Link's body began to stir, signaling to Mipha his rousing state as her head slowly crept toward her shoulder, watching him with a pure smile while working her necklace back onto her neck, having traded her reflection in the stable room's vanity for the man with whom she shared far more than the bed with. Her necklace placed back around her, her hands gripped at her dorsal fin as it fell slung down along her shoulder and onto her chest, stroking it pleasantly as she thought of the still-contented man lying there.

In a sudden, unceremonious motion, Link's eyes worked their way open, leaving him in a dazed state for a singular moment as he worked around his bearings, his hand instinctively sliding across the bed sheets in an attempt to find his beloved, only to find himself wanting before noticing Mipha standing across from the bed, eying him in return.

He watched her only blankly for a moment before muttering with frayed voice, "Should you be standing..?"

Mipha grinned, "And let death know it weakened me any further than it already has? I don't think so."

Her wiry smile escaped his view as she turned back toward the mirror, leaving her dorsal fin to reach for the clothen shawl she wore wrapped around her body, giggling to herself as she worked it into her body.

Link's eyes shrunk in a mixture of suspicion and tire as he lay alone in bed on his side, rubbing a hand across his face as a yawn escaped him, "I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less from a warrior princess such as yourself."

"I prefer 'battle queen', but-" Mipha stifled a laugh as she turned toward Link in explanation, "Urbosa taught me that one."

Link shook his head in disbelief before begin to slide himself to the edge of the bed, "Not at all surprising."

He sighed in longing exasperation, not merely in wishing for more sleep, but just as much in desperate wanting to return to the arms of his beloved. With the sun's light streaking in through the cracks in the walls, however, it was a dream left to be recognized only later. Still, exhaustion lingered as Link sat at the foot of the bed, working the sleep from his eyes as he muttered humbly.

"I suppose, if you're up, today might find us-"

He caught Mipha's eyes upon him.

"..what?" he asked with worry in his voice, as though she'd spotted out some imperfection that she had found unpleasant.

Mipha strode toward him along the strands of sunlight peeking into the room, sparkling off her crimson scales as she grew closer, silently, until standing in front of Link's sitting position. Her lips pursed as she pressed a finger to her chin, grinning as she reached low to grip Link's sides, directing him to stand.

His brow curled with confusion, albeit with a light-hearted sort that lay tinged with something like excitement at Mipha having brought her hands to his bare torso, a shiver working down his spine as her eyes fell to his chest, signaling to him what had caught her eye. A sudden self-consciousness arose in Link's mind, nearly feeling Mipha's stare upon his long, jagged series of scrapes and lacerations he had accrued a week earlier that now covered so much of his torso in pale, off-colored skin.

Mipha's hands slid along to his stomach, massaging the taut skin that greeted her. Much as Link's tongue had done against her scales, her fingers trailed in between the small divots of skin that shone his muscular frame, sending a rather hungry grin across Mipha's face, the sight growing intensely alluring as Link attempted to decipher what her 'game' was.

He knew her well enough, after all. Such a forward advance- Were she truly wanting something done, she wouldn't offer it so easily; it would have to be won by Link in some fashion.

Link's mind, clouded as it was, only cleared upon the sight of Mipha's encroaching head as she leaned into him, kissing at his chest while the two stood there. A tingling sensation coursed through Link's body as her tongue took a gentle swath of skin from him, the Zora enjoying a sliver of salt from that strand of warm musculature.

At that moment, Link's head snapped to the side as a massive, rolling grumble of a snore broke the tension, his eyes blowing wide open at the sight of Zelda spinning around in her bed across the room, her hands fluttering with futility into the air, her own snore having awoken her. Link immediately returned to Mipha, who had already begun to slide away with a playful grin, leaving Link to glance at her with a droll expression.

"Funny," he muttered sarcastically, leaving Mipha to stick her tongue out at him before returning to the vanity.

Zelda's voice escaped her with reckless abandon as a furious yawn broke free while she pushed herself up, curling her legs inward as she sat there in bed, running fists across her eyes all while her hair appeared to have exploded into a matted mess in the night.

"Wha- Aaaah- What's funny?" she inquired on either end of another yawn.

Link sighed, shaking his head, "Well, nothing, now."

Through sleepy eyes, Zelda stared at him with confusion for a brief moment before dropping her head, "Mipha's up, too?"

The Zora smiled, "I am, yes. I actually feel rather spry, now that I'm thinking about it. A week's sleep must've done wonders."

"Maybe for you," Zelda grumbled unhappily, "It felt like any other morning when I woke up. Well, a morning when I've stayed up much too late the night before, anyway."

Mipha grinned as she tightened her shawl around her body, "Hopefully once this journey is over, when we're back in our normal beds, it'll be more pleasant for us all."

