Summary: Midon and Linky start their third week at Hyrule Castle as Mipha and Link head to North Hyrule. But their plans for a Faron holiday are interrupted once again when a tunnel collapse imperils a squad of Gerudo guards. As their only hope for survival, Mipha takes a drastic step to help with their rescue.

In the north Gerudo Desert past the Karusa Valley, a squad of twelve Gerudo guards was exploring a recently excavated section of the Yiga Clan hideout. The Captain, Farna, was in charge of the team. Exploring and renovating the former Yiga Clan hideout was an ongoing Gerudo project, and was worked on sporadically whenever time and resources were available. The Yiga Clan had used this structure as their main base of operations for many years. It was going on eight years now since the known Yiga Clan had all been destroyed in their failed attack on Hyrule under the disastrous leadership of Dark Link. But their hideout had been complicated to explore. Some areas contained traps, and other areas were hidden. And the Gerudo had other things to occupy their time. So progress exploring all of it was slow.

"This place just goes on and on, doesn't it, Captain?" said Loda, one of the guards as they walked along the newly opened tunnel.

"Yes, it seems so," said Farna. "As soon as we think we found everything, something new is discovered, like this tunnel. This is a very ancient structure of ours that the Yiga occupied, expanded and converted to their own perverted ends. I'm glad we're rid of them."

They proceeded cautiously and single file through the tunnel, Sheikah lanterns they carried illuminating the passageway. The tunnel was tall enough that they did not have to stoop. Every now and then there were some markings carved on the wall but too faded with age and erosion to read.

"Have you told headquarters where we are?" said Farna.

"Yes, our Tabs still work," said Loda. "They are monitoring our location. They said to proceed with caution."

"Yes, that's the standing order, isn't it? laughed Farna. "It almost goes without saying."

They made their way forward for another 30 minutes, and then the tunnel opened up into a cavern. They stopped and pointed their lanterns around. There was nothing noteworthy, just an empty cavern. The tunnel seemed to continue on the other side. They began making their way across the room and had gotten to the midpoint when suddenly there was the sound of scraping rock and sand. The floor gave way beneath them and screams filled the air as the twelve guards found themselves falling into a cavern below amidst the debris of the floor and one of the walls now collapsing above them. There was screaming, moaning and coughing as sand and dust filled the air.

Farna had landed on her side, and she could tell her left leg, and left arm must both be broken. She groaned as she moved slightly and sat up.

"Attention," said Farna after coughing a few times. "Please, call out your names in the usual order and state your condition if you can."

Ten Gerudo guards answered in turn. All said they were hurt by the fall and the debris that fell after them, broken bones and internal injuries being the most common. One guard, Ralza, did not call out. As they shone what lanterns still worked around the cavern, she was found lying dead, a large piece of debris having killed her instantly.

Farna checked her Tab. It was too damaged.

"Does anyone's Tab still work?" shouted Farna.

"Mine works, Captain, but the signal is very weak," said one of the guards. "I already sent out a distress call. I'm not sure it was received."

"Alright," said Farna. "We need to wait for a rescue party. Help each other as best you can in the meantime."

Back at Gerudo Town the communications officer, Elena, noticed a brief distress signal. When she tried to contact the sender, there was no response. She immediately notified the officer on duty.

"We received a distress call from Farna's squad at the Yiga Clan hideout, and they are not responding," said Elena.

After trying again to contact the party without success, a rescue party was organized. Motorized vehicles were used for Gerudo transport now, sand seals being used only for sport and pleasure. The rescue team sped north to the hideout to investigate. When they arrived and traced the path Farna's squad had followed, supplemented with the aid of a weak Tab signal, they found their way to the location of the cave in. The area was below them and completely sealed off, save for a small opening.

"Farna, anyone, are you down there?" called Ganda, the captain of the rescue team as she leaned into the opening.

"Yes, we're here," yelled Farna.

"What is your condition?" said Ganda.

"One killed, the rest of us injured, broken bones and such," said Farna.

