AN: Yes, I'm stealing a lot of ideas for this fic from the Netflix series, Bridgerton.
Mipha was looking forward to the upcoming social season in Zora's Domain. It was when young Zora males attended dinners and dances with young Zora females. Those that particularly hit it off would invite each other to private outings which if sustained over long enough could form the basis of an attraction and aid in the search for potential mates.
To be honest, Mipha had never suspected that she would participate in such an event, even though, as princess, she was the most eligible female in the Domain. However, for the past few years, everyone had assumed that she would end up with Link. Now however, with Link's engagement to Princess Zelda the news of the kingdom, Mipha was back on the market.
The first event of the season was a dance and evening meal at the Domain's concert hall. Made of the same crystalline bluish-silver glass and bluish-silver stone as the rest of the buildings of the Domain and having the same open-air roof as did most public buildings including her father's throne room the gathering Zora had an unobstructed view of the stars beginning to show in the dusk sky, reflecting on the crystalline components of the building. Soon enough the Zora would be bathed in ethereal shimmering light that reminded them of the water's shimmering surface.
Mipha, clad in her blue Champion's sash and golden body adornments anticipated the first dance. As custom, it was the male who asked the female to dance, so the only thing Mipha could do now was just to be there. She expected to receive many offers and go through kissing several Octoroks before she found a male whom she felt comfortable enough around to accept his call on her—again the male's responsibility to offer the invitation, though it was up to the female to accept or decline, just as it was with the dance. Still, she was not deterred. She expected many dances, and many invitations to private dates—she would be a more prudent judge of the latter than the former—and she expected many false starts in romance before finding her true soulmate, but best not to worry about that now. Accept all the dances, but only accept private invitations from the ones she felt potential chemistry with, then get to know them. It was a fool proof strategy. All she had to do now was wait for the inevitable string of dance invitation—and none came—for nearly an hour.
True, everyone was all smiles to her, but no one asked her to dance. She stood by as several handsome Zora males, of blue, green, black, and purple scales approached her, smiled at her for what felt like hours, and then asked one of her companions to dance.
Mipha tried to keep a pleasant look on her face, but her disappointment grew with each missed opportunity. Eventually she went off by herself to the table where the food was being served to sit and reflect. She was a princess—it didn't entitle her to romance but it should have made her interesting to the males, and if she read the looks on their eyes correctly, they were interested. But there was something else. As a princess, third-in-line to the throne after her brother, any involvement between her and a male would be a matter of state. No matter how well known she was, few wanted that. She was destined to marry the Zora royalty of another kingdom, such as the Prince of the Labrynnan Zora. Before everyone in the Domain knew she was not going to be a political pawn. After all, she was in love with a Hylian. There could be no children from such a union, and only a long, dignified widowhood. Now that she and Link were no longer together—not that he had ever been with her, except in her own head and the Domain's, she was back on the political market. No one would touch her.
"Excuse me, Princess Mipha, may I have this dance?" An irritating nasal voice asked.
She turned to see a fat, short, green-scaled male Zora extending his hand to her. Mipha knew that she was not attracted to this suitor in the least, even though he was the only one to act on his interest in her all evening.
"Um, well," Mipha tried to be polite, "I don't feel much like dancing at the moment."
"Then shall we talk?"
Mipha could hardly refuse that, though she had no interest in conversation with this male.
He pulled a chair opposite her and began noisily munching on river snails. "I must tell you," he said while eating, "How pleased I am that you have given up on that Hylian and returned your interest to your own kind."
"I should have expected as much," she said. Interspecies relation usually didn't work out. In all Hyrule's history only three such unions ended in marriage, all Zora-Rito, all after the era of the Great Sea, and all with one partner being transformed by the goddesses into their mate's species.
"He didn't appreciate you." That part just wasn't true. He had truly appreciated her as a friend, and she had thought that would be enough to start with.
"It was more that I didn't tell him how I felt soon enough."
"He should have waited."
"When someone else who cared just as deeply acted faster? That would hardly be fair of me to expect that of him."
"Well, it was for the best. Now you are free to be with someone who wants you as more than a friend." His eyes bored into her as he said that, the lust in his voice unmistakeable.
"You don't even know me," she said.
"I will, in time. My name is Ozo map Torfu, and I always get what I want." She could see the predatory look of a shark in his eyes. Mipha had heard enough.
"I'm not for sale," Mipha got up and stormed out of the building. Ozo followed her as fast as his stubby legs could carry him.
Mipha heard the labored footfalls and took the high rising bridge to a junction where the path split three ways. If she followed the path to the right, she would be back home without incident, giving her time to think.
This entire evening had gone horribly wrong. All the worthwhile males thought she was a political bargaining piece…and she did not have a word for the thing that pursued her. When she was in the plaza just outside the entrance to King Dorephan's throne room, she saw him.
"I took the faster route, my pet."
Mipha, wishing to cause no harm to the oaf, but also desiring to be rid of his presence, said in a confident voice, "Sir, I am not interested in you, nor will I ever be interested in you." She pointed to the doorway behind her. "My father, the king, is on the other side of that door. If you do not cease your advances, I shall scream, and you will be taken to prison."
"Very well. I shall depart. Perhaps later you'll change your mind."
"The only thing I will reconsider is going into public without my trident." She said in a threatening voice so unlike her gentle manner it surprised even her.
