Author's Note: Thanks to nurplenurple on Tumblr for drawing the characters for the cover image! You rock, my friend!

Link reached for his face and brushed the water from his eyes for the umpteenth time in the last half an hour. He was completely soaked, his blue tunic and old Hylian pants clinging to his flesh like cold glue. His hair drooped stubbornly over his forehead, channeling the moisture on his head down onto his face even further. He did not shiver however, for he was quite used to being stuck in conditions like this. Rain was a normal feature of the weather in eastern Hyrule.

However, Link had surely not expected the rain to be this relentless. As soon as he had approached the Soh Kofi shrine at the mouth of the Zora River, a brutal, pounding rain had rapidly appeared to drown out the warm sun. It had taken him by surprise, he had to admit, and now he was trudging along the scarcely-marked pathway of the Zodobon Highlands on his way to Zora's Domain, covered in his own weight's worth of water. It had been like this for the last hour or two, and it still showed no signs of letting up. Would it ever?

Just earlier on Inogo Bridge, Link had been greeted by a mysterious Zora with a shark for a head, bearing a toned figure and a very straight smile. He went by the name of "Prince Sidon," and he stood to be about twice Link's height. Upon meeting this friendly figure, Link had been asked to travel to Zora's Domain and provide assistance to the natives. Apparently, their ailment had something to do with all the rain, but Link was not given the specifics. All he knew was that the situation was dire, and that it might have something to do with a Divine Beast. After all, the Divine Beasts were his main goal, at least from what he had heard from Impa.

Link remembered a few minor things about the Zora people after leaving the Shrine of Resurrection, but much of his memory of them was still missing. He knew enough, at least, to be able to recognize Sidon as a Zora upon seeing him for the first time, and also that he thrived in water with the rest of his people. Beyond that, he was clueless. It made his adventure exciting, but it also kept him constantly on edge.

The mute hero's boots were squishing like sponges by the time he reached what appeared to be a long, straight bridge. The bridge looked almost exactly like Inogo Bridge from a while earlier, but it was much longer, and it traversed a massive drop with a running river below. It almost seemed to glow with its smooth, eye-popping turquoise stone. According to the sheikah slate, it was called "Luto's Crossing."

The bridge, however, paled in comparison to the majesty of the rest of the Zoras' architecture. As Link jogged ever onward across the bridge, Zora's Domain became visible on the horizon to his left, through a gap in the surrounding cliffs, eclipsing a mighty waterfall of at least a hundred stories. The grand city, complete with only one large structure standing proudly above the water below, acted as a perfect compliment to its surroundings, with a matching turquoise color that seemed to shine life into the current, dead state of Hyrule. It appeared to Link as a warm, rejuvenating beacon to stand against the bitter rain and wind that soaked the landscape and tugged at his clothes. The wonders that awaited him there would surely make his trek through the soggy riverbanks worth the while.

"Hey, Link! Down here!" A voice called.

Link's mind returned to the present as he heard the familiar voice call from far below in the waters of the river. He promptly stopped walking and turned toward the bridge's side railing so he could address his visitor. Treading water in the river at the bottom of the chasm, in confirmation of Link's suspicion, was Prince Sidon.

"I had a feeling you'd cross this bridge, so I came here to wait for you!" The Zora prince called up. "I wanted to alert you that you're nearing Zora's Domain. It's just ahead along the wavy path. I shall swim ahead and meet you there!"

Something about that prince had been bothering Link. The déjà vu he had was very strong, but it was not enough for him to remember anything in his confused state. The way the Zora spoke and the way he composed himself reminded him of something…someone…but it was not coming to him. Perhaps, he thought, he'd be able to remember more details upon reaching the Domain and speaking to the natives. After all, it had taken less to jog his memory before.

Their meeting drew to a close when Sidon warned the hero of a Moblin sneaking up behind him on the bridge. Link looked over his shoulder to confirm the prince's warning and drew his sword, spotting the large blue creature and its oversized club. A little more exercise couldn't hurt, he thought, despite all the walking he had already been doing. Moblins, to someone as experienced as Link, were basically chew toys.

