Hyrule Academy: A Zelink Story

Mipha's Grace

Mipha's POV

Letting out an extended sigh, I carefully take a seat on a bench in the Zora Dome. Wednesday has truly done the opposite of flying by. I've spent the entire day waiting for this practice session. My medical teacher said it was too obvious that I was distracted in my lesson earlier this afternoon. I was so embarrassed. Luckily, I am way ahead of schedule in that module and it shouldn't affect me at all. I hope to become a nurse in the future and be able to heal people. It has always been my dream. I guess I have Link to partially thank for that. Thanks to the many injuries he sustained as a child, I got an early motivation to practice ways in which I can aid others effectively.

Link... He really is amazing. He never allows the hardships he's faced in his past to lower his confidence. He would learn from his mistakes and practice everyday until he no longer makes them. Even till this day, he never stops pushing himself to his limits. The scars he has all over his body, from those past mistakes, prove just how strong he is. As a child, he was the opposite of how I was; So unperturbed and outgoing in showing off his skills in sports. Whereas I was too shy to speak to him properly, until he'd injure himself and I would tell him off for being so reckless. He liked whenever I spoke up and never hesitated to help him. After Link transferred schools, I didn't see him for years. We were small children who were best friends and the next time we met at this academy, we were young adults who barely knew what to say to each other.

He came to Hyrule Academy at 16 years old, as soon as he finished secondary school. I had finished my first year here and Sidon wasted no time to inform me that Link had started studying here too. He found out from some of his older friends who already studied here and I had no idea how to react. Luckily, my sweet brother got in contact with him and managed to arrange for us to meet at the Zora Dome. I still recall it like it was yesterday:

*****

His slow footsteps echoed throughout the large space and I tried my hardest to soothe my nerves with every second that passed. I finally turned to him with a soft smile.
"Well Link, you've grown since I last saw you." He only nodded, but smiled fondly back. I laughed at his cute nod.
"And yet, you have not changed." I admired him in his uniform. He was wearing a lot of safety gear on his chest and had a sword attached to his back. Nothing had changed... except for his silence. The way he nodded his head, instead of grinning widely and holding me without warning like he used to, didn't feel right to me.
"Are you alright?" I asked him, taking a step closer. He had only nodded again.
"It's good to see you." Was all he said and even then, the tone of his voice wasn't as free and joyful sounding as it used to be. I just went along with it. Every time I would question if anything has happened, he would simply shake his head so, I left it alone.

*****

"Oh, Mipha!" An ecstatic voice pulls me back to the present and I rise from my seat to greet the student.
"Hestu. I am so pleased you were able to join us. The other swimmers should be in the changing rooms." He bounces towards me, although his face shows concern hidden under his soft, short beard.
"I'm happy to be of service. Uhm... there's something you should probably know..." I send him a quizzical look.
..."The Blights have already started boasting around the academy. They sound extra serious about the tournaments, this semester."

Oh, how did I not see this coming? The most skilled athletic students of our rivalry school, Hinox High, are forever keen to spread negative rumours in the hopes of lowering the spirits of our academy pupils. Each year results in a close battle in the main tournaments to score a victory for our schools. It's obvious from the name of that dreadful place, being named after a monster that has thankfully become extinct, that the students that attend there never hesitate to act ruthlessly. Just like our school's team is named the Champions, they call themselves the Blights. Taki, their best swimmer, always tries to anger me before our battles to weaken my concentration. To his disappointment, it never works and I have managed to defeat him many times in our past matches. Taki refers to himself as 'Waterblight' as he competes in the water sports. None of the blights use their real names, hence why no one calls them by their actual names.