Shades of Blue

Remembering Mipha

In times long past and days long gone

There was a kind and gentle one

She cared deeply, and loved with deep feeling

A proud Zora, her strength unyielding

Lost now to time, or perhaps, to the dark

Remembered now, in flashes, and sparks

"Come along, Link. We haven't much time, now."

He nodded a little, though his father wasn't looking, and picked up the pace to join him a little closer to the other knights as they walked over the rugged terrain. Any other day, he might have been upset at his father all but ignoring him, but not today. Today, he was too excited to care.

Hours ago, when the sun was barely awake yet, they left their horses down by the little villages on the water, and ever since then, they had been walking up and up and up into Lanayru. The further they walked and climbed, the more steep and strange the land became. The mountains here weren't gray like the ones back home, or tan like the ones near the Sheikah village. They were a deep, gloomy blue. And the plants looked different too, more fluorescent and glowing, even in the sunlight.

Somewhere way ahead, back at the heart of the river, was Zora's Domain. It was there that they were headed, and Link could not quite contain his excitement about that.

They'd gone to many places since his father had to start traveling again. The garrisons and Castle Town were the most common, of course, but they went loads of other places too. Akkala Citadel, with its spiraling rooms and thousands of soldiers to talk to, Faron with its jungles and dragon, Gerudo Canyon, where father had to grab him off the mountains more times than he could count, to stop him climbing into the sand and running off. Each new place was more interesting than the last, and Link couldn't wait to see the strange and whispered about Zora's Domain.

One of the soldiers up ahead slipped on some wet stone and cursed loudly as he fell, his armor clanging and groaning. The others close to him all scolded him, a few glancing back toward Link with mutters about "behaving around the kid." Link only giggled and kept bouncing from rock to rock, balancing on the tops and avoiding the puddles with ease.

"Quite the acrobat," one of them said as he jumped to the next rock. "Careful, kid, don't slip."

Link nodded and jumped again. He landed on the path and decided he'd walk like normal for a bit.

"How much farther, do you think?"

"Another ten minutes or so," Link heard his father answer, and turned to watch him point with his spear, where the path curved back down the mountain. "Once we clear this part of the pass, we should reach the last of the bridges. Then it's a straight shot into the Domain."

Their voices trailed off as he darted ahead, careful to keep in at least some of the knights' line of sight. Father was in a good mood today, but he would definitely get upset if Link went too far ahead. It would be better to stay in view, at least until they reached the Domain.

But he was so excited! They never went this far into Lanayru, and he'd never even seen a Zora before. They didn't leave their Domain very much, he guessed, so he'd never met one in Hateno or even by the Castle, when they had to go there.

Mother knew some Zora, and he knew his father did too, but mother was gone now, and father never did like to answer his questions.

That was okay, though. He would meet Zora on his own, and then he wouldn't have to ask father about any of it. And if he was lucky, he would make a friend, too.