"If I'd known that a delicious meal was all it took to get you to talk, I'd surely have prepared a full banquet for you long ago!" Zelda smiled, as Link scarfed down yet another plate of fried Hylian rice. He continued to eat quietly, offering the Hylian princess a half-grin.
It was true, Link could never resist a delicious meal - but Zelda's recent attitude change also made it that much easier for him to open up to her.
"I must… sincerely thank you again." Zelda said. "...For saving my life, that is."
Link shrugged and scooped another spoonful of rice into his mouth. "It was no trouble." he said. "This is my job after all." He hadn't bothered to finish chewing before he spoke, but Zelda hardly seemed to mind, giggling as he said this.
"I hadn't noticed it before…" she said, "But you really are quite the glutton!"
Link didn't respond to this. But unlike before, his silence was no longer uncomfortable or irritating to Zelda. She took a deep breath, looked around them, and sighed happily.
The traveling pair found themselves in the middle of a large field, far north of Hyrule Castle, and on their way back to Goron City once again to make some adjustments to Vah Rudania. They'd come all the way back here from Gerudo desert, where Link had dramatically rescued Princess Zelda in the eleventh hour from mysterious shadow warriors of the Yiga clan. His timing had been just a little bit too perfect, leading her to wonder if he had intentionally delayed defending her on purpose - just to prove a point.
In either case, she figured she probably deserved it anyway.
"Well, job or not…" she said, "It was a selfless act. And I appreciate it nonetheless."
This encounter had ultimately given Zelda an entirely new perspective on Link. From that moment on, she had decided to make a concentrated effort to try seeing things from his point of view, rather than staying so fixated on herself. And this effort had completely changed the dynamic of their relationship.
Now, two weeks into their travels to Death Mountain, Zelda was using her impressive cooking skills to finally get Link to open up to her. And little-by-little, it was actually working.
"I suppose… I should stop beating around the bush." Zelda said. Link raised an eyebrow at this. But in his mind he knew that she had merely been making small talk so far, in an effort to break down the barriers between them. She wasn't all that hard to read in the end.
Still, he appreciated that she was finally going to be plainspoken about things...
"I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now," she said.
"But. Why are you so quiet all the time?"
Link shrugged. "It's a bit hard for me to explain. But I will do my best to…"
Zelda was a bit surprised at his abrupt response.
Link sighed lightly, continued. "With… so much at stake, with everyone's eyes bearing down… and the incredible responsibility of what we have been tasked to accomplish... " He paused. "I suppose it slowly became a habit to just stay strong and silently bear it all." He held his hands up. "Over time, I just stopped expressing my thoughts and feelings to others at all. What use is a chosen hero… who is way too emotional?"
Another lull in their conversation set in for a time. Zelda figured that Link was finished speaking, but was caught off guard when he began to talk once again.
"I'm certain you understand where I'm coming from in this." He looked up at her, smiled slightly. "All this time, I've watched you deal with your own struggles. I cannot help but respect you for bearing that heavy load on your own."
Zelda's eyes widened. "I… I had no idea." She looked away, frowning. "How could you possibly slight yourself by comparing your situation to mine? I've done nothing but act like a petulant, selfish child… I believe that your response to pressure has been far more admirable than my own…"
True or not, Link wasn't going to argue with that. Another beat of silence between them, and the pair began to clean up their mess and load their horses to set out once again for Death Mountain. As they rode away, the mountain's lava-capped peak looming far, far off in the distance, Zelda spoke again.
"In my short-sightedness… I have failed to see that everyone has struggles that go unseen by the world. And I apologize for failing to see yours. I truly hope that you can forgive me someday."
Link nodded, but remained silent.
He'd already said his piece. And that was enough.
"That cut doesn't look too bad, actually. You're fine for now."
Zelda put the finishing touches on a bandage for Link's forearm. The gash was actually quite deep, but she found it necessary to downplay its significance - after all, the Hylian Champion had just finished slaying several dozen attacking monsters in no time at all...
"But you know," Zelda continued, her tone sounding more like a stern mother than a concerned friend, "there's a fine line between courage and recklessness. As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal."
