AN: The "Rito language" is my own constructed language based on Old English and Modern Icelandic.
Mipha knew from her own experience that the worst thing about someone's first teleportation was the anticipation. The process itself was mostly uneventful: a tingling feeling throughout your whole body followed by the instantaneous visual switch of being in an entirely different set of surroundings, followed by the cessation of the tingling. Her father and the handful of Zora councilors who accompanied them to Hyrule Castle did not have her prior experience with this method of travel, and several seemed nervous. Mipha had spent a full ten minutes before their departure informing the council members why teleportation was nothing to be afraid of. She predicted exactly what happened. They had dematerialized amid baited breaths in Zora's Domain, only to rematerialize with sighs of relief in Hyrule Castle. Zelda and Purah had been there to greet them.
Zelda was clad in her white, loose-fitting, ceremonial robes that she had worn in the final battle with the Calamity.
"Welcome to Hyrule Castle, Your Majesty and Your Highness," she said addressing the king and her fellow princess respectively, bowing deeply to the former while smiling to the latter. Zelda was not Queen of Hyrule and would remain of inferior status to Dorephan so long as her own father, King Rhoam, still reigned. It was court protocol for the Hylian Royal Family to address the Zora Royal Family as equal—their only equals in the realm, in fact—and respected the Zora monarch's decisions within Lanayru Province as final, so long as the security of whole Kingdom of Hyrule was not compromised. The same arrangement existed between the Hylian Royal Family and the Gerudo Chieftains, though the chieftains did not bear royal titles.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Dorephan replied to Zelda, bowing his massive head. "We are honored to attend your summit."
"The honor is ours," Zelda said, bowing her own head. "These new innovations in travel will affect all of Hyrule, and you have the right to be informed of all the relevant information before you make a decision for Lanayru."
"I have already decided for Lanayru to be integrated into Hyrule's new travel network. I am mainly here to see His Majesty, your father, and to allow my daughter a chance to socialize with Your Highness and her fellow Champions," Dorephan said in a calm voice to assure the Hylian Princess that he was already in full support of her plans. Dorephan looked, around. Only a few rooms in Hyrule Castle were big enough to accommodate his massive height. When he saw the giant stairs to the landing above where the Hylian throne where King Roam sat, speaking with Chiftain Urbosa, Master Kohga, and the Rito and Goron elders.
"So, you teleported us directly to the throne room?" Dorephan asked.
"We would have teleported you into a foyer first, but only a few rooms in the castle can accommodate you, and my father is eager to speak to you as well."
Mipha looked at the landing on the ceiling. As she expected, Link was there.
Give him space, she told herself. It's been months since you've seen the others. Daruk always makes for pleasant conversation."
Mipha made her way up the stairs to speak with her fellow Champions. As the Zora were the last delegation, Zelda—having greeted all the guests—followed Mipha up the stairs. Not wanting to be seen leading the Princess of Hyrule outside of Zora's Domain, Mipha slowed down and allowed Zelda to catch up with her.
"It has been a while since I last saw you, Mipha," Zelda said. "How have you been?"
"I'm quite well, Zelda, and looking forward to the new teleportation technology."
Mipha's answer was quite honest. There were many advantages to this interesting technology beyond the rapid exchange of information.
"It's a pity Sheikah Slates are not available for all of the kingdom's inhabitants. Then everyone could travel more easily, and the different parts of the kingdom would be much more interconnected. Everyone could broaden their cultural horizons."
"There is indeed nothing like travel that could give people such opportunities. Fortunately, Purah and Robbie are working on reprogramed Guardians to mass produce Sheikah Slates."
"I thought the Guardians were all deactivated."
"Terrako has been reactivating them for this purpose."
Mipha felt a twinge of hesitation. "Are you sure that is wise?"
Zelda nodded, "I understand your concern, Mipha, but the guardians were only rampant due to the influence of the Calamity, and it is sealed away now for another 10,000 years."
Mipha nodded, realizing that they had reached the top of the stairs.
Zelda looked in the direction of Link and Terako. "If you will excuse me." Zelda walked toward the two of them with Mipha only now realizing that she had not inquired into the well being of her friend. She mentally kicked herself for her breach of manners but had to admit that she was relieved that the topic had not come up. Much of Zelda's happiness of late was bound up in her love for Link, a topic which would have only hurt Mipha.
Mipha saw Zelda walking in Link's direction and quickly turned her head. Instead, she made her way over to Daruk who was laughing loudly at some joke.
Daruk was talking to the Rito delegates—something about the quality of the stones in the Hebra Mountains.
Mipha waited for the end of the conversation before saying, "Daruk?"
The hulking Goron Champion, turned to see his diminutive Zora friend.
"Oh, hello Mipha."
"Shall I take that once this technology is widespread, the Rito will see a massive surge in tourism from Eldin?"
"Absolutely, though no one seems to want to visit Death Mountain," Daruk said.
"Well, naturally," Revali offered an unsolicited comment as was his wont. "Your region, mine and Urbossa's are the least desirable places to visit in Hyrule unless you like stark landscapes with extreme temperatures. Everyone except Rito and Gorons need special clothing or elixirs to travel in Hebra, Rito and Zora need Elixers to travel in Gerudo, and everyone except Gorons need elixirs to travel in Eldin."
