Link stroked Mipha's head, running his hand tenderly along the crown of her forehead. She had buried her face against his chest while they lay pressed together on their sides, having been lulled to sleep by his protective warmth, perhaps enough for her torpor to have taken effect, but he had no way if truly knowing that. He had little to no knowledge of the topic, but decided to make something of a physiological game out of: counting her heartbeats, resting the back of his hand against her cheek to try and deduce whether she might be growing colder, poking her gills to elicit a ticklish response; such things passed the time, but his favorite activity remained, simply lying here, watching her beautiful scales resting upon his skin, oftentimes counting them along no particular swath of skin, his mind meandering with no real endpoint, wondering how she might have grown to be so beautiful.
It served to perplex him; no being in this world could have ever found the beauty that she possessed.
He kept his hand atop her crest, running his thumb along the concave shape that lead down to her face, following no set pattern beyond the natural shape of her body while her breath continued to brush against him with a cool chill. Unsure, he had counted her breaths earlier, hoping to catch some random symptom of her torpor, but had abandoned his counting at some point, deciding simply to listen instead, catching the melodic rhythms of her breaths halting in some odd Zora physiological phenomenon- the same quiet ambience of inhalation he had found comfort in, himself, on more than a few occasions.
His every sense had cared for this woman in this way. Holding her tight, listening to her every exhale, watching her stir when he managed a particularly bothersome, teasing press of his finger or tongue, catching the chilling succulence of her skin at that time to find it without danger of becoming too unwhetted, even catching her scent to discover it still sweetly present of fragrance.
Link's thumb continued exploring her face just underneath the crest of her forehead, his skin churning at the sensation of a single scale that appeared in order, but under his touch was out of place, twisted only just out of place by a scar that had formed there, most likely due to one of their adventures with the others. His first thought was one of sorrow: how could he have allowed Mipha's beauty to be diminished in this way? However, he near-immediately adjusted the thought.
His finger swirled around the misshapen scale, thinking of those times she had put herself in harm's way- how beautiful she was, not merely in appearance, but in principle. How beautiful her tenacity was, especially how it was roused like a furnace within her, lit up in a conflagration that stayed ready to scorch all those who sought to hurt others.
Link slid his hand carefully down to her shoulder, finding a blemish he had noticed before; one that was more noticeable than the one just discovered. How beautiful these scars made her, he thought; that she was so ready to fight, to protect those she loved. So ready to defy so much heritage just to be here, now, in a Hylian's embrace.
He followed her lithe body, counting each scar he had found previously, though the amount was never much. Her trident often made sure of that, quite a ferocious sort of thought, one which made him grin.
Her breath brushed still cold against him.
Link allowed his hand to explore further. deeper. finding a ridge of smooth skin in that swath of crimson skin that receded between her legs. He paused there, suddenly catching the sensation of being watched. Sure enough, without having moved an inch, Mipha's eyes had come apart, glaring up at him with upturned brows. She was either out of it, lost, or Link wondered, something else, detecting a slight tinge of expectation in her stare.
"Mipha…" he spoke, slowly, "Sorry. I was counting your scars, and-"
Her expression failed to change, leaving him questioning how to advance out from beneath the intoxicating atmosphere of awkward pause now surrounding them.
"..Why?" she wondered quietly, her voice tepid with tire, though with flinty tease buried somewhere.
Link had no real answer. For all his romanticized thoughts and reasonings a moment ago, like with many things around this woman, his mind slowed to a crawl, leaving him with a silent, stupefied look on his face.
It didn't take Mipha long to realize why he had the expression of a taddie with their head in the basin waters, or his hand in the cookie jar, she had learned was the Hylian equivalent. The two of them had remained this way for so long that their heat had largely equalized, leaving Mipha sated for warmth, particularly as the weather had deprived her of sunlight for a few days. Even without her eyes, or indeed her touch, her skin felt a growing warmth from deeper within the sleeping pack the two shared, giving her little but a single thought as to what was occurring. The sensation made her lightheaded to begin with, but under Link's gaze, she felt a certain embarrassment welling up in her cheeks that she'd woken up only for the need to be closer to her lover's warmth.