"I hope so," Zelda frowned, turning toward Link with wondering eyes, "Where's your shirt?"

While Mipha's eyes widened in realization, Link simply replied with a shrug, "I got some soup on it last night."

Considering his night with Mipha, it wasn't a total lie.

Mipha turned toward the two with a stammer, "I-! I mean-!"

Link watched her panic for a moment with a wry smirk of his own, considering this payback for her teasing ways a minute earlier, before interrupting her jolting speech, "It's nothing to be worried about. She's seen me like this before."

"One would say too many times," Zelda complained as she wormed her way toward the side of the bed.

Link chuckled, "Side effect of traveling together for such an extended length of time. That's how I discovered the fatal flaw in Hyrule's lineage, however."

Those words caught Mipha with a curious glance as Link explained with a laugh, "Zelda loves no man. Only books."

"Alright, that's a lie," Zelda frowned, "I'll have you know, I've had rather spirited dialogue with many men whom I could foresee being suitable partners down the line."

Link nodded, "Uh huh. How many of them weren't characters in those traveling thespian troupes that come around every so often?"

Zelda stared at him with deepening eyes.

"…enough of them!"

Turning his eyes toward Mipha, Link smirked while the Zora extended a humorous giggle before replying, "Well, I suppose being as busy as you are, it would only be a hinderance."

"Precisely," Zelda explained simply, working her way to her feet where she began straightening out her lengthy pajama dress, "There are far too many books to read, things to learn, before tying myself down to anybody who'll steal away any amount of time from that."

Link joked lightly, "You sound like those old, geezer generals who've been bachelors for the entirety of their lives."

"Well, hopefully they understand the value of a good book," Zelda noted plainly with a nod.

Link chuckled, "No, I don't think that's it."

Despite his pressing on with the conversation, Zelda failed to follow along, simply stepping around her bed as she explained in tangential fashion, "In any case, the reason I asked was that-"

Link and Mipha watched curiously as Zelda pilfered through the footlocker at the end of her bed, rummaging for only a second as she returned upright, a shirt dangling from her hands. Link examined the light blue fabric, noting immediately the woven, ornate design of the Master Sword emblazoned amongst the collar. With a suddenness, his eyes jumped up toward Zelda, catching her face in a sort of melancholy- a look of defeat punctuated by her own futile plan to lead this expedition.

"I, uh-" she began with a disheartening voice as her head fell, "My powers failed you all, once again. I figure that, if I'm truly a failure, and I cannot even perform my duty when it comes to keeping you all safe-"

Hidden from view, her eyes began to waver, "I figured the least I could do was help you all hide the scars I've brought upon you. Maybe, in that sense- At least the outside world might think I've been worth something."

Link felt a tug at his heart. He wanted to tell her, right then, that her powers had, indeed, come to her- in ways he couldn't ever dare hope to repay her for. Yet, he couldn't. He remembered Urbosa's words, so hollow as they'd been in the Gerudo's own dismay at having to conceal such a thing from the woman who had long been a daughter to her.

He looked toward Mipha, who replied with an anguished look of her own, before muttering quietly, with nothing much to say, "So that's what you were working on all day."

"I bought the fabric from a wandering peddler," Zelda explained with a shrug, "Though, I did my best to make it look somewhat presentable. I made something for everyone- I even emblazoned each piece with each of your respective Beasts, or- Well, sword, in Link's instance."

The heartbroken princess returned to the footlocker once again before returning with a similarly colored shawl that perfectly matched the length of Mipha's, handing it out to the Zora while still raising the shirt in the air for Link.

"I understand if I'm not somebody you'd like to associate with, but-At least you both might be able to hide my failures."

Link finally gave a sigh before swiping the shirt from her hand, shaking his head, "Zelda, you- You're such a doof sometimes."

Biting her lip, the princess glared at him with a pithy stare, "I don't think you-"

"Of course we'll wear them," Link muttered simply, "You're the Princess of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Short of finding yourself drunk in an alleyway somewhere, how little do you think your standing means?"

He managed a smirk, "Look, I know you feel bad, but-"

Reaching out, Link took a hearty grip of her shoulder, "Before we left for Death Mountain, you said you weren't sure whether you could do all this. We're all here to learn about the Divine Beasts, sure, but- We're also here to make sure that you can. Scars and all, we're still here."

Link lowered her head, mulling over his words, as Link sighed, pulling the thin shirt over his head, "You're a good person. and a future Queen that I would have no qualms serving under. I know you feel guilty and empathetic for those around you, but you need to know that we can take care of ourselves. That's why you recruited us."

"Well," Zelda spoke with a low humor as a hidden smirk grew on her face, "I chose the others. You were forced to come along."