The opening was large enough for a person to be lowered by rope to the floor below.

"I'm sending down a medical officer by rope," said Ganda.

The doctor on the rescue team, named Hama, was hitched to a rope and lowered to the floor below. She went from person to person to check their injuries and perform some basic first aid. Then she used her Tab to signal Ganda.

"Captain, the injuries are pretty serious," said Hama. "They are not immediately life-threatening, but the people here cannot be hoisted up by a rope through the existing opening. Many have broken bones and internal injuries. Can we widen the opening so we can raise these people on stretchers?"

"Let me check," said Ganda.

Ganda waved over the engineer of the rescue party, and she examined the hole and the surrounding material.

"I wouldn't risk it, Captain," said the engineer. "Attempting to widen this opening could collapse the whole rest of the floor and bury everyone completely. That's my assessment."

"Hama, our engineer, says it's too risky," said Ganda. "Is there nothing else we can do?"

"I can't do much more right now, and they definitely can't be hoisted through that hole," said Hama. "At least let's get some food and water for now. And some more medical supplies. I'll give you a list of what I need by Tab. I'll try to do what I can, but that is not going to solve the problem. We need to get these people out of here and to a proper medical facility. In the meantime, I am sending up Ralza's body."

"Alright, let me notify headquarters. Do the best you can," said Ganda.

Headquarters was notified of the situation, and another party was sent out with food, water, and the requested medical supplies. The captain of the guard notified Urbosa of the situation.

"The injured guards cannot be evacuated?" said Urbosa.

"No, Chief," said the captain. "The doctor says they cannot be hoisted on a rope through the ceiling without risking further injury, possibly fatal injury. She is doing all she can, but the conditions do not allow her to treat them the way they need to be cared for. And our engineer says the structure is too unstable to tamper with. Widening the opening is too risky. It could collapse the floor killing everyone. I'm not sure what we can do other than to keep everyone alive and as comfortable as possible for now. If we can't come up with another idea, we will just have to hoist everyone one-by-one through the opening and pray some survive."

"The real solution is that they need to be healed where they lay," said Urbosa. "I know someone who can do that, but she cannot travel here. If only there were water there, but any water is too far away. I will let Zelda know our situation. Perhaps she can think of something. Please keep me informed in the meantime."

Meanwhile, it was just after lunch at Hyrule Castle.

"This is so much fun, Zelda!" Linky shouted over the noise of his watercraft.

Linky and Princess Zelda were using two of the recently developed personal watercraft to race around the Hyrule Castle Moat. The instructor had explained the controls to them that morning, and now it was time to put their knowledge into action. The devices used by the two students had their speed capped to a safe value. Even so, the two of them were laughing with pleasure as they zoomed around the water.

"I'll race you around the moat!" shouted Princess Zelda.

"You're on!" shouted Linky.

They both revved up their watercraft and took off.

Midon heard the noise and looked out the window of the study room where he was working on his project. Then he smiled and shook his head. Linky may be growing up fast, he thought, but he was still very much a kid. He raised his Tab and took a picture. The family would enjoy seeing this! He Tabbed the picture to Mila, then he got back to work.

Back at Zora's Domain, Mipha and Link were getting ready to leave for North Hyrule. Link planned to transform back to a Zora for a time, and then they were going to enjoy exploring the waterfalls and lakes in the Faron Region.

"Are you ready?" said Link as he took Mipha's hand. "I'm leaving the Zora Armor behind since I won't need it. And soon we'll be together again the way we both love to be, and enjoying the beautiful Faron lakes and waterfalls."

"I can't wait, sweetheart," said Mipha as she squeezed his hand. "The scenery is said to be so very beautiful there!"

"You're excited about the scenery?" said Link.

"Yes," said Mipha. "What did you think?"

"Well, ...," said Link.

Mipha cut him off as she gently stroked the back of his neck.

"You're still so easy to tease," laughed Mipha. "Of course I'm excited about us being together, sweetheart."

Then she paused.

"But I hear the scenery is nice, too," Mipha laughed.

