Summary: Link's sleep is troubled after the Lurelin Village incident. Tila takes her husband Link surfing in North Hyrule. Daruk pays a brief farewell visit to Zora's Domain. Link has a short get together with his friends.

It was early morning in Zora's Domain, and the intermittent sound of distant thunder from an approaching storm broke the stillness of the pre-dawn air. As usual, Link and Mipha were sleeping in their slumber pool together, which was something Link was quite accustomed to doing for over thirty years now. But tonight his sleep was troubled.

In the first part of his dream, he was back in North Hyrule hiding from Sopha. He had already told his daughter Mila to escape, and she had left. Now he was moving quietly trying to avoid discovery when he felt the sharp point of a spear at his back and heard Sopha's voice.

"Hello, Link," whispered Sopha. "I thought that was you I spotted from the throne room. I don't sleep much most nights. Be quiet and do as I say. We are going to the throne room."

He moaned and turned in his sleep, and then his dream changed.

This time he was back in Zora's Domain and had returned from freeing Ruta. He was standing before King Dorephan and had the sad duty of taking away the king's last ray of hope by telling him he had met Mipha's spirit. And so, as King Dorephan had feared all those years but prayed was not true, his dear daughter Mipha was indeed dead. King Dorephan took the news bravely, but you could tell from his expression that his heart had just broken. As he spoke to Link, his words came slowly, punctuated by deep breaths that sounded like sobs. It was all so tragic! The two of them had been so close for so long, and a beautiful love that could have been never had a chance.

"Link ... She really loved you, you know. Promise me ... that you will always remember her. Promise me that," said King Dorephan.

Link looked at King Dorephan and didn't need to consider his answer. He replied at once, for though he remembered her only a little, Mipha's spirit had given him her healing grace, and she was part of him now, still caring for him as she had so many times before.

"I'll never forget her," said Link. "We are united now."

Suddenly a loud peal of thunder woke up both Mipha and Link. It was followed immediately by the sound of wind and the splash of heavy rain against the window. Link blinked twice, rubbed his eyes, saw Mipha next to him and reached out for her, a reaction to his nightmare.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" said Mipha as she embraced him and felt him shiver. "Did the storm frighten you?"

"No, it was another nightmare," said Link without thinking, but it was too late.

"Another?" said Mipha looking sharply at him. "What do you mean 'another'? You've been having nightmares again, and you haven't told me?"

"Ever since that incident in the water at Lurelin Village, I've been having occasional nightmares," said Link. "I don't understand it, but it's how my mind sometimes works when I sense danger. It doesn't happen every night, and I didn't want to tell you about it and have you worry about me. I thought the nightmares would go away by themselves over time."

"You should have told me," said Mipha as she gently rubbed his forehead. "I don't want you to keep things like that from me, sweetheart. Promise me you won't. Don't you know I'm here for you? Do you want to talk about it? Or forget it and move on?"

"Let's forget it," said Link. "It's partly about something from my old timeline, something that didn't happen anymore and I don't like to think about."

Ever since Link's recovery from the Shrine of Resurrection long ago, he suffered from occasional nightmares. The damage to his mind and its attempt to repair itself, to restore order to his fractured memories during sleep was the likely cause. The nightmares had been relatively frequent early in his marriage, sometimes causing him to wake up screaming in the middle of the night. But they had become much less frequent with time. He tended to have them now only when he sensed danger, such as when that evil creature Vera surfaced.

A flash of lightning lit the sky, and another peal of thunder shook the ground.

"The storm must be right above us," said Mipha as she gently massaged his neck. "It's cozy to be here with you now. Relax. You are still too tense, sweetheart."

"It is cozy," said Link as he pulled her closer and sighed from her gentle massaging. "You know, I am so used to sleeping in water with you know I think I would find a bed uncomfortable now."

"I always told you it was more relaxing," laughed Mipha. "It's even better if you don't have to breathe, but you remember that don't you?"

"I'll never forget it!" said Link. "It was the most extraordinary experience to be with you like that, to share your world. I never imagined how beautiful it could be."

"But I'm delighted to have you back the way you are now, the way I met you and fell in love with you, sweetheart," said Mipha. "Our time together as Zoras was an unexpected bonus, that's all. I wish there were something I could do about your mind, to help you get over these nightmares."

