I approach Sidon, and nod. “I’m ready. Let’s go!”

I show him all the shock arrows I collected, my Zora armour shimmering in the rainfall.

“Wonderful! You never cease to amaze, Linka! Now then, let us go and appease that Divine Beast as one!”

Sidon dives acrobatically into the reservoir, and gestures.

“Gaze now, upon the Divine Beast’s back! See those glowing pink orbs? You will need to hit them all with shock arrows! Use your Zora armour to ascend the waterfalls! So, I shall take you right up to the side of the Divine Beats, and from there you can swim up and take aim! I know you can do it! I believe in you! Now hurry up, and get on my back!”

I nod, and dive in, swimming over and climbing aboard, as Sidon turns and powers through the water like an arrow, bringing us into close proximity with the Divine Beast in seconds. As we draw near, the artificial pachyderm shuddering and reacting. Sidon shouts, “Ruta is responding to our presence!  I’ll move away and wait for an opening!”

As we swim parallel, I ready myself, but my eyes widen as a trio of huge ice blocks form. Fumbling with my Sheikah Slate, I thumb the rune for Cryonis, and raise it, waiting. The ice blocks come flying at us one after another, and I shatter them each with a single tap of the rune.

Taking the chance, Sidon brings us alongside a waterfall, and I dive in, powering upwards, shooting out of the top like a salmon and nocking a shock arrow, letting fly and watching as the orb turns a distinct yellow-green. Diving back down, I fling my arm around Sidon’s neck and he takes off again, Vah Ruta creating more ice blocks and firing them in a more random pattern.

The second orb gets the same treatment, but Ruta doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. Three spiked balls of ice are sent careening after us, and these ones follow, as if they’re hunting us down! I shatter the first two, and the third runs into a block of ice I created, almost accidentally, that takes the ball out and shatters itself. Sidon rallies for a third run on the Divine Beast, and I dive into the water for another rapid ascension. With another well-aimed arrow, a third orb turns green.

As the final assault begins, Vah Ruta throws everything it has left at us, almost a dozen projectiles of ice practically simultaneously. It doesn’t help, and the forth orb flashes yellow, the water cutting off as we head for an opening at the back of the Divine Beast. As Sidon bids me farewell, I turn to finish the job. Get the Divine Beast Vah Ruta back under control, and save Mipha. She’s waiting for me inside!

I quickly register my Sheikah Slate to the Divine Beast’s Travel Gate, and my eyes widen as a voice fills my ears.

“You’re here. I must say… I am so happy to see that this day has finally arrived. Now Ruta can be freed from Ganon’s control. You’ll need a map to prevent you from getting lost. The Guidance Stone within contains the information that you will need…”

I feel my heart tremble, recognizing that voice. “Mipha… I’m here, just like I promised to be. Sorry it took me so long, but I’m the REAL me now, and I’m ready to kick all of the butts!”

I head up to the interior of the Beast, despatching a Guardian Scout with a single blow as I open the way to the Guidance Stone. Acquiring my map and getting the controls, I begin examining what I can actually do with this power.

“Good! You’ve obtained the map of the Divine Beast. You see the glowing points? Those are the terminals that control Ruta. Take her back by activating all of the terminals. And be careful.”

I start heading for each of the terminals in turn. The first is right outside the Guidance Stone’s chamber, sunk into the water. I use Magnesis to winch it up, bringing it up and allowing me to activate it.

Four terminals remaining. I won’t give up, Mipha. I WILL save you. There HAS to be time…

The second one is inside a rotating wheel, and I freeze the spouting water, stopping the wheel from moving and allowing me to access the terminal. The next is on an upper level, inside an even bigger drum, and I have to use Stasis in order to get to it.  In order to get further up, I have to use the controls to the Divine Beast, using Ruta’s trunk in order to reach the forth terminal at the end of its spout, then dropping into the Beast and using the water and a clever use of the Magnesis rune to open a hatch to extinguish a series of flame spouts, granting me access to the final terminal, and opening the main control core’s system to allow me to interface with it.

