Summary: Mipha and Link spend a romantic day and night together and reminisce a bit. Purah and Robbie begin to study the Divine Beast Vah Naboris construction plans. Zelda later discusses an idea with them to enhance Divine Beast security. Lapha catches up with Midon on family matters. A fisherman from Lurelin village sees something alarming.

It was a partly cloudy afternoon in Zora's Domain, as Mipha and Link sat holding hands with their feet dangling in the water at the small pond south of Tal Tal Peak and north of Ja'Abu Ridge. They had walked there from the northeast pier of East Reservoir Lake after a brief visit to Ruta and a morning swim across the lake.

Pink and purple sea coral shaped plants dotted the landscape surrounded by clusters of Evergreen trees, and both gently swayed in the steady breeze that blew off the Lanayru Sea. Aside from the wind and the cry of an occasional bird, the only other sound was the splash of the distant waterfall by Tal Tal Peak.

"There goes another one," laughed Mipha as a small splash announced a Hot Footed frog was scurrying across the pond after an unwary insect.

Link tossed a pebble into the pond and watched the ripples expand.

"Did you and I used to come here together?" Link asked after a few moments. "I don't remember."

"Only one time," said Mipha as she stroked her foot against his in the water, and he rubbed hers back. "We were playing in the lake and ended up on the pier we just came from. It was a beautiful day, and we took a walk so you could dry off in the sun. We sat here and talked for a while. There were lily pads here back then, and it was before the sword chose you."

"You have a fantastic memory," said Link.

"I remember all your visits, sweetheart," said Mipha as she squeezed his hand.

Link smiled at her, then leaned over, and they kissed as the sun slipped behind some gray clouds.

"All I remember of this place was in the time after I awoke, which would be 65 years from now in our calendar," said Link. "Like Ralis Pond, the pond here was much shallower than it is now, little more than a big puddle. And a huge Stone Talus was lurking here then, too. At least I got some nice gems out of it."

They sat quietly for another minute.

"It looks like it might rain," Link said as he looked up.

"Yes, but there's no sound of thunder, so we'll be fine," said Mipha.

They kissed again and put their arms around each other, their feet still rubbing against each other on and off. The wind picked up slightly then, and a few moments later, it began to rain. They both watched raindrops pepper the surface of the pond, and several Tireless frogs made a sudden appearance.

"You don't mind getting a little wet, I hope," said Mipha as she brushed back some of Link's hair and the water from his forehead.

"I married a Zora, didn't I?" Link smiled as he squeezed her, and she smiled back at him, then they kissed once again.

"It's nice to get away, just the two of us, and not on an adventure," said Mipha. "We need to spend more time together like this."

"Yes, we do," said Link as they rested their heads against each other. "Family time is fun, but you come first in my heart and always will, sweetheart. I guess I don't tell you that often enough."

"You don't have to say it, sweetheart, though I love to hear it," said Mipha. "I can read it in your eyes and your smile and your touch. As I hope you can read my love for you."

"Of course, I can, sweetheart," said Link. "I have, for a long time now."

They sat for a while longer, watching the rain and the frogs and letting the water wash over them.

"We can start heading back," said Mipha finally. "I'll pull you across the lake."

"And I'm not worried about getting wet, because I'm already soaked," laughed Link as he stood up with her.

They rose and held hands as they walked back to the northeast pier of East Reservoir Lake. When they reached the edge, they dove into the water together.

"Keep your mouth closed if you don't want to swallow some water," said Mipha as she prepared to pull him across the lake. "You used to be so quiet I hardly had to tell you that."

"Very funny," laughed Link. "I'm ready. My mouth is sealed shut like a clam."

Mipha pulled him rapidly toward the northwest pier, the water surging and splashing around them. Then they climbed up onto the pier and held hands as they made their way to the small shelter where a bed and some stools stood. They sat together on the edge of the bed and watched the rain falling into the lake.

"Unlike that pond, I do remember coming here together," laughed Link. "More than once. It's getting a bit cool, though. I think I'll light a small fire below the foot of the bed, out of the rain."

