Summary: Mila and Link have a chance to talk as they return from North Hyrule to Zora's Domain. Mipha and Link then travel to the Faron region to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Mila and Link were sitting side-by-side on the ferry to Lanayru Bay when Link swayed slightly in his seat, still feeling somewhat disoriented after having just transformed to a Zora only a short time earlier.

"Are you okay, Dad?" said Mila as she grabbed his shoulder to steady him.

"Yes, thanks, just a bit wavy as we say," said Link. "It does take a little while to get acclimated to the new body. Do I look alright?"

"You look fine," said Mila. "You know, it's a little ironic. When I was a child, I used to worry you would leave us someday and return to live with Hylians. I don't know why I felt that way, some childish insecurity I guess. And now you've done just the opposite: you've become one of us."

"Yes, I can see what you mean," laughed Link. "I do remember those times, sweetheart. I tried my best to comfort you and make you understand I would never leave, that you and our family came first in my life. Did it work?"

"It helped. You always made me feel better," said Mila. "I liked it when you held me, and I could feel your hair against my cheek as I put my head on your shoulder. I felt secure when you were holding me. I guess you're good at protecting princesses, even little ones."

"Well, I try," Link laughed. "I made something of a career out of it. But I'm glad to know I made you feel better."

"But even as I got older I still worried about you, not leaving so much as getting hurt or worse," said Mila. "I still do worry if truth be told. And can you blame me? Some of the adventures you had would scare anyone. Mom used to tell me not to worry, that you knew how to take care of yourself. But when I looked in her eyes, I could tell she was worried too. So, she only helped a little, but at least we could worry together."

"I'm sorry for that," said Link. "Some of it came with my duty as keeper of the sword entrusted to me. But I always tried to be careful, and especially so after I had a family. You may not realize it, but I thought of all of you before I acted. Mom can tell you I used to be more reckless, but not anymore. Besides my duty to Hyrule, I have a duty to all of you."

They quietly watched the Akkala shoreline and the Rist Peninsula pass by as the ferry continued south. Then Link glanced away to look at Mila. He could remember what she had told him about, holding her in his arms, her head on his shoulder, gently patting her tail fin and trying to soothe her. For some reason, she almost always came to him when she needed comforting. Now she was grown, not fully yet, but already taller than him as a Hylian. As a Zora, he was back to being taller than her, but he was seeing her as a Zora would see her now. She looked younger to him. When he was a Hylian, perhaps her height played a role in making him think of her as a fully grown adult. But now he could see that she was only a very young adult, which was more consistent with a Zora lifespan. As to Mila's overall appearance, she looked a bit like Mipha facially, but her skin color was more pinkish than the crimson red of her mother. And Mila had bright gold colored eyes, her most striking attribute. Even as a child it was hard to look away from them, they were so captivating. It was funny how each of his Zora children had different features. Midon had Mipha's bright red skin but turquoise eyes. Lapha had pale blue skin but the same bright golden eye color as Mila.

Mila noticed him looking at her.

"Everything okay, Dad?" said Mila.

"Sorry, just thinking about what you said and our family," said Link. "I hope you know how proud Mom and I are of you, Mila. You've grown to be a wonderful person, brave and kind and intelligent. You're everything a future leader needs to be. And a loving daughter as well."

"Thank you, Dad," said Mila. "I still feel I have a lot to learn. But having the two best role models in Hyrule helps."

Mila paused for a moment.

"I feel so fortunate to be a part of our family, to grow up with both a Hylian and a Zora brother as well as a sister who was so close and understood me so well," said Mila. "It was such a unique opportunity. It happens so very rarely that a Hylian and a Zora marry, I don't know how you and Mom ever managed it."

