Summary: Mipha and Link resume life in Zora's Domain as Zora and Hylian. Mila is teaching, Midon is coding, Lapha is schooling, Tila is captivating, and Linky is maturing.

"Open your eyes," said Mipha. "We're here."

The late night ferry from North Hyrule had already docked and was gently riding the waves at the Lanayru Bay terminal. The sun was just rising now and casting an orange glow everywhere. It was a new day.

Link rubbed his eyes and saw Mipha smiling at him. He smiled back. She was back to how he first knew her, and that felt good.

"Good morning, Princess of the Zora," said Link. "You're very nice to wake up to."

"You're still not used to it yet?" laughed Mipha.

"I never will be, sweetheart," said Link. "Every time is just as exciting. But I guess we had better go ashore. It looks like we're the last ones on board."

"I wanted to let you sleep as long as possible," said Mipha. "And I only woke up myself a short time ago."

Mipha took his hand, and they stepped onto the pier and then the shore. The Zora official there bowed a greeting, and they were free to continue.

"You're wearing your Zora Armor, so let's get in some swimming," said Mipha. "I've been dying to see how I feel back in my element."

They made their way back toward the Domain, swimming wherever possible. It was midmorning by the time they reached the northern part of Ruto Lake and home lay just ahead.

"Take my hand," said Mipha as they approached the final waterfall. Then they held hands and laughed all the way as they both swam at full speed up the waterfall and surged past the top, landing gracefully in the waters of the lower Domain level. Link had felt a tug on his hand the whole way up, so he knew Mipha was still swimming faster than him. She clearly hadn't lost any water skills from her time as a Hylian.

"That felt really good!" laughed Mipha. "Come, let's calm Father's nerves. I know he will be anxious until he sees me with his own eyes. Sidon Tabbed me that a single day didn't pass that he didn't express his concern."

The guards acknowledged them and waved them up to the throne room.

"Good morning, Father," said Mipha smiling at him. "Your delinquent daughter has returned."

"Mipha, darling, you look wonderful!" said King Dorephan. "Sidon shared Link's message from last night, and I was so relieved. But it is even more of a relief to see you safe and sound. And I know your children have missed you."

"It's good to be home," said Mipha. "Link and I both feel like we've been away too long."

"Yes, by all means, enjoy being home again," said King Dorephan. "Maybe you two could have some fun at tonight's dance."

"I didn't realize that was tonight, but yes that would be fun," said Mipha.

"Now I have a meeting coming up with a council member," said King Dorephan. "But welcome home!"

They thanked him and left.

"I need to make arrangements to have the bed removed from our room," said Link. "I'll speak to Kodah about it now."

"I'll come with you," said Mipha.

They made their way to the inn and Kodah was by the entrance.

"Lady Mipha and Link," said Kodah. "How nice to see you both."

"Good morning, Kodah," said Link. "It looks like we won't need that bed any longer."

"Ah, everything is back to normal? I'll arrange to have it picked up tomorrow. And you already paid for the week, so we're good. If you don't mind my asking, how was life as a Hylian, Lady Mipha?"

"It was exciting in some ways," said Mipha. "But I only did it out of necessity, and I'm happy to be back to the way I hatched. It's funny, but I still missed the water. It must be deeply ingrained in my mind because I felt the pull of water even as a Hylian."

"Well, welcome back Lady Mipha," said Kodah. "I know everyone will be happy to see you back the way we know you. And all of us feel what you did was a huge sacrifice and very heroic."

Mipha and Link returned home and put away Mipha's Hylian clothing and other travel items. Then it was time to think about lunch.

"I literally cannot wait to bite into a tasty Hearty Bass," said Mipha. "I'll catch you one too. Be right back."

Link lit the kitchen pot as Mipha left and returned a few minutes later with a Hearty Bass for him.

"Where's yours?" said Link.

"I said 'literally,'" said Mipha.

Link laughed and shook his head. He cooked his fish, they sat down together, and Link began eating.

"I think we should take a quick swim and then a nap," said Mipha. "Neither of us slept well last night, and I want us to be fresh and enjoy the dance at Ruto Lake tonight."

"Fine," said Link. "We'll probably get woken up when the children get home."

