Time for the newest arc! This time the focus will be on Princess Ruto, who has a few surprises for our heroes!
"Oh Liiinky-pooo!"
"Nrmh... wassat...?"
"Wakey-wakey, your lovely wife has arriiived!"
"Saria, could you please turn off the alarm? I'm trying to sleep..."
"I can't Link, the bed is holding me hostage..."
It was a bright new morning in Gerudo Town, and the young Gerudo King Link was sleeping on his bed of pillows, and beside him was his childhood friend and newest fiance, Saria.
It had been three months since the night Link and Saria confessed their love for each other, and the two were finally taking years and years of repressed desire between each other and releasing it through fun dates in town and hot nights of love making in the palace. Naturally their Gerudo friends all took well to the two getting together. Despite Saria having such a youthful-looking body, they all knew she was anything but just a mere child ad had the same desires as any of them. Togau in particular was overjoyed at Saria joining her as one of Link's future queens, and the two had practically become like real sisters.
"Hmph, Lady Nabooru has called you for an important meeting this morning!" Ruto said, standing over Link and Saria and aiming her finger at them, "Don't make me squirt you two awake!"
"Can you just take notes for us Ruto?" Link muttered, turning and holding Saria in his arms, who sighed blissfully and snuggled against Link's body.
"Okay, that's it!" Ruto said as a watery aura started to form around her hand...
"Ah good morning you two, you look like you slept well." Nabooru said with a smirk in the palace dining room as Link, Saria and Ruto arrived in.
"Morning Link, morning Saria! Um, why are you two wet?" Aviel asked.
"No reason." Link said in annoyance as he and Saria had changed into their normal garments, but there was still water dripping off of them from Ruto's water shot. The zora princess herself was affectionately hugging Link's arm as the three were walking in.
"I think I prefer Aviel waking us up." Saria said equally annoyed as she wrung some water out of her hair.
"My, my, I hope you're not taking after our husband's sleeping habits, Saria." Nemisa said with a teasing smirk. Saria just stuck her tongue out at her in response.
"So what have you got for us today Nabooru?" Link asked sitting down.
"Well to start things off, I'm pleased to say Nilonu's rehabilitation has been going pretty well. As part of her work, she's been helping the teacher Ms. Fareafu with putting together material for the class. She's also been informing us of what she could about the hypnotic candy she had tried to use on the students. Unfortunately, since she's been in the town for over a year, she couldn't give us too much information."
"Speaking of the candy, has Dr. Sarami gotten any closer to figuring out how to counteract the power tonic from the piece I gave her?" Saria asked before taking a bite of scrambled eggs.
"Sarami says she's made some headway, but she'd really need more information on how exactly it's made, it's not just something anyone could do it seems, even with the Gerudo Blood Alchemy Arts book we recovered for her." Nabooru said, she bore a somehow concerned expression, "But I think something about it is bothering her for some reason..."
"I just hope she doesn't try to push herself too much." Link said.
"Well on the more positive side, Ruto has come by with great news!" Nabooru said smiling.
"Allow me, Lady Nabooru." Ruto said in an elegant tone, "I'm happy to address that Daddy is finally prepared to speak to you all about forging an alliance between the Gerudo and the Zora!"
"Alright! So we're going to meet at Zora's Domain then?" Aviel asked.
"No dear, we're going to the beach area of Zora Coast instead." Ruto corrected her.
"Huh? Why there? Isn't your kingdom at Zora's Domain?" Aviel asked tilting her head left and right, trying to understand the situation.
"Yes, but Daddy insisted we have the meeting for this alliance at Zora Coast. It's the location of the sacred shrine of the Water Goddess Lophela, where..." Ruto gulped a bit, "..there's a certain... rite of passage I have to do so that I can properly become the future Zora queen, and Daddy doesn't want to finalize the union until after that."
Link curiously looked at how unnerved Ruto seemed to be as she spoke about that.
"But once that's over with, we can finally begin proper preparations for our marriage, my beloved husband!" Ruto said batting her eyes, "Naturally our wedding will also include all your fiances," she took a look over at Saria and smiled softly, "Including you Saria."
"Our wedding..." Saria said blushing, "Thanks Ruto, I never thought I'd get to hear that!"
"Believe me, I know what it's like; Link used to be pretty dim about things like love back when we were children, but Lady Nabooru did a fine job bringing out his inner beast, I'm sure you get what I'm saying." Ruto said with a giggle.
"Y-Yeah..." Saria said, thinking about what they had been doing last night that left her so tired that morning that she slept in.
"Heh, it's been a pleasure and an honor." Nabooru chuckled with a bow, "Mostly a pleasure."
"I think I'm beginning to have more sympathy for the dairy cows at Togau's ranch." Link said sweatdropping as he thought about how much the girls had been going at him at night.
"Hello all, anyone here interested in some flapjacks?" a servant called out, walking in carrying a plate stacked with freshly-made pancakes covered in creamy butter and rich maple syrup.
