**Author's Update** I said too much in my summary, and thanks very much to
a reviewer who kindly told me so. I suck at writing summaries, so to make
up for that I've made the second chapter to hopefully get to what I said
would happen! I said the part about the sea serpent as a way of enticing
people to maybe keep reading and looking for stuff to come in the near
future...
Days passed since Ruto's outburst, and she shortly found herself making a formal apology to her father. King Zora eyed her maliciously, though it softened once she spoke while standing before him in the throne room. Ruto's voice quavered every so often as she fought for both composure and her words, while trying to stifle the sheer torment she felt within about being forced to marry.
"I-I was wrong father, please forgive me for what I said. I will do as you ask and marry Misu, it was what mother would have wanted me to do – to grow up and marry a strong Zora like myself. From now on, I will try and contain my emotions better."
When she finished, she looked at him pleadingly as King Zora said nothing, the room filled with an awkward silence. Ruto listened to the sound of water falling from the waterfall in the background, and tried to keep herself calm. At first she thought her father would never speak to her again, however hidden relief washed over her when he slowly nodded his head once, and said solemnly.
"Very well, you are forgiven. It's about time you learned why you should act like a proper Zora Princess instead of some wild uncontrolled vagabond. Your wedding will take place tomorrow as planned, and I want no further objection from you from now on. I am merely doing what is in your best interests, my dear princess."
Ruto nodded rigidly, her face expressionless, before turning as respectfully as she could and walking out of the throne room. She hated being humble with anyone, especially her father, but she had no choice – she had lost this battle. Defeat was a bitter thing to taste, and she still felt constant unhappiness over her situation. No longer could she gripe about Link denying her, for she now had more important things to worry about. She would be married to Misu tomorrow, and that was all there was to be said.
As she walked aimlessly through the long passageways of Zoras Domain until finally coming to the main area, she noticed Misu standing at the top of the waterfall, preparing himself to leap off its edge. Ruto sighed with discontent, but seated herself on the high ledge with her feet dangling over the side to watch. She saw Misu gaze for a moment at the water below, while positioning his body in an elegant pose. Then, he leapt off and performed three graceful back flips in mid air before resounding into the water with a splash.
Ruto watched casually as the other Zoras clapped politely until Misu surfaced near the bottom of the waterfall. To her surprise, he was looking straight at her and watching her with his ebony colored eyes. His face was solemn, but she sensed a hint of interest being directed toward her. Ruto closed her eyes and looked away casually, trying to make it look as though she hadn't been watching him but something else. The Zora princess didn't want him to gain any more satisfaction from their pre-arranged marriage, and if she showed she had been watching him it would only make him all the more arrogant, or so she thought.
She opened one eye and looked cautiously where Misu had been, and she saw he wasn't looking at her anymore but instead was swimming to a small rocky platform in the middle of the water. Ruto watched him as he stood dripping wet, alone, until he seated himself on the edge of the platform with his legs dangling in the water. His back was to her, so she couldn't see his expression, but she began to get the feeling Misu was kind of a loner among their people. The male Zora wasn't known for being overly talkative, and his only attention bringer came from his apparent talent at diving and swimming. She wondered why her father wanted to pair her with someone so opposite of her personality, but maybe there was a hidden side to him she was unaware of? It seemed impossible, but once she thought about it she didn't know him as well as she thought.
The next day came, and the sun rose beautifully, casting its bright rays over the land of Hyrule. Although it was a gorgeous sight, no light entered Zora's domain so it was nearly impossible to tell what time of day it was unless you looked at the entrance to see if it were dark or light. Princess Ruto awoke from within her private chambers hidden near the back of Zoras Domain. Her "bed" was basically a deep pool of water in the ground that had a depth of several meters. The skin of a Zora is very sensitive and dries up over a period of time, and to keep it in pristine condition she slept underwater.
When Princess Ruto surfaced, she saw three male Zora servants standing in wait to prepare her for her wedding ceremony. She got out of the water and was escorted in silence to a mat lying on the other end of her room, where they laid her down and gave her a soothing back massage to calm her spirits. After, two female Zora servants arrived and began to apply jewelry and set a beautiful tiara of ivory white pearls on her head. They sharpened her fingernails, and rubbed sweet smelling oil over her body, which was supposed to arouse her husband to be and give him courage and strength to make their wedding night successful. In Zora culture, the wedding night was a time for the newlyweds to bond with one another, which meant after the ceremony she would be forced to spend the whole evening alone with Misu. Ruto also knew that there was a sub-reason for why they had to be alone – it was also a time when some Zoras mated, and her father was surely going to enforce that no one disturb them.
