Summary: Mipha and Link return home from Lurelin Village, and Link agrees with Mila to help maintain his journal.
"Wet fins and clear water!" greeted one of the two guards on duty at the Great Zora Bridge. "Welcome home!"
"Thank you, and may your fins always be wet!" answered Mipha as Link nodded.
It was early evening in Zora's Domain as Mipha and Link held hands and walked past the guards. They were just returning home from their week-long vacation in Lurelin Village.
"I still get a thrill when I first see the Domain after being away," said Link as he gazed ahead and up at the massive fish sculpture in the distance. "Maybe it dates back to when I used to come here to see you. Not that I remember the specific visits, of course, but I recall a feeling of excitement every time I came here."
"You sure it wasn't because you missed getting into trouble with your delinquent Bazz Brigade friends?"
"I was thinking about when I was older and grew more interested in gir...I mean eager to see you."
"Oh, so sweetly put!" teased Mipha as she squeezed his hand. "You did always ask to see me first when you arrived."
"See?"
"But sometimes, I wasn't quite ready to meet you when a guard informed me you had arrived. I might have to finish doing something with Sidon, for example. So rather than have you wander around the Domain and end up possibly chatting with Kodah, I thought it better to have a guard escort you to see Father if he was free. He would ask you about yourself and what was happening outside the Domain. He told me he enjoyed those talks with you, and it helped him to get to know you better. But he said you were very nervous!"
"I don't remember those conversations either, of course, but I remember feeling intimidated by your father. Aside from his imposing physical presence, I was conscious of him being the king."
"Yes, I could see how relieved you were when I finally arrived, and we went off together," laughed Mipha. "But he liked you and could tell you were a fine person. Talking about this reminds me of a conversation I had with Father one time after you departed. This was after one of your visits before you got all wound up too tight."
"Did you enjoy Link's visit, dear?" said King Dorephan. "Though I hardly need to ask, your glowing expression shows you did."
"Yes, we had a fun time, though Link could not stay long," said Mipha. "We swam at East Reservoir Lake and then sat and talked while he dried off. But it's funny. He seems quieter and shyer with each visit, and he blushes now when I touch him while healing a wound. Perhaps those are Hylian traits as one grows older?"
King Dorephan chuckled.
"Or perhaps it means something else, like how he feels. He is certainly on the shy side, dear, but very respectful. And once our conversation turns to what is happening in Hyrule, he grows more at ease and talks freely. He seems a fine young man."
"Oh! He is, Father! Very fine and quite accomplished too!" Mipha exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm and then stopped.
"Now who's blushing, dear?" said King Dorephan with a smile.
Then her father reached out, and they embraced.
"Funny, you never told me that before," said Link. "I guess it shows you already had a crush on me by then."
"I have to feed your ego in small bites, or your head would outgrow your helm. And maybe you had a crush on me too, dearest, or you wouldn't have blushed so much."
"I probably did," laughed Link.
Then he tugged her hand to bring her closer, and they shared a quick kiss just as they arrived at their house by Mikau Lake. Their oldest daughter, Mila, was the only one home when they arrived.
"You both look like you enjoyed yourselves," said Mila as they exchanged hugs and kisses. "But then you always look happy together, so I shouldn't say that."
"It was a fantastic trip!" said Link. "We put our Tabs on urgent only mode and enjoyed the sea and sunshine."
Just then, Mipha's Tab buzzed, and she checked the message.
"Father says he needs to meet with me for a couple of minutes. Nothing urgent," said Mipha.
"I'll catch dinner," said Mila. "But while you're both here, can we finish our conversation about your journal, Dad?"
"Yes, of course."
Mila explained the arrangements she had made with her siblings to maintain Link's journal.
"Seriously? They all agreed? Even Midon?" said Link.
"Yes, Dad. But I need your agreement and cooperation too," said Mila. "This has been floating in my thoughts since you left. How do you feel about it?"
"I can tell! And yes, it's fine with me. I agree," said Link.
"Great!" exclaimed Mila happily.
Mila was obviously quite pleased, and Link didn't mind cooperating if it made everyone happy.
"Wonderful! I'm glad that's settled!" said Mipha. "Now I have to meet with Father for a few minutes. Is it safe for me to leave you alone with Mila now that you've sunk your differences? Or do you still need me here for protection, sweetheart?"
"Very funny, sweetheart yourself," laughed Link. "I'll yell for help if I need it."
Mipha and Link kissed, then Mipha winked at Mila as she left.
