His father was a highly respected senior of the Hylian Royal Guard. His mother, a nurse, died when he was only five years old. He hardly remembered her anymore.
Upon her sudden death, his father had returned to the bustling city of Hylia - located on the Great Plateau - and moved the small family of two to Hyrule Castle Town to raise the young boy on his own. And thus a bond between father and son was forged in the flames of grief and adversity. Nonetheless, Link grew up in the castle town a rather bright and happy child.
His father loved him dearly, and Link loved him too. He was his mentor, his savior, his Captain...his hero.
Being the son of a Hylian Captain naturally came with all the pressure and expectation you'd anticipate. But Link had never been one to shy away from the challenge. When pressed about entering the Hylian Knight Academy at the age of eight, he had responded with a hearty exclamation:
"When do I start?!"
Three years later… tragedy struck again.
And that bright young boy suddenly found himself at the entrance to a foreign place, far up the river in the eastern mountains… his eyes still red from the tears that wouldn't cease. Dark circles persisted under his eyelids from severe lack of sleep. Dirt stains and wounds decorated his body - trophies from his travels through the wildlands of Hyrule.
"Your father… said in his will that you were to go to Zora's domain to live for a time, in the case of his untimely demise…" his father's colleague had told him weeks earlier. Just after the accident.
"As is protocol, you are granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Academy to grieve. You have our permission to leave at any time."
He didn't hesitate. Gathering what few belongings he owned and sneaking past his appointed escort, this eleven year-old boy had managed to find his way all the way across the Hylian wilds to Zora's domain. By himself.
And all the while, with a grim smile on his face.
Here at this foreign place - at Zora's Domain - he now found himself being greeted by two interesting, red, aquatic humanoids… Sidon, the Zora Prince; and the Princess, Lady Mipha…
"And it is my pleasure… to finally meet you, Link." Mipha said.
Link rubbed his face for about the eighty-seventh time that day, and his eyes brightened as he saw her. But the little Hylian boy remained quiet.
A bit of an awkward silence set in between the trio. Mipha glanced away nervously as she struggled to maintain her smile.
This… is the Captain's son? He is lot shyer than I was expecting-
"You!" Link suddenly shouted. "…you guys... look so awesome!" the young boy's face had lit up like a cluster of luminous stones.
Mipha's yellow eyes widened at this sudden outburst. "I, well, yes...thank you!"
Sidon fed off of Link's enthusiasm and began to hop up and down with excitement. "I could say the same thing about you!" he said, with a high-pitched voice. "This is the first that I have ever seen of such a young Hylian! Incredible!" The two began to poke and prod each other, remarking on the interesting physical features the other possessed.
Mipha's warm smile grew wider. Perhaps he will fit in much faster than we thought… She looked over the young Hylian. He was in rough shape, caked with dirt and debris. And he looked practically emaciated.
Why did those fools let him travel on his own?! She wondered.
"Pardon me-" Mipha interrupted. The two little boys stopped jumping around and looked up at her. "-but you must be absolutely famished!"
Link looked up at her. A wide toothy grin - lots of missing teeth - spread across his face. "If you mean I'm hungry , then yes! I am always hungry! I could probably eat an octorok right now!"
They were seated in a large area deep within the interconnected complex of Zora's Domain, right down the steps from the throne room. Every Zora there had gathered for a feast to greet their new Hylian guest. Joyfully, they all grinned and laughed as Link shoveled mounds of Hylian rice and cooked fish into his open mouth. His appetite seemed bottomless, providing a great source of entertainment for the curious Zoran people.
"Wahahahahaha!" Dorephan, the King of the Zora, laughed boisterously in approval. "You are the spitting image of your parents after all!"
Link looked up at the king, between two massive spoonfuls of rice. He nodded at him. "People always told me that I got my mother's good looks… and my father's great appetite," he said, his mouth still full of half-chewed food. Mipha, seated nearby, let out a small giggle. Her mentor Muzu lightly elbowed her in disapproval.
Just across the table from the king and his children, Link had a good look at the aquatic ruler. He was enormous in size, blue in the color of his scales. Like the other Zora, he had a white underbelly that was made all the more obvious by his protruding chest and stomach that dominated his physique. Link marveled at the interesting and diverse physical features of the Zora. He continued to stare as he shoveled mountains of food into his gullet.
Sidon, ever the glutton for attention, wouldn't let Link get away with stealing the spotlight. "If it's a challenge you want-" he tossed his utensils away, posing dramatically. "-then it's a challenge you shall get!" He began to shove handfuls of food into his mouth as well. Muzu buried his face into his hands with embarrassment, as Dorephan let out another hearty laugh that seemed to fill the entire massive cavern that was Zora's Domain. It was then that the king himself took a good look at this boy, recalling the events that lead to his arrival.
When he had received a message from the Hylian Knight Academy a few weeks prior, he hadn't hesitated in the slightest to respond with approval. He'd most certainly accept the young son of his old friend; it was the least he could have done for someone so dear to him, and for one who had treated his young Mipha like she was his own daughter. Of course, being over a couple hundred years old, the Zora king had naturally experienced the death of countless people in his lifetime. Nevertheless, he grieved when he heard of the demise of Link's father. The young Captain had visited Zora's Domain countless times, entertaining the king with tales of reckless action and adventure. He was so charming that he'd even had the quiet, introverted Mipha talking incessantly with each visit. They seemed quite fond of each other.
