Chapter 78 - Family Reunion- Part Two
Summary: Astra reunites with her father's side of the family amid surprises on both sides.
As Astra walked up the path towards Mikau Lake, the soft morning rain had lightened to a drizzle, doing little more than caressing her face in a gentle mist as the hood she had the presence of mind to wear kept her short blonde hair dry. The landscape was familiar and unchanged: towering evergreen trees stood tall with their branches swaying in the breeze while the occasional pink and purple shrub lined the edges of the path. A sleek Grassland Fox was foraging for food amidst the grass to her right, not far from where a pair of spindly-legged Blue-Winged Herons took flight upon her approach.
As she walked, Astra mentally calculated the ages of her family members in this timeline. It was still the first day of the third month in both timelines, but the year here was 61 instead of 145.
Considering her Hylian relatives first, her sister Zelda turned 33 last month, and her brother Linky would also turn 33 in a couple of months. Confusingly, both of her parents utilized Purah's age-reducing rune in this timeline, making her father Link 45 years old and her mother Zelda only 38.
Turning to the Zoras in her family, it was well known that Zoras had a drastically different growth and aging process compared to Hylians, making it challenging to equate their age in years to their stage of life. While a Hylian was considered an adult at age seventeen, a Zora didn't reach legal adulthood until they were forty, and even then, some were still not yet fully grown and had part of their growth spurt to look forward to. Moreover, Zoras under one hundred years old were still considered young in the Zora community, while few Hylians even lived to such an advanced age. Anyway, Mila and Midon would both be 42 now, while Lapha was still an adolescent at 33. Tila and Linky's daughter Tara was twelve and a half. But Astra recalled everyone still looked and acted quite youthful. Clearly, the aging process for Zoras differed significantly from that of Hylians.
As she approached the family residence, the sound of cascading water from the first waterfall that divided the lake grew louder, competing with joyful laughter and lively chatter. Astra caught sight of several figures she recognized frolicking in the crystal-clear waters, namely Mila, Linky, and Tara. But there were two others she didn't recognize—a blue Zora infant splashing happily about and a lighter blue male adult Zora alongside her and obviously playing with her. She was close enough now to make out some conversation.
"With Midon away, I still think I can give you a good race wearing Tila's armor, Sis," said Linky, his voice carrying over the noise of the falls.
"I'll eat a cooked fish the day I lose a water race to a Hylian, dear little brother," Mila replied confidently. "Let's go!"
And with that, Mila and Linky took off up the waterfall, leaving Tara and the two others behind.
As Astra neared the shore, it was Tara who first noticed her arrival.
"Oh, Wow! Look who's here!" Tara exclaimed, pointing towards Astra.
The adult male Zora turned towards Astra.
"Blessed Nayru! I don't believe it!" Link gasped in amazement and quickly began making his way to shore, carrying baby Lanka in his arms.
"I'll go tell my Dad and Aunt Mila," said Tara, who turned and promptly swam up the falls.
"Astra! Is it really you?" Link asked in surprise upon reaching shore but understandably saw no sign of recognition from Astra. "It's me … your father."
Astra couldn't believe her eyes. Her father, who she once thought she would never see again, was apparently standing before her … however, not as she remembered him - but as a Zora.
"Dad? You're…a Zora now?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes, but though my form has changed, it's still me inside. I've missed you so much, sweetheart!" Link continued, reaching out with one arm as he held Lanka in the other and giving Astra a hug.
"Wow! Is it truly you?" Astra said with wonder after a brief hug and then pulled back to look at his face. "I can't believe it, Dad."
Link smiled warmly at his daughter, his blue eyes filled with affection and happiness. "Yes, it is me, Astra," he said. "And my heart is overflowing with more joy right now than I ever imagined. I never thought I would ever see you again except in my dreams."
"I never did either, and I am thrilled to have the chance. But when did this happen, Dad?" Astra asked, gesturing to his transformed form.
"About six months after you departed, sweetheart. I made this choice for love so I could remain by Mipha's side for as long as possible," Link explained tenderly. "Oh, and please meet your newest nephew - Lanka, Tila's and Linky's two-year-old son."
Lanka gurgled happily, reaching out a tiny hand towards her.
"Oh my," Astra breathed, gently taking Lanka's hand. "He's so cute. I can't believe I have a nephew now too!"
Link chuckled, bouncing Lanka gently. "He's a handful, but he brings so much joy to all of us. Tila and Linky are wonderful parents."
As if on cue, there was a series of splashes from the lake as Linky, Mila, and Tara came sliding down the waterfall and rushed over to Astra.
"Astra!" Linky exclaimed as he embraced Astra. "You're back! We've all missed you!"
