Summary: An ancient text holds a clue to Princess Ruto's long-lost Zora's Sapphire.

Mipha and Link were sitting together arm-in-arm in one of the small sheltered structures in Zora's Domain, watching an unusually heavy rain splash across the plaza. It was that pleasant time of day they had to themselves, between the time the children left for school and before the day's tasks began. King Dorephan had asked to see them later that morning, but they still had some free time. Link rubbed his hand gently up and down Mipha's shoulder. She looked over at him and smiled.

"This is nice, sitting here with you," said Link. "You know I love the sound of rain, and you know I love you."

"Yes, I know, sweetheart," said Mipha. "You could have reversed the order of your feelings, but I agree it is cozy sitting here together."

Mipha rubbed her hand across his forehead and through his hair. They kissed once, and then both turned back to look at the rain. It was a steady downpour, puddles forming everywhere. Any uncovered water was bubbling wildly, pelted by the large raindrops. The plaza was empty. Zoras generally don't mind the rain, but this one was strong enough for everyone to seek shelter.

"Do you know what Father wants to meet with us about?" said Link.

"No, but he told me it has something to do with Princess Ruto," said Mipha.

"Princess Ruto? That was ages ago," said Link. "Why would he want to see us about that?"

"I don't know. I'm glad you remembered at least that much history from your citizenship test. But how much do you know about Princess Ruto?"

"Well, according to what I remember, Princess Ruto aided the Hero of Time to defeat Ganon and became a sage. Right?" said Link.

"Right, as far as it goes," said Mipha. "For the citizenship test, they don't expect you to learn as much Zora history as you do in school. And I had a strong personal interest in her story, so I looked into it more. I was wondering when you were studying about Princess Ruto if you would appreciate the similarities to our situation. But I guess you were too busy memorizing things."

"Well, aside from the fact that Princess Ruto fell in love with the hero and gave him what she considered an engagement present, a sapphire jewel which my anniversary gift was modeled after, what else is parallel?"

"Yes, your gift is beautiful. I love wearing it. All that is part of the story," said Mipha. "And all of it is history. But history was recorded based on what people wrote about or spoke to others about who, in turn, recorded it. That included stories told by the Hero of Time. Now consider our history. We know what happened from our knowledge, but you tell us, and I don't doubt it is true that there was another timeline where Ganon triumphs at first, and it takes over one hundred years for you and Princess Zelda to finally set things right. And then it took several more years after that to create the timeline we are in now. So, should we consider your experience saving Hyrule at first as history? Or just a story? The notes you took of all the events in your original timeline, are they history or fiction? You can attest that they happened, and your story is believable to those you told. You did prove to the Champions and Zelda that you came from the future. And we wouldn't be where we are today if it didn't happen. So, if your experience saving Hyrule the first time is recorded, as it will be, then it becomes part of Hyrule's history. But our current timeline is history as well. That seems contradictory since one timeline replaced another. But it isn't if you consider that events of both timelines happened and were, or will be, recorded for posterity."

"The same thing is true of the Hero of Time and Princess Ruto," Mipha continued. "The hero of that era claimed he had returned from seven years in the future where he defeated Ganon with the help of sages, one of whom was Princess Ruto. His information from the future led to the Hyrule royal family imprisoning Ganon. But the story he told of how he saved Hyrule and the role of the sages was recorded too. Legends say the Hero of Time's spirit passed on his combat secrets to the Link you met in your Twilight Realm adventure. By the way, you might have learned more if you spent more time talking with the Hero of Twilight and less time drooling over Princess Midna."

"I didn't ...," Link started to speak, but Mipha cut him off.

"Now, do you see the parallels? The Hero of Time returned from the future. You, the Hero of Hyrule, returned from the future. In his original timeline, the Hero of Time was engaged to a Zora princess, Ruto, or at least she thought so. But their marriage in that timeline couldn't happen because of Ganon. You were engaged to a Zora princess in your original timeline, but their marriage couldn't happen because of Ganon."