"I feel just as fortunate," said Link. "Nothing in life has made me happier than our family. As for my relationship with Mom, that was an incredible journey in its own right. I won't repeat the things I wrote about in the part of my journal that covered my early life, but I lost my entire memory at one point. I later learned of Mom's feelings for me from her family, and Grandfather then gave me the armor she had made. I had some interaction with Mom's spirit afterward, and she gave me her healing power. After that, it felt as if we were one, that she was always with me somehow, still looking out for me. Anyway, after our victory back then, the people I was closest to kept urging me to move on, to accept all that happened and stop trying to remember the past. Zelda was especially persuasive, but I know she did it because she cared about me and meant well. And frankly, who could blame any of them? The Temple of Time was such a huge unknown, and nobody knew if it could ever be made to work. But losing my memory made me want to do everything I could to recover it. You may know how stubborn I can be. And the more memories I recovered, the more I learned about Mom and how I felt about her. For over four years I tried to recover as much of my memory and feelings as I could. And even after all of that, returning to the past and defeating Ganon all over again, Mom had to come to terms with who I was and accept that I was the same person. I looked the same but still had only limited memory of her and our time together. I was like a stranger in many ways. Thankfully, she came around."

"Yes, I can understand that, and it is an amazing tale," said Mila. "So much in life depends on choices we make, sometimes even small ones."

Mila paused for a moment.

"How does it feel to be one of us now?" said Mila. "How do you compare it to being a Hylian?"

"I physically see and feel things differently," said Link. "I see reds and some other colors in a slightly different way. I also take shallower breaths. Of course, as you would expect, I am drawn to water and love raw fish and swimming now, but I feel more awkward on land as a Zora. I can run faster and am generally quicker and more agile on land as a Hylian. I trained hard to be good at combat underwater, and I can handle myself on land now too. But I still think I'm better as a Hylian at land combat. Otherwise, I feel about the same. My memory, such as it is, seems to be intact. My feelings for all of you are the same. That's all I can think of."

"I think you left out some important things, Dad, but I can understand you might find them hard to talk about with your daughter," laughed Mila. "You know, Mom loved being with you like this. She couldn't stop talking about how wonderful a time she had."

"I get what you mean," laughed Link. "But it wasn't just Mom who loved it. It was an experience I could never have imagined. And I realized it was just a taste of what life with her would be like if I could share it with her. It was duty that drove me to change back."

"I know she will be thrilled when you get home," said Mila.

"And so will I," said Link. "Very thrilled."

The ship continued south past the Lodrum Headland and Tarm Point, then turned west just north of Wintre Island. Mila and Link both leaned back and gazed up at the majestic snow-covered summit of Mount Lanayru as it passed by the ship's port side. They were navigating through Lanayru Bay now and moving past the northern slope of the mountain. A family of three Bright Chested Ducks fluttered their wings and took to flight as the ferry neared them.

Out of sight from where they were and near the mountain's peak was the Shrine of Wisdom, one of the three sacred shrines of old. Link remembered spending all day there once. But then he suddenly shuddered as an old memory returned and flooded his senses. He was back at the East Gate of Lanayru Road with Zelda and the Champions, but this time he somehow knew what was going to happen. Hyrule was about to be attacked, and he was going to lose Mipha and the others all over again. He tried to call out, to warn everyone, but no one was listening to him.

"Dad?" said Mila, thankfully interrupting his thoughts. "You shivered and then just stared off into the distance. Are you still reacting to the transformation process?"

"No, sorry, I'm okay," said Link. "It's not that. I had something like one of those flashbacks I used to get. I haven't had one in quite some time."

"Do you want to talk about it, Dad, or would you rather forget it?" said Mila. "Mom used to tell us about those flashbacks you sometimes had, though she said not all of them were bad. She said it was due to damage to your memory."