"Right here please!" Aviel exclaimed holding out her plate, which she was served a sizable amount.
"You want some too, Ruto?" Link asked, already digging into a large stack of his own.
Ruto stared at the stack Link was eating, and the sauce dripping from it. She slowly licked her lips for a bit, before shaking it off and saying, "No thanks, you go ahead and enjoy it!"
"Alright then." Link said, before putting another whole pancake in his mouth.
Ruto picked at a small egg white on her plate as she continued, "So anyway, the rite and your alliance meeting will be about two weeks from now, so you better all prepare yourselves!"
"Trust me Sister Ruto, we're all looking forward to it!" Nabooru said nodding, "Another step towards our goal in meeting with the Hylian Parliament."
"Alright, I'm done!" Aviel said, stacking her plates into a pile, "I think I'm gonna head out into town and pick out a new swimsuit for when we go out to Zora Coast, wanna come with, Saria?"
"Um... I think I already have a good enough suit..." Saria said, only to have her arm grabbed by Aviel.
"Oh just come on, we gotta get you something really nice and sexy to show off to Link!" Aviel grinned, "You wanna go too Nemisa?"
"Why not? I've been meaning to pick out a new suit as well." Nemisa said as she got up and left with Aviel and a reluctant Saria.
"Something tells me I'm going to enjoy this trip." Link chuckled, "Any assignments you got for me today Nabooru?"
"Well there is one thing; I believe there's a certain three ladies who wish to see you over in the maternity quarters." Nabooru said with a smirk.
"Oh... OH!" Link realized, without her even having to tell him, "Alright, I'll go see to that."
"You go on ahead Link, I'm going to talk with Nabooru a little more." Ruto said.
"Alright then." Link nodded and went off.
Once Link was out of the room, Ruto let out a heavy sigh.
"My, there's never a dull moment for Link, is there? To think he's already succeeded in impregnating his three child-bearers. He's been really excited about the day he gets to see his children." Ruto said.
"Yes, though just between you and me, back when we were handling the alliance with the Gorons, we happened to meet with Lady Impa of the royal family's protectors, and there's a good chance that she herself might be carrying Link's seed." Nabooru smirked.
"Lady Impa, you mean Princess Zelda's caretaker?" Ruto gasped, "Oh my, how scandalous!"
"Heh, right?" chuckled Nabooru, "Imagine the lids of the Hylian Parliament flipping if they found out the new Gerudo King already claimed his place within Hyrule Castle, so to speak."
The two girls laughed wholeheartedly at that, until Nabooru soon calmed down and looked at Ruto's breakfast plate.
"So Ruto, is there something we should know about rite of yours...?" Nabooru asked, "Or rather, something your husband-to-be should know...?"
"No... no it's fine..." Ruto said, she stood herself up, "If you don't mind, I need to use the pool to moisturize myself. It's been a pleasure speaking to you, Lady Nabooru."
"Very well, go ahead and enjoy yourself." Nabooru nodded, as Ruto went off on her way, but she stared at the zora walking off, seeming to look slightly dizzy as she moved.
It was then Nabooru looked back over to the plate Ruto had been eating from, seeing that she had only eaten a few pieces of fruit and not much else...
"S-So... this is...?"
"Yes my king, your daughter."
The young Gerudo King Link was in the maternity living quarters of his three royal child-bearers; Ragome, Leivuri and Esolu, meeting with them about the progress of their pregnancies. Link was staring down at the modest bump of Leivuri's belly that she exposed when she moved her silk gown off of it.
The young king slowly placed his hand over the bump, feeling very faint movements from within it. He was astonished at the sensation; this was a new life to be brought into the world, one created by himself and the beautiful Gerudo woman in front of him. As Link's hand brushed gently against the bump, he was filled with a great sense of warmth, and was starting to understand more about Nemisa's fascination with having children of her own with him some day.
"Hee hee hee, that eager look in your eyes is so cute, my king." Leivuri giggled, putting her hands over his own, "I have to thank you, for you're the one who blessed me with this child."
"I'm more then happy to Leivuri..." Link whispered, leaning down and giving her belly a kiss, making the girl giggle, "And I can't wait to see my first daughters come into this world."
"Well I'm glad you and the king are enjoying it Lei." Ragome said, laying back on the pillows, snacking on some food as she rubbed her own round stomach, "I'm bored out of my mind lately; the nursemaids won't let me practice with my spear or anything now that I'm knocked up, so all I'm doing is laying around getting fat from carrying this kid of mine."
The mute Esolu just stared at Ragome, before she flipped through her sketch book and held up a surprisingly detailed sketch she had done a while ago, It was of Ragome cautiously raiding the palace food supply in the middle of the night.
"Heh, sure it's not just cause you're a glutton, Ragome?" Link snickered.
