Note: I found Ruto to be a unique character in Zelda, and yet I've never heard anything about her. I think there's probably more to her then meets the eye, so this fic is about Ruto, during the time when Ganondorf was taking over Hyrule. Also, many of the events are altered to fit in with the story line.
Prologue
Ruto ran her fingers over her glistening fins, checking her reflection in the crystalline Zora waters. She nodded, complacent with how stunning she was.
"Ruto!" She flinched at the rounded voice of her father.
"I'm coming," she muttered, taking a last glance at her idyllic image. She rolled her eyes, and began her strut over to the king. "King," she muttered, "Anyone's more fit to be king then him." Ruto shook her head, doing a double take at her present position. One path led to her father, calm, monotonous; the one she always took. The other, to the waterfall. Free, ever changing...why did she have to comply to his every whim?
"Not this time, I don't need one of those oh so lordly speeches," she turned around, racing back towards the cove that led away from her father. She yearned to travel eternally in that direction, to never turn back....
"But princesses have...responsibilities," she sighed dejectedly. Ruto closed her eyes, and leapt over the edge of the falls. The wind whistled in her ears, flowing over her slender body, drying her wet skin. She landed in the water gracefully, slight ripples appearing where she dove. Swimming along the bottom, she tried to match her movements with the subtle movements of the waves, hoping that her sleek blue skin was of the same tone as the cool blues of the waters.
She grasped one of the slippery rungs of the ladder, and carefully pulled herself up...
"Ruto, what are you doing here?" She stifled a shriek as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Whirling about, she gave the Zora above her a sharp glare.
"I can take care of myself, Farrel. Let go," she shoved him off, ascending the ladder.
"Your father's looking for you," he continued.
"I know that," she grimaced. "And I'm not in the mood for one of his talks. I know I'm a princess, and I know that I have certain obligations." She mimicked, lowering herself to his level. Farrel was so...serious. She hastened back up the ladder, stepping onto the cool ground. "If my father asks you, tell him you don't know where I am," she called down to him.
"Ruto, I won't lie for you," he narrowed his eyes.
"You won't be lying," she smirked, "because you won't have any idea where I am!" Ruto flashed him a grin, and disappeared around the edge of the cliffs.
* * * *
Ruto shivered in the warmth of the sun. She spent her entire life shaded from the outside world by that canopy of stone and water. But reality...it captivated her. Every blade of grass, so green and abound with life. Every breeze that cooled one's body when hot, cooled her very soul. Every cloud held a light that she'd never before seen...
And this world was out of her reach. Forbidden.
"It's not like I'll dry up," she mumbled, sitting down and dangling her feet over the edge of the path. "It's just that my people are...afraid." She whispered, her voice almost tearful. "They don't know about places beyond our little world...if they only did..." Ruto stood up abruptly, making her way down the lush, grassy paths.
"That's why I cling to the past, because the future holds nothing for me!" she paused, continuing in a lower tone, "I know father wants me to take my place in society. But I just can't do that! It will end my hoping...and I'll have no more dreams to thrive on. They're all that keeps me going now. The fact that someday...I might get away from here..." She knew that none of the Zora's indulged in the fantasies that she did. Not one of them even dared to dream. But she did. And if there was one thing she had faith in, it was that her own overwhelming determination could get her most anything.
"Ruto, you can't keep running off like that. It's dangerous." She heard Farrel's stern voice behind her.
She felt her cheeks get hot with the embarrassment that he may have heard her. But then her face flushed crimson with anger. "I am not your responsibility," she said sourly, her eyes flashing.
Farrel was respected by all of the Zoras. He was idealistically courageous, sightly, and levelheaded. Ruto folded her arms defiantly. "Have you ever had a dream, Farrel?"
He bristled irritably. "Ruto, you can't keep doing this. Strange things are happening, appearing, as near as the shores of Zora's River. Even I don't know what they are."
"Even you?" she mused.
"Come on," Farrel gripped her arm securely.