"You would make a fine wife for my baby boy someday!" Link's father had joked to Mipha during his previous - and final - visit.
"If he happens to turn out like you when he grows up," she had calmly countered, "I might be better off marrying a Lizalfos."
Dorephan smiled at the memory. Link's presence there filled his heart with sorrow, but also with intense joy. The boy truly carried his father's mannerisms through-and-through. He was the spitting image of a great man - in both looks, and personality. So the Zora king would honor his friend's memory by obeying his last will, helping to navigate this boy through the sea of loss and pain in his heart. And already on Link's first day there, Dorephan felt an affection for the charming little boy, as if he were his own son.
The meal continued well through the afternoon. Little Sidon had to be excused early, sick to his stomach from overeating. Link pumped both fists in the air in triumph, bringing the house down in raucous laughter yet again. The sun gradually set over the mountains around Zora's Domain, the banquet hall was dispersed and broken down quickly. Dinner was over.
As the commotion died and normalcy resumed in his new home, Link found himself walking alongside a small pond near the scene of the banquet. Several Zora both young and old were floating in the deep water of the pond - fast asleep. And Link smiled. Everything about these people seemed so fascinating to him, and he made this observation abundantly known.
"I have never considered our mannerisms to be out of the ordinary…" Mipha said, walking next to him. A small, sleeping Sidon was cradled in her arms as she walked. "I suppose that is an unfortunate consequence of living a life so sheltered…" she gave a glance of disapproval to Muzu, who followed closely behind the two as they walked together. He ignored Mipha's comment, his eyes and attention focused intently on Link to ensure he wouldn't do something… odd.
Muzu didn't trust him quite yet. Or any Hylians, for that matter. Why King Dorephan so easily let this strange little boy into their domain was well beyond him.
Meanwhile Link had instantaneously warmed up to Mipha, which surprised her. She was quite used to being treated like untouchable royalty by just about everyone in the domain. Yet Link seemed like he could not possibly care any less about formalities.
"So, Mipha, what do you like to do for fun?" Link offered.
Her advisor coughed behind them. "That's Lady Mipha, young Hylian. You will address her with the respect that she-"
"Now now, pay no mind Muzu," Mipha said. "Simply... Mipha shall do." She had known Muzu her entire life, and she loved him of course; he was like family. He could just be a bit… overbearing at times. Besides… nobody called her by her given name on its own. She rather liked the sound of it. And Link apparently did too.
"Okay then, Mipha. Mipha! Mi. Pha. Miiiiippphhaaaaa." Link's mouth was agape as he formed the word with his mouth in exaggerated fashion. Behind them, Muzu rolled his eyes, while Mipha simply grinned back at him.
Yet again.
Really, it seemed like she couldn't stop grinning since this strange little Hylian had arrived.
"Your name is so great!" Link continued. "A great name for a great person!"
Mipha giggled silently. "Well, I appreciate the kind words... Liiiiinnnnnnnk. And to respond to your previous question…about fun…"
Link curled his fists in anticipation, staring up bright-eyed at his new friend.
"...get some sleep. And perhaps you shall find out tomorrow just what fun means to us here."
The frown that grew on Link's face was both petulant and adorable. And as easily as this young Hylian had warmed up to her…
She now found that the feeling was quite mutual.
"How old are you?" Link bluntly asked Mipha, as he poked his spear into the air in front of him. It had been one week since his arrival, and Link was already eager to get back to his training. He didn't want to pass on the opportunity to learn from his new hosts. Nearby, several other young Zora practiced their spear form under careful instruction by royal soldiers.
"That...is a complicated question." Mipha replied. "But I suppose when measured in years, I am now forty-five years old."
"What?!" Link froze, nearly dropping his spear. He stood up straight and faced Mipha. "But… you look like you're just a few years older than me!"
Mipha shook her head. As a relatively isolated race, very few Hylians were aware of Zoran longevity.
"You think that's weird?!" Sidon chimed in from nearby. He was swinging a spear around like a two-handed sword, irritating his instructor with his awful technique. "I'm fifteen!"
Link rolled his eyes and smiled. "From the way you act, I would have said you were only six!"
"Hey!" Sidon stopped to consider Link's words. "-That's probably true!" he dropped his spear suddenly and ran away, arms flapping like a bird. "I want to evolve into a Rito in my next life…" his voice trailed off as his exasperated instructor gave chase.
"Anyway…" Mipha turned her head and continued. "My people age incredibly slowly...in fact, I am only just entering the caudal-end of my growth stage. I have about four or five years left before my body is fully mature."
"That's amazing! You're amazing!" Link said. He looked up and down at Mipha. "Well then, I'm challenging myself." He resumed his spear practice, poking the spear in front of him again. "I want to be taller than you in six months."
Mipha smiled. "I...do not think it quite works that way…" she said, observing Link's form with the spear. It wasn't terrible… but-
"Here, let me show you something." She stood behind Link, grabbing his arms with her red hands. Link flinched slightly at her touch, then relaxed. Her scaly skin was much softer than he was expecting. Silky... warm… Link found himself getting flustered, but he shook it off. Holding him tightly, Mipha moved Link's arms for him, fixing his stabbing form. "You are much too tense on the draw back-" she said. "You must roll like the tide. Relax, then thrust. Relax…. thrust. Like so." She guided Link's motions for a bit, before releasing and allowing him to recreate the movement on his own. He gradually picked up speed with the technique and before long, he was flowing easily.
