Summary: Mipha has a payback moment, then reunites with her family.

There was lightning and thunder during the night, but the storm passed, and by the time Link woke up, it was a bright morning in Zora's Domain. He gave up trying to fall back asleep, climbed out of their slumber pool, dried off, dressed, and quietly made his way to the kitchen. Looking out the window, he could see the sun was just rising, and the few clouds visible in the sky were a delicate shade of pink. It looked like a beautiful day!

He was the first one up this morning, having arisen even before little Tara. Feeling too tired to catch a fish, he opted for the rune made variety and used his Tab to create one. Then he added a little Goron spice and cooked it, made himself a cup of tea, and sat down to eat while checking his Tab.

There were no crucial messages and not much of interest in the news, either. Link turned to the ambassador portal and read the reports as he began to eat the fish. There were minutes from each ambassador on their last meeting with their leader, but it was all pretty routine. As he swallowed another bite, he thought the rune created fish didn't taste all that bad, especially with the added seasoning. Zoras could tell the difference, of course, and looked down on rune made fish as fast food, a last resort. But his taste for fish was not so discriminating as theirs. He finished eating and cleaning up when he heard footsteps.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!" said Tara as she ran to him.

"Good morning, sweetheart," said Link with a smile as he picked her up and hugged and kissed her. She hugged him back, her arms around his neck, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"You certainly know how to make me smile," said Link. "And it's nice to have someone shorter than me living here."

"Morning, Father," said Tila as she entered the kitchen. "We thought we heard you. You're up early!"

"Hi, Tila. Well, you know...," said Link.

"Yes, of course," said Tila. "Can you watch Tara while I catch some fish? She looks too comfortable with you to take her with me."

"You can leave her with me anytime," said Link as he spun around, and Tara giggled.

Link carried Tara over to the open door, and her mother waved at her as she made her way to the Lake. Tara waved back, then turned back to Link and gave him a big smile.

"Your smile just lights up the room, sweetheart," said Link as he hugged her again.

"Morning Dad," said Linky as he entered the kitchen.

Midon had started calling young Link by his childhood nickname again, and soon his other siblings were all doing the same.

"Morning," said Link, expecting Tara to want to go to her father. But instead, Tara held Link tighter and patted him on the back.

"I told her you missed grandma," said Linky. "I think she wants to comfort you. She understands more than she can verbalize, and Tila said that's typical of Zora children."

"That's probably typical of all children," said Link. "But there's no doubt Tara is smart. And sweet too."

Link kissed her again.

Tila returned after several more minutes with half a dozen fish, four of which she brought to the kitchen. Linky cooked his fish, and then they all sat down to eat, Tara sitting between her parents.

"The other three should be up soon," said Tila. "I caught enough for everyone."

"You should have let me catch the fish to get more practice with the armor, sweetheart," said Linky.

"Maybe," said Tila. "But I don't think Tara could last that long."

"Very funny," said Linky, then he smiled and blew Tila a kiss, and she smiled and blew one back.

While they were still eating, Mila, Midon, and Lapha all arrived, retrieved a fish each from the kitchen, and joined them at the table. They exchanged greetings, then Midon spoke up.

"Thanks to whoever caught the fish," said Midon. "I guess that would be you, Tila. I might have thought Linky here did it, but then I realized it's still morning."

"Very funny," said Linky. "I'm getting better with the armor every day."

"Linky, why you even bother to answer Mido baffles me," said Mila. "He either doesn't think before speaking, or he's baiting you."

"Or both," said Lapha. "And he hooks you every time, Linky."

"Ah, my two sisters schooling together against me," laughed Midon. "It takes me back to my childhood."

"It should take you back because you never left it," said Mila.

"Don't you love it when our family gets together, Tila?" laughed Link.

"I think it's good-natured fun," said Tila. "You're a very loving family, and you just pretend to hide it."

"Tila has us all figured out," laughed Midon.

"Now remember, small bites at the table, Tara," said Tila as she helped her daughter. "Don't make a mess."

"Okay, Mommy," said Tara.

"I know you're all acting normal for my sake, and I love you all for it," said Link.