"Yes, I see what you're saying," said Link. "So recorded history includes the events in two of the Hero of Time timelines. But which one are we in?"

"We're in the one where he is sent back in time as a child, and Princess Ruto does not become a sage. At least that is what we were taught in Zora History class. But we commemorate her being a sage in the other timeline because, without it, we wouldn't have this one."

"But what would Father want to see us about that concerns Princess Ruto? That was so long ago," said Link.

"Well, we should find out soon," said Mipha. "For now, let's enjoy watching the rain together. Love of water is something we share."

She hugged him closer, then they kissed.

"And a love of each other, sweetheart, if you reverse your feelings," said Link.

"Oh, so you're feeling clever this morning," said Mipha. "And just as we were sharing a tender moment."

She reached out, gently touched his cheek, and turned his head towards hers. Then she looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Making yourself look adorable is not a fair debate tactic," said Link. "I think the order of my feelings is pretty clear."

He leaned forward, and they exchanged a long kiss, and then several more.

"You're making me resent we have a meeting coming up," said Link finally, catching his breath.

"Try holding that thought for later," said Mipha laughing. "But I don't mind reminding you. We should see Father now. And you can think about how much you love water while we dodge raindrops on the way."

They quickly made their way to the throne room, laughing as the rain pelted them.

"Hello, Father," said Mipha. "I hope you are well."

"Good morning," said King Dorephan. "Yes, very well, and I hope you two and the children are too. It's quite the rainstorm we have this morning, isn't it? My reason for meeting concerns a letter I received from King Rhoam yesterday. I'll share the letter with you, but I can summarize it for you now. As you know, people continue to excavate areas of Hyrule that look promising for the discovery of ancient Sheikah relics. One area that has yielded some old items is what is now called the Forgotten Temple in Tanagar Canyon. Recently they uncovered an ancient small chest, and inside was the remains of a journal. A number of pages had decayed, but part survived. The journal had to be handled very carefully to preserve it. And it required scholarly help to read it since it was written in an ancient Hylian script and dialect. This all took some time, but when the scholars presented King Rhoam with the translation, he realized at once it would be of special interest to us. Hence his letter and a copy of the translated journal."

"Whose journal is it?" said Link.

"It purports to be the remains of a journal by the Hero of Time," said King Dorephan. "Why don't you read it together. It's only a few pages long, and I think you will find it interesting. Then we should discuss what to do."

Link took the copy of the journal and sat next to Mipha to read it together.

My name is Link, and I am writing this to record some key events in my life, events I have shared with Hyrule historians. But I am not confident the people I told will accept all I have said as valid, so I thought it wise to record events myself. I will leave this journal in a safe place.

Note from translator: An unknown number of pages appear to be missing here.

I will not repeat what is already known in our history books. They describe the unmasking of Ganon's treachery in time to imprison him and banish him from this world. What is not well known is that I was the one who brought back from the future the information of Ganon's intended treachery to warn Princess Zelda.

I defeated Ganon and saved Hyrule in that other timeline, but upon returning, it was the Princess who then sent me back seven years into the past, entrusting me with the ocarina used to control time. I know the Princess meant well, trying to give me back seven years of my life and protect the ocarina. But while I was again physically ten years old, I retained my memory of all that had happened as an adult. And it was a very lonely time for me. People I had met and grown close to in my other timeline no longer recognized me and had no reason to befriend me. I went from hero to nobody. And the fairy companion I had shared so much with left me without a word. It was while searching the woods for my fairy companion that I stumbled into a horrific world with magical masks. At first, I

Note from translator: An unknown number of pages appear to be missing here.

I hope if anyone ever uncovers mysterious masks, they will be careful not to wear them.

