On The Other Shore
Chapter 1
She took in a deep breath from her nose, allowed the air to fill her chest, and then breathed out slowly through her mouth. She felt the warm rays of the rising morning sun settling on her skin. A gentle wind blew through the air, rustling the leaves of the trees around her. Down below, the river bubbled calmly as it moved away from the village and down to the open lands that splayed before her like a painting.
It couldn't have been a more peaceful day. She started every day that she could like this. Weather permitting, of course. But even on days when the weather was disagreeable, she would watch it all from the comfort of her home with a nice warm cup of tea, and a breakfast that she had either made herself, or was given to by her fellow villagers.
That, and large pale of water in which to dip her feet. For she was a Zora.
Up on the bridge to her home, the elderly Zora known only as 'Milady' basked in the glorious morning sunshine. She lived in Hateno Village, a quiet settlement on the outer reaches of the land of Hyrule. She had been a resident of the village for many, many years: much loved by the townsfolk, the children, and even the occasional visiting tourist.
"Milady!" a voice called out.
She turned to the source of the voice. It was Betty, a young woman who considered herself one of Milady's closest friends and occasional carer. Given Milady's advanced age, she often needed a little help around the house, and Betty was always on hand to give that help. She also brought food and other items from time to time. Small and petite, with a ponytail of brown hair sprung from her head, she had known Milady since she was but a small child herself.
Gingerly standing up from her seat at the edge of the bridge and clutching her cane, Milady hobbled a little towards Betty, who walked to her clutching a basket.
"Ah, Betty!" Milady said joyfully. "Isn't it a beautiful morning we're having today?"
"It certainly is, Milady!" Betty answered. "The mornings are so beautiful this time of year. Speaking of mornings, I brought you some breakfast: mom's pastries!"
Milady looked down to the basket that Betty held, spying the mouthwatering pastries and biscuits that sat inside. She couldn't hide a beaming smile when she saw them.
"Oh, pet" Milady cooed. "They look wonderful as always. Thankfully I haven't had my breakfast yet, so let's get these inside. Shall I make us a cup of tea?"
Betty always spent her mornings with Milady on the days that she brought breakfast around. They would talk of simple things and enjoy the delicious treats that Betty had brought, all the while sipping on tea. Betty always loved Milady's company: she seemed a woman of infinite wisdom and guidance, always calm and considered, and kind too. As an elderly Zora, it was difficult to place how old she was, but it was clear that she had been alive a very, very long time.
A lady of wealth and status, she didn't let it be a barrier to her integration to the community when she first arrived at Hateno Village. Living in the same house, she enjoyed a simple life. Some would even say it was a beautiful life. Milady rarely, if ever, left the village (especially in her advanced age), but it never bothered her. She was one to relish the simplicity of the life she lived: she had everything she needed.
Following their breakfast and morning chat, as Betty was setting off, she left one last gift behind: "As you asked Milady: the library had the latest copy of 'Hyrule Bestiary: Part 6 (F-J)' so I've taken out a two-week loan for you"
"Oh, how wonderful: thank you ever so much Betty"
Betty beamed a sunny smile. "No problem! I left it in the house for you. Happy reading!"
And with that, Betty was left alone to enjoy the rest of her day. Milady gently made her way back to the house on the edge of town, with one hand steadily on her cane and the other behind her back for support.
Milady brewed up another pot of tea, kept her front door open to allow the summer smells to drift into her warm home, and settled in with her new book. The hours whiled away...
"Lady Mipha"
In that moment, the peace was shattered. The words in the image in front of her eyes became a blur: a deep and unsettling tremor struck through her heart.
.
.
.
She had not heard her name spoken in over a century, possibly even two centuries. That name had been banished to the deepest recesses of her mind. Everybody in the village knew her as Milady, and nothing more.
Slowly, she looked up to the figure at the door, silhouetted by the light of outside.
"…I've not heard that name in such a long time" she whispered. "I never expected it to ever be spoken again within my presence"
The figure remained still: carrying both an air of respect and dread; a toxic, clashing combination of feelings that robbed her of easy breath. The figure was a man, and judging by the creamy white hair and familiar attire, he was a Sheikah.
"I'm sorry to disturb you" the man said, his voice a gentle, delicate sound. "May I come in?"
"Who are you?" Mipha asked. The man bowed, as if to realise his own ill manners.
"My apologies, Lady Mipha" the man said. "My name is Tekmo. I'm a senior council appointee from Kakariko Village. I…" The man seemed unsure of his words. "I was sent here by Impa to seek an audience with you"
Mipha felt the pang of recollection in her mind. A young Sheikah lady came to her mind; one she had fought side by side with many times in the past. But so long ago was it now; she could hardly fathom that she was still alive.