"Do you feel better now?" said Link as he reached out and hugged Mila again.
"Yes, Dad, much better!" said Mila as she returned his embrace. "I'm glad we could see eye to eye."
"Very funny," laughed Link. "You're getting as bad as your mother. Are you teasing me about my height or that I have trouble saying no to you? Mom says I'm too soft-hearted sometimes."
"It's good to be soft-hearted, Dad," laughed Mila. "It's better than being hard-hearted. But seriously, it's the right thing to do. You'll thank me someday."
"I very well might. I guess Tara is back at school in North Hyrule?"
"Yes, she, Tila, and Linky left after the weekend," said Mila. "Midon and Lapha, or should I say Dr. Lapha now that she has her degree, are both with Dr. Purah and Dr. Robbie at the Lab. They left me all alone here to do the convincing."
"And you did a fine job, not that I put up much resistance. By the way, if you're free the day after tomorrow, do you want to join Mom and me on a visit to Hyrule Castle? Zelda invited us, and she said, as usual, to bring as many of the family as we can."
"Sure, I can go," said Mila. "I enjoy listening to your conversations with Zelda, Dad. I often learn from them."
"Items of historical interest?"
"That too sometimes," laughed Mila. "Now, let me catch you and Mom a Hearty Bass for dinner. She should be back from her meeting with grandfather soon."
"Great! A change from saltwater Porgies would be nice. Just don't tell Mom!"
Mila laughed, then headed out to the lake, leaving Link alone at home. He finished putting away some things and then heard a familiar voice in his head.
"You had a pleasant trip, Master?"
"Yes, Fi, it was delightful. To what do I owe the honor?"
"Your choice of words confuses me, Master. You do not owe me any honor."
"I'm trying to teach you some expressions by using them, remember?" said Link. "It's a very polite or formal way of asking why you chose to speak with me now."
"I never forget Master, and thank you for explaining. My reason is that Her Grace wishes to assure you that your daughter Zelda arrived safely and hopes you will believe in your daughter and try not to worry about her."
"Well, please thank Her Grace, as I do every day in my prayers," said Link. "Astra has been on my mind a good deal, of course. It was very hard to lose her, but I understand she must be needed there."
"You should not feel you lost her, Master."
Just then, a bluebird landed on the open windowsill and peered into the room.
"We have a cute visitor," laughed Link. "Birds usually keep away from the house."
"You know, Her Grace has a special fondness for birds," said Fi. "She said they remind her of her time as a mortal riding one through the sky, and that helped her better understand what mortals experience in life."
"It must have been wonderful to know her back then," said Link.
Link quietly watched the bird look about the room from the window and then fly away.
"That is all I needed to tell you, so farewell for now, Master."
A moment later, Mipha returned home, and Mila did as well soon after.
"Three Hearty Bass," said Mila, holding up the fish. "I hope you're both hungry."
"I am, thanks," said Link as he took one of the fish to prepare it.
"We'll wait for you to cook yours," said Mipha as Link went to the kitchen, and Mipha and Mila sat down at the table. When Link was done, he joined them.
"Is Father okay?" Link asked as he waited for his fish to cool.
"Yes, he's fine," said Mipha. "Don't you notice he always likes to see me after I return from a trip to check that I'm alright? I guess I've given him some scares over the years."
"You've both given all of us plenty of scares over the years!" exclaimed Mila. "I don't mind that life is more peaceful these days."
"Speaking of which, what have you been working on lately, Mila?" Link asked.
"I'm overseeing work on updating the background to our history collection on Hyrule's past heroes. We're using the simulations from the Forgotten Temple to expand our knowledge of the world as it was then. We're not changing the hero's story, of course, since we realize what we have access to are only simulations. But we believe the simulations provide a realistic portrayal of the world as it was back then."
"That's clever," said Mipha.
"You're not entering the simulations yourself, are you?" Link asked.
"No, we have a team of individuals who volunteered to aid our research," said Mila. "And it's quite safe now. The experts figured out how everything works and the safeguards against being injured in real life. In fact, if you ever miss the excitement of saving Hyrule, Dad, I recommend you try playing as the hero in a simulation. It's a lot less worrisome for your family."
"If so, I'm going with him, so he doesn't run off with some other Princess," laughed Mipha.
"Very funny," said Link. "But I suspect playing as the hero is an enormous time commitment, so we'll see."
"It would be interesting to see how you compare to the heroes of old, though," said Mipha. "I bet you're the best and can win every time."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Link after swallowing a bite of fish. "You know, this Hearty Bass is making me feel lively."