A short time later, after steamrolling his way through several more enemies along his path, Link was just beginning to reach the Great Zora Bridge at the entrance of the Domain. The electric wizzrobe had been a special challenge to him, since the constant rain had given the prancing thing an advantage. Electricity and water just…didn't mix very well. The deed was finally done, though, and now Link stood before the most majestic settlement he had seen on his journey so far. He stopped on the small island before the bridge so he could quickly catch his breath, wiped more rainwater from his eyes, and stepped forward to begin crossing the bridge.

Suddenly, the very ground beneath him shook as a powerful and deafening roar exploded outwards from one of the nearby mountaintops. Link quickly widened his stance in order to maintain his balance as the vibrations were sent up his shins. In East Reservoir Lake, to the southeast of the Domain, a giant, mechanical monstrosity resembling an elephant stomped its massive legs and thrashed its trunk around, throwing water over the edges of the mountain and further contributing to the torrential rainfall plaguing the region. Ongoing streams of water jetted from the tip of the machine's trunk. It would seem Link had found the Zoras' problem.

On the other side of the bridge, Link was greeted by two Zora guards, each standing much taller than him with a spear in their scaly hands. They both stared directly at Link as he approached the entrance of the Domain, but despite the weapons and gear on his back, they oddly didn't seem threatened by him. As he ascended the stairs onto the main platform of the Domain, they calmly watched him pass without priming their spears. He figured Prince Sidon must've informed them of his arrival.

Link gazed ahead of him at the landscape of Zora's Domain. The calming, turquoise shade of the large structure's chiseled stone filled his eyes from all directions, a complement to the deeper, purplish hue spanning the surrounding cliff rocks. All was quiet in the Domain, save for the constant, droning hum of mist from the waterfalls all around the area. There didn't seem to be much conversation or positive energy coming from the Zora natives, which Link assumed was because of the looming threat of the giant elephant monster sitting in East Reservoir Lake.

Before he had time to take in more of his environment, Prince Sidon once again caught his eye, the royal Zora's red skin hue contrasting sharply to the Domain's enveloping blue. The prince was jogging quickly towards Link from the left flight of stairs, looking rather exuberant. Ironically, even that seemed to contrast the rest of the Domain.

"Link, I'm so glad you're here! You're not a moment too soon, my friend. Come, I must introduce you to the king!" He beamed, taking Link's hand. He turned back toward the stairs, practically pulling Link along behind him.

Link struggled to keep up with Sidon's pace as he rushed up the stairs to the king's chamber, his legs awkwardly tripping up the steps several times. On his way up, he glanced inward toward the rest of the Domain's plaza, where several other Zoras could be seen going about their business, almost…lifelessly. Two of them, both female, he noticed, were standing at the foot of a large, elegant statue, holding hands. The statue was made of the same stone as the rest of the Domain, and it appeared to resemble another Zora, posed in an authoritative position with a downward-pointing spear. Who could the statue be commemorating?

Just before Sidon pulled him to the top of the stairs and out of the plaza's view, one of the two Zoras standing by the statue seemed to look up at Link with a curious look on her face. She nudged the other Zora in the shoulder, causing her to also look up in Link's direction. Link stared back down at the loitering duo, taking notice of their obvious interest in him. Something didn't quite sit right with it in his head.

He was forced to shove the thoughts from his mind, however, when he suddenly found himself in the chamber of the Zora king, facing the giant entity on his throne. Sidon finally released his…eager grip on Link's hand and walked over to the king's side, where he stopped to turn and face Link. On the king's other side, standing with his arms behind his back and an angry-looking glare on his face, was an elderly olive-green Zora with a head resembling a stingray. Link chose to ignore him for the moment, and instead looked up at the king, who in turn studied him closely after seeing him enter the chamber with Sidon.

