Mipha: A Champion Rises

Chapter 11 - Vah Rudania

Summary: With Yunobo's help, Mipha works to appease Divine Beast Vah Rudania. More memories of her life a century ago intrude on her thoughts.

As Mipha began falling asleep in the cold, fresh waters of Cephla Lake, her body relaxed, and her gills took over. She no longer needed to breathe, and floating in the water felt so delightful! As she lost consciousness, she began to dream.

It was a sunny afternoon near Zora's Domain, and Golden Sparrows flitted about, chirping away as they searched the ground for food. Mipha was sitting next to Link near the foot of Veiled Falls, and Link was wearing his Royal Guard uniform.

"You made this yourself?" said Link as he bit into a small pastry. "It's delicious!"

"I'm so glad you like it!" said Mipha smiling. "The recipe said Hylians would enjoy it. But you're sure it wouldn't taste better with a bit of fish added? It seemed to me it would."

"No, no, it's perfect just the way it is," said Link quickly after he swallowed another bite. "I wouldn't change a thing. May I have another? They're outstanding!"

"Of course! They're all for you," said Mipha.

"Thank you, I love them," said Link as he helped himself to another and bit into it.

"It's a beautiful day and I'm glad I could visit," said Link. "Whenever I get time off, I always think of coming back to the Domain."

"Do you know why that is?" said Mipha.

Link turned to her and she was looking straight into his eyes.

"Why that is?" said Link as he looked in her eyes, then looked down. "Because I miss you."

Then Link blushed and seemed embarrassed by what he had said.

"I mean, we've played together for ages. And I miss all my other friends here too, Bazz, Rivan, Gaddison," Link quickly added, looking back up to see her reaction.

"I'm glad you like visiting here," said Mipha. "I miss you too."

Link seemed unsure of what to say next. He turned to look at the falls as he popped the last bite of the pastry into his mouth. After swallowing, he turned back to her.

"I remember you used to take me here to play. You taught me the names of the fish and how to swim better. And we used to have splash battles in the water. I told you it wasn't fair for you to use your tail fin to splash me. We had a lot of fun together growing up, didn't we?"

"We did," laughed Mipha. "But, I only used my tail fin when you used that flurry rush trick of yours to splash me really fast."

"Oh, that's right," laughed Link. "I forgot about that. You ready for a rematch?"

"Same rules?" laughed Mipha. "I'm always ready for a water fight with you."

"Let's go then!" said Link as he took off his uniform, then waded into the water.

"You're on!" laughed Mipha as she ran to the water and dove in.

Then the dream ended, and she slept dreamlessly afterward.

When Mipha awoke in Cephla Lake the next morning, she treated herself to two fresh fish, then took a moment to update her journal once more.

Extract from Mipha's Journal - #14

I had another vivid dream last night, though as usual, given my memory, I cannot tell how true to life it was. It concerned a time I was with Link at Veiled Falls, just the two of us. I baked a treat for him, and then we played in the water like children. We were younger then, and we seemed very comfortable in each other's company. I begin to think Link must have had feelings for me back then but was too shy to admit it. He blushed terribly when he told me he missed me, and it made him look so cute!! And I baked for him? I didn't know I even knew how! We must have been very close. Anyway, today, I hope, no I plan, to restore Divine Beast Vah Rudania to our side and deal Ganon another defeat. In my travels through a Hyrule that I can no longer remember, it saddens me to see all the destruction and suffering people must have endured. Saddens me, but also makes me burn with anger, and that anger may help fuel my resolve. Before I forget, I should mention that I have been neglectful in my journal describing all the Shines I have completed as I came across them. Were I to do so, I would be spending all my time recording events rather than making progress. I have been using travel gates to journey quickly and the Shrine detection feature of the Sheikah Slate to locate new Shrines. In any case, suffice it to say I have completed quite a few shrines by now, and my vitality and stamina have improved significantly since the time I awoke. It is said those Shrines were created long ago to prepare the hero of another age for his battle, and I pray they will fulfill that purpose for me in this age. I do feel more confident in my ability at combat, but I realize I must guard against overconfidence. There must be many more Shrines in parts of Hyrule I have yet to explore. And of all the Champions, I know I was the weakest fighter. However, all of them, mighty warriors that they were, perished. That tells me the foes they encountered must have been formidable adversaries indeed. I fear my quest would be hopeless save for two advantages I have over my dear Champion friends. First of all, I am forewarned. I approach a Divine Beast expecting a strong enemy. I will not be taken unawares as we all were a century ago. Secondly, I hope to have the benefit of Robbie's research and weaponry. Having collected a good deal of gems to sell as well as many ancient parts in my travels, I will return to Robbie's lab this morning to improve on my weaponry before tackling Rudania. As always I begin and end each day with a prayer to the Goddess to help and guide me.