"Very good form, Link!" Mipha said, with restrained excitement. An enormous toothy grin began to spread on Link's face. He stopped temporarily and turned to face her.
"You're brilliant!" he said, "A total genius!"
Mipha shook her head. "I merely had excellent instruction," she said, modestly. "Nothing more."
Link spun around and continued practicing with his corrected technique.
He is a natural… Mipha thought. She found herself analyzing his shirtless body, noticed the countless scrapes and gashes that were still striped down his torso. "Do those wounds...hurt?" she asked, pointing at his shoulder. Link stopped thrusting, stood up straight again. He slammed the butt end of the spear into the ground.
"Yes!" he said. "But not too bad. I'm used to it…"
"I...see. I could try healing you," Mipha offered.
"Healing?"
"Yes." Mipha held up her left hand and pointed to it. "It is a rare gift that I have had since childhood… although I can only tap into it in odd intervals. I often use it for our soldiers, but it is inconsistent. Let me try." She held her hands up to one of the deeper gashes lining his shoulder. They began to glow blue, slightly. She kept them there for a few moments...
But there was no effect.
Her face flashed a mild hint of frustration, but she shook it off. "I am sorry…" she said.
"Don't worry about it!" Link said. "Scars make me look tough! I'm sure it'll come easy to you someday."
Mipha sincerely hoped he was right. "Thank you." she said. "Meanwhile…I am also a nurse." She reached down and pulled out a set of ointment and bandages from the bag she carried.
"So for now we will just have to do this the old-fashioned way."
"Victory belongs… to Sidon! The Zora prince!" the high-pitched voice announced, proudly.
That silly pose again, that sharp-toothed grin...
This was probably the hundredth time Link had lost a swimming race against the young Zora. In fact, he always lost to basically every single Zora youth there. He pulled himself out of the lake, shook water off his head like a dog.
"Aw, don't let him get in your head, Hylian!" a young gray-scaled Zora spoke up.
Gaddison.
"He might be an amazing swimmer… but he's still just a little baby trout!" she tackled Sidon, tickling him relentlessly.
Link had been living in Zora's Domain for three months now, and he'd quickly adapted to his new life there. Every single day he challenged the other young Zora to a swimming race, and every single day he lost badly. But he hardly cared.
"Winning is a bit overrated…" he said, drying himself off with a towel that the Zora had given him. It was probably the only one they had in the entire Domain… "How can you expect to improve yourself if you're always victorious anyway?"
Rivan, a black-colored male Zora, spoke up from the group of young Zora still floating in the water. "I agree…" he said. "Losing to you on that first day has really forced me to improve my technique…"
Link laughed. "See? And you haven't lost to me since!"
"But he's still the slowest one of the group!" a female voice spoke up from behind them. Link turned around.
"Helloooo Linny~!" it was Kodah. She was approaching them from the nearby dam which held back the eastern reservoir.
Kodah was a kind Zora, though a bit in-your-face. Her scales were red, similar to Mipha and Sidon. The nickname she had bestowed upon him - Linny - irritated him slightly. But nevertheless, Link enjoyed her company.
He enjoyed everyone's company there, in fact.
"Let's race again." Link demanded.
"What?!" Gaddison shouted. "Aren't you tired?"
"Yes." Link replied. "And that's the perfect condition to exercise in!"
"I am definitely game for this!" Kodah said. "Prepare…. for your imminent defeat, Sidon!"
"You're on!" The tiny Zora prince yelled.
They dove into the water, and the race had begun in earnest yet again.
Soon, this late afternoon full of swimming eventually gave way to yet another quiet night in the domain. Link had left early from their usual nightly meeting with King Dorephan, where he would entertain the Zora children with amazing tales of their people's history. It was unlike Link to miss out on any part of the king's stories, so Mipha found it necessary to check up on him. She approached the small isolated platform that served as Link's room. The Zora had installed curtains for him, knowing that Hylians liked their privacy. But Link had refrained from ever using them. Until now.
As she came closer, she heard talking coming from the interior of the room. "Hylia… please. Take care of my dad." Link's quiet voice. He sounded completely shattered. "I really wish he didn't have to go…"
Mipha wanted to reverse course, give the poor boy some space. And yet… she was curious. Link hadn't cried even once since he had arrived. She had wondered just how badly his father's death had affected him.
Now she knew.
"Thank you, for blessing me with a new family." Link continued. "Please watch over me… and all the Zora. Oh, and please tell my dad and mom that I love them."
Mipha's heart swelled for the young Hylian. As he finished praying, she waited a few moments and then gently called to Link. Hearing her voice, he opened the curtain. Mipha could see tears on his face, his eyes were red and blotchy.
"Hello Link." she said calmly. "Is everything okay?"
Link rubbed his eyes. "Oh. Hi. I was crying. I really miss my dad."
"I...understand." she said. She made a move to sit down on his bed with him. "I know what it's like to lose a parent. My own mother passed away when I was young."
"Do you miss her?" Link asked.
"Every single day."
"That's exactly how I feel about my dad."
Mipha wanted very badly to give the Hylian boy a comforting hug. But she refrained.