Link got up, lit a campfire, then returned to sit beside Mipha.

"I know you didn't want an adventure, but do you want to be a bit adventurous and spend the night here? I'd like that," said Link.

"That's not the kind of adventure I meant," laughed Mipha. "But yes, it's a sweet idea. Do you want me to catch a fresh fish for you? I'm still full from lunch."

"No, I'd rather you stay here with me," said Link. "I'm not as fussy as Zoras about rune made fish meals."

They sat quietly, holding hands and watching as the rain fell.

"We've come here so many times, yet I still love it," said Link. "It's beautiful with the icy blue cliffs, even in the rain."

"Do you remember the first time we slept together here?" said Mipha. "We didn't make love, just cuddled all night long. We weren't married yet, but had just gotten engaged the week before."

"How could I ever forget that visit," said Link. "And I know it was the new me, not the old me. I still feel bad about that, sweetheart, but I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to be with you so badly! But I couldn't tell you anything about what would happen. Which in the end didn't happen, so that worked out fine."

"Confusing, but I understand," said Mipha. "I admit that when I learned at the Champions meeting that you were different and could barely remember me, it was like a spear through my heart. I had to hold back my tears in front of the others and concentrate on our mission. But later, I came to accept it was really still you, and appreciate how much you went through for all our sakes, and especially for me. I fell back in love with you as much as before."

"It was thanks to your kind nature I even had a chance to prove I was the same person," said Link.

They kissed, then Link noticed some movement on the hillside. It was a Zora guard making his rounds, and they waved. He waved back, then proceeded on his way.

"They don't have cameras here, do they?" Link asked, looking around.

"If they do, I'll be furious at my brother," laughed Mipha. "But he told me no, the sleeping area itself is considered private."

"I feel like Ruta is watching us too," said Link as he gazed at the massive Divine Beast sitting quietly in the center of the lake outlined in a soft blue glow.

"She is watching me in a sense," laughed Mipha. "Not literally, of course, but we have a bond. I'm glad you think of her as a 'her' now as I do. You struggled with that at first."

"Yes, well, my first meeting with Ruta was not a happy one," said Link. "Though I know that was not her fault."

"Speaking of that, do you think Zelda is right? We destroyed a phantom, not the real Ganon?"

"I don't know," said Link, shaking his head. "I mean, I generally trust her instincts about such things. On the other hand, she has always been fearful. I guess we need to wait for clearer signs. Speaking of Zelda, one of these days, we should take that trip to Eventide Island she wants us to."

The rain had stopped, and the wind had shifted from west to east as white clouds moved across the sky.

"I'll Tab the family, so they don't worry about us," said Mipha. "And so they give us some privacy."

Mipha sent a message to let everyone know where they were.

They both ate a light dinner as the sun sank behind Upland Zorana. The wind blew over one of the large fish-shaped urns nearby. Link went over and picked it up, and when it fell over again, laughed and moved it closer to the bed.

"Not the most stable design," said Link. "But, they look nice."

Luminescent stone material embedded in the architecture glowed softly as the sky darkened, and stars appeared. The only sounds you could hear were the wind and the waves lapping against the pier. It was Midnight before the crescent moon peeked over the northern side of Ploymus Mountain, illuminating the clouds that flew past it. And less than an hour later, those blessed by the Goddess could make out the great dragon Naydra in the distance, circling high above Mount Lanayru, and then flying down and to the west, as it headed toward the Lanayru Road. They both stopped then to say a prayer to Nayru.

"We have so much to be thankful for," said Link. "Especially for having each other."

"We do, and I give thanks every day," said Mipha.

"Did I ever tell you what beautiful soft skin you have?" said Link as he caressed her behind her head and pulled her closer.

"You can tell me as often as you like," laughed Mipha. "Did I ever tell you how cute you are?"

They began to kiss, and as their passions grew, they finally made love on the bed.

"This really is like old times!" said Mipha afterward, out of breath. "I'm not used to us making love on land. But we should do this more often, get away from home and have some fun."