"I think sometimes these nightmares are a good thing," said Link. "They are telling me there is some danger, and that is consistent with what happened near Lurelin Village. You said someone is very interested in us and I suspect not in a friendly way. I need to be on my guard to protect you, protect us."

"I want you to have a Zora guard with you wherever you go," said Mipha. "I don't want you taken by surprise. Is that clear?"

"Yes, I'll do as you wish," said Link. "It's better to be safe than sorry, and it will make you worry less."

"Exactly!" said Mipha as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"It's still too early to get up," said Link looking at the dark window.

"There's no reason to get up," said Mipha. "We can't go anywhere in this storm, and we still need to catch our breakfast."

There was another loud peal of thunder.

"I'm sure that must have woken Mila and Midon," said Mipha. "It's funny, our two youngest have moved out and are living at Hyrule Castle now, but our two oldest still live at home."

"And I'm glad they still do," said Link. "I love it when all our children are here."

"So do I," said Mipha. "Link is visiting Tila's family this weekend, but he said that he and Tila would be here next weekend, and Lapha will be here too. So, we can have our family reunion then."

"That's great! Speaking of Tila, do you get along well with her?" said Link. "She's been a wonderful person as far as I can tell. She is so different in personality from her oldest sister, Sopha. If they didn't look so much alike, I wouldn't believe they were related."

"Yes, Tila and I had a nice chat while you were on your call with the Gerudo ambassador," said Mipha. "She's a kind and caring person, and I can tell she loves our son. And he certainly loves her, so I'm happy with everything. Being a Hylian, Tila may look like Sopha to you, but I can tell their differences. Besides being prettier and younger, Tila has kinder eyes, eyes that reflect inner happiness and friendly interest in your feelings. But Sopha's eyes reflect inner turmoil and a more probing sort of interest in you. Tila tries to read your heart, but Sopha tries to read your soul. It's hard to explain how I can tell, but if you were a Zora again, you would sense it too."

"I see," said Link. "Well, I hope our son gets along with Tila's family. I don't think I can ever get along with Sopha. If she had her way, we would both be spirits now. I will be polite to her since we're family now, but that's about it. Anyway, what should we do now?"

"We'll have to wait for the storm to end," said Mipha. "So, we might as well stay here and hold each other in our arms while the storm rages outside."

"Are you being affectionate, or are you scared of the storm?" laughed Link.

"Whatever makes you more loving, sweetheart," said Mipha smiling at him.

The storm cleared up by early morning, and since it was the weekend, neither Mila nor Midon had to work. They had both fallen back asleep, and Mipha had gotten up and caught enough fish for everyone. The family met for a late breakfast in the dining room.

"Thanks, Mom," said Mila giving Mipha a good morning kiss. "It's like old times when we were small, you catching our breakfast for us."

"I didn't mind, sweetheart," said Mipha. "I was up anyway."

"Yeah, thanks, Mom," said Midon. "I was afraid it was my turn to catch Mila's fish."

"Did you two have any trouble sleeping?" said Link.

"No, I slept like a snail," said Midon. "I keep my sister's book handy, and it always does the trick."

"That's because it's written in words, Mido, not code, and you probably can't understand it," said Mila.

"Sometimes I think you two will never grow up," laughed Mipha. "But I know you two love each other. You just hate to show it."

"That's about it, Mom," laughed Mila.

"Yes, teasing Mila has always been too much fun," laughed Midon.

"You two have plans?" said Link.

"I have some messages to catch up on," said Mila. "I've gotten a lot of inquiries about parts of my book, and I haven't had time to deal with them yet."

"I'm finishing up some coding," said Midon. "Then I'm meeting Larena and her younger sister Karena later. Can you believe it, Karena is graduating this year already? She's interested in coding, and Larena asked if I would help her out a little on what she should do."

"What are you and Dad doing?" asked Mila. "If nothing special, I can meet you later this afternoon and we could all have a swim or take a hike together."

"That would be great," said Link. "Right, Mipha?"

"Of course," said Mipha. "It's rare we have our older daughter to ourselves. Why would I pass up the chance?"