"Well Link," she said, in an effort to console him, "the Zora believe… that death is merely a gateway to a better place-"
"Hylians believe that too!" Link said, smiling. "So I was praying to Hylia… that she'll take care of my dad. And besides, he gets to be with my mom again! So it's not all bad."
Mipha gently brushed Link's sun-bleached hair out of his face - it's getting long, she noticed. She saw a new cut on his forehead, figured he likely hit his head on something during all that endless swimming earlier. She held her hand to his forehead and it glowed that same bluish hue. This time, she managed to heal him. Or at least to seal the wound.
But the scar remained.
"Did it work?" he asked her.
"Almost."
"Don't worry. You'll get there."
Mipha smiled, patting Link on the head. Her voice was a gentle whisper. "Sleep well, Link. And please cheer up. You shall see your father again, some day. I promise."
"I know." Link said.
"I just really wish I didn't have to wait so long."
It had been six months.
Link's hair had grown to a wild mane to match his wild personality; and Mipha enjoyed taking the time to brush it for him every other day. She admitted that she found Hylian hair incredibly entertaining... far more customizable than the flexible tails that extended from the back of Zoran heads. Yet it wasn't long before Link began wearing his hair in a large ponytail styled not quite unlike theirs…
"They'd never let us grow our hair this long, back in the academy!" he explained. He was certainly going to take advantage of his new rules-free state for as long as possible.
Over the months Link had stayed dedicated to his training, and his proficiency in swimming was growing to be quite impressive. As was his skill with the spear. Mipha was usually fairly busy with her daily personal lessons with Muzu, but she still squeezed in time every day to teach Link some new tricks with the weapon. And this day was no exception. The young boy was sprinting down the corridor ahead of Mipha, thrusting the spear out in front of him with one hand before spinning back to his feet in one smooth motion.
"That felt so good!" he cried out.
Mipha glowed with pride for her 'student.' "You will surely have a leg-up on your fellow knights, when you return to the academy," she said.
Link frowned slightly. "I… yeah, I guess that's true." He started swinging the butt-end of his spear in a sweeping motion in front of him. "But I'm not ready to leave yet. I like it here. I want to be here for a long time."
The feeling was mutual. Mipha strangely found herself dreading the day that Link would have to leave this place again…
"Hey!" Link suddenly perked up. His voice turned stoic, flat. "I have a proposition for you. Madam." He gently laid his spear on the ground in front of him, and placed his hands at his sides. His head bowed slowly in Mipha's direction, and he closed his eyes.
"When you have some free time later... Lady Mipha …"
"Yes?"
"...Perhaps we could spend some time together?"
Mipha burst out in quiet laughter. "So formal!" she said. She walked towards Link, his head still bowed. "Well..." she took his hand, nodding her head as well. "It would be my honor, Master Link, to spend more time with you."
Link was twelve. He had lived in Zora's domain for an entire year.
"I'm not quite where I want to be just yet…" he said, standing up as straight as possible and measuring his height next to Mipha's. "But at least I'm finally as tall as you!"
It was true. Link had sprouted up a full three inches since his arrival. And he had much more growth still ahead of him, if his appetite implied anything. Because if nothing else, his food consumption had somehow increased in voracity in the last few months. He had also developed quite an appetite for the stranger Zoran dishes too - especially raw fish and snails. This lack of shying away from the weirder Zoran customs also made him rather popular with the Zora children.
Especially with Kodah, Mipha noticed.
Kodah was only a little bit younger than her, but the young Zora's crush on Link was obvious. Mipha thought it strange that Kodah would often glare at her when she would stop by to personally teach Link and others during combat training. Mipha did her best to ignore this, focusing instead on fixing Link's bad habits with the spear. Not that there were all that many at this point.
Actually, Link's spearmanship was beginning to rival even the older Zoran soldiers and instructors, due somewhat in part to her influence. So much so that Link had begun showing them some techniques that he himself had developed on his own.
His signature move? A ridiculously quick flurry of stabs that would make instant mincemeat of anything on the receiving end of it. Even Mipha herself found that she could scarcely recreate the attack. His dexterity and speed were both so incredible.
Meanwhile, Link's proficiency with both swords and spears also made him a popular instructor for his fellow Zora. He would spend some of his time training his peers on both weapon styles. Every single day. Rivan and Gaddison were particularly eager students, but they never seemed to take too much of Link's time if they could help it. Mipha truly respected their consideration and respectfulness.
Another student, Bazz, especially enjoyed the sword instructions Link would give. Now Bazz was the son of Captain Seggin, Mipha's childhood mentor who had trained her in the art of combat since she was a young girl. So she found it ironic that she was now indirectly training her old mentor's son through Link. But Seggin was a bit too preoccupied with other matters to take time to train Bazz personally. And so, Link had offered sword lessons to Bazz…
...in exchange for becoming an honorary member of his "Big Bad Bazz Brigade." Whatever that was.
And then there was Kodah.
Kodah always seemed to make things difficult. She wasn't actually all that interested in combat training, especially since she actually had no desire to join the Zoran Royal Guard. As a result, she was slow to learn and often forced Link to linger with her for a little bit too long.
And she was doing it right at that moment.
Mipha caught herself feeling mildly irritated for Link as she observed this. He didn't seem to mind, however, still remaining quite eager to help and instruct. Kodah's obvious advances didn't bother Mipha much either. Or at least, she didn't think they did.
