Chapter 4

Mipha was shown to one of the rooms in the underbelly of the Domain. Despite initially thinking she would spend the evening alone, at her request she was allowed one additional guest: Tekmo, who was given access to cross Inogo Bridge and enter the domain. Alannah and Mazia were given the option to remain at Inogo Bridge, but had decided that Kakariko Village was a better place to hide away from the cold rain, given its proximity.

Tekmo's appearance (which caused much commotion amongst the Zoras) was allowed under one strict condition issued by King Repherhan: that they be accompanied at all times by a guard. In this instance, it was Kodas that was chosen to guard Mipha and Tekmo at all times.

"I still can't get over it…" Tekmo said quietly, peering about his turquoise surroundings. "This place is absolutely stunning."

"I'm glad you think so!" Kodas replied, standing by the door to Mipha and Tekmo's overnight residence: a small curtained room on the edge of the domain, overlooking the great pool of water beneath. "Zora's Domain has long been considered one of the jewels of Hyrule. There is nowhere else in these lands quite like it."

"Indeed it is." Tekmo replied. Despite the tension, even he could not help but admire the grandiose architecture of the domain. Kodas was right, it truly was a jewel of Hyrule.

Mipha, however, did not engage with the conversation. She was sitting in her chair by the window, looking out through the open curtain towards the giant dam that held back the waters of the East Reservoir Lake. She knew that up there in the lake, was an old friend. She felt it strange; that she could potentially walk up to the dam and know that her dear old companion was literally on the other side of it, and yet it had been so many years since she last walked upon her battlements. So many years, she thought, since she had last spoken to it, and fought alongside it. It felt at times as if her old friend was an extension of herself.

"Kodas…" Mipha hummed. "Does Vah Ruta still reside in the East Reservoir Lake these days?"

"She does indeed, Lady Mipha." Kodas responded. "I'll be honest: I'm still somewhat in awe that I'm standing next to her one and only pilot!"

Mipha let out a small chuckle; she didn't mind a little flattery from time to time. "Oh Kodas, you're much too kind! I am just an old lady these days."

"Hardly, Lady Mipha." Tekmo cut in, swivelling on his heels to face her. "You used to be the Queen of this domain! Even I could tell when I was escorted here that your return has caused quite the stir. It's as if some of the denizens are convinced they're dreaming."

"You have ascended into lore, in some ways." Kodas added, scratching his shoulder. "More and more often they speak of you here as a legend, rather than a real tangible person...which just makes it all the more surreal that you're really here!"

"I...find it baffling," Mipha sighed, her cheer dissipating as she recalled her encounter with King Repherhan. "I abdicated the throne because of a Hylian. I thought it was the will of the people that I left…"

"They did...but…" Kodas hummed. Mipha couldn't help but tell he was choosing his words carefully. He looked rather awkward, she thought: despite his tall and lean frame, he seemed slightly lopsided, which was possibly caused by the oversized shoulder plate in his left shoulder. "...I think you're still revered for that very decision. I mean, you're always going to have your detractors. Even the King has his detractors. But you have a good place in the history books today. The children of our domain are taught to view you as the queen who piloted Vah Ruta, battled the Calamity, and then willingly stepped down from the crown as a way of saving her people."

"A martyr, then…" Mipha sighed. "My father...he passed shortly after the Calamity, very suddenly. I was not so much ascended to the throne, but thrown onto it. I was unprepared...and the people were unprepared too. That, and Link…"

A short and uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

"My grandson...is he really considering going to war with the Hylians?" Mipha asked. Kodas bent his head, eyes firmly fixed to the floor. Once again, he struggled to find the right words.

"I think if the situation does not change soon...then yes." he spoke quietly.

"And if that were to happen, where would you stand?" Mipha asked.

"I... I'm ready to serve my domain and my fellow Zora if that were the case." Kodas replied, solemnly yet dutifully.

Another silence. Mipha was exhausted from the long trip since departing from Kakariko Village. Her confidence was shot; though she put on the bravest face she could, deep down, there were doubts. I don't know if I can do this, she thought. All my efforts could be in vain. Maybe I should just leave…

She pulled her gaze away from the floor and back once more to the dam. She tried to picture Vah Ruta in her mind.

"Kodas?" She asked eventually.

