Mipha : The Zora Champion

Chapter Seven

Rain fell on the balcony, making puddles on the ground. Chilly winds whipped through the air, and the clouds blocked out the stars. It was night again, and I stood on the balcony alone.

Zelda had told King Rhoam what happened, but he merely dismissed it. It had come as a relief to Link and me, but now we were practically forbidden from seeing each other ever again. If Zelda saw us, she would throw another temper tantrum.

I wasn't going to come to the balcony tonight, but I decided to anyway. I knew Link probably wouldn't show up, but I decided to wait out here just to make sure. Thunder shook the skies, and the clouds moved across the horizon. I would wait for just a little longer, I thought. Until the lightning came.

I sat and thought about the night before. It had all happened so fast, it was hard to take in. I thought about the whole thing, but, most importantly, the end. The best thing that ever happened to me.

Link kissed me.

It could have been nothing, I thought. But something about it seemed so... real.

I also thought about what had happened before Zelda appeared. Link said we needed to talk about something. What was it? Was it important? Will I ever know? The thought of never seeing or talking to Link again made my heart shatter into a million pieces. There was still hope, I thought.

Maybe.

A bolt of lighting hit the very top of Death mountain, a small explosion of rocks bursting out of it. I looked up at the massive volcano. It seemed brighter than usual, and the lava looked like it was moving faster. I looked up at the top of the mountain just in time to see a huge eruption of lava shoot straight up into the air.

My jaw dropped and I stared at the erupting volcano, frozen with shock. Lava poured out of the top, spilling into a huge lake around the volcano. The rain turned chunks of it into black stone, but most of it created clouds of ash. I watched in horror as the summit was engulfed in thick black smoke

"King Rhoam!" I called, turning and racing into the castle. I could hear the boom of the volcano behind me as I raced through the corridors. "Death Mountain! It's erupting!"

A door swung open down the hall, and Zelda stepped out, in her nightgown and looking furious.

"Why in the name of Hylia are you racing through the castle screaming in the middle of the night!?"

"Death Mountain is erupting!"

Zelda's eyes widened. "Everyone!" She yelled, racing behind me. "Evacuate the castle! Get to the horses!"

I stopped in my tracks as she sped toward the King's room to warn him. I turned around, remembering. Revali had insisted his room was as far away from Link's as possible, and so his room was on the other side of the castle, near the balcony. I raced down the hall toward the balcony.

I reached Revali's room and swung the door open. "Revali!" I called. "Wake up! Death Mountain is erupting!"

Revali sat up in his bed. "Hylia!" He got out of bed and raced toward the door. I followed him through the halls and we passed the balcony. I stared in terror at the smoke pouring in from under the door.

"RUN!" Revali yelled at the top of his lungs. We ran from the huge cloud of ash behind us, and fear made me run faster. Revali stopped at Daruk's door and I stopped at Urbosa's, shoving it open.

"Urbosa, get up! Death Mountain is erupting!"

Urbosa leapt out of bed and out of the room. "Everyone, get to the stable!"

Soon all four champions were speeding down the hall, yelling for everyone to evacuate. I was getting tired, and my lungs screamed for air. I grew slower and slower until I collapsed to the ground, panting and crying.

I was enveloped in the smoke, and I closed my eyes against the sting of the ash. I fought for air, but I could feel the smoke lingering in my lungs. I coughed and called for help. 

"Someone, please, help me!"

I felt myself being lifted into the air, and soft feathers against my skin.

"You're going to be okay, Mipha," I heard Revali say. "We're almost out."

I pressed my face into his chest and tried not to breath in too much smoke. I felt the chill of the night rain fall onto me, and I sighed in relief. The smoke was still in the air, but there was enough air to breathe. Revali laid me onto the grass.

"I'm going to get a horse, and then we'll get out of here."

I nodded in reply, taking deep breaths of air. Revali ran up to the stable and untied a horse, pulling it out of the pen. He rushed up to me and picked me up, placing me on the back of the horse.

I could see more clearly now, and Urbosa, Zelda, King Rhoam, and Daruk were boarding their own horses. I turned back around and saw the castle. It was clouded with smoke and ash. It was a terrible sight, and I wondered whether it would ever be restored afterward. That's when it dawned on me.

Link.

"Where is Link?" I turned back to the group.

Zelda gasped, and everyone looked around them.

"I... don't know." King Rhoam said.

"Oh, Hylia," Zelda cried. "Let him be okay!"

I turned back to the castle, the huge structure barely visible now through the smoke. I took a deep breath and stepped off my horse, racing into the giant cloud of smoke.

"Mipha!" Revali called. "NO, COME BACK!"

The ash stung my eyes, and I knew there was no going back.

Link needs me.