Since Zoras didn't wear clothes, they covered themselves with jewelry for their weddings. When Ruto was finally ready, bracelets dangled from her wrists and ankles, and she wore a beautiful gold triforce around her neck on a silver chain. Her face was solemn, which was far from what one would normally expect to have on their wedding day – but then again, Ruto wasn't very happy about being forced to marry. As her tenants escorted her from her room, she noticed Zoras Domain looked empty, and knew it was because almost everyone was supposed to attend her royal wedding.
Princess Ruto soon found herself at the very top of the waterfall inside Zoras Domain, and waiting for her near its edge was Misu. As she walked toward him, she noticed something different about him – something she never thought she would admit to herself. Misu stood tall, his broad muscled chest becoming more apparent to her, as well as his strong looking arms and legs. Worn around his neck was a triforce necklace like her own, but the silver chain was thicker and less feminine looking. That was the only piece of jewelry that he wore, but even without much decoration he looked rather handsome.
A crowd of almost all the Zoras in Zoras Domain filled the tunnel and spilled into the throne room, all of which were standing in neat rows and leaving an aisle up the center for her to walk down. Males, females and even younger Zoras stood patiently waiting and when she came into view they turned and stared at her, their dark eyes glimmering under the pale blue glow of the light reflected off the waters they stood in. It was then Ruto saw her tenants leave and she was left to walk alone, to the waterfall where she would meet her husband to be.
Ruto looked at the throne and saw her father sitting proudly, in the same place, but he was dressed up more than usual. A crown made of gold and covered in sapphires was on his head, and he wore a white cape lined with silver. He no longer swung his short pathetic legs from the ledge he sat on, but remained still, and was surrounded by other members of the Zora royal family. King Zora looked at her but said nothing, watching in revered silence as Ruto proceeded down the aisle. She walked as slowly as she could, feeling the water lap around her feet and the silence that followed her.
Once she arrived at the waterfall, she noticed Misu did not change his expression, but remained as solemn as she was, barely batting an eyelid. They stood beside one another as a Zora priest read their vows. Misu responded quietly, accepting, but when it came time for Ruto to respond, a long silence followed. Ruto almost didn't hear what was being asked of her since it all felt so unreal and unfair, but once she noticed Misu shift uncomfortable, she finally responded with a quick "yes" which allowed the priest Zora to close the ceremony.
Then it came time for the couple to dive off the waterfall together, as though symbolizing diving into their new life. Ruto sighed as Misu took one of her hands in his, and they stepped forward to the edge of the waterfall. Both of them took a deep breath in unison, feeling each other's tension grow. Then, without further delay, they jumped. Together they tilted their bodies forward, to land face first in the water. No fancy tricks were performed; it was just one straight dive down. Ruto felt as though the dive instead symbolized her heart and life plummeting, and hurtling into the watery abyss.
They landed with a splash, but instead of surfacing, Ruto swam straight for the underwater exit that led to Lake Hylia, where they would spend the remainder of the day and evening together. Misu followed, still holding onto her hand in escort, as they silently went through the passage and exited Zoras Domain.
When they surfaced in the lake, their hands fell away and they swam for the shore. Ruto walked hurriedly onto the grass, trying to hold back the frustration she felt. She didn't feel happy being married to Misu, even if he was handsome, she just felt all the more depressed over her circumstances. Misu said nothing, and gave her no indication as to how he felt and she didn't feel like asking. Instead of remaining with her, he coldly walked away and started across the bridge, heading toward the small island in the middle of the lake with a single tree on it. Ruto let him go, because she didn't desire his presence anyway.
Ruto remained by herself for the remainder of the day. Only once did she get up and enter the lake, and that was so she could catch a fish to have for lunch. She had to eat, even if she had very little to no appetite. Ruto spent most of the time contemplating her life, wondering why she allowed her father to get away with forcing her to be married. Marriage was supposed to be about love, Ruto thought, but hers was based purely on satisfying her people and for reproduction. She wished so much that she could love Misu as much as she had loved Link, but she just wasn't sure how...