I was a little over ten years old and an orphan when I finally returned to Hyrule for good. I remembered the Lon Lon Ranch and the family who lived there. It was there I had gone after seeing Princess Zelda to find my horse, Epona. The ranch owner Talon took me in, and I worked on the ranch to earn my keep. During this time, I grew close to Talon's daughter, Malon. She was a sweet girl who loved singing and listening to my stories. We fell in love, and when I turned seventeen, we married.

Malon's dream, she said, was to be rescued by a knight, and I was able to make some of that dream come true for her. I wrote to Princess Zelda, and she offered me a position as a knight at Hyrule Castle. It was at that time Princess Zelda requested I return the ocarina to her now that Ganon was no longer a threat, which I did. Malon and I moved to Castle Town, and it made my heart happy to see how much joy living there brought her. She was familiar with Castle Town, of course, having delivered milk there. But now she could live there and enjoy a more carefree life. We used to love taking walks together, and she would sing as we walked. It was during our time there that Hylia blessed us with two healthy daughters, Lara and Kayla, and eight years of family happiness.

But then tragedy struck. My darling wife, Malon, succumbed to illness. I was heartbroken and suddenly on my own raising two young girls. Princess Zelda learned what had happened. She was married by then, but of course, she remembered me. She was kind and sympathetic and offered me the assistance of a nursemaid to help care for the children.

I was very appreciative of Zelda's generosity. My daughters continued to attend school there, and I tried my best to cope with the grief of my loss and my responsibilities as a father to my daughters. But over the course of the next two years, I grew more and more lonely. I wished my daughters, and I could be part of a family, and that I could be with someone to share my life with and offer a better life for my daughters. And to some extent, I was bitter that I had so little to show for all my efforts in saving Hyrule in the other timeline. Was that selfish of me? Or was it merely trying to find a way to move on from my grief and loneliness?

I remembered in the other timeline I had met a Zora princess named Ruto who, after I had rescued her, had given me a sacred jewel I needed to fulfill my mission. She told me the Zora's Sapphire was also an engagement present, and she called herself my fiancée. I recalled she was a bit spoiled and demanding when we first met as children but was a more mature and noble person seven years later when I briefly met her again as a sage. That would have been about ten years ago measured in the other timeline. She became a sage in that timeline, but she was not a sage in this one. Of course, in this timeline, we had never met, and she would have no reason to take any interest in an unknown Hylian. But I was lonely and remembered her. She had an interest in me back then, and I thought I had nothing to lose by contacting her. I wrote her a letter explaining who I was and describing as much as I could remember about our time together in the other timeline. I waited a couple of weeks with no answer to my letter and thought she had likely treated my story as nonsense if she had even read it at all. But to my surprise, I did receive an answer. She wrote that enough of what I had written was sufficiently detailed and factual to make her curious. She invited me to bring my daughters and meet with her in Zora's Domain, and she included a note with her royal seal that I needed to show to the guards to gain admittance.

Naturally, I prepared my daughters for the trip, and, with Princess Zelda's permission, we journeyed there at once. Princess Ruto was precisely how I remembered her, still very young for a Zora but kinder and mature now. She was very gracious to my daughters and made them feel welcome. She had two guards take care of them when she invited me to meet privately. Then she asked me to go over the whole story with her in detail again, often interrupting me with questions. I gather I was able to answer her well enough to gain her trust. She said my daughters and I could stay at the Domain for now, and she would like to learn more about me and my experiences.

I spent most of each day with my daughters exploring the nearby area together. When she had time, Princess Ruto would meet me and ask me to tell her a different portion of my adventure, saving Hyrule. Over the course of weeks, I ended up telling her as much as I could remember of the whole story.

Princess Ruto found it fascinating and laughingly told me I was either telling the truth or the most gifted liar in all of Hyrule. But it was clear she came to believe me. At some point, she introduced me to her father, King Zora. Her father was skeptical of me at first and wanted some assurance I was not some charlatan. He wrote to Princess Zelda, asking if what I had said about warning her of Ganon was true. She wrote back that it was. I also bore a mark on my hand left over from the time I carried the Triforce of Courage. That also helped my credibility, and the King accepted me as genuine. He offered to let me stay at the Domain if Zelda would allow me to be stationed there. I think his daughter likely spoke privately to him on my behalf. Zelda agreed, and my daughters and I began living in the Domain.