"Wha- how did you draw that without me noticing?!" Ragome shouted, before covering her mouth, realizing she just exposed herself.
"Oh you've been doing things like that long before you became a child-bearer!" Leivuri said in amusement.
"It's okay Ragome, I love my fellow gluttons, and you're eating for more then just yourself now after all." Link grinned, gently patting Ragome's stomach.
"Ah heh heh..." Ragome chuckled, looking away from Link with a light blush, "Don't tease me like that, you're the reason I'm like this now, so you better take responsibility for it!"
"How do you mean exactly...?" Link asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well part of our reason for wanting to seeing you was our pregnancies are getting us pretty horny, if you catch my drift." Ragome said with a suggestive grin.
"Ah, I see..." Link nodded with a grin, as Esolu came up to him from behind, starting to remove his vest for him, Link went ahead removed his belt sash and took off his vest completely, showing his bare chest to the girls, "In that case, I better get started."
"Eep!" Leivuri squeaked, covering her face out of embarrassment, "Y-You're really in the mood to do that with us when we look this way...?"
Link simply answered by pulling Leivuri into a soft kiss, causing her to moan out in pleasure. Esolu came up from behind and started kissing at Link's neck, and he turned to make out with her. Soon Ragome crawled up and started nibbling at Link's ear, and he responded by kissing at her, with his hand rubbing her pregnant bump. It didn't take long after that before the four of them shed all their clothing and Link started to go to work on pleasuring them...
Unknown to the four though, peeking through the door was Ruto, having opened the door just a crack to get a look at Link and the three girls enjoying each other. She gulped a bit as she turned away and closed the door softly so as not to disturb them. Her legs were fidgeting a bit, as she found she was rather turned on by seeing Link go at the three the way he was. Ruto then looked down at her slim and dainty body, running her hand along her stomach, and let out a small sigh.
"But would you be okay with me Link...?" she spoke to herself, before going off on her way.
Two weeks later, the day had finally come, and using the aide of the warp point that led to Zora's Domain, and then from there to Zora Coast, Link and his friends had finally arrived at their destination.
"Wooow, look at it all!" Aviel squealed out.
A gentle tropical breeze blew through the palm trees decorating the area, the ocean waters were flowing gently across white sand, seagulls were flying through the air cawing out, and there were majestic stone formations all around the place that added to the scenery. It wasn't all nature either, there were numerous stands along the shoreline; small stores selling merchandise, restaurants that were frying up various foods, and they could all see a big white shrine off in the distance.
There were Zora everywhere of various kinds, some blue like Ruto, but there were also red, green, yellow and even purple variations. The Zoras all ranged in appearance, some had two fins, some had one, some had bulbous heads like Ruto, and there even some Zoras who didn't have typical legs, but long fish-like lower bodies like mermaids. They were all either laying back on the sand, walking along the shoreline, swimming and jumping though the ocean, there even some Zora children running along playing together and playing on the sand. There were also a small number of Hylians and Gorons walking about the place as well.
"This place is so... cool!" Aviel said with bright eyes, "This beats Lake Hylia any day!"
"This is really nice, I've never been to this area of Hyrule." Link said looking around. Rather then his typical king's clothes, at the moment he was wearing a modest red shirt and white shorts, but he was holding a bag that contained the Zora Master Tunic he had received from Ruto for his birthday.
Alongside the two were Nabooru, Saria, Nemisa, Togau, Dr. Sarami, Reirousa, Kesuta, Korume, as well as a number of other Gerudo that Nabooru had hand-selected as guards and aides for the negotiations they were to make with the Zoras such as her assistant Halei, as well as a small number of Gerudo whom she felt deserved a little rest and relaxation after their hard work, like Reirousa's friend the diner chef Sovan. Nemisa's friend Ifemi was there too, looking around excitedly.
"Well whadda sight! Can't wait to go swimmin'!" Togau said, looking out around the water.
"I'm thinking of checking out those cute stores!" one of the other Gerudo said.
"I want to see what kind of food they prepare here, get some ideas for the menu at the diner!" Sovan said with interest.
"You guys can delegate, shop and swim, I'm gonna go find me a hot Zora hunk!" Ifemi said, leaning forward and putting her hand above her eyes to get a better look at the men in the area.
"You got a thing for fish or somethin'?" Reirousa asked Nemisa's friend.
"Well I haven't had too much luck meeting Hylians, so I thought I'd try something a little different." Ifemi said, looking at two muscular male Zoras walking by, and she licked her lips, "Wish me luck Nemisa!" she said running off after the two guys.
"Uh okay, good luck with that." Nemisa said sweatdropping.
"Does she have a prayer?" Nabooru asked quietly.
"Doubt it, but I admire her enthusiasm." said Nemisa.
"Ugh, I dunno how you guys talked me into coming here, I don't even like this moist weather." Kesuta said, rubbing her hands together to generate some flames in front of her.