"I never know how best to deal with them," said Link. "Mount Lanayru probably triggered the memory. Perhaps I should talk about it, so you understand. I know you've read my journal, so you know a good deal about the other timeline. Let me give you some context first. I remember the day before my flashback was a quiet and peaceful one, nothing special about it at all, nothing to indicate what the next day would bring. Zelda and I had been out riding, and she was in a good mood, talking about her horse and its decorations. It was late afternoon when we finally stopped at Sanidin Park to rest and water our horses. Zelda looked out across Hyrule Field to Mount Lanayru, our next day's destination. Who knew as we stood there it would be the last time the sun would set on the kingdom of Hyrule? Next day Zelda and I spent from dawn to dusk at the Shrine of Wisdom atop Mount Lanayru. I lit a fire, but even so, I thought Zelda would freeze to death. She refused to give up, thinking somehow if she prayed enough her power would come to her. When the sun began to set, Zelda finally gave up. She was very quiet and depressed then. We returned from the mountain and met the Champions at Lanayru Road. Mom was there of course, and she tried to help, to explain how her healing power worked, hoping it would help Zelda find her own power. But it was too late. Ganon attacked before she could finish, and Daruk quickly urged everyone into battle. I always wondered if Ganon's timing was a coincidence or it sensed it needed to act before Zelda learned too much. Anyway, that was the last I saw of Mom and the other Champions alive. It was that last event I suddenly felt I was reliving, that time just before the attack."

"I read your journal, Dad, but I don't remember you mentioning that particular incident in so much detail," said Mila. "I'm surprised you want to talk about it. You always used to tell me those things never happened anymore whenever I asked about them."

"Well, that's true, they didn't happen anymore," said Link. "But you're older now, and a historian. It doesn't hurt for you to know now. And I guess the passage of time has made it easier for me to talk about it."

"Then, when time permits, you need to sit down with me and go over all you still remember," said Mila. "It's not history in the traditional sense, but at a minimum, it is a cautionary tale. Someday when it is permitted to make it known, I believe it will be of interest."

The sky was glowing orange as the sun sank lower in the West and the ferry docked. If you looked very carefully through the gap south of the Zodobon Highlands and across the Rutala River, you could barely make out the spires of Hyrule Castle in the distance.

"Let's head home," said Link. "I feel well enough to swim with you now."

They made their way northeast along the Rutala River to the foot of the Rutala Dam, then took the lift that had been installed there to ease travel and avoid a strenuous climb. That led them to the southern pier of East Reservoir Lake, and a quick swim across the lake brought them to the Northwest pier. It was a short walk from there to Mikau Lake and their home.

Mipha ran to Link as soon as he entered the house, and they held each other and kissed. The rest of the family was there as well. Mipha pulled back and held him at arm's length.

"Let me look at you," said Mipha. "You look as handsome as ever. Do you feel alright?"

"Yes, fine," said Link. "And you look as beautiful as ever."

Mipha hadn't changed, of course, but the way he reacted to what he saw had. And once again he was struck with how much his physical attraction to her increased while in his current form.

"I take that back," said Link. "You look even more beautiful. You are so..."

"Ahem ... Dad?" said Lapha. "You do know all of us are here, right?"

"Oh, yes, sorry," said Link.

Everyone exchanged welcome hugs.

"I guess none of us is surprised anymore by these transformations," said Midon. "Welcome home, Dad."

"We waited to have dinner with you," said Mipha. "Come, both of you, sit down, and tell us all about your trip."

Link and Mila described the meeting with Faray, and of course, the big news was the rune and the chance that it might become available in Hyrule. Both Lapha and Midon expressed particular interest in learning more about it but were asked not to discuss it until Link had a chance to contact Zelda and Purah. By the time they had finished dinner and their conversation, it was getting late. Everyone said goodnight and retired to their rooms, and Mipha and Link entered the slumber pool in their bedroom.

"Tomorrow I need to inform Zelda and Purah about the rune, and have meetings set up with the scientists there to get the process started," said Link. "It will be wonderful when we can all have that rune."

"And while you do that, I will let Father know all about it," said Mipha. "But let's not spend tonight thinking about tomorrow. We have tonight to think about tonight."

"That sounds deep," said Link. "But I'm not in a thinking mood right now. More in a mood to hold you and kiss you. Your beauty leaves me breathless."

"Your sense of humor hasn't changed," laughed Mipha.

"You know, as we passed by Mount Lanayru on the ferry I had an old flashback, one I hadn't thought about in years," said Link. "I shared the story with Mila, but not how it made me feel. I thought I had moved on from all that by now. But I felt that feeling all over again that I was going to lose you. I guess my memory is still pretty badly damaged by the Resurrection Shrine and time travel. I can't remember good times that happened, and I can't forget bad ones that didn't. I'm doomed never to be free of those cursed memories!"

