Summary: Queen Zelda visits Zora's Domain, has some fun in the water, and makes plans for some future family trips together. Link discusses with Mila possibly bringing this story to a close, though Mipha offers an alternative.

It was sunny midday in Zora's Domain, and Queen Zelda, Mipha, Link, Astra, Tila, Linky, and Tara were picnicking by Mikau Lake. Tara and Astra were playing in the water nearby, Tila and Linky were in the water together above the first waterfall, out of sight and probably kissing. At the same time, Zelda, Mipha, and Link sat together on a picnic blanket under a tree.

"That was delicious, Mipha," said Zelda as she swallowed the last bite of a sweet treat. "I never knew you baked."

"It's Mipha's specialty, and I love it," said Link as he smiled at Mipha.

"Come, Zelda," said Mipha, holding out her hand. "We told you to wear your swimsuit for a reason. You haven't lived until you swim up a waterfall and then dive back down."

"I'm glad I'm younger now," laughed Zelda as she rose and took Mipha's hand, then began walking toward the water.

"Come on, sweetheart," said Mipha as she turned to Link. "Some after lunch exercise will do you good too."

Link rose and joined them in the water. Astra stopped playing to watch.

"I've never seen my Mom go up a waterfall," said Astra.

"I'm sure she'll love it," said Tara. "Everyone does."

"Just hold my hand," said Mipha. "And try not to laugh too much, or you'll swallow water."

Zelda nodded as she gripped Mipha's hand tighter. Then Mipha jumped into the waterfall and swam up as Zelda couldn't help but laugh, turning her head to the side to avoid the splashing. They surged upward and landed together with a graceful twist and a splash, surprising Tila and Linky. Then Zelda held her chest and took deep breaths as she composed herself. Link landed in the water a moment later.

"That was amazing, Mipha!" Zelda exclaimed finally after catching her breath. "I loved it!"

"Isn't it fun?" laughed Link. "Now, you know why I married Mipha."

"Don't make me tickle you, sweetheart," laughed Mipha as she splashed Link in the face and everyone laughed.

"I'm glad you encouraged me to visit, Link," said Zelda. "I'm having a great time! At first, I thought perhaps I would intrude upon your time with Astra, and I did not want to do that."

"Not at all, Zelda," said Link. "I think Astra's happier when we're all together as a family."

"She's certainly taken to Tara," said Zelda. "It's cute to see them play together. I can see Astra treats Tara like her little sister, taking her hand and explaining things to her. It reminds me of how Zelda treated Astra growing up."

"They both have fun whenever Astra visits," said Link. "They play games, tell each other sleep time stories. It's good for Tara to have someone closer to her age to play with as long as Astra is willing to do it."

"Are you ready to dive down the falls together, Zelda?" said Mipha.

"Okay, I guess," said Zelda, taking another deep breath.

"We'll have you diving off Shatterback Point soon, Zelda," laughed Link.

"I think that will be quite a while yet, Prince Link," laughed Zelda as she took Mipha's hand.

They walked to the edge of the falls. Then Mipha did a controlled dive down the waterfall, holding Zelda's hand, and Link followed them down.

"Nice Mom!" shouted Astra as Zelda and Mipha landed together with a splash.

"We can go again if you like," said Mipha. "I can do this all day, and I love doing it."

"I'd love to go again, Mipha. Just let me catch my breath first," said Zelda. "It's a lot of fun, and useful too, I would imagine. I still remember you coaching little Sidon at Veiled Falls when you agreed to pilot Ruta. I could see how much you wanted him to learn how to swim up the falls."

"I remember too, and it's a Zora rite of passage, Zelda," said Mipha. "And yes, it's a valuable skill to possess too."

"Speaking of Sidon, how is he?" Zelda asked.

"He's fine off visiting North Hyrule at the moment," said Mipha. "Link and I spent some time with him helping him get over some unwarranted feelings of guilt. Sidon is in charge of Domain security and blamed himself for what happened here. But we told him it happened everywhere, and our enemy could teleport around any guards he stationed. We eventually got him to feel better. And some time away will help too."

"I had the same issue with the Royal Guards, though perhaps with more reason," said Zelda, shaking her head. "It should not have been that easy to snatch me. But that's all done with now and in the past. We've all learned some lessons. Anyway, I'm ready for another waterfall if you really don't mind, Mipha. I feel like a little girl again!"

"Maybe I can race you while you pull Zelda, sweetheart," said Link. "No, maybe not. I'd feel even worse about losing."

The three of them went up and down the falls twice more, laughing each time, and then walked back to the picnic blanket where Zelda retrieved a towel to dry off.

"Watch our for hidden frogs in your towel when Tara's around," said Link. "She's quite mischievous."

"We know which side of the family she takes after then, don't we sweetheart?" Mipha said, laughing.

"Guilty as usual," laughed Link.

Zelda glanced around.

"It's beautiful here," said Zelda. "It's like you're living in the countryside but with the comforts of town. You two chose a perfect spot to live."

"We love it," said Link. "And I think you need to get away from the castle more, Zelda."

"I know you're kidding, Link, but you make a good point," said Zelda. "My older daughter is handling more duties now as Horwell gets older. I feel more comfortable traveling now that it's safe. It would be fun to journey around Hyrule again and a splendid opportunity for Astra to see more of our land. And travel is faster and easier now too, though I still enjoy riding a horse now and then."

"I think Tara might benefit from seeing more of Hyrule as well," said Link. "The six of us could make a family trip out of it if Tila and my son Link agree."

"If Tila and your son Link are willing, that would be wonderful," said Zelda. "Having Tara along will make it more fun for Astra. It will be a fresh experience for some of us and a chance to revisit some old memories for others. I think I would like that."