"Of course, Dad," said Mila. "Because everything will be fine. I feel it."

"Why don't you come swimming with Tara and us after breakfast," said Tila.

"You don't mind?" said Link. "I could use the exercise."

"Maybe you can help Linky with his swimming," said Midon.

"All right then, I'll go with you," said Link.

"Great!" said Tila. "The rest of you are welcome too."

"I'll come," said Lapha. "But we were told to restrict our swimming to Ruto Lake or the smaller lakes, not East Reservoir Lake after what happened."

"Ruto Lake is fine," said Tila. "There's a nice waterfall leading into the lower level of the Domain."

Mila and Midon excused themselves, having other things they wanted to do, but after breakfast, the five of them made their way to the lower Domain level and then dove into Ruto Lake. Soon they were playing tag, and Tara was already getting good at it, giggling whenever she caught someone. Link found it a healthy distraction.

Meanwhile, in the deep blue waters of the Akkala Sea, Mipha was swimming underwater to the west. She could see the water changing from black to dark blue to blue-green as the sun rose, and when she was close enough to shore, she turned south. The water grew slightly warmer as she continued, and the Akkala Sea turned into the Necluda Sea. She felt at ease swimming here, keeping to a steady pace as she passed Tingle Island and then the smaller chain of islands to its south. She paused briefly there to catch and eat a Porgy, then resumed swimming.

It was midmorning by the time she finally neared Spool BIght and the newly constructed pier and tunnel there. She surfaced, and in the distance, she could make out two Zora guards stationed at the dock. It was time to employ the Lens of Truth.

Mipha put on the lens while floating offshore, and the world suddenly looked different. Her view narrowed but sharpened within a circle, while outside the circle, everything was still visible, but took on a purple hue. She scanned the area, but there was no one there besides the two guards. She began swimming to shore and became noticeable when she was close enough. No one but her family had seen her alive in weeks, so this would be a strange but unavoidable encounter.

"Talon, there's something in the water there," said Henron, pointing.

"It's one of us," said Talon. "They're coming ashore here."

"Blessed Nayru, do you believe spirits visit the living, Talon?" exclaimed Henron as he got a closer look. "Can this be Lady Mipha's Spirit? It even has her trident!"

Mipha reached the pier and hopped ashore, and now she recognized the two guards.

"Henron and Talon, greetings, it's me, and I'm not a spirit," said Mipha.

"I don't understand, Lady Mipha," said Talon. "We all attended your funeral."

"Forgive us, you claim to be Lady Mipha, but we need to be cautious," said Henron. He used a security rune on his Tab to scan her and confirmed it was indeed her.

"It is you, Lady Mipha," said Henron bowing his head. "Does your father and family know you are alive? Or was there some reason to feign your death?"

"Yes, there was a good reason, and yes, they know. But I swear you to secrecy for now," said Mipha. "No communications that could be intercepted. Do you understand?"

"I won't say we understand, Lady Mipha, but we know how to obey a royal command," said Henron. "Can we be of any assistance?"

"Not for now, but thank you," said Mipha. "I must be going. And remember, don't report this to my brother or anyone else yet."

So, this was the new Spool Bight pier and tunnel shortcut Midon's girlfriend Larena had supervised as lead architect. Mipha made her way quietly through the tunnel wearing the Lens of Truth but encountered no one. She finally reached the northeast pier of East Reservoir Lake, where the tunnel ended. She stopped there and crouched low. Ruta was sitting proudly in the middle of the Lake, and the sun was bright now. She turned her head from side-to-side, scanning the area carefully. It seemed that no one was there.

But then she saw him.

There was someone dressed in an unusually colored outfit that shimmered in the sunlight. It covered him from head to toe, including his face. The face-covering confused her for a moment until she realized it must be invisible to the wearer too, or in any case, permitted its wearer to see through it. He also wore a backpack made of similar material, perhaps containing a bow or weapon. The person was slowly pacing back and forth on the northwest pier. She removed the lens, and the person disappeared. She put the lens back on and looked carefully elsewhere around the area. But there was nobody else. This person was alone, apparently sent to spy on the Domain, but not willing to get too close and risk inadvertent contact. This might even be the same person that shot her with the Shock Arrow. Her anger began to burn at the idea an enemy was this close to her family and her people.

