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Link attempted to clear his face of any dirt as he made his way to meet King Dorephan. The Zora guards had relayed to him that they had been expecting him and that the king was ready to have an audience with him.
The sound of the rushing water, the cool air, and the bright luminous buildings and bridges. He was finally here. It almost didn't seem real, it looked exactly the same. The feeling of deja vu he had experienced at Gerudo Town hit him tenfold.
"So this is where you grew up? It's pretty." The fairy's little voice echoed in his head. ' Yeah…' Link half heartedly replied, in a daze.
His armor clanging with every step he took, Link made his way up towards the throne room. Going up the steps, Link had immediately put his attention to the space where Mipha's statue was supposed to be. Looking at the empty space, a shallow pool, reassured him that the Zora princess was alive and well.
With his heart pounding in his chest, Link entered the throne room after a guard had announced his presence. It made him feel embarrassed and sheepish that he had been introduced as 'Link, the hero of Hyrule.'
Now that the world knew him by that title he felt the weight of it crushing him down once more. 'I have to act like the perfect knight once more.' Link thought to himself a little tiredly, but nonetheless resolute. Link put on his familiar stoic mask and bowed deeply to the larger than life King Dorephan.
"Welcome to Zora's Domain, hero. It is an honor to welcome you." The enormous king kindly spoke to Link. "Both King Roam and Chief Urbosa wrote to me, regarding your arrival and what it entailed." He looked at Link with his bright golden eyes.
Link hadn't realized how anxious he was about King Dorephan's well being until he saw him. The memories of a dying Deku Tree and King Roam flashed through his head. He was happy to see that the king was in good health. It amused Link slightly that King Dorephan was always a constant and good presence to him.
"The honor is mine, King Dorephan. I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances." Link kept himself as straight as a pin and spoke with a clear, confident voice.
"Hm yes, it is a pity that things now have gotten to this point." The king frowned. "But nonetheless, we will unite and fight this great evil." Dorephan's large, dark-blue finned hand went to stroke his chin thoughtfully.
"I understand, knight, that you have traveled to the Domain to seek out our princess." Dorephan's golden eyes pierced Link's blue ones with intensity. Link inwardly flinched. It was no secret that the Zora King loved his children dearly.
Link bowed his head, "yes Your Majesty, I must speak with Princess Mipha." He stated, guilt rising up his throat.
"I presume with the intent to take her on your travels to save Hyrule." King Dorephan smiled sadly at the knight. It was not a question. "Urbosa had informed me in her letter that you were searching for the four champions that resided throughout all of Hyrule. An instinct in me told me who the champion from the Domain was."
"King Dorephan, if Princess Mipha chooses to come with me, I will protect her with my life." Link swore to the king by kneeling down. ' I would sooner lose a limb than have any harm come to her.'
"I know my daughter will feel bound to her duty and accept her role as your champion." The proud king spoke with resignation. "Thank you for your oath, it does alleviate my worries a bit. My intuition tells me you are a trustworthy man."
Link wished he knew what the right thing to say was, all he could do was give another bow. Shitty circumstances, indeed.
King Dorephan gave him a knowing look. "Young man, you must be tired from your nonstop travels and this heavy conversation. Feel free to relax for the rest of the night. I'll have a guard escort you to your designated room. We will have a meeting with the council and Mipha tomorrow morning." The king's low but soothing voice rang throughout the throne room.
Tomorrow…
Link bowed deeply and excused himself, thankful he could rest and mentally prepare for meeting everyone else. He followed the guard and he seemed to be about Link's age physically although he couldn't be too sure. Zoras and Hylians aged at vastly different rates.
Once inside the room, Link noticed that it was the room that was typically given to very important foreign guests. He recalled that Zelda stayed in this room whenever they visited the Domain to check on Vah Ruta.
Link sighed.
The anxious feeling he had felt before he went to see Urbosa was now rearing its ugly head at full force.
It was strange that this was practically his home but he felt like a total stranger. Link himself didn't remember much and it made him feel anxious. He just prayed to Hylia that Mipha would be understanding like Urbosa had been. If she refuses to come along… Link didn't want to finish the thought. 'Calm down, idiot. You haven't even met her yet.' He tried to reassure himself.
He was such a fool. Hadn't he been sulking for days because he couldn't get here fast enough? Hadn't he wanted to see Mipha long before this opportunity was even given to him? It annoyed him to no end that someone he didn't even remember all that well had such a strong hold on him. These confusing emotions were only brought out when the Zora Princess was involved.
Link removed his armor and entered the shallow pool in the room. He willed his muscles to relax and took deep, calming breaths.
He was aware that he could not put the Zora Princess on a pedestal. The Mipha he had known - and painfully forgotten - was gone. 'Zelda was right, I should've worked harder to move on. What a damn shame.' Link sulked to himself and tried to submerge deeper into the pool. He felt strangely defeated.