They headed to the ferry and were soon aboard. Link had earlier messaged the Sheikah scientist in charge of the transformation shrine about their plans, and he had received a reply that all would be ready. They should expect the transformation back to the Zora blueprint body they had stored to take about three hours.

Mipha and Link settled down in their seats on the ferry, their arms around each other. They both looked across the harbor as they waited for the ship to leave, the boat rocking gently up and down on the waves. It was mid-morning, and a warm sun reflected off the blue-green water.

"I haven't seen you wear this outfit in a long time," said Mipha as she turned to look at Link. "You used to wear this sometimes when you visited me."

"Yes, it's just my basic Hylian outfit," said Link as he stared at the water. "It's probably the third or fourth one I've owned. I can't remember. My outfits suffered a lot of wear back then when I was wandering everywhere."

"Do you miss those days, Link?" said Mipha. "Do you wish you were still off adventuring and saving Hyrule?"

Link turned to look at her.

"Would I trade now for then?" said Link. "Absolutely not. I found love and happiness with you and our family. Nothing can ever top that."

Link paused for a moment. Then he stared back out at the water as he continued.

"But you know me too well," said Link. "You knew that wearing these clothes again would bring back some memories for me. I guess everyone remembers fondly some times in their younger life. And it's easy to recall the fun and excitement, the thrill of exploring the unknown, the satisfaction of overcoming new challenges. It's easy to remember all that and forget all the bad times that came with it. I also need to remember the loneliness, the heavy feeling of responsibility, and the fear of failure I carried."

Link turned back to look at her.

"I told you on our wedding day I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if that were the only way for us to be together. And I still would. But otherwise no, I don't miss it. I'm glad it's over, and we have each other now and a life to share together," said Link.

Mipha leaned over, and she kissed him.

"That's the best answer," said Mipha. "I love you."

When departure time arrived, there was the customary safety announcement, and then they were underway.

"It's a relaxing ride, isn't it?" said Link as they watched the shoreline pass by.

"Yes," said Mipha as she snuggled against him, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I like how fast it gets us there, and the sooner, the better."

He stroked her forehead, and she smiled back at him.

"Father seemed quite excited to have Lapha and Mila in his care," said Link.

"Oh, he loves having more time with them," said Mipha. "He is going to get them their favorite food, maybe even some presents. As I told him, they'll be sorry to see us return."

"I'm happy they've gotten over Midon and Linky being away," said Link. "It's another example of how much Tabs have improved our lives, being able to keep in touch like that. Messages make all of us feel so much closer when we're apart. When we were young, we had to rely on letters."

"Oh, speaking of that, do you remember any of the letters you wrote me?" said Mipha.

"Well, you know, my memory issues," said Link. "I don't recall any. Did I send you any letters?"

"I can answer that for you, sweetheart," said Mipha. "No, never, not a single one, ever. Not in all the time you knew me did I ever get a letter from you. Except for that one time you sent me a brief note that you were planning to visit me without the princess accompanying you. That was the time I saw you at Ruta. That's it. That's the extent of your correspondence with me before we married."

"I'm sorry," said Link. "I must have been too busy to write, you know, training and guarding ... Anyway, I am sorry. I should have written to you. But I don't doubt you were on my mind. I mean, I always came to visit you when I could."

"Yes, there's that," said Mipha. "But I would have liked to know you thought of me when we were apart. Anyway, let's not spoil the mood. How about another kiss?"

They kissed then settled back in each other's arms.

It was as they neared the port area in North Hyrule that Link's and Mipha's Tabs both went off. Link looked down, and it was a message from Zelda to call her at once. Was something wrong with one of the children? He quickly called while Mipha listened as well.

"Zelda, is everything okay? Are the children alright?" said Link.

"The children are both fine," said Zelda. "But I have received some bad news from Gerudo Town. The Gerudo have suffered a terrible accident. I am reaching out to you to see if you can think of any way Mipha can help."

"What happened?" said Mipha.

