Chapter 5 – A day in the Domain
Link awoke to the sound of splashing water in the distance. It was late in the morning and the sun already shined through the window and illuminated the room in a golden glow.
It had been several days since he and Mipha returned to Zoras Domain and since Link had been celebrated as the hero who defeated the calamity and reunited the Zora with their princess. It had been quit an interesting night. The Zoras are great party makers and seemingly summoned foods and music from nothing.
It was a great party, although Link couldn't dance as much with Mipha as he wanted.
Either she had been occupied with someone like her brother or her father or mostly one of the elders, or Link had been.
Even old Muzu and Dento pulled him to the dance floor as they had been so happy to see Mipha again that they couldn't help it. At least he was able to give Mipha the two dances he promised her.
But overall it was an extremely funny night and they had lots of fun together.
As the night neared its end the Zora showed again that they really seem to be magicians as King Dorephan surprised Link and Midna with a little house in the domain.
Originally it had been constructed for Link only as a reward for defeating the calamity, in which no one had any doubt he would do, but now had been provisionally expanded to also fit Mipha.
In that night the Zoras only managed to make a bigger sleeping pool but in the following days they completely expanded the rooms of the house and made it suitable for two persons, keeping both the needs of a Zora and a Hylian in mind.
It had been an interesting experience of sleeping in a body of water instead of an actual bed. But Link knew Mipha would be more comfortable with that and wanted to learn it. But it is pretty difficult to try and sleep while simultaneously trying not to drown.
Mipha has to keep his head above the water when they sleep to prevent that until he gets the hang of it.
Speaking of which Links attention returned to the real world as he felt Miphas soft skin next to his. She had cuddled his head next to hers and kept it supported with one of her hands. She was always very anxious and kept a good eye on him and made sure he could sleep well.
Mipha was so anxious that the first day they slept together she immediately jumped in fear as she noticed his head was gone from her safekeeping position while he got up in the morning. They had a good laugh and since then Link always made sure to wake her before he moves his head. But sometimes he just liked watching her sleep.
She was such a beautiful sight to behold. He loved everything about her. Although he enjoyed the sight of her sleeping he also knew that it was time to get up. He brought his hand up to her shoulder and gently stroke it while he whispered a good morning in her ear. She stirred slightly in her sleep.
"Wake up. The sun is already shining."
Careful to not move his head he brought his other hand up and cupped the one holding it above the water. Mipha stirred again slightly while she slowly opened her eyes and turned around to face him.
"Good morning. Have you slept well?"
"Yes, very well knowing you are safe here with me."
Mipha continued to stare into those blue eyes of Link. They had the same colour as the sky on a sunny day. Link was very well aware of what Mipha was thinking right now and slightly pulled her closer to him and kissed her. He could do this the entire day but this time it was Mipha who remembered him of their responsibilities that kept them from spending the entire day in bed.
"You can stand up now if you want and start the day. This time I know you haven't slipped from my grasp."
Link chuckled at her remark. He gave her a little peek on the cheek and got up from their sleeping pool. It was actually quite comfortable sleeping in water, but he always had to dry himself after sleeping before putting on his clothes.
But now that Link thought about it the fact that he will start living in a place literally revolving around water may also mean that he will get wet a lot more times. Luckily the water in and around the domain seems to be pretty warm so he probably won't have a problem with the temperature.
While Link dried himself off and got dressed Mipha also got up from their sleeping pool and started putting on her jewellery. They both were ready around the same time and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. Link made a omelet for him while Mipha grabbed herself a hylian brass.
"So what's on our list for today?" Link asked between bites.
"First we are gonna met with my farther and discuss our future rolls in the domain. After that we are gonna meet up with my brother and go on a little picnic to get back on the old times. We both promised him that and I can see that he is thrilled to finally spend time with both of us again."
"Have we done that often in the past?" Link asked. Mipha stopped eating as she looked Link in the eyes before she remembered his memory loss.
"Yes, very often. You always used to play games with him on land or we would splash around in the water." answered Mipha.
She spoke in a soft voice knowing that Link wasn't really thrilled about great parts of his memory missing. Especially those memories he spent with Mipha were sacred to him and he was pretty upset of having lost them.
"Don't worry Link. Sidon knows what you have gone through too, and won't blame you for it. We are gonna make lots of new memories so you don't need to mourn the lose of those in the past."
Link was lost in his thoughts and just noded to her. Mipha knew that just a few words, even from her wouldn't change his mind. At least not now for now. It was so unfair she thought. Link had gone through so much. Why does he have to carry this burden even now, after everything is over? She didn't knew the answer.
They both finished their breakfast and made themselves ready to leave. Mipha firmly grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it as they left their house and went over to the kings palace. On the way they were greeted by a few guards and other inhabitants of Zoras Domain.
You could almost feel a new kind of energy flowing though the Domain. Everyone was in such a good mood and so energetic since the two returned. Maybe it sparked a fire in the hearts of many Zoras. One that had been long gone.
The Domain was buzzing and it seemed to intensify more and more over the days. They strolled through the streets and made their way up the stairs towards the giant fish on top of the throne room. Shortly before it they both stopped at the Shrine of Hylia. Link and Mipha had done it every day since they returned and prayed to Hylia for giving them such a wonderful opportunity.