After Link finished eating they did some swimming in the waterfalls behind their house on Mikau Lake, then headed home to their bedroom to rest.

"Ah! Home at last!" sighed Mipha as she settled into the water of their bedroom pool. Link joined her. She rested her head against his, and they held hands. She looked over at him, and they kissed. Then Mipha closed her eyes and soon afterward stopped breathing. Link knew she was asleep then. He closed his eyes, listened to the steady sound of the nearby waterfall, and drifted off to sleep moments later.

The next thing he knew Link awoke with a start and Mipha did the same.

"Time for dinner!" Lapha had just shouted through their bedroom door. "Hurry up Mom and Dad."

Mipha and Link got up, and Link got dressed. Then they made their way to the dining room.

"Welcome home!" their four children shouted in unison. Everyone exchanged smiles and hugs then sat down to eat.

"This is amazing!" said Mipha. "Where did you get the Porgies? You know they're my favorite!"

"Uncle Sidon knew you would be coming home today and made arraignments," said Mila. "He is out with friends tonight, or he would have joined us. And we wanted to give you a special homecoming."

"Thank you, this is a wonderful surprise," said Mipha.

"So, please tell us all that's been happening with you," said Link. "I feel like we haven't seen you in ages."

"Well, I've been teaching history," said Mila. "And working on some research. I'm enjoying it so far. The students have been curious to learn and well behaved. I can say that because luckily Laff and Linky here are too old for my class."

Lapha stuck her tongue out at Mila as everyone laughed.

"I've been busy coding," said Midon. "And I'm involved with testing some new Tab features we're working on before we release them. It's nice to be able to work from here, but I usually find a place outside to work. I don't like to stay inside my room all day."

"I'm back in school," said Lapha. "I'm enjoying the class with the Sheikah scientist from North Hyrule. But the other classes are fine as well."

"I'm doing fine," said Linky. "I have the same classes as Laff, except for the Sheikah one, and the instructors are all good so far."

Mipha and Link briefly exchanged a glance. It wasn't anything Linky said, but the way he said it. Linky's voice had changed since they had last seen him, and it wasn't a little boy's voice anymore. He had reached adolescence.

Mila noticed their reaction and smiled at Mipha.

"Well, I would love to learn more when we have a chance to talk separately," said Mipha. "Now let's enjoy this delicious dinner. Is everyone going to the dance tonight?"

"Yes," said Mila. "I'll be with Kendal. He's almost done with his knight training and looking forward to being sworn in as a full-fledged knight."

"I'll be with Larena," said Midon. "She's still studying architecture as an apprentice."

"Linky and I are just going to hang out and enjoy the music and dance a little," said Lapha.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Mila. "My friend Tila Tabbed me she will be coming here for the dance, too, and staying with me tonight. Are you and Dad going?"

"Yes, and we'll keep out of your way," laughed Link. "Enjoy yourselves. You're only young once."

"That's especially funny coming from you, Dad," said Mila. "But we understand."

After dinner, the children left to meet their friends down at the lake. The dance would start a bit before sunset, and the musicians were already beginning to get set up.

"You're only young once?" said Mipha. "Are you suddenly feeling old? I can cure that, and I don't need any healing magic."

"I know you can!" laughed Link. "But I'm fine. It's just that Linky's voice change took me by surprise. He's growing up."

"Yes, he is," said Mipha. "But we always knew that would happen. Just enjoy sharing the experience and don't get all sentimental on me. It's already hard enough for me to accept."

"Of course, I understand, sweetheart," said Link.

"Let's go down to the lake soon," said Mipha. "I'm in the mood for some music and dancing. I think I appreciate music more as a Zora. We have such a rich tradition with it."

Meanwhile, at Ruto Lake, people were gathering.

"Kendal! Over here!" shouted Mila, waving as she saw Kendal looking for her. Kendal smiled, waved back, then swam over to Mila, and they embraced, kissed, and twirled around in the water together.

"Are you practicing?" laughed Mila.

"I know I can certainly use some dance practice," laughed Kendal. "No, just so happy to be with you again, sweetheart. I don't want to let you go, either."

Midon, who was not far away, waved to Kendal and he waved back.