From the appearance of things, however, she wondered if this assessment was somehow inaccurate…
The pair stared down towards the pile of monster bodies littering the foothill of Death Mountain. Numbered amongst them: about twelve bokoblins, four or five moblins… and three silver Lynels. The princess had known Link was gifted, talented, and incredibly skilled as a soldier. But seeing the results of his many, many years of hard work… was still quite shocking indeed.
"It seems that, not only is the frequency of these types of attacks on the rise," Zelda observed, "but the scale of the beasts we are facing is intensifying as well." A troubled expression appeared on her face.
"I fear that-" She closed her eyes. "I fear that this is an omen which portends the return of Calamity Ganon." She stood up, patted the dust off her derrière. "And, if that's the case, I'm ready to expect the worst. We'll need to make preparations as soon as possible." She briskly marched ahead. Link stood up and quickly joined her as they began to make their way down the hillside towards the valley below.
Zelda suddenly paused for a split-second, pulled out her Sheikah Slate, and captured a snapshot of the breathtaking view of the enormous river below. Hyrule Castle was a mere dot in the distant landscape, and Link found himself still taken aback at the staggering scale of the countryside of Hyrule.
"We shall make our way to Zora's Domain next." Zelda said. "I feel that Daruk's control of Vah Rudania is more than sufficient for the time being." She began to poke around in her slate. "Still, I cannot seem to understand these weird energy readings shown in these schematics." She spun the Sheikah Slate around, pointing to a wireframe model of Daruk's divine beast. "You can see that there are channels all along the interior that seem to redirect power to a central point in the beast's head. Do you suppose… that this is some sort of super-weapon that can be activated under special circumstances?"
Link shrugged. He was absolutely the last person to be bouncing technical hypotheses off of. And he wasn't particularly engaged in the conversation anyway. Not when his mind was filled with the excitement of returning to his home again after so long…
Zelda noticed his distracted state, but paid no mind. She'd gotten quite a bit better at reading him in recent weeks. And she was starting to see glimpses of the reckless, confident young boy that was hidden beneath the calm waters... flashes of the mysterious personality buried under years of considerable pressure.
She shook her head, holstered her Sheikah Slate at her waist. "Perhaps we'll shed some light on this mystery as we work on Vah Ruta. It should take about four or five days to get there on horseback. I'd suggest we stop and rest a bit… but I'm afraid there's simply very little time for that anymore…"
As Zelda pondered the mysterious energy readings in Vah Rudania, she found herself also becoming distracted with thoughts of Zora's Domain. She'd only recently found out about Link's close relationship with the Zora people, noting that it really hadn't been just a mere coincidence that she'd seen him at the domain during the pilot selection meeting years prior. He'd actually grown up there.
As her mind drifted towards thoughts of the domain… of King Dorephan… and finally, of Lady Mipha… a question found itself on the tip of Zelda's tongue...
"Link, I have something to ask you. It's… it's about Lady Mipha."
Link's eyebrow twitched slightly, but Zelda didn't notice.
"I know that… you spent a lot of time in Zora's Domain in your youth. So you… Mipha…" she paused mid-sentence. And suddenly, her brain decided to veer off from the original question.
"...She has healing capabilities, is that correct?" She abruptly pointed to Link's arm. "Perhaps we can knock out a couple of birds with one stone on this trip." She grinned politely, as Link nodded in her direction.
That was far from the question that Zelda had truly intended to ask. But she decided that it hardly mattered. It was clearly a bad idea to pry too much into his personal life, especially when she was only just starting to penetrate his cold exterior. And besides - as a scholar first and foremost, she'd just have to enjoy observing and analyzing the pair's interactions in-person...
Link's arrival at Zora's Domain was met with only mild fanfare. Mipha had warned her fellow Zora in advance of Link's newfound quiet nature and intense focus. And although they no longer questioned it, it was certainly a bit odd for them to see when he eventually arrived.
