Fandom The Lotus Blooms (Zelda BOTW)

[Obuzeti]

It's raining in Zora's Domain, as it usually is. The marble-carved walkways and drains spiral up from the lake, and the People of the Water flourish. The overhanging anxiety of the oncoming Calamity is there, but with Vah Ruta parked squarely in the reservoir above, that fear is a distant thing indeed.

For Mipha, today she is called to attend the King.

King Dorephan rarely calls his daughter into the throne room. A doting father, he likes to keep business separate from family - but this once, he is seated upon his throne, bent forwards to look over his beloved daughter, broad-shouldered hulk that he is. Water cascades down around the room in a veil from hidden channels, occluding them from both sight and any eavesdroppers. In his hand, the king clutches a parchment letter bearing the Royal Seal of Hyrule - definitely an enjoy from the Castle, as only they are unfortunately forgetful enough to send a letter written in ink to a aquatic kingdom.

"Mipha," he murmurs, as the veil of falling water parts around her shoulders to admit her entrance. "Come, sit with me. We have something important to speak of."

He takes a long breath, considering. His head tilts, and he exhales; uncomfortable, but determined to persevere.

"Do you remember young Link, the knight we fostered in his youth?" Dorephan begins carefully. "King Rhoam has suggested a - exchange, of sorts. He has offered to send Link here for an unspecified duration."

It certainly sounds pleasant enough, but her father's hesitance is unusual. Those comparatively tiny hands of his clasp over each other, squeezed tight until his knuckles pale.

 

[rawry]

Mipha enters the throne room before the king, staring up into his face while the looming figure of the giant Zora completely overshadows her small frame. Her fingers interlock with one another; one thumb hesitantly scrapes over the other, and she wonders why her father has called her here, specifically. She appreciates any moment she gets to see him, but the last time he called her to the throne room must have been decades ago. Getting the royal summons invoked a wave of both anxiety and excitement to swell within her -- she was glad, at least, that it was just the two of them this time.

Her eyes curiously wander to the scroll Dorephan holds in his hand. She dips her head in acknowledgement to his bidding and stepped closer to him, moving her skirt out of the way to seat herself on a part of the actual throne itself, the place she had always sat since she was a little dolphin.

She nods again. Her gaze casts to the side at the question. She reaches up and plays with one of the fins on the side of her face in a poor attempt to mask the heat rising to her cheeks. "Yes, Father, I remember him." With her eyes glanced downwards, she notices her father's tight grip on his hands, and she looks back up to him in confusion, her curiosity only deepening. Her eyebrows press together as she leans forward, one of her hands reaching forward to press on the seat by her father's side as he elaborated.

She couldn't stop mulling over her father's strange and vague wording. "An exchange? Why would Link need to come here for an exchange? Has it something to do with Princess Zelda?" Mipha can only see that as an explanation, really, even though she knows it doesn't make much sense.

Why did Dorephan seem so nervous?

 

[Obuzeti]

Dorephan chuckles a little, a line in his brow easing as he spots the coloring in her scales - Zoras don't blush like humans do, but there's a distinctive bluish flush they can get as their scales tighten defensively (a reflex when diving to deeper waters), which signals much the same emotion. His hand reaches out and drops onto her head, rubbing affectionately over her brow, between those flexible head-fins. "Yes, I thought you might."

He looks a little eased, somehow, already.

He turns the letter around and hands it to Mipha. "The letter is mostly long and dreary, like Rhoam himself," he says, with a touch of humor; Rhoam tends to forget that Dorephan was both an accomplished warrior in his youth and has ruled more than three times as long as Rhoam himself. Sprawling political niceties are simple wastes of time as far as he's concerned. "But he makes a notable proposition."

The Zora King folds his hands again. "Apparently there has been some measure of strife in the capitol among the knights, who have resented Link's abrupt rise - and have questioned the virtuous nature of his unique access to the princess. Apparently it's gotten to the point it's jeopardized potential marriage talks with Termina, on the other side of the Akkala Sea," he says, slowly. "Both Zelda and Link have apparently denied such accusations, Zelda most - vociferously."

