shaped beast that was approaching them. "Mipha managed to activate it!"

"Great," Revali said in a sarcastic manner. "So now we can blow up the Arbiter's Grounds?"

"Not yet," Riju said and took out her Sheikah Slate. "I want to test my theory regarding Sheik."

To be continued…