Summary: Tila and Link conclude their honeymoon at Coral Cove and return to Hyrule Castle as Link resumes Royal Guard duty. Midon and Larena spend a romantic weekend at Lake Hylia, and Midon tests his proximity alert process. Astra concludes her weeklong visit to Zora's Domain. Sopha has a close call but escapes notice and continues to bide her time.

It was a warm, sunny mid-morning in North Hyrule as Tila and Link strolled along the beach holding hands, their feet barely covered by the blue-green water at the furthest reach of the incoming waves. An occasional crab would scurry away as they approached, and the cries of nearby sea birds hunting for food filled the air along with the intermittent sound of breaking waves. The waves were quite strong along this portion of the shoreline, and large breakers rose up, curled over on themselves, and then crashed onto the sand, the water rushing inland with just enough force to barely reach where the two of them chose to walk.

Link was staring out to sea, admiring the waves, then looked over at Tila. Sensing his movement, she turned to him and smiled. She had the sweetest smile in all of Hyrule, thought Link. It could melt hearts in an instant, especially his. Maybe sweet wasn't quite the right word, though. There was a subtlety about her smile, a hint of flirtation that teased you, suggesting she could be a lot more than sweet if she wanted to. And he could vouch for that personally now.

As Tila returned his gaze, she thought how much Link was turning out to be the wonderful husband she expected he would. He was a passionate lover and a kind and considerate person who cared about her feelings. And he looked so cute with his athletic build, soft blue eyes and blond hair gently blowing in the breeze.

"Is it fair to say you enjoy it here?" said Tila, finally breaking the silence.

"I do!" said Link. "I can't think of a happier time in my entire life!"

"I'm so glad!" said Tila as she squeezed his hand. "I know your land is beautiful, and your Domain is truly magnificent. But we have beautiful locations here too, and I wanted you to see some of them with me."

"And I'm glad we did," said Link. "If it turns out we wind up living here it's nice to know. But I wasn't talking about the scenery, darling. You, you're what made being here so happy for me."

"So sweet," laughed Tila. "But I expect to make you happy at Hyrule Castle too, so that cancels out. Sorry to sound mathematical."

"And I hope I make you just as happy too," laughed Link. "Feel free to be mathematical. I know you're quite gifted in it."

"I love being on our honeymoon, but I'm also excited about starting our life together," said Tila letting go of his hand and putting her arm around him. "I like falling asleep and waking up with you, seeing your cute smile, and feeling your arms around me. I missed you so much between visits, and I couldn't wait for weekends when we could be together again. My sisters used to tease me about how my mood changed. But now I have you every day, and I never want to let you go!"

"I hate to keep repeating back what you told me, but I feel the same way," said Link. "I was glad when I was busy during the week so that the time between your visits would go faster. And to say I'm happy now is such an understatement. I can't find words to express how I feel being with you, and how much I love you. The fact you came into my life at all is still nothing short of a miracle to me. Not too long ago, we didn't even know your land existed, and now I'm married to a beautiful princess of this realm and the most wonderful person I could ever hope to be with. I'm the one who never wants to let you go."

Tila pulled him closer, and they kissed.

"How about a swim?" said Tila. "The waves are fun here. But are they too strong for you, sweetheart? I know swimming in the surf is new to you. I'll help you if you want."

"No, I think I can manage," said Link. "Let's go!"

They ran into the surf then dove into a massive breaking wave. Tila, of course, swam effortlessly through the waves while Link fought the current a bit but eventually managed to get past the breakers to the calmer part of the sea beyond them where Tila was waiting for him. They floated together with just their heads above the water.

"Nicely done," said Tila. "I'm impressed. I don't think most Hylians could have swum through those waves so well."

"I admit I'm not used to such large waves or the strong current," said Link breathing hard. "But you know I did a good deal of swimming with my sister Lapha, and she taught me a lot."

"Next time we come here I'll teach you how to surf," said Tila. "I think you'll like it. It's funny to me, but you know how to shield surf on snow and sand, but not on the water, which to us is the most natural way to surf. The waves here are excellent for surfing."