"We're doing this for Ruto's sake Sister, so suck it up." Korume said.
"Alright, fine..." Kesuta grumbled.
"Well hello darling, everyone! Glad to see you all arrived just fine!" spoke out a voice, as the group turned to see Princess Ruto walking up to them, accompanied by her bodyguard Zopem, her best friend Luva, and the royal Zora ambassador Oton.
"Look, it's Luva!" Aviel said cheerfully, running up and hugging the green-scaled Zora girl with her bird wings.
"Aviel! It's like, totally awesome to see you again, babe!" the Zora said, hugging her as well, the two of them having developed a bond of sorts during the time Aviel was giving her a guided tour of Gerudo Town back during the Desert Goddess Festival.
"A pleasure to meet you folks again!" Oton said shuffling up to the group, before turning to Link, "So I've been told by Princess Ruto that you're the official Gerudo King now, eh boy?"
"Yeah, that's right. A pleasure to see you again Ambassador Oton." Link grinned, as he bowed a bit to the zora.
"Ga ha ha ha! Seems you've gotten more of a hang of your position! Good for you!" Oton said bowing back, then nudged Link with a snide grin, "So tell me, have you courted any more of these lovely women here?"
"Ambassador Oton," coughed Ruto awkwardly, "Now's not the time for that."
"Hm, so you've arrived." muttered one gruff voice, as everyone looked to Zopem staring down at Link. The two stared at each other for what seemed like some time, giving off a tense stance... that is until the two grinned and shook hands.
"Good to see you again Zopem." Link said.
"The pleasure is mine, King Link." the Zora bodyguard nodded.
"Glad ta see those two gettin' along, I remember they were buttin' heads durin' the Desert Goddess Festival." Togau said.
"Yes Link's come a long way, and he's making a great impact on the neighboring tribes." Nabooru said smiling, "And he's done that not through typical royal training or grooming, but from just being himself."
"So Ruto, what exactly is this rite you were talking about before?" Kesuta asked, "Does it have anything to do with that shrine over there? I'm feeling powerful energy from it."
"That's PRINCESS Ruto to you!" Zopem boomed out to the fire mystic to correct her.
"Meep!" Kesuta quickly hid behind her twin sister.
"Settle down Zopem, she's family." Ruto said rolling her eyes, "The shrine is where I'm going to perform the rite I need to gain the power of a true Zora queen. My current water powers are just a small sample of what I'll be able to do when I'm done!" she spun her finger, conjuring some water around it as she did.
"The mystics are currently preparing for the rite, so until then King Zora has requested that the two of you meet with him to discuss the alliance." Oton said to Link and Nabooru.
"Very well, I've been looking forward to this." nodded Nabooru.
"Um, if it pleases the king, I was wondering if sometime while we're here I could speak with King Zora about relations with my own people as well." Saria spoke up.
"Well aren't you a cute one?" Oton said, "Don't think we've met. Just who are you, King Link's sister?"
"I'm Saria, botanist for the Gerudo, and one of Link's future wives." she said with a bow.
"H-His wife?" Oton asked in confusion.
Zopem stared down at the child-like girl and took in the words she said, then turned to Link with a somewhat disgusted look on his face, "Fiance...? King Link... just what is this about...?"
"She's a Kokiri and my childhood friend, she's over four hundred years old." Link clarified in a flat tone.
"O-oh, I see!" Zopem realized, then did a frantic but polite bow at the waist to Saria, "My apologizes Ms. Saria Kokiri!"
"Uh, it's no big deal." Saria said, waving her hand dismissively, "I get that a lot."
"So you said you want to join the alliance then?" Oton asked the Kokiri.
"Yes, I'd like my people to reach out to different tribes during this time of peace in Hyrule, and I'd like the Zora to ally with us as well!" Saria said.
"Well it's a bit short notice, but I bet I can get Ol' Maweepbutt to fit you into a meeting later!" Oton chuckled.
"...Ol' Maweepbutt?" Nabooru asked with an amused grin.
"Yeah, that's me and the late queen's nickname for King Zora, don't tell him I said so." chuckled Oton.
"Na ha ha, wonder where he got a name like that!" snickered Togau.
Link meanwhile was covering his mouth, doing everything in his power not to burst out laughing, as he had a feeling that nickname came from the strange sound King Zora made back when he scooted out of the way of a passage Link needed to cross on his quest.
"Alright, let's go prepare to meet with Ol' Maweepbutt then, Link!" Nabooru said.
"Okay, you girls all go on ahead and have fun at the beach, alright?" Link said to the others.
"Aw, we wanted ta play with you a little while we're here." Aviel said pouting.
"Don't worry girls, I'll see to it he'll have time for you later before the rite." Ruto said, "I have to go prepare for the rite myself for now. But in the meantime Link, it might be good for you to change into the outfit I got you, I think it would be a good sign of respect to Daddy if you wear it."
"Good idea." Link nodded.