During the day she watched Misu, whom was white figure standing on the small island in the middle of the lake. He stood under the tree, from what she saw, and would sometimes move occasionally but not very much. However, she was very far away. For a while she thought he was being his arrogant self, never speaking to her because he thought he was too good for her, and she wouldn't let him win her second battle. As the sun set, Ruto angrily walked across the bridges to the small island in the middle of the lake where he was, feeling her gills flaring once more.
As she approached, he still didn't look in her direction, which made her all the more upset. Hastily Ruto walked toward him and stood in front of him, blocking his view of the lake. The dim glow of the sun surrounded her, as she stood glaring at him while a frown crossed her lips. It was then he had no choice but to acknowledge her presence, his dark eyes shifting to look at her face. When he spoke, his voice was as cold as ever, but sounded strangely gentle.
"Ah...princess Ruto...I mean- my wife. What's wrong now? I see you think of me as not being worthy for you, and maybe I'm not but still...neither of us had a choice in this."
"You seem to have changed your mind quickly. Whatever happened to that smug smile you wore just the other day?"
Ruto questioned irritably, her eyes narrowing. She watched Misu pause for a moment, which only made her further annoyed. Now he was being indecisive with her, she hated that. Then carefully, he said while looking at her as though pleading with his eyes to not start an all out quarrel over something so pointless.
"Nothing...its just I never expected to be married so soon..."
Ruto rolled her eyes. Did he ever think she felt the same way? He didn't even make an effort to ask how she felt about it. Instead, he let her suffer in her anger all day without bothering to check on her. How inconsiderate. Not like she needed to depend on any male Zora anyway, she was almost better off alone. Reluctantly, she felt her anger leave her and she was only left with emptiness.
"Princess, I know this seems like an inappropriate time, but..."
"But what?"
Ruto asked, but this time kept her voice from sounding so sharp and angry. She noticed Misu's face turn a hint of red, as though he was feeling embarrassed by what he was about to say to her.
"I-I don't ever mean to come off sounding arrogant. I hope that if you ever want to get to know me in this marriage, that you will somehow come to like me...because I.... think of you as being very attractive, and I have taken quite a liking to you, even before we got married. I just never told you, because I knew you would only scoff at me and send me away by saying you thought I was merely trying to give you false flattery."
Ruto stared at him in disbelief, her mouth gaping slightly, and she quickly shut it while trying to hide her shock. However, she wouldn't be swayed into believing him so easily, but had taken an interest. Patiently, she waited for him to say something else, and an awkward silence ensued. She watched the expression on his face, as he struggled to say more, until the words came as calmly and carefully as ever.
"I'm sorry for not asking how you felt about being married to me, but after a while I've thought about it, and I feel terrible for not staying with you during the day and leaving you to come to me. I...I hope I can make up for it tonight by showing you how I feel."
"Tonight?"
Ruto questioned blankly, and noticed his face was turning even redder. Misu looked away, his eyes scanning the lake as though pondering how to say what he needed to say, until he looked back at her. Then, his voice softened and he said quietly.
"Yes tonight...are you not familiar with what happens on a traditional Zora wedding night? What I mean to say is...tonight is the night we are supposed to express our love from merely words to making it physical. I know you haven't said you love me and vice versa, but your father-"
Oh no. Ruto knew what that meant. Her father must have told Misu what he wanted him to do to her on their wedding night. Yet again her father was prying into her personal life. Who did King Zora think he was? Ruto sighed deeply and said in understanding as to relieve him of his awkwardness.
"Oh...yes...my father. Of course, I should have known he would tell you to mate with me tonight as a way of permanently sealing what plans he has for me."
Then she paused, as Misu looked at the ground, before she continued.
"Very well then. I have no control over my life now, my father controls everything or so it seems. Its not your fault and I don't blame you, you did your duty because you had to, although I am surprised to find you actually like me. "
"Its not like I want to do this to you either, you know..."
Misu said, taking in a deep breath as they seated themselves on the grass.
"But if you want, you can refuse and I'll just tell your father you weren't feeling well or something and it will have to wait."
Ruto shook her head, and moved closer to him, as her way of telling him all he needed to know. Her voice softened ever so slightly, yet she still felt as though she was being forced anyway, even if Misu was being kind enough to do something so noble for her.