"Yes, that sounds like fun," said Link. "I mean on our next trip when we're spending less time, uh, getting better acquainted."

Tila burst out laughing, put her arms around him, then pulled him close, and gently caressed his neck.

"You're so cute, how you say things sometimes," laughed Tila. "Do you feel better acquainted with me now?"

"Yes, but I love getting to know you even better," laughed Link as he embraced her in return. "Sorry for my poor choice of words."

"Not at all, they're so you!" said Tila. "And catching is better than clicking."

"Don't I know it," laughed Link.

Then they held a long kiss as they floated up and down together on the gentle waves before they became breakers.

"Ummm, that was nice," said Link finally. "You have such soft lips and beautiful smooth skin. I love the feel of it."

"Feel free to touch it all you want," laughed Tila. "I love it when you do."

They kissed again.

"Come, take my hand," said Tila. "I want you to see some scenic areas further along, and we'll get there sooner if I pull you. Then we can relax there and maybe get better acquainted."

Link laughed as he took her hand, and the next thing he knew they were skimming through the water at high speed as he watched the shoreline go by.

Meanwhile, in Zora's Domain, there was a steady rainfall as both Midon and Lapha sat at home in the study. Lapha was reading over some of her notes while Midon was testing a Tab feature he was working on that would alert a Tab owner to the presence of someone nearby. He had gotten it to work but was busy now deciding how best to calibrate it. He didn't want it to generate false alarms, but at the same time wanted to alert the owner before someone got too close. He also needed to adjust how large a presence would trigger the alert.

"Why does your Tab keep going off, Mido?" said Lapha as she looked up.

"Sorry, Laff," said Midon. "I'm using you to help calibrate this proximity detection feature."

"What's the idea?" said Lapha.

"It came to me when I was with Larena," said Midon. "I was working and listening to some music on my headphones at East Reservoir Lake. Larena walked right up to me, and I was completely unaware she was there. I thought an alarm that indicated someone was nearby might be a good idea."

"Oh, I see," said Lapha. "What are you stuck on?"

"How close something should be to alert you and how big an object it should be," said Midon. "I mean too close is no good, nor is too far. And too small will trigger a lot of false alarms too."

"You could make those features user-adjustable," said Lapha.

"I thought of that," said Midon. "But after all the customer service issues I've had to deal with, I've lost a good deal of faith in our users and their ability to handle technical matters. I am trying to dumb it down, so to speak."

"I would still leave the option for user calibration as an advanced feature for those interested, but you could set a default value," said Lapha. "Pick something reasonable, like the size of a partly grown child and a couple of meters distance as the default. You can always do some user testing, and by leaving the calibration built into the process, the default can be adjusted later in an update if it doesn't work well. Assuming the feature is rolled out at all, that is."

"Yes, I see your point," said Midon. "That's what I'll do."

Lapha returned to her reading.

Meanwhile, Mipha and Sidon were in a meeting with King Dorephan.

"Sidon, I'd like you to be in charge of Domain security now," said King Dorephan. "The Captain of the Guards will report to you. Are you comfortable with that responsibility?"

"Yes, Father, I am," said Sidon. "I've had an interest in Domain security for some time and know a good deal about it. I look forward to contributing more to our Domain's well being in whatever way I can."

"I know you do, and I'm confident you will," said King Dorephan.

"But is there any special reason you are doing this now, Father?" said Sidon.

"It's the realization that I may soon be a great-grandfather," said King Dorephan. "It brought home to me that I need to start thinking about transitions."

"Father, you should not feel that way, not at all," said Mipha. "Remember your grandson Link is a Hylian and he grew up much faster than us. You are still quite young."

"That's kind of you, sweetheart," said King Dorephan. "But I know I'm not young, and I'm not getting any younger, though I trust I still have some good years left. Still, I would sleep better knowing we are better prepared. Speaking of which, I need to spend more time with you as well, Mipha, going over some of my duties that you would inherit."

"Actually, you don't need to do that, Father," said Mipha. "Remember the Vera incident? I believe I have sufficient experience doing the things you would expect of me as a ruler."