Mila followed close behind, her eyes shining with tears of joy. "Astra," she said softly, joining the hug. "Welcome back."
Then Astra hugged Tara.
"Hi Aunt Astra," said Tara. "It's wavy to see you again! I hope you haven't forgotten how to dance. I had the most fun dancing with you at your birthday party."
"Tara, you've grown," chuckled Astra as they embraced. "And I think I can still manage to dance unless they invented some new ones since I've been gone."
"Come inside and greet Mipha and Tila," said Link. "And tell us how you are and how it's possible you're here."
"I can stay with Lanka here in the lake," said Tara. "He's still too full of energy to sit still while you talk."
"Thanks, sweetheart. That would be perfect," said Link, handing Lanka to Tara who immediately returned to the water, carrying him in her arms.
Then, everyone entered the house as Mipha and Tila were busy putting away washed dishes.
"We have an unexpected guest, dear," Link announced.
"Astra!" Mipha exclaimed. "You're back! This is wonderful!"
"Yes, but only to visit," said Astra as she and Mipha hugged. "I must return when my visit is over, but now I can travel here anytime."
Then Astra exchanged a hug with Tila.
"You have a cute little boy to go with your remarkable daughter, Tila," said Astra.
"Thank you," Tila replied. "They're both wonderful children, though mischievous on occasion. And believe me, I'm doubly happy to see you, Astra. I recently learned of your ability to travel here, but my sister, Queen Faray, insisted I keep it secret. It's been tearing my heart apart to do so."
"That must have been very hard for you," Astra agreed.
"Oh, Tara's staying with Lanka at the lake so we can talk, sweetheart," Linky explained to Tila.
"Come, let's all sit down," said Link. "There are so many things I want to know that I can't even think what to ask first."
"You're at a loss for words, sweetheart?" teased Mipha. "That should convince Astra it's really you."
"Very funny, dearest," Link replied as everyone laughed.
"Just tell us everything that's happened to you since you left, Astra, so I can include it in Dad's journal," said Mila.
"That would take ages, Mila, and definitely more than one visit," laughed Astra. "But I'll go over the highlights. Forgive me if my story is disorganized, but I'm so thrilled to see all of you after missing you so much that I can't think straight."
"You could talk Zora baby talk, and I wouldn't care sweetheart," said Link, gently squeezing her hand. "Just having you here again means more than any words could possibly matter."
Astra felt overwhelmed with emotion as she was surrounded by her family. She had never dreamed this moment could happen, and the reality of so many family present was even more amazing than she expected. Astra went over the events that occurred, with Link often interrupting with questions about people, places, and events.
"I knew all that combat training would pay off!" Link said proudly upon hearing how Astra helped defeat the Yiga Clan. "Had I remained there, that burden would have probably fallen to me."
"Had you stayed there, you would probably be the King of Hyrule now," Mipha chuckled.
"Speaking of that, how is Zelda doing, Astra?" Link continued.
"To use a musical term, Dad, what a smooth segue!" Mila laughed.
"Zelda is doing better than when I first arrived, which was a week after the Yiga Clan took her husband's life. With all of you gone from my life, we both felt the pain of losing people we loved, so we were able to find comfort in each other. I've become the child she always wanted. And I can tell she still thinks of you often, Dad, sharing memories of times you spent together."
"I'm sorry for her loss, but I'm glad you were able to comfort her," said Link sadly.
Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then Linky spoke up,
"Astra, you still haven't mentioned how you came into possession of this ability to cross timelines," said Linky. "It seems a remarkable achievement."
"From what I understand, it's due to North Hyrule's ability to insulate itself from Hyrule, so it is unaffected by time travel events and can access both timelines," said Astra. "I'm sure someone like Dr. Purah could explain it better. But let me at least tell you what Aldora, the Sheikah from North Hyrule, told me."
It was after Astra finished explaining what was discussed during her meeting with Aldora that Mipha asked a question.
"So the rule the Sheikah from North Hyrule have imposed upon this process is that no travel between timelines is permitted by people who exist in both timelines?" Mipha asked.
"Yes, to avoid complications of some sort is what Aldora told me," Astra replied.
"So, in theory, I could visit my father and brother in the other timeline?" Mipha continued.
"I … guess so," Astra nodded hesitantly. "Though it sounded like the Sheikah wanted to preserve some degree of secrecy about this, so perhaps you would need to meet with them privately."
"And presumably, I could visit Zelda," said Link. "Though I wonder how she would react to my being like this now? The other her here wasn't too keen on it the first time it happened."