"It is inevitable as a couple that we must do this sometime, so we'd better make it now to get it over with."
Secretly, Misu was relieved she agreed to mating now instead of later, it would have been better to release the tension they felt between each other instead of letting it grow more intense. He brushed one of his hands against her face, feeling her smooth skin, and thought she might get to like him though this inevitable process, which required both of them to do their part. As he was leaning forward to kiss her, a sudden splash startled them both to looking out at the lake. The sun had fully set, and the moon rose in the sky in its full form and reflected on the lake's surface.
They watched tensely. It was no ordinary splash, it made a deafening sound that was too loud to ignore. Ruto got to her feet and scanned the lake. At first she saw nothing, but soon a dark shape surfaced, and a massive jagged fin appeared for a moment before sinking beneath the surface.
"What was that?"
Misu asked worriedly, as Ruto shook her head without responding. She didn't know. For a moment there was silence, until the fin appeared for a second time, revealing part of a long back of some sort of water dwelling creature hiding beneath the water's surface. The fin along its back was jagged and sharp, the color of shiny hard metallic silver that reflected under the moon's pale glow. The back was very long, and when it went under a massive whale-shaped tail shot up and slapped the surface, its flukes hitting it hard and sending a tidal waved towards them. Ruto screamed as Misu scrambled to his feet and a rush of water hit them and threw them back a few meters. Ruto quickly recovered, and found herself sprawled out on the ground next to Misu, and she quickly got to her feet to see what sort of creature was in Lake Hylia. A large ripple was left from where the tail went under, and silence followed. It didn't last. Moments later the creature thrust its enormous head out of the water, followed by a deafening roar which shook the island the Zoras were stranded on. It was some sort of sea serpent, and it raised its head high into the sky, revealing a long snake like body covered with plate-like blue scales that shimmered in the night. Its head was massive, and on either side near where it connected to its neck were huge slits that flared out, revealing a massive shiny silver colored fan that extended around its neck and flapped angrily. The creature was indeed serpent like, for it had a snake shaped body and head, and glowing green eyes.
Ruto screamed as the creature opened its mouth and emitted another thunderous roar into the night sky. A forked tongue stuck out while it gave a deep sounding hiss, and revealed its razor sharp numerous inward- projecting teeth. Then, the creature's head lowered slightly and turned to Ruto and Misu. The sea serpents eyes flashed as it then suddenly plunged back into the lake, sending another massive tidal wave hurtling towards them.
"Let's get out of here!"
Ruto yelled and as the wave came both Zoras turn and ran as fast as they could, and started across the first bridge. As they ran, Ruto looked to her right and saw the creature swimming toward them from underneath the water, the metallic colored fins along its back gliding at the surface. Then when they were over half way across, its massive head shot out from the water and it roared before plunging down upon the bridge. The Zoras barely made it across before it smashed the bridge apart with a single blow that sent wooden planks flying in every direction.
Ruto and Misu kept running, and the serpent quickly submerged itself and followed in close pursuit. As the started crossing the second bridge, Ruto sensed it was preparing for an attack, and just as they neared the safety of land, the serpent reared out of the water once more, its green eyes flashing and gills flared. Ruto had to resist looking at it, because if she did she knew she would be too petrified to move. The creature's sharp teeth glistened, as its forked tongue smelled the air while its head plunged down towards them a second time, taking out the center of the bridge.
Both Zoras felt the bridge give way from beneath them as they plunged into the lake. The sudden shock at first stunned Ruto from moving, but she felt Misu swiftly take her hand and drag her harshly – heading toward the underwater passage into Zoras Domain. The serpent was right behind them, and Ruto hadn't realized how large it was until she saw it from beneath the surface. It was at least 100 feet long and moved silently through the water, the fan around its neck flaring to full view as its mouth opened wide as though it would swallow them both whole.
Misu's swimming abilities proved useful, as he kicked his legs as hard as he could and propelled himself faster and faster, his gills moving quickly in fear while holding on to Ruto tightly. The Zora princess was amazed by his composure, but once she heard the creature give a sounding roar from within the water, she did her part to help him and propelled herself as fast as she could through the water. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her gills flapped in fear as the creature neared and was about to lunge at them. However, at the last second the two flew inside the passageway, and the serpent's head crashed into it, but was too large to fit through. The creature gave a roar that was deafening even underwater, and bared its teeth as the two Zoras swam to the safety of Zoras Domain.