"Ah, so this must be the Hylian you've been seeking." He uttered in his deep, booming voice, cracking a calm smile. "You've done well to make it here! My name is King Dorephan. Tell me, who ar-"

He paused suddenly, taking an even closer look at Link. Link glanced over at Sidon, slightly uncomfortable of his visual judgement. Sidon nonchalantly flashed him a thumbs-up.

After rubbing his chin for a moment, the king broke into a hearty chuckle. "Ahh, yes, that object on your hip. It is the fabled sheikah slate, is it not?" He paused for another short moment while Link looked down at the thing dangling from his belt. "Yes, it is all too clear who you are now. You're Link, the Hylian Champion!"

Sidon's jaw dropped. "Wait…Champion Link? The Link from a hundred years ago?" He shook his head in disbelief. "No wonder your name seemed so familiar! What a remarkable coincidence that we should cross paths!"

As the minutes went by, Link was starting to think that his calling to this place was, in fact, not a coincidence. Half the Zoras in the town seemed to know who he was, and it was starting to creep him out considerably. He had no recollection of them himself, so seeing such familiar…and mixed…reactions from everyone was not doing his confusion any favors. The stingray Zora to his left was probably the least comforting of them all, as his seemingly-unwarranted death glare was eating holes in Link's psyche, and he didn't even have a clue what was wrong.

The king continued addressing the flustered Hylian visitor. "Link, you remember me, don't you?"

Link was quick to shake his head, causing the king to sit back thoughtfully in his throne. He hummed in understanding. "Well…surely you must remember my precious daughter, Mipha? You two were so close back then."

Again, Link shook his head. He took a moment to think upon the king's question, though, but no one came to mind when he tried to recall. The name "Mipha" might've sounded slightly familiar to the amnesiac hero, but as with seeing Sidon, the spark it generated was far too weak to rekindle his memory. Regardless, Link had no doubt in his mind that his involvement with Zora's Domain had been substantial. The evidence was clear in nearly every Zora he had interacted with so far.

"I see…" King Dorephan mumbled, rubbing his chin again. "…so it would seem gazing upon Mipha's immortalized form out in the plaza was not enough to remind you."

Ah, so the statue out in the plaza was apparently modeled after Mipha. Link made the connection that she must've been a brave warrior who died in battle, the revealing clue having been the spear seen in the statue's pose. Mipha's princess status also explained the excessive amounts of decorative adornments appearing on her figure in the stone depiction. The two Zoras staring at the statue earlier still confused him, however, since that statue had supposedly been there in the plaza for many years, and everyone had already seen it plenty of times before. What about it had had them so interested?

"Well then…" The king shrugged. "…perhaps you will retrieve your memory in due time. For now, though, I must ask that you hear my plea." Link glanced to his left in time to see the stingray Zora scowl bitterly at this sentence. The king continued. "Divine Beast Vah Ruta, situated in the East Reservoir as we speak, has our fair Domain in danger of destruction. It spews water relentlessly, causing these unstoppable rains. At the rate it's going, the reservoir will overflow and flood the continent before long."

Link nodded in understanding at the king's words. Apparently, the giant beast that had roared earlier on the mountain was known as "Vah Ruta." In addition, Vah Ruta was apparently the culprit of the Domain's collective agony and lifelessness. Being a water-dwelling species, Link figured the Zora would've liked rain, but admittedly, constant fear of extinction wasn't exactly a favorable condition to be in.

The king, reaching the end of his exposition, finally stated the reason for summoning Link to the Domain in the first place. "Young hero…we, a species terribly vulnerable to the power of electricity, cannot stop this beast alone. Therefore, I ask humbly for you to lend us your strength."

Link wasn't sure if the king had more to say or not, but no more could be said by him as the stingray Zora standing to the side finally ended his own silence by cutting in angrily. "King Dorephan, my liege, you mustn't speak so! You simply cannot resort to asking the likes of him for help in this hour!"