"You won't get any argument from me, sweetheart!" said Link as he caught his breath, then kissed her again. "And land or water, some things you never forget."

"Thank Nayru that part of your memory survived," laughed Mipha. "Though I'd be happy to teach you."

Link laughed. They got up, took a quick dip in the lake, then huddled next to each other by the fire as Link dried off. Then they went to bed and fell asleep in each other's arms just as the moon sank behind Upland Zorana.

A Zora guard stood watch on either side of the pier from the cliffs above. The bed canopy prevented them from seeing Mipha and Link, but they could tell they were both safe.

It was 4 AM when the sky brightened. Link groaned as he opened his eyes and saw Mipha still asleep beside him in his arms. He closed his eyes again and drifted back to sleep. He wouldn't wake up again until mid-morning.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab, Robbie and Purah were reading through and discussing the construction plans for Divine Beast Vah Naboris. Robbie kept rubbing his eyes.

"What's wrong with your eyes? Are you okay?" Purah asked.

"I told you, it's all that detailed reading of that ancient script," said Robbie. "My eyes may need some optical assistance soon. Perhaps I should improve upon those goggles we wore when we were testing those Tabs that exploded. It would be good for both of us."

"Maybe you should consider working on that," said Purah. "Though I don't have a great deal of confidence in your sense of style. But are you concentrating on what we're reading?"

"Yes, yes," said Robbie. "It's quite detailed and informative. I am especially interested in the weaponry section."

"And I am especially interested in how the pilots control their Divine Beasts," said Purah. "But we will get to both of those soon. I don't want to skip anything."

"Fine," said Robbie.

Meanwhile, at Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda had stopped by her mother's office.

"You going to be okay, Mother?" said Princess Zelda. "You sure you won't join us? It's the weekend after all."

"No, sweetheart, not this time," said Zelda. "You four have fun. I want to discuss something with Dr. Purah."

Princess Zelda, Randall, Horwell, and Astra were planning a picnic at Hyrule Castle Park, and Astra wanted to play with Horwell and help him with his new toy boat.

"Very well, Mother. You know where we'll be if you change your mind," said Princess Zelda as they hugged and she left.

Queen Zelda then called Purah.

"Your Majesty?" Purah answered.

"Dr. Purah, can we meet to discuss fighting Ganon?" said Zelda. "Bring Dr. Robbie along, too, if he's available."

"Of course, we will both be right there," said Purah, signaling to Robbie.

"I can come over to the lab if it's more convenient for you both," said Zelda.

Purah glanced around the lab and the abundant disorder there, then decided that wasn't the best idea.

"It's probably better if we come to your office," said Purah. "We will be right there."

When they arrived, Zelda offered them some tea, then got right to the point.

"I want to discuss if there are any additional safeguards we can take to defend ourselves against Ganon," said Zelda. "For one, I would like a way to preserve the Divine Beasts, keep them ready and on our side. I know you created the ability to repel an attacker from taking over a Divine Beast the way Link told us it happened in his time."

"Well, actually, it was another me that created that defense," said Purah. "I inherited her notes from what would be the future in a sense."

"Well, yes, that's true," said Zelda. "But anyway, as you know, this time we were caught off guard by our pilots not being able to reach their Divine Beasts. Can we do something about that?"

"Perhaps ironically, though sometimes I wonder if there is a hidden power at work, we stumbled upon the Divine Beast Naboris construction plans. It's possible we could adapt the travel gate feature for use by the pilots. It could be calibrated to their Tabs. They could even travel by thought, controlling their Tabs in that way if someone confiscated them. Does that sound feasible to you, Dr. Robbie?"

"You know more about shrines than me, Dr. Purah," said Robbie. "But in principle, it could work like the old Sheikah Slate travel gate feature, perhaps."

"We can look into that," said Purah. "Are you concerned a threat from Ganon is imminent despite what just happened?"

"Maybe not imminent, but inevitable," said Zelda. "Thank you. Some feature like that would greatly ease my mind. But stay and finish your tea. How are you both? I have to commend your perseverance with all those ancient Sheikah documents."