About ten minutes later, Link came out of a changing tent donning his Zora Master Tunic. It fit perfectly on him; the blue cap on his head stuck out long and hung down his back, resembling a Zora head-fin. The bluish-green sequinned vest hugged his body firmly but comfortably. Hanging from the belt were fin-like attachments that were meant to help him swim more effectively. His blue gloves and boots were scaled and jagged backwards, with the ends being webbed and clawed, which Ruto said could be used for close combat if necessary.
"Can't wait to do some real swimming in this!" Link grinned, pulling on the glove and wiggling the fingers to make sure it was secure. He had experience swimming in the palace pool using this tunic, but he was excited about taking it out into the ocean. It gave him good memories of his time in Termina when he used the Zora Mask to swim through the waters of Great Bay.
"Woah, check out the hot stuff!" said a woman's voice, as Link turned to see a few Zora girls all waving to him flirtingly. He just smiled and waved back out of good nature.
"Heya Link, lookin' good!" said another voice, as Link turned and his jaw dropped to see his Gerudo friends and fiances all there in their own swimwear.
Aviel was standing at the front wearing a two-piece with a frilly top, she did a happy little hop that made her pretty big chest bounce, though she seemed oblivious to it.
Nemisa was wearing a more practical black one-piece suit and had one hand resting against her wide hip. She was sporting a modest smirk as she looked Link up and down, amused at how much it made him look like a Zora.
Saria was wearing a modest pink two-piece with frilly edges around the arm and leg openings, as well as a strange colorful plastic tube around her waist. She was clearly embarrassed about wearing a two-piece swimsuit outside of Gerudo Town for the first time, as she was trying to hide herself among the Gerudo girls.
Togau, not being much for fashionable wear, simply wore a loose tanktop and shorts with sunglasses and her straw hat. The left strap of the tank top was hung off her shoulder.
Sarami was wearing a light blue two piece bikini with her usual long white vest worn open over it, as well as topping her outfit with a sunhat and a small pair of sunglasses.
Reirousa had on a surprisingly bold green camo-print two-piece bikini that showed off her bulky figure and her abs, though she was still looking away with a blush on her face.
Kesuta was wearing a skimpy suspender strap swimsuit that wrapped over her shoulders and barely covered her chest, though despite how much she flaunted it she didn't have exactly much chest to show off with it anyway.
Korume herself was wearing a modest beach coat and hat, and holding it together at the top so as not to show anything off to anyone else at the beach.
"So whadaya think, lover-boy?" grinned Togau, "Do we look hot?"
"I'll say you do." Link chuckled, considering himself at that moment to be the luckiest man alive. A good portion of the girls all laughed and giggled to themselves at how much they charmed Link with their outfits.
"Oh my, I'm surprised you would wear something so revealing Reirousa." Sarami giggled, "Are you trying to show off for Link, too?"
"Wha- o-of course not!" Reirousa shouted, "I tried other swimsuits but I'm too big for em, at least this ain't tight on me!"
"Either way, it suits you Reirousa, looks pretty attractive on that figure of yours!" Link nodded.
"S-Shut up or I'm gonna pound ya.. you little dweeb..." Reirousa muttered nervously and quietly.
"Come on Saria, show yours off to him too!" Aviel said, taking the Kokiri by her slim shoulders and pulling her out to the forefront.
"Ehhh... um..." Saria blushed bright red, "It's kind of embarrassing to be wearing it in public with so many other people around like this..."
"Saria-dear, where did you find a swimsuit like that anyway?" Nemisa asked, seeing the cute plastic tube she was holding around her waist.
"Oh, I went to the clothing store in Gerudo Town and asked if I could get something cute to wear, and they picked this out for me." Saria said, tugging on the top.
"You didn't happen to tell them how old you were, did you?" Nemisa raised an eyebrow.
"No, but the clothing lady said the tube can be used to float in the water, and she even threw in this cute plastic bucket and a small shovel for some reason, so I didn't mind." Saria replied, holding up the two items which were made from colorful plastic, "Is something the matter?"
"Never mind." Nemisa sighed, feeling pity on Saria for her overly youthful looks, and hoping there were no Hylian children at the beach wearing anything similar for her to catch on.
"Well it definitely does look cute on you Saria." Link nodded looking her over, particularly her firm rear end, which the tube was resting on in the back, and her bare legs, "It shows off some more of your finer points too."
"Heehee... thanks..." Saria said, putting her hand to her cheek and blushing happily. Thankfully Link was fine with the way she looked, so the girls didn't say anything beyond that about her swimsuit.
"So Link, how about you help us with some sun oil before we all go swimming?" Togau grinned, holding up a bottle, "Put those massaging hands of yer's to the limit!"
"Yeah! Rub us down Link!" Kesuta cheered out.
"Well if you put it that way, how could I say no?" Link asked.