She had never been a fan of Link.

"That said, the King has decided to propose that Link should be - productively married, such that his presence no longer poses a risk of taint on the Princess's virtue," Dorephan murmurs, quietly. "As Link is a ward of the Kingdom after his father's death and since drawing the Sword, Rhoam has the authority to declare such a thing."

He takes a deep breath, watching Mipha's reactions closely. "The letter is a list of potential names. Yours came up."

 

[rawry]

A warm smile stretches across the cherry Zora's face at her father's affectionate gesture in spite of her embarrassment. Mipha knew that Dorephan must have some indication as to her feelings towards the handsome knight-- she was grateful, at least, that her father did not press the topic further, and feels likewise relieved to see him relax.

She reaches up to take the letter, tiny in her father's hands but quite bulky in hers, and she brings it closer to look it over. Instantly she understands what Dorephan means -- the letter drones on in never-ending sentences and in political jargon that she can hardly understand, so she simply nods along to her father's words explaining it. However, she freezes when her eyes catch sight of a particular word -- marriage. Her stomach instantly does a somersault as her dainty fingers tighten their grip on the letter, instinctively pulling it closer to her face, as though seeing it closer would magically change what it was saying.

Suddenly, her father's nervousness begins making a lot more sense.

"I-- my name," Mipha echoes incredulously, her cheeks deepening in their blue tint as her eyes remain glued to the letter, and after just a few seconds of scanning - indeed, there it was: her own name, mockingly pronounced on the page once she spots it. She looks up to her father, nearly unable to form words. If she was indeed, being considered, and Link was already set to come to their domain, that must mean that she was quite a high prospect.

She swallows. Tries to find her bearings. Tries to remind herself that she officially stands in royal court with the king and not just her father. Tries to accomplish all this while her mind continues to race at a million miles a minute.

"This is - quite an honor," she manages to say, her delicate voice nearly strangled by the tightening of her throat. She thanks Hylia no one else is there to witness this. "Being considered for- for marriage to the wielder of the Master Sword is quite an honor indeed." She takes a deep breath and manages to steady herself, other than the butterflies still flitting about in her core. Her gaze locks onto his face, clearly filled with nervousness, but resolute in remaining calm under the circumstances. "So this must be why he's coming to visit."

Her eyebrows suddenly furrow in concern at the idea of Link merely agreeing to marry her because he had been ordered to. To royalty like her, arranged marriages were par for the course, but to a knight, and especially to Link, the idea sounds foreign to his personality. She doubts the full list of names had come from him, although she idly wonders if a couple of them could have been his suggestions. "Father- is Link agreeing to these... propositions, of King Rhoam?" she asks softly. "That is, is he willing- t-to be unified in this manner? Or do you think that he has simply agreed because it was asked of him?"

 

[Obuzeti]

Dorephan's face immediately softens, and he pushes up off his throne with a grunt - and plops himself down on the floor, the stone ringing under his bulk. It's the closest he can come to looking his daughter in the eye, though, so different are their sizes. "Mipha," he says, gentle. "Rhoam is very interested in pushing your name - but you are my only daughter, and I would not give you up to him for any price or promise."

His hands come up to cup her chin and turn it upwards so they can match eyes, those big, limpid pools of his reassuring. "But I did pay attention when you were younger, Mipha. And I know who it is you seek out first whenever we visit Hyrule. If you don't want this, nothing will happen."

He exhales a long breath, and lowers his hands, one great mitt gesturing at the letter. "But it occurred to me you may wish to have - a choice in this matter, rather than me making a decree outright."

The king's eyes crinkle; wise, kind, all those things his Hyrulean counterpart is not in his foolish pride. "Think on it. And meanwhile, I will inform Rhoam that his letter, so inconsiderately penned on parchment, fell into the river and was ruined. It should take another week or two for a replacement to make its way here. That much time costs me nothing, and it's a pleasure to tweak Rhoam's nose about that besides."