The question now was how to eliminate their enemy. Her first instinct was to spear him with her trident. But she realized the garment he was wearing could prove useful and might be essential for their research. She did not want to damage it. The alternative was to drown him. She need only to figure out how to get him into the water.

Mipha slipped into the deep water of East Reservoir Lake without making a splash and swam quietly underwater toward the northwest pier. As she got closer, she could see her enemy through the water. She waited until he was close to the edge and leaped out of the water, landing face-to-face with a shocked soldier. The soldier reached for his backpack to retrieve a weapon, but he was way too slow as Mipha grabbed him and dove into the water, plunging deeper and deeper, avoiding his flailing hands. After just over a minute, he was still, lifeless. And then she saw something extraordinary as the lens revealed his spirit. It rose from his corpse, waivered for an instant, and then disappeared into nothingness. Mipha surfaced, carrying his body with her and placed it on the pier.

She did not want to leave his body unattended but had no Tab to alert anyone. Then she thought of Ruta. Mipha headed straight for Ruta and boarded her.

"Nice to be with you again, Ruta," said Mipha as she gently patted her. "Now it's time to announce my return and that Zoras are a force to be reckoned with. Three nice loud blasts should do."

Ruta bellowed loudly, the noise carrying throughout the Domain and echoing off the cliffs.

Everyone in Zora's Domain stopped what they were doing and turned to face East Reservoir Lake. All but a handful wondered what it meant. But for those few who knew the truth, the sound was the most welcome they could imagine!

"Mipha!" shouted Link in Ruto Lake.

"Mipha!" shouted King Dorephan in the throne room.

"Sister!" shouted Sidon from where he was inspecting security at the Great Zora Bridge.

"Mom!" shouted the rest of the family at Ruto Lake.

Link, Sidon, and the rest of the family started rushing toward East Reservoir Lake as the guards on duty ran to keep up with them.

Meanwhile, Mipha dove back into the Lake and closed up Ruta, then swam back to the northwest pier where the body lay.

Link and the family who had been swimming in Ruto Lake reached the pier first, with Tila carrying Tara being last. Link ran to Mipha and took her in his arms, and they kissed as she held him close. The rest of the family was right behind him. They all exchanged hugs.

"Sorry for such a dramatic entrance," said Mipha finally. "I didn't know how else to summon everyone without a Tab. I found what I was looking for, and we can see the enemy with it. Please be careful, one of them is lying right behind me, but Tara shouldn't see him."

Mipha pulled out the Lens of Truth and showed it to them.

"We were all worried sick about you," said Link.

"I'll tell everyone all about it later," said Mipha. "Now we need to decide what to do."

Just then, Sidon arrived, and he ran to Mipha, and they hugged.

"I always knew you were headstrong, sister," said Sidon. "But this was too much! I hope you're ready to face Father."

"I am," said Mipha. "He knows me, and I know what to do."

"We need to get the lens to Purah and Robbie," said Lapha. "If they can reproduce this technology, we can provide our soldiers with it. I can bring it to them."

"The enemy is invisible thanks to what it wears," said Mipha. "Here, take a look."

She handed the lens to Sidon, who then gave it to Link to examine.

"While Purah and Robbie are busy analyzing the lens, perhaps we should get a sample of this material to the scientists in North Hyrule," said Link. "They can analyze how it works."

"I can arrange for that with my sister," said Tila as she hugged Tara, who could not follow what was happening but kept wanting to go to grandma.

"Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!" said Tara over and over until Tila finally handed her to Mipha.

"And it's nice to be back with you too, sweetheart," said Mipha hugging and kissing her as Tara hugged her back.

"She should nap now, Mother," said Tila after a few moments. "We had a busy morning swimming. I'll take her home."

Mipha handed Tara back to Tila, and they left.

"I think it's time for me to return from the dead," said Mipha. "And we need to move quickly on the research. When this one behind me doesn't report in, they will know something is wrong."

"Yes, we need to get ready quickly," said Link. "And I have a score to settle."