Ruto wriggled free. She was vexed. "I wasn't meant to be a princess!" She upbraided. "My path is all planned out for me! It's so calm, so set in its ways...like the water in the shallows of the river. But I want to follow a different path! I want to follow the same one as the roaring rapids far away. Treacherous at times, and yet exhilarating. You consider yourself heroic, Farrel, thinking that your name serves you well, but I have more courage then you do."
"Fine. I won't take any more responsibility for you," he muttered, his face taut. He whirled on her, stalking back into the refreshing "comfort" of his home...
"It's not my home," Ruto stated pointedly.
She continued to meander along the progressing shores, reveling in the grainy feel of the sand, and in the softness of the dew laden grass. Suddenly, she felt her entire body go numb, an almost icy sensation trilling down her spine. She felt all her senses becoming more alert. Suspiciously, her eyes darted about. What was that sound? Hoof beats?
Something caught her eyes...or was it someone? She could barely make out the dark silhouette of a towering figure in the distance, mounted on a massive stallion. Her every instinct told her to run, but her feet refused to move, staying firmly planted to the ground. She could now see a man atop the steed, clad in black armor, with strange, green skin, native to Gerudo males. She stared at him nervously.
The horse came to a halt beside her. She could now see every detail in the warrior's face. Every jewel that encrusted his thick, metal clad body. And the sinful, vacant look on his face. His lips curled up, forming a sneer.
"Is this the way to the Zoras?" he asked contemptuously.
Ruto pursed her lips together. She could feel her entire body trembling.
"I asked you a question," the Gerudo spat.
She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
"Never mind that. Where do the Zoras live? Is it down this river?" his tone was fierce, yet strained.
"Yes," Ruto blurted out, her voice wavering.
The Gerudo nodded approvingly, and kicked the warhorse. The dirt clouded up behind them, blurring Ruto's vision for a moment. When it cleared, there was no trace, save a few dusty hoof prints in the sand. She bit her lip.
All she wanted was to go back to her sheltered land. There, she would be invulnerable from all harm that the outside produced.
But something was wrong. The river echoed with newfound danger. She took off, racing against the wind that seemed to be trying to slow down her flight. Every grain of dirt seemed to be reaching from the ground, clumping around her feet. The waters were swirling from their banks, trying to push her back. The grass was stretching, intertwining itself with her legs, keeping her from her haven...
She watched in horror as the stallion galloped past her, the man still astride.
She felt her legs threatening to give way, but she pressed on.
And as quickly as all the elements had joined forces, determined to stop her, they all desisted. Ruto collapsed on the ground, sudden sobs racking her body, but no tears. She felt hot, and yet freezing. Scared, and yet relieved. Her breath came in uneven gasps. She lowered her head to her knees, feeling feverish. What was happening to her?
"I've got to get up," she implored with her body. Every part of her ached with fear, but she gradually made her way back to the quiet doorway of her realm.
The cool, ocean scented breezes didn't linger in the air outside. Instead, icy winds threatened to engulf her. She didn't hear the subdued splashing of the waters against the shores, just a silenced, almost twinkling nothingness. She took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
* * * *
The pastoral lapping of the waters was gone forever. Replaced with the cold, inharmonic echo of the frozen waves. The clashing din of the falls was gone, halted in its path to meet the water below. The entire domain was...frozen.
She turned the fact over in her mind time and time again. But it wouldn't click. She felt herself breaking into a cold sweat. The torches flickered in their wicker holders. She lifted one up, holding it against the ice. She'd melt it, melt all of it. Even if it took the rest of her life.
Ruto felt her throat go numb. A scream escaped her lips, for she could not silence her shock. The ice would not melt, call it sorcery, black magic...whatever.
"I'm so sorry..."she whispered, her voice barely audible. She pressed her hands urgently against the now translucent patch of ice.
Trying to touch the hand of the Zora trapped beneath...
Immobilized there.
Trapped in the depths of space and time.
As were all her people.
And for once, she was truly alone.