Right?
Right.
She stopped thinking about it.
"I shall take my leave," she called out to the group of Zora. "I must return to my studies…"
Link looked disappointed. "Aw, that's no good! The Bazz Brigade was planning on meeting at the Veiled Falls this afternoon to goof around for a bit! Right Bazz?"
"That's right!" he said. "You guys all remember the passcode, right?"
"I do!" said Rivan.
"I do as well!" said Gaddison.
"I do not…" said Kodah. "But I'm coming anyway. " She sent a death glare in Bazz's direction.
"Um...yes, sure." Bazz said, nervously. He knew better than to incur Kodah's wrath. "You can be a guest member for today I suppose. And you as well, Lady Mipha. Since we seem to be letting everyone in these days."
Mipha smirked at their silliness.
"I am sorry…" she said. "I would love to join you...perhaps if I finish early?"
"That would be great, Lady Mipha!" Kodah said.
"Yes, stop being so boring all the time!" Sidon taunted, whilst attempting to pole-vault over his instructor with his spear. "Join us!"
"Who said you could come too, you little squirt?!" Bazz demanded, but he was ignored. The others chimed in too, offering Mipha some encouragement to join them as quickly as possible.
Mipha smiled. It seemed that her friendship with Link was also breaking down some walls with some of her peers as well. "I shall do my best…" she said, as she turned and headed back to Muzu. This will be my shortest study session of all time, she thought happily to herself.
About half an hour later, the 'brigade' of young Zora found themselves crowded around Link below a rock wall near the Veiled Falls. He was bleeding profusely from a massive scrape on his back.
"Are you okay, Linny?!" Kodah shrieked.
Link nodded. "This…" he winced. "...is nothing."
He stood up, dusted himself off, and looked up at the rock wall again. A small cave was situated about twenty feet above them. They had initially dared Link to attempt to make his way inside. And not one to back down from any challenge whatsoever, he had made it pretty far up initially; but a loose rock had given way in his hand, causing him to plummet several feet back down the rock face. He'd totally shredded his backside on the way down, but still seemed determined to scale the great big wall.
"You should probably stop now," Rivan said.
"Yeah, you might hurt yourself even more …" Gaddison warned.
"Do it do it do it do it do it-" chanted Sidon.
Link stood back up, wiped his nose off. "If you're not getting hurt," he spit on the ground. "...You're not really trying…" He latched onto the wall to try again.
Another half hour later, Mipha found herself nearly sprinting along the outer perimeter of Zora's Domain. She had just finished studies with Muzu early, promising to do a bit of extra work the next day to make up for it. As she got closer to the Veiled Falls, however, the great big smile on her face gave way to a look of major concern - Link was lying flat on the ground in the distance.
And everyone was panicking.
Rivan spotted Mipha first. "Lady Mipha!" he called out. "It's Link! He's badly hurt…"
This was enough to turn her semi-sprint into a full-on sprint. She slid on her knees right up to Link as she got close, knelt down to take a close look at him. He was staring straight up at the sky - blankly - and clutching his right arm. Mipha's head came into his view as she bent over him, and he smiled warmly.
"You made it!" he suddenly said, through gritted teeth. "You missed the… entertainment though…" Link gestured at his arm. "It's a good thing….that I'm ambidextrous."
Mipha breathed a sigh of relief. Probably just a broken arm… nothing too life-threatening. Thank the Goddesses. Looking over Link's face, it was clear to Mipha that he was in much pain. And yet, not a single tear in his eye. She was certain that he had probably been trying something incredibly stupid though. She sat him up and examined his swelling forearm more closely.
"What in the world were you trying to do?" she finally asked him. Her tone was of curiosity rather than one of scolding. Link rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with his good arm.
"Well…." he began, "I-"
"-He tried to pole-vault up the rock wall to the cave up above!" Sidon interrupted, pointing at a long, splintered polearm nearby, "It was really a sight to behold! Very awesome!"
"Yeah, 'til he lost his grip and flipped in the air and then fell right on his arm..." Rivan said. "...I told him not to do it."
Mipha shook her head at Link, gently. "It's starting to feel like I am having to heal you at every turn…" Her hands glowed blue and he winced as the bones in his shattered forearm began to reset and pull themselves back together. As she did this, Mipha briefly looked over the scared faces of all the young Zora around them. Kodah was nearby, sobbing loudly in both fear and relief. She truly does love him, she thought.
Really, they all do.
As a Zora leader, she should probably have been telling Link off for these daringly stupid escapades, which more often than not resulted in injuries like this. But she knew better than to attempt to correct him - knew better than to try and fix what she considered to be one of his most endearing personality traits: his blind courage.
And besides, Mipha was smiling anyway, in spite of herself. She wasn't fully aware of what had caused it then… but her healing powers had been consistent and stable for quite some time now.
It was rainy season in Zora's Domain, yet another year later. Link was thirteen and now quite a bit taller than Mipha - well in the clutches of puberty. And he was sure to persistently remind Mipha of his new levels of verticality every chance he got.
"Say hey there, short one!" he called out in his new teenage voice, panting as he approached Mipha.
She had to admit, she loved the new way his voice sounded. Tender, yet masculine.
