Chapter 30 - Love and Memories
Summary: Zelda reminisces a bit before getting an update on Purah's and Robbie's research. Sidon plays big uncle as Mipha and Link share married life.
It was early morning as the sun cast its first light into the intimate private dining room in the heart of Hyrule Castle's living quarters. Queen Zelda was seated alone there, savoring the delicate flavor of her morning tea and relishing the tranquil solitude along with the sun's warmth on her face as it shone through the tall windows. The early hours were a sacred time for her, a calm retreat for her thoughts before the bustle of court life began. She used this time to review reports from the previous night and map out the coming day's events. And sometimes also to reminisce.
But today brought something she looked forward to. Unlike some mornings consumed with minister meetings, she planned to visit the Royal Ancient Tech Lab today and learn what was new. It had been a week since a chest of ancient Sheikah documents had been discovered in a tunnel below the castle, and she wondered how their translation was faring and if they held any valuable secrets.
A ray of sunlight reflected off an ornate silver spoon resting by her teacup and caught her eye. It was one of the old family possessions that had miraculously survived the castle's destruction. She remembered that spoon with its peculiarly shaped handle, as her mother used to stir her tea with it. And like so many places and things in the castle, it and the family dining room held childhood memories for her.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart! Father and I had that fruit cake you love so much made for your special day," said her mother as she placed a cake decorated with six candles before her.
"The fruit cake your mother also loves, by the way," said her father, making her mother laugh. "But yes, happy birthday!" he continued. "Six years old already! You're growing up so fast, Zelda."
"Now, close your eyes and make a wish, sweetheart," said her mother."
Then she made a wish she didn't remember and blew out the candles.
It was a happy birthday, maybe her happiest. But sadly, most of her early memories, like this one, were bittersweet. Her seventh birthday was quite different, though her father tried his best to bring joy into a somber atmosphere. But nothing was ever the same after her mother passed.
Her breakfast had been a delicious mushroom omelet, a simple yet flavorful dish that coaxed a wistful smile onto her face. That, too, had brought back a memory, though a happier one she could still laugh at. The taste of it whisked her back to a memorable episode with Link when he served as her knight attendant.
They had been riding silently side-by-side on a cloudy, cool evening, their journey stretching into the twilight as they guided their weary horses past the serene waters of Baltrea Lake. Their journey back to Hyrule Castle was taking longer than expected, extended by an unforeseen rain delay that forced them to seek temporary shelter under a tree.
She hadn't minded the delay: it was a chance to converse with Link, draw him out a bit, and perhaps learn more about his thoughts and feelings. Sadly, though, she invariably did most of the talking, no matter how hard she tried. Link was certainly the strong silent type!
But it was getting late now, and pesky Keese were beginning to flit about the night air, their presence hinting at the encroaching darkness. She hated Keese. Besides their ability to inflict a nasty bite, she always worried about one getting tangled up in her hair, which would definitely make her panic! It was then that Link broke the silence.
"I suggest we stay the night at Riverside Stable, just up ahead," Link suggested, his voice carrying the weight of their shared fatigue. "We and our steeds could use the rest, and the night is fast approaching."
"A good idea," Zelda concurred, relief washing over her as they continued the brief journey to the welcoming glow of the Riverside Stable.
There, Link entrusted their horses to the hands of the stable master and secured beds for the night. Both she and Link quickly fell asleep, awakening simultaneously as a sunny morning painted the sky with soft, welcoming colors.
"Good morning, Highness," greeted Link, stretching his arms. "I trust you slept well?"
"Indeed, I did," replied Zelda. "Yesterday's lengthy ride took a toll on me. However, I'm rejuvenated now, thank you."
"Great! And there's nothing like a good, hearty breakfast to start the day," Link chimed in, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "How about a tasty mushroom omelet?"
"That sounds delightful," Zelda agreed, giving Link an approving nod before promising to join him by the cooking pot in a few minutes.
She had learned that meals were vitally important to Link, and while he tended to emphasize quantity over quality, his cooking skills were quite good with recipes he was familiar with.
Eager to start breakfast, Link set off to retrieve the ingredients. However, as he peered into his satchel, his heart sank.
"Oh, no! I've run out of eggs!" he lamented, his words echoed by the silence of the early morning air.
