Summary: Tila works on a gift for her husband. Link and Astra go apple picking. Mipha and Mila take a hike together.

It was early morning in Hyrule Castle, and it began in her mind as a point of light, then brightened as it grew larger, sending out bright golden rays. The golden light contrasted sharply with the black emptiness behind it, and from within the light, a voice spoke. It was a woman's voice, and it sounded kind, caring, loving even.

"Dear Zelda, my sweet child, you are very special to me. Protect yourself from any who would harm you. In the fullness of time, as you grow in years, you must also grow in wisdom, strength, and courage. Someday I may need your help," said the voice.

Then Astra woke up.

She saw it was morning, and she stopped to think about her dream. Who was speaking to her, and why were they calling her Zelda? This was the second time she had a dream like this. The first one happened soon after that evil Zora attacked her and Uncle Link.

Anyway, she needed to get ready for breakfast. But at least there were no tutors today, and she remembered Uncle Link was visiting later. It should be a fun day!

In Zora's Domain, Tila sat alone with Mipha in the kitchen after breakfast.

"Thank you so much for your advice, Mother," said Tila. "It's been difficult doing this without my husband noticing, and I've had to work on it when he's out. Without your guidance, I wouldn't know what to do. I want to surprise him and have this ready, so he can keep up with Tara in the water now that she's swimming so much better. How does it look so far?"

Tila held up a set of almost complete Zora Armor she had been working on.

"It looks almost perfect," said Mipha. "I think it just needs a little more work around the shoulders. I'm sure he'll love it, and it's a shame your people don't have the same custom as ours. But I suppose the legend that was the origin of our custom, the defeat of the Lizalfos general, happened with my people's ancestors, not yours."

"Yes, we've never had this tradition," said Tila. "But it is a nice one. I imagine your husband must have been thrilled when he received his armor from you, right?"

"He was when he finally saw it," said Mipha. "He thought the bundle I was carrying was our picnic lunch."

"Really? That's so funny!" laughed Tila.

"We were both on the shy side back then, so it was complicated," said Mipha.

"Let me hide this now," said Tila. "Link is waiting for me in the plaza with Tara. We're going to Veiled Falls this morning to give Tara some variety."

"Have fun!" said Mipha.

Tila hugged Mipha, then hid the armor and left to join Link and Tara.

Young Link and Tara were standing by the fountain in the plaza, and Tara was splashing and stamping her feet in the water. Just then, Larena walked by and saw them.

"Link! And here is Princess Tara!" said Larena looking at Tara. "Oh, she is adorable! Can I hold her?"

"Hi, Larena," said Link. "Sure, if she'll let you."

Larena squatted down and said hello to Tara, then reached out for her. Tara looked at Larena, then looked at Link.

"It's okay," said Link nodding to Tara.

Then Tara reached out and let Larena pick her up.

"You are one beautiful little girl!" said Larena hugging her.

"She's smart too," said Link. "She can already say a lot of words."

"Really?" said Larena. "Can you say my name? La- ray-nah?"

Tara looked at her.

"Say Lah-ray-nah," said Larena.

"Lah-nah," said Tara.

"Almost! It's Lah-ray-nah," said Larena.

"Lah-ray-naaaaaaaaaaaah," said Tara and smiled at Link.

"I bet she would say it properly if Tila were here instead of me," said Link. "She likes to tease me by lengthening the final sound."

"It's cute, and congratulations! She is a real charmer, Link," said Larena, putting her down. "Well, say hi to Tila for me. I'm off to meet your brother at East Reservoir lake."

"Bye," said Link, as Tara resumed splashing in the fountain.

When Tila reached the plaza, Tara saw her and went running to her.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," said Tara as she reached out her arms, and Tila picked her up and hugged and kissed her.

"I just love my precious little girl!" said Tila.

"She's been running around and splashing in the fountain," said Link as he leaned over, and Tila bent down to exchange a kiss. "What took you so long?"

"I was discussing something with Mother, sweetheart," said Tila. "I would have thought you'd be grateful for more alone time with Tara."

"Oh, I am, I am," said Link. "I just wondered. Shall we go?"

