Waking up in a strange bed was becoming an unhealthy habit. I heard bubbling and popping coming from somewhere over my shoulder. The slightly askew shelves on the grey wall, housed an enormous ammonite fossil, comb shell and possibly the largest stuffed crab I had ever seen. A fish skeleton and harpoon were mounted on the other side which I found to be in rather poor taste. Above, the metal lamp creaked as it swung from a chain casting the room in curious shadow.

"Oh good," a wavery, shaky voice said. "Here, drink this."

The steaming cup brought much-needed warmth. I took a sip before promptly spitting out the concoction onto the bedspread. "What is this?" I spluttered.

"How is it? I've been mixing Lake Hylia's water with various unusual compounds." A crooked set of teeth grinned at me. "That sample was taken from behind the waterfall and seasoned with spicy peppers. Doesn't half give a kick, eh? Have some more, it's good stuff. Keeps you healthy and mentally sharp."

"No, thank you. Mr…"

"Doctor Mizumi, marine biologist for my sins. And you would be Ronri, the moron who went to fight a dragon and nearly died, again. Ho ho ho!" He chuckled, causing the blue skull cap he wore to nearly fall off.

I coughed. "That's quite the introduction Yasei has made for me. Is she alright? Oh! The Watarara?"

"Yes, yes," Mizumi soothed. "All fine, a few scrapes nothing more. The Chieftess sends her thanks by the way."

"Where is she? I had some questions about Akisin."

"Well, Elrora mentioned something about nesting season and had to leave with the flock."

"Oh." I hung my head.

"Regarding questions, I do have a few of my own." Thin, bony hands tugged open my nightshirt collar. "We went through countless bandages to stop the bleeding; thought you'd be scarred for life. Yet…" He jabbed at my solar plexus. "…what happened here?"

I pat down my chest and froze. "I don't have an answer for you. I've always healed fast. Whether I stab my finger with a needle, tumble from a wagon or get kicked in the ribs it doesn't matter. By the next day, my injuries are gone."

"I see, curious, as are those portal thingies and the dragon of course."

"Heh, heh, you saw all that?" I smoothed out the creases from my blanket. "You won't tell anyone will you?"

"Hmm, it's rather sad about that tree. It grew here before I even built my laboratory. Apparently, Queen Zora likes to watch the leaves change colour and make autumnal crowns, wreaths and bunting - that sort of thing. The King won't be happy."

"Please, Yasei is counting on her Zora contact. I don't want to cause more trouble for her."

"Settle down, son. I won't dob you in. Who would listen to the ramblings of an old man anyway?" He pushed his spectacles further up his nose. "I've lived here for sixty years. I've seen many fantastical, if unexplainable, phenomena at Lake Hylia. This place is almost like a lightning rod for it."

"Thank you, Dr Mizumi. I must apologize for your late delivery as well. It wasn't Yasei's fault. We were attacked by the Gerudo."

The biologist hummed. "You're quite the pair. Always worrying about the other." He tucked his arms behind his back and shuffled to the other side of the room. Glass bottles of varying shapes and sizes cluttered the wooden desk there. A particularly large one contained a strange green liquid, sea urchins and a metal pipe that appeared to be some form of experiment. The small aquarium next to it housed twin squid that bobbed up and down.

He picked up a scroll with a deep sigh. "I was disappointed, fresh frog eyeballs are delicious - especially when fried in butter."

I threw off the blanket. "I'll catch some more."

"Never mind that." He shook his head. "Let's get you decent. There's a chest up in the observatory tower, should have a few things from my younger days. Uhoy hoy hoo houy hoy! Can't promise about the quality though - patched and a little musty."

"Honestly, anything will be an improvement. The pants weren't covering up much anyway." A sudden thought came to mind. "I'm sure I had a gold necklace?"

Mizumi slid a hand into the pocket of his long white shirt. "Yasei said you might ask for that and what else? Purple slippers... I'll say this for the Gerudo, their fashion sense is very odd." He pressed the necklace into my palm and a piece of honey candy. "You might need this. Should have seen her face when I explained it was an engagement collar."

You didn't? I cringed. That will be a fun conversation.

Satisfied that my injuries had healed, Mizumi suggested some fresh air. I waved goodbye to the orange octopus in the larger aquarium. Its shining black eyes stared back sadly as I closed the door.

Outside, an enthusiastic sign read: 'Lakeside Laboratory. Daily trying to get to the bottom of the mysteries of Lake Hylia!'

So, despite everything, I made it here at last.

In the distance, the water sparkled and lapped gently at the grassy bank. To the east, I spotted the pitiful water birch, scratched and torn. Its remaining branches reached out like grasping fingers, probably wondering where the treetop had gone. Scattered green leaves floated on the surface, the only clue of what had once been. My face greeted the sun. Far more forgiving in this part of Hyrule than the scorching desert. With chaos forgotten, my shoulders sagged in relief.

A sharp bark disturbed the peace. I turned, saw the scarecrows in floppy wide brim hats and red scarves. There's tilted earth, sown with turnips and sweetcorn. Yasei pulls up weeds, a big pile already amassed at her feet. Yellow butterflies dance in her hair as she shoos them away. Suddenly I can't stop smiling. A desire to capture this moment in my brain prevents me from moving. In such rare respite, I feel utterly content.

