Summary: The big day finally arrives. Link's happiness is tempered for a while as he contemplates the future, but he snaps out of it at the end. Mipha and Link are finally parents.

Link was asleep when he felt Mipha nudge him awake. It was still early in the morning, and the sun hadn't quite risen yet.

"Link, I'm feeling funny. I think the eggs may be ready soon," said Mipha.

"I'll get the doctor right away," he said.

Link jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. For the last two days, Mipha said she could feel the eggs shifting inside her. Now it felt like today might be the big day.

Link opened the door and waved to one of the nearby guards on duty. The guards knew about Mipha's condition and expected to help if needed. Link had met this guard before. Like most Zora guards, she stood at her post, holding a Zora spear.

"Good morning, Kylah," Link said. "Could you please ask Doctor Larah to come as quickly as she can? Tell her Lady Mipha feels her eggs may be ready."

"Of course, right away," said Kylah. She ran off to get the doctor.

Within a few minutes, Mipha's doctor and a nurse arrived.

"Hello, Mipha and Link," said Doctor Larah. "This is nurse Dunah, who will be assisting me. Let me take a look at you, Mipha. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling like the eggs are moving, and my body is trying to push them," said Mipha.

"That's perfectly normal," said Doctor Larah. "Let's move you to the special bed, and then I'll examine you."

In anticipation of this day, her doctor ordered a temporary bed for Mipha to make her more comfortable when laying the eggs. This was a standard medical procedure for Zoras about to lay their eggs. Otherwise, they would simply lay them in water. They had also delivered a tank designed to hold the eggs until they hatched. It looked to Link like an aquarium, which in essence, it was. They helped Mipha move to the special bed. Nurse Dunah then proceeded to fill the tank with the pure, cold water the eggs would require.

"Mipha, try to relax," said Doctor Larah. "I'm going to take a quick look at you."

She did a quick examination, and it confirmed her suspicions.

"It does look like your eggs will be ready very soon now," she said.

Link pulled up a chair and sat next to Mipha. He took her hand and squeezed it.

Mipha was taking shallow breaths and moaning a little.

"Are you in pain?" asked Link.

"No, but I feel strange," she said. "I can feel the eggs moving."

She kept taking shallow breaths. Then she let out a soft groan.

"I think I feel them coming now," said Mipha. The doctor was in position and ready. Mipha felt uncomfortable pressure but not pain.

"Keep taking deep breaths and gently push when you can," the doctor told her.

She kept pushing, and slowly one of the eggs appeared. The doctor helped with its delivery and then held the egg up for a brief examination. Then she handed it to the nurse who placed it gently into the tank of water. Mipha was still taking short, shallow breaths. She started pushing again, and the second egg appeared. Once again, the doctor helped with its delivery, looked at the egg, and then carefully handed it to the nurse for placement in the tank.

The doctor then came around to Mipha's side while Link continued to hold her hand. Mipha was starting to breathe normally again.

"Congratulations, Lady Mipha," she said. "From my examination, it looks like you have two healthy Zora babies, and I'm pretty sure one is a boy and the other a girl. Are you feeling alright? Are you in any pain?"

"No pain," she said. "Just a little discomfort. Can I see them?"

The nurse helped her sit up so she could see the tank. Inside it, the two light-colored eggs were resting at the bottom. The shell membrane was slightly translucent, so, though blurry, you could see the tiny Zora babies inside moving around. It was hard to imagine those small beings would grow into Zoras. The miracle of life, Link thought.

Link leaned over and kissed her. "I am so happy and excited!" he said. "You've given me another happiest day of my life."

"I'm happy too. But I feel a bit worn out and need to rest a bit," said Mipha.

"Thank you, Doctor Larah and Nurse Dunah. I appreciate your help and the care you've given me," said Mipha.