Princess Ruto made arrangements for a place to live and a tutor for my daughters. By this time, Princess Ruto had also wholly accepted me for what I said I was, and our mutual attraction had grown. She was not the arrogant Princess I had met as a child, but kind-hearted and fun to be with. We often laughed together and grew comfortable in each other's company. She was a young adult by Zora standards, and I was in my late twenties.

To get to the point, we fell in love with each other, and Princess Ruto offered me the Zora's Sapphire, which I was happy to accept. My daughters took the situation as well as children can in such circumstances, and we married. I hoped Malon's spirit would understand as well. Princess Ruto had always been very affectionate toward my daughters and promised to treat them as her own, something she did until the day they were old enough to leave the Domain and eventually have families of their own not far from the ranch where they used to live. But well before that, Princess Ruto and I also had a child, a beautiful Zora girl we named Phala. The time the five of us spent as a family was a happy one for all of us. I recall the time we

Note by translator: An unknown number of pages appear to be missing here.

Zoras age more slowly than Hylians, and eventually, time caught up with me. I am getting old now. One eye has already failed me, and I need to finish for fear I lose the other. I asked Princess Ruto if she would mind my returning alone to visit Hyrule Castle one last time. I wanted to pay a final visit to my two youngest daughters and their families on the way, visit Malon's resting place one last time, and say farewell to Queen Zelda. I also wanted to secure my journal in a safe place. I plan to bury it in the temple. Princess Ruto wished to accompany me, but I did not want her to share such a journey and thought it better for me to do this on my one. In the end, she reluctantly agreed. She made arrangements to

Note by translator: Some parts appear to be missing here.

Princess Ruto told me once, when the topic came up, that when our lives ended, she wanted to rest with me in Zora's Domain near where I said we first met, along with the Zora's Sapphire that played such an essential part in our lives. I asked her why she would not pass the sapphire down to Phala as her mother had done to her. But she said she thought the jewel was bound up too much with what had happened and had misgivings about passing it on. In any case, I was happy with her intentions. I hope I last long enough to return to my Princess in Zora's Domain. Princess Ruto was not my first love, but she was my longest and my last love. While I wish I could rest near both loves of my life, I know my daughters will continue to visit and venerate their mother's grave. I pray my spirit will have time to spend with Malon's until Princess Ruto's joins us both. I wonder, do all timelines come together in the spirit realm? Will Princess Ruto be a sage again when she finally arrives there? I sense I will soon find all this out.

I know I fulfilled my duty as a hero and hope I have also been a good father and loving husband. Certainly, I tried my best. I regret I never had a son, or grandson old enough, to whom I could pass on my secret combat skills. But I was blessed instead with three daughters, all of whom I am very proud of. I should be grateful for all that Hylia gave me in life, not ungrateful for the few things she did not. Farewell.

Mipha and Link were both quiet for a minute, thinking over what they had read. Link suddenly put his hand to his forehead as if something had occurred to him, then quickly recovered his composure.

"That is quite a tale," said Link finally. "Does it ring true?"

"According to King Rhoam's letter, it is consistent with what is thought to be true and does fill in some holes in our knowledge," said King Dorephan. "Some aspects of the story were only suspected."

"This is all interesting, of course," said Link. "But what is the special interest to us about this?"

"Because King Rhoam knows that the Zora's Sapphire has never been found and remains a lost treasure," said King Dorephan. "Of the three Spiritual Stones of that time, only the Kokiri's Emerald was ever found. That resides in the Hyrule Castle museum. You should see it sometime. The Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire were lost. This document gives some idea where the Zora jewel might be."