"Steady there tiger, we got a meeting first." spoke up a voice, as everyone looked to see Nabooru, "You girls will have to take care of yourselves for now."
The Gerudo leader herself was wearing a bold two-piece black bikini. The top wrapped around her neck and held up her breasts, but mainly covering the sides of them. Maybe it was because Link was used to seeing her in the nude from all the times they made love together, but he could have sworn that Nabooru had grown at least another cup size or two over the past year or so, and the top did a great job showing them off. She wore a matching red thong tied together at the sides that showed off her nice shapely legs and rear end, as well as a white open shirt that she let hang off her arms rather then on her shoulders. She even had undone her ponytail and let her vibrant red hair cascade down her back and her shoulders. She also wore a pair of sunglasses that currently rested on her forehead.
Link's jaw dropped down, "N-Nabooru, you look.. really..."
"Hot? Naturally." smirked Nabooru, "Now you ready to go meet with the zora king?"
"You're meeting the king dressed like that Nabooru?" Nemisa raised an eyebrow, "Are you hoping to win him over with more then just your negotiations and bargains?"
"Nah, it just feels more comfortable to wear this!" Nabooru grinned, deliberately doing a stretch to show off her physique.
"I think if anything it might distract Link too much." Korume said with an amused grin as she noticed Link's stare, taking a handkerchief to wipe off some drool on his mouth.
"Well come on then, get a move on Link." Nabooru said, snapping her fingers to get him out of his trance, before turning and walking off.
"Yes master." Link sighed after snapping out of his trance. He rolled his eyes and followed after her.
"Poor guy, she's got him on a choke collar." Togau said, then sported a big grin, "Well how about we take his advice and have some fun, girls?"
The others cheered out and headed off to the waters and shores.
"Aaaahhh... this water's even cooler then Lake Hylia..." Aviel said, floating on her back in the ocean water. She flicked at the water a little to feel it on her fingers, then flipping around to submerge her face in. A second later she frantically scrambled around spitting out the water, "BLECK, it tastes terrible!"
"You're not supposed to drink it little birdbrain, it's salt water!" Korume called out from the shoreline. She was sitting with Kesuta, who was draped in a bath towel to keep herself warm and dry.
"Why ain't you goin' in Korume?" Togau asked, "You took to the lake pretty well."
"Lake water is one thing, but ocean water is problematic for me because of the salt." Korume explained, "The two of us are content just resting here on the sand."
"Ugh, speak for yourself, this is boring." Kesuta groaned, "Wanna go shopping instead, sister?"
"Hm, as entertaining as it is to see Aviel learning the fine details of what not to do in the ocean, sure." Korume nodded, the two mystic girls getting up and going off to the seaside stores.
Reirousa was busy floating on her back, staring up into the sky with a mellow, relaxed look on her face. She was so relaxed she didn't notice some seagulls flew down and took up residence on her stomach, perhaps thinking her abs were rocks or something similar. The other girls noticed but didn't bother trying to wake her up so they could see how long it would take Reirousa to see the birds.
"Hey Sarami, how 'bout you joinin' us then?" Togau shouted out to the doctor, who was sitting on a bath towel reading a book.
"Yeah, come on Dr. Sarami! It'll be fun!" Aviel chirped happily.
"I-" Sarami was about to decline, as she was never quite energetic to do such activities in the past, but thought to herself and how over the past year she had been finding more time to get exercise, "Hm... I suppose I could..."
"I say go for it Dr. Sarami," Nemisa called out, "You won't regret it, the water feels divine."
"Fu-fu-fufufu, okay you got me, sweeties!" Sarami said, getting up and removing her vest coat, her voluptuous figure turning the heads of a few tourists, even a female or two, as she delicately walked to the end of the shore where the water was washing in and out.
As soon as Sarami's delicate toes brushed against a small wave, she squeaked out and backed up a bit from how initially cold it was. She looked up nervously to the other girls, who were watching her in anticipation. She gulped a bit and nodded to herself, before slowly and surely walking into the water, each inch she crept sent a small shiver up her body, until she was up to her knees.
"You okay there Dr. Sarami?" Saria asked.
"Yes, it's cold, but I'm sure I'll get used to it." Sarami nodded, slowly moving into the water inch by inch.
"Eh, better to just go in all at once and get it over with." Reirousa said shrugging, as more seagulls were landing down on her body without her knowing.
"Um... I don't know about-" Sarami said.
"Good idea Reirousa!" Aviel said, using her wings to sweep up a bunch of water and blast Sarami with it.
"Kyaaa!" screamed out Sarami, becoming drenched in the ocean water. She stood there blankly before she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance of Aviel, "Oh you little child! How dare yo-"
That was when Sarami's bikini top slipped a bit and exposed her chest to the world, and she quickly covered herself up, "Kyaaa!"
"Dang, those suckers are never not huge." Togau said blankly.
"Don't tell me that top is too small for her..." Saria said with her jaw lowered in surprise.
