Mipha : The Zora Champion

Chapter Fifteen

It was a gloomy, rainy day. Huge, black clouds loomed above Kakariko Village, rain pouring from them constantly. A frigid wind whipped through the forests, and thunder and lightning boomed in the sky.

I sat on the steps of the inn, sheltering beneath the eaves of the roof. Though the weather was terrible, I hated being stuck inside all day. So now I stared at the raindrops landing on the now muddy path that ran through the village.

Revali was inside, still asleep even though it was almost noon. It would have been nice for him to come sit by me, but I was okay on my own. I was feeling homesick for my domain, and the rain was comforting.

Suddenly, the door opened behind me.

"Mipha?" I turned to see King Rhoam standing in the doorway, and immediately stood up and bowed.

"Yes, King Rhoam?"

"Would you please keep a lookout for me?" He asked. "I'm expecting someone."

"Of course," I nodded. "May I ask who it is?"

King Rhoam hesitated, but then answered. "Link." He quickly walked inside and shut the door, leaving me standing there, dumbfounded.

Link? I wondered, sitting back down on the steps. Why? Is he coming back? Irritation sparked inside me. He doesn't deserve to be here. Just the thought of him made me angry. He had lied to me, and kept secrets from me. I never wanted to see him again.

But, he came back. Just a few minutes later, a person wearing a dark blue hood rode in on his horse. He walked to the stable across the street and tied up his horse, not noticing me. He was drenched in rain, and shivering from the cold. Serves him right.

He turned to the inn and saw me, relief filling his eyes. I stood up and glowered at him, getting a glance of his confused expression before I stood up and walked back into the inn, rushing up to my room.

When I reached my room, I slammed the door behind me. I pressed my ear up against the door and heard Link walk up the stairs and into King Rhoam's room. I listened carefully.

"Link," King Rhoam said. "I have decided to let you return. Though you made some bad decisions, everyone makes mistakes. I trust that you will be more noble in the future."

Fury filled my veins. He had no right to be anywhere near any of the Champions, let alone the King or the Princess. I leaned away from the door and walked over to my desk, picking up the sketch of Link I had drawn a few days before. I lifted it up and tore it in half, then in quarters, then eighths, and over and over until it was torn into a hundred tiny pieces. I threw the handful of paper into the trash, flopping down onto my bed.

〜

It was evening now, and the rain had worsened over time. Blinding flashes of lightning flashed, followed by deafening booms of thunder. I tossed and turned in my bed, trying to fall asleep.

Eventually, I sat up, convinced that I would never fall asleep in the terrible thunderstorm. I walked up to the door and out of my room, ready to go back to sitting on the steps. I turned down the hallway and saw Link standing there.

I turned back around and opened my door.

"Mipha, wait," Link walked up to me. "What's wrong?"

Fury coursed through my veins. "Everything, Link," I glared at him. "Everything."

"Did I do something?" Link asked helplessly.

"Yes, you did something." I growled.

"What did I do?" Link asked.

"You lied to me!" I yelled, probably waking up some people in the inn.

"What did I lie about?" Link was wide-eyed. 

"Everything!" I walked into my room and slammed the door, locking it. I leaned up against the door and listened to Link walk down the hall and back into his room.

I sat on my bed, rage filling my brain. Stupid. I thought. He's pretending not to know! Does he think I can't see through his lies?

Tears of anger and betrayal filled my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. There was no reason to cry. I didn't need a liar in my life.

I despise him.