It was mid-day in North Hyrule by the time Tila and Link sat down for lunch with Faray and Sopha Clone. They were visiting North Hyrule for the weekend and had just arrived by ferry a short time earlier.

"Link, I hope you feel comfortable here in North Hyrule and as a member of our family by now," said Faray.

"Yes, and I'm very grateful for everything you've done to make that happen, Faray. I do still have trouble remembering all the cousins' names though," said Link.

"That's all right, sweetheart," laughed Tila. "Even I have trouble remembering all of them."

"I hope you enjoy the Akkala Angler we're having for lunch today," said Faray. "Tila tells me you've acquired a taste for it. It's her favorite fish, you know, and it must be destiny that you two are together."

"It is a delicious fish," laughed Link. "And whatever helps to keep us together, even if it's a fish, I'm grateful."

"How are your parents and the rest of your family, Link?" said Sopha Clone.

"Everyone is fine, Sopha," said Link. "You know my older sister's North Hyrule history book came out and was well received. Midon and Lapha are both doing fine too. Midon is doing a lot of coding work, and Lapha is working at the castle with Dr. Purah on technology matters. The only unfortunate circumstance was my parents had to cut short their anniversary trip to Lurelin Village because some unknown Zora targeted them, and my Mom got all nervous about it."

"Oh, yes, Tila was telling me about that, Link," said Faray. "I don't think I mentioned it to you, Sopha. Some Zora hit Mipha and Link with an attack click while they were swimming near Lurelin Village. It's rather troubling."

"What a nasty thing to do!" said Sopha Clone. "Why would someone do that?"

"My Mom thought it was to make sure of who they were," said Link.

"Any idea who it was, Faray?" said Sopha Clone.

"No," said Faray. "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"Me? No, I certainly couldn't say," laughed Sopha Clone. "Sounds like it might have been a mistake."

"Perhaps, though if so it would have been natural for the offender to seek them out and apologize," said Faray.

"Anyway, my Dad told me our Domain is in a higher state of alert now," said Link. "And there is more security when any of my family leaves our Domain."

"Do you two have any special plans for the weekend?" said Faray.

"Yes!" said Tila excitedly. "Link and I are going surfing. I'm going to teach him how which shouldn't be hard since he already knows how to shield surf on land."

"That should be fun!" said Faray. "The weather looks perfect for it, and after a morning storm, the waves are sometimes stronger."

"I reserved a cabin on the beach for an overnight stay. You know, so we can surf or swim longer and not have to worry about getting back," said Tila. "We won't see you again until we say goodbye tomorrow afternoon."

"A nice day and night together by the sea sound very romantic, Tila, and even more fun than surfing," laughed Faray. "But I know you'll love surfing, Link. And Tila is quite good at it, so I'm sure you'll benefit from her private lessons."

"I'm sure I will," said Link. "From what I've seen, she's fantastic at everything she does."

"Isn't he such a darling?" laughed Tila as she put her arm around him. "I couldn't wish for a better husband!"

"You two do make a charming couple," said Faray. "I'm happy for you both."

After lunch Faray went back to work, Tila and Link headed for the coast and Sopha Clone, accompanied by a guard, returned to her room.

So, an over-eager Sopha had managed to give herself away already, thought Sopha Clone as she shook her head back in her room. Sopha lacked discipline. Well, she only had herself to blame. Now she would have to be more careful whatever she planned to do.

Meanwhile, it was lunchtime back in Zora's Domain, and Link had an appointment in Upland Zorana. As he prepared to leave home, a Zora guard he recognized met him.

"Rivan, you're my guard for the trip?" said Link. "I'm glad for your company!"

"Yes, Your Highness," said Rivan. "You know the new orders. You can't leave the Domain alone."

"Yes, I know. And please just call me Link," said Link. "How are you and the rest of the brigade?"

"Good," said Rivan. "We're getting together in a couple of days. Maybe you could join us?"

"I would definitely like that," said Link. "You guys still find stories of things we did that I don't remember."

"Oh, there is one new thing though," said Rivan. "Bazz and Gaddison are in a relationship now. Gaddison had to transfer out from under Bazz's command, but it looks serious."

"That's wonderful!" said Link. "All the more reason for me to join you guys and wish them well."