Due in part to this, Dorephan avoided his typical celebrations for Link's return. But he was also paying very careful consideration to the enormous tension that had now fully taken hold of Zora's Domain. Because with Mipha's return two months earlier, she too had developed a laser-like focus on the task at hand. It was as if her encounter with Link and the other Champions in Hyrule Castle had cast a spell of obligation on her entire existence. Her continued training and research with Vah Ruta, along with her newfound responsibilities, kept her from the domain for long parts of the day - and sometimes, for several days at a time. Every Zora noticed, and every Zora was affected. Some more than others.
While the younger Zora had no problems accepting the new priorities of their princess over time, resentment was growing in the hearts of many of the elders. This did not go overlooked by Mipha, nor was Link ignorant to the situation from the moment that he arrived. As such, the pair found themselves maintaining a relationship that was strictly professional. Much to the chagrin of their young Zora peers. Still, they bore with it, wishing to obey Lady Mipha's wishes that they carry on with their daily business as usual.
It seemed that Kodah missed this memorandum, however.
"~ Linny! So wonderful to see you again!" She pulled Link into an embrace before he even knew it. "You've somehow gotten taller! And even more handsome than I remember!"
It was only Link's second day back at the domain, and most of the Zora were mingling about in the square as Link and Zelda prepared to set out to work on Vah Ruta. Kodah had been out on a day's fishing trip with her parents when Link had first returned. As such, she was entirely ignorant to the nuance of current circumstances...
"What's with the silence? Not so happy to see me?"
Kodah pulled away and tilted her head slightly in confusion. Noticing Zelda standing nearby, she held out her hand in greeting. "You must be the Princess of Hyrule!" she said. "Pleased to properly meet you. I'm Kodah!" Zelda shook her hand as the young Zora began to look her up and down. "You're even curvier than the last time you were here!" Kodah exclaimed.
Link actually suppressed a laugh at Kodah's typical boldness. Expecting Zelda to react in a volatile sort of way, he was instead surprised to see her fall right in-step with Kodah.
"I am likewise pleased to make your acquaintance." Zelda replied. "And since we seem to be remarking nonchalantly about appearances…" She examined Kodah's lithe frame.
"...Do you ever eat?"
Kodah burst out laughing and patted Zelda on the back. "Sassy! I like you." She turned her attention back to Link. "You never answered my question, Linny! Why so quiet? It's so weird to see you like this!"
Zelda made a mental note that Link's silence truly was an adopted habit. She found herself wondering yet again just what the real Link was like under the stoic mask. It seemed she'd have to continue to chisel away at the facade...
Link merely shrugged, but Kodah fortunately took the hint. "Hmmm… Understood. You hate me now." She winked. "We'll catch up later, how about?"
She skipped away happily, calling back to Zelda as she did. "Pleasure meeting you, thick one ."
Link glanced over at Zelda, prepared himself for the princess to inevitably blow a fuse now..
...But she didn't.
She laughed.
"I like her." Zelda said. "She doesn't pull any punches it seems. I shall certainly get her back for that little quip later." She smiled at Link. "Shall we get going then?" She strolled ahead of Link, in the direction of the walkway that lead to the eastern reservoir dam. Link held back a smirk as he followed behind her.
It seemed the princess of Hyrule was really quite full of surprises after all.
Mipha had left to work on Vah Ruta very early that morning. She, along with Robbie, Impa, and Purah of the Sheikah tribe, were studying the mechanisms on the divine beast's shoulders as Link and Zelda finally arrived to supervise and assist in the research.
As expected, Zelda devolved into an inquisitive, hyperactive, fast-talking young child as she excitedly explored the interior of Vah Ruta. This was only her third time seeing the divine beast in-person, but she found herself just as fascinated as ever by this beautiful monument of ancient tech - perhaps even more so than she was with the other three divine beasts, in fact.
The research continued in earnest, and Zelda was incredibly quick to speculate and test the various functions of the great mechanical beast. She even felt she was close to a breakthrough about the orbs on Vah Ruta's shoulders.
Inversely, however, she wasn't any closer to deciphering the enigma that was Link and Mipha's relationship.
They were certainly cordial, that much was clear. Her observations showed that they really were comfortable around one another.