"You're very welcome, Lady Mipha," said the doctor. "I'm glad I got here in time, and everything went so smoothly. And I am honored to have helped. It's not every day one has the opportunity to assist with a royal birth. Nurse Dunah will stay with you now. Another nurse will stay with you tonight and tomorrow morning to make sure everything is alright. Tomorrow at midday, the nursery staff will take over and keep watch over the eggs until they hatch. The eggs look fine to me and should hatch right on schedule in three days. Please don't hesitate to summon me again if you need anything." The doctor bowed and left.

"Okay, try to get some rest now," said Link.

She looked over at him and gave him a tired smile. "I hope you're happy. I think you'll make a wonderful father," she said.

"Sweetheart, I am more than just happy. I'm overjoyed! I promise I will be the best father I can for our family," said Link as he squeezed her hand. "And I also promise to take care of myself and be there for you and them."

"That makes me feel better," she said. Her eyes were getting heavy. She blinked a couple of times, then closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep. He continued to hold her hand. "I love you," he whispered. He didn't want to leave her side, but the nurse said he should get some rest too. He would be needed to help her tomorrow.

Link walked over and lay down in their bed, but had trouble relaxing. He kept thinking about how much his life had suddenly changed. He was a father now! He knew people had always counted on him in the past, but that had meant using combat skills to deal with enemies and resourcefulness to overcome challenges. It was a general obligation to society. But this obligation was much more personal. Mipha and his two children would be counting on him to do his part as a father now. It was a humbling thought. Eventually, fatigue overcame him, and he fell asleep.

When he awoke the next morning, Mipha was already awake, and a different nurse was helping her walk around the room. She was taking slow steps, with the nurse holding her by the arm.

"Are you feeling alright?" Link asked. He walked over, kissed her, and squeezed her hand.

"Still a little sore but otherwise fine," she said. "Please say hello to Nurse Kilah," said Mipha. Link said hello and thanked her for her help.

"I should be pretty much back to normal by tomorrow, they said. I can start resting in the waterbed now, which will also help."

"Can I get you something to eat?" said Link.

"No, Nurse Kilah gave me something. And I guarantee you wouldn't like it. It's a traditional Zora seafood dish mothers eat the day after laying eggs. But please get some food for yourself," Mipha said.

His excitement was making it hard to think about food. He went over and stared into the tank. The two eggs were still lying peacefully in the water at the bottom of the tank, and the babies seemed to be resting for now. He could make out some small movements of their gills. Seeing his children grow all the way from an egg to an infant would be a unique experience for a Hylian. Hylian mothers, of course, gave live birth and the babies grew unseen within them. Zora babies did most of their growing in the water. Eventually, he fixed a light breakfast for himself.

"Starting at midday, it's going to get crowded here," said Mipha. "Two nursery staff will replace Nurse Kilah, plus we will have one of the council members on hand."

"Yes, I understand. But we'll manage," Link said.

So now the wait began for the eggs to hatch. Link couldn't resist walking by the tank and staring at the eggs now and then. Mipha lay down to rest in the waterbed after walking around for a bit. The water was soothing.

"We should talk again about names now that we know what our children are," said Mipha. "Since both children are Zoras, we need to follow the Zora Royal Family naming tradition. We talked about this before, and you liked 'Mila' for our daughter and 'Midon' for our son, right?"

"Yes, I think those are fine names," said Link. "And you know the Zora traditions better than me, of course, so I defer to your judgment."

"We should get father's approval as well," said Mipha. "He knows more Zora traditions than I do. I expect he will come by soon to see how everyone is." She lay back down and rested after watching the eggs for a few minutes.

It was less than an hour later that they heard a knock on the door. When Link answered it, there was King Dorephan accompanied by Prince Sidon and one of the royal guards. King Dorephan asked the guard to wait outside, then he and Sidon walked in and went over to Mipha.

"Congratulations to both of you!" said King Dorephan. "This is such a happy day for our family. Mipha, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm feeling fine, father," she said. "I should get up."

"No, no," said King Dorephan. "Please stay in bed; you need to rest."

"Hi, Sis," said Sidon. "I hope you are feeling okay. I came to see the eggs."

"Go ahead, Sidon," said Mipha.