"Yes, Lady Mipha?" He replied.

"Vah Ruta...could you take me to her?"

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The request was a difficult one to accept. Going up to the dam meant risking aggravating the Lynels of Ploymus Mountain. Though the East Reservoir Lake was usually considered a safe spot despite the close proximity of the Lynels up at Shatterback Point, Kodas had to gather a small contingent of Zoras who were ready to fight if the Lynels commenced an attack. Despite this, the request was accepted by King Repherhan, who took little interest in Mipha's movements.

For Mipha, it was the shot of excitement she needed to lift her from her melancholy. Eventually, with a contingent of five guards and Tekmo assembled, the group made their slow ascent up the dam to the East Reservoir Lake. At times, they took breaks on the steps so Mipha could catch her breath. Tekmo was extremely impressed that Mipha was able to climb the stairs at all.

Truth be told, Mipha was impressed with herself also. With every pause, she looked upon the domain she once called her own, and drank in its beauty. She marvelled at the great fish structure that rose up into the sky, keeping watch of the Domain; it had not lost its lustre in all the years she had been away. She drew strength from it: she felt her pride as a Zora spur her onwards to the top of the dam. And with each step she ascended, she knew she was getting closer and closer to her old friend, though she did find it hard to catch her breath on occasion.

Eventually, they reached the top of the dam. Mipha looked towards the reservoir, and in plain sight, standing tall and proud amidst the calm waters, was Vah Ruta. The titanic elephant belied its sheer size as it sat calmly in the waters, its ears turning gently as a gentle blue glow omitted from its lights. The machinery within her was gurgling away quietly, almost in contentment.

"Vah Ruta…" Mipha whispered, half in shock. She hadn't changed a bit, sitting docile in the large lake, the setting sun shining upon it's grand design. She was looking directly out to the horizons that lay beyond her: both calm and serene.

"Here she is, Lady Mipha." Kodas announced quietly. "Vah Ruta."

Tekmo looked up towards the Divine Beast, mouth agape, having never seen one before in his life. "It's...huge." Tekmo said quietly. "It's the first time I've ever seen a Divine Beast. You...drove it?"

"Piloted, Tekmo," Mipha corrected, with a smile. "I piloted her. She and I...we go back a very long time. I'm somewhat regretful to have spent such a long time apart from her."

She felt compelled to walk across the pier to its edge. The desire flowed within her to be closer to Vah Ruta: the Lynels high on Ploymus Mountain had suddenly become an afterthought.

Mipha started to walk, startling Kodas. "Lady Mipha, what are you doing?!" he exclaimed.

The other guards were at a loss of what to do: they risked inflaming the tempers of the Lynels, and looked to the skies in anticipation of shock arrows.

Strangely, none fell.

Mipha continued to walk, aided by her cane, moving closer and closer to the edge of the pier, and further away from safety. Tekmo tried to step forward, but found himself barred by Kodas's spear.

"Don't go any further," he warned quickly. "She...does this at risk to her own safety." Tekmo spun to look up at Kodas, suddenly angered.

"You idiot!" Tekmo growled in a hushed tone, also scared of alerting the Lynels. "What if she gets hit by a shock arrow? She'll die!"

"We'll all die if we're attacked," Kodas grunted. "Damn it, what was King Repherhan thinking? What was I thinking; we should have never come up here!"

"Lady Mipha!" Tekmo whispered as loudly as he could. "Be careful!"

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Mipha eventually reached the edge of the pier, and looked up once again to Vah Ruta. Not a single bit of her had changed, she thought to herself.

"Hello...Vah Ruta." she said quietly to the Divine Beast. "It's me again. Mipha. Your friend..."

She took a deep breath. The lake was silent and peaceful.

"I'm sorry it's been so long since I last came to see you." she continued, her voice soft and reflective. "I know things haven't been well in the world recently. I'm sorry that the circumstances couldn't have been better for our reunion. I…"

She started to feel tears coming to her eyes. Even simply gazing upon Vah Ruta reminded her of her youth; of happier times.

"I want you to know Vah Ruta that I never did forget about you, even in exile" she said, as the tears trickled down her wrinkled face. "You and I were so close...please understand how difficult it was for me to leave you. Had things only been a little bit different, then maybe…"

She became lost for words for a moment.