After a few sloppy licks, Kilton rebuked me in his own unique way. Alternating between whines, yips and nipping at my shirt. Trying to tell me everything that had happened as if I had no idea what was going on.

"Enough, I haven't forgiven you for what you did, silly thing. I'm not a cushion to sit on." The husky jumped up and I pushed back against him. "There are some commands you should ignore. Stop, I'm quite cross with you. Kilton, I mean it, heel."

"Enjoying yourself?" Yasei smirked before returning to her task.

"No, I'm not. Call him off, would you? We need to talk."

A long, low whistle finally put an end to the doggy assault. Kilton's sharp blue eyes pinned me down. 'Don't upset her,' they said, 'or I'll pee in your shoes while you sleep.' With that, he ran off to chase the darner dragonflies by the bank.

Yasei dusted off the loose soil from her fingers. The yellow jumper hung like a tent on her. A pair of suspenders held up trousers already rolled several times at the waist and ankles. She sat back and stretched her legs. "You got a bone to pick with me?"

I threw the honey candy, which she caught easily. "A bone? More like an entire Stalchild!"

"Sit down, moron, you're blocking the view." She unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth. Her gaze focused on the nearby stone columns carved with three interlocking crescent moons and spheres. One had surrendered to the passing of time and lay in crumbled pieces overgrown with moss. "I love this part of the world, so pretty."

I couldn't argue. Behind us, fields of wildflowers swept down the hills that led to the lake. The impressive cliffs of Gerudo Valley framed the eastern border, along with clusters of spruce trees. Fishing boats bobbed in the water like corks and the chirrup of blue sparrows filled the air. It seemed a crime to spoil the calm, but spoil it I must.

"Your complete lack of self-preservation drives me insane." Yasei bit her bottom lip. "It is not amusing."

She tapped my leg with a sandalled foot. "Didn't like being left behind, huh?"

"Do you know how it feels to see your best friend running towards a dragon? I thought my heart would give out."

"Aww, you were worried about me."

"Of course, I was!" My cheeks flamed and I couldn't look her in the eye. "The mere thought of you getting hurt, I… I can't stand it."

"Well, now you know how I felt when you left the village, went to war, learnt magic spells, fought dark magicians and got engaged to a Gerudo!"

"That was a complete misunderstanding and don't change the subject." I raked both hands through my hair. "Please have more respect for your life. You're important. So very, very important."

"To who? Pa? Ma? Kilton?"

"Must I say it out loud?" She cocked her head to one side, cheeks still sucking on the sweet. "To me, Yasei. You're important to me."

The wind blew trails of white, feathered dandelion seeds across the lake.

"Wow, even more important than your masks?"

"Now I didn't quite say that."

"You bokoblin's arse!" She smacked my arm. We smiled at each other.

"When you wear a mask, you can be whoever you want to be. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, and I asked if it made you happy."

I slipped my hand into hers. "Pretending to be someone else doesn't, but whenever I make a mask – I think of you, and that makes me happy."

Her eyes crinkled at the edges. "Not sure if I find that romantic or disturbing. I mean, most people just give flowers or say nice things."

"Oh, are we like most people?"

"Fair point." She paused. "You're definitely not."

"Does that bother you?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

The heat of the midday sun accentuated the saccharine sweet smell of flowers, as we came to rest under the shade of a tree. Yasei snuggled under my arm and sighed. I kissed her brown curls even though they tickled my chin.

"Young love will become deep affection…" she said dreamily.

"Pardon?"

"I've just remembered, I met Tilo in this spot. He was playing his lyre and spouting the Serenade of Water. I wanted to ask him what the drivel meant but I scared him. He jumped in the water there." She pointed towards the stone columns. "Thing is, it's too shallow and he bumped his head. Don't laugh, I had to drag him out."

"Not the best start to a working partnership."

"Nah, Tilo's one of the most laid-back people I know. He was like, 'woah, Hylian, you saved my tail fin, who are you?' Then we got chatting."

I could picture that. She had a knack for befriending complete strangers. In fact, Yasei must have similar stories for all the trading links she'd set up.

"See the emblem in the stone?" I nodded. "That's the Zora Sapphire; a spiritual stone and the Zora equivalent of an engagement ring. If the King were to have a daughter, she would give the stone to her beloved. I swear, the Zora are the soppiest race in Hyrule."

"Yasei?"

"Mmm."

"Is there anywhere you haven't been in the world?"

"Well." She sat up straight and caressed hair behind my ears. "I've never been inside Kokiri Forest, I wanna go there. I keep seeing little kids dressed in green hiding behind the trees - they're super shy. I trade them fish for a basket of deku nuts they leave by the bridge. Oh, and The Lost Woods, heard some crazy rumours about that place."

I coughed lightly. "We should go there next, together."

"Really?"

Her smile had always been too bright, simply wasted in my direction. I didn't understand why she picked me. Yet, in all the regrets of my life, our kiss at Lake Hylia on that glorious day could never be one of them.