But that was it. There was literally nothing else for her to go by.
There were no notes passed between them. No furtive glances were exchanged. Barely any substantial acknowledgement of each other - short of a few polite words now and then, here and there. At the surface level, the cold wall between them was clear, blatant, apparent. And the inquisitive princess of Hyrule simply could not penetrate it.
But in their hearts and minds, Link and Mipha were perfectly fine with it. They were okay with the space, the silence, the false chasm between them. Because for them, the mere presence of the other was far more than enough just to get them through the day. They were content with the proximity alone, as they focused on their imminent responsibilities.
In fact, this whole thing seemed to trouble Zelda more so than it did either Link or Mipha. She couldn't help but feel like there was some sort of inside joke that she wasn't clued in on.
But over time, and only after she turned her primary focus to their objective, Zelda managed to fight off her curious resentment. Much had been already accomplished in their work, and they had even managed to activate the remaining three control terminals that had been powered off since the beast was discovered. They were making excellent progress; and this helped to alleviate Zelda's irritation. Helped to keep her thoughts away from her missing powers, her responsibilities, and the pending arrival of Calamity Ganon.
Still. One small, irritating fact persistently irked Zelda more than anything:
They had been in Zora's Domain for nearly two days now.
And Link still hadn't asked Mipha to heal his serious wound.
Days passed, and the group continued their work on Vah Ruta. It still came as a surprise to Zelda just how fluidly and easily Mipha controlled the divine beast. It was as if it were an extension of her body, a strong bond between Zora and machine that remained unseen by those around them. Not only was Mipha easily moving the divine beast through the water, but she was also intuitively pointing out problem areas in Vah Ruta's circuitry or efficiency issues with the overall power flow. This helped Zelda and the Sheikah researchers tremendously. And before long Vah Ruta was nearly fully operational.
There were only two things left to work on now: discovering the functionality of its shoulder orbs, and activating the beast's mysterious function - one that Zelda was now fully convinced was some form of superweapon…
"When I am operating Vah Ruta's trunk," Mipha said, referencing the long appendage that protruded from the nose of the divine beast, "It feels as though it would serve a function other than simply lifting us to higher places, as it has done now. I believe this might be related to the orbs on its shoulders, but I cannot quite articulate the connection…"
They were standing on top of the enormous machine, currently investigating the orbs in an effort to understand their function. Mipha pointed her finger at Vah Ruta's front-right shoulder. "The diagrams show we should have power flowing to these orbs, but we have yet to successfully trace the stoppage through the… well, through the veins - for lack of a better word - to turn them on."
Zelda spoke up. "You must be referring to the conduits! I believe this is similar to the issue we faced when adjusting Vah Rudania - age has likely worn down parts of the electrical wiring used to bring power throughout the conduits of the divine beast. A simple scan and repair job should ensure that the electricity is being properly routed from the central core to each of the four orbs. At least, once we figure out what's going on with the transistors anyway. We also seem to have blown some fuses, likely due to an overcurrent problem attributed to our faulty wiring…"
Link felt completely in over his head as he stood by and listened to the incessant fast-paced technobabble spewing from Zelda's mouth. So far, he'd been utilized more for his brawn than his brains, moving equipment around and generally just lifting heavy objects for the researchers. Not that he resented this or anything.
Mipha, meanwhile, also found herself lacking in technical knowledge, choosing only to speak in general terms when referring to aspects of the ancient technology. And although Link was mildly irritated with Zelda's constant need to correct Mipha's technical lexicon - finding it a bit condescending really - Mipha herself was more than happy to continue learning and growing in knowledge from the remarkably intelligent princess.
Zelda reached into her bag, pulling out a pair of gloves and goggles. "It would seem we are on the threshold of a breakthrough. I shall begin maintenance at once!" She quickly peeled back one of Vah Ruta's roof panels, crawling inside the duct to begin the repair process.
"Hmm, yes," said Robbie. "A marvelous breakthrough indeed, as expected from our princess." He struck a dramatic pose, pointing his finger to the sky as he smiled. "I shall join her!" The lens of his strange metal goggles - vaguely resembling the eyes of a Lizalfos - swiveled around separately as they focused on the open duct. He dove inside headfirst, and began to crawl his way after Zelda.