"D-Don't look! Don't look!" Sarami exclaimed as she frantically tried to adjust her top back into place.
"Eh, sorry...?" Aviel asked, only to get bashed upside the head by Nemisa anyway.
"That was too much you moron!" Nemisa shouted.
"It... it's okay..." Sarami sighed, "I've been too timid about this sort of thing, I guess I do need a motivational push every now and then..."
"Kinda like how Link's been motivating you to get stronger?" grinned Togau.
"Eehh?" Sarami asked, blushing bright red.
"She's right you know." smirked Nemisa, "You've changed greatly since Link came into your life. Of course we all have, but I'm more impressed by you then anyone, doctor. "
"It's... it's not that much..." Sarami muttered.
"Link really means a lot to you, doesn't he?" smiled Saria, "I can understand, he was an inspiration for me to get stronger too!"
Sarami didn't say a word, but folded her arms behind her back as she thought about the past year since Link came into her life. After he convinced her that she needed to be able to relay on others, she was finding more time for herself, allowing her to partake in the simple pleasures of life, and was much more active then before. It helped that Link would often visit to help with tasks, not to mention he was great with some of the patients, especially the asthmatic child Ilite.
Sarami also recalled the blissful looks of Link's royal child-bearers as she gave them their examinations. She had been overjoyed that they were all with child, though at the same time a little jealous...
"Come on Doc, quit daydreamin' and lets have some fun!" Togau grinned, "Ya deserve it after everything you've done fer us!"
"Thank you everyone." Sarami nodded, taking a step forward, when a sudden wave came up and splashed her, causing her top to come off again, "EEP!"
"I suppose it's better for Link's sake that he wasn't here, he wouldn't be able to contain himself." chuckled Nemisa.
"...well, you seem to know what you're talking about, we could definitely use your assistance in those areas."
Link and Nabooru were sitting in a large straw hut on the shoreline, where the leader of the zora people, known as King Hauvir Tijeem Zora, held the meeting. Accompanied by him was some zora servants splashing him with some water to keep his scales moist. Ambassador Oton was also there, serving as a middle-man between the two sides.
"Thank you King Zora." Nabooru said, bowing her head, "We greatly appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, and I hope that this alliance shall benefit both out sides for years to come."
"Given your situation with the banishment, I hope so as well, namely for your sake." King Zora said crossly.
"Ahem, Hauvir." Oton said clearing his throat, refering to the zora king by his first name, "Remember what we talked about!"
"A-Ah yes," King Zora said sweatdropping, "Forgive my manners, but you have to understand we Zora have had a great deal of mistrust in the Gerudo after the previous king Ganondorf manipulated us with his honeyed words, only to then backstab us by cursing our Lord Jabu Jabu to try and claim the Zora's Sapphire. And then of course there was the war your people started to take him back shortly after his capture."
"Trust me when I say that man hurt our own tribe greatly for the sake of his selfish ambitions as well, we were just a bit too complacent for our own good..." Nabooru said, clenching at her folded legs as she spoke, "We're doing everything we can to separate ourselves from him and the actions of our people during the war eight years ago, so that we may live peacefully with the other tribes."
"Hm, yes indeed." King Zora said, then looked to Link, "As for you Gerudo King, I have to admit I was disturbed when my daughter told me that the boy she chose as her future husband to be the new Gerudo King. I also don't know how I feel about my Ruto marrying into a king's harem, but she's quite insistent that she gets along well with your other fiances, and both Oton and Zopem have spoken well on your behalf about it."
"I'd mention that the king greatly admires what you did in saving his daughter and Lord Jabu Jabu from that curse years ago, and of course destroying Morpha at Lake Hylia so we could reclaim the Water Temple." Oton mentioned.
"Hm, yes... but the important question however is if Ruto is as important to you as claimed, or if it's all just a means of forging an alliance with us? We Zoras consider our pride as a vital aspect to our society, and I won't have my beloved daughter being treated as mere seaweed by you." King Zora spoke, narrowing his eyes.
Link paused and looked up at the large Zora. He had known the man since he was a child, but up until about a year ago he never thought he'd find himself meeting with him to get his blessing to marry Ruto. Link just took a deep breath and bowed his head, speaking from the heart, "I promise you King Zora, my love for Ruto comes far before any possible alliance we can have with the Zoras, and I care for her as much as any of my future wives, and when the time comes for her to bear our children, I will care for her and them all as my beloved family."
"You can trust him with that vow, your highness." Nabooru said, "Just as I trusted a Hylian with being our new king, you can trust him as the husband of your daughter."
"...hmph, well said." King Zora admitted, "I shall hold you to that promise, and I'll be keeping my eye on you while you're here. If anything comes between the two of you, then this alliance is done for."
"Thank you, your majesty." Link said.
