Mipha : The Zora Champion

Chapter Six

I lay in bed the next night, waiting for the sun to set completely. Link and I had cried for another hour the night before, then talked a bit more before going to bed. I was beaming with joy, and my cheeks hurt from smiling. Link's confiding in me had made me believe even stronger in the fact. The fact that he...

"Princess Mipha?" The door opened slowly. I turned to see who it was, and was somewhat surprised to see Revali standing in the doorway.

"Yes?" I sat up on my bed. "What do you need?"

"The king instructed me to come check on everyone," He explained.

"Oh, well," I replied. "I'm okay."

Revali nodded and walked away, closing the door behind him. I stood up and ran to the door, waiting until his footsteps stopped. I opened the door quietly and walked out into the hallway, tiptoeing my way through the castle and to the balcony.

It was warmer than it had been the past two nights, and quieter. Everything seemed still, and the lava trickling down from Death Mountain seemed still and frozen. The stars glimmered overhead and the moon made sky a silvery gray.

Just as I expected, the door opened and Link walked out onto the balcony.

"Hello," I greeted him, my heart skipping a beat as he looked into my eyes.

"Hi," he responded. He walked up and stood next to me, looking up at the stars. I followed his gaze, and we surveyed the sky for a few minutes.

"So," I broke the silence. "How are you?"

"Good," Link replied quietly. "You?"

"Good," I nodded. Silence.

"Mipha..." Link looked at Death Mountain. "I think...we need to talk." He looked nervous, and his eyes turned to me.

"About..."

The balcony door swung open, and I spun around in shock.

Zelda stood in the doorway, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide in surprise.

"What... What are you two doing out here?"

My stomach dropped and I looked at the princess. She glared at me with a piercing hatred, and I looked down at the ground.

"Link," She growled. "I hope you're aware that I've been searching through the whole castle for you. We were supposed to go out to the shrine in Hyrule Field today, remember!? But no, you're sitting around with this, this... revolting fish!"

My eyes widened, but I stayed staring at the ground. Link gasped, stepping backwards. The shock settled in on me, and hurt pierced my heart. I wished I could disappear into the floor.

"I can't believe you!" Zelda screamed at her appointed knight. "You ditched me. You liar. You traitor!"

"Don't call him that!" The words fell out of my mouth without me even thinking, and I stepped protectively between Zelda and Link. My actions surprised me, but I maintained my composure.

"You're standing up to me?" Zelda yelled. "You think you're so special, don't you? Just because you're a chosen Champion. Well, I am the princess of a real Kingdom, not just some stupid fish people!"

Fury burned like a ball of fire inside of me. "Anyone who disrespects another race has no right to be called a princess!"

"Who do you think you are, speaking to me like this?" Zelda stomped her foot. "When King Rhoam finds out about this, he will surely punish you terribly!"
"If your father has any common sense in his brain, which I'm sure he does, you will be the one getting punished!" I stated.

"You disgust me!" Zelda's face was bright red. "You think you can come into my castle and steal my guard? You're wrong! I am the princess, and I will always win, you useless idiot!"

"Stop!" Link yelled, covering his ears and leaning over the railing. Zelda gasped, and I remembered she hadn't heard Link talk yet.

"Yes, Mipha, stop!" Zelda yelled.

"No!" Link spun around. "You! You are the one who started this all. You disrespected Mipha and her domain. She did nothing! I really expected more of you, Zelda."

Zelda's face scrunched up, and tears filled her eyes. "I can't believe this!" She spun around and swung the door open, leaving the balcony. I stared after her in disbelief.

I turned to face Link, and he was leaning over the railing with his hands over his head.

"It's over. It's all over. They're going to kick me out. I'm done for. It's over." He said to himself. I rushed quickly over to him, putting my hand on his back.

"Link, don't worry." I reassured him. "They're not going to kick you out. You're going to be okay."

He put his face in his hands and stood there.

"Nobody is kicking you out. You're going to be okay. It's going to be oka-"

"No, it's not!" Link burst out crying. "It's not going to be okay!"

I took Link's hand. He looked up at me, his face red and his eyes blurry. We stared into each other's eyes, and the gap between us grew smaller and smaller. I stared at him. He stared at me.

And then, we kissed.

Link kissed me.