"Before anyone floats too far downstream with ideas for cross-timeline visits, are we sure this form of travel is one hundred percent safe, and there is no chance of it falling to work?" said Mila. "What can you tell us about the safety and reliability of this timeline travel?"
Astra paused, considering her words carefully. "From what I understand, the technology is quite advanced and has been thoroughly tested. The Sheikah scientists who developed it are confident in its safety. However, as with any new technology, there must be a small element of risk."
Linky leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. "And what about the ethical implications? Is there any danger of altering events or causing unintended consequences by visiting another timeline?"
"That's partly why the rules are in place," Astra explained. "The Sheikah are very cautious about potential paradoxes or timeline disruptions. But I think just visiting loved ones wouldn't cause any harm, as long as we're discreet and everyone can maintain a secret. I'm somewhat unique in that respect since my presence in either timeline is neither secret nor unexpected now."
"And Just imagine it was a page from my history book that put all this into motion," said Mila. "I can't wait to tell Midon my book proved valuable once again. He's always teasing me about it, acting like it's too boring."
"Where are Midon and Lapha, by the way?" Astra asked.
"We don't see as much of either of them these days," said Mipha. "Lapha is usually busy at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab or on a field trip overseeing excavations in the Faron region."
"And when my brother Midon isn't busy working, he's usually away in North Hyrule spending time in saltwater with the lovely Tiray," said Mila.
"Tiray?" Astra asked.
"Oh, yes, that happened while you were gone, just under eight months ago," said Link. "She's Ambassador Laray's younger sister whom we thought that evil witch Vera killed in the year 38 by having her fall into a ferry's propulsion. But it turned out Tiray was only incapacitated and recovered somehow thanks to the Ancient Energy she consumed through her gills and was immersed in for a time. I can tell you the full story when there's time."
"Anyway, Midon is practically an honorary citizen of North Hyrule these days," Mila chuckled. "He even said the other day how much he's enjoying time in salt water.
"It's kind of like spicy food, Mi," Midon told me. "I'm beginning to like the taste and feel."
"In the water itself or on Tiray's lips?" I teased him.
I can't resist making Midon blush pink, especially after all the teasing I endured from him over Kendal.
"Very funny, Mi," said Midon. "But I have to go now."
This is especially amusing because it was not long ago, the night before Lanka hatched, in fact, that Midon complained, "I still can't get used to sleeping in saltwater, but I'll manage somehow."
"It's amazing what love can do to you," laughed Link.
"And what about Lapha?" Astra asked.
"She's more or less Dr. Purah's protege and enjoys being immersed in her work," said Mila. "Ironically, she often consults with the same Aldora you met about any ancient Sheikah artifacts uncovered during excavation work."
"Now I've told you quite a bit about me," said Astra. "I'd love to learn what's happened with all of you since I left."
The conversation continued through dinner, with Tara putting Lanka to sleep, until Astra finally said she needed to go.
"I want to spend some time with my Mother at Hyrule Castle before returning to my timeline," said Astra. "I missed her when I visited my sister."
"Of course," said Link. "She must be dying to see you as I would be in her place."
Astra hugged each family member goodbye.
"I'll be back soon," she promised. "There's so much more to catch up on."
"Can I accompany you for a minute before you leave?" said Link. "Let's go outside."
"Of course, Dad."
As they emerged from the house, a cool breeze greeted them, and the scent of pine trees filled the air. The waters of Mikau Lake were just a stone's throw away, and the stillness of the early evening was only broken by the buzzing of insects and the roar of the nearby waterfall. The sky was tinged with a hint of pink as the sun began to set, casting a pale glow across the landscape. And as if on cue, tiny Sunset Fireflies danced around a nearby tree, their bodies flickering on and off like miniature yellow stars in the growing darkness.
"I hope … that my change to a Zora hasn't affected you too much," said Link. "I know it must be a shock - perhaps more than my shock at seeing you again."
"It's a surprise, Dad, I won't deny it," said Astra. "And it will take some getting used to. But I will. I know it's the same you, and we share the same memories of all our past times together. I admire what you did for Mipha and your family. It was the right thing to do, and nobody should fault that."
"I'm glad you understand," said Link. "You know how much I love you and always will."
"I know every time I look up at the stars in the sky, Dad," said Astra. "And I love you just as much."
They hugged, and Link kissed her gently on the cheek.
"Now I really should go," said Astra. "I don't want to keep my mother waiting too long."
Astra took out her Tab and, with a final wave, dematerialized in a ripple of Ancient Energy and reappeared at the shrine above the Hyrule Castle dock. As she made her way up the path and through the Library, her mind buzzed with all the new information and emotions from reuniting with her father's side of the family. The sight of her father as a Zora still felt surreal, but his warm eyes and loving embrace were unmistakably familiar.