After their prayer they went up to the throne room were they were greeted by the royal guards as they entered. King Dorephan as usual sat on his throne and was in a discussion with a few of his council members.
His face lightened as soon as he saw them both enter. He dismissed the council members and greeted them warmly.
"Good morning you too. How do you like your house. I hope everything is to your liking."
"Its great. Thank you father. You all made this so fast we were really surprised and appreciate it. Its perfect for us." Mipha answered as she and Link stepped up to the kings throne.
"That is good to hear. I will let everyone know." the King answered. Before he spoke again he shifted a bit in his throne.
"So, let us get to business. I know that you too don't want to sit around here all day and you want to help us. But I have a few conditions regarding your work before we discuss anything further."
"What do you have for conditions?" Mipha asked.
"First off all you are not allowed to leave the Domain or go further than East Reservoir Lake, Mipha." King Dorephan said. Before he could continue his daughter interrupted him.
"I cannot accept that farther and you know why. I will not leave Link's side while he goes out and..." Mipha answered before Dorephan interrupted her.
"Let me finish. I cannot afford to loose you. Not only for my sake but the moral of the Domain would be devastated and I don't think the Zoras would ever recover from loosing you twice." he raised a finger.
"But that is also true for Link. If something would happen to him not only the Zoras but the entirety of hyrule would be completely destroyed. Therefore Link is not allowed to leave the Domain alone. He has to be accompanied by at least two Zora guards. He is also not allowed to spent the night somewhere else than your bedroom here in the domain. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes farther." Mipha answered a bit down.
"And you Link?"
"Yes your majesty."
"Link, I have told you more than once to drop the title. You have done so much for us if we are in privat you can call me Dorephan."
"Understood your maj...Dorephan."
King Dorephan smirked as Link managed to save it in the last second.
"So now that we have talked about the conditions I and my council have worked out how you can be the most helpful to us."
"At first, Mipha. I want you to get known to the politics of this time again and would like to use you as one of my advisers, next to your brother. You would help me with political matters at hand and assist me in making the right decisions. Would you be interested in that?"
"Of course farther! I want to assist the domain in the best way I possibly can. I would gladly become your advisor."
"That is good to hear my dear daughter. I promise I will still leave you way more than enough free time to spend with your wonderful friend over here. Speaking of which, Link may I have your attention?"
Link had drifted of into his own thoughts again until the king addressed him directly.
"Of course Dorephan."
"So again Link. In the past you have done a great job in defending not only our Domain but the entirety of hyrule from Ganons minions. Now that Ganon is gone the nights of the bloodmoon have gone with him, which means his minions will finally die for good if we kill them now. Would you be so kind and help our guards in exterminating the lizalfos around the Domain? Because of their use of shock weapons we have been rather careful in dealing with them."
"I will gladly aid you to make the domain safe for everyone."
"That is good to hear. If you need any equipment go and see Dento. He will provide you with everything you need. Report in tomorrow with the captain of the guards, he will explain you the details. Well that's everything for now. If there is nothing else you two are dismissed for the rest of the day." Dorephan smiled and waved at both of them as they left the throne room.
"So, we still have a lot of time until our little picnic. Is there anything particular you want to do, Mipha?" Link asked as they got down from the stairs and continued through the domain.
"Is your equipment complete for?"
"Yes, I stacked up on everything before I attacked ganon and haven't really used any of it except for bomb arrows."
"And what about your armor?"
"Well I would normally wear my champions tunic and a hylian cape and trousers. But I know why youre asking. I have found an ancient armor made out of something called rubber which has a very high protection against electricity. I will wear that."
"And what about your potions? Do still have..."
At this point Link stopped and turned around to here while he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Mipha, I have done way more dangerous things like this in the past with way worse equipment and alone. This time I am not alone and I am equipt way better than I normally would be. Those are only a few lizalfos. You don't have to worry about me."
"I know that, but I am still scared that something will happen to you while I am not their to support you."
"Its okay. Just you stay here and be safe. That will give me enough motivation to come back to you unharmed. And now you come with me. I have just the right idea what to do."
Link took her by the hand and headed towards the bridge leading to the East Reservoir Lake.
They spent a few hours swimming and splashing around in the lake there, just having fun. Mipha did all kind of acrobatic tricks in the water that link was surely never going to pull of. They had lots of fun as Link positioned himself under Mipha after she jumped out of the water and catched her before she landed back in the water.
After a few hours they decided to go back to their house and prepare the picnic. Mipha had caught some fish that they were going to use.
Back at their house Link got into the kitchen and started preparing some light things, whilst Mipha made sure he wouldn't bring the fish anywhere near the fireplace. Link was never a good cook but he could handle most things. After they packed a little basket with the food and took a blanket with them they made their way over to the statue of Mipha in the middle of the domain where they would meet up with Sidon.
It was a nice sunny and warm day and the sun stood high. There wouldn't be any clouds until the late evening so they had picked a perfect day for a picnic.