Link's face ran scarlet as Mipha reached her hand over to grab at his hip, her fingers digging into his skin through the fabric of his trousers. He could tell she was lazily swaying her body toward him, pulling against his waist as though trying to move him closer against her, though to no avail. Fortunately for her unsated taste for her lover's searing warmth, Link was in no mood to halt his reciprocation. Although his face remained contorted in some uncertainty, he found it near-impossible to keep his hand from wrapping tighter around the sensually pert skin that made up the height of her leg.
Their silent symphony of movements came to a crescendo as Link pulled her body into his, trapping his still-stirring member between them, though it was the sinfully slick, scaly skin of Mipha which only served to strengthen it further.
A gentle gasp escaped Mipha as she felt the warmth passing from his crotch to her own, her biological markers, trapped deep in her reptilian brain, flaring with a forceful zeal as she fought the immediate urge to break beyond the fabric barrier keeping her from ravaging that which offered her release at this moment.
Instead of allowing her wildest inhibitions to overcome her, Mipha bit her lip while her eyes sunk ever deeper into Link's reciprocating pair. While Link's own physiology compelled him to advance further yet, he was still unprepared to fully succumb to such desires while entranced by Mipha's wholly worsening lust: her eyes grew distant, as though not truly looking upon his face, her brain more and more begging her attention down to that smoldering length of skin crossing against her groin.
Link breathed heavier, a humid air brushing past Mipha's face. His lips widened in awe of this creature so entwined with lust for him. Mipha's eyes suddenly forced their way back to life upon such a view; she grabbed Link's collar and pulled him into a kiss, still with his eyes widened in surprise at such bravado. She was often so passive, only daintily marking her steps on the rare occasion she took what she wanted from Link, but then again, Link supposed, she hadn't ever been this deprived of warmth before.
At such a thought, Link relinquished any control he had. His eyes fell shut as Mipha's tongue furiously sought out his own, breaking past his lips, making every effort to slither and slide across Link's matching swaths, furiously doing her best to keep the warmth of his tongue upon hers, even forcing his head backward on occasion to seek him out.
Drool moistened their chins. Mipha pulled her tongue away only to suck this man's lips into her own for a rough bout of desperate kisses before returning her slithering tongue into his mouth.
Suddenly, she grinned as Link gasped in surprise, a rather light sound from such a brusque man as Link, she thought, finding him to be quite adorable in sharp juxtaposition to the comparably sultry appendage now in her hand. Without any preamble, and with the nimble contortion expected of a water-dwelling creature, Mipha had spun her hand around and slid it quickly into his trousers, taking a rough hold of his cock when his gasp passed through her ears.
It nearly burnt her hand due to their wild imbalance of body heat, even now at some level of homeostasis between the both of them. Her other hand took his straw-colored hair into its clutches, gently pulling his head back to allow her access to his neck where she hid her gasps of surprise amidst a cacophony of kisses and licks. Her thumb strode along the length of his cock where she managed room between pants and bodies, just able to cross the supple ridge near the tip that always made Link squirm. Sure enough, he did just that, forcing his arms to contract, pulling her ass to position her crotch even tighter against his.
"Gah!" she wailed before immediately shutting her mouth with a shameful, wide-eyed stare into Link's chin..
He returned to stare at her face, her grip having left his scalp, wondering what exactly had happened that had caused such a sharp response. As though to fight off any of his teasing, Mipha held firm her vulnerable glare as her hand fought for movement along his hardened shaft. For all his confidence, Link hadn't a thought that such an activity as foreplay would have elicited such a reply, though much of his attempts at further exploration were thwarted by the hastening movement along his cock.
He swallowed a weak breath as anticipation shone in the sweat pooling across his body, even as Mipha's weakly chilled breath covered his face. She felt the heat radiating from Link's body surrounding her, embracing her, in this tight knit sleeping pack, almost as if he were suffocating her, gills and all. Every breath she took, no matter from her nose, her lips, or her tender sides, it all had the sweltering note of Link's taste or smell to it, as though he were taking her in every way that he could.
She recalled those nights where she took him like a Hylian woman might, her ravenous appetite for him spilling out in rapturous chorus as she swallowed his cock, feeling him quake and squirm, his moans echoing past her ears, his hands grasping her head all while battling his urge to simply take hold of her cranial fin and use her like she wanted him to.
In this way, she had supposed, she was taking care of him in every sense she could.