Astra noticed the light spilling out from beneath her mother's closed bedroom door as she approached the living quarters. She took a deep breath before knocking softly.
"Come in," her mother's voice called out.
Hearing the familiar tone, Astra couldn't help but smile as she entered the room. Her mother's green eyes widened with joy as she saw her daughter standing before her. "Astra! My dear child!" she exclaimed, rushing over to embrace her tightly.
"Mother," Astra whispered, returning the hug just as eagerly. "I'm so happy to see you, and sorry I missed you last time."
Zelda smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry, your sister filled me in on everything. Right now, I just want to hold you close and convince myself this is all real."
"It's real, and I've missed you terribly, Mother," replied Astra as they held each other close. "The other you is kind and has been a great mother to me for the two and a half years we've been together. She even scolds me as well as you do. But we don't share memories of my childhood together. I've grown to love her, but nothing can compare to our bond."
"I understand. Can you stay long, sweetheart?"
"Overnight until after breakfast," said Astra. "I must return to conduct a Royal Guard induction ceremony tomorrow."
"Which your sister tells me has special significance for you," said Zelda as she nodded toward the bracelet on Astra's left wrist.
"I see dear Zel still loves to gossip," laughed Astra. "But yes, that's true. Fallon and I have been seeing each other for a while now and get along splendidly."
"That's wonderful, sweetheart. Now sit beside me on the edge of the bed and tell me everything you can that you haven't already told your sister. She shared all she could remember of your conversation with me."
Astra smiled and sat beside her mother on the bed, their shoulders touching. The familiar scent of Zelda's perfume - a delicate blend of Silent Princess and Swift Violet - filled her senses, bringing back a flood of childhood memories.
"Well, Mother, where to begin aside from what I already told Zel?" Astra said, her eyes twinkling. "I suppose I should start with my duties as Princess. I've been working closely with the other you to learn the intricacies of ruling Hyrule. It's been challenging but also incredibly rewarding."
Zelda nodded, her eyes shining with pride. "I always knew you had it in you, but you naturally deferred it to your elder sister. In those matters. Tell me, what's been your favorite part of the role so far?"
Astra thought for a moment before answering. "I think it's the connection with people. When I meet with people, hearing their stories and concerns… it makes everything we do at the castle feel so much more real and important."
"That's the heart of a true ruler," Zelda said softly, squeezing Astra's hand.
They continued talking late into the night until they both began yawning.
"Your room is all clean and ready," said Zelda. "We can continue our conversation at breakfast."
"Yes, it has been a long day," Astra agreed. "Goodnight, Mother."
"Goodnight, sweetheart," said Zelda as they embraced, and Zelda kissed her on the cheek.
Astra walked down the familiar hallway to her childhood room. She paused to open the window to let in a gentle breeze and take in the peaceful evening outside. This room held countless memories, like gazing out at a star-filled sky or laying in bed with her sister telling her adventure stories until she fell asleep. She couldn't help but smile at the memory of catching her teenage sister and Randall kissing on the path below her window. With a quiet yawn, Astra closed the window, changed for bed, and drifted off to sleep with a feeling of comfort and contentment.
Meanwhile, as the night fell over Zora's Domain, Mipha and Link also prepared to sleep.
"I don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep," Link murmured as he slipped into the calm, clear waters of the slumber pool he shared with Mipha. "My mind is still rippling with excitement."
Mipha reached out and gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I think you will sleep once you relax," she said. "But I understand how thrilled you must be."
"It's like a dream come true," Link admitted.
"I wonder if someday I can visit my father and brother," Mipha continued after a pause. "They must have been deeply saddened by what you said happened to me, and I wish I could have been there to help raise my dear brother. Having to grow up without both his mother and older sister must have been terribly difficult for him."
"Your father and brother were both still hurting, even one hundred years afterward," admitted Link, taking her hand in his. "Bad memory or not, that's one thing I do remember."
After another moment of silence, Mipha spoke up again.
"Would you have still chosen to become a Zora if you knew Astra would return someday?" she asked. "I sensed your unease about her feelings toward you in your new form."
Link looked deeply into her eyes before responding.
"Yes, I made the right choice for the two of us," he said. "You are always first in my heart, Mipha, and I want to spend every moment I can with you. That's what's most important."
Mipha smiled warmly at his response. "That's a good answer," she said. "Now close your eyes and rest."
In just a few moments, Link drifted off to sleep, feeling Mipha's gentle kiss on his cheek and her arm wrapped around him. Soon enough, they were both sound asleep, peacefully dreaming together.