Sidon walked over and stared at the two eggs in the tank.

"I guess it will be a while before I can play with them," said Sidon.

"Yes," Mipha laughed. "But you'll be surprised how fast they grow, and it won't be too long before they can play with you."

"Father, while you are here, we would like to discuss our children's names with you and get your approval," said Mipha.

"Of course," said King Dorephan.

"The doctor thought it likely one child is a girl and the other a boy. So we were thinking of 'Mila' for the girl and 'Midon' for the boy," said Mipha.

"Those names sound fine to me," said King Dorephan. "I like both of them."

"Alright, father, then that is what we will use," said Mipha. The names would be registered after the babies hatched, and that's when an announcement would be made about the new princess and prince.

"I just stopped by to see how you were doing, and I am glad all is well," said King Dorephan. "This is an exciting day for all of us. But making me a grandfather! I feel old!" he laughed.

"You're not old, father," laughed Mipha. "I'm a very young mother!"

"Well, you both take care of yourselves and let me know if I can help in any way," said King Dorephan. "Come on Sidon, Mipha needs to rest."

"Can I come back when they hatch?" asked Sidon.

"Of course," said Mipha. "It should be in a couple of days."

King Dorephan and Sidon left.

"That was nice of them to visit," said Link.

Later that day, as expected, two staff from the Zora nursery arrived along with a council member. They all introduced themselves and explained their roles. The nursery staff had brought two tanks with them. When an egg hatched, the hatchling would be transferred to one of the tanks. The nursery staff would help take care of the hatchlings and do whatever Mipha needed for them. Once Mipha was back on her feet, she could decide how often she wanted the nursery staff to help. But they assured her the babies would receive the best possible care.

The council member also introduced herself and explained she would be taking turns with two other council members to watch the eggs at hatching and record the exact times they hatched. For Zoras, hatching was deemed to occur when the hatchling first swims clear of the egg. As soon as one of the nursery staff noticed an egg was starting to hatch, the council member would be called over. One of the nursery staff would watch the eggs at all times. If they didn't mind, she would sit quietly in the corner and read now. She didn't expect to be needed on this shift but was there in the unlikely event an egg hatched early.

Mipha drifted off to sleep again, and Link went over and stood in front of the tank staring at the two eggs. He wondered how they would look when they got bigger. How much of their appearance would they take from him, and how much from Mipha? He knew they would be pure Zora, but his genes might influence things like eye color or skin color. Then he ran another sound through his head: Queen Mila or King Midon. Being the father of the future Zora ruler was so incredible he began to wonder if all of this was a dream, and he was in another Resurrection Shrine somewhere. But no, it couldn't be. Dreams were a product of your experience and imagination, and in his wildest imaginings, he could never have come up with this. What he was living through was so fantastic it had to be real.

So someday one of his children would be the Zora King or Queen, he thought. When would that be? That would happen after Queen Mipha lived out her reign, of course. But speaking of Queen Mipha, would he even live to see that? Probably not, he realized. King Dorephan was still young by Zora standards, and Link recalled in his prior timeline that King Dorephan was still the Zora ruler almost one hundred years from what would be today. So, no, he would not likely live to see Mipha crowned Queen.

But then what about his children? How much of him would they remember? His remaining Hylian lifespan was but a small fraction of theirs. In effect, they would lose their father while still young children, probably not even adolescents yet. Would they grow up having only a few memories of him from when they were very young? That was a sobering thought. And what about Mipha? She would be left on her own to raise them. How would she manage? Her brother Sidon could help, but would that be enough? No, the children needed a father. Mipha would still be young by Zora standards. She should remarry and choose a Zora this time. Who would it be? Probably someone who is living here now and about her age. It could even be someone he knows and says hello to now and then. That was another sobering thought. But would her new husband love his children as his own and raise them well? He was getting way ahead of himself and decided to stop this train of thought.