Tila put Tara down, and they held hands as they began walking to Veiled Falls. Two guards nodded to them as they crossed the western exit. Then, when they passed by a tree on the way there, Tara pointed and said, "tree," then looked over at Link and smiled.

"You never get tired of teasing your Daddy, do you?" laughed Link. "Now, please tell me what it is again?

"Treeeeeeeeeeeeee," said Tara and then she giggled.

"I knew it!" laughed Link, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to splash you for that, you little cutie!"

Tara giggled again. When they reached the falls, Tara raced into the water and briefly chased a frog, then began swimming.

"Now, when she's a bit bigger, this is a perfect size falls where we can teach her to swim up it," said Tila looking up at the waterfall. "It's big enough to be challenging, but not so big that it's discouraging."

"We?" said Link. "I'm not sure how I can help teach her."

"Well, I mean, just do whatever you can, sweetheart," said Tila. "Come on, let's swim. And I'm sure Tara is looking forward to your splash."

A bit later that morning, Link had finished breakfast and was getting ready to travel to Hyrule Castle to spend the day with Astra.

"Are you taking public transport, Dad?" asked Mila. "I highly recommend it! The days of swimming or riding there are pretty much over given how fast the ferries travel now."

"I agree," said Link. "That trip to Rito Village sold me on it. And I'm fine, Mila. You don't need to see me off."

"Give Astra a kiss for me," said Mipha. "And please explain to her why I can't come with you this time because I'm helping out with Tara. Tell her when Tara's a bit older, I'll visit her with you again. Astra mostly wants to spend time with you anyway."

"I'll be sure to let her know," said Link. "Speaking of Tara, give her a goodbye kiss for me. I know you said they're all swimming at Veiled Falls this morning."

Link exchanged goodbye hugs with Mipha and Mila. Midon was out, and Lapha had been visiting with Purah all this week at Hyrule Castle. Link made his way to the ferry stop, and there was one Zora couple he didn't know waiting there as well as two guards on duty watching the location. He nodded in greeting, then boarded the ferry to Hyrule Castle when it arrived.

The trip was uneventful and, as arranged, he met Astra by the Castle dock.

"Hi, Uncle Link!" said Astra as she rushed to him, and they exchanged a hug and kiss.

"Hi, sweetheart," said Link. "Ready for some sailing?"

"Yes, and some apple picking too," said Astra holding up two empty sacks.

"I love apples, and that should be fun," said Link. "Let's be off then. The boat awaits your orders, Captain!"

Astra laughed as they boarded, then she maneuvered the sailboat until they were sailing swiftly down the Hylian River. The current was strong, but Astra steered the boat expertly, keeping to the middle of the river.

"This looks like a good place to stop, Uncle Link," said Astra as she steered the sailboat onto the flat sandy shore along the western side of the river a bit south of the Orsedd Bridge.

"You sail perfectly, Astra," said Link as he jumped out and pulled the boat onto shore, then picked up the two empty sacks.

They planned to pick apples at the Applean Forest, and Link took Astra's hand, helping her out of the boat, then they walked together toward the forest.

The weather was mild and sunny, a beautiful day to be outdoors. Warm Darners hovered in the air near the shore, their wings beating rapidly, then flitted away as you approached. As they entered the wooded area, a squirrel froze, stared at them for a moment, then scurried away into the tall lush green grass. If you were lucky, you might see the occasional deer feeding near one of the trees. The animals were used to having the forest all to themselves, as it was a quiet and peaceful spot. True to its name, all but a few trees in this small forest were ripe with apples. Link pointed to a beehive on one of the tree branches, and Astra nodded, understanding they should keep their distance from it.

"This is one of the best places to pick apples!" said Astra. "I used to come here with Zel sometimes, but she's too busy these days."

Astra looked a bit downcast after her last remark.

"You know your sister loves you just as much as ever, Astra," said Link. "It's just that she has another person in her life now that she needs to spend time with. It's like Aunt Mipha not being able to come with me this time because she's helping with baby Tara. As new people come into our lives, we have to make room for them, spread out our time more, since we only have the same amount of time each day. For instance, after you were born, your parents could not spend as much time with your sister as before, but they didn't love her any less."

