Chapter Summary: As promised, Link pays a visit to Daruk in Goron City, and they share some memories. Mipha begins training Sidon to take over as Ruta pilot. Princess Zelda shares her feelings for Randall with her mother.

It was morning in Zora's Domain, and Mipha finished reading some reports on Domain activity while Link finished breakfast in the kitchen. She had been using headphones to listen to some Zora music stored on her Tab, and the music was romantic. It made her think back to some of the many happy moments she and Link had shared as husband and wife. And there were so many such moments to remember, from their honeymoon to his time as a Zora and their anniversary trips. She loved him so much!

But then her thoughts came back to the incident in the Applean Forest with Sopha, and that completely ruined her mood. How could Link, the hero of Hyrule, put himself in a position where his life depended on a six-year-old? He was growing careless about his safety, and she didn't like that. Moreover, he was too neglectful of technology advances that could have aided him. And then the thought of what might have happened to Link made her feel so very empty inside. How could he do that to her? He needed to take better care of himself! She turned off the music as Link joined her.

"I think I have everything I need," said Link, having finished breakfast and preparing to depart Zora's Domain for Goron City.

"If not, can you try to remember that we have a Compendium Rune now? You can create simple items you need if you forgot something," said Mipha. "Honestly, Link, you need to adapt to new technology. It's important!"

"I'm sorry, you're right. Old habits die hard as they say."

"I don't like that expression, 'die-hard.' I thoroughly hate it and hearing it upsets me. You know, if you had your wits about you, you could have sent a mental message through your Tab as soon as Sopha attacked you, and help could have reached you much sooner. When I think about it, how close you were to being killed, I'm furious with you!"

"I'm sorry I didn't think of it," said Link. "Can't we move on? Are you in a bad mood or something? You were fine with Zelda at the Castle, but today you're upset with me?"

"If I'm in a bad mood, it's because you put me in one. Don't you dare try to blame me!"

"I'm not, and I don't, or I won't, whatever the right word is," said Link, getting flustered by her reaction.

"You need to stay alert and look out for yourself like you used to," said Mipha. "You've gotten way too complacent and don't anticipate danger soon enough."

"Maybe I'm getting..." Link began to say, but Mipha cut him off.

"You're not getting old! You're only 32!"

"I was going to say I'm getting too used to a peaceful Hyrule," said Link. "I agree with everything you're saying, sweetheart. Please try to calm down."

Mipha thought for a moment, then did calm down.

"I don't like you going off by yourself," said Mipha finally. "But Father doesn't want me traveling right now. Promise me you'll stay safe?"

"Of course, I will. It's just that I promised Daruk I would visit him. He's messaged me three times about it already, and I don't want to keep putting him off. I need to keep my word."

"And you just promised me to be safe, so remember to keep that word, too."

"I will, sweetheart, don't worry," said Link. "Kiss? I love you."

"I love you, too," said Mipha as they embraced and kissed. "That's my problem. I love you too much. I can't stand the thought of any harm coming to you."

"We can never love each other too much, darling," said Link. "I love you with all my heart."

"Return soon," said Mipha. "I want you here with me."

"I will," said Link. "I want it too."

They kissed again, and then Link made his way to the motorized cycle he intended to use and was soon on his way. He had grown quite fond of motorized cycles now that Epona had passed on. He had not become close to Epona's filly and had to concede that the days of horseback travel were pretty much over now. Riding horses was more recreational than serious transportation. And the new motorized cycles were fireproof as well unless you drove them into the lava, of course. You always had to be careful where you drove. So, at least he had made that concession to modern technology.

He had brought his Fireproof Armor to wear. The Compendium Rune version of Fireproof Elixir tasted better than the old insect and monster part variety of his youth, but he still didn't care for it.

By the time he reached Goron City, it was dinner time, and he stopped to let Mipha know he had arrived safely.

Link_ZD:To:Mipha_ZD:: Arrived at Goron City safely. Love you!

Mipha_ZD:To:Link_ZD:: Say Hi to Daruk. Stay safe! Love you too!