"I think we should visit Revali first, or it will hurt his feelings," said Link. "And we don't want that!"

"Good point," laughed Zelda. "Let's plan on doing it then!"

When young Link and Tila returned to the picnic blanket, Link pulled them aside and raised the idea of travel together.

Tila and young Link looked at each other, then Tila spoke up.

"If Mother and you are going, you don't need us there," said Tila. "I think it will be good for Tara to travel with just the three of you. Travel is faster and shorter now, and each trip won't take long. I know Tara will love having more time playing with Astra."

"I agree, Dad," said Linky. "We will ask Tara how she feels, but I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

"Okay, just let us know then," said Link. "I'm excited about it too."

That evening King Dorephan hosted a dinner for Zelda and the entire family save for Mila, who was still out, and Sidon, who was away.

"It's nice to see you again, Zelda," said King Dorephan. "You're aging like a Zora now."

"Thanks to some Sheikah technology," Zelda laughed. "Thank you for having me. I've loved my time here. And the food is delicious."

"Please come often," said King Dorephan. "And if you ever feel like talking about your dear father, I am always ready to do so. He and I went way back."

"I would like that sometime," said Zelda.

That evening, after things had quieted down, Link was alone in the room they used as a study. He was arranging some papers that formed part of his journal when Mila entered. She had been out all day and had just returned earlier.

"Hi, sweetheart," said Link as he rose, and they hugged. "Did your day go well?"

"Yes, and I heard yours did too," said Mila. "Linky Tabbed me about it."

"Thanks again for helping with my journal," said Link. "You did an outstanding job with the last chapter. I was just sorting through some additional pages."

"Thanks, Dad, but it was about your journal that I wanted to speak with you," said Mila. "Mom told me you spoke with her about it. I gather you're thinking of ending it now?"

"Yes, I'm considering it," said Link. "As you know, I've been keeping a journal for a very long time now. It's come to be something I just do automatically, a habit almost. I started it to collect memories as I recovered them. Then it grew into this enormous story about my life with your Mom."

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Mila. "You've had the most fantastic experiences anyone could imagine, and without your journal, no one would ever know."

"I know that," said Link. "And I thought those adventures might interest others. So, I never minded spending the time writing about them. But now I feel like my adventuring days are finally over, sweetheart."

"You don't know that for sure, Dad," said Mila. "And you've even said that before, and it's proven wrong."

"Very true," said Link. "But it feels different this time, Mila. I'm older now, and I see myself just spending more time with family. We talked today about doing some travel around Hyrule, Mom, Zelda, Astra, Tara, and I. I'm not sure anyone besides family will care what happens on these trips."

Mila paused to consider what he had said.

"You could still dictate your thoughts into your Tab now and then and include some pictures," said Mila.

"Yes, but that sounds to me more like a family album," said Link. "I still doubt anyone outside of the family will be interested in it."

"I don't know, Dad," said Mila, shaking her head. "Maybe it's the historian in me, but I hate to see you stop doing something I know you've loved doing for so long. I've seen you work on your journal. You put your whole heart into it. I think it will be hard for you to just walk away from it."

"It will be, sweetheart," said Link. "I've loved writing it and going back and reading old chapters, recalling happy moments we all had. If I'm wrong, I can always resume writing again. But for now, I think this is a good place to stop. Mom and I have raised a beautiful family, and that's how we plan to spend our time, enjoying time with family until the day comes when your Mom becomes Queen. And that will be her story then, not mine."

Mila wiped some tears from her eyes, and Link reached out. They hugged each other.

"Sorry, Dad, you made me cry a little," said Mila. "You know I'm the sentimental type."

"It's okay, sweetheart," said Link as he patted her gently and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Promise me something, though," said Link. "Whatever happens, I would like you to close out the story for me. Let readers know what happened afterward. I think it would bring some closure to the story."

"I hate endings, Dad," said Mila. "But all right, I promise. I don't expect to be writing that for a very long time, though."

"I'm sure you won't be," said Link as he held her. "I love you, sweetheart. You're a wonderful daughter."

Mila kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

"That was easy, Dad because I have the most wonderful parents in all of Hyrule," said Mila.

Then they held each other quietly until Mila went off to sleep.

When Link went to their room, Mipha was still awake, resting in their slumber pool.

"I thought you might be asleep by now," said Link. "I was finishing up some of my journal and spoke to Mila about it."

"I waited up for you," said Mipha. "I sent Mila to see you, and I knew you would be in a sentimental mood when you returned."

Link undressed and joined her in their slumber pool. Then they held each other in their arms.

"I just have mixed feelings about it," said Link. "You know how much I love writing. But do people really care about our visiting Revali, for example?"

"I guess it depends what happens on our way and when we get there," said Mipha. "But it's your decision. If you enjoy writing, then you should keep doing it. You can always look at what you wrote and decide later if you want to publish it. And if you end up not publishing it, Mila can keep it as a family memoir of sorts. How does that sound?"

"It makes sense," said Link.

Then he yawned. It had been an active day.

"Come, sweetheart, let's rest now," said Mipha as she pulled him close and brushed his hair back.

"Your idea to write first and decide whether to publish later does make sense. You always know how to make me feel better," said Link as they kissed.

"If you get enough rest, in the morning, you can make both of us feel better," said Mipha.

"What would I do without your sense of humor?" laughed Link. "It's another thing I love about you."

"I love you for everything about you," said Mipha.

"I love you, too," said Link. "You're wonderful, sweetheart! Absolutely wonderful!"

They both fell asleep in each other's arms.