They had arrived at the Upland Zorana area by now, and after a short wait they made out a giant visitor coming over the hills.

"Daruk! You made it!" said Link. Daruk had Tabbed Link that he was on his way and Link was waiting for him.

"Hey, good to see you, and why so surprised?" said Daruk as he patted Link on the back. "My rolling days aren't over yet, little guy. You know I wanted to visit here and see Mipha and you."

"This is my friend, Rivan, who was assigned as my guard," said Link introducing them. "We have more security now."

"Pleased to meet you, Rivan," said Daruk. "Keeping Link out of trouble can be a tough job."

"I am honored to meet you, Lord Daruk," said Rivan bowing. "You are a legend and known to all, of course."

"I'm glad you could visit, Daruk," said Link. "It's always great to see you. Are you hungry? We can get some rocks first. You Tabbed me too late for me to pick up some for you."

"And I did that deliberately," said Daruk. "I didn't want to put you out. Besides, it's better if I pick my own food. But, yeah, it might be best to get a few rocks before heading to the Domain. I remember the best pickings were right up here in the highlands."

"Yes, there are some good rocks here, mostly Luminous Stones," said Link as he led the way through the Upland Zorana area.

"Darno told me about your son's visit to Goron City," said Daruk. "Sorry I missed him, but it seemed like he was pretty busy with the princess and thinking about his lovely wife."

"Yes, he Tabbed me about it," said Link. "Speaking of his wife, he's off visiting Tila's family this weekend, so you missed him again."

"Well, that's alright," said Daruk. "I came to see Mipha and you anyway. By the way, you've never been able to persuade Revali to visit here, have you?"

"No, and I gave up trying a long time ago," said Link. "If I want to see Revali, I have to go to Rito Village or catch him at one of Zelda's meetings. He hasn't changed much in that respect, still feeling very proud of himself. But I understand."

"Oh well, such is life," said Daruk. "Ah, I see some nice rocks just over there. Excuse me while I break some off."

Daruk gathered up enough rocks for a couple of meals.

"We can head back to the Domain now," said Daruk. "This should last me until breakfast tomorrow."

They made their way back to the Domain and agreed to have lunch by Mikau Lake. Daruk was too big to fit inside their house anyway. Mipha was waiting there when Daruk arrived, and they exchanged hugs, then sat down to eat. Mipha and Link had fish.

"Hey Mipha, it's great to see you again," said Daruk. "I can never get over how little you Zoras change. You look like the day you two married."

"Thank you," said Mipha. "Are you doing well? How are things in Goron City?"

"I'm fine, just rolling a little slower these days," said Daruk. "I'm doing a tour of Hyrule now and wanted to start here with you two. I'm delighted how things worked out for you both, having such a great family and all. You were a little slow down the mountain, Link, but I could tell Mipha had a crush on you when Purah took our group picture. Didn't you see how Mipha looked at you when she asked to have the picture taken? You didn't think she was looking at me, did you?"

"I admit I was indeed slow down the mountain," laughed Link. "It's complicated, but I got there eventually, right Mipha?"

"Yes, and eventually is certainly the right word," laughed Mipha. "But it's nice of you to remember, Daruk."

"And you should be proud of the fine son you have," said Link.

"Yeah, I am," said Daruk. "I know I was a little hard on him for a while after Urbosa's passing, but I've gotten over it now, and I know he will do fine."

"Where do you stay when you travel around Hyrule?" said Link.

"Not at the stables, that's for sure!" said Daruk. "There are way too many nasty dogs hanging around there. I generally find a nice place to curl up and rest. It's pretty safe everywhere now, not like the old days, huh?"

"No, not like the old days, and thank Hylia for that," said Link.

They finished eating lunch, then Daruk said he wanted to get going.

"So soon? Can't you stay longer?" said Link. "You only barely arrived!"

"No, I just wanted to say hello and get a look at the beautiful Domain once again," said Daruk. "I need to get a head start toward the castle. Thanks for having me."

They exchanged hugs all around, and after Daruk said goodbye to Mipha, Link said he would walk Daruk to the bridge. Daruk was unusually quiet as they walked until Link finally stopped.

"What's on your mind, Daruk?" said Link finally. "You're way too quiet."