"A squad of twelve Gerudo was exploring a part of the Yiga Clan hideout when the entire floor in that section collapsed into an underground chamber. All but one survived the fall, but they suffered broken bones and internal injuries. There is only a small opening into the underground chamber, big enough to send food, water, and a person down. They cannot dig it open for fear of collapsing the chamber further. A doctor was sent down to tend to the wounded, and she has done the best she can. But she said the injuries are too serious to try lifting any of them out. Their only hope is finding a way to heal them in place, where they are."

"You know Mipha can't survive in the desert, Zelda," said Link. "I don't know how she can possibly help. Can the doctor not do any more for them?"

"Apparently not," said Zelda.

"I'm sorry," said Link. "I don't know what else we can do."

"Wait a moment," said Mipha. "Link, you transformed into a Zora to help Hyrule when you needed to battle underwater. Why can't I transform into a Hylian?"

Link was stunned speechless for a moment.

"I don't like the idea, Mipha," said Link. "You know there is some danger to that process. And how do we know your healing power will even still work? If it is up to me, I think it's too risky. There must be some other way. But, of course, it's your decision, not mine."

Mipha thought for a moment. Then she gave her answer.

"Zelda, I will help them," said Mipha. "I was granted this healing power to help others, and I need to try. We are actually almost in North Hyrule now. I will speak with the Sheikah scientist there. But you know this will take a few weeks."

"Yes, I know," said Zelda. "And the doctor will tend to the injured as best she can during that time. All we can do is try. Let me know if there is anything I can do. And thank you! You are a brave Champion, as always."

Zelda ended the call.

"I can understand you wanting to do this," said Link. "But I'm scared."

"Now you know how I felt when you transformed," said Mipha. "But I could never live with myself if I didn't try, knowing there is a chance of saving them. My heart tells me this is the right thing to do."

When they arrived in North Hyrule, they explained the situation to the Sheikah scientist in charge of the transformation process.

"I see," said the scientist. "This is obviously quite a bit different from what we planned. It can be done, but it does entail more risk. Are you sure you wish to do this? You wish to transform into a Hylian?"

"I believe I must try," said Mipha. "I will trust my prayers for success will be answered."

"Very well," said the scientist. "We will start getting things ready. I will need some additional help to do this. Let me gather two of my colleagues."

The scientist went off to find some help.

"I will let Father know," said Mipha. "I hope he can handle it. And he will need to tell Mila and Lapha. You should let Midon and Linky know."

"This is all so unexpected, Mipha," said Link. "I'm still in shock. I don't know what to say. I pray that no harm will come to you. I need you. Your family needs you."

"I know. Try not to worry," said Mipha. "But if something does happen to me, you have a family now that needs you too and loves you. You won't be all alone this time. Do you want to go home and be with our family? You can't do anything here. And maybe you should be home for the children. Midon and Linky will be returning from Hyrule Castle in a couple of weeks."

"No, I need to be here," said Link. "I can't relax while this is happening and I think it makes more sense for me to message them about how things are from here. Father will be happy to look after them, not that Mila and Midon need any looking after. I can stay at the inn in Queen Faray's Domain and stop by here every day to check on things. I will pray every chance I can for you. I love you so much. I wish you didn't need to do this."

"And you know how much I love you," said Mipha. "But let's be optimistic. The Sheikah here are quite capable, and I have confidence in them."

The scientist and his two colleagues had returned by now and were finishing calibrating the equipment.

"We're ready now," said the scientist. "We can begin whenever you are."

Link and Mipha embraced and kissed, then Mipha settled into the chamber.

"We adjusted the chamber slightly to allow some water as well as air to circulate at the outset," said the scientist. "The water will help maintain you in good health while you're still a Zora and the air will be there for you when you convert to a Hylian. Are you ready?"

"Yes," said Mipha.

"Then just relax and close your eyes," said the scientist. "You will fall asleep. When you wake up, you will have transformed into a Hylian."

Mipha closed her eyes and drifted off into unconsciousness as they closed the chamber lid.