Chapter 3 - Zora Hylian Romance
Summary: With the domain safe now, Mipha and Link can begin to live a more 'normal' life and grow accustomed to married life together.
Mipha felt terrible, but it was an accident. And she was trying hard not to let the comical aspects of the situation get in the way of her work.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart! Please try to hold still!" said Mipha.
Link was speechless. Not because he was at a loss for words, though that was often the case, but because he was sitting with his tongue sticking out of his mouth while Mipha tried to perform her healing magic.
Mipha held Link's head with one hand and the other, the one that glowed, above his tongue. Then she giggled again and lost her concentration. Link moaned, which was about the only sound he could make at the moment.
"Sorry, I'll try again," said Mipha. "Hold still!"
It was more his fault than hers, Link thought. They had been home kissing passionately, their tongues exploring each other's mouths when Link forgot how incredibly sharp her teeth were. He had scraped his tongue across one of them, and luckily only hard enough to create a small but painful cut. He felt like an idiot and probably looked like one too, sitting with his mouth open and his tongue sticking out. Fortunately, all this had happened in the privacy of their bedroom.
This time Mipha successfully healed the wound, and Link moved his tongue around in his mouth. It felt perfect, back to normal.
"Are you all right now, sweetheart?" said Mipha. "I shouldn't let you kiss me that way. But it feels so good, and it's so arousing, I can't help myself. I don't want you to stop."
"No, it's fine," said Link. "Kissing you like that feels too good to me too to stop. I just need to be more careful. And luckily my beautiful wife is blessed with healing magic. But I'm sorry, I guess I kind of ruined the mood, didn't I?."
"It's all right," said Mipha. "We should be getting ready for Alicia's party, anyway."
It was early evening, and Link got cleaned up, dressed and the two of them headed to the party. Alicia was busy when they arrived, so, in the meantime, they just joined the party and blended in. It was a short time later that Alicia came over to welcome them.
"Link, this is Alicia," said Mipha. "Alicia and I are good friends, and you met briefly at our wedding."
"It's nice to meet you again, Alicia," said Link. "It's a great party by the way."
"Hi, Link," said Alicia. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. Mipha often spoke of you, and it's nice to meet you finally. Well, as Mipha said, I did say hello at your wedding, but I don't expect you to remember."
"I have to thank you for the cooked snails," said Link. "I suspect you had those prepared with me in mind, and they're delicious."
"Yes, you Hylians don't seem to like things fresh," laughed Alicia. "But it was no trouble at all. I heard you've both had some busy nights, but now, that's all over with."
"Yes," said Mipha taking Link's arm. "It's much nicer spending romantic evenings with my husband, not creeping about in the dark and the rain hunting monsters."
"Have you two known each other a long time?" said Link.
"Since forever!" said Alicia. "We played together as children, then stayed friends after we grew up. When we were small, my parents loved it when I played with Mipha because I got free royal guard supervision the whole time. They didn't need to worry about me at all. But, of course, that came with a price, right, Mipha?"
"What do you mean?" said Link.
"Well, the guards were rather strict about where we went and what we could do," said Alicia. "They were constantly telling us that we could not do this or do that. But we still managed to have fun."
"Yes, but we ended up doing safer things than the other children our age," said Mipha. "When they were swimming in fast currents by waterfalls and playing tag, we had to confine ourselves to swimming in the calm lake water. The guards were worried I would get swept over the falls."
"But when we reached adolescence, we had a bit more freedom," said Alicia. "I had a crush on that guard, remember Mipha? I thought he looked so brave and handsome with his shiny silver spear."
"Yes," said Mipha. "But you got over it later and met someone else."
"I did," said Alicia. "And you had a major crush on Link here. I remember you telling me how much Link made you ..."
"Oh, sorry, Ali, but I love this song! I just have to dance to it! Come on Link," said Mipha cutting Alicia off and pulling Link by the hand. "We'll talk later, Ali."
Alicia waved at the two of them, and after Mipha pulled Link to the dance floor, they began dancing.
"I didn't know you were so fond of this song," said Link. "I don't think I ever heard it before."
"I'm not, and I never heard it before, either. But Ali was getting a little too personal, starting to repeat what I told her about you, and I was getting embarrassed," said Mipha. "I don't want you hearing everything I told her."
"Why not?" said Link. "I already know you must have been madly in love with me. What else is there to know?"
"Oh, is that so, sweetheart?" said Mipha as they continued dancing. "Aren't we the self-confident one now. If so, you certainly didn't see it at the time. You and I both know you didn't have a clue about my feelings. And by the way, getting you to share your feelings was like pulling meat from a crooked snail."
"Well, it all worked out in the end," laughed Link. "Everything has been so wonderful since we married. I can't imagine life without you."