Days passed since Ruto's outburst, and she shortly found herself making a formal apology to her father. King Zora eyed her maliciously, though it softened once she spoke while standing before him in the throne room. Ruto's voice quavered every so often as she fought for both composure and her words, while trying to stifle the sheer torment she felt within about being forced to marry.
"I-I was wrong father, please forgive me for what I said. I will do as you ask and marry Misu, it was what mother would have wanted me to do – to grow up and marry a strong Zora like myself. From now on, I will try and contain my emotions better."
When she finished, she looked at him pleadingly as King Zora said nothing, the room filled with an awkward silence. Ruto listened to the sound of water falling from the waterfall in the background, and tried to keep herself calm. At first she thought her father would never speak to her again, however hidden relief washed over her when he slowly nodded his head once, and said solemnly.
"Very well, you are forgiven. It's about time you learned why you should act like a proper Zora Princess instead of some wild uncontrolled vagabond. Your wedding will take place tomorrow as planned, and I want no further objection from you from now on. I am merely doing what is in your best interests, my dear princess."
Ruto nodded rigidly, her face expressionless, before turning as respectfully as she could and walking out of the throne room. She hated being humble with anyone, especially her father, but she had no choice – she had lost this battle. Defeat was a bitter thing to taste, and she still felt constant unhappiness over her situation. No longer could she gripe about Link denying her, for she now had more important things to worry about. She would be married to Misu tomorrow, and that was all there was to be said.
As she walked aimlessly through the long passageways of Zoras Domain until finally coming to the main area, she noticed Misu standing at the top of the waterfall, preparing himself to leap off its edge. Ruto sighed with discontent, but seated herself on the high ledge with her feet dangling over the side to watch. She saw Misu gaze for a moment at the water below, while positioning his body in an elegant pose. Then, he leapt off and performed three graceful back flips in mid air before resounding into the water with a splash.
Ruto watched casually as the other Zoras clapped politely until Misu surfaced near the bottom of the waterfall. To her surprise, he was looking straight at her and watching her with his ebony colored eyes. His face was solemn, but she sensed a hint of interest being directed toward her. Ruto closed her eyes and looked away casually, trying to make it look as though she hadn't been watching him but something else. The Zora princess didn't want him to gain any more satisfaction from their pre-arranged marriage, and if she showed she had been watching him it would only make him all the more arrogant, or so she thought.
She opened one eye and looked cautiously where Misu had been, and she saw he wasn't looking at her anymore but instead was swimming to a small rocky platform in the middle of the water. Ruto watched him as he stood dripping wet, alone, until he seated himself on the edge of the platform with his legs dangling in the water. His back was to her, so she couldn't see his expression, but she began to get the feeling Misu was kind of a loner among their people. The male Zora wasn't known for being overly talkative, and his only attention bringer came from his apparent talent at diving and swimming. She wondered why her father wanted to pair her with someone so opposite of her personality, but maybe there was a hidden side to him she was unaware of? It seemed impossible, but once she thought about it she didn't know him as well as she thought.
The next day came, and the sun rose beautifully, casting its bright rays over the land of Hyrule. Although it was a gorgeous sight, no light entered Zora's domain so it was nearly impossible to tell what time of day it was unless you looked at the entrance to see if it were dark or light. Princess Ruto awoke from within her private chambers hidden near the back of Zoras Domain. Her "bed" was basically a deep pool of water in the ground that had a depth of several meters. The skin of a Zora is very sensitive and dries up over a period of time, and to keep it in pristine condition she slept underwater.
When Princess Ruto surfaced, she saw three male Zora servants standing in wait to prepare her for her wedding ceremony. She got out of the water and was escorted in silence to a mat lying on the other end of her room, where they laid her down and gave her a soothing back massage to calm her spirits. After, two female Zora servants arrived and began to apply jewelry and set a beautiful tiara of ivory white pearls on her head. They sharpened her fingernails, and rubbed sweet smelling oil over her body, which was supposed to arouse her husband to be and give him courage and strength to make their wedding night successful. In Zora culture, the wedding night was a time for the newlyweds to bond with one another, which meant after the ceremony she would be forced to spend the whole evening alone with Misu. Ruto also knew that there was a sub-reason for why they had to be alone – it was also a time when some Zoras mated, and her father was surely going to enforce that no one disturb them.