"Oh, yes, I forgot about that," said King Dorephan thoughtfully. "And I know you don't like to talk about it. Alright then, is there anything else we should discuss? If not, I will inform the Captain of the Guards of the transition, Sidon."

No one could think of anything, so the meeting ended, and Mipha left with Sidon.

"If I can help you in any way, Sidon, you know you can always come to me," said Mipha.

"I know that, and I'm grateful," said Sidon. "You've always looked out for me. But I need to be more self-reliant. Father expects it of me, and you will too when the time Father worries about comes."

Mipha reached out, and they hugged.

"I know you'll do fine at whatever you choose to do," said Mipha as she held him. "I have confidence in you, and I'm only here if you need me. And we both need to keep Father from worrying about things."

They ended their hug, parted company and Mipha returned home. Link was out, playing with Astra and her remote control toy boat on the lower level of the Domain, so Mipha thought she could take a minute to straighten up the room Astra was sleeping in, young Link's room.

After stopping briefly to greet Lapha and Midon, Mipha went into young Link's room, where she found Astra had folded her clothes nicely on the bed. She really was a big girl. Mipha began to put some of the clothes away, and when she opened one of the dresser drawers, she saw young Link's tunic, the one he wore as a small child. It was a replica of Link's tunic, and she remembered he used to like to pretend he was the hero back then. Mipha took the tunic out of the drawer and held it out to look at it.

She closed her eyes, and she could picture Linky wearing it as he and his father had a mock battle with twigs. Linky always won, of course, and then Link would pick up the proud winner, hug him, tell him how much he loved him and put him down. And then Linky would run to her and ask her if she saw the battle, and of course, she had, and she told him how proud of him she was. Then she had hugged him as well, and he would hug her back. She would say how much she loved him and he would say he loved her and Daddy too. Then Linky would run off to swim with his siblings and tell them about his victory, as she and Link watched their young family playing together in the water. She clutched the tunic to her chest and hugged it for a few moments. You grew up so fast on me, Linky, she thought. Way too fast. Her eyes welled up with tears for a moment, but she wiped them away. Then she folded the tunic, put it back in the drawer, and left to join Link.

Astra was having a great time steering her remote control boat around the waterfalls and small strips of land on the lower level of the Domain. The remote control mechanism resembled a Tab, and remote control toys were becoming more popular as Tab technology became more widespread.

"This is more fun than at the castle!" said Astra. "Steering the boat around or behind the waterfalls is cool."

"It is, isn't it?" said Link as he stood beside her on the small pieces of land by the ladder.

Once or twice, Astra had inadvertently grounded her boat, and then Link would go and put it back in the water.

Mipha arrived, and Astra stopped to hug her.

"Everyone having fun?" said Mipha.

"Oh, yes!" said Astra. "A lot of fun, Aunt Mipha."

"We need to think about lunch soon," said Mipha to Link. "We can eat at home and then you can play with Astra after lunch."

"Sounds fine," said Link. "Are you okay, sweetheart? You don't sound like yourself, more like something is bothering you."

"I'm fine," said Mipha. "Just some memories popped up when I was straightening out our young son's room."

"Stay here with us," said Link as he reached out for Mipha and he held her. "I could use your help."

"Oh, I grounded the boat again, sorry," said Astra.

"See what I mean?" laughed Link.

"It's okay, Astra. I'll put it back in the water for you," said Mipha as she dove in the water and swam to the boat, placed it back in the water, then swam back.

Astra began steering the boat around the area.

"You having fun too?" said Mipha to Link as they stood together and put their arms around each other.

"Yes, I like seeing how much she enjoys playing with the toy we got her," said Link. "And I'm happy to get some time with her. It was nice she could stay with us this week."

"Yes, it's nice to have a little one in the family again, isn't it?" said Mipha as she squeezed Link. "And before too long you will probably have a grandchild to play with. It's hard to believe."

Link turned to her and smiled.

"It's all part of the wonderful life we are living together, sweetheart," said Link. "Let's soak up every minute of it."