He leaned forward, and they shared a quick kiss. After the song ended, they both wandered back to the refreshment area. Link helped himself to more of the snails, and they spoke to a few other people standing around. Link didn't know any of them, but Mipha knew them by name at least.
Then there was some more dancing and talking, and it was quite late by the time the party ended.
A half-moon illuminated the domain, and the night was clear and mild as they walked with their arms around each other, Link rubbing Mipha's shoulder up and down and Mipha leaning into him. All the music and partying had put them both in the mood to continue the evening's enjoyment and pick up where they left off before the party.
As soon as they were back in their room, they pulled each other close and kissed with abandon, but more carefully in Link's case. Then Link pulled off his clothes, threw them aside, and pulled Mipha on top of him as he lay on the floor. They were both in the heat of passion by then and made love until they collapsed in each other's arms, exhausted. Then they slid into the slumber pool together, Mipha holding onto his hand. They fell asleep in minutes.
Next morning, a heavy rain beat against their house as Link opened his eyes. The pale light from the window showed it was morning, but it felt early, too early to get up, especially given how late they went to sleep. Mipha was still asleep in the water next to him, clutching his hand, her fingers interlaced with his. He had figured out how to tell she was sleeping because she would stop breathing and her gills would take over. It was a strange experience at first, but he had gotten used to it.
He looked over at her now, and he wanted to wake her up so that he could kiss her again and touch her. He wasn't selfish enough to do that, but she looked so beautiful at rest. Her skin was so absolutely smooth to the touch, the byproduct of a body built for swimming. Looking at her soft lips, he could remember their taste, the way they felt pressed against his. Anyway, she didn't look like she would be waking up soon, so he closed his eyes again as a gust of wind blew the rain even harder against the house.
It was three weeks now since Mipha's and Link's wedding and, with the help of some Zora knights, they had finally rid the area around the domain of all significant monsters. The Lizalfos and Moblins that had wandered there and set up campsites in places were all gone now, and good riddance. You could still run into a Chuchu on occasion, or if you were out at night and away from the domain, some Keese might show up. But even those creatures were becoming scarce. Zora parents felt safe enough to take their children on family outings again to the many scenic locations around the domain. Life was improving as the residual effects of Ganon's return began to disappear from Hyrule. And good riddance to that as well!
Link's help in clearing out monsters had brought him some recognition and appreciation from the Zora community, which was very welcome to him. As much as he could, he wanted to be one of them now, to show that he was there to help and contribute to the well being of his new home. He did that out of love for them but also out of a lingering sense of needing to prove himself.
Link had been a familiar face at the domain ever since his frequent visits with Mipha, and everyone knew who he was. Some even still remembered him as the energetic little kid who used to cause mischief with his three friends. Now he was respected as the hero of Hyrule, though Mipha remained their favorite. But though no one had treated him any differently, Link was conscious of the fact that he was not a Zora and had just married the domain's pride and joy, their beloved Princess. Despite all his accomplishments, he still felt some pressure to justify that act, to prove he was worthy of her, and to earn additional respect in their community. And doing what he did best, destroying monsters and other evil, was one way he knew how to do that.
But now the domain area was finally rid of monsters, and they could stop being warriors at night and get on with a normal newlywed life.
His thoughts were interrupted by Mipha stirring, opening her eyes, and then squeezing his hand as she realized he was next to her.
"Ummmmm," said Mipha as she closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and looked over at him. "Last night wasn't a dream, was it?"
"It was better than any dream I ever had!" said Link. "I never felt so good. I hope you did too."
"I'm definitely not complaining, darling," said Mipha as she let go of his hand and gently stroked his cheek. "Hungry?"
"Yes, very," said Link. "Those snails were tasty but not very filling. And, um, we kind of skipped dinner being otherwise engaged."
"I'll catch a couple of fish," said Mipha getting out of the pool. "In the meantime, you can get dressed and light the kitchen pot. Your lack of attire is unbefitting breakfast with a Zora Princess."
"Very funny," said Link as he got up and started to gather his clothes.
Mipha returned a few moments later with two Hyrule Bass, and as usual, Link cooked his, and then they sat down to eat together. Like all Zora, Mipha ate her fish raw.
"What?" said Mipha as she noticed Link looking at her.
"You know, I don't mind, but eating fish raw like that would gross out many Hylians," said Link as he watched Mipha take another bite of her fish.
"Oh, we are so fortunate to have an authority on Hyrule etiquette dining with us this morning," said Mipha after swallowing her bite of fish. "Are there any other deficiencies in my manners or upbringing you would care to point out? I shall explain to my father the poor job he did raising me, a Zora Princess unfit to dine politely in Hylian company."
"No, no," laughed Link, almost choking on his food. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. Don't get me in trouble with Father. I was only thinking of times we might be eating with other Hylians here."