He knew what he had to do. With a heavy heart, Link steeled his emotions and locked them away in the deepest recess of his heart. He wasn't here to fool around, Link understood very well how important it was to see his responsibility through. He was going to detach himself from his emotions like he had when he was appointed as Zelda's personal knight over 100 years ago.
Link stood up from the water, dried up, and made his way to the bed in silence. As he plopped down on the large bed, he prayed to Hylia to give him reprieve from dreams, good and bad alike.
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Link slowly opened his bright blue eyes, reluctant to face the day. His body was on autopilot as he tried to keep his mind blank, only focusing on his ultimate goal. Defeat Demise.
With his armor and helmet secure, Link made his way up to the throne room once more. The clanging of the armor was a familiar and comfortable noise for the knight. He was glad that he could distract himself from what was about to take place.
As he climbed higher and higher up the steps, Link's heart began to pound. He was embarrassed that he had to use a good deal of his concentration to keep his face completely stoic. A guard noticed him and announced his presence to the people in the throne room. Once inside, Link kneeled to King Dorephan and bowed to the council members that were present.
"Greetings, young knight! We will be able to begin our meeting as soon as Mipha and her tutor, Councilman Muzu, arrive." The large king stated in a low, soothing voice. Link bowed his head in acknowledgement. He could feel how clammy his hands had become.
After a few moments of silence, one of the old council members could be heard grumbling about "the audacity of the lowly Hylian knight, trying to take the princess from the Domain." Link kept his eyes forward and stood as straight as could be, his expression unchanging.
Before King Dorephan could scold the councilman, a guard announced the presence of Princess Mipha and Councilman Muzu. Link immediately turned around and gave a deep bow, keeping his head down. He couldn't bring himself to look at her.
"Princess, it is an honor to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I am Link, a Hylian Knight, keeper of the Master Sword." Link wondered if his voice sounded strange.
"I am Mipha. I hope I can be of help to you and your mission." Hearing her voice with his own ears made his heart ache. It was sweet and melodic. 'She's alive. She's alive and so are the other champions. This is real. I must defeat Demise to keep everyone safe.' Link thought to himself, still bowing deeply to the princess.
With great reluctance, Link stood straight to look at the princess and councilman. When Link finally looked at her he was shocked at how petite Mipha was. Her slender face, adorned with wide, amber eyes and full red lips was beautiful. The red scales on her arms and legs gave her an exotic otherworldly look. The silver jewelry on her head, chest, arms, waist, and legs made her graceful figure look regal. Link was in awe.
"It's considered rude to stare, Hylian. Mind your manners." Muzu snapped angrily at the young knight. Link bowed his head and quickly turned to look back at King Dorephan. His stoic face was unchanging. 'Damn ancient councilmen and their grudges.' Link thought to himself, half amused and half annoyed. He tried his best to ignore his pounding heart.
"We have important matters to discuss. Now let's get started." The large king's eyes intensely looked at everyone in the room. "The ancient Deku Tree is dying and has foretold the arrival of Demise." Everyone in the room looked up at their king in shock. "Link has freed the Master Sword and needs the assistance of champions from distinguished places in Hyrule. The Hylian King and the Gerudo Chief have started to set things in order to protect Hyrule and its people. We must take part immediately" The king's voice sounded resolute.
All the council members began to speak among themselves, clearly distressed by the news. Dorephan lifted his large right hand to silence everyone. "We will assist by lending our soldiers and knights to the cause, I will allow for three council members to travel to Central Hyrule and help advise King Roam, and most importantly, our princess will personally aid the hero in defeating Demise if she so wishes." Dorephan finished, his sharp golden eyes looked sadly at his only daughter.
Protests were immediately brought up. The councilmen yelled over each other to let their displeasure be known. Each vehement protest was a blow to Link's pride.
Dorephan raised his hand once more. "As I said, it will be Mipha's choice. We all know she is more than capable but it does not make it hurt any less." Everyone then turned to look at the Zora Princess. Link noticed she did not flinch away from their demanding looks.
However, to Link's horror, Mipha walked up to him and stated in a melodic voice that it would be her pleasure to assist him and that she would try her best. Link felt like a villain, stealing a beloved princess from her home and putting her in harm's way. Even though he felt like a villain, the relief that flooded his veins could not be ignored.
Link's heart skipped a beat at her words. ' I can protect her now.' Even though most of the council members were still protesting, Link removed his helmet and kneeled in front of Mipha and stated in a loud, clear voice, "Princess, I am honored to receive your help. In return I will protect you with my life." Link noticed that the room had gone quiet.
He stood tall and looked at Mipha to show his sincerity. The look on her face looked like she was staring at a ghost.
The red-finned girl looked at him in surprise with her honey pooled eyes. "H-have you visited the Domain before?" Her melodic voice dripped with shock and disbelief. She recognizes me?!
The question had caught him so off guard that he dropped his stoic mask and raised his eyebrows and rudely asked, "huh?"
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