"Thank you, and thanks should go to Link's daughter, Princess Lapha, as well. If our reading of that material aids in our defense, it will have been time very well spent," said Purah.

"Is science instruction proceeding well?" Zelda asked. "You know how much I value the subject."

"Yes, it's going fine, and we should graduate some sharp minds," said Purah. "A good deal of our students were disappointed Princess Tila had to stop teaching mathematics. But we found an acceptable replacement."

After chatting a bit more, Purah and Robbie left to return to the lab, and Zelda stared out the window, thinking. The last time the threat to the kingdom came from the north. This time she wasn't sure it wouldn't come from somewhere else.

Meanwhile, it was late morning in Zora's Domain.

"So, what have you been doing?" said Lapha as she and Midon floated together in Ruto Lake.

"The usual rune development and maintenance," said Midon. "On the maintenance side, we have to update some runes for the larger Mabs that are becoming more popular these days. For development, it's funny that we're going in the opposite direction, seeing if we can shrink some device functionality. And we're always looking to enhance security features. What about you, Laff?"

"I'm between projects," said Lapha. "I want to get back to my disease cure research if I can, as well as understand why we age differently than Hylians. In the meantime, we found some interesting documents among the Yiga Clan horde that I want to review. How are Mom and Dad doing?"

"Very well," said Midon. "They've become inseparable lately, which I think is a good thing for both of them. You know Mom never liked Dad going off on his own on missions, and Mila used to cry herself to sleep sometimes while he was gone. As you know, we were all pretty worried when Mom got attacked at Ruta when she was alone there. And Dad also got upset later when he learned Mom went off on her own to that lost Water Temple. I think they both kind of agreed to stick together more after those events."

"Well, that is a good thing," said Lapha. "Dad is the best at combat, and Mom can help, as well as be there to heal him, if necessary. What's with Uncle Sidon and Tila's cousin, Arana?"

"You should ask Mom," laughed Midon. "They've been seeing each other a bit since Linky's wedding. I guess Mom convinced Grandfather that it wasn't the end of the waterfall that they were together, that the North Hyrule Zora are fine."

"I should say so! They're more advanced than us. And Grandfather himself is doing well?" said Lapha.

"Yes, fine, but he seems to be giving more work to Uncle Sidon and Mom these days," said Midon. "How long can you stay at home? We all missed you, Laff."

"I hope for some time, as I missed all of you, too," said Lapha. "I can try to work remotely for a while as you do. You're still seeing Larena, I assume? I noticed her younger sister Karena at the lab."

"Yes, we're still together," said Midon. "Are you seeing Kentle?"

"Well, seeing in like meeting for lunch sometimes," said Lapha. "We do not really see each other socially. I find I'm too busy with work, like Dr. Purah."

"Well, as long as you're happy, Laff," said Midon. "That's all any of us want for you."

"I am," said Lapha. "I found what I love to do."

Then they heard some shouting, and Mila, Tila, Linky, and Tara arrived.

"Ready for some fun, Laff?" said Linky.

"Sure, why not?" said Lapha. "You still need my help with water games?"

"The armor Tila made for me helps, but yes," said Linky. "I still need your help to have a chance."

Lapha took Linky's hand as they floated in the water.

"Tag! Who's it?" shouted Midon.

"The one who calls the game, of course, Mido! You know the rules," laughed Mila. "Are Mom and Dad still sleeping?"

"I think they had a late night, Sis," said Midon as he raced to tag someone.

"Good for them!" laughed Mila. "I love it when they're together."

Meanwhile, at Lurelin Village, it was afternoon, and early rising fishers had already returned and auctioned off their catch, as buyers from the various villages and restaurants bid on the fresh fish. Two fishermen, Andon and Barnes, had just sold their catch at the pier and were making their way home.

"Hi Andon, how was your catch?" Barnes asked.

"Okay, I guess, you?" Andon answered.

"Not bad," said Barnes. "I followed a school of porgies to the west and netted a healthy catch. But what's wrong with you? You're shaking. Are you okay?"