"So… this is how it ends." Mipha clung to her trident, using the weapon to support her weight. Soon after she had boarded her Divine Beast, Ruta had suffered some kind of attack. She was now incapable of piloting the beast, and some… beast of some kind had appeared, wielding a spear and a spiked ball of ice. Upon appearing it had frozen the control room over, forcing the Champion to battle in a debilitating cold.

She had held out for as long as she could but her strength had all but failed her. Now…

This was it. The end of her journey.

There were so many things she wished she had done. She wished she had made up with Kodah, gone on more "adventures" with the Big Bad Bazz Brigade, told Muzu how much his mentorship and presence had come to mean, and wished she had given her father one last hug. Most of all, she wished she had stopped on her way to the Divine Beast to let her little brother know, one last time, that she loved him. He had grown up without a mother and now it looked like he would grow up without a sister as well.

"Sidon… I'm so sorry," she said as the monster drew back its spear.

As the spear lunged toward her, her thoughts turned toward one last regret. She had never made armor for Link. She had never even tried to explain to him how she felt. Now, as she watched death coming for her, she could only wish that she hadn't wasted so much time. That she had tried harder to attend to the things that really mattered.

Her grip on her trident tightened as she tried to well up enough strength to retaliate. A bright flash enveloped everything as the spear descended on her.

Perhaps the goddess had mercy on her and wouldn't allow her to suffer an agonizing death.

A sharp clang resounded through the room as a frustrated screech clawed its way from the monster's throat.

Mipha's eyes finally adjusted, revealing a cloaked figure standing between her and the creature. She could only stare, dumbfounded as she saw the figure clutching the Master Sword in hand.

"...Link?"

At the sound of his name, the Hylian Champion looked over his shoulder. The face that peered beneath the hood had his blue eyes, but they lacked their usual luster and beneath them hung dark bags. The lines on his face had hardened and he was no longer clean-shaven, with stubble growing in uneven patches across his chin.

Link turned back as the monster advanced. Wordlessly, he reached down to his hip, pulling out a pink potion, and tossed it to her.

She had so many questions. Where had he come from? How had he reached her in time? Why did he look so much… older? Pushing them all aside, Mipha downed the restorative potion and prepared herself for another onslaught. Energy surged through her as the concoction took effect, allowing her to steady herself and finally lift her trident just in time for the creature's next attack.

However, now, she had lost her fear. Though he wasn't quite the Link she knew, his battle prowess had not diminished in the slightest. It was almost easy, as the Hylian Champion practiced his art, blocking, dodging, and striking where he could. Despite not having the range that the monster did, he still managed to close the gap and, with his glowing blade, dealt several damaging blows. Mipha, though distracted by the display of swordsmanship, didn't allow Link to do all the work. Link bought her several opportunities to rush in and unleash a quick flurry of stabs with her weapon before retreating once again. Between the two of them, the monster couldn't land a single hit.

What had once been a formidable foe was quickly laid to waste by the might of two Champions.

With an unholy scream, the being died in an explosion of malice.

Mipha breathed a sigh of relief as the temperature began to rise, the ice beneath her feet melting into water. Ruta trumpeted triumphantly as Mipha reached out to it, immediately commanding it to resume attacking the nearby hordes of monsters. The Divine Beast acquiesced, allowing Mipha a moment alone with the man who had come to save her.

Turning to him, she found him gazing at her with a worrying mixture of pain, relief, and something she could not quite identify. Looking him over, her eyes widened as she finally noticed the armor he was wearing. It was made of blue and black scales, with pauldrons and vambraces made of Zora metal.

She had only ever seen the design once. It sat, nestled safely in her armoire within the royal family's private quarters.

"Where did you…?"

Link looked down at his torso. "... You made it."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." A possible answer posed itself to her; however, it was impossible. Despite the rather drastic change in his appearance, there was no way he could have traveled through time.

"We… failed," he said hoarsely as he took a slow step forward. Then another, and another, and suddenly his arms were wrapped around her in an almost painful embrace. She felt tears running down her shoulders.

"Tell me," she said.

"We couldn't stop it… you all…" his voice failed for a moment but only for a moment. "You all died…"

Mipha could only stare straight ahead, unable to process his words. They had died? It must have been true, seeing as he stood before her a very different man than the one she knew. At the same time, how was one supposed to wrap her head around the concept of traveling through time?

"I looked for a way to bring you back… but…" He fell silent again, simply holding her. Though she was incredibly confused, she was content to allow him to keep his silence. Mipha couldn't possibly hope to understand what he had gone through and she accepted that. What she did understand was that she was needed at that moment.

So, she held him.

Finally, Link spoke again. "This was the best I could do." Taking a deep breath, he let go and took a step back. "I'm sorry."

Mipha looked at him once again, feeling her heart break as she saw the pain in his eyes. "You saved me this time," she murmured as she set a hand on his cheek, "and you have given all of us hope."

Link closed his eyes.

"Do you remember what you told me when you first left the Domain?"

"We'll meet again someday." He opened his eyes, watching her wistfully.

"And I know we will. If there is any mercy in this world, we will find each other again."

For the first time since his appearance, a small bit of the luster she remembered returned to those beautiful blue eyes. He smiled, releasing a breath she hadn't even known he'd been holding.

Mipha smiled back, hoping to ease his pain for just a little longer. "This is what you call a beard, correct?"

"... Yeah," he said with a chuckle. For a moment, his younger self returned as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I like it," she said. "Do you… Do you suppose I can convince you to keep it?"

"I will."

Without warning, his body started glowing. Sorrow returned to his eyes as they both realized what this meant.

"It's time for you to go, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Remember what I said," said, sounding more like a plea than she had meant it to.

"I will." And, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone, leaving Mipha alone within Ruta's control room. Though there was so much to do, the Zora Champion couldn't help but remain motionless, staring at where Link had disappeared. She pondered how close she had come to death, how an older, more worn Link had appeared (wearing the armor she had made for him no less), and what she was to do with such knowledge.

The sound of feet slapping against the surface of the water tore her from her musings. Looking up, she found Link was staring at her again; however, this time, it was her Link. As they watched each other silently, Mipha promised herself that she wouldn't waste any more time. She would find the courage to present him with the armor and let everyone in her life know just how much she cared.


A/N: You better believe the beard is still on her mind