Mipha was seated by one of the sleeping ponds in Zora's Domain, sheltered from the rain, reading a book on the history of the Royal Family of Hyrule. She closed the book and focused on Link. "Ah, look now. The giant is here," she joked as he approached. Her face was radiant, peaceful. Her voice was calm like still waters, even in the midst of this storm. "What can I do for you, o enormous one?"
He bent over, still panting, having just finished a twelve-mile run around the perimeter of the Domain. He was absolutely soaked to the bone, shirtless as usual.
And he loved it.
"We….have….not…...been spending much time together…..lately," he gasped. He stood up, put his hands on his hips - his usual speaking pose - and grinned. "We must remedy this… immediately!"
Mipha laughed quietly into her hand. "Must you always be so ironically formal when you do this?"
"Whatever it takes to get a laugh out of you," he replied. "So? Want to join me?" He stared intently at her, his blue eyes and blonde hair all the more radiant against the backdrop gray of the rain.
"For what?" she asked him, staring back just as intently.
His previous claim was quite accurate. With the ever-present downpour the last few weeks, everyone in the Domain was feeling a bit slow-paced and unenergetic. Mipha had been using the opportunity to catch up on some of her studies for Muzu. Regular adventures with Link and the Bazz Brigade around the Domain had caused her to fall a bit behind on her regimen lately.
"A camping trip. It's been a good while since our last one," Link answered her.
Mipha raised her brow. "Really? Well, it would seem you have caught me on a good day. I am just about finished with this week's lessons."
"That's great!" Link shouted. "Do you need to get permission first?"
"Oh, I do not know about that…" she glanced over across the Domain platforms to where Muzu was pacing, angrily. She looked back at Link. "I believe that I can afford to sneak out for once-"
Link's face lit up. "Feeling a bit more adventurous! That's what I like to hear." He took off running again, back in the direction from where he'd come from. "Meet me at the usual spot! Five o'clock!" he called back, as he disappeared behind the curtain of rain.
Mipha shook her head. She still bore a smile that seemed to have persisted for the entire two years Link had been there. He has really grown into a very charming boy… she thought.
...And he has become quite handsome too, I must say.
Two hours later, the unlikely pair was hiking their way through the rain, up towards the top of the waterfall at Lulu Lake just northeast of Zora's Domain. Both carried Zora spears on their backs just in case, while Mipha had left her trusty Lightscale Trident - a beautiful weapon she had possessed since she was a baby - back at the Domain. Both kept a sharp eye out as they hiked, but didn't expect to see too many monsters in this persistent downpour.
"Tomorrow's the day." Link said with resolve.
Oh no. Mipha had suspected this, but-
"The day for what?" she asked anyway.
She already knew. The Lulu Lake falls were right next to Ploymus Mountain: home of the famous Shatterback Point .
"I'm going to do the dive," he told her.
"No, you are not," Mipha said, in a rare tone of defiance.
Link turned aside and grinned at her as he walked. "Yes. I am. Now would be the ideal time to prove my manhood." He held his arms out as if catching the rain that fell like daggers around them. "For more reasons than one."
Earlier that year, Dorephan had entertained the Zora youths with old tales of how Shatterback Point had once served as an informal test of adulthood long ago. Immediately upon hearing this, Sidon had attempted the dive at least a dozen times. With varying degrees of success.
But everyone still refused to call the young Zora prince an adult.
"I'm barely starting my growth spurt," Bazz had told Sidon. "And I don't even consider myself an adult yet…"
"That, my friend, is because you have not yet performed this magnificent ritual that has offered absolute, definitive evidence…" he flexed his tiny biceps proudly, "of my undeniable masculinity." The image of a one-foot tall Sidon boasting of his manliness had brought Link into hysterics…
...And yet here he was, eager to finally recreate the same initiation ritual.
He really did fit in so well in the end, Mipha thought. The end… she sighed. She knew the real reason Link wanted to do this. King Dorephan had just received a letter - Link was to return to the Hylian Knight Academy in six months to continue his training. The dreaded moment was coming. These were the last days. And they both knew they should be making the most of them.
Mipha shook her head at Link, closed her eyes, "I already know that I cannot stop you." her arms folded across her chest, "And so...I shall be attempting the dive alongside you instead…" she glanced out with one eye at Link, smirking as she did. The brightness of Link's own smile in that moment could have been seen for miles, even in this endless downpour of water. They would be the first people currently living in the Domain to attempt a dive off of Shatterback Point... whilst in the middle of a raging storm.
As their hike continued, familiar snarls greeted them in the distance. Lizalfos. They both drew their spears.
"I'm surprised to see them out and about in the rain…" Link observed.
"Yes… what kind of silly fools hike around on tall mountains in the middle of a downpour?" Mipha replied, producing laughter from Link.
The Lizalfos struck, but the pair was ready. The battle lasted no more than a few seconds, and before long a pair of lizard-like bodies were piled together on the ground nearby. This was hardly their first battle together in the outskirts of Zora's Domain, but Mipha still marveled at Link's incredible improvement in spear combat during his brief time there.
"It appears there is no more to teach you." Mipha said. "Your spearmanship has far exceeded even mine, I must admit."
"Don't be modest." Link said. "Your skills are still quite unmatched, believe me. Master. "
It was the truth, however. Link had easily grown into one of the most skilled young warriors ever seen at the Domain - and all at the ripe old age of thirteen. Nevertheless, he made an effort to stay humble about it. And Mipha greatly admired that.