Since Zoras didn't wear clothes, they covered themselves with jewelry for their weddings. When Ruto was finally ready, bracelets dangled from her wrists and ankles, and she wore a beautiful gold triforce around her neck on a silver chain. Her face was solemn, which was far from what one would normally expect to have on their wedding day – but then again, Ruto wasn't very happy about being forced to marry. As her tenants escorted her from her room, she noticed Zoras Domain looked empty, and knew it was because almost everyone was supposed to attend her royal wedding.
Princess Ruto soon found herself at the very top of the waterfall inside Zoras Domain, and waiting for her near its edge was Misu. As she walked toward him, she noticed something different about him – something she never thought she would admit to herself. Misu stood tall, his broad muscled chest becoming more apparent to her, as well as his strong looking arms and legs. Worn around his neck was a triforce necklace like her own, but the silver chain was thicker and less feminine looking. That was the only piece of jewelry that he wore, but even without much decoration he looked rather handsome.
A crowd of almost all the Zoras in Zoras Domain filled the tunnel and spilled into the throne room, all of which were standing in neat rows and leaving an aisle up the center for her to walk down. Males, females and even younger Zoras stood patiently waiting and when she came into view they turned and stared at her, their dark eyes glimmering under the pale blue glow of the light reflected off the waters they stood in. It was then Ruto saw her tenants leave and she was left to walk alone, to the waterfall where she would meet her husband to be.
Ruto looked at the throne and saw her father sitting proudly, in the same place, but he was dressed up more than usual. A crown made of gold and covered in sapphires was on his head, and he wore a white cape lined with silver. He no longer swung his short pathetic legs from the ledge he sat on, but remained still, and was surrounded by other members of the Zora royal family. King Zora looked at her but said nothing, watching in revered silence as Ruto proceeded down the aisle. She walked as slowly as she could, feeling the water lap around her feet and the silence that followed her.
Once she arrived at the waterfall, she noticed Misu did not change his expression, but remained as solemn as she was, barely batting an eyelid. They stood beside one another as a Zora priest read their vows. Misu responded quietly, accepting, but when it came time for Ruto to respond, a long silence followed. Ruto almost didn't hear what was being asked of her since it all felt so unreal and unfair, but once she noticed Misu shift uncomfortable, she finally responded with a quick "yes" which allowed the priest Zora to close the ceremony.
Then it came time for the couple to dive off the waterfall together, as though symbolizing diving into their new life. Ruto sighed as Misu took one of her hands in his, and they stepped forward to the edge of the waterfall. Both of them took a deep breath in unison, feeling each other's tension grow. Then, without further delay, they jumped. Together they tilted their bodies forward, to land face first in the water. No fancy tricks were performed; it was just one straight dive down. Ruto felt as though the dive instead symbolized her heart and life plummeting, and hurtling into the watery abyss.
They landed with a splash, but instead of surfacing, Ruto swam straight for the underwater exit that led to Lake Hylia, where they would spend the remainder of the day and evening together. Misu followed, still holding onto her hand in escort, as they silently went through the passage and exited Zoras Domain.
When they surfaced in the lake, their hands fell away and they swam for the shore. Ruto walked hurriedly onto the grass, trying to hold back the frustration she felt. She didn't feel happy being married to Misu, even if he was handsome, she just felt all the more depressed over her circumstances. Misu said nothing, and gave her no indication as to how he felt and she didn't feel like asking. Instead of remaining with her, he coldly walked away and started across the bridge, heading toward the small island in the middle of the lake with a single tree on it. Ruto let him go, because she didn't desire his presence anyway.
Ruto remained by herself for the remainder of the day. Only once did she get up and enter the lake, and that was so she could catch a fish to have for lunch. She had to eat, even if she had very little to no appetite. Ruto spent most of the time contemplating her life, wondering why she allowed her father to get away with forcing her to be married. Marriage was supposed to be about love, Ruto thought, but hers was based purely on satisfying her people and for reproduction. She wished so much that she could love Misu as much as she had loved Link, but she just wasn't sure how...