Purah shook her head. "He's sure got a weird obsession with impressing the princess… Too bad she's ~ way out his league. Right Link?" She winked.
Link didn't respond. In the background, Mipha and Impa spoke loosely of their hypothesis regarding the function of the power orbs. But Mipha found herself paying loose attention to Link and Purah's one-sided conversation…
Purah elbowed Link. "I can see you and the princess are getting along sooooooooo much better than you were back at the castle. So what's the deal? Did you work your magic?" She snapped her fingers.
Link remained stoic.
"Hmmm…" Purah rubbed her chin. "You really are super boring. Just like my sister…" Impa looked up at Purah briefly, then continued her conversation with Mipha.
Purah smirked. "Anyway. I want to be the first to know if anything develops between you two. I want all the juicy details."
It was becoming clear to Link that Purah was simply trying to get a reaction out of Mipha. He had, after all, asked Purah the previous day if it were possible for Hylians to extend their lifespans. If anyone knew of such a thing, it would have been Purah. Her genius intellect was matched perhaps only by Zelda's, and her medical knowledge surpassed most of Hyrule's top doctors to boot.
Of course, the implications of Link's longevity question were too clear for the Sheikah researcher to miss - though he hadn't exactly made a significant effort to mask it either.
He was now starting to regret that decision.
"Zelda's truly grown to be quite the looker, I think." Purah continued. "~ Anyone would be lucky to be the object of her affection. Too bad Robbie's luck ran out years ago!" she laughed.
Still loosely tuned in, Mipha overheard Purah's words… and simply felt happy in her heart. She was so glad to hear that Link and Princess Zelda were finally getting along.
ROOOOOOAAAWWW!
The Divine Beast Vah Ruta let out a mighty trumpeting roar as enormous jets of water shot out of its trunk. Zelda's repair work, along with Robbie's assistance, had resulted in the discovery of the divine beasts hidden feature- the ability to produce an endless supply of water.
Mipha had quickly mastered the controls for this new function, and was manipulating the trunk up and down to shoot water across the eastern reservoir with ease. It was really quite fun for her, and she spent the entire afternoon getting acquainted with Vah Ruta's enhanced capabilities. Link watched on in pride, as Purah and Impa continued to coach her. But there was no need for it - she was a natural.
"I underestimated you!" Zelda shouted, as the loud rush of water splashed against the roof of the divine beast. "I sincerely apologize!"
Mipha shut off the water flow and turned to face the Hylian princess. She nodded her head politely. "No apologies necessary, Zelda. Thank you for teaching me so much more about Vah Ruta. It is very much appreciated."
The three Sheikah researchers approached the pair, with Robbie standing a little bit too close to Zelda for her liking. She took a slight step away from him.
"My pleasure, of course." Zelda said. "And I must say, I find myself feeling just a little bit more prepared for Calamity Ganon's return. But there is still so much work to be done…"
"Indeed." Impa said. "But… I feel that for once, I'd like to follow King Rhoam's example - and take some time to congratulate everyone for a job well-done." She grinned lightly, much to everyone's surprise..
Purah's face lit up as she saw this. "~ Finally!" She flashed a thumbs-up to her younger sister. "I've been waiting to see you smile for months now!"
Impa's face became stoic again.
"...And, it's gone again. Should've seen that coming..."
As Zelda and the three researchers began to write and discuss their reports of the work on Vah Ruta, Link dropped down from one of the platforms in Vah Ruta's interior. He held his hand up to Mipha, summoning her towards him. She nodded, and began to walk in his direction. She noticed that he was carrying a loosely-wrapped bundle in his arms.
"What can I do for you, Master Link?" she asked.
He carefully unwrapped the object, revealed the Silverscale Spear she had gifted him years prior.
It was broken cleanly in several pieces.
Mipha grabbed the bundle from him, nodding calmly.
"My apologies," she said, "It would seem my craftsmanship was not up to standard after all-"
"I used it every day." Link interrupted. "It was bound to break at some point."