Here in the sleeping pack, however, with no room to maneuver, she was at the mercy of the sweltering, lusting radiance of Link as it built to a crescendo around her until, finally, a gasp escaped her. Link recognized the action as one of satisfaction, his eyes catching her fins delicately fluttering in response to her body having adequately basked, even if only in his heat. Mipha's eyes rather quickly began to lazily blink here and there, her hand slowing to a stop around his still-jumping erection, her telltale signs of tire overpowering her.
Even so, Link felt a wide chasm of incompletion as Mipha slowly descended back to sleep, watching her carefully as her head carefully came to rest atop the ground. He bit his lip, turning his head to glance into the dark abyss of the sleeping pack where his cock was still burning for activity, all with Mipha's hand still forcefully stuffed into his trousers. Link sighed, allowing the sensation of loss to dwell only for a moment before smiling at the woman lying beside him, stroking her cheek lovingly as she failed to move in answer, deep in sleep as she was, leaving Link to find some humor in just how different their biologies were.
Still, they loved one another, scars and all. He couldn't help but grin at her sleeping face, droll still resting along her chin, giving Link a chance to gently run his sleeve beneath her lips to clean her before offering a kiss there in return.
His lover adequately cared for, Link decided to reach above his head to pull open the sleeping pack to see if he could deduce the conditions outside, surprise immediately painting his face at the sight of calm skies through the smoke hole he had left in their snow coverage at the face of the cave. He took a deep, calming breath, as though to steel his nerves and keep himself from overexcitement, before peering into the sleeping bag to watch Mipha still lost to sleep.
Link carefully extricated her hand from his trousers before pulling himself out of the pack, careful to avoid the sharper, jagged rocks he'd kicked to the side to lay down their provisions. Pushing himself to his feet, Link then stepped toward the hole in the snow bank, his mouth dropping as the environment beyond appeared rather still, almost peaceful. The winds had all but ceased, giving the porthole the air of a painting, one which Link couldn't help to admire before reaching out and pulling the snow toward him, digging his way out as though this opportunity might not last.
Beginning to reach his way out, his arms reached out beyond the pile of snow as Link managed as massive a clump as he could manage, continuing along until a distance voice just caught his ear.
"Lady Mipha! Link?!"
Link paused just quick enough to recognize Trello's voice, taking just a brief second to gasp with relief before continuing to dig. Soon enough, a second pair of arms appeared overtop the gigantic mound of snow, Zora arms, giving Link reason to slow his movements before being overcome with exhaustion.
"Link!" happily came Trello's voice, "I've been digging for an hour! Then out shoots a pair of arms! I just about lost my supper!"
Chuckling, Link slumped his shoulders, "I take you made it back?"
"Of course! What, you didn't think this weather would overtake me, did you?"
"It crossed my mind."
Trello laughed with a soft vigor, "You're much better with your sword steeled than your tongue, Hylian. I returned to a nearly decrepit Domain, but your Goron friend was right and ready with a pyre. After warming up for an hour or so, I rushed back out here; if the wind hadn't let up when it had, I might have sought out home once again."
"I apologize for my tardiness. Had I known the weather cleared, I'd have-"
Trello's laughter stopped him, "You don't know the half of it. Let's get you two- Lady Mipha is with you, correct?"
"She is," Link confirmed, "I left her in a sleeping pack, as she was quite insistent about not succumbing to torpor."
Trello nodded, his form now beginning to appear from the weakening plot of snow, "Headstrong, that one. Her mother so hated that trait about her when Lady Mipha began growing up."
With a final few swipes, the two had cleared the obstacle, leaving Trello frozen with a few sizeable breaths swelling his chest, "Just about…does it. Shall we collect the Princess?"
"As much as she might despise that phrase," Link grinned, "I believe she's still asleep, so we don't have much choice."
The two men took a step toward the full sleeping pack before stopping in time with one another, turning to watch the other's eyes.
"Uh," Link spoke up with nerves ringing his tone.
Trello gave him a scrutinizing stare, as though he found it rather improper that a Hylian should carry the Lady with which he'd been tasked to return safely. Link could only stay there, frozen, recognizing his faux pas, though a weight slid from his shoulders once Trello stepped away.
"After all, you two are friends," Trello nodded, "Hearing about your adventures, I can see where you might find such duty, yourself, in returning a comrade."
