Life in Zora's Domain

Chapter 12 - Back Home

The boat from Lurelin Village carrying Mipha, Link, and the Zora guard escorts docked at the northwest corner of Lanayru Bay early afternoon the following day. Two additional Zora guards met them on shore.

"Welcome back, Lady Mipha and Link," the captain of the guards said. "His Majesty is very anxious to see you as soon as possible."

"Thank you," said Mipha. "It's good to be going home."

"Lady Mipha," said the captain, "I hope I am not out of line in telling you this, but His Majesty is still quite upset over the news of your ambush. I hope you and Link are unhurt."

"We are both fine, thank you," said Mipha. "And I appreciate your telling me."

"Is your father going to be upset at the Hylians?" asked Link. "If you were my daughter I might be."

"Maybe," said Mipha. "But leave that to me. Be your usual quiet self, and I will do the talking."

The party first crossed Samasa Plain. They then took a small raft across the Rutala River and resumed traveling overland back to the Domain. They arrived at the central square, and the guards attended to their travel items. The captain escorted Mipha and Link directly to King Dorephan's throne room.

King Dorephan greeted them. "I hope everything is okay and you are both unharmed?"

"Yes, father," said Mipha. "We are both in perfect health. I'm sorry if we caused you any worry."

"I heard about the attack. How could such a thing happen?" said King Dorephan. "Weren't Hylian guards assigned to protect you? Did Princess Zelda neglect her responsibility to you?"

"No, father," said Mipha. "In fact, quite the opposite. Princess Zelda assigned us four members of her Royal Guard as well as a squad of eight soldiers to cover the road. She did everything she thought necessary. The Yiga Clan sprung a clever ambush, but we were able to defend ourselves. Link displayed his usual bravery," (she was also thinking recklessness but left that unsaid), "by scaling a cliff wall to confront all four attackers until the guards came to his aid."

'Well, if you say this is so, I believe you," said King Dorephan. "The version of the story that reached us from Hateno Village sounded more perilous. I'm happy you are both safe and back home now. Your brother has been anxiously waiting to see you."

King Dorephan signaled to one of the attendants, who left and returned with Prince Sidon. He ran to Mipha and Link and hugged them.

"Sis and Bro!" he squealed. "I missed you."

"We both missed you too, Sidon," said Mipha.

She and Link hugged him. Sidon pulled Mipha's head down and whispered to her: "Father's mad at you. He used some bad words about your trip."

Mipha patted him on the head, and whispered back, "It's alright now Sidon. Don't worry. He's not angry anymore."

"Let's plan on having another adventure, Sidon, the next weekend we're all free," said Link.

"Yes! Another adventure!" exclaimed Sidon.

"Well, you're probably tired from your travels, so I'll let you go now and get settled," said King Dorephan.

"Thank you, father," said Mipha and Link. They gave Sidon a goodnight hug, left the throne room and headed home.

"Well, that could have been worse," said Link.

"Yes, but I understand his reaction," said Mipha. "He only has Sidon and me now, and sometimes he still thinks of me as his little girl. So of course, he worries. Someday you may know how he feels."

"Yes, that was something we were going to work on," said Link.

"We will," said Mipha laughing. "But not today. Let's go home and get settled."

They had dinner together, put away their travel belongings and by then were so tired they decided to turn in. As they lay together in bed Link started thinking about the next day.

"We have another council meeting tomorrow, and they'll want me to summarize my trip," said Link. "I wonder if news of the Yiga Clan attack will dampen enthusiasm for Hylian tourism? The last thing anyone would want is a Yiga Clan spy in our midst."

"Yes, it's something to think about," said Mipha. "Is there no way to identify them?"

"Apparently there is, as ridiculous as it sounds. The Yiga Clan cannot resist Mighty Bananas. So we could probably use something like that as the first line of defense. I'll write to Impa to see if she can think of anything else," said Link.

"Good idea," she said.

"Can we change the subject? I know we discussed this before our trip, but I keep thinking about it. Can you explain a bit more about our having children?" said Link. "And not the fertilization part."

"Alright," said Mipha. "Scientists have determined that Hylians and Zoras have enough biological commonality to produce viable offspring who will inherit some traits from each parent but be entirely one race or the other. Zora mothers typically lay one to two eggs three months after fertilization, though some lay more. A Zora mother's baby has much of its growth occur after it hatches, unlike races who give live birth where more development occurs in the mother's womb. The babies will hatch from the eggs within three days of being laid given the right conditions of being placed together in calm water. Once they hatch, the next step of the process would be different depending on whether our baby is a Zora or Hylian."

"Okay, I understand so far," said Link.

"If our baby is a Zora, then she or he would develop in the water and grow into a Zora child somewhat like how a tadpole grows into a frog. The baby would have gills and retain them, but it takes about six months before the baby completes its growth and develops lungs healthy enough to also survive on land," said Mipha.

"Now, if our baby is determined to be a Hylian, in which case, as we discussed earlier, it must be a boy, then after hatching, we would move him to an artificial womb that would function like a Hylian mother's womb. He would receive the same nutrients as he would from a Hylian mother. The gills he had at hatching would gradually atrophy over time and eventually disappear, and in six months the baby would be capable of living outside the artificial womb. In effect, he would be the same as if he had a natural Hylian birth at that point. You'll recall that each child of ours has a 50% chance of being a Zora girl and a 25% chance each of being a Zora boy or Hylian boy," said Mipha.

"Thanks, that's a clear and thorough explanation," said Link. "Have the medical staff here had any experience dealing with a Hylian baby born of a Zora mother?"

"No. But the medical staff here have worked closely with Hylian doctors to understand how to create an artificial womb and what they need to do. They'll be ready if and when the time comes," said Mipha.

"What about baby names?" Link asked.

"You certainly are thinking ahead!" Mipha laughed. "Again, it makes a difference if the baby is a Zora or Hylian. If the baby is a Hylian, we can choose any name we want. If the baby is a Zora, then we are expected to follow the Zora Royal Family tradition regarding names. Think musical."

"Thanks. It's a lot to think about, but you've made it much clearer," said Link. "I guess I have to do my part when the time is right."

"Um-hm," she said. "And you'll be the first person I tell when that time is," she laughed. "Now let's get some sleep in our own bed for a change."

They soon fell asleep.