"Calm down," said Mipha as she stroked his cheek. "We didn't lose each other. Just remember that."

"I need a kiss, a real kiss," said Link."

"Do you remember how?" said Mipha.

"Some things I didn't forget and don't mind at all," said Link.

Link leaned forward, and they kissed, and kissed, and kissed. It was one of those Zora kisses that went on and on, and grew more passionate by the moment, as their gills took over their breathing. It was an experience like no other and incredibly arousing. I guess for both of them, he thought, as Mipha pulled him eagerly to her.

Mipha awoke first next morning, and Link was floating next to her, still asleep and looking untroubled. She always wished she could purge his mind of those painful memories, memories of things that never happened now, but her healing power did not extend so far. Even twenty-five years later he was still haunted by them. All they could do is keep adding good ones and hope they would push out the bad.

Link awoke soon afterward, and they smiled at each other as they recalled their night together.

"You feel better after our kiss?" said Mipha.

"Much!" laughed Link. "I never knew a single kiss could do so much."

"Let's each take care of what we need to do this morning and start our journey," said Mipha. "We have put off this trip too many times, and I am so looking forward to it."

They each got up, ate, and contacted those they needed to. Zelda was quite startled to learn about the rune, but Purah seemed less surprised than Link expected her to be. He wondered if Purah hadn't already suspected something about it. In any case, Purah agreed to set up the meetings and told Link not to worry and enjoy his time away.

King Dorephan wished them a pleasant anniversary trip, and after goodbyes to everyone, it was time to go.

Mipha and Link made their way to the Lanayru Bay pier and boarded the southern bound ferry, making stops at Hateno Bay and Lurelin Village before ending its run at Martha's Landing, their destination.

"Sit back and enjoy the ride," said Mipha as she and Link sat together, arms around each other. "And remember not to shake your head too hard."

"Yes, I learned that the hard way the first time," laughed Link. "I bumped my tail a couple of times."

The ferry filled with passengers and then cast off. It made its way east out of Lanayru Bay, then picked up speed as it reached the Lanayru Sea and headed south past the eastern slope of Mount Lanayru toward Mapla Point and the Necluda Sea.

"Hyrule is so beautiful," said Link as he stared at the shoreline. "Each part of it has a beauty all its own. I feel so fortunate now that I was able to travel so much, though at the time I didn't always feel that way."

"I'm surprised you had any time to enjoy the scenery," said Mipha. "Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on the princess?"

"Very funny," said Link. "It's a figure of speech."

"Yes, you no doubt kept both eyes on her," said Mipha.

"It was over twenty-five years ago now," laughed Link. "Surely you've gotten over anything that happened back then?"

"Why, what happened?" said Mipha.

"Nothing," laughed Link. "This conversation is hopeless!"

The ship turned west past Mapla Point then began to slow as it veered north and pulled into the harbor at Hateno Bay. This was the Hateno Village port, and several people disembarked. A newlywed couple boarded on their way to their honeymoon at Lurelin Village, and passengers offered their congratulations.

After everyone was seated, the ferry pulled away from the port, and then picked up considerable speed as it headed south past Tenoko Island then turned west past Soka Point and followed the coastline past Rimba and Korne beaches, slowing down as it entered Lurelin Village harbor and its next stop.

"Are you sure we don't want to get off at Lurelin Village?" said Link. "We had a fabulous time there."

"I think we will have a great time in the Lake Floria region," said Mipha. "I'm excited to see someplace new and all the scenic waterfalls. There are supposedly ten different falls there, and I would like to visit all of them."

"Whatever you say," said Link.

The ferry headed south out of the Lurelin Village harbor and then turned west past the Clarnet Coast and Aris Beach. They then veered slightly north as the ship slowed and maneuvered into the dock at the inlet just east of Martha's Landing.

Mipha, Link and the remaining passengers all disembarked onto the sandy beach there. Palm trees were a welcome sight, and Ironshell Crabs scurried out of reach. Link remembered there had been a Stone Talus near here, but it was long gone now.