Back on the lowest level, I find the control core. If this is anything like the last time, I’ll have to fight one of those Ganon-creations.  I approach, and touch my Sheikah Slate to the control core’s terminal, and, as I expected, the magenta and black sludge pours out from the crevices in the core, combining with Sheikah tech to create a body. A stubby arm that emits a long, blue weapon that resembles a Guardian spear, but made entirely from blue energy instead of a shorter blade. The same kind of half-sludge, half-tech body, and the room begins to flood. Mipha’s voice comes again.

Please, take care. That… thing is one of Ganon’s creations. I put up as much of a fight as I could, but it proved to be my demise a hundred years ago…”

I stiffen. “You…” I address the creature before me. “You… killed my best friend? Oh, you made this personal. You swung first. And now, I will visit bloody retribution upon your head and MAKE YOU WISH GANON HAD NEVER SPAWNED YOU!”

I draw the Master Sword, and the sacred blade almost hums as it bursts into glowing life. I raise it, pointing square at the blighted monstrosity’s eye, and snarl, “prepare to fucking DIE.”

I charge in through the rising water, bringing my sword down, twirling to the side to dodge a thrust from that harpoon, using the momentum to get another strike in, before sheathing my blade and launching a shock arrow that lands squarely in the eye, laying the blight out on the ground, before I simply drop my Great Eagle bow, drawing the Master Sword and going in for a series of thrusting stabs that strike home with vicious intent. The last one was a necessity. THIS one is personal. 

Before I can really get down to the important business of tearing this thing to fucking pieces, though, it squirms away and disappears, reappearing out of melee range. Before I can go for my bow again, it begins raising the water level far more quickly, four stone tablets floating on the water’s surface. I splash over to the nearest one, grabbing my bow’s string with my teeth on the way. As soon as I haul myself out of the water, I draw my bow, nocking an arrow. Loosing it, I watch it split into three and bring the creature down, diving in and swimming furiously over to beat on it with my sword. It disappears and reforms, and I draw my bow again, waiting until I have a clean shot, before sniping at it with more shock arrows, the single shaft splitting into three in flight.

It falls again, and I pound my sword into it over and over, screaming in high-pitched fury. “You bastard! You bastard! You bastarrrrrdddd!”

It attempts to reform, but, the moment it’s solid enough, I fire another arrow, and it jerks, flailing and writhing in midair, a keening wail tearing from it, before it goes boom, just like the one that had corrupted Vah Medoh.

I pant. “Damn it… get back here, you gross-as fuck Ganon-spawn nightmare… I’m not done with you yet… I’m not nearly done paying you back for… for what you did to Mipha…”

Little splashes form in the water in front of me, and I realise, too late, that I’m crying. Losing my memories, regaining them, and then finding out I’ve lost my dearest friend, hurts more than I can imagine. I simply sit in the water as it drains from the chamber, my knees collapsing, and sob, the hot, bitter tears streaming down my face.

“I was too late to save you…. I’m ALWAYS too late!”

I don’t know how long I just sat there, crying, before I stand, shakily, wiping my eyes and noting with some distant relief that my makeup has survived even this, despite the rain it’d been subjected to for hours. Stumbling over to the control core, I press my Sheikah Slate to the terminal. The dull orange turns into brilliant blue, and a voice comes from behind, soft and sweet.

“Hello, you… what do you call yourself now?”

I turn to face the direction the voice is coming from. “I call myself by my REAL name now. Linka.”

“Linka. Because of your courage, my spirit is now free. And Ruta, as well. Thank you.”

Standing on the water, glowing blue flames dancing around her, is the Zora princess, the beautiful red-skinned Mipha.

“I am now allowed this freedom… to be with you once again.”

She smiles, a sweet, tender smile that lights up her face as I feel the tears threatening to fall once more.