It was time to find Daruk, and it turned out he was home. He had messaged Daruk earlier that he was coming. His Tab indicated the message had been read, but Daruk had not answered. Daruk was even more challenged by modern technology than he was, thought Link, and had probably neglected to reply or thought he had.

"Little guy!" exclaimed Daruk upon seeing Link. "You really did come!"

"Of course I did," said Link. "I told you I would. And you got my message, didn't you?"

"Yes, I think I did. But I answered you, didn't I?"

Link gave him a look.

"Oh, I didn't answer you, did I?" laughed Daruk. "They tell me I'm growing forgetful these days. But come in and sit down. You must be hungry, right? We can have dinner, and it's just the two of us. Darno is out with friends. Are you still fond of rock roast?"

"No, my teeth aren't what they used to be, Daruk," laughed Link. "But I know they make a nice steak here. I can have one of those."

"Okay, but you don't know what you're missing," said Daruk. "By the way, I figured out I can have meals delivered here by Tab. That's really neat, huh? Let me show you."

Daruk ordered two meals for delivery from the local establishment.

"Do you get out much, Daruk?" said Link.

"I get some rolling in each day," said Daruk. "But I know what you're getting at, Link. I admit I'm not as agile as I used to be. How's the family? I heard you had a close call recently."

"They are all fine," said Link. "The two older ones still live at home. And we see Link and Tila every couple of weeks, Lapha, about the same. And yes, I did have a very close call."

"No grandchildren yet?" said Daruk.

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's not too far off," said Link. "Mipha told me Tila and Link are thinking of starting a family soon."

"Wow! Where did the time go, Link?" said Daruk. "I remember when you were just a young knight, so nervous about guarding the Princess. And now you might be a grandfather soon?"

"Yes, time marches on," said Link. "But we've all had quite a life. We're all heroes, remember?"

"Don't make me laugh," said Daruk. "I know we're heroes because that's what the history books say. And don't get me wrong. Everyone around here respects me and treats me well. But the younger generation doesn't want to think about Ganon. They want to enjoy the new technology. But based on what we heard from Her Majesty, it seems we need to remain more vigilant."

"Yes, that's the concern," said Link. "But we have nothing specific to worry about, so it's hard to know what else to do. I told Zelda I think we are better prepared now than last time. But, you know how she is. She can't rest easy."

"Don't I know it!" laughed Daruk. "But it won't be our battle this time, Link, or at least not mine. I can still swing a weapon, but not like before, not as I used to against the monsters we had to deal with. Anyway, enough about all that. When Death Mountain starts showering us with boulders again, then I'll start to worry."

"Fair enough," laughed Link. "Ah, this must be our dinner."

A merchant arrived and delivered a rock roast for Daruk and a spicy steak for Link.

"Dig in, little guy," said Daruk, who then took a big bite of rock roast, closing his eyes and savoring the flavor.

"This steak is pretty spicy," said Link after swallowing a bite and wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Nonsense!" said Daruk. "I ordered it mild. I was going to get you some Goron Spice to flavor it, but I forgot."

"No, it doesn't need any more seasoning, thank you," laughed Link. "But, I can manage it."

They finished dinner, then Daruk suggested they take a stroll.

"I'm delighted you stopped by," said Daruk. "I know you like to be with your family and all, but you were always special to me, a Goro brother."

"I'm glad, too," said Link. "I wish I could have gotten here more often, but things just seemed to come up. As you know, I've had my share of adventures after our big deed was done."

"Yeah, I know it well," said Daruk. "And I remember I used to tell Darno to take a lesson from you. I'm happy to say he's turned out great, and I couldn't be prouder of him."

"Yes, he is a great kid," said Link. "A chip off the old block we Hylians say, but maybe it's more appropriate for Gorons."

"Very funny," said Daruk. "But that's not half bad. I'll have to remember it. Anyway, without getting all sentimental, I am glad to see you. We had some good times together. Do you remember the time we fought the Yiga Clan at Gerudo Town? You didn't hang around for the full celebration because Mipha was expecting a child back then and couldn't wait to have you home. At the celebration, Revali kept bragging that it was thanks to the Rito that we had the victory. Urbosa got so fed up with him that she challenged Revali to a Noble Pursuit drinking contest. Revali being Revali, he couldn't turn down a challenge. Urbosa drank him under the table, and we laughed so hard when Revali fell out of his chair. They said he needed help to fly home the next day. Later Revali claimed Urbosa cheated by arranging for his drinks to be made stronger, but you know how Revali is. Whenever he loses, it's unfair."