"Eat up," laughed Mipha.
Meanwhile, in North Hyrule, Tila, Linky, and Tara had just finished dinner with Tila's sister, Queen Faray.
"Okay, time to finish your homework," said Tila to Tara.
"Fine, Mom," said Tara. "Thanks for the Akkala Angler, Aunt Faray. It was a real treat!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, sweetheart," said Faray.
Tara left, and the rest stayed behind at the table to have tea.
"I'm not surprised Tara's doing very well at school," said Faray. "You were always an outstanding student, Tila. Oh, I hope that didn't come out wrong, Link. You may well have been an excellent student too."
"No offense taken, Faray," laughed Linky. "I was an okay student, but not at Tila's level. I didn't win any academic awards. But thanks to my siblings, I was the best Hylian swimmer!"
"My husband is always too modest," said Tila as she squeezed his hand. "I think he's brilliant!"
"Brilliant enough to fall in love and jump at the chance to marry you," said Linky as he squeezed Tila's hand back. "Or at least lucky enough to be at the head of the line of all those who gladly would have."
"Luck had nothing to do with it, Link," laughed Faray. "I think my dear sister fell in love with you first."
"Okay, enough!" laughed Tila. "It was mutual attraction. My dear husband just needed a gentle reminder he was a seventeen-year-old Hylian adult and could start his own life if he wanted."
"See how slow I was?" laughed Linky. "I even needed to be reminded of my age."
They drank some more tea and talked for a while until Tara returned.
"All done with my work, and it's all correct!" said Tara. "It's Dad's turn to check it, though there's really no need."
"No need for you, maybe, sweetheart," said Linky. "But there's a chance I will learn something new. Let's go."
Linky took Tara's hand, and they went off together as Tila watched them leave.
"She's so cute!" said Faray. "You're truly blessed, Tila."
"I know," said Tila. "She's adorable, and he's a loving father and husband."
"I'm glad everything worked out. People here were rather skeptical at the time about marriage to a Hylian. But your husband is kind, brave, and handsome, plus he grew up in a Zora family. You couldn't ask for much more than that, Ti."
"I know, and he has a good heart too," said Tila as she watched Linky and Tara sitting together discussing her work. "We're both thrilled to be together and feel lucky we found each other. I think that's a good sign that everything is going great."
"It is," said Faray. "More tea?"
"Yes, please."
"Did you notice Tara seems tall for her age?" said Faray.
"Yes, and Link's siblings were tall at a younger age, too," said Tila. "We suspect it's her father's Hylian influence on her. She will probably finish her growth spurt younger than average."
"That makes sense. Have you two considered moving here permanently?" Faray asked. "I mean, Tara goes to school here full time now."
"Link and I have discussed it, and he said he's fine with moving here if it's what I want," said Tila. "But Tara loves spending time with her aunts, uncle, and grandparents. So as long as my husband's family is still living at Mikau Lake, we enjoy being there whenever we can."
"I understand," said Faray, and then she took another sip of tea.
"I hesitate to bring this up, Tila," Faray said after a pause. "But have you ever thought about saying hello to our sister while you're here? Sopha asks about you whenever I visit her, and I tell her how you and your family are doing. She knows you blocked her from contacting you, so she doesn't even try."
"I don't know, Fa," said Tila as she shook her head. "I realize it's been eleven years now, and she is our sister. But what she did and nearly did to my family is not something I can easily swim on from. And though there's no proof, I suspect she poisoned our father and murdered the Sheikah scientist who helped her create her duplicate. Maybe someday. But I'm not ready yet if I ever will be."
"And that's fine. I can't say I blame you. I promised her I would ask, and I just did," said Faray. "You know the council commuted her sentence from fifty to thirty years considering her help with the Divine Beast."
"Yes, I read the minutes of the meeting. Maybe by then, I'll feel differently," said Tila.
Just then, Linky and Tara returned.
"Everything was perfect, as expected," said Linky.
"Told you!" said Tara.
"Did you learn anything?" Tila asked.
"Not anything new this time," laughed Linky, as he kissed Tara on the forehead. "Just more proof of how smart our dear daughter is."
"Come on, Dad, let's go for a swim," said Tara as she took Linky's hand. "I still have an hour before sleep time, and you need to work off your enormous meal."
"Okay, but did Mom tell you to say that?"
Tara laughed and pulled him toward the water nearby.
"Yes, you are truly blessed, Tila," laughed Faray. "Come on! Let's join them. I could use a swim too."