Mipha found herself smiling widely on the inside, but she continued to hide it. She maintained her professional demeanor. "I see." she said. "Very well then. I shall bring it to Dento for repairs." She re-wrapped the pieces and and put them in her bag, crossed her arms across her chest.
"Is there anything else that you might need repaired?"
Link shrugged. Nothing really came to his mind...
Mipha paused for a moment… then she smirked, nodding her head in the direction of Link's arm. He glanced down, finally seeing that his arm was… dripping from his elbow. A vibrant red bloodstain pooled on the floor beneath him.
He cringed slightly. He'd done his best to hide this wound for the last few days, but it appeared the fish was out of the net now. So to speak.
"That's just a scratch." he explained.
"Oh, I'm really quite sure it-"
"AHEM!" Zelda interrupted. She stood off to the side with her hands on her hips. "I believe that it is time for the members of the Sheikah Tribe, and myself, to report our findings to King Dorephan…" Zelda and the other researchers began to make their way toward the main entrance of Vah Ruta.
Impa noticed that Link and Mipha were a bit slow in joining them. She stopped and turned. "Is something the matter?" she asked.
Zelda waved it off. "Oh, I believe that these two will be joining us a bit later." She said. She gestured loosely in Link's direction.
"It appears they have a mess to clean up!"
"This reminds me of the time we first met…" Mipha said.
They were sitting together on the tip of Vah Ruta's trunk, as it slowly raised the pair high above the waters of the eastern reservoir.
They were finally alone. No more interruptions, no more distractions.
Nothing left to hide.
"You were just a reckless child." Mipha said. "Always getting yourself hurt at every turn." Her hand glowed a familiar blue hue, as she healed the deep gash on Link's arm.
"Every time… I would heal you. Just as I'm doing right now…"
Mipha paused for a moment in reflection. Her face was serene, peaceful. Loving.
She continued. "I thought it was funny how, being a Hylian, you looked grown-up so much faster than I did."
Link turned his head, and he began to stare carefully into Mipha's vibrant yellow eyes. The cold feeling in his heart was melting away...
"I was…." Mipha paused. "I was always willing to heal your wounds. Even back then…" She said this carefully, as if hoping to reassure Link that he need not worry about inconveniencing her with a simple healing request. It was clear to her that this was the reason he'd hidden the wound from her for all this time…
Her hand glowed brighter, and before long the deep gash had disappeared entirely from Link's forearm. Hesitantly, she pulled her hand away from Link as he examined his newly-repaired skin.
Mipha turned and stared wistfully at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set now, the sky glowing a brilliant blend of orange and yellow in front of them.
"So if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return, what can we really do?" Mipha lamented. "We just don't seem to know much about what we'll be up against…" Link leaned in slightly towards Mipha as she spoke.
"But know this: that no matter how difficult this battle might get… if you-" she turned her head towards Link, returning his gaze. "-if anyone ever tries to do you harm… then I will heal you. No matter when, or how bad the wound…I hope you know that I will always protect you." She suddenly turned away again, Link's close stare leaving her mildly flustered on the inside. Her hand were clasped together just above her lap, their grip tightening more and more as she spoke.
"Once this whole thing is over… maybe things can go back to how they used to be when we were young… You know."
She paused for a second, before turning her gaze fully towards Link.
"Perhaps we could spend some time together…?"
Her smile was absolutely radiant, and Link found that he could not help but return it. She always had a way of breaking his guard down, in the most graceful of ways. And he loved her for that. The cold ice around his heart began to break, to shatter. A feeling of warmth and comfort entered into his soul.
Mipha calmly looked away again. She didn't expect a response from Link, and that was fine. That he even cracked a smile at all was good enough. For now, she'd said all that she needed to-
"I… also want you to know..." Link spoke suddenly, to Mipha's surprise. His face was serious, focused. His voice was calm and assuring...
"...I want you to know that I will fight to the death for you….for all of you. I'll do whatever it takes to bring down Ganon." A brief moment of silence settled in between them, but Mipha was pleasantly shocked. This was the most she had heard Link speak at one time, since the moment he'd arrived that week.