"And you don't think I know how to behave in such situations?" said Mipha. "Don't you remember I ate my fish cooked when Zelda visited here? I'm always careful to have my food cooked when I eat with Hylians out of consideration for their sensitivities. And it's a real sacrifice! Cooked fish tastes so dry!"
"I remember now," said Link. "I'm sorry I even brought it up."
"When you've finished eating that burnt thing on your plate, we need to visit Ruta," said Mipha. "And please don't say anything to upset her too. You're off to a bad start this morning."
"I'll be on my best behavior," laughed Link.
Link finished his fish, then cleaned up and was ready to go.
By now the rain had stopped, and it was a cloudy but mild morning as they made their way to East Reservoir Lake and Ruta. Link swam out to Ruta on his own, as Mipha said she thought the exercise was good for him and he agreed. When he arrived, Mipha met him at the entrance, and then they went inside.
It was supposedly a visit to check on Ruta's workings. But Link wasn't sure it was necessary to visit Ruta quite so often, nothing ever seemed wrong with it. Or 'her,' he had better say if he didn't want to get a scowl and a lecture from Mipha.
Mipha seemed to treat their visits as a way of staying in touch with a dear friend, and he had no objection to keeping her company. They had made their way to the main control unit, and Mipha was talking, but he had lost the flow of the conversation thinking about last night again. He was looking at Mipha and thinking how nice it would feel to be holding her in his arms right now. And she was not the shy person she seemed, not with him at least. She could be ...
"Are you paying attention?" said Mipha interrupting Link's thoughts.
"Sorry, what?" said Link.
"I was explaining how Ruta makes ice," said Mipha.
"Yes, that's fascinating, sorry, please go on," said Link.
Mipha explained the process, and Link made sure to pay attention this time.
"She is indeed amazing," said Link when Mipha finally finished, making sure to emphasize the 'she.' "The more I learn about Ruta, the more impressed I am. I am so happy that thanks to you, I have these opportunities to be with her."
"Did you hear that, Ruta?" said Mipha. "Don't give up. There is still hope for him."
"Still hope for me?" said Link.
"Ruta thinks you don't appreciate her enough, but I told her I would keep working on you," said Mipha. "One thing in your favor was your help ridding her of that phantom creature, and she remembers that. Let's go. We can leave now."
Mipha patted Ruta gently then they left through the entrance, diving into the water together. They had some free time this morning and decided to float on their backs alongside each other, Link's right hand holding onto Mipha's left.
"This is very relaxing," said Link closing his eyes and squeezing her hand. "I'm not sure I slept enough last night, we got back so late and, you know."
"Yes, I know," laughed Mipha.
They floated quietly for a few more minutes, and then Mipha spoke up.
"I'm glad you're so agreeable to spending time in the water with me whenever I ask," said Mipha.
"I expected to spend time in the water when I married a Zora," said Link. "And I would rather be with you in the water than anyplace else without you."
"You say the sweetest things sometimes," said Mipha squeezing his hand back. "And trust me, you'll be delighted you married a Zora as you put it."
"I already am," said Link.
They were both quiet for another moment.
"But speaking of marrying a Zora," said Link. "I think you're somewhat different in the water. I mean your demeanor, your behavior. I know we used to swim together before we married, but it's different now."
"How so?" said Mipha.
"Being in the water with you surprised me a little, and it's a nice surprise," said Link. "I thought you were on the shy side, not that I should talk. But you're more assertive, more self-confident when we're in the water together."
"Oh, am I?" said Mipha smiling at him.
Mipha effortlessly pulled him closer to her, slid under the water below him, and then rotated him so that he lay face down on top of her as she acted as a floating mattress. She wrapped her arms around him and used a gentle motion of her fins to keep them both above water. Then he held his arms around her.
"This is very comfortable," said Link.
"But are you sure it's the water?" said Mipha. "Maybe I'm just more confident knowing you're mine now."
"I guess," said Link. "Whatever it is, it's nice."
"I am so in love with you, sweetheart!" said Mipha squeezing him. "I wake up each day with you beside me, and my heart overflows with joy. You have made me so happy."
"And you've done the same to me," said Link. "It's exciting that our life with each other is just beginning."
He lowered his head to hers, and they kissed. But after a few kisses, it was clear she was in more of a playful than romantic mood.
"Now, take a deep breath," said Mipha.
She grabbed him tightly in a hug, then playfully spun around in the water with him alternately above and below her. When she let him go, Link came to rest laughing and wiping the water off his face.
"I didn't expect that!" laughed Link. "And I should have added you're more playful in the water too."
"All of us Zora are," said Mipha. "Put one of us in water, and we want to play and splash around, even adults. It's just our nature, and you'll get used to it. But we need to see Father now. Come, I'll pull you to shore, and you can dry off and get dressed."
When Link was ready, they made their way to the throne room, and King Dorephan welcomed them at once.