But then he had another thought. Did Mipha realize all of the things he had just considered? Had she thought all of this through when she married him and agreed to have children with him? Knowing her, she might well have understood all this. But then how would she cope with it? Could he talk to her about it someday? Today was hardly the right time, but when? No, he realized. He could never discuss it with her. In his experience to even hint at his mortality would instantly bring her to tears, and he couldn't bear to see that. But he and Mipha were not the only Hylian/Zora relationships, so it was not unheard of. There was the legendary Princess Ruto engagement to the Hero of Time in her era, though that never came to fruition. He had also had a Zora girlfriend, Kodah. Kodah had apparently accepted the possibility of their being together. And in his other timeline, Kodah's daughter Finley was starting a relationship with the Hylian Sasan. So, Hylian/Zora unions were accepted by Zoras. How did they deal with these issues, though?

He shook his head to clear his mind. Where was he going with all this, and what was the point? All he could do was live the best life he could for as long as he was able. He might still have many years ahead of him. And there was always the possibility Dr. Purah could complete her work on the anti-aging rune. She had the notes from his other timeline, and the Dr. Purah of that timeline had gotten it to work all too well. There was hope there. Enough of all this, he said to himself finally. He needed to live in the present. He had a lot of responsibility now, and this was not the time to brood over a distant, uncertain future.

He got up and walked over to where Mipha lay sleeping and sat by her. She was in a deep sleep, and he thought the rest would do her good. Things were only going to get more hectic soon. Let's live one day at a time, he thought, and enjoy this remarkable opportunity to raise their children. And if their time together was precious and not as long as he would wish, then cherish every moment of it.

He needed to take his mind off all this, so he got up and picked up a book they had both been reading, then returned to sit by Mipha. It was a book on how to raise children, written from the Zora perspective, of course. He resumed reading from where he left off. After a while, he grew tired and lay down quietly next to Mipha in their waterbed. He was soon fast asleep.

Day two arrived, and Link awoke again, finding Mipha already awake.

"How are you feeling?" Link asked.

"Much better. The waterbed rest helped," said Mipha.

Link noticed two different nursery staff were on duty and a different council member.

Mipha walked over to the tank and stared at the eggs for a few minutes.

"Link, when you get a chance, you should check on how Dr. Purah is coming along," said Mipha without turning to look at him.

Had she read his mind? Or were her thoughts the same as his?

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing yesterday," said Link. And that was as much as he would say about the unspoken topic of his lifespan.

"Let's get some fresh air," said Mipha. "I need to walk, and I feel well enough now to get out."

They left their home and headed toward the central plaza. The guard, Kylah, who had fetched the doctor, was back on duty. As they neared her, she bowed her head.

"Lady Mipha, it's good to see you are well," said Kylah.

"Thank you, Kylah," said Mipha. "And thanks for your help. We are just taking a short walk around the plaza area if anyone needs us."

"Very good, Lady Mipha," said Kylah. "I will come for you if necessary. I hope you enjoy your walk."

The sun was shining, and birds landed, fluttered around, then took off again near the continually flowing waterfalls. The flowing water gave the Domain a peaceful sound. And the blue architecture of Zora's Domain was magnificent, especially the giant fish sculpture above the throne room. The plaza was busy with very young children running around or playing by the pools of water. The older children would be in school today. There were also quite a few shoppers at the general store, which was always well stocked with rice and a variety of fresh fish.

"We should buy some fish later," said Mipha. "I'm feeling hungry. But now, let's go up one of the water channels and sit down in one of the gazebos."

There were six small gazebo type structures that overlooked the plaza on three different levels. They were all connected by sloping channels along which cold, clean water flowed. They walked up the sloping channel from the plaza to one of the gazebos and sat down.

"I think I could fall asleep here," said Link. He always found the sound of rain or a waterfall restful.

"Tomorrow should be the big day," said Link. "I wonder who will hatch first? Of course, I don't have any preference. Has it ever happened both eggs hatch at the same time?"

"That would be unusual," said Mipha. "If that did happen then the law says my father would choose which baby would succeed to the throne. But I honestly don't know of that ever happening."

"I guess the Zora people have thought of everything," he said.