During the day she watched Misu, whom was white figure standing on the small island in the middle of the lake. He stood under the tree, from what she saw, and would sometimes move occasionally but not very much. However, she was very far away. For a while she thought he was being his arrogant self, never speaking to her because he thought he was too good for her, and she wouldn't let him win her second battle. As the sun set, Ruto angrily walked across the bridges to the small island in the middle of the lake where he was, feeling her gills flaring once more.
As she approached, he still didn't look in her direction, which made her all the more upset. Hastily Ruto walked toward him and stood in front of him, blocking his view of the lake. The dim glow of the sun surrounded her, as she stood glaring at him while a frown crossed her lips. It was then he had no choice but to acknowledge her presence, his dark eyes shifting to look at her face. When he spoke, his voice was as cold as ever, but sounded strangely gentle.
"Ah...princess Ruto...I mean- my wife. What's wrong now? I see you think of me as not being worthy for you, and maybe I'm not but still...neither of us had a choice in this."
"You seem to have changed your mind quickly. Whatever happened to that smug smile you wore just the other day?"
Ruto questioned irritably, her eyes narrowing. She watched Misu pause for a moment, which only made her further annoyed. Now he was being indecisive with her, she hated that. Then carefully, he said while looking at her as though pleading with his eyes to not start an all out quarrel over something so pointless.
"Nothing...its just I never expected to be married so soon..."
Ruto rolled her eyes. Did he ever think she felt the same way? He didn't even make an effort to ask how she felt about it. Instead, he let her suffer in her anger all day without bothering to check on her. How inconsiderate. Not like she needed to depend on any male Zora anyway, she was almost better off alone. Reluctantly, she felt her anger leave her and she was only left with emptiness.
"Princess, I know this seems like an inappropriate time, but..."
"But what?"
Ruto asked, but this time kept her voice from sounding so sharp and angry. She noticed Misu's face turn a hint of red, as though he was feeling embarrassed by what he was about to say to her.
"I-I don't ever mean to come off sounding arrogant. I hope that if you ever want to get to know me in this marriage, that you will somehow come to like me...because I.... think of you as being very attractive, and I have taken quite a liking to you, even before we got married. I just never told you, because I knew you would only scoff at me and send me away by saying you thought I was merely trying to give you false flattery."
Ruto stared at him in disbelief, her mouth gaping slightly, and she quickly shut it while trying to hide her shock. However, she wouldn't be swayed into believing him so easily, but had taken an interest. Patiently, she waited for him to say something else, and an awkward silence ensued. She watched the expression on his face, as he struggled to say more, until the words came as calmly and carefully as ever.
"I'm sorry for not asking how you felt about being married to me, but after a while I've thought about it, and I feel terrible for not staying with you during the day and leaving you to come to me. I...I hope I can make up for it tonight by showing you how I feel."
"Tonight?"
Ruto questioned blankly, and noticed his face was turning even redder. Misu looked away, his eyes scanning the lake as though pondering how to say what he needed to say, until he looked back at her. Then, his voice softened and he said quietly.
"Yes tonight...are you not familiar with what happens on a traditional Zora wedding night? What I mean to say is...tonight is the night we are supposed to express our love from merely words to making it physical. I know you haven't said you love me and vice versa, but your father-"
Oh no. Ruto knew what that meant. Her father must have told Misu what he wanted him to do to her on their wedding night. Yet again her father was prying into her personal life. Who did King Zora think he was? Ruto sighed deeply and said in understanding as to relieve him of his awkwardness.
"Oh...yes...my father. Of course, I should have known he would tell you to mate with me tonight as a way of permanently sealing what plans he has for me."
Then she paused, as Misu looked at the ground, before she continued.
"Very well then. I have no control over my life now, my father controls everything or so it seems. Its not your fault and I don't blame you, you did your duty because you had to, although I am surprised to find you actually like me. "
"Its not like I want to do this to you either, you know..."
Misu said, taking in a deep breath as they seated themselves on the grass.
"But if you want, you can refuse and I'll just tell your father you weren't feeling well or something and it will have to wait."
Ruto shook her head, and moved closer to him, as her way of telling him all he needed to know. Her voice softened ever so slightly, yet she still felt as though she was being forced anyway, even if Misu was being kind enough to do something so noble for her.
"It is inevitable as a couple that we must do this sometime, so we'd better make it now to get it over with."