"I guess you're right," said Astra. "But I'm glad you still come to visit. I have a lot of fun sailing and talking with you!"

"And I have fun with you too," said Link giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Come on! Let's pick some apples."

Astra and Link went from tree to tree, and sometimes Astra would climb up to reach apples, but she had no difficulty doing that. After an hour or so of gathering apples, they had more than enough.

"I think we could feed half the castle," laughed Link as they lugged two full sacks of apples back to the boat and left them there. "I hope we don't sink on the way back!"

"That would be funny!" laughed Astra. "Can we sit down? I'm a little tired now."

"Of course, sweetheart," said Link. "I came here just to spend time with you."

"Let's sit by that big tree over there," said Astra pointing to a large tree close to shore.

After making their way there, Astra and Link sat next to each other, leaning against the trunk of the tree. A gentle breeze shook the leaves now and then as they sat quietly for a moment, enjoying their surroundings.

"I remember when I was smaller, I would fall asleep in your lap after we went sailing," said Astra smiling at him.

"I remember that too, sweetheart," said Link. "Those were precious moments to me. And you still can if you like. You're not too big for a nap. A nap is always good, no matter how old you are."

"Maybe later," said Astra. "Right now, I feel more like talking."

"Of course. Is there something on your mind, sweetheart?" said Link.

Astra was quiet for a moment, then spoke up.

"One time, I overheard Mom talking to my sister about you," said Astra.

"Go on," said Link.

"Well, Mom was saying that you were courageous and the best fighter she ever saw. You weren't afraid of anything," said Astra. "And Mom was telling Zel to remember that it was thanks to you that Hyrule is safe now."

"Well, that was nice of your Mom to say so," said Link. "I did do my best to protect Hyrule, but your mother also played a big role, as did the Champions. We all did everything we could, and it wasn't something any of us did on our own. And I was certainly afraid sometimes, everyone is. But I became less afraid as I gained experience and confidence in myself."

"But you did fight a lot of monsters, right?" said Astra.

"Yes, there were a lot of monsters back then," said Link. "Right here, near where we're sitting, there used to be an evil giant with one eye we called a Hinox. But all those things are gone now, sweetheart, and you needn't worry about them."

"I know," said Astra. "But there can still be bad people, like that Zora that attacked you."

"Yes, evil always seems to return no matter how often we destroy it," said Link. "We just have to stay vigilant."

"What does vigilant mean?"

"Be prepared, not relax or get too comfortable and take our safety for granted," said Link. "I'm not sure I'm explaining it well. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so," said Astra.

Then she paused again before going on."

"Did you ever have strange dreams, Uncle Link?"

"Sometimes," said Link. "I'm sure everyone does at some point."

"Ever since what happened here with that Zora, I have had two strange dreams," said Astra. "The second one was last night."

"Nightmares? I'm so sorry for what happened, Astra, and I know that must have been a terrible shock to you," said Link. "At least the bad person who did that to us will never trouble us again."

"No, they aren't nightmares, almost the opposite," said Astra. "Mom said as I grow older, I will have different kinds of dreams, and that it's normal. But in this dream, there is a voice speaking to me from a bright golden light. It's such a sweet and kind voice, and it speaks to me like a mother talking to her child."

"Are you sure you're not dreaming about your actual mother?" said Link. "She is a rather special person, you know."

Astra paused for a moment.

"No, it's not Mom," said Astra. "Her voice is different. And this voice tells me I'm special, that I need to take care of myself and grow up to be a good person, that she might need my help someday. And her tone is just so loving as if she cares for me and worries about me. I don't know how else to explain it."

"I don't either, sweetheart," said Link thinking about it. "The mind can sometimes play tricks on us. I've certainly dreamed of things that didn't happen. On the other hand, some say that when we dream, we grow closer to the spirit realm. In any case, her advice is sound. You do need to take care of yourself and grow up to be a good person, which you're already doing."

"But the funny thing is that in my dream she calls me Zelda," said Astra. "She calls me by my sister's name."