Ruto meanwhile was standing just outside of the hut, out of eyesight of her father, her fiance and Lady Nabooru. She had heard most of the conversation between the three, and smiled softly at the words Link had said before her father. King Zora had always been rather stubborn, and she was one of the very few with the ability to make him see things in other ways. To see her beloved husband stand up to her father for her sake warmed her heart, he was just as brave and noble as he was when he met her as children.
"Hey Ruto!" spoke up a voice, startling her, she looked to see Link and Nabooru were just walking out of the hut, "Now that the first round of negotiations are over, we were planning to do some swimming, wanna come with?"
"Why of course, I'm done with my rite preparations for now!" Ruto smiled brightly, "But instead of merely just swimming, how would you like to participate in a little competition, the Zora Grand Prix?"
"What's that now?" Nabooru asked.
"It's an annual racing competition we hold here at Zora Coast, and it's just about that time to sign up!" Ruto said.
"Hm, participating in a friendly competition like this would be nice to help boost relations with the Zora." Nabooru suggested.
"Yeah, sounds like fun!" Link grinned, "Think I've gotten the hang of this tunic from our time in the palace pool that I can graduate to swimming in the world's biggest pool."
"Oohohohoho! Very well, but while you may be my beloved fiance, I vow to not lose to you!" Ruto said.
"Bring it then, princess." Link said with his game face on.
Later that day, Link stood beside Ruto, as well as a number of other zora including Zopem, on a small cliffside overlooking the ocean. The ocean itself was littered with large rings down the way to the other side of the beach drifting upright in the water, with two flagpoles at the very end with a black and white checkered sash between them. Watching Link, Ruto and the participates was a number of zora, as well as Nabooru, Aviel, Nemisa, Saria and the other Gerudo. Even King Zora and Ambassador Oton were there.
"Go get em Link!" Aviel called out.
"Send em out ta dry, lover-boy!" Togau shouted.
"Like, stay fresh Ruto!" Luva cheered.
"Been a while since you and I have competed in a contest, huh Zopem?" Link said to the zora bodyguard.
"Indeed, before it was war, but this time it's for sport!" Zopem said, "And I shall defeat both you and Princess Ruto!"
"We'll see about that!" smirked Ruto, "I'll have you both under my foot by the end!"
"How is that any different from any other day?" Link asked jokingly to Zopem, who snickered.
The Hylian and the Zoras all went into position and waited for the signal to start. A zora girl who was hosting the competition held up a strange pufferfish into the air.
"Okay everyone, the rules are simple!" the zora girl said, "You must swim through all thirty five rings on the ocean's surface and then pass through the flag-post goals to win! If you miss a ring then you must turn back for it, and if go onto the beach itself then you're disqualified! Get ready and... GO!"
With that, the zora pulled on the fish's back fin, causing it to swell up and spit out a shot of water that exploded into the air with a loud burst, prompting the racers to dive into the water and start swimming.
Despite this being his first time in the race, Link had plenty of experience in races like it, one notable time back in Termina when he played with some beavers for a prize, so he took to it rather quickly, swimming left and right, avoiding rocks and other racers, and shooting through the rings.
"Woah, look at Link go!" Saria exclaimed, "He's like a real Zora!"
As the race continued, Ruto swam up beside Link at one point, and took a glance at him to see how effectively he was swimming. He took well to the tunic she had crafted for him, and she loved how cute he looked in the zora fin cap...
"Ruto, watch out!" shouted Link suddenly, snapping her out of her trance, as he bumped into her from the side, the two barely missed hitting a sea rock.
"Wha- hey! What was that for?" Ruto exclaimed with a pout.
"You almost hit that rock!" Link pointed out.
"O-Oh, sorry." Ruto realized.
"It's alright, I wouldn't want you to ruin that pretty face of yours." Link grinned, leaning in close to her.
"Ah... hahahaa... Y-You charmer, of course my face is pretty!" Ruto stammered with a bright red face.
"...after all, I want to see the look on that face when I beat you in this contest!" Link then said grinning, suddenly zipping off through the water, leaving Ruto stunned.
"Wha- why you brat!" Ruto said, chasing after him.
Link continued to shoot across the water, spinning and weaving through the rings. At one point Ruto managed to gain some distance over Link, and he saw one ring floating over the water by a suspended balloon.
He watched as a few of the lead Zoras jump out of the water and through the ring, while Ruto herself shot out and did a flip through the air to make it through the ring. She continued to spin in midair, then upon reaching the water again, she bounced off the surface and did a triple spin in midair, before diving back into the water and continuing the race.
Back on the shoreline, as the Gerudo were all excitedly cheering for Link and Ruto, King Zora was sitting back watching the competition with Oton.
Oton mused, "Hm, perhaps the princess would be getting more distance if she wasn't showing off so muc-"
"Yeah!" King Zora exclaimed all of a sudden, standing up and calling out to everyone there, "Did you see that?! That's my daughter Ruto there! Go sweetie