"Good-night, sir," she said with finality and Ozo sunk his head in defeat, slumping his shoulders, and walked away.
Mipha let out a sigh as nervousness and relief battled to be her dominant emotion, too exhausted to knock on the throne room's door until she had regained her composure.
"Unbelievable! You defended yourself without having to resort to violence." A familiar voice said.
Recognizing it, she turned her head to see Revali standing near the entrance to the inn, located on the other side of the plaza.
"Revali?" What in Hyrule was he doing so far from Rito Village? "How did you get here?"
The archer held up a Sheikah Slate. "Zelda gave one to everyone who attended the dinner, remember?"
Suddenly, Mipha remembered the events of a few weeks prior.
"I thought you hated travel," she said.
"Oh no, Princess. I hate traveling in groups, and I doubted that Daruk, Urbosa, and I had much to attract visitors from outside our homelands. I'm perfectly comfortable traveling in Zora's Domain. I always wanted to see your architecture and fly over your waterfalls. Besides, it beats being crooned over by fawning fangirls in Rito City, an experience that I'm sure you can relate to from what I just saw."
Mipha smiled and laughed at herself. It helped to talk to a friend.
"Actually, my problem is mostly the opposite," she said.
"Really? That certainly looked like a crazed fanboy to me."
"I cannot dispute that. I do attract the crazed ones, but most of the normal Zora males were afraid to come near me, even though I wanted them to."
"You never struck me as a flirt," Revali said.
Mipha's cheeks reddened as chuckled and looked away, "No, I'm not. Perhaps I should start at the beginning."
"Please do, because I'm getting mixed messages here."
Mipha took a breath and cleared her throat.
"Ever since Link told me he was with Zelda I've been trying to find a male Zora that I can get to know. That was why I went to a dance at the concert hall, to meet people. But, while many people smiled at me, no one spoke to me apart from the one you just saw, and he was a bit too interested."
"That's ridiculous! You're the Pilot of Vah Ruta, King Dorephan's daughter, Champion of the Zora!" This only caused Revali to think that Zora males were idiots.
"Exactly," Mipha huffed in exasperation. "I'm a hero and royalty. Now that everyone knows I'm over Link, they'll think I'm committed to my duty and will want to marry someone like the Prince of the Labrynnan or Holodrumian Zora, but I don't want that! I want a love match, but for that I need to know someone."
"And that won't happen if they are too afraid of your status to talk to you."
"Maybe I should just make a speech renouncing my political duties."
"No!" Revali said, the abruptness surprising Mipha. "That would just be giving up and I detest people who give up. I won't hear of it from one of my friends!"
"And I suppose I'd always resent myself just a bit if I took that route."
"That sounds better," Revali said. "Now we just have to come up with a plan that will let the people know you want to marry for love and remain a princess as well."
"We?" Mipha inquired.
"Why not? I'm not doing anything better, and you are friend in need of aid."
Mipha nodded, conceding Revali's point.
"No one knows more about projecting an image of being magnificent and determined than I do."
"Somehow, I don't think boastful jabs are going to help me."
"Princess, you wound me. I have far more skills than pretentious jabs," Revali said in an obviously pretend hurt tone. He turned into his usual, confident, demanding self with his next sentence. "I let people know what I want without shame and project confidence in my ability to get it."
"Is that why you are in Zora's Domain, hiding from your fangirls? Doesn't seem very confident to me," Mipha teased.
"Ha ha," Revali said sarcastically, but then froze, motionless.
"Revali, what's wrong?" Mipha asked, feeling a pang of concern for her friend.
"I've thought of a solution that could solve both our problems, but you'd have to trust me completely."
"I'm all ears," Mipha said in anticipation.
"You need to be seen dating with a partner who has no political worth but can still make the Zora males jealous. One you can trust to end the pretense of a relationship as soon as you have found your real partner. Why don't we go back to the concert hall and dance together?"
Mipha stood silent for a moment. Revali was one of the most eligible bachelor's in Hyrule, had no political value, and was much closer to another Zora than Link had been. Such a display would convince the other Zora that Mipha was not interested in politics, and the sight of their own princess and Champion with the Champion of their avian relatives would make the Zora males jealous. Mipha hesitated, as it seemed a bit underhanded.
"I'm not sure. Deceiving the Domain into thinking I'm with you?"
"It will all be over as soon as you've found the right Zora male. Besides, marriage is a commitment but courtship is game—one which you currently are not being allowed to play. Besides, you'd also be helping me for a while."
Mipha was perplexed for a fraction of a second before it hit her.
"I'd be shielding you from the fangirls."
"And every Zora male and Rito female in Hyrule would assume that we are exactly what we are—you: highly desirable, and me: unavailable."
Mipha did sympathize with Revali's plight—not wanting anyone to go through the experience she had just had with Ozo—and she also conceded that she was currently ineligible to play the courtship game unless something changed.
Part of Mipha regretted this, but part of her realized that this might be her only way to get to talk at length to male Zora her own age. After all, she would be helping a friend and no one would be hurt, even emotionally. This was the dance concert before the invitation to a dinner. Revali was only here to make the Zora males see she was playing the game.
Part of her still hesitated, but ultimately she said, "Alright, Revali. Accompany me to the dance."