" . . . It would be a good time to ask Link his opinions about it as well. I saw nothing in the letter that made me think Rhoam had bothered to ask Link what he thought about the matter. He is, by Hyrule law, an orphan with no land to inherit, and I don't know if Rhoam has ever seen fit to issue him an estate as the Hero; he may very well carry all he owns on his back."

 

[rawry]

In response to her father's kneeling down, Mipha straightens her spine and lifts her chin the most that she can to meet her father's gaze, although she ends up less than an inch taller than she was before. Her concerned expression fades into a small, thankful smile at Dorephan's mention once more of her feelings, the warmth in her cheeks spreading into her stomach. Her eyes soften, however, at the realization that he purposefully sought her opinion before deciding how to move forward.

"Thank you, father." She reaches up a hand to touch the fingers that hold her chin. "Truly, you are so kind. I do think," she adds hesitantly, "that I will need that time. I would like to see how Link feels about the situation. We haven't-- well." Her gaze casts to the side once more as she recalls their past meeting. "We have seen each other recently; he accompanied the princess here when I was appointed the Champion of Vah Ruta. We did not get much time to talk, however, and he was... much different than I recalled from our childhood together."

Her lips twist to the side as her thoughts deepen. "And besides that... even though it would make me happy, very much so... I would not like to compel Link to marry if he does not feel similarly. It would bring me greater pain to see him commit himself to a woman he does not love." She lifts the letter once more and lowers her hand to press her fingers against the list of names in an attempt to dampen the pain that twists her heart. "Perhaps not Princess Zelda, but it has been so long -- I would not be surprised if someone else has won his heart." Although the idea excited Mipha more than she cared to admit, she feared getting her hopes up would only result in pain.

 

[Obuzeti]

Dorephan nods and pushes himself back up to his feet with a heavy grunt, settling himself back into his throne. He's no longer as athletic as he was in his youth. "Then make use of it," he says, simply. "Link will be arriving here in about two days' time; he's riding out without an escort and should make great time. Get to know him again. See if he's become a man worth five minutes more of your time, much less more. Who knows? He could be a cad now."

His lips purse; his eyes twinkle. " . . . but I doubt it."

"As for your other concerns, Mipha, I have no way of knowing. But he was always a very reticent young boy, and what my messengers have told me of what little they've glimpsed is that he is very - solitary, in his habits. He stands alone, and apart, and is accustomed to it. Mayhaps you will divine more. For now, though, it is in your hands."

He grunts and leans over, pulling a carefully-hidden lever in the side of his throne, shutting off the water-veil and allowing business as usual to resume, Muzu filing in behind the Princess with curiosity in his eyes, as the private audience ends, leaving Mipha much to think about.

---

It is indeed two days later - high morning, the dew not quite lifted from the grasses - when Link crosses the Great Ruto Bridge, his rucksack slung over his shoulder and his mail bright and gleaming. His horse had been left at the base of the mountain trail leading up, and those steady blue eyes sweep as he takes in a place he hasn't seen in over five years. He takes a deep breath - exhales - and then starts forward at a slow trot across the bridge, handing his invitation and orders to the Zora sentries on duty wordlessly.

"Well, glad to have you back, little Link," Senbara, the guard on duty, laughs - it must have felt like yesterday he watched the boy gambol about with Mipha. Young and serious now, the Hyrule boy plants a fist over his heart, grants a short bow to the sentry, and then trots into the Zora square, glancing around and slowing as he tries to match his memories to the place he sees.

It hasn't changed at all - and that rocks him a little. His lips purse, and his fingers twitch as if to fist before he cuts the motion off abruptly.

 

[rawry]

After deliberating for some time how to busy herself on the day she expects Link to arrive, Mipha decided to spend some time with the children that normally play and run around Zora Square. She used to play with them whenever she had the chance, especially with her little brother, Sidon. However, with recent events, those chances diminished as the princess' new Champion duties mounted. So, when she approached the group of children that morning, they accepted her with delighted smiles and laughter, eager to speak with her once more.