The king brought a hand up to his forehead, shaking his head tiredly. The gesture put Link under the impression that this agitated character of a Zora had been a recurring problem for the king. "Muzu, I really thought this wasn't going to be a problem today."

Muzu, as his name apparently was, clenched his fists. "And under normal circumstances it wouldn't be, my liege, but you see, siding with Hylians is something I can forgive." He extended his arm and pointed a bony finger at Link. "This man, however, shouldn't have even returned to our Domain, let alone been asked for partnership!" He growled in his judgmental, raspy voice. "Have you forgotten what he did to dear Mipha?!"

The king became visibly aggravated. "Muzu, lower your voice! Calm yourself!" Muzu's words had put a terrified expression on Link's face, but it had gone unnoticed by the king. "Link had only good intentions with my daughter! You know the rest was left to fate! I order you to banish your prejudices!"

Without another word, nor an acknowledgement of the king's words, Muzu turned around and stormed out of the chamber. Prince Sidon and the king watched with disappointment as the upset elder descended the grand staircase and exited their sight. An awkward silence ensued among the remaining three chamber occupants.

Prince Sidon scratched the back of his neck through the silver collar. "He, um…he was the only one who knew where to find shock arrows…"

King Dorephan sighed, the sound of exhaustion present in his tone. "There is no reason to worry. We'll give him some time to cool down, and then we'll consult him again."

Link shook his head in response to this. He dug around in his adventure pack and, after a few seconds, pulled out a bundle of shock arrows for the king and the prince to see. A look of relief appeared on the two onlookers' faces.

"Oh, it would appear you're already prepared, then." The king chuckled. "Splendid. What you'll need to do next is…wait, where are you going?"

Before he could finish speaking, Link had followed in Muzu's footsteps by turning around and walking out of the chamber, leaving the stunned royal duo behind to stare on in confusion. Muzu's words had been the final nail in the coffin for Link's boggled mind, and now, he was too mentally contorted to be able to focus on shutting down Vah Ruta's waterflow. Zora's Domain had already lasted this long with all the rainfall, so he knew it would be able to hold out at least a few more days while he tried to sort this mess out. Tensions were obviously still high in many places, so he needed to figure out what had happened a hundred years ago with the Zora princess before he put his hand forward to further entwine himself with the aquatic people.

After reaching the bottom of the stairs, Link stumbled his way over to the inn that was built into the left edge of the Domain. Buried in an overcast room directly below the king's chamber, the orange glow of an uncharted shrine caught the hero's eye, but he deliberately chose to ignore it. It was honestly the last thing he wanted to think about at the moment.

Behind the front desk of the modest inn, next to a small bookshelf chiseled into the wall, a tall, worn-out-looking Zora with a deep blue hue stared out the glassless window. Upon turning and seeing Link walk into the little room, his face seemed to light up.

"Oh wow, look who it is! I didn't think I'd ever see you around here again, to be honest!" The Zora beamed.

The innkeeper's happiness only added to Link's confusion and discomfort. With a look of fright and unease, he silently handed the smiling Zora twenty rupees for a standard bed before leaving the desk and heading to one of the beds. The innkeeper seemed to notice Link's troubled expression, but he decided not to question it. After all, heroes had much bigger problems than a lowly businessowner like himself could understand, right?

All the beds were vacant, so Link chose the one located farthest from the entrance. He yanked his sword, shield, and bow off his back and set them in a lazy pile next to the foot of the bed. Then, in a slow, defeated motion, he climbed onto the squishy water mattress and laid down, letting his head sink into the material. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh as his thoughts immediately began racing through his mind.

How did everyone in the Domain know him so well? Why were some bystanders giving him curious glances? How was he so acquainted with the king? Why was Muzu so upset with him? Who was this…"Mipha," and what had he done to her before forgetting everything?

Those last two questions had become the most central in Link's mind after Muzu stormed off earlier. Link was a warrior, not a detective, and his frustration was only made worse by the fact that he was the subject of his own case. He knew after awaking from the Shrine of Resurrection that he'd have some catching up to do, but he had no idea he'd have to unravel so many wrongdoings. If only he had someone with which to communicate…

"Um…hello?" A voice stuttered quietly, as if on cue.

