"I will have to release a statement of acknowledgement to honour the Zora's decision. Though I'm still really worried for you, Mipha. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
Both Mipha and Zelda, now Queen of Hyrule, sat in her private study. On the desk were a copy of the parchments that detailed the terms and conditions of Mipha's exile. The news had reverberated through all of Hyrule, dredging up fact and fiction alike, and Zelda felt that as head of all Hyrule, her royal recognition could at least put an end to any of the doubts and gossip-mongering that had now set aflame in the kingdom.
In truth, Mipha wanted it too. Throughout it all she had kept a stoic face; a face befitting of a leader, even in exile. But deep within her heart, a grievous wound had been dealt. Mipha was hurting. Badly.
She dared not show it though.
"I will be okay," she said bravely, her eyes not lifting from the parchment. "It is for the best, and knowing that gives me the strength to know that this is the right decision. Regardless, I'm thankful for you stepping in to quell the unease that my exile has caused."
"It is my pleasure, Queen Mi-"
"Mipha…" Mipha cut across abruptly, suddenly looking up. "J-Just...Mipha will do, your highness."
Zelda was slightly taken aback, but didn't let it affect her. She empathised with Mipha in her current situation. Mipha couldn't have been more alone than she was now, Zelda thought, and Mipha needed someone.
"Of course," Zelda said. "...as long as you call me Zelda. Just Zelda." she added.
Zelda was relieved to see a little smile appear on Mipha's lips. It was the first smile she had given all day. They turned their attention back to the parchment. Mipha felt it surreal that such beautifully written words upon the curled document could hold such significant changes for her life.
"I have to say, the requests that are being made of you are...a little harsh." Zelda hummed. "I understand you, Link, Sidon and your children leaving the Domain; but your children leaving you when they are of age?"
"The Zora Council wanted no risks when it came to any bipartisanship regarding my exile" Mipha explained sullenly. "The domain has never been so divided. Many of the Zora wanted me to stay until my successor could be appointed. But many others...well they see Link and the children as a threat, sadly. Loathe as they are to admit it…"
"It's stunning," Zelda said quietly. "I always thought the Zora wouldn't have had such a problem with this. To cast you away like this…"
"What can I say, Zelda?" Mipha sighed. "Zora pride is a very strong quality indeed. It can either be our greatest strength, or...well…"
It hurt Mipha to talk about her own kind like this. Her emotions swirled about as a maddening mixture of anger and sadness, and she couldn't settle on either emotion. Nor could she show it.
"...I suppose they're worried that my children would come back to the domain when they were of age and lay some claim to the throne. Not that they will ever do that of course. I'll be sure to tell my children the truth when the time comes..."
"But keeping them away from you when they become of age?" Zelda questioned. "I just don't understand. The least your children deserve is to be with their kind, or at least that's how I feel about it."
"It has to be this way," Mipha said quickly. "I suppose they would rather us be divided than united. It goes without saying my children will have to come to know of a life without Zora's Domain. Though they did give one concession..."
Zelda's eyes opened up in surprise. "Really? What was that?"
"...When my children do leave me...we can write letters." she revealed.
"Letters? But doesn't that mean you can communicate in secret?"
"No. The letters will go to Zora's Domain first to be vetted. Then after that, should the contents satisfy, they will then be sent on to their intended recipient."
"Mipha...I still can't believe you've accepted these terms." Zelda sighed. "I wish you could have come to me before you committed: I'm sure we could have come to some sort of agreement with the Zora…"
"It wouldn't have worked," Mipha said sullenly. "All the conditions and negotiations in the world couldn't change the fact that the next in line to the throne was not of pure Zora blood. When I bore my children, I made my decision. I knew deep within myself that leaving the Domain would be my inevitable fate as soon as I saw the twinkle in their little eyes…"
A brief silence fell between them. Zelda felt lost for words. She herself knew what it was like to make sacrifices, but she couldn't imagine the scale of sacrifice that Mipha had undertaken.
"...and how has Link found all of this?" Zelda hummed.
"... He's been his quiet self, I suppose." Mipha said quietly, looking out to the majestic fields of Hyrule from beyond the arched window. "At the very least I won't be truly alone. Even if he won't be with me forever... he's with me now. That's all I could really ask for..."
"I'm glad to hear." Zelda said. She recalled her own past feelings for Link, back at what was a happier time for them both. It was a time when the Calamity had been averted. A time of true joy. "So he will be with you in exile?"
"Yes," Mipha said. "We'll be together with our children. And then when they leave... we'll forever be in touch. I'll get to hear all about their lives, their adventures, everything they're getting up to. They'll be able to live like normal Zora I hope, even outside of the Domain. I...I just h-hope…"
Mipha shivered on the spot; Zelda instinctively moved closer in concern.
"I just hope they don't come to hate me for what I've done!"