"...I remember when you and I stood together and fought for the future of Hyrule. Us, and the other Champions, and Princess Zelda...and Link. Vah Ruta, do you remember Link? Do you remember the time, shortly before the Calamity, when he came to visit us here in the domain? He was so quiet then...but I understand now why that was. He had the weight of the world resting upon his shoulders. He didn't always quite know how to express it, did he? But I think that's what I loved about him, Vah Ruta. He wasn't perfect, but...it was what made him perfect to me. His imperfections. Just like yours"

She looked to Vah Ruta's trunk: Mipha always felt it was her favourite part of the beast. So odd-looking and awkward, yet so charming.

"I pray that war is not on the horizon, Vah Ruta. You taught me a valuable lesson when we first met: that no matter how scared I was, it was important to have courage and face challenges with that courage. You taught me that, when I learned to move with you. You didn't always obey my commands at first, and I questioned whether I was truly worth the mantle of Champion. But I always tried to draw from courage. Eventually I tamed you, and soon after, I came to love you. Oh, Vah Ruta…"

The heavy burden of Mipha's task weighed upon her shoulders once more. So much so she even felt herself being weighed down, and leaned upon her cane with both hands, head dropping.

"Courage, Mipha," she thought. "Courage…"

She looked back up towards the Divine Beast. "Vah Ruta, I face a most daunting task. The future of the Zoras: the future of peace in Hyrule is once again at risk. That is why I came up here to speak with you. I am asking you to grant me strength and courage, so I may face this final challenge. I... don't have a lot of time left in this world, Vah Ruta. I am old. Very old, in fact. My time is coming to me, and when it comes, I will go and be with my beloved Link again. But until then, as before the Calamity, I have a duty that I must fulfil. Vah Ruta: please grant me the strength and courage to go forward, and fulfil this final duty"

Mipha's eyes were fixed firmly at the tip of the trunk. "Do you remember the time Link and I spent upon your trunk, Vah Ruta? It was silly to think: I had loved him so much by that point that I was prepared to sacrifice everything. I had prepared a suit of Zora Armour, exactly to his measurements, to propose marriage. I...I was so reckless then!"

Mipha couldn't help but giggle a little at the fearlessness if her youth. But it was not so: even then, all those years ago, Mipha still couldn't command stillness over her quickly beating heart…

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"Shall we go to Vah Ruta?"

It had been a month since Link had defeated the Lynel on Ploymus Mountain. He was revered as a hero back at Zora's Domain and its denizens couldn't have been more sure of the Calamity's eventual defeat, now they knew who was leading the charge. If he could defeat the Lynel single-handed, then there was no telling what his limits were!

That evening had brought with it a stunning and beautiful sunset. It was both a lovely and poignant evening: Link was due to set off with Princess Zelda the following morning in order to continue their preparations to defeat the Calamity. As a way of marking this last day, Mipha had suggested they ride atop Vah Ruta and take in the sights upon her trunk.

Or so Mipha had said. The reality was a lot different. She knew this could possibly be the last time they would be alone for quite some time, and when the Calamity would come, there were no guarantees.

Mipha had hidden her newly created Zora Armour by the trunk.

If not now, Mipha thought, then when? Her nerves shook her through to her very soul, but she reached deep down for a modicum of courage.

"Vah Ruta, please raise your trunk."

Vah Ruta obeyed the command, and gently lifted its trunk high into the sky. As it did, both Link and Mipha were lifted out of the shadows of the mountains and into the golden sunset. The view of Lanayru that greeted them was simply divine. "Isn't it beautiful up here, Link? We are so lucky to live in a land as beautiful as Hyrule..."

Link did not respond. He had been like this often lately: quiet, silent, sometimes not even saying a word. He would look, and it was clear that he was listening, but barely was there ever a word that came out of his mouth. Mipha was sad when Link was like this, though she tried her best to understand. He was to be the focal point of the entire Hyrule effort to defeat the Calamity. It was no meagre responsibility. Indeed it was a responsibility so large that it had caused Link to become mostly speechless.

Sadly, against Mipha's wishes, it caused a certain awkwardness as the trunk continued to rise into the sky.