"How come you have your spear today, miss Mipha," one little zora girl approaches Mipha, leaving after a round of said game to speak with the princess. She points to said spear that hangs on Mipha's back, its the sunlight reflecting off of its jewels and creating a sparkling array of colors that dance on the glassy material beneath their feat.

Mipha feels a tug at her bright blue champion's cloak, and looks down to see Sidon pulling lightly at it with a nod, as if to add her ceremonial clothes to the line of questioning.

"Well- I am receiving a very special visitor to our kingdom today," Mipha responds, her palms slowly pressing against one another and her fingers curling around the opposite sides of her hands. She keeps an eye on the kids, making sure none of them attempt to grab the weapon as she struggles to maintain some sort of dignified look on her face. "I must receive him as a Princess and a Champion, so--"

"Oooh, is it that handsome swordsman," the girl pipes up, eyes shining and a wide grin spreading across her face. "The one that carries the legendary sword and accompanies Princess Zelda everywhere? I hope it's him!"

Attempting to push down the butterflies that re-surface upon mention of the knight, Mipha reaches down and pats the girl on the head, resulting in a giggle. She smiles and says, "Well, no matter who it is, we must give them a proper Zora welcome. So, all of us must be on our best behavior, yes, Dunma?" Duunma's lack of response concerns Mipha for a moment, before she realizes that both the young girl and Sidon are staring behind her. She suddenly has the feeling that she knows who stands behind her, and the rush of adrenaline that follows lights up her nerves, causing the tension in her stomach to spike.

She straightens her posture, the hand that rests on Dunma's head falling to her side. She inhales, before slowly turning around to look at Link with arms locked at her sides and her fingernails digging into her palms. He is just as handsome as she remembers. She stands there for a bit, attempting to work up the nerve to approach him as he surveys his surroundings with expression that she cannot make out.

 

[Obuzeti]

He's a little taller - Link had always been on the short side for Hyrule, but now he actually stands a little taller than her, a change from when they were kids. The blonde hair is just as wild, getting everywhere and into everything; mussed from the trot up to the Zora Gate, strands of it fall into his face. She can see his brow twitch as he tries not to swat it out of the way. Yes, there's chainmail and a shiny shield and a horse that would much rather be anywhere else, and the Sword thrust over his back, but those are all things. It's the steady blue stare . . . and the fact Link is currently halfway bent over the railing of the bridge, carefully inspecting a gull's nest that has been tucked into the underside of one of the bridge arches. Then he hops over, hanging onto the rail with one hand.

Is he - yes - he's gathering eggs.

A few seconds later Link hops back over, nonchalant and blank-faced as ever, storing the eggs inside his fairy pouch and walking over to Mipha.

His mouth opens - he takes a breath - it closes again, and his eyes tighten. Words have always been hard for Link. He doesn't get casual conversation. Or boredom. There are just parts of him that are more intrinsic, more wild, than any other living thing she's ever met.

Instead, what he says is: "Are you hungry?"

100% Link.

 

[rawry]

Mipha's already taut posture stiffens further, and she forces herself to raise her chin slightly as Link approaches. She opened her mouth to try and stammer out anything, but Link spoke first.

Mipha's lips remain parted, hanging slightly open in surprise. "I-" Her eyes seem to register something, and she suddenly looks to her sides. The children that were once there were gone, where she wasn't sure, although Link would be able to see the group of them a ways behind Mipha, whispering excitedly amongst each other and taking turns to peek around each other at the pair of them -- so he had addressed her, after all.

She looks back up at him and clears her throat. "Well- Y-Yes, I guess I could eat." She finds herself relaxing, realizing that, more likely than not, Link had abandoned formalities entirely without the Princess to accompany. For a moment, her amber eyes search his, allowing herself to try to identify any sort of recognition or familiarity. Was he happy to see her?

Still, Mipha can't help but smile at Link's antics. The ridiculousness of his introduction finally hitting her, a small giggle escapes her as she raises a hand to press her fingertips against her mouth. Link had still changed from the talkative child that he used to be, but his untamed nature still remained despite the years that had passed and all that he'd been through. The thought brought her comfort.

She adds to her answer with a mirth-filled smile as she looks up at him: "It's good to see you again, Link."