Mipha fell into Zelda's arms and allowed her tears to spill. Zelda held her tightly, feeling her convulse in her arms as heaving sobs forced their way out of her. In the privacy of Zelda's chamber, Mipha finally allowed herself to express the deeply rooted agony that sat within her.
.
.
.
Mipha awoke to silence. No longer did the refrains of battle ring in her ears, nor did the symphony of battle cries and clashing of metal on metal darken the air around her. Now, there was naught but the tranquil noise of an ever-flowing waterfall.
She came to her senses rather quickly. She found herself in a bed, and quickly realised she was back at Zora's Domain. It was in the middle of the night, and through her window she could spy the edges of the great pool of water, housed within the aquatic cauldron which held the domain.
"Grandmother…"
She turned her head, and noticed that beside her sat Repherhan. She wanted to gasp, but she was so drained of energy that she could merely turn her head up and look upon him. She'd never been this close to him before; Repherhan was a titanic beast of a Zora. Not quite as large as her own father was, but still large enough to strike fear into any normal Zora's heart.
"Repherhan…" Mipha uttered gently. "What...is the meaning of this?"
"The battle on Ploymus Mountain, grandmother... it's over. We were victorious."
"And Queen Hylia...d-did she..."
Repherhan simply nodded. "She's alive, grandmother. All thanks to you."
She wished to feel happiness, but beneath the heavy cloak of fatigue, Mipha felt little.
"I...brought you back here once I knew it was safe to do so." Repherhan spoke, as quietly as never before. "Everybody else has returned from the peak and are resting. I believe only you and I were awake; I was hoping to speak with you."
"For what reason…" Mipha said quietly. "Your heart is already set on devastating Hyrule with your futile war...what more could you want…"
"I'm...sorry."
Mipha, who had closed her eyes to try and draw strength, opened them again and looked upon her grandson once more. She could see the regret shimmering in his saddened eyes. Gone was the bravado and strength that she had only known of before.
"Repherhan, you must tell me everything," Mipha said. "I have not been able to understand your motivations whatsoever throughout all of this. Why did you help me on Ploymus Mountain? Why do you hate Hylians so much when you have Hylian blood on your veins?"
"Perhaps it may be best if I start from the beginning," Repherhan spoke. "I came to the Domain a number of years ago after I had heard about your exile from my father, Keliph."
The name rattled Mipha, and her eyes opened wide.
"Oh, that name…" she uttered, staggered to hear the name of one of her own flesh and blood being named by another. "How has he been? Is he alright?"
"Keliph is well, grandmother." Repherhan said with a smile. "We stay in touch, though I have not seen him for years. He very much enjoyed reading your letters when he receives them."
"That's lovely to hear…" Mipha said, almost relieved. "So Keliph told you all about me and my exile?"
"He did." Repherhan confirmed. "When I was old enough, he told me the story, and how we were forbidden from going to the Domain. I always thought it was funny how being a Zora, we couldn't go to the one place that typifies our kind. So when he told me it was because of your exile, I felt so angry. Like an injustice has been wrought upon me personally. We may have Hylian blood in our veins but we came out as Zora, all in all. Therefore I felt it was all...unjust."
"You have to understand Repherhan," Mipha said quietly. "I wanted nothing more than for peace to continue in the Domain. Our people had been split in two as a result of my love for Link. I...acted selfishly, I suppose. But I do not regret it."
"Nor should you, grandmother," Repherhan hummed. "I always harbored a deep sense of pride that I carried the blood of the man who helped seal the darkness all those years ago. So after hearing about your plight, and knowing that I could not seek you out, I felt I had to return to the Domain."
"And you came back and took the throne?" Mipha asked. When Repherhan nodded: "But I don't understand. My exile was purely to stop my children from ascending the throne due to their Hylian blood. So how did they let you…"
"They didn't let me." Repherhan interrupted. "I...made them. So maddened was I about the situation that I charged straight into the throne room and issued a challenge to the council. I took on their finest warriors, and I defeated them all."
"I see…" Mipha said, disappointedly. "You took the throne by force."
"I'm sorry, grandmother," Repherhan hummed, shame seeping into his voice. "I know you don't approve."
"It's... it's not that you were on the throne." she explained. "It's just…the brute force. I abhor it. When I battled against the Calamity centuries ago, I did not fight for personal gain. I only fought to preserve the future of a peaceful Hyrule. It was never about me. Abdicating the throne was the same: I suppose I could have clung onto power had I wished, and challenged all those who opposed me. I'm fairly confident that I could have vanquished my opponents too, at least in my prime. But it would have all just ended in bloodshed, which was exactly what I was fighting to prevent in the first place."
"I...was foolish." Repherhan sighed. "I always have been, even now. When I defeated the last warrior the council put before me, they surrendered their rule, much like the ancient Zora councils of the past millennia ago. I became the first King of the Zora since your exile. But even then, it was difficult. Everyone knew I was your grandson: no other Zora has such vibrant crimson hues as our family does. And so they knew I had Hylian blood in me. The same opponents you faced, I was now facing. And in my desperation to placate them…"
"That's when all the problems started with Vah Ruta, wasn't it?" Mipha said. She had now woken up a little and had sat herself up in her bed.