He turned to step out of the cave, much to Link's confusion. What exactly did he know, he wondered with a curious flash in his mind. Still, they weren't home yet, forcing Link to abandon his line of thinking to return to the sleeping bag, kneeling down to push its entrance past Mipha's head, revealing her crimson scalp, partially buried beneath cutely disheveled fins. Link gave a final worrisome glance toward the cave's entrance before swinging low and kissing Mipha's cheek, the heat from his lips causing sending her ashiver.
"It's time to wake, my princess," he offered sweetly as Mipha slowly began to show signs of rousing.
She spun her head upward as she twisted her body slowly to stretch her muscles, though stopped there like a cat curled backward in relaxation. Link eyed her curiously.
"Hey, we have to get up," he reminded, still slightly concerned over Trello's presence outside.
Mipha remained still.
"Another."
Link scoffed, looking away to ready a smirk before looking back down at his sleepy beauty, "You're such a child sometimes."
She shook her head.
"I'm in love. There's a difference."
Link rolled his eyes, "Uh huh."
With little time to waste, he bent his head low to catch Mipha's lips in his own, pausing there only long enough to take stock of her sweet taste before returning, the worry beginning to turn into thrill.
"You good?"
Mipha nodded slightly.
"Perfect."
Her eyes fluttered open, peering up at Link from her inverted orientation, smiling lightly at the sight.
"The wind has settled. It's time to head back," Link noted matter-of-factly as he took to his feet, beginning to collect his things.
Mipha watched him without stirring further.
"I'd quite like to stay."
Link chuckled, "That's not exactly in the cards, I don't think."
"Have you to myself again."
"Mmhm," Link nodded.
"And never have to let you go."
He paused, his amused face now dour.
"Trello's outside," he warned with a pain in his breath, hating that their need for secrecy superceded their sweet nothings.
Mipha sighed through her nose, peering away in longing before turning onto her stomach and pushing herself to her feet. Link remained crouched over his knapsack, having grown still in regret, until Mipha stepped behind him, taking his shoulder in her hand and crouching beside him.
"I will always love you," she reminded quietly with a smile, reaching over to kiss his cheek.
Link smiled in weak reply, turning to fall into her eyes all over again.
Standing back up, Mipha took a deep breath before stepping out through the cave's entrance, stretching her arms high up into the air fully as she gave a loud yawn.
"Lady Mipha!" Trello charged loudly, bowing his head low, "You have my command!"
She smiled toward him, returning the nod, "Thank you, Trello, for your trust and obedience. How's the Domain?"
"Well, I can't say for certain," he noted truthfully, "When I left, the winds were still whipping up freezing temperatures, but-"
He tilted his head as though to direct her attention to the surrounding environment, causing Mipha to fully take stock of how different Zora's River appeared without the vicious blizzard. It was as though it were a different world entirely, she thought to herself.
Link stepped out after her, noting himself as he began looking around, "By the Goddess. What happened?"
Trello took the moment, now that the two were outside, to walk toward the bank of the river, waving his two companions to follow along, "It's the most astounding thing."
Mipha and Link stepped down the small, meandering slope before peering down the river, westward, their eyes lighting up at the glance toward the heavens.
"What in the-" Mipha gasped in shock at the mastadonic sheet of ice that appeared to be floating in the sky.
Trello smiled, "It appears the Divine Beast saw fit to aid us in this desperate hour."
Mipha's eyes had the appearance of being glazed over in surprise as she took in the phenomenon before her eyes. In his own time, Link did much the same, examining the glass-like wall of ice as though it were a fairy tale come true.
Mipha stammered, "This- This is incredible!"
"Indeed," Trello nodded appreciatively, "I know not what happened up at the Reservoir, what our Watcher said or did, but just like in the old stories- Vah Ruta shows us her capabilities when we least expect it."
At the insinuation that Navo had commanded such an event, Link's head slowly turned back toward Trello, earning the Zora's perplexed glance, "Wait… Did you see…Zelda?"
Mipha gasped in shock in her own realization.
"Well, I- uh- I suppose I wasn't explicitly looking for her," Trello admitted as he ran through his memories, "Your Goron friend mentioned her planning something, but- What?"
Mipha's lips slowly crept upward in excitement, her feet spinning around to rush back up to the trail and up toward Zora's Domain, "Come ON, you two!"
Tilting his head, Trello watched in question as Mipha giddily ran along, turning toward Link as the Hylian chuckled, slowly making his way after her, "You'd think she'd just been given a new toy."
Trello, still confused, remained stationary in thought, only catching up after offering up his explanations to the Goddess herself.