 “Since I am now a spirit, my healing power would be wasted on me. I have no need of it. So therefore… I would like you to have it. Please accept…Mipha’s Grace…”

She clasps her hands in a sort of prayerful manner, before a blue orb forms and she gently pushes it towards me, I embrace it as it hits me square in the chest, my arms closing around it to accept the gift my dearest friend, the most precious thing I could be given. I feel warmth suffuse my entire body, as a swirl of ethereal bubbles whirl around me.

Mipha sighs, “Yesterday, I was awash in a pool of tears. I had nearly given up hope, and resigned myself to being trapped here, as a spirit, for the rest of eternity. But now you’re here. All this time, my hope… was to see you once more. And you are beautiful, my dear Linka. Promise me that you will not hesitate to call upon my power if you ever find yourself in need. Knowing that… will let my spirit rest in peace... I must go…Ruta and I have our roles to fulfil. We are both honoured to play the role of support. We’ll annihilate Ganon, together…Farewell… Save her, Linka… Save the princess…and tell my father and brother… I love them, even now, and that I am sorry…”

A glowing golden light surrounds me, and, when I blink, I find myself standing at the entrance to Zora’s Domain. Looking up and around, I watch as a beam of red streaks off from the Divine Beast as it moves into position atop a nearby mesa. If I’m correct, Mipha’s just locked on to Calamity Ganon’s location in Hyrule Castle, just like Revali.

I return to the throne room to report to King Dorephan. Explaining this to him is not going to be pleasant…

As I stand before the king, I realise the throne room is packed with Zora, of every colouration and age, from children to elders. The king throws his arms out wide.

“Linka! You did well to survive your trial! I have been eagerly awaiting your return! The violent downpour has disappeared, as has the threat to Zora’s Domain! It is all little more than a bad dream now. Thanks to your efforts, there is no longer any danger of a great flood laying waste to Hyrule! You appeased the Divine Beast Vah Ruta and thusly saved Zora’s Domain! We are all truly grateful! What you did for us is more than we could ever have expected of you.”

Muzu steps forwards, bowing his head.

“Linka… I must sincerely apologize for my harsh treatment of you. That whole time, you were thinking of Hyrule’s AND Lady Mipha’s wellbeing, just like the rest of us. All of the members of our council humbly fold our fins back in gratitude, along with the rest of our people. Perhaps the older generation of Zora, myself included, misunderstood Hylians after all. It would seem so. That said, I would be overjoyed if you could find it in your heart to forgive me. If not now, then perhaps one day.”

I shake my head.  “Chancellor Muzu, I cannot forgive you, for you have done nothing that requires my forgiveness. I thank you for your apology, though, and I am more than happy to have begun to make amends for my failure one hundred years ago.”

The king claps his fins together. “I must reward your efforts, too. I implore you to collect the treasure inside that chest over there. It was cherished by my daughter. A… memento of sorts. I would like you to have it, as a token of our friendship. Please, take good care of it. Linka, Champion of Hyrule, all of the Zora thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your heroic and selfless work.”

He turns. “And you as well, Sidon. As your father, I am proud of you for fighting the Divine Beast alongside Linka. You have grown much recently. I know you will be a worthy heir when your time comes.”

Sidon looks down. “Father… I… Thank you!”

King Dorephan raises his arms. “The heavy rains have stopped, and the Divine Beast is our ally once more! How glorious! Truly splendid! Wah ha ha ha!”

Sidon makes the fist-pump and gleaming smile gesture again.

“Linka! This is wonderful!”

He approaches me, bends and engulfs one of my hands in both of his, shaking it fiercely.

“Linka! Thank you so much! Truly, I could never thank you enough! You helped save our home from vanishing away! This calls for a top-tier expression of gratitude!”

He throws his head back and bellows out, “ZO! ZO! RA RA RA! With all my heart… Thank you!”

The assembled Zora begin cheering, one and all, a celebration breaking out. While I have a moment, I approach the chest, opening it. Inside… is a trident, made of flawless silver, adorned with rubies, and clearly made by a master. I choke back a sniffle as I clutch it. “The… The Lightscale trident? Thank you…” I whisper, and step back, composing myself.