Repherhan nodded. "I felt I needed to prove to them that I would be a ruler for all Zoras, not just the ones who supported me. So I listened to them, heard their complaints about the Sheikah scientists working in Vah Ruta...and I tossed them out. I banished them from the reservoir and the domain itself. Of course, such a move didn't go down well with those at Hyrule Castle, and over time, the situation became more and more hostile."
"So why didn't you do anything to prevent it?" Mipha cut in suddenly. "You bowed your ears to half of those you were meant to rule and put our entire people in peril. Why Reperhhan? Why did you do something so...so foolish!?"
Tears were now forming in Repherhan's eyes, and for the first time, Mipha could now look upon him as something different than a king and a warrior. She looked upon him as a grandson: still a child, with a child's mind and a child's heart.
"I wanted to be strong…" Repherhan sobbed. "I got intoxicated by the power of the throne. I...I didn't know how to handle it. Once I had banished them, I felt I had to save face. If I didn't, everyone would have lost belief in me... I would have failed."
"So that's why you were so cold to me…" Mipha said, wiping a tear of her own away. "You didn't want to appear weak. So deep down, when you saw me for the first time...how did you really feel?"
"I…"
Repherhan paused, clenching his fists. "I...felt so unworthy. I could at least convince myself of the path I had started to walk before you arrived. But when I saw you, I knew just how shallow and terrible a king I truly was. I couldn't face up to it. I knew how the people still spoke so fondly of you in the Domain despite your exile...the children would gather at your statue and the elders would recall your fables. I...felt so insignificant…"
"R-Repherhan…" Mipha sobbed. She reached her small, withered hand out to Reperhan, who gently took it within his mighty palms and caressed it. The two of them stayed there, amidst the sounds of the falling waters, and allowed their tears to fall in kind.
"...When you teleported to Ploymus Mountain..." Repherhan continued, his voice now shaky with emotion. "I was so frightened. I knew how savage the Lynels could be. I really thought I had lost you. I was faced with a choice: let you die and continue down the bloody path I was walking, or finally put an end to the charade I've been living since I first took the throne. My people were angry with me. I know for certain I betrayed their expectations of me. I am a king to no one now…"
"Stop, Repherhan" Mipha said quickly. "No more of this. What I saw on Ploymus Mountain was no empty king. I saw a righteous king, leading his loyal troops into battle. So please don't beat yourself up."
"But grandmother…" Repherhan cut in. "I've led terribly. I cannot in good conscience continue…"
"Well if not you, then who?" Mipha asked.
"You."
The word hung in the air for a moment. Mipha was all bit ready to riposte to whatever Repherhan had planned to say, but the one word she did not anticipate had come to be. And there it hung, silently, invisible yet with all the presence a word could possibly muster.
"Repherhan...I-I couldn't."
"Grandmother, you must listen to me," Repherhan pleaded. "All this has been my fault. At the centre of all this chaos between the Zoras and the Hylians...it is my responsibility. And I must take responsibility. You know I cannot continue. But you...you are still here. You still carry that original bloodline of the Zora royal family. With you back on the throne, we can draw a line under all this madness that I have caused!"
"Repherhan…"
"It is simple enough to enact, grandmother. As I am still king, I have the power to enact this, and place you back where you rightfully belong."
"I-I…no. The answer is no, Repherhan."
"But grandmother, I…"
"I said no, Repherhan!" Mipha yelled suddenly. Repherhan was taken aback, silenced by her outburst. "I know why I left the throne, Repherhan. And it is for the same reasons I cannot accept your proposal. My reign...will always be a thing of the past now. I've accepted that, and you must accept it too."
"But if not you, grandmother, then who else can lead our people back from the brink?"
Mipha looked into her grandson's eyes.
"Well it has to be you, Repherhan." Mipha said, matter of factly. "You got us into this mess, and so I think it should only be you who gets us out of it."
Even Mipha knew such a response was very unlike her, and as such, she started to giggle. In turn, Repherhan let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, grandmother," he said. "You do seem to know what to say at the right time. But even so...I don't know if I can do it…"
He felt a delicate hand on his own.
"You have my support, Repherhan." she said. She looked into his eyes, still seeing the uncertainty deep within them. "And despite all that has transgressed under your rule to date... I still love you. I'll always love you...my dear grandson."
"G...Grandmother...Mipha…." Repherhan uttered, unable to stem the flow of his own tears. "I love you too... I've been such a fool…"
And so the two cried together in the privacy of Mipha's chamber. For the first time, titles and status had no part in their conversation. They weren't a king and an exile. They were grandmother and grandson: loving family members, and nothing more. The stars twinkled gently that evening for what felt like the first time in aeons.