As they came closer to the meeting point they saw Sidon already waiting there. He waved to them as soon as he noticed them and greeted them.
"Hello Mipha, and hello Link."
"Hello Sidon. I hope we haven't kept you waiting for to long."
"I have also just arrived here, don't worry."
Sidon had been lying. He had stood there for over an hour. He had been so nervous that he completely forgot the time they wanted to meet up.
"Then where do you want to go?" asked Mipha.
"I don't really know..." stumbled Sidon.
"I thought you would decide where to go...like always..." he stuttered.
Mipha and Link both looked a bit surprised at his suddenly shy behavior. They both haven't seen him so shy for a long time.
"Then how about we go to Veiled Falls?" suggested Link.
"That sounds great. Common Sidon." Mipha said as she grabbed one of his hands and Link the other as they made their way from the plaza towards the bridge heading towards Veiled Falls.
"This looks a bit strange now that I am, well more than double the size of you."
"And? Can't a sister take her little brother by the hand anymore just because he turned into a giant?"
All three of them broke down in laughter after that.
"I think the last time we went on a picnic Link carried my on his back."
"Well Sidon that is definitely not going to happen." Link brought out between giggles and they all burst into laughter again.
This went on for the rest of the way to Veiled Falls. As they reached their destination they brought out the blanket and sat down, with Sidon being in the middle of them.
"You don't need to do everything the same as back then."
"But I won't stop it because know I can do this." Mipha said as she leaned against Sidon.
"You will probably not fit into my lap anymore so this has to do it."
"Here Sidon. I hope you still like my cooking skills." said Link as he handed him and Mipha a seafood rice ball.
They both took a bite and where overwhelmed by the taste.
"They taste even better than back then." exclaimed Sidon between bites.
"You are really to humble with your cooking skills Link. They taste amazing." agreed Mipha.
Link just smiled as he took a bite for himself. He still wasn't very good in accepting compliments. But he too noticed that they tasted really good. He couldn't remember that he made seafood rice balls before that tasted so good.
A little breeze blow across the grass as the three continued to eat and talk. It was a great feeling to picnic with Sidon again. Even tough it is a bit different now. But all of them enjoyed it and had lots of fun. After they were finished with eating they all splashed around in the water beneath Veiled Falls, just as if they are all still children.
As the sun began setting they packed the blanket together and made their way back to the domain. They all were a bit tired from all the playing and laughter. As they reached the statue in the domain centre Sidon grabbed both of them and pulled them into one big hug.
"Thank you for this great day. I loved to be together with you two again."
"Nothing to thank for. We both also enjoyed it to have a picnic with you again, Sidon." Mipha mumbled a as Sidon pressed the air out of their lungs.
"It was a great day Sidon. I am still sorry I can't carry you anymore." exclaimed Link after Sidon let them go from his bear hug.
Sidon laughed at his remark whilst Mipha was chuckling next to him.
"You don't have to Link. You know what, next time I will carry both of you!" Sidon laughed as the three parted and made their way to their houses. They said goodnight and waved to each other and were on their way.
"See, you had no reason to be nervous." Link said as they reached their house.
"You were right. I just thought that something would be different between us."
"The only thing beeing different was his size." laughed Link.
"Well we have to get used to that." agreed Mipha.
"I had a lot of fun today."
"Me too. By the way are you hungry? We still have some rice balls left."
"Of course I am. I wouldn't let a meal prepared by someone with your cooking skill go to waste."
Again Link just shyly smiled as they ate the leftovers from their picnic and made themselves ready for the night.
Link glanced over to Mipha who struggled with some of her jewelry.
"Do you need help?"
"Yes please. I cannot reach around my neck."
Link helped her take her necklace off.
"Isn't it quite the hassle to put these on and of?"
"Well sometimes they work with you and sometimes they don't. Its just like you and your shirt. Common lift your arms up." said Mipha as she helped him out of his shirt. After they were ready they climbed into the sleeping pool.
"How exactly does this work? I mean the water is always nice and cozy and always crystal clear?"
"The stones at the bottom are enchanted. They heat and filter the water. It is an old Zora secret."
Link looked down, fascinated from the Zoran craftsmanship as he moved over to Mipha.
"Now come here. I am tired and would like to sleep with you." Mipha mumbled between a yawn.
Link did as asked and cuddled next to her as Mipha grabbed hold of his head and gently cuddled it against hers, keeping it above the water.
"We had an amazing day today."
"Yes we had. And I am happy I could spend every minute of it with you."
Link put his arm around her waist and made it comfortable for himself.
"Good night."
"Good night."
He leaned over and gave Mipha a good night kiss before Link closed his eyes. It sure had been an amazing day. And because of that he could have never guessed what a terrible night he would have.
So again another chapter completed. This one took a bit longer but I hope you guys don't mind to much. Even I am just a mere mortal who has to go to sleep sometimes or do other things instead of writing. As usual I would like to read your reviews on my story. I will answer all of them personally and it just makes me feel very good about what I am doing when I see your reviews. And to bring this chapter out today I will trust in the work of past me and only skim it for spelling mistakes.(I probably have done a big mistake with this) So once again see you in the next chapter. Goodbye (^.^)/