His eyes scanned the area, settling on a flock of Cuccos kept at the stable.
"I'm sure the proprietor won't mind," he reasoned, preparing to collect the much-needed eggs. "They're for the Princess of Hyrule, after all."
Link unsheathed his sword and gently nudged some nearby Cuccos, prompting them to relinquish their eggs. The bounty was carefully collected in his travel-worn cloak. Standing by the cooking pot, Zelda watched the scene unfold with increasing amusement.
Link's mild disturbance, however, soon attracted the attention of all the Cuccos in the vicinity. Cuccos swarmed and aggressively pursued Link, their indignant clucking echoing around the stable. Link hastily retreated, holding his cloak away from his body to protect the collected eggs from being shattered underfoot as he sought sanctuary in the stable.
"Argh! Get away!" Link cried out with his head bowed to shield his face.
Zelda, barely able to contain her mirth, broke into fits of laughter, tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched her knight hero frantically scramble for cover. After several minutes, during which the flock finally calmed down, she saw Link cautiously peek out from his refuge.
"Um, Highness, is it safe yet?" asked Link, his gaze darting around anxiously.
"Yes, you can come out now," Zelda chuckled, wiping away the laughter-induced tears. "Let's just hope Ganon didn't have any spies watching this confrontation," she continued, dissolving into another bout of hysterical laughter. "All he need do is assemble an army of Cuccos to foil our mission!"
"Very amusing, Highness," Link retorted between chuckles, casting wary glances around before daring to step outside. "I'm more worried about Revali finding out than Ganon. I'm sure it would please him no end and give him another reason to boast that he should lead our attack. But I believe we've outwitted our feathered foes for now."
"We? Our? I'm only sorry I wasn't quick enough with my Sheikah Slate, or I would have had quite the memorable picture," Zelda continued with another giggle, sparking off a shared chuckle between them.
"Let's move on to preparing our well-earned breakfast," suggested Link, aiming to regain some semblance of dignity. "Luckily, I already have the spices and mushrooms."
Link set about cooking, and they enjoyed a delicious mushroom omelet before resuming their journey to the castle.
Memories of her days adventuring with Link, full of shared laughter once she overcame her resentment of him, were something she cherished. And speaking of Link and Mipha, she should invite them to the castle to meet Royce. It was only fitting she shared her relationship with Royce with her two dearest friends. They both cared deeply for her and worried about when she would move on with her life. Royce was helping her do just that.
Zelda took another sip of tea and resumed reading some reports, and by the time she finished, it was time to go. Four Royal Guards had already arrived and stood in formation outside the dining room.
The captain bowed before Zelda. "Are you visiting both the lab and academy today, Your Majesty?" he asked. "So we will know where to meet to escort you safely back to the castle."
Zelda shook her head and smiled slightly. "Just the lab today, thank you."
Royce was teaching the science class today, and a visit by her might be too awkward, given their romantic involvement.
As was her custom on fair weather days, Zelda chose to walk to the lab with two guards in front of her and two behind her for protection. It was convenient that the restored lab was so much closer to the castle now, rebuilt over the site of the destroyed prison. She enjoyed the slight breeze as it blew through the trees and noted several squirrels playing about, chasing each other through the branches. Upon arrival at the laboratory, Purah greeted her with a smile.
"Ah, welcome, Your Majesty. Please come in! We have some progress to share with you, or at least I do," said Purah, glancing at Robbie, who frowned at her.
A new row of terrariums filled with various insects occupied the space formerly filled with plants and caught Zelda's immediate attention upon entering the lab. The temperature in the room was pleasantly warm and humid as she observed a collection of caterpillars ranging from green and brown to red and black. Purah noted Zelda's attention to her experiments and immediately began to explain.
"I've moved on from flora to fauna in my reverse-aging experiments," said Purah. "Just insects for now until I collect enough data. Then I will move on to frogs and perhaps lizards. For example, the one caterpillar you see here was a butterfly only yesterday. And here we have larvae that reverse-aged even more. I am accumulating a good deal of data."
She gestured toward one particular terrarium where two larvae squirmed around each other as if fighting before climbing onto leaves, where they appeared almost dead until they started twitching again.
"You feel you are making progress then?"