Now that gave Link pause, and he wondered if the surprise showed on his face. Because in his misadventure with Timela in the broken timeline that resulted in Astra being his and Zelda's child, Astra's real name had been Zelda. Astra was the nickname Link gave her because of the bright star in the sky that appeared on the day of her birth. But who here knew that? Only him. Well, and Mipha, too, since she had read the diary he had brought back with him. And the Goddess Hylia, of course. Link began to wonder what it could mean.

"What are you thinking about, Uncle Link?" said Astra breaking his thoughts.

"Oh! Sorry, Astra," said Link. "I was just thinking about what you told me. I'm not sure what it means, sweetheart. But don't worry about it, and just follow her excellent advice. Is there anything else on your mind?

"No," said Astra yawning. "Maybe I will take that nap now. All that climbing and apple picking tired me out."

"Go right ahead, sweetheart," said Link as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her and cradled it with his hand.

After a few moments, her slow and steady breathing told him she was fast asleep. Link sat quietly, holding her and looking down at her. He gently brushed some of her soft blond hair away from her face. She was such an adorable little girl, but there was no doubt she was getting bigger, and he was glad for these chances to spend time with her. But her dream only reinforced what Fi had said, that she may be destined to play a role someday. May that day be long in coming, he prayed. She was still only a seven-year-old girl with a lot of growing up to do. He would keep an eye on her, though, and help her learn whatever he could teach her. She stirred briefly in her sleep, and he gently patted her head. She nestled her head against him further and reached for him, touching his chest. Then she sighed, still asleep. Link closed his eyes for a moment.

Meanwhile, back in Zora's Domain, Mipha was in the room they used as a study reading over some meeting materials on her Tab when Mila came in.

"You okay, Mom?" said Mila. "The house seems so quiet now!"

"Yes, I'm fine, sweetheart," said Mipha. "You have nothing to do?"

"I don't feel like working, and Kendal has extra guard duty because of the alert," said Mila. "Do you feel like a walk or a swim?"

"Of course," said Mipha smiling. "Which do you prefer?"

"Maybe a walk this time," said Mila. "Let's walk across the great bridge."

"Fine," said Mipha.

They made their way out of the house and down through the plaza and onto the Great Zora Bridge as guards greeted them as they passed by. The weather was sunny and mild, and a small flock of Blue Sparrows took flight as they walked. Light white clouds drifted across the sky, and a small gentle waterfall cascaded onto the rocks to their left. The peaks of the cliffs glowed a beautiful icy blue in the sunlight, and at the far end of the bridge, you could see green grass, pink and purple shrubs, and the tall evergreen trees that surrounded the area. Mila glanced around.

"I'm so happy Link and Lapha returned to live here," said Mila. "I haven't seen as much of Hyrule as you and Dad, but I can't believe anywhere else is as beautiful as here. I think it's the perfect place to live and raise a family."

"I agree. Your father and I are thrilled too, and not just because we believe it's the best place to live," said Mipha.

At the end of the bridge, they walked to the left, then followed the winding path marked by glowing blue lights toward Ruto Mountain. The path zig-zagged, and a Hot-Footed Frog scurried out from under a rock and into the bushes. As the road passed east of Ruto Mountain, they spotted a solitary Blue Nightshade growing alongside the cliff.

"Oh! My favorite flower!" said Mipha as they stopped. "I love them, especially at night, when they look so pretty."

"Shall I pick it for you, Mom?" said Mila.

"No, we can just enjoy it growing here in the wild. You know, I still remember your father asked me what my favorite flower was on our wedding day. I didn't know at the time why he suddenly did that, but then sometime later he told me why. In his old timeline, he used to lay a Blue Nightshade flower by my statue each time he visited the Domain. He guessed that I would like that flower, and said he was happy when I confirmed it. It's so hard to relate to the things that happened to him that never happened anymore, but I understood. Your father is a very loving and sentimental person inside, Mila. But I think you already know that."

"I do, but you never told me that story," said Mila. "It's so sweet, but kind of sad too."

The path began to descend as it rounded Ruto Mountain then curved sharply.

"Let's stop here," said Mila.