"I hope I'm not intruding," Urbosa said as she and Zelda entered the guest quarters that Mipha was staying in.

"Not at all," Mipha replied warmly. "It's a pleasure to finally be able to speak with you, Lady Urbosa. You as well, Lady Impa."

"Just Impa," the Sheikah warrior corrected politely.

Mipha nodded gracefully before turning to Zelda and bowing her head in respect. "Princess."

"Please, Lady Mipha, I do not think such formalities are required in private."

"Yes, of course." The Zora royal was relieved to hear it. Though she should have been quite used to the formalities recognized by royals, dignitaries, and the like, Mipha still found them rather exhausting. It also helped set her at ease, seeing as her whole purpose in inviting her fellow princess had been to forge some kind of connection to her. They had seen each other on occasion over the years but only in passing when their fathers met over political discourse. This would be their first casual discussion.

And Mipha knew very little about her Hylian counterpart. Thankfully, Link had spent considerable time around Zelda and had learned a thing or two about her. He had suggested that should her attempts at conversation fail, she could resort to showing Zelda the piece of Sheikah tech she had found.

"Please, take a seat," the Zora Princess said, gesturing to the table. "Link will return soon with some tea."

"And a stiff drink, I hope," the Gerudo Chieftain chuckled as she sat down.

"Urbosa!"

"What?" the elder woman asked nonchalantly.

"It is barely midday."

"And guarding you is a stressful task, no?" Urbosa raised a brow as she eyed the Hylian Princess.

Zelda opened her mouth to respond; however, she shut it a moment later, having said nothing.

"Oh, relax, Little Bird. You know as well as I do that I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." Zelda smiled brightly as Urbosa laughed.

Mipha watched, feeling remarkably less tense as she watched the light bit of banter. She had witnessed a rather demure side to the Hylian Princess. Seeing a smile was a pleasant change and eased her concerns of a tense or otherwise uncomfortable conversation.

Eyes drifting toward her third guest, the Zora became uncertain of how to accommodate Impa. From what she had seen, the Sheikah warrior was much like Link in that both put their duty above all else. As such, Impa stood a few feet behind Zelda, close enough to intervene should her charge be threatened but far enough away that the Princess hopefully wouldn't feel smothered.

This wasn't a problem per se, though Mipha had intended to invite her own guard to join them once he returned; however, now she was worried that such an invitation might inadvertently reflect poorly on Zelda.

"Is something wrong, Mipha?" Urbosa was eyeing her carefully as though trying to read her thoughts.

"Not at all," the Zora replied smoothly.

Urbosa silently called her bluff. Nudging Zelda, she gestured to an empty chair at the rounded table. "Hmm? Oh! Impa, please join us."

"I'm not sure -"

"You have been working harder than anyone else. I think you deserve a moment's rest more than anyone else."

"She has a point," the Gerudo agreed casually. "You can't go on as you have forever. How can you hope to attend the Princess if you collapse."

"... I suppose a few minutes wouldn't hurt."

A light rapping sounded from the other side of the door as Impa took her seat.

"Come in," Mipha called.

Quiet as ever, Link entered, followed quickly by a number of servants carrying trays of food.

"What is this?" She was well aware of Link's love for anything edible, though she hadn't expected him to rope others into bringing what appeared to be a rather large meal. At most, the Zora had assumed he would bring a small snack to munch on while she and her guests conversed.

"A gift from King Rhoam," one of the servants responded as they arranged a variety of dishes across the table. One even had a tea set and was pouring tea for everyone seated. "He had heard that you were entertaining the Princess and also wanted to express his gratitude for doing your part to protect the kingdom."

"How kind. May I ask you to carry my thanks to him?"

"With pleasure. We will send a servant by later to help with any cleaning." With their task completed for the time being, the servants retreated in an orderly fashion.

Motioning for Link to take the empty seat beside her, Mipha returned her attention to her guests. "I was not aware that this was customary for visitors. Your father is quite generous."

"Yes… he is." Zelda's expression had fallen considerably at the mention of the King of Hyrule.

"... I think he may also have caught wind of the fact that Zelda here skipped lunch in order to focus on her training," Urbosa said, a slight frown dampening her own expression.

Anxiety was starting to build within the Zora as she considered her guests. It seemed that she had inadvertently touched a nerve and the atmosphere had suffered for it. Thinking quickly, she tried to steer the conversation in a more pleasant direction. "If I may, you two seem quite close. May I ask how that came to be?"

"The late queen was a dear friend," Urbosa replied with a wistful smile. "I promised her that if anything were ever to happen to her, I would do my best to look after Zelda." The Gerudo looked at Zelda with the same fond smile. "She definitely keeps me on my toes."

"Perhaps it would not be so easy to sneak away if you weren't busy flirting with the guards," Zelda countered defensively.

"Little Bird, it's like you never listen when I try to teach you of my people's customs."

"Oh, I have learned plenty. For starters…"

Mipha held in her laughter as she watched the two exchange light, well-meaning jabs. She sent a brief glance toward Link, smiling as the dour mood faded into memory. Her Hylian friend gave her a wink, something that did not go unnoticed.

"What was that?" Urbosa asked, immediately ending the banter she and Zelda had been engaged in.

Link said nothing.

"I'm fairly certain I just saw you wink at her."

"I saw it too," Impa confirmed.

"I didn't see it. Do it again."

Link remained silent, his face as blank as ever.

"Very well," the Gerudo relented, "if you won't admit to it, then perhaps you two will at least tell us how you came to be so well acquainted."

"I was wondering about that myself. It is… rather unusual for a Hylian to be welcomed among the Zora Royal Guard."

"Well…" Mipha replied, self-consciousness rearing up inside her. She exchanged another glance with Link, eliciting a nervous giggle from her. There was no reason for her to feel that way; however… things were now rather complicated between the two of them. It certainly didn't help that he attended her at nearly all hours of the day. "We met when we were both rather young…"