Since the moment he'd left Zora's Domain two years ago, in fact.
The weight of responsibility and criticism he'd endured, in the years they'd been apart, had taken an obvious toll on his spirit. This much she had been certain of, even well before their subdued initiation ceremony many weeks prior.
When he had lived in Zora's Domain as a child, Link had an awful habit of retreating into himself when under duress. It was a persona that she was all-too familiar with: the strong, mysterious, silent Link. But back then it was an incredibly rare state for him to be in, and he would snap out of it rather quickly.
So with all the pressure on his shoulders, this appeared to be his default exterior now - making it all the more precious to hear him speak at all. Especially in the midst of the storm they found themselves in. Yet in the otherwise confident words he spoke, she still noted the barely perceptible tones of weariness and sorrow in his voice. She knew him far too well to miss that. And this grieved her greatly. Her mind began to formulate a response to him, but Link spoke up again.
"Most of all," he said, "…it will be my pleasure to see this whole thing through to the end," he looked away briefly, before slowly turning to face her again - just as she had done to him moments before. "Especially knowing that you are waiting for me on the other side."
He flashed a boy-like grin, perfectly sincere, seldom used.
Mipha's yellow eyes lit up and she smiled again. She couldn't hide the look of sheer joy on her face. Because the Link that she knew and loved - playful, confident, kind and compassionate - was still there after all. She suddenly pulled Link into a tight embrace, and he slowly reciprocated.
But Mipha simply couldn't help herself. After all, that same courageous, sweet boy she once knew - now hidden in the cold-focused exterior of a young man - had emerged again.
And she was going to savor every precious moment of it.
"Perhaps there are… other scars on your body that you would like examined? Your torso, maybe?"
Now, with any other girl, Link would have suspected some kind of ulterior motive in this. But this was Mipha - innocent, sincere Mipha - and he trusted her. He had spent most of his time shirtless while living in Zora's Domain anyway.
Still, he couldn't help but tease her about it.
"You're just looking for an excuse to see me with my top off again." he said, calmly but playfully.
Mipha fell right in step, her eyes narrowing slightly as she continued looking at him.
"Well...I am neither going to confirm nor deny that."
Link chuckled silently.
"Shirt please." she insisted.
Link did as he was told, then turned and laid flat on his stomach. The stone exterior of the divine beast's trunk was cold against his bare flesh, but this didn't bother him much.
"Ah, now that is more like it." Her fingers began to trace a line across the jagged remnants of a scar that stretched from his right shoulder blade all the way down to his tailbone.
"I am certain that there is a funny - and potentially reckless - story behind this one…?" she ventured.
Link grinned at himself, recalling the memory of that injury. He began to recount a ludicrous tale about his efforts to take down a massive one-eyed monster - wearing only a towel and wielding a farmer's pitchfork. As he recanted the story, he began to grow more and more animated in his expression.
"In all fairness…" he said, "it was not reckless strictly by choice. We weren't exactly expecting a Hinox of all things to attack in the middle of our annual rock-climbing contest."
"...Wearing only a towel?" Mipha mused.
" That was a dare!"
Mipha stared after him, unmoved.
"...Okay, I suppose that was a bit reckless."
A comfortable silence set in between them, and Mipha continued running her hands along Link's scars, using her healing powers to help reduce their visibility. Link couldn't help but notice that she was being a little more hands-on than she normally would, if his memory of childhood healing sessions was anything to go by. He also noticed her hands briefly venturing to areas he knew were scar-free, before returning quickly to the project at-hand. It wasn't unwelcome to be sure. He had missed Mipha terribly during their time apart. But he found himself speculating about the extra motions across his back...
...Copping a feel? No no no. Not her.
Curiosity? Possible, but unlikely.
Measurements?
...Maybe.
With his basic knowledge of Zoran courtship and rituals, as well as the tone and meaning of her words earlier, he could speculate as to the real purpose behind her deliberate hand movements across his back and shoulders. But again, this was honest, innocent Mipha. He was more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in all this. Nothing sinister to be found here.