 

[Obuzeti]

Link smiles, in his particular way: the big, blue expressive eyes soften, his lips curl, and the steel softens in his back and those firm arms (he has muscles!). "Come with me," he says - hesitates - and ducks his head a little. "I missed you," he says, and turns immediately afterward to march off for the royal kitchens, which he seems to remember the path to quite well.

The various Zora part around him - he's easy enough to recognize with that shock of blonde hair, and it's not like many Hyruleans pass through the Domain in the first place - heading for a little-used spiral staircase that leads down a level on the marble pillars of Zora's Domain, into the kitchens and storerooms within the pillar themselves. An aged zorah matron is already there - Malys, a military wife who's spent her entire life supporting her husband from behind the lines with her cookpot - and she cracks a laugh as Link strides in. "Back again, eh?" she teases.

"Malys," Link acknowledges directly - he never wastes time with things like 'hi' or 'hello', just immediately and unswervingly to the point - and steals a cookpot off the wall for himself, filling it with water, then sets a separate one out for searing, and plops a full Hyrule Bass down in it like a slain lion presenting its prize. The fairy bag, allegedly a relic of the Hero, produces a variety of knives that Link pulls out, and he sets to filleting the fish with gusto as Mipha finally catches up.

In no time he produces a hearty meal of simmered bass, smothered with lemon and thyme, the eggs mixed with tomato sauce for a bubbly, relishing mix that smells absolutely divine. Link beams as he places the tray onto the table before the princess.

" . . . what's the recipe for that one, boy?" Malys asks, leaning over Link's shoulder, and he starts to scribble it down with enthusiastic, if very messy, handwriitng.

 

[rawry]

Mipha feels a near-giddy smile spread on her face as relief washes over her; Link missed her! As they start to walk, however, her eyes widen upon the realization that Link outpaces her by quite a bit in his tall stature, and her two strides can barely match his one. Simply focusing on following Link's shadow distracts Mipha from where she's going as her friend expertly navigates the halls, until she finds herself standing in the entryway to the kitchen -- Link somehow already preparing a meal.

"Ah- Hello, Malys," Mipha stammers out a greeting to the older Zora while her gaze locks onto Link's work. The way he carves and cooks and seasons fascinates her, in part because she had no idea that he could even do this, and in part because he does it so well. After her moment of surprise, Mipha quickly makes her way to the table in an attempt to give Link the space he needed in the kitchen.

She watches for the next little while with a wide smile on her face, her head propped up in her palms, leaning forward, with her elbows on the table in a very undignified manner.

When Link finishes, Mipha leans back and slides her arms off of the table to let him place the food down. She lightly claps her hands together with a soft laugh. "Always full of surprises, aren't you?" She turns to the food and shuts her eyes as the warm steam breaches off of her cheeks, taking a moment to smell what Link had prepared so effortlessly. Even though she hadn't recalled being hungry before, the smell awakens her appetite, and she opens her eyes to look around for a utensil of some kind to eat it with. Spotting a fork across the table, she leans over to grab it and uses its side to cut into the flesh of the fish in a sample of the meal.

Her eyes brighten approvingly at the taste, and she turns to Link again as he hands Malys the recipe. "Link, did you make this yourself?" she asks with mouth still somewhat full with fish. "It's - it tastes amazing!"

 

[Obuzeti]

Link nods in response, apparently pleased watching her enjoy the meal; he draws out some wrapped jerky from a pocket to nibble on himself as he scoots a chair around the table to seat himself besides Mipha, the faint scent of cinnamon wafting from his own rations. "The cooks at the castle were nice," he says, and while he doesn't smile - those are truly rare occurrences - there's an open fluidity to how he moves that speaks of relaxation. It's in how he slumps back in his own chair, the fact he keeps his hair brushed out of his eyes so he can actually look at her, as opposed to merely being aware of her existence, the catlike languorousness of how he sort of flops around with his limbs with minimum energy; all good signs. "They taught me a lot."