Link's eyes shot open. He hadn't even had two minutes on the bed, and already someone was standing over him. He immediately recognized the voice as that of a female, so he knew it couldn't have been Muzu nor the prince. He raised his head from the mattress ever slightly so he could get a glimpse of his unexpected visitor.

Upon doing so, he was shocked, in fact, when he recognized the figure standing before him at the foot of the bed. It was one of the two Zoras that had been staring at him earlier from the foot of the big Mipha statue out in the plaza. Link had deemed her unusual when he noticed the genuine curiosity and interest in her face while she had been staring at him before, almost as if she had recognized him from a specific event in the past. And now, here she stood, at the foot of his rented bed, giving him the exact same look.

She was incredibly short for a Zora, standing about two inches taller than Link would've been standing up. Unique to the other Zoras living amongst the Domain, she bore a light shade of red on her skin, falling somewhere between Sidon's shade and pink. Her eyes were hazel, glittering beautifully like orbs of woven gold. The tailfin on the back of her head fell surprisingly short compared to other Zoras, extending only to about the middle of her neck. Standing timidly before him, she seemed to be shaking a little bit with anxiety.

"Are…are you…um…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Is your name Link?"

Link raised an eyebrow. Sitting up on the mattress, he looked the mysterious Zora in the eye for a few moments, watching her quiver. He nodded in response to her question.

As he did so, her complexion seemed to grow even less relaxed. Her quivering intensified a little bit, and she began taking several more long breaths to try and keep herself calm. She put both her hands on her chest.

"Oh Hylia…" She whispered excitedly. Link's confused expression became even more evident as his skepticism increased. He wondered if he would need to stand up in case his visitor fainted.

She turned toward the inn entrance and called in a louder voice. "Lani, I found him! It's really him! Come inside, hurry!"

Link followed her gaze toward the inn's entrance and watched as another Zora came stepping in from around the corner. Sure enough, true to his suspicions, the other Zora was indeed the second one of the duo that had been watching him from the statue earlier that day. She came walking in with her right hand out in front of her, staring directly ahead with no apparent focus in her eyes. After getting through the entrance, she seemed to stop walking, standing awkwardly in place until the first visitor at the foot of his bed spoke again.

"I'm right here, Lani. Not too far away."

The new visitor, who seemed to go by the name "Lani," was shockingly even shorter than the first visitor was. Link estimated her to be about four whole inches shorter than her friend, which put her at two inches shorter than himself. She had the exact same skin tone as her friend as well, suggesting to Link that the two might've been related somehow. However, he couldn't help but notice that the tailfin on her head was much longer by comparison, reaching down to her upper thighs when she stood directly upright. Her eyes were aqua blue, much like Link's, in fact, but they appeared to be rather whitened and cloudy. The appearance of her eyes, coupled with her awkwardness trying to walk, led Link to believe that she was, in fact, blind.

Link looked at them both with sympathy and compassion in his heart. Before even getting to hear what they had to say, he already had the impression that they were a duo of many struggles, trying to make it through together in a world ravaged by Calamity Ganon. His first assumption was that they had heard of the Champions from a hundred years ago and were eager to meet their idol and talk about…hero things. He was fully ready to set aside his own mental insecurities and provide them with anything they needed.

This all changed, however, when Lani began to speak.

"D..D…Dad?"

Author's Note: Off on another journey! Although this story will borrow many elements from my first one, One More Chance, I should note that they do not take place in the same universe. Also, please note that this one is not complete yet! I'm uploading it now so you eager readers can get engaged as it's being developed. Anyway, I hope this one will tickle your heartstrings (or whatever the saying is)!

By the way, a HUGE shoutout to nurplenurple on Tumblr for drawing an AWESOME picture of Mira and Lani! I've never seen such talent!
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