"I wouldn't mind visiting Death Mountain or Rito Village," Mipha said. "The lava rivers, the jet-black rocks of Eldin—their beauty is known all over Hyrule. It would be worth a few elixirs to see it in person."
"Thank you, Mipha!" Daruk said.
"Well, I suppose if you're comfortable putting the contents of said elixir into your body, the beauty might be worth it." Revali indeed saw Mipha's point, but, staying in character, tried to phrase his answer as negatively as possibly.
Mipha turned to face her avian friend, the contented look of victory—that she had bested him in this verbal exchange—on her smiling face.
"I know many Zora who would gladly wear Snowquil Tunics and Trousers to visit our Rito cousins. Our peoples came from the same origin, and we are both reflections for what the other could have been had history played out just a bit differently."
"Forgive, my pessimism, your Highness, but I can only speak as a Rito." Revali's tone turned biting and his face grew stern, "But the brotherhood between the two branches of the Zora-kin has been distant for the past several millennia."
Mipha opened her mouth slightly in shock.
"When a Hylian wants an architect or a doctor capable of treating patients from multiple species, there preference is always 'go Zora.' To them, the Rito are nothing but backward bird people who live in a climate too cold to support a larger civilization and are rustics who intellectual prowess is stunted by either their genes or their climate."
"I've never heard these sentiments before," Mipha said.
"Yeah, or me either," Daruk added.
"Well, I wouldn't expect them to have high opinions of Gorons either, but they love the Zora," Revali said as if deliberately trying to pick a fight with Mipha.
Mipha, however, knew Revali's ways and wouldn't let him provoke her. Instead, she'd diffuse the situation.
"Okay, so some Hylians you've encountered felt that way, but I was talking about direct Rito-Zora relations. Speaking as a Zora, I can only say that we admire your archery, your ability to glide on the heir, and your music."
Now Revali slightly opened his beak in shock. "Our music?"
"Rito ballads are one of the most popular genres among the music lovers of Lanayru. Many Zora who really enjoy the genre learn the Rito language to really appreciate the lyrics."
Revali cupped his feathery digits under his beak. "Really?" He seemed intrigued before asking Mipha, "Sprékst thu Ritosku?" (Do you speak Rito?)
"An littel," (A little) Mipha responded.
"I'm afraid I can't speak Zora," Revali said, ashamed he could not match Mipha, "But Zora instrumental music is very popular among the Rito. Depending on the song we use Zora instruments and tunes for things as different as parties and funerals."
"I'm afraid I only Goron songs," Daruk said.
"You mean you don't know Hylian ones?" Revali scoffed.
"Not really," Daruk said.
"Hylian is everyone's second language," Revali said. "Every Rito chick begins learning Hylian as soon as they can speak and read in Rito." He laughed.
"Few Hylians go to Death Moutain," Mipha said softly. "They just don't have the same level of cultural exchange that they do with the Zora-kin or other humans like the Sheikah and Gerudo." Her eyes met Daruk's, beaming optimism. "But I have a feeling that with the new travel technology that will change."
"I think so too," Daruk said.
"Please, the Hylians are snobs who believe their culture is the greatest in the in the world, despite the fact that it borrows nearly everything from the Sheikah. Yes, they'll want to see Eldin's natural beauty, but I doubt their opinion of the Gorons as anything other than big dumb brutes will change—"
Daruk glared at Revali—"Their opinion." Revali clarified. "Big dumb brutes couldn't have the sophisticated engineering works you do."
Daruk's anger toward Revali passed as swiftly as it had come.
"And they will always see the Rito as socially repressed yokels no matter how much they like skiing in Hebra," Revali continued further dissipate Daruk's anger with the alleged insults from the Hylians being directed at his own people this time.
He turned to Mipha, "Be grateful you're a Zora, Mipha. You're as close to an equal as a non-human can get."
Mipha could tell now that Revali was not really trying to pick a fight with anyone. He was just being his usual rude, arrogant, pessimistic self. His defense mechanism.
"Well, most of the Hylians I've met regard me as an equal."
"Most Hylians aren't as liberally minded as the knight and the princess."
Seeing it was a loosing battle, Mipha changed strategies.
"All right, let's forget the Hylians for a moment and talk only about Zora-Goron-Rito relations."
"I don't really know much about the Zora or the Rito," Daruk said, "Other than that the Zora can breath underwater and age very slowly, and the Rito can fly."
Revali chuckled. "We can't fly. We can just glide. Common misconception. It's an evolutionary hold over from when our Zora ancestors climbed waterfalls. Had to give up that slow aging though. Price of a body that generates its own heat."
"I imagine that's why the Rito can survive Hebran winters."
"Endothermy and feathers," Revali said proudly. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Didn't I hear once that a Goron got trapped underwater in Zora's Domain one time and was able to breathe."
"Yeah, I heard that somewhere. Don't know if it's true or not."
"If it is, you can see parts of Zora's Domain I can't share with anyone else," Mipha said.
"I shall have to let the two of you fill me in on it," Revali said. "When I go to Zora's Domain it will be for the architecture, the music, and the feel of foam in face as I glide over the waterfalls."
"When?" Mipha asked. "Not if?"
"Whether I think the transportation system is over-hyped or not, it's coming. And there are worse places to waste time than among a people who appreciate Rito ballads."
Besides, a few days in Zora's Domain will mean I don't have to put up with my fawning female fans. No Zora woman could possibly be interested in me.