Proper decorum would have been him sitting across, not with his chair scooted close enough for the Zora princess to feel the heat of his side across the distance between them, but evidently Link doesn't think much of it.

He waits until Mipha slows in her eating - it doesn't take long, Zora don't really chew, per se - and then changes the subject on a dime, like he does. "King Rhoam says I should stay here a week. Some other stuff. I wrote it down for you. It's because Prince Aramis is a prick and doesn't like me, so I need to clear off so he can pick flowers for Zelda and learn to play the harp."

Link shrugs, detaches a message tube from his waist where it had been bound to his belt with twine, and sets it on the table for Mipha like a salt shaker, instead of a royal sending.

 

[rawry]

Mipha smiles and sets down her fork upon swallowing the rest of her bite, trying to ignore how close the two of them were to each other. So Link wasn't aware of the proposal - or, perhaps, he just didn't care to discuss it. Or, had King Rhoam not even mentioned the idea to him? Her mouth presses into a thin line as she stares down at the message tube that he set in front of her.

"You wrote this?" she asks, twisting the cap off of the canister and setting it to the side. Despite Link's casual treatment of the document, Mipha continues to handle it delicately, although that simply came with her manner of carrying herself; she gently places the lid onto the table, takes the paper between her pointer and third finger, slowly slides it out, and carefully, slowly, begins to unfold it.

"King Rhoam sent us... a letter, saying you were coming," she admits quietly. "In ink, with no protection whatsoever..."

The phrase hangs in the air for a moment as she flattens out the paper onto the wood. She didn't like to be passive aggressive -- or mean. Link served under Rhoam, and she had no idea how he felt about it, or - anything, really, other than cooking.

"It mentioned Zelda and Aramis," she continues instead, "and something about their potential union." She looks at the paper, but steals a glance at Link for a split second, hoping to see if this would earn any sort of response from him.

 

[Obuzeti]

Link nods absently. "He's stupid," he summarizes, and for the normally affable Hylian that's a shocking indictment of his character. That seems to be all the words he has to spend on the subject of the Hylian monarch, however, and he switches topics. "Zelda doesn't really like Aramis. But he leaves her alone, and the King doesn't bother Zelda when she's supposed to be spending time with Aramis. So she's pretty okay with it."

He nabs a bit of the fish that he'd made for Mipha, spearing it on the end of a knife he'd produced from - somewhere - and biting it off thoughtfully. "They don't like each other, but they don't like anyone, I think," he says, slowly. "Might be best. He gets along with Zelda better than I do, anyways."

There's a moment where he looks like he might regret mentioning that - then he shrugs it off, and instead looks at Mipha. "What do you have to do today?" he asks, instead. "Anything I can help with?"

It's not that Link doesn't think hard, but that he contemplates best in motion. Sitting still has never meshed well with him.

 

[rawry]

Despite herself, Mipha feels somewhat comforted when Link mentions his dynamic with Zelda, but she quickly pushes the idea aside -- she respects Zelda, and has some idea of the pressures that come with their position. Whereas she had a close relationship with her father, it seemed Zelda did not share that experience, from what Mipha could tell. A thorn of pity and guilt nestles in her ribs at the indulgence of jealousy she had allowed herself. She does not notice Link's expression of regret.

"Well, Vah Ruta always needs checking up on," she hums, her thoughts parting once Link speaks up again. She sets down her fork onto the table. "I also have a combat training session later today for a handful of new recruits."

She presses her palms together as the tips of her fingers settle thoughtfully against her mouth, trying to recall what other duties and favors she had. "Of course, my father would love to see you at some point, even just to say hello. Dento always needs more flint for his blacksmith shop, since we're trying to prepare ahead for this battle... oh, there have also been reports of Lynel sightings on Ploymus Mountain, if you want something more exciting. There's a party setting out there sometime soon, though I don't know quite when."

After rattling off what she could remember off the top of her head, Mipha laughs softly. "Sorry -- I know you said today. I guess I don't really have a schedule; I sort of just... go around and see what needs to be done. Any of those things are fine, really." She smiles at him as her eyes sparkle with excitement. "What sounds interesting to you?"