Snapping out from her recollection, Mipha took a closer look at the man. He was of medium stature, dressed in traditional Sheikah clothing, with long, fizzy cream hair and a pair of glasses balanced on his nose. He didn't seem like anyone out of the ordinary; many Sheikah were present in Hateno Village.
Mipha closed her book, slowly and sadly. "I am in exile, Tekmo" she spoke, her voice quivering slightly with old age. "An exile that hasn't been disturbed for over a century now. I must beg of you: if you had intended to address me by my real name, then your matter must be of the greatest importance. If it is not…"
"It is, Lady Mipha" Tekmo replied. Mipha took a closer look at his face, though her vision wasn't what it used to be. She felt faint: hearing her name again for the first time in so long had rattled her.
But despite her feeling, she also felt something else. Something quite odd, given the circumstances: trust. The Sheikah were known for being honourable, well-to-do people. Mipha felt that perhaps Tekmo would be no different. In addition, she had a burning curiosity to know how this man knew her real name.
"Please step in and close the door behind you"
Tekmo shut the door gently behind him, the light of the indoors fully illuminating him. Mipha could see him clearly now: a young and healthy looking man, with athletic shape, relatively tall and a gentle face, stood on the other side of the room.
"Thank you" he said.
"Come here and sit with me by the fire" Mipha said, pointing to the spare chair that Betty had been sitting in earlier that morning. At Mipha's gesture, he came forward and took the armchair opposite her, moving diligently.
The two sat opposite each other beside an unlit fireplace, where a small table sat between them.
"Would you like some tea?" Mipha offered.
"Thank you, but not for the moment" Tekmo declined. "I hope I shouldn't take too much of your time" He struck Mipha as a polite man, and she slowly felt a little more at ease.
"Then please, commence with what you have to say. You tell me that Impa has sent you? I have not seen her for a very long time, how is she?"
"She is very well, considering her age" Tekmo answered. "The mountain air does wonders where we live"
"Yes, I do remember my vists there a long time ago" Mipha hummed. "I'm glad to hear she is well, though your presence here suggests a serious matter is in need of consideration?"
"It does, Lady Mipha" Tekmo spoke, his brow furrowing. "I'm afraid there is a dire situation developing in the land. I'll be blunt. Over the past few years, relations between the Zoras and the Hylians have been deteriorating and are very poor at present. Is this something you are aware of?"
To even hear it welled Mipha's heart with sadness. She missed her people dearly, even now in her idyllic existence, and any ill spoken of them brought her pain. "I am not, Tekmo. As I have said before, I have been in exile all this time. I have lived among these wonderful people here at Hateno Village, and they have sheltered me here, accepted me as one of their own and have given me a good life. Zora's Domain is far from here, and I've no reason to return there now"
With a short breath, she continued: "When I abdicated the throne, and my standing as Queen of the Zora, I did so with the intention that peace would reign amongst my people. I exiled myself here, and committed to vanishing without trace so that my people could move forward cordially with the Hylians, and with all of Hyrule's races. To hear you say that relations are now very poor...it hurts me to hear it"
"I'm sorry, Lady Mipha" Tekmo replied. "Please understand that the Sheikah had no wish to interrupt your exile in this way. We...felt we had no other choice. You might be all we have left"
Mipha could sense the rising desperation in Tekmo's voice, though he tried to conceal it.
"What do you mean?" Mipha asked. "I'm all you have left? What could you possibly be insinuating?"
"Lady Mipha…" Tekmo sighed, with a pained expression etched on his face. "It pains me to be the one who tells you this. We think the Zoras and Hylians are on the brink of war"
"War?" Mipha exclaimed. "But why?"
Tekmo cleared his throat. "This...will take some explaining. In fact, you don't mind if I have a cup of tea, do you?"
.
.
.
A cup of tea at the ready, Tekmo begun.
"It all started around 15 years ago. After your abdication, and removal of your family from the Zora royal inheritance, a council of Zoras took over as the domain's authority. Relations with Hylians were cordial then, though there was still the odd tremor of disagreement. But around 15 years ago, there was a claimant to the vacant throne"
"A claimant?" Mipha asked.
"Yes, Lady Mipha" Tekmo confirmed. "He claimed the royal blood flowed within him, and that he was the rightful successor to the throne. The council originally disagreed, but the man challenged the council to his claim of the throne. It ended up being settled in combat, of which he won"
"So this claimant...he is now King?"
