“It won’t be necessary to disturb the King at this late hour,” Zelda smiled at the well-mannered guard. “I would be glad to meet with him first thing in the morning. But for now, I have an immediate need to speak with Princess Mipha.”<br/><br/>The guard, whose curiosity was obviously piqued, was well trained enough to keep it to himself. “Of course, Your Highness. I’ll go ahead and notify Lady Mipha of your arrival.” With that, the guard jumped to the river below and disappeared from sight as he quickly swam upstream.<br/><br/>Zelda and Lucien continued on foot, meeting no other guards until they arrived at the great city itself. Zelda was certain they were being closely watched the entire time, but because they had been hailed and allowed to pass by the first guard, there was no need to stop and question them again.<br/><br/>At the entrance to the city, standing between the two guards that always kept watch there, was Princess Mipha herself. A small figure, even compared to most of her kind. But then, Zora women tended to be significantly smaller than the men of their species.<br/><br/>Zelda went forward, giving the other princess a small embrace and kiss on her cheek.<br/><br/>“Welcome,” Mipha said as she stepped back from Zelda. Her voice was soft, as was her nature. “I have had beds prepared for you for the night. But what brings you here at such a late hour? Usually one of your status would stop at the waystation for the night before continuing to the city. Is something wrong?”<br/><br/>“Thank-you, Lady Mipha. You are kind, as always. We come in search of a young man.” The weeks and full day of travel were beginning to take their toll on Zelda. She was very weary and wanted nothing so much as to lay down and get some sleep. But she had to know if the boy was still here, and stop him from leaving if he was.<br/><br/>"A young man? A Hylian?"<br/><br/>"Yes! We heard that he was injured and was brought to you to be healed. Do you know of him? Is he still here?" Zelda tried to contain her excitement.<br/><br/>"Oh, yes. His wounds were quite serious. He is recuperating. I still have many healing sessions to do with him before he will be ready to travel," Mipha said, her face taking on a grave expression. "Would you like to see him?"<br/><br/>Zelda looked to Lucien. Of course, he wasn't tired. She'd never seen him tired before. But she certainly was. If the young man wasn't well enough to travel anyway... would it hurt to get a good night's sleep first?<br/><br/>"I think it can wait until the morning. I would like to make use of the bed that you have so kindly readied for me," she answered Mipha's question.