And besides, if it was for the actual reason he was thinking of, then he truly wanted nothing more than for it to be the perfect surprise.
For the both of them.
They made it as far as the main entrance to Vah Ruta. They lingered there, saying nothing. Both spared a glance, noticed each other's hesitation, laughed quietly.
Night had firmly settled in, bathing the landscape in sheer darkness. The mood was quiet, solemn, and peaceful. And they simply didn't want to leave. Not now. Not yet.
After standing there for some time, Link finally took the initiative. He grabbed Mipha by the hand, leading her to the pedestal sitting near the entrance. They sat down there, side by side, backs against the column, gazing out across the calm waters of the eastern reservoir. The moon was nearly full that night, reflecting its beautiful white light across the water's surface. There wasn't a single place in the entire world that either of them would rather be.
It was nearly midnight. Surely the others would be wondering just what was keeping the pair away from the domain for so long. But both Link and Mipha found that, in this moment, they could not be bothered to care.
Link produced a small blanket from his rucksack, draping it across them. The warmth of their bodies fended off the cool night air, and Mipha carefully rested her head on Link's shoulder. His right arm found its place on Mipha's right shoulder, and the two of them sighed quietly.
Their embrace tightened, their eyes slowly closed. And soon, they fell asleep, together, just like that.
Face to face, chest to chest, heart to heart.
"Do you think we can do it?" Mipha asked.
Dento nodded. "I cannot guarantee that it will be quite as good as the original…" He said. "But we'll give it our best shot."
Mipha had brought the pieces of the Silverscale Spear to the Zora smithy, Dento. Rather than simply getting it fixed, she was hoping to do something a little bit extra for Link.
Dento was the original creator of her precious Lightscale Trident. He'd gifted the weapon to her on the day she was born, and it was easily one of the finest weapons he had ever produced. Creating a duplicate would be difficult… but he was confident that he could get it done.
Unfortunately, Link and Zelda had quickly departed that morning, on their way back to Gerudo Desert. Mipha was mildly upset that were unable to replace Link's spear in time for his seventeenth birthday tomorrow. But she was also encouraged by Dento's confidence in his craftsmanship. If they could complete the weapon in time for the next scheduled rendezvous of the Champions at Hyrule Castle in two months... then it would still be a nice surprise for Link indeed.
Mipha reflected on the memory of Link wielding her Lightscale trident during their battle with the Lynel. She looked forward to eventually seeing him bear one of his very own. She smiled to herself.
A trident... really did suit him quite well, she mused.
Meanwhile, Link and Zelda made their way on horseback down the mountain road from Zora's Domain. They were leaving much earlier than expected. The previous night, Zelda had noticed some issues with Vah Naboris's readings on her Sheikah Slate. As much as they had enjoyed their brief stay at the domain, their duties sadly remained. They were, after all, reaching the endgame for their preparations for Calamity Ganon's return - and they simply could not afford to ignore even the slightest malfunction of any of the divine beasts at this point. Still, Link found himself mildly frustrated at their abrupt departure. Zelda noticed, but was careful not to remark on this.
"From what I can gather," she said, staring at her Sheikah Slate as their horses trotted down the path, "There are some bizarre energy spikes in Vah Naboris's feet. We'll have to investigate the situation. These spikes are causing its steps to be erratic, out-of-sync…" she paused, put her slate down, and glanced over at Link.
He was staring off into space, hardly acknowledging Zelda's words. Her expression turned somber, her eyes became downcast as she looked carefully at him.
Much to her disappointment… Link's silent, cold persona had returned just as quickly as it had gone.
And reflecting on the scene that she had flusteredly stumbled upon that morning... two souls, quietly asleep in each other's arms... she found herself slowly beginning to share in Link's deep, solemn, profound heartache.
I've been eagerly awaiting this chapter myself for some time. It includes some of the scenes I wrote long before this fic even started, and it amazes me the direction this story has turned, while still adhering to what I had originally envisioned.
Thanks for your readership. And I hope you look forward to Chapter 15: Old Demons.