A few minutes later Larena swam over to Midon. They kissed and held each other.

"How is the Prince of coding doing tonight?" said Larena.

"Looking forward to a romantic evening with the future Zora Chief Architect," said Midon.

They laughed and kissed again. Then Larena waved to Mila and Kendal.

"Where's Princess Lapha and Link?" said Larena.

"They're together over there," said Midon pointing to a nearby rock outcropping. Lapha and Linky were sitting together there talking.

Just then Mila heard a familiar voice.

"Hi Mila and Kendal," said Tila. "Ready for some serious dancing tonight?"

"Tila!" said Mila as they hugged each other. "It's great to see you! As always, you look fantastic. Are you here alone?"

"Just with the security guard my devoted sister insists upon," said Tila pointing to a nearby Zora guard from North Hyrule who was making her way to an area nearby for a better view.

"Well, I'm not worried about you. You never seem to have trouble finding a dance partner," laughed Mila.

The musicians had taken their place now and were ready to begin. Everyone applauded as they started playing a fast dance song that had everyone turning and twisting in the water.

"Come on, Linky," said Lapha. "Dance this one with me. It's fun!"

"Sure, Laff," said Linky as they jumped into the water. This was a dance to warm up the mostly young crowd, and Linky laughed when he messed up and turned the wrong way at one point. In the end, they were both laughing with each other.

"That was fun!" said Linky. "I don't feel self-conscious anymore."

So, the evening dance went on. The musicians favored fast songs but mixed in some slower ones as well. This was one of the more popular music groups, and the crowd was loving it.

Mipha and Link made their way to the Eastern end of the Lake and had been listening to the music on the way there.

"I guess we really are old," said Mipha. "I don't recognize most of the songs or how you're supposed to dance to them."

"Let's just dance to them the way we want," said Link. "The important thing is we're together and having fun."

Meanwhile, after dancing with a few random dance partners, Tila swam over to where Lapha and Linky were together.

"Hello Lapha and Link, are you having a good time?" said Tila.

Linky stared at her for a moment. She always wore such beautiful jewelry, and it seemed to sparkle. And she looked gorgeous!

"We are, Aunt Tila," said Lapha.

"Please, you're both way too old to be calling me 'Aunt' anymore," said Tila. "Just my name is fine."

The next song was starting.

"Come on, Link, dance with me," said Tila.

Linky said yes, that would be nice and then swallowed. He felt a funny feeling when she held his hand. Tila pulled him out further into the water away from Lapha, as the music began. She closed her eyes to the rhythm of the music then opened them, smiled and gazed into Linky's eyes. Her eyes were like bright polished gold, more golden than even Mi's and Laff's. It gave him a warm feeling to look at them.

And now he felt a strong urge to be close to her. He took another deep breath and swallowed. And Tila seemed to sense what he was feeling, as her smile grew more enticing. She reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him close. Then she changed the way they were dancing. She took his other hand and placed it around her then let go and held him with hers. He held her close and realized this must be what it felt like to be crazy about someone. Because he suddenly realized he was.

Tila was turning in the water with him now, and he held her even closer, and she held him closer too. He looked at her, and she looked back at him. Her eyes were so beautiful and so expressive. Had he never noticed that before? Then he looked down at her lips, and they looked so soft and inviting, and he was sure they would be delightful to taste. Then he looked back at her eyes, and she was looking back at him. And her eyes seemed to say to him, go ahead, I know you want to kiss me, and I want you to. And as he looked her expression changed slightly to a questioning glance as if to say 'Well, what are you waiting for? You have to go first.'

He gave in to his feelings. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers and then Tila returned his kiss as she held his face to hers with her hand on the back of his head. And as their kiss continued, he knew he was in love or at least a young version of it. Then she pulled back and gently touched his cheek.

"That was nice!" said Tila. "Now stay with me, we're dancing the rest of the night together."

"I would love that," said Linky. "I really would."

As Lapha watched Linky and Tila dance, one of the boys in her Sheikah Technology class approached her. He was kind of shy and his name was Kentle.

"Princess Lapha? Would you like to dance with me?" said Kentle.