Link dropped his arms with a sigh, "Yeah, well… I'm still a Knight. Taking care of myself is what I do."

A muted chuckle escaped Zelda as she raised her head under Link's words, "Well, how does it look?"

Zelda watched with quiet critique as Mipha emptied the silence with a reply, "Looks nice!"

"Yeah, it does," Link nodded, examining himself before returning Zelda's stare, "So?"

Zelda offered a grim smile, "It should make do."

"Alright, then," Link nodded, turning to Mipha, "See? It even looks nice on her."

Mipha grinned as she adjusted her light blue shawl around her shoulder, "I was a bit worried it might look too busy against my scales, but- Yeah, it's pretty."

"Yeah," Zelda smiled weakly, "It is."

Link nodded with a reassuring tone as he stepped away, turning back toward his backpack, "Alright. Now, I know Mipha's probably hungry, and knowing the general stance of everybody in the group, I guess I need to head out and start on breakfast. Especially if we're heading out today?"

His question came with a quick look toward Mipha, who replied with a nod before she assured Zelda, "If you'd like, I won't be anything of a hinderance."

Link stood with a handful of containers of spices nestled between his fingers before, "I'll be outside if you two need to get ready."

"Alright," Mipha smiled, watching him as he strode toward the door, "We'll be right out."

The two of them shared a glance as Link reached for the door's handle, leading him from view as he stepped into the hallway, closing the wicker door behind him. Mipha's smile remained, albeit with more of an understanding tinge to it as she turned toward Zelda, who had shuffled her way back toward her bed, reaching into her own satchel for proper clothing.

"Thanks," Mipha began suddenly, leaving Zelda to peer up toward her with a start.

The Zora's smile softened as she ran a hand along the woven shawl, "For thinking of me."

Zelda replied with a weak grin of her own as she began to remove her pajamas, "Despite what he says, I- still feel bad. for putting you all through this just for my silly ideas."

"I don't think it's silly," Mipha confided easily, "You know, I once thought it was enough to fight for Hyrule's future, simply because that included my home. After this journey, I-"

She crossed her arms, dropping her head to think, as well as shielding Zelda's state of undress from her eyes, "My home isn't nearly as concrete as I might have once thought, but- Having people you can trust…"

Mipha emptied her heart as she concluded, "There's nothing more certain than knowing you all will be there for me. Anything could happen to my home, but trust is just one of those things that will always be."

"Well," Zelda paused as she pulled her shirt over her head, "I don't-"

She surrendered her train of thought, simply returning with a smile, "Thank you. Truly."

Her eyes wandered off, nervously, "I never had many friends, or siblings, so trust is kind of foreign to me. Believe me, Link has stories about that."

A giggle left Mipha as Zelda pressed on, "I never had any siblings, either, so- I'm just trying really hard to be something of a friend to you all, looking out for you and everything. Even if Link says it isn't necessary, I can't help but thing, were I to have a brother, or sister, I'd feel just as compelled to protect them, regardless."

Mipha watched with a coy smirk as Zelda attempted to wrangle her messy hair, trying to run a brush down her mane, only to be stopped by the limitations of her arm cricked over her shoulder, leaving the end portion of her hair as frizzed into a mess. The Zora gently sauntered over, carefully stopping Zelda's hand, which caused the Hylian to jump in surprise before Mipha took the brush, leaving Zelda understanding of her intentions.

"For what it's worth, as a sister, myself," Mipha grinned, stroking the length of Zelda's hair with the horsehair brush, "I think you've done more than a wonderful job keeping us all in line."

Zelda sighed, unable to conceal a smarmy sort of expression to work its way onto her face with proud eyes, "Well, thank you. That means a lot, coming from you."

Her hands running down Zelda's hair in a cautious movement, carefully to keep from yanking out some unseen tangle, Mipha spoke with a bright timbre to her voice, "In some senses, given what all we've been through, I could even consider you to be something of a sister of mine."

"A sister…" Zelda muttered longingly, lowering her head as she smiled warmly, "So, I mean- Sisters can gossip, right?"

Mipha tilted her head to the side, "Hmm. I suppose so, yes. What's said to be in confidence shouldn't dare leave my lips. Why? What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I don't know," Zelda spoke up with a wayward tone, as if such a preamble were simply proper, "Like, maybe, Link?"

"Link?" Mipha wondered quizzically.

"I mean, even I've noticed some of his quirks and bad habits," Zelda noted as if reciting from a textbook, "I came to bed and saw you two all huddled up and all- Certainly if you're that close, you've noticed?"

Mipha's eyes fell slanted, catching a distance corner of the room all while her hand began to slow, demonstrating her slowing thought, believing she might have stumbled into unknown territory. One she wasn't certain whether or not to further explore.