"Yes, definitely making progress, but nowhere near where I would like to be," said Purah as she shook her head. "Reverse aging is complicated, as it depends upon several factors unique to the subject, such as its mass and natural growth rate. And, of course, one's growth rate is not constant throughout life. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I want to just turn the rune on myself and see what happens."
"Don't you dare do that, Purah!" Zelda exclaimed. "You might hurt yourself."
"I agree with you, Your Majesty," exclaimed Robbie. "That's just the kind of reckless thing you would do, though, wouldn't you, Purah?"
"I'll restrain myself," said Purah with a frown at Robbie. "But anyway, slowly but surely, I am making progress. I still hope to learn enough to apply it to people someday."
Seeing Purah was finished, Robbie's voice was strained as he held up an ancient parchment. The corners of the paper were brittle and tearing, threatening to crumble upon touch. "I wish I had better news to report, Your Majesty, but translating these ancient documents is quite painstaking and taking longer than I hoped," he said.
Zelda leaned in closer, her eyes scanning the obscure script on the page.
"The ancient Hylian they contain is interspersed with symbols that seem to come from another unfamiliar language. I can only attempt to infer their meaning from the context," Robbie continued.
"What other language can that be?" Zelda asked curiously, momentarily breaking away from the parchment to look up at him.
"Something older than ancient Hylian since it is used alongside it," Robbie replied without looking up. "But I do not know what it could be."
"Well, that is certainly interesting," Zelda murmured as she shifted her focus back to the document. "I wonder if the history section of the castle library would be of any help."
Many books had survived the castle's destruction and needed only some restoration and reordering on the shelves.
"Perhaps," Robbie agreed. "I will certainly look into that."
There was a moment of silence, and then Purah spoke up.
"Oh, will you stay and join us for lunch, Your Majesty? I can make an excellent salad with the excess vegetation I use for insect food," said Purah.
Zelda felt her stomach lurch as she glanced around at the extensive collection of insects on display throughout the lab. It wasn't exactly an appetizing sight to behold while attempting to eat.
"Um, no, thank you, Purah," she declined politely. "Perhaps another time. I need to return to the castle soon."
Robbie shot Purah a knowing look and spoke up quickly before any more offers could be made.
"A wise decision, Your Majesty. Dr. Purah can be careless when keeping track of her experiment subjects."
"That was only once," Purah protested weakly before realizing her mistake. "Or, no- I mean twice."
Robbie chuckled dryly before offering a warning in jest. "You never know what you will find in a Purah-made salad."
"And with that delightful thought, which has completely ruined my appetite, I will be off," laughed Zelda. "Thank you for your reports, and please keep me informed of your progress."
The door to the lab creaked open and shut behind her as Zelda made a hasty exit to find the Royal Guard waiting to escort her back to the castle.
Meanwhile, sunlight illuminated the blue-green cliffs and waterfalls around Zora's Domain earlier that day as Sidon prepared to take his niece and nephew swimming at Ruto Lake. He had awoken excited as he had always wanted to be more than just a playmate to them, to prove he could also be a big uncle. The Prince was happy he could repay his sister for all she had done for him growing up by proving he could look after her children when needed.
"Now, don't go too far, Sidon," said his father, King Dorephan. "Stay within two waterfalls of the domain. You know, it's a big responsibility to look after your niece and nephew."
"Yes, I know, Father," said Sidon. "And we will stay safe. I learned a lot during our Rito and Gerudo village trips."
Taking responsibility was part of growing up, and Sidon needed the opportunity to demonstrate his growing maturity. But even so, King Dorephan had already informed the Zora guards to watch for them - just not be too obvious about it.
So, Sidon made his way down the steps from the throne room and then up the eastern path to Mikau Lake, where Raypha and Tidon were already up and had just finished breakfast. Out of consideration for their still-sleeping parents, Raypha and Tidon had tried to keep the noise down as they departed. Then they all laughed as they raced toward Ruto Lake.
At this time, Mipha, a light sleeper, awoke to the sound of their two children leaving the house, and she took her first breath of the day. She was floating beside Link in their slumber pool, the back of Link's head resting on her forearm, his soft hair brushing against her skin. She could never get used to hair's feel—especially how it tickled and teased you like a feather touching your arms—but it certainly looked good on Link. Even his oversized Hylian ears were cute, though she smiled when she remembered their young children feeling sorry for him for having what they thought at the time were stunted fins. He was quite cute!
