Life in Zora's Domain

Chapter 166 - Picturing History - Part 3

Summary: Midon joins his sister Lapha at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab. Link suffers a bad dream. Linky and family return from North Hyrule to the Domain.

It was a clear early morning in Zora's Domain, the rising sun just barely illuminating Upland Zorana's tallest peaks. The only sounds inside Mipha's and Link's family house by Mikau Lake were those originating from outside it: the steady splashing of the nearby waterfall, the rustling of trees from the strong westerly breeze, and the occasional cry of a night bird.

Suddenly the buzzing of Midon's Tab awakened him, and he quickly answered without looking at it.

"Larena?"

"Sorry to pop your bubble. It's your sister," said Lapha.

"Oh, Laff! You okay?"

"I'm fine, but I could use your help," said Lapha. "I woke you, didn't I?"

"Yes, but it's okay, Laff," said Midon. "What do you need my help with?"

"I need you to come here to the Royal Ancient Tech Lab and help me review some code from the Sheikah Slate we recovered from Eventide Island," said Lapha. "I'm sorry I can't transfer any of the code to you, but we're paranoid about spreading anything that comes from this device. I can set up two screens here, and we can divide the work."

"That's fine. I'll be right there," Midon said as they ended the call.

Midon rubbed his eyes, then climbed out of his slumber pool and quietly headed downstairs to the front door. There was no need to eat before leaving, as he could easily catch a fish on his way to the river ferry. The sky was clear as he glanced up upon stepping outside. But then he was startled to see someone sitting on the nearby rock staring at the waterfall. The person turned to him as he quietly closed the door behind him.

"Dad!? Why are you out here all alone so early?" Midon asked in a low voice.

"Sorry if I startled you. I awoke from a bad dream and didn't want to fall back to sleep right away, so I thought I'd get some fresh air first," said Link. "Why are you up so early?"

"Lapha called and wants me to help her at the lab," said Midon.

Midon paused for a moment.

"Does this kind of thing often happen, Dad? And does Mom know about it?"

"No, it doesn't happen often, and sometimes she knows," said Link. "I try not to wake her if I can help it."

"But why do you get these bad dreams? Do you consider them an evil omen or something?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that," said Link. "It's my past that causes them, not the future."

"You mean because of all that's happened in your life?"

"Yes," said Link. "They say when we sleep, the mind does its housekeeping, tries to organize things. In my case, I think that's asking a lot of one mind, and it sometimes overloads itself. As you know, I've had more strange time travel experiences than anyone could imagine. I've traveled to the past and the future, often changing events. It's difficult sometimes keeping track of what did and didn't happen anymore."

"I can understand that," said Midon.

"And besides that, both Zelda and I have stared into the face of evil. It's a horrible experience and one that's hard to forget. Anyway, all that can lead to a troubled mind and a nightmare. When that happens, I prefer to wait before falling back to sleep. I don't want the nightmare to continue."

"I wish there were some way to cure this affliction," said Midon. "Mom knows about all this, of course?"

"Yes, she knows it happens sometimes," said Link. "But, as I said, I try not to wake her if I can help it. Don't worry about me, though. It only rarely happens, and I'm able to cope with it. I think of it as an occupational hazard."