Life in Zora's Domain - Part Two

Chapter 35 - Washing Away Regrets

Summary: Link's family affirms their support for his Zora transformation.

It was late afternoon in Zora's Domain as young Link and his wife, Tila, floated near the northwest pier of East Reservoir Lake, arms around each other. They were watching their eleven-year-old daughter Tara play with her one-year-old brother Lanka in the water.

"Spin like this, Lanka!" said Tara as she made a spin move in the water that caused Lanka to giggle, and then she helped him copy her.

"Great! Now you try it on your own," said Tara.

"It's so cute seeing Tara teach her little brother swimming tricks," murmured Tila. "I think she will make a wonderful big sister."

"I agree, and I know how helpful it can be to have a supportive big sister," said young Link. "Or a big brother too, for that matter. But they're both so cute - just like their cute Mom."

Tila smiled, and they kissed.

"We need to watch the time and head back soon," said Tila. "By the way, speaking of supportive siblings, how was it fair that you left them to do all the work getting things ready for the big family dinner tonight?"

"I offered to help, but they insisted I stay with you and not miss a chance to play with the children," laughed young Link. "Midon said some expression about too many fins in a pool scatter the school, like too many Zora in the water at once scare away the fish, meaning I would be in the way. Besides, Lapha said there wasn't that much to do as Grandfather already made most of the arrangements."

"Well, that's fine. I just hope tonight's dinner party helps your Dad get over any lingering concerns he has about what he did. I was a little surprised that Mila thought he needed our support after all this time. It's been over a year since his transformation."

"I know, and I'm a bit surprised too. But Mila's always been the best among us at reading Dad's feelings, and I trust her judgment. Well, I do now. When she was younger, Mom said Mila sometimes misinterpreted things."

"What do you mean?" said Tila.

"I'll give you probably the biggest example. As a young girl, Mila could sense that Dad sometimes felt uneasy as a Hylian in a mostly Zora family. Mila thought it meant Dad was unhappy living with us, and she feared he would leave us someday to return to be with Hylians. She was even especially sensitive about Dad's close relationship with Queen Zelda, fearing she would lure him away."

"I see," said Tila. "And if you and Princess Zelda weren't cousins, I might have worried about the same thing before we married. But of course, the fact Mila was wrong is your point?"

"Not exactly wrong. Mila read Dad's feelings correctly: he was uneasy about being a Hylian in a Zora family. But she got the cause of his uneasiness wrong, as it was exactly the opposite of what she thought. Dad was worried about not being the best father he could be for his Zora children and afraid they would have difficulty accepting him as their father. The thought of leaving Mom and his family never crossed his mind: he loved us all too much."

"I see what you mean," said Tila. "And I can understand Mila might have misunderstood something like that as a young child."

"Anyway, since she's grown older, Mi's better at understanding people. She thinks Dad could use a show of family support for his decision to become a Zora, as she thinks Dad sometimes worries about how we all feel about it."

"And how do you feel about it, sweetheart? You're the only Hylian in the family now, so I could see you feeling differently about it than your siblings."

"I'm totally fine with it. Dad's the same person inside, and he did what he did out of love for Mom so that he could be there for her as long as possible. And I certainly don't mind having a Zora parent."