Mipha's mind was racing. She couldn't propose like this, she thought: he's not saying anything! The two sat, somewhat awkwardly, on a raised shelf at the tip of the trunk. Mipha scrambled for an excuse, anything, to break the silence. Meanwhile Link looked around: first at Mipha, then to the floor, then to the horizon, and then perhaps back on the floor again, as if he was content to say nothing at all.

She caught sight of his arm. There was still a roughness and a deep scarring where the Lynel had struck him a month earlier. Mipha had noticed Link had been nursing the arm a little more since that night.

"Your arm, Link…" she said quietly. "It... hasn't quite healed, has it?"

Link shook his head, confirming the fact. "Shall I heal it for you? I might be able to fully heal it this time."

Link looked up to Mipha, and after a short pause, nodded. Mipha felt a little relief. Finally, she thought, this is something. Shyly, she shuffled closer to Link, and took his arm in her hand. With her free hand, she hovered it over the scar.

She didn't even need to think of him this time. Nervous as she was, her heart was filled with happiness just to be with him. That happiness alone flowed out of her free hand as healing energy, more potent than ever before.

The trunk stopped its ascent. The two of them were truly alone, high in the sky.

"I was thinking…" Mipha spoke. "This reminds me of the time we first met. You were just a reckless child: always getting yourself hurt at every turn!"

She couldn't help but smile as she relieved those early memories. Link truly was a reckless child: Mipha couldn't quite believe that same child she once adored in a sisterly way, had now become the man she had fallen hopelessly in love with.

"Every time, I would heal you. Just as I'm doing right now."

She found it hard to look in his eyes: her nerves were overwhelming her. As if to stave it away, she continued to speak the first words that came to her head.

"I thought it was funny how, being a Hylian, you looked grown-up so much faster than I did" she continued. She summoned the courage to try and meet Link's eyes, and finally managed it. He was looking right at her, and despite his silence, his expression was sincere. Mipha's heart fluttered. "I was...I was always willing to heal your wounds...even back then."

She looked upon the work she had done. The scar had all but vanished. She stopped, and Link gently moved his arm away, turning it this way and that, testing it.

Mipha looked away, and stared towards the edge of Vah Ruta's trunk. Despite the moment, she also felt the heavy weight of confronting the Calamity weighing on her mind too. She cursed that it was ruining the moment, but she couldn't cast the feeling away. Sullenly, she spoke:

"So if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return, what can we really do? We just don't seem to know much about what we'll be up against. But know this: now matter how difficult the battle might get, if you-"

As she spoke, she felt her courage welling. She turned her gaze back to Link, feeling the words now coming out naturally. "If anyone ever tries to do you harm, then I will heal you."

She clutched her hands together to still her maddening heart, and looked at them. "No matter when, or how bad the wound...I hope you know that I will always protect you."

She knew she couldn't keep delaying it. She cast her mind back to all the time she had spent crafting the armour for Link. She knew this was her last chance. Mipha summoned the last reserves of her courage.

"Once this whole thing is over...maybe things can go back to how they used to be when they were young. You know…"

This was it, she thought. She looked back up to Link, who was matching her gaze.

"Perhaps we could spend some time together"

The two sat there, staring into each other's eyes, for what seemed like an eternity. Mipha felt lost in the moment, and dared to lean in ever so slightly to Link. Link did not move, and Mipha couldn't help but feel she was being invited in. Almost unconsciously, she spoke:

"Link, I... there's something I-"

"Lady Mipha!"

It felt like a thousand panes of glass shattering at once. Both Mipha and Link were startled out of their skins. She quickly tried to identify the source of the voice and spotted a Zora guard at the edge of the pier by the dam facing inwards towards the domain. Mipha popped her head over the trunk.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"The King has requested your presence immediately!" The Zora guard yelled back.

Mipha's face flushed red. It had only occurred to her what her scene with Link must have looked like from an outsider's point of view. She felt embarrassed and flustered. Link awkwardly stood and walked to the edge of the trunk. He gave Mipha one last look, almost apologetically, before diving off the edge of the trunk to the lake below.

"Link!" Mipha called out. But he was gone. She stood alone on Vah Ruta's trunk. Things had not planned out quite as she had imagined. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and allowed herself one petulant kick at the platform she was sitting on earlier.

"Shit." she huffed.