Mipha stood in the entrance to her rooms, watching with a smile as Link sat beside the shallow pool. The former Hylian knight would spend much of his free time at the water's edge, watching the young tadpole within. Occasionally, he would dip a finger below the surface, a silent smile on his face as the tadpole chased it around. At other times, he would hold his hand above the surface and wait. Eventually, the tadpole would notice and leap up in an attempt to attack it.
When he wasn't actively playing with the infant Zora, Link would simply sit and watch her.
She often did the same.
To his side lay Midna. The wolf would occasionally raise her head to check on the two before yawning and resting her head again. Before Mipha had even known that she was pregnant, the wolf had become far more… protective of her. Muzu had been growled a number of times simply for taking the wrong tone with her. Once the young mother had laid the egg, Midna had stayed nearby at almost all times, ensuring the child's protection. For the longest time, Mipha had been the only one allowed to attend to her tadpole's needs, much to her amusement. Eventually, Link was allowed to partake, though Midna kept a close eye on him the entire time.
As she watched, little Alolu jumped out of the water and landed beside the pool. Link and Alolu both watched attentively as she flopped around for a moment, trying to use her developing limbs to move around. After a few seconds, she gave up, and Link reached over, grabbed the tadpole and placed her back in the water.
The first time they had found her like that had shaken Link up a fair amount. He had been rather frightened that she had gotten hurt or would suffer permanent damage from the experience. It had taken Mipha some time to help him understand that it was a natural process for Zora. Such experiences helped to develop strength and helped their young bodies adapt to environmental changes faster. Once he understood, Link had relaxed, though he was still very attentive whenever Alolu left the pool.
"How is she?" Mipha asked as she finally entered the room.
Link looked up with a smile, nodding in response to her question.
She looked down at her daughter as she rounded the pool. Pausing for a moment, she watched carefully as she became convinced that Alolu's scales and fins were starting to tint with the barest shades of red and yellow. It was amazing how quickly she was growing.
Kneeling behind Link, she slipped an arm under his cranial fin as she embraced him, setting her chin on his shoulder.
The golden Zora placed a hand atop hers, stroking it with a thumb as he watched Alolu explore her little domain.
While Mipha had been worried about keeping the tadpole in her room, she was glad that they had ultimately decided to do so. The common nurseries were filled with other children and parents, at times so occupied that tadpoles had to share pools. Parents and family also filled the hall, sometimes causing stress on the poor, developing Zora. Not only that but the fanfare that had arisen once her pregnancy was announced…
Well, she was certain that Muzu and Seggin would have been far from Alolu's only visitors and she was unwilling to expose her child to undue stress.
Thankfully, their rooms were close to the throne room, allowing her to easily transport her daughter so that her grandfather might see her. It didn't occur often but she was glad for the short journey every time.
Despite how difficult it could be to handle many of the stresses of parenthood (most of which ironically came from unrelated adults), Mipha could take comfort in the fact that her daughter would not want for love. Seggin and Muzu were already eagerly planning how best to pass their knowledge on to her, she was already endeared to her grandfather, Midna was intent on watching over her, and her normally stoic father seemed incapable of hiding his love for her for even a moment.
No, she would grow up with an abundance of affection. And that was something that put her heart at ease.
Mipha sat, watching the tadpole swim around for some time before finally turning to her husband. "Would you like to join me for dinner?" For the first time in a long time, the young mother thought her husband, who loved few things more than a good meal, might actually turn her down.
How was she supposed to take that?