Soon, after setting up camp in a cave on Ploymus Mountain, the duo built a fire and talked the afternoon away. The unending pitter-patter sounds of rainfall just outside the cave were relaxing to the two youths.
"I can already hear Muzu now…" Mipha said, pulling a large undercooked skewer of fish from out of their campfire. "He will lecture me about how unbecoming it is for a Zora princess to have spent the night in the wilderness with a Hylian. Again."
She stared into the fire. "But I suppose that, in the end, we are both still mere children in a great big world… innocent, and ignorant of its harsh realities."
"-But starting tomorrow," Link said, confidently, "we'll be adults, ready to take on the world!" He grabbed a nearby fish skewer himself and began devouring it in earnest. Mipha slowly nibbled at hers, stealing a glance at Link. He was his usual, confident, bold self. She neither doubted his abilities nor his resolve.
But she could not shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen tomorrow.
Afternoon gave way to night, and night to morning. The pair stayed up most of the night just chatting away, before Mipha fell sound asleep on Link's shoulder. He followed suit immediately after. But soon, Link was the first to awaken, just as the morning sky brightened. Though the curtain of rain still blocked out the sun with its sheer density. Link looked over, saw the small Zora princess sound asleep on him. Drooling onto his bare chest.
...I'll give her a minute. He closed his eyes and pretended to still be asleep. But try as he might, he just couldn't hide the large grin across his face.
Before long, Mipha had woken up as well. Noticing her intimate position on Link's shoulder, she didn't flinch. She shook Link awake with her arm. "Good morning." she said.
Link opened his eyes. Mipha glanced below the spot where her head had rested. "It appears I have made a bit of a mess on you…" she said. "Allow me to clean that."
"Don't mind it, it's only spit," Link said. "We're about to get drenched anyway!" She relented. The two cleaned up the camp, but left their stuff behind to retrieve at another time. They wanted to dive uninhibited. A short hike later they found themselves at their destination, right at the peak of the mountain. Shatterback Point.
And the view was glorious. The rain seemed to let up - just briefly - in time for Link and Mipha to see the surrounding countryside, seemingly endless in scale. Tall mountains, distant oceans, valleys, plains…
"I want to explore it all!" Link said, triumphantly. "Someday...soon." He turned to face Mipha. "And maybe you'd like to join me?"
Mipha grinned at this persistently audacious Hylian. "It would be my pleasure," she said. They spent a few moments admiring the view, and then they were ready. Without hesitation, they dove off the top simultaneously. It was a remarkably long way down.
Mipha had given Link some diving advice prior to their arrival, and she spared a glance in his direction in order to observe him as they fell in-sync. He's doing well, she noted. He was keeping his poise, pointing down, and-
Wait. What-
Link suddenly flinched in midair. His leg curled in pain.
He's cramping. Oh no.
But there was nothing she could do. She watched in helpless panic as his body lost its diving form at the very last-second. Link rolled forward into a half-flip just as he collided with the water.
Flat on his back.
Mipha's dive, on the other hand, was perfect. She swam down, arched underwater, then shot straight back out like a breaching fish. She landed right near the spot where Link had slammed violently against the water. She grabbed him without hesitation and swam his body back to the shore of the eastern reservoir.
He's not breathing, he's not breathing… she tried to calm herself down, blocked out all negative thoughts. But to no avail.
She rolled him over on the shoreline as they arrived. It was bad. Bad bad bad.
His entire backside was red and blotchy, like he'd been slapped by a massive paddle. But more than that, she could clearly make out his spine, prominent in his slight figure: It was destroyed.
...This might be beyond my abilities.
Mipha closed her eyes, held up her hands to Link's ruined back. She tried to stay perfectly calm. And yet she simply could not stop the tears from falling.
"Please...Hylia," she said, her hands glowing bright and blue, "let him be okay…" She felt a rush of power coursing through her body and out of her hands, opened her eyes, could see Link's spine reassembling itself properly…
It was working. Thank the Goddesses... She thought. Yet again...
"GASP!" Link began to cough as water spilled out from his flooded lungs. His back repaired, Mipha rolled him around carefully.
"I...I…" he rasped.
"It's okay Link!" Mipha shouted. "Please, please, don't speak…"
"I…" Link grinned weakly, staring tenderly into her yellow eyes. "...I can understand why they… named it Shatter-back." He passed out. Mipha stared after Link, brushed his long hair off his face. And she laughed. She couldn't help it.
In that moment, the enormous potential of her healing powers had fully manifested.
In that moment... she knew precisely why.
Today is the day.
It had been six months since the diving incident. Link had been at the Domain for two and a half years. It had taken him only a week to recover from the accident, due primarily to Mipha's efforts, and he'd made the most of his final months with the Zora.
"I know something! I know something! And you do not!" Sidon was dancing circles around his big sister, and Mipha did her best to remain patient with him. There were days when Sidon spoke and acted so much older than he actually was - and other times when it was precisely the opposite.
At this moment it was the latter.
She was making her way towards the entrance to Zora's Domain.
Today is the day...
They'd held one last banquet the previous night, where Link showcased an appetite that seemed to have increased in capacity every day since his arrival. King Dorephan had taken the opportunity to break out a hidden cache of alcoholic beverages to mark the occasion, and the night had escalated rather quickly. Link and Mipha had both refrained from drinking, and were more content with watching the Demon Sergeant Seggin and Rivan's father Trello drunkenly challenging each other to various feats of strength and skill.