"Sure," said Lapha. "And just my name is fine, Kentle."

They went out further into the water and started dancing.

"I felt funny asking you to dance while your brother was with you," said Kentle.

"Oh, you could have anyway," said Lapha. "And it looks like he's quite busy now. I'm glad you asked me. Are you enjoying our Sheikah class?"

They began discussing Sheikah technology as they danced.

Link and Mipha had paused dancing for a moment, and Link looked around. Then he noticed Lapha dancing with someone, and it wasn't Linky. Lapha was the last of his little girls and this hit home. She was growing up, too?

"I see Lapha is dancing with a boy," said Link to Mipha as he nodded in their direction.

"Yes, girls often do that," said Mipha. "I know what you're thinking and you shouldn't. She's a Zora and still has a long way to go. They're just kids having a good time. You know, I came to this dance to have fun, not get all sentimental. Will you lighten up?"

"Sorry, yes, I promise," said Link. "Let's try dancing to the next song, whatever it is. And I hope I don't embarrass you too much."

After the song ended, the musicians paused, and one of them addressed the audience.

"I hope everyone is having as much fun dancing as we are performing," he said.

There were shouts and cheers, confirming everyone was.

"We've tried to play your favorite songs, and we don't often perform requests," he said. "Usually because we don't know them anyway."

That drew a small laugh.

"But there is a special couple here we would like to honor, and one of their children has kindly asked us to play their favorite song. I won't say who asked us, or they will probably be in big trouble when they get home."

At this, there was another murmur of laughter.

"I wonder what this is all about?" said Link.

"Will Lady Mipha and Master Link please come forward and be recognized," said the musician. "This next song, 'Waves of Love,' is for you. But I want all of you lovers out there to dance now. You're never too young or too old to be in love, and this song has been a lover's favorite for many years."

The crowd applauded, and Mipha and Link had no choice but to swim nearer the musicians to everyone's applause.

"I'm going to kill someone later," laughed Link. "Which one of them did this? And I wish they didn't have to keep mentioning how old the song was."

"Lighten up, remember?" laughed Mipha. "And I love this song, so be quiet and enjoy the moment."

When they were close enough, they waved to the musician and acknowledged the applause of the crowd. Then the music began, and they started dancing. Soon other couples were dancing as well, and no one was paying them any attention.

Mipha and Link put their cheeks together and gently moved to the music. Link closed his eyes and remembered their first dance just after they had taken their wedding vows. They had danced to this very same song then, and it felt just as good to hold her in his arms now. He felt so lucky. And Mipha felt Link hold her closer as they danced, and she stroked the back of his head and neck, then pulled his face to hers, and they kissed. Her dreams had come true, too. And when the song ended, they waved again to the musician and swam back to the edge of the lake.

"See, that wasn't so bad," said Mipha. "And now you will always remember this dance instead of just forgetting all about it. You should feel grateful."

"You're right, of course," said Link. "Should we go? It will be hard to top a moment like that."

"Oh, trust me, I think I can," said Mipha. "Let's go."

Mipha took Link's hand as they headed home.

The dance continued for quite a while after Mipha and Link left. But finally, the musicians announced this would be the last song, and they played a slow, sentimental one. When it was over, it was time to say goodnight.

"I enjoyed dancing and talking with you, Lapha," said Kentle. "Would you mind if I Tab you sometimes?"

"No, not at all," said Lapha. "I enjoyed talking with you, too. But you need to brush up on some of the course material. We can talk about that next time."

"I will, I promise," said Kentle.

Mila was saying goodnight to Kendal.

"Can we swim after dinner tomorrow?" said Kendal.

"I think so, sweetheart," said Mila. "I'll Tab you. Good night."

Then they kissed and embraced.

Midon was saying goodnight to Larena.

"Where are you doing your architectural field work tomorrow?" said Midon. "I can work nearby. Then I'll have a chance to see you sooner."

"I'll be at East Reservoir Lake tomorrow," said Larena. "But I hope you are concentrating on your work, not trying to distract both of us."

"I can handle both," said Midon. "See you tomorrow then, sweetheart."

They kissed goodnight and Larena swam off.

Linky was saying goodnight to Tila. He would go home with Lapha.