"I'm sorry I missed that," laughed Link. "But me being there would only have embarrassed him more. And as unpleasant as he is sometimes, I still love the guy. You have to understand him and accept him on his terms. I hope to visit him soon too."

"Yeah, he's one of a kind, that's for sure," laughed Daruk.

Then he grew serious for a moment.

"And so was dear Urbosa, may her spirit rest in peace," said Daruk.

"Yes, she was," said Link. "I always include her in my prayers."

"But speaking of Revali, remember what happened after our Champion Inauguration picture when I squeezed you all together?" said Daruk.

"I remember him yelling at you," said Link.

"Yeah, he said something like how can someone so big never grow up," laughed Daruk. "Everyone else thought it was funny. Well, except Mipha, I guess."

"What about Mipha?" said Link. "I was too busy laughing to notice."

"And it was good to see you laughing, Link," said Daruk. "You needed it. You were wound way too tight back then, hardly cracking a smile. But after that long solemn ceremony with the king, I thought we could all use some lightening up. Speaking of which, you couldn't use that expression, lightening up, with Urbosa or she would laugh and threaten to snap her fingers. But what were we talking about again?"

"Mipha's reaction after the picture," said Link.

"Oh, yeah, well, she was all dreamy-like and stood right next to you afterward. Later she even thanked me for making the picture more memorable for her. You know, little guy, you may have been very sharp looking out for danger back then, but you were pretty blind when it came to people. You didn't see Mipha staring at you when she asked Zelda to have our picture taken?"

"I may have, but as you said, I was too focused on my duty back then," said Link. "I read her comments in her diary later, though."

"Come on," said Daruk. "I usually stop for a soak at one of the hot springs. You look like you could use one too."

"I always enjoyed them," laughed Link. "They're quite revitalizing."

They made their way across the Stolock Bridge and down the path to the Goron Hot Springs. There were only two other Gorons there, so they had one of the pools to themselves. Daruk sat down in the hot spring water with a sigh of relief.

"Always good for aches and pains," sighed Daruk as he settled into the water. Link did the same after removing the armor.

"Anyway, tell me what's new with you and the family," said Daruk. "Whenever I see Mipha, I think I've traveled back in time myself. She hardly looks any older."

"Yes, Zoras are blessed with that," said Link. "I'm doing fine. My oldest, Mila, is a teacher and historian now, and you may have heard about her book on North Hyrule. She is urging me to organize my journal. There are parts I never got around to putting in shape for publication. Midon is busy coding, and Lapha works with Dr. Purah at the Castle now. And you know my son Link is still in the Royal Guards assigned to protect Princess Zelda. But I'm not sure that will last if they start a family."

"Yeah, I always thought that was funny, that your son would follow in your footsteps like that," said Daruk. "Though, of course, things were a lot different in our day. Not that there isn't still danger around, but we've come a long way. Mipha is doing well too?"

"Yes, though she's still upset at me over what happened with Sopha," said Link. "I mean, I've faced danger before, and she used to get angry with me if she thought I was reckless. But for some reason, this time, she has taken it harder."

"I think the thought of life without you is more painful for her now," said Daruk. "She has gotten so accustomed to sharing her life with you, Link, that she can't think of living without you. But who knows? I'm hardly an expert on women. I do know she has always been crazy about you, and you're a very lucky man to have her."

"Don't I know it!" said Link. "And don't you think I've been crazy about her too? I worked pretty hard to be with her if you remember all that happened. I mean, happened and then didn't happen."

"Yeah, that whole time travel stuff is so unreal," said Daruk. "When you quoted our diaries, I looked around the room, and everyone was stunned. I think until that point, we all thought that maybe you were a little bit crazy from stress, and had fooled Zelda somehow into believing you. But that shook everyone up, made us all realize it was true."

"It was the Zelda of that time who thought of it," said Link. "We struggled with how to convince everyone. And Mipha was pretty upset about it afterward. But it was all we could think of, and it worked."