"Correct, Lady Mipha. After a century and more, a monarch once again sits on the throne of the Domain. It is at this point where the previously cordial relationship with the Hylians has started to falter. Under the new king, relations have deteriorated to the point where war is now being threatened"
Tekmo sipped his tea and then placed his cup onto the table. He removed his glasses, revealed a pair of small, yet determined brown eyes. "Lady Mipha: we have to avoid war at all costs. Your efforts all those years ago, when you prevented the Calamity...we can't let it be in vain"
"This new king...if he bears claim to the throne, then he must have claimed a link to me. Tekmo...what was his name?" Mipha asked.
Tekmo took a deep breath, knowing the name he was about to speak would surely ring with familiarity in Mipha's mind.
"His name is Repherhan. Or King Repherhan, as he is to be addressed" Tekmo revealed.
Tekmo watched as Mipha closed her eyes slowly. Her withered hand clutched tightly to the beautiful steel walking stick in her hands. Its curved handle and silver sheen showed the elite Zora craftsmanship behind it, and its handle was embedded with a stunning sapphire gem.
"I see" she sighed. Her eyes opened sorrowfully. "I now understand why you have come here to me. Please tell Impa that I accept her summons"
Tekmo returned to Kakariko Village shortly after their conversation had ended, vowing to return the following day with a convoy and a carriage to transport Mipha to the village. Given her advanced age and frail state, she was in no shape to hike and swim like she used to in her youth.
That night, Mipha lay staring at the ceiling of the house, listening to the ever enduring whistle of the wind against the trees outside her window. Memories of the past drifted in and out of her mind, and unable to sleep, she latched onto one of them: a very distant memory of the past…
.
.
.
"We will need additional stone to be sourced from the mountains in order to perform the necessary maintenance for the dam"
"Yes, Muzu, but before we can do this, I want full agreement from the council before proceeding"
"The council is currently voting eight to two on the matter. I will need to discuss the matter with them further before they will change their minds"
"Thank you Muzu. Now to financial matters: has our payment been received for the shipment of luminous stone that was recently delivered to the Gerudo?"
"At present count, 567...er, no...576 stones have completed their delivery, with the remaining 235 en route. We've currently received payment for 349…"
Mipha knew they were important matters, but it did not excuse them for being dull. Standing diligently by her father's side, she did her best to appear attentive. However, she was struggling: standing to attention for such a long while was causing her back to ache slightly. Her shoulders tightened from the strict posture she was duty bound to adopt, and her mind waded to the thought of the swim she was going to take after this meeting was finished.
She felt jealous of her little brother Sidon, who ran around the throne room with wild abandon, giggling away and grinning his shiny, spiky teeth around the place (much to Muzu and the other attendants' ire). More importantly, she wished she could be with the recently excavated Vah Ruta: a machine of immense strength that now resided in the East Reservoir Lake of the Great Lanayru Spring. She felt an odd attachment to it: despite its titanic size, she found it to be rather cute. She felt a strange kinship with the beast, so odd and misunderstood.
Her eyes glazed over a little whilst King Dorephan continued his specific analysis of the luminous stone finances. Just within her sight, on the lower plate of the domain, her eyes fell upon the visiting Hylian, who had been spending a period of time at the domain recently.
Link.
He was a lot quieter these days than when she first knew him, especially since drawing the Master Sword from its slumber. That being said, there was still the odd signs of his old personality that shine through from time to time.
And shine it did in the present moment, and Mipha found herself gazing towards him. He appeared to be surrounded by a gang of young, excitable Zora children, jumping around and pointing at the glow emnating from his blade. In turn, Link unsheathed the sword, and started to (safely) show off some of his swordplay to the children. The kids, some brandishing sticks, swung then haphazardly in response, the look of glee beaming from their little faces. Like little Sidons, Mipha thought.
Mipha knew and acknowledged her deep fondness for Link, but something was different that day. As she watched him from the distance, she could feel the words of her father and Muzu drifting into the background, as an indiscernible noise, as her focus moved away. She always felt a spring of joy within her when she looked upon Link. It...seemed different this time. Mipha gazed upon him as if he were a treasure; as if he were something greater and more reverent. Perhaps it was his incoming destiny; his role to play in defeating the ever-impending Calamity. Perhaps it was seeing him wielding the Master Sword, a sword of unimaginable importance.
Before she knew it, she felt her face growing hot. The joy in her heart started to overflow, the blood shivered in her bones, and ever so slightly felt her breath growing a little short.
And then she acknowledged it. How she felt: it was unlike any other feeling she had ever felt before in her life. She felt alive, excited, scared; her eyes widened a little as she realised her heart was racing. Her eyes were firmly stuck on Link, perfectly oblivious to her gaze from up above.
There was only one feeling that felt like this, she reasoned with herself.
She had fallen in love.