And he obviously found her attractive, too. She could feel the electricity passing between them every time his gaze met hers with a deep-set love that defied all physical differences. He spoke to her of his desire to feel her smooth skin, something he couldn't resist, and gaze into her gorgeous golden eyes that utterly enchanted him. A warmth filled her chest, thinking of how two people could look past appearances and still feel so drawn to each other.
And then the memory of their visit to Lover's Pond tantalized her, igniting a fire of need within. That trip had been a dream filled with passionate desires fulfilled. The world was forgotten then, and only they existed at that moment, entwined in each other's arms. The waters around them seemed to bubble from the intensity of their lovemaking, and they were oblivious to everything else apart from one another in that blissful time. With every thought of them together, the flames of her passion grew brighter until she knew that she didn't care - it was time for her dear husband to wake up!
Link's first sensation was the feel of Mipha's lips on his and an intensity that trailed from her mouth to his. He opened his eyes to see her beautiful face illuminated by the morning light, and an overwhelming desire surged through him. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close, electricity passing between them as they kissed deeply. Then instinctively, he cupped her face with both hands, careful to avoid the sharp points of her teeth with his tongue as they moved together in a passionate embrace, the heat between them intensifying moment by moment. His heart pounded like thunder as they moved in perfect harmony, once more giving into the temptation of their passionate love. He closed his eyes as his arms encircled her, and they clung to each other in an embrace that seemed to last and last.
"That was incredible," Link whispered breathlessly after finally separating. "What a way to wake up! I could almost believe I'm still dreaming."
Mipha's eyes met Link's, and she ran her fingers through his hair, sending a chill down his spine. She asked tenderly yet slyly, "It was wonderful for me too. Are you happy we married? No regrets?"
Link grinned before replying, "Hmm, can I think about it?"
"Only if you don't mind being tickled until you answer," Mipha replied with a cute grin.
"You know I am happy," Link laughed. "You're as gorgeous as ever, and life with you is like a dream come true. There is nobody else I would rather be with."
Mipha smiled at his passionate reply and said, "Now that's the answer I wanted to hear. You've become quite the romantic, sweetheart. And I feel the same way, of course."
They rested in each other's arms for several more minutes, exchanging a kiss or two every few moments. As they floated serenely together, Link was thinking back to their conversation. Of course, she was teasing, fishing for a compliment, perhaps. She knew very well he was crazy about her. But he wondered how long he could keep her happy and fulfilled. She was still so youthful, but he was …. Then Mipha interrupted his thoughts.
"Come, sweetheart, I'm starving," said Mipha. "I'm dying to bite into something, and if we don't get up soon, it just might be you."
"That's a pleasant thought, dearest," laughed Link, who knew she was teasing. "I'll get the cooking pot ready if you catch the fish. Are our children out already or still fast asleep?"
"Out," said Mipha. "They were planning to meet their Uncle Sidon this morning to go swimming at Ruto Lake, and I heard them leave before you woke up."
They kissed once more, then both got up, and Mipha left to catch breakfast while Link dressed then lit the pot in their kitchen. Mipha soon returned with two Hyrule Bass, and after cooking his fish, he joined her at the table.
"I meant to remark yesterday that our children's essays on the Gerudo trip were quite good," said Link. "Their education is going well."
"Yes, they were, and it is," said Mipha. "And once more your worries proved, how do you Hylians say it, groundless? You always feared they would not get a good education."
"Only because I thought myself not up to the task," Link replied after swallowing a bite of fish. "I never doubted your end of their education process. And what do you Zora's say?"
"We say your worries were shallow. But you are doing a fine job with their education," said Mipha. "Have I ever told you that you worry too much?"
"Does the sun ever rise each day?" Link replied with a chuckle. "I think telling me that and also that I was acting too reckless were common discussion points between you and me."
"You need to worry less and believe in the future, sweetheart, in our future," said Mipha as she reached out and caressed his hand. "I know it holds good things for us."
"Are you a fortune teller now?"
"You'd be surprised," said Mipha. "Trust me."
"I do," said Link. "With all my heart."
Then Link smiled and continued eating his fish. Maybe she was right. After all, she had been so far.