"Yeah, it worked," said Daruk. "But I could never get my head around all that stuff, how you could change what happened, so it never did happen. I guess you need to be smart like Purah to understand it. I know that must have been a tough time for you, though, with all the memory issues. Did you ever fully recover your memory?"

"No, not by a long shot," said Link. "I used to recover memories frequently at first. As time went on, it happened less often. Now it happens only very rarely, so much so that I'm shocked when it does. I'm sure many memories are lost forever. But I guess as I grow older, I would have forgotten them anyway."

"Very possibly," laughed Daruk. "You don't have to tell me that. But reminiscing with you is good for my memory, so thanks."

"No, I'm happy to," said Link. "You were always my good friend, my favorite among the group. Other than Mipha, of course."

They soaked quietly for a while longer, then decided to head back to Daruk's hut. Several Gorons they passed greeted Daruk respectfully with a bow.

"You're staying the night here, right?" said Daruk. "Come in and have a drink and some rock chips."

"Sounds good," said Link. "Yes, I planned to spend the night here. I reserved a bed at the inn with my Tab. And I'd love to have a drink with you, but I'll skip the rock chips if you don't mind."

"Great!" said Daruk. "Then we can help each other a little longer with our memory therapy. Now, where did I leave the good elixir?"

While Link was traveling to Goron City, Mipha was working with Sidon, teaching him what he needed to know to control Ruta. She had done all this before, of course. But that no longer happened, thanks to Vera and Mipha's timely letter to her father. So, while this was all new to Sidon, it brought back memories to her. She appreciated more what Link must have gone through when he arrived from his other timeline, trying to forget things that never happened and remember those that did. Sidon was a quick learner, though, in part because he was older now than he had been when she was teaching him the last time.

"It's challenging, Sis," said Sidon. "I still can't imagine how you mastered it so quickly."

"You're doing great, Sidon," said Mipha. "It's not a contest. The goal is to bond well with Ruta, not see how quickly you can do it."

"I understand," said Sidon. "But do we know what we may be up against? Last time we pretty much knew what was coming and were well prepared."

"Well, not exactly," said Mipha. "If you read Link's journal, you know we were well prepared the second time, not the first. And no, there is no inkling of what, if any, trouble lies ahead. We feel it is prudent to be prepared."

"But you are still young, Sis," said Sidon. "You can still pilot Ruta for many years. Why do I need to be trained?"

"We don't know what or when something will happen," said Mipha. "Her Majesty considers it wise to have some additional combat readiness, just in case, and Father and I agree with her."

"I'm not arguing, Sis," said Sidon. "Just trying to understand. And I get it and will do my best. But if you're here, I think it would make more sense for you to pilot Ruta in an emergency."

"And if I'm here and able to do it, I will, Sidon," said Mipha. "Don't worry. But I may be unable to or be called to do something else, so we would like you to be ready, just in case. Alright?"

"Of course," said Sidon. "Let's go over that last movement again."

Meanwhile, at Hyrule Castle, Queen Zelda was having a serious talk with her older daughter, Zelda, while Astra was taking a reading lesson with her tutor.

"Astra told you all about the sword incident?" said Queen Zelda.

"Yes, right after she returned from the forest, while we sat together in the park," said Zelda. "What does it mean, Mother?"

"I wish I knew," said Queen Zelda shaking her head. "It means Astra needs to be trained in combat, and how to access her sealing power, but I don't think there is great urgency. You can draw on your sealing power, and your Uncle Link is still relatively young, thanks to Purah's rune. So, I think we are as prepared as we need to be for now. But down the road, you and Astra may be called upon to play a role in Hyrule's defense. Of course, I still hope and pray that will not be the case."

"You have always urged me to be prepared, Mother," said Zelda. "But perhaps Astra will be called upon more than I will. After all, it seems she may have both my ability and Uncle Link's."

"Perhaps, but who knows?" said Queen Zelda. "There may come a time when you two need to help each other. I just wanted to have this conversation, so you realize how important it is you keep prepared."

"I am, and I will be Mother," said Princess Zelda. "Please don't worry."