"I hope you two finally have some time for each other," said King Dorephan. "All of us are so grateful for your work making our domain safe, but I can't imagine it was a pleasant way for newlyweds to spend their time. But you have the thanks of all of us."
"I was happy to help, Father," said Link. "And we have had more time to behave as newlyweds now, thank you."
Mipha blushed slightly, but King Dorephan ignored it.
"I am happy to hear it!" said King Dorephan. "But I need to discuss two matters with you. First of all, several of our knights have expressed an interest in doing some combat training with you, Link. I know the need for it seems less now, but you never know when danger can appear. The Yiga Clan is still about, and they would like to improve their skills. I am sure you wouldn't mind, Link, is that not so?
"No, I welcome the opportunity to help," said Link.
"Excellent!" said King Dorephan. "The other matter is I have received a letter from Princess Zelda. She thanks me for all the help and so on, but asked if you, Link, could visit her in Kakariko Village next week to discuss things. She adds that if Mipha can accompany you, that would be wonderful, as she would love to see you both."
Link looked at Mipha.
"I think both of us would welcome a visit to see her," said Mipha. "We will plan on leaving for Kakariko Village next week then."
"I will let her know in my answer then," said King Dorephan. "Well, that is all I had. Sidon has been eager for some more time with both of you. Do you feel up to lunch with him and taking care of him this afternoon?"
"I can't think of a nicer way to spend the afternoon," said Link.
"Nor I, Father," said Mipha.
"I know he will love it," said King Dorephan. "I'll have him brought here. One of the guards is watching him.
King Dorephan summoned one of the guards and asked him to bring Sidon home. A few minutes later, Sidon appeared. He ran to Mipha and hugged her. Then he looked over at Link but didn't say or do anything.
"I missed you, Sidon," said Mipha. "Why are you looking at Link like that?"
"Don't tell me he is still angry at me?" said Link. "Sidon, I will act out an adventure with you if you give me a hug."
Sidon looked at Link, back at his sister, then back at Link. He let go of Mipha then walked over to Link and reached out for a hug. Link hugged him and kissed him on the forehead.
"We're brothers now, Sidon," said Link. "And I will try not to so much of your sister's time as before. But now we can have a picnic with an adventure. Won't that be fun?"
Sidon nodded, yes.
"Let's picnic by Lulu Lake," said Mipha. "Our house is on the way, and I can catch some fish, you can cook one for yourself, Link, and we will have a picnic lunch there."
They said goodbye to King Dorephan and did as Mipha suggested. Link wore the Zora armor so they could all swim up waterfalls together, and they were soon enjoying lunch. Afterward, Link suggested an adventure.
"It's been a while since we had a battle," said Link to Sidon. "I think I should take it easy on you and just be a Bokoblin today. But I'll be a stronger one, so you may want some tips from your sister."
Sidon nodded, then went over to Mipha while Link prepared himself.
"Just stab the Bokoblin with your spear," whispered Mipha. "And jump out of the way if it tries to stab you."
Sidon nodded, and he and Link both used small branches as their weapons. Sidon stabbed at Link, and he dodged, then pretended to try to stab Sidon, but allowing him time to jump aside. After a lengthy battle, Link collapsed on the ground, defeated. And a grinning Sidon went running back to his sister for congratulations.
Afterward, as usual, Sidon played in the water while Link cuddled with Mipha watching him.
"Every time I play with Sidon like this I wonder what it will be like to have our own children," said Link.
"Yes, you do say that every time," laughed Mipha. "All in good time, sweetheart. All in good time."
Link leaned toward her, and they kissed, then they turned back to watch Sidon chasing a frog. Link leaned his head against Mipha's shoulder, and she cradled his head and gently stroked his hair.
"I'm happy you get along so well with my brother," said Mipha. "I know he can be difficult sometimes, but I think he is starting to love you, to accept that you're part of the family. Father says he gets excited every time he knows you will be having an adventure with him. I never realized you were so good with children."
"I'm good with children because I never grew up myself," laughed Link. "As silly as it sounds, I enjoy the pretend battles with him and seeing how excited he gets. I feel like I am a kid along with him, then."
"Well, stay that way," said Mipha as she leaned over and kissed him. "Stay young as long as you can, sweetheart. It suits you very well."
They leaned their heads against each other and relaxed. Sidon was waving at them, showing them the frog he caught. They waved back at him, and he returned the frog to the water. Then he started chasing another.
"I love you," said Link.
Mipha smiled at him.
"Even though I eat fish raw?" she teased.
"Even though you eat fish raw," laughed Link. "I love you so much that I can even overlook that."
They kissed once and then turned back to watch Sidon playing in the water. Next week they would head to Kakariko Village and see Zelda again, the first time in a month, since their wedding.
But that was next week.
Today was another beautiful day in Zora's Domain. They both sat back and enjoyed being with the one they loved.