But today is the day.
"I know something! And you do-"
"Go ahead and say it." Mipha cut him off.
"Kodah has asked Link to marry her."
What?!
"Well, not really. That is inaccurate. But she did ask him to choose between her and someone else…" a sly smile grew on his face. Mipha didn't want to encourage his taunting, but found herself curious.
"Who was it?" she pressed him.
"You." Sidon took his usual pose. "She asked him to choose between herself and you."
Mipha was taken aback. She knew Kodah was bold. But this was too much. She kept walking past Sidon, who ran up behind her.
"Do you not wish to know what his response was?" he asked.
Yes.
But she didn't want Sidon to know this.
"Speak freely, Sidon." She paused and faced him. He stared dramatically at his big sister.
"I-" he shrugged. "Do not remember." He sprinted ahead. "It hardly matters anyway! Adults are weeeeeeiiirrrrrrrdd!"
"Sidon!" Mipha yelled. "Get back here!" she covered her mouth suddenly. She never yelled. Mipha glanced around to see if anyone saw her, gathered herself, turned, and shook off the experience.
Today is the day...the day he leaves us for good.
She was heading to the entrance to see him off. Colleagues of Link's father had arrived to escort him back to Hyrule Castle Town earlier. He was waiting at the entrance for his old friends to see him off, one after the other. As she began to walk below the intricate arches that rose above the long bridge connecting Zora's Domain to the southernmost land mass, she noticed another Zora walking the other direction - away from the entrance.
Kodah. And she looked sad…heartbroken.
"What is the matter, Kodah?" she asked. Kodah glared at Mipha, but then her face softened instantly. She wasn't mean-spirited after all. "It's no use," Kodah said. "How could I be angry? At least now I know for sure…" she paused, slapping her face into her hands. She shook her head as if there was a disgusting bug latched on to it.
"Okay!" She said suddenly. "I'll be all right, don't mind me!" She sprinted away, leaving Mipha standing there to ponder.
Mipha's heart positively ached for the heartbroken Zora girl… and yet… Why was she smiling?
She wiped the grin off her face and kept on walking, eventually arrived at the entrance. Link was surrounded by many of the young Zora, and the Bazz Brigade. Link had already said goodbye to most of the adults in the Domain, but the rest of his peers insisted on watching him leave. He was chatting with Gaddison, Bazz and Rivan, likely reminiscing about their countless idiotic adventures. Sidon had arrived before Mipha, seated firmly atop Link's head.
Link looked in Mipha's direction as she arrived and flashed his old grin - still boy-like, still remarkably handsome. She smiled back at him, gently squeezing the loosely wrapped package she clutched in her hands as she approached.
"Hello, Master Link." she said. The young Zora surrounding them spread out to give them some privacy, chatting amongst themselves. But their conversations were empty - they were definitely listening in.
Sidon backflipped off the top of Link's head and started chasing a nearby dragonfly.
Mipha stood in front of Link, looking up at his face. Link was tall. So much taller than her now. And his voice…
"Hello, Lady Mipha."
...Was even deeper than before.
"I have… something for you." she explained, calmly. "A parting gift." she held out the package to him.
His face lit up. "Thanks! Me too! Although... I suppose it's more of a waiting gift in your case," he said, grabbing the package from Mipha, then bending over to grab her gift from out of his knapsack. He handed it to her, and they opened their packages at the same time.
For Mipha, a collection of gorgeous turquoise-colored gemstones - her favorite color - smoothed and carved with care. "I wanted to have them set in some jewelry," Link explained, "but I figured you would like some options."
"Thank you… they are quite lovely," she said. She rolled them around in her fingers, looked up, suppressed a laugh. Link had already pierced his own ears with the turquoise earrings she had given him in her gift. They were bleeding slowly down his lobes.
"These are amazing! How do I look?" he said. Blood dripped onto his bare shoulders.
"Silly," she said. "Here-" She reached up and healed Link's ears - one last time. The move was seamless, natural. It no longer took any kind of concentrated effort on her part. As she stood on her toes and healed Link, the young Hylian suddenly wrapped his arms around Mipha. This caught her off guard and she let out a small yelp, before returning his hug just as tightly. The other young Zora took this as a cue, crowding the pair for one final group hug. As they separated, Link picked up his bags and walked towards his escorts. He looked over his shoulder, waving goodbye as they departed from Zora's Domain.
"I shall return!" he called back. "Before you even know it!"
Through tears, the Zoran youths waved and called after Link, long, long after he disappeared over the distant horizon.
You wouldn't believe how much research went into the making of this chapter. There were severely limited resources on the internet for such a new game at the time... so I had to simply do a play-through to analyze things.
My goal was to craft something that fit neatly into canon at the time (pre-Champion's Ballad, mind you). Obscure things such as the Big Bad Bazz Brigade, or Seggin's role as Mipha's combat mentor...can all be found in the game. Other things, like Rivan remembering swimming with Link, or Gaddison remembering being Link's playmate, can be uncovered upon your first arrival at the Domain in-game by speaking to them.
At any rate, hope you enjoy my rendition, my efforts to fill in the blanks of Link's past with the Zora.
Next is Memories of Mipha Part 2 - Hylian Hero.
Thanks.