Secretly, Misu was relieved she agreed to mating now instead of later, it would have been better to release the tension they felt between each other instead of letting it grow more intense. He brushed one of his hands against her face, feeling her smooth skin, and thought she might get to like him though this inevitable process, which required both of them to do their part. As he was leaning forward to kiss her, a sudden splash startled them both to looking out at the lake. The sun had fully set, and the moon rose in the sky in its full form and reflected on the lake's surface.
They watched tensely. It was no ordinary splash, it made a deafening sound that was too loud to ignore. Ruto got to her feet and scanned the lake. At first she saw nothing, but soon a dark shape surfaced, and a massive jagged fin appeared for a moment before sinking beneath the surface.
"What was that?"
Misu asked worriedly, as Ruto shook her head without responding. She didn't know. For a moment there was silence, until the fin appeared for a second time, revealing part of a long back of some sort of water dwelling creature hiding beneath the water's surface. The fin along its back was jagged and sharp, the color of shiny hard metallic silver that reflected under the moon's pale glow. The back was very long, and when it went under a massive whale-shaped tail shot up and slapped the surface, its flukes hitting it hard and sending a tidal waved towards them. Ruto screamed as Misu scrambled to his feet and a rush of water hit them and threw them back a few meters. Ruto quickly recovered, and found herself sprawled out on the ground next to Misu, and she quickly got to her feet to see what sort of creature was in Lake Hylia. A large ripple was left from where the tail went under, and silence followed. It didn't last. Moments later the creature thrust its enormous head out of the water, followed by a deafening roar which shook the island the Zoras were stranded on. It was some sort of sea serpent, and it raised its head high into the sky, revealing a long snake like body covered with plate-like blue scales that shimmered in the night. Its head was massive, and on either side near where it connected to its neck were huge slits that flared out, revealing a massive shiny silver colored fan that extended around its neck and flapped angrily. The creature was indeed serpent like, for it had a snake shaped body and head, and glowing green eyes.
Ruto screamed as the creature opened its mouth and emitted another thunderous roar into the night sky. A forked tongue stuck out while it gave a deep sounding hiss, and revealed its razor sharp numerous inward- projecting teeth. Then, the creature's head lowered slightly and turned to Ruto and Misu. The sea serpents eyes flashed as it then suddenly plunged back into the lake, sending another massive tidal wave hurtling towards them.
"Let's get out of here!"
Ruto yelled and as the wave came both Zoras turn and ran as fast as they could, and started across the first bridge. As they ran, Ruto looked to her right and saw the creature swimming toward them from underneath the water, the metallic colored fins along its back gliding at the surface. Then when they were over half way across, its massive head shot out from the water and it roared before plunging down upon the bridge. The Zoras barely made it across before it smashed the bridge apart with a single blow that sent wooden planks flying in every direction.
Ruto and Misu kept running, and the serpent quickly submerged itself and followed in close pursuit. As the started crossing the second bridge, Ruto sensed it was preparing for an attack, and just as they neared the safety of land, the serpent reared out of the water once more, its green eyes flashing and gills flared. Ruto had to resist looking at it, because if she did she knew she would be too petrified to move. The creature's sharp teeth glistened, as its forked tongue smelled the air while its head plunged down towards them a second time, taking out the center of the bridge.
Both Zoras felt the bridge give way from beneath them as they plunged into the lake. The sudden shock at first stunned Ruto from moving, but she felt Misu swiftly take her hand and drag her harshly – heading toward the underwater passage into Zoras Domain. The serpent was right behind them, and Ruto hadn't realized how large it was until she saw it from beneath the surface. It was at least 100 feet long and moved silently through the water, the fan around its neck flaring to full view as its mouth opened wide as though it would swallow them both whole.
Misu's swimming abilities proved useful, as he kicked his legs as hard as he could and propelled himself faster and faster, his gills moving quickly in fear while holding on to Ruto tightly. The Zora princess was amazed by his composure, but once she heard the creature give a sounding roar from within the water, she did her part to help him and propelled herself as fast as she could through the water. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her gills flapped in fear as the creature neared and was about to lunge at them. However, at the last second the two flew inside the passageway, and the serpent's head crashed into it, but was too large to fit through. The creature gave a roar that was deafening even underwater, and bared its teeth as the two Zoras swam to the safety of Zoras Domain.