"We both do," said Mipha. "Let's see who this person was and what he was carrying. And I would like to use the lens to check our Domain for more spies before surrendering it for research."

"When you're done, I will use it and take some guards with me," said Sidon. "We will check the entire Domain together."

"Very well, but be cautious," said Mipha. "I don't think there is anyone else here, but you can't be too careful. You might try checking from an elevated location. I found taking the lens on and off and looking for any change in the view works best."

"Very well," said Sidon.

Mipha put on the lens and opened the backpack. Once opened, everyone could see its contents, just not the backpack itself. There was a short sickle-shaped weapon.

"I've seen that kind of weapon before. It's a Yiga Clan favorite," said Link.

There was also a short bow and a collection of shock arrows that Mipha let Link remove. Then there was what appeared to be a spare outfit.

"I guess that makes sense," said Mipha. "The garment is cloth and if torn somehow would fail to conceal him fully. So, he carried a spare."

"Let's keep one of the outfits," said Link.

Mipha glanced over at Link.

"Let's keep both," said Mipha as she held the one from the backpack. "The scientists can have a sample of cloth from the backpack to analyze. The material is the same."

Now it was Link's turn to look at Mipha.

"I'll arrange to give the soldier here a proper water burial," said Sidon. "It's more than they would do for one of us, but that's one reason we're not them."

"Yes, that seems proper. Now I'd like to go home," said Mipha, handing Sidon the lens. "I've done a lot of swimming today. But I guess I had better see Father first."

"Yes," said Sidon. "And don't be surprised at a scolding, sister. I've had to listen to him telling me all that he wanted to say to you. He kept saying, 'When I see her again,' probably to convince himself he would."

"Thanks, I know how to handle this," said Mipha smiling at Sidon.

Everyone but Sidon and the two guards who had followed them left.

"Want me to go with you, sweetheart?" said Link as they made their way down the long staircase.

"Yes, and I'll tell you why," said Mipha. "If you demonstrate you agree with Father, he will stop yelling at me sooner. So just chime in when appropriate."

They made their way to the throne room as two astonished guards bid them enter, and Mipha said all would be explained later.

King Dorephan stood up when they entered. Mipha rushed to him, and they hugged.

"Mipha, thank Nayru, you're safe. But honestly, for the love of Nayru, what were you thinking? We've all been worried sick about you," said King Dorephan.

"Yes, sweetheart," said Link on cue. "How could you do this to us?"

"I'm sorry," said Mipha as they released their hug.

"I should have guards assigned to do nothing else but keep you out of trouble," said King Dorephan.

"As Zora Champion, I felt I had a duty to our people," said Mipha. "But perhaps I should have discussed it with you first."

"Perhaps? Yes, most assuredly, you should have!" said King Dorephan. "And poor Sidon was so worried as well."

"We were all shocked, Mipha," added Link. "The whole family!"

"I know," said Mipha.

"Well, it's such a relief to have you home again," said King Dorephan. "And since your husband already sees eye-to-eye with me on this matter, I won't belabor it further. Please try to get over this, Link. Since she was just a child, Mipha has been headstrong, and she's not going to change now. I guess we just have to make the best of it."

"Of course, Father, I understand," said Link. "I'll try to get over it."

"Now, I need to inform everyone you're not dead," said King Dorephan. "What strange times we're living in!"

Mipha and Link left holding hands and made their way back home.

"You know I wasn't entirely just playing along," said Link. "You could have confided in me about your plans."

"Sorry, sweetheart," said Mipha as she squeezed his hand. "I knew you would argue against it, and I didn't have the energy for a fight. Can you truly ever forgive me?"

Mipha gave him her cute smile, and Link smiled and shook his head.

"I forgave you the moment I saw you, and you know it," said Link leaning over for a kiss. "I can't stay upset at you."

They stopped to kiss, then continued walking toward home.

"What were you thinking about when you asked to keep the outfit?" Mipha asked finally.

"Someone needs to investigate the enemy, spy on them, and how better to do that than to use their invention against them," said Link.

"And who did you think that someone might be?" said Mipha. "And before you answer, remember there are two outfits."

"The Eldin Region is way too hot for Zoras," said Link, catching her drift.