"Good Zora expression," laughed Mipha. "Though you probably meant soaking up sunshine, but to me it's water. How about a kiss?"

At the end of the week, Link returned with Astra to Hyrule Castle. A week had been just the right amount of time, thought Link. Astra had fun the whole time but was beginning to show signs of getting homesick. When they reached the castle, Queen Zelda, Rudin and Princess Zelda were all there to welcome her home.

Astra ran to her mother as soon as she arrived and shared a big hug. Then she did the same with Rudin and Princess Zelda.

"I hope she was no trouble," said Queen Zelda. "She can be a handful sometimes."

"Not at all, we loved having her," said Link. "But she missed her family."

"I had a great time, Mommy," said Astra overhearing the conversation.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart," said Queen Zelda. "But we all missed you very much, even your sister."

"Very funny, Mother," said Princess Zelda. "I did miss you, Astra, very much. I can't wait to tell you a bedtime story."

"That's nice, Zel, but I'm not in any hurry to go to bed," said Astra.

"Will you stay for lunch?" said Queen Zelda to Link.

"I hate to turn down a good meal, but I should get back," said Link. "Mipha has been feeling a bit down since the wedding, and I need to be there for her."

"Of course," said Zelda. "I'll probably know how you feel soon too. Zelda has been seeing Randall for a while now, and, well, we will see. Have a safe trip home and give my love to your family."

They hugged farewell. Then Link said goodbye to the others and got a loving hug from Astra.

"Thank you so much for a fun time, Uncle Link!" said Astra. "Come back soon."

"I will, sweetheart," said Link. "Now enjoy being back with your family. They all love you so much. And so do I."

"How much was that again?" said Astra as she smiled at him.

"As much as all the stars in the sky, sweetheart," said Link as he kissed her.

Then Link waved goodbye and began the journey home. He arrived back in time to catch a brief meeting with King Dorephan, which ended a few minutes after it began.

"Short and sweet," said Link. "I like meetings like that."

"Yes, shallow and calm," said Mipha. "I like that too, and it gives us some time to spend together before dinner. I need to visit Ruta, so will you join me?"

"Of course," said Link. "I'm not wearing your armor. Do you mind pulling me there? Or I could run home and change?"

"I'll pull you," said Mipha. "The armor still fits you though, right? You're not hiding that it doesn't fit you anymore, are you?"

"It most definitely does fit me!" said Link. "What are you getting at? Fitting into the armor you gave me is how I know I'm still in shape."

"Well, that is one way," said Mipha. "Or I could just tell you."

"I'm thinking of things besides what you're thinking about, like combat readiness," laughed Link. "And the last thing I need is the pressure of periodic performance reviews by you."

Mipha smiled at him. She was such a tease!

They held hands as they made their way from the throne room to East Reservoir Lake. As promised, Mipha pulled Link to Ruta, then she lowered the entrance, and they boarded. Ruta bellowed once.

"Yes, I'm sorry, dear Ruta, I missed you too," said Mipha as she tenderly touched Ruta. "I had a lot of family obligations, but I'm back now."

Mipha stared at Link, and he remembered.

"Hello Ruta," said Link. "It's nice to be with you once again."

They made their way to the main terminal, and Mipha checked all was well.

"Everything looks fine, Ruta," said Mipha. "Link and I are going to enjoy the view and the sunset on your trunk. So be nice and don't squirt us."

Mipha lowered the trunk so they could reach the tip, then raised it back up. As usual, the view was magnificent. The sun was more orange than yellow now as it moved to the west.

"I never tire of coming here," said Mipha. "It's a place to get away from everything and think or talk without fear of being interrupted. You should put your Tab on an emergency-only mode as I did."

"It is a beautiful spot to sit and talk," said Link. "We've come here many times."

"I know. And I used to sit here by myself before we married," said Mipha. "I would train with Ruta, and when I finished, I would sit here and relax for a bit, and think about things. It doesn't seem all that long ago to me, but I know it is."

"It's not that long ago," said Link. "But I wish there was something I could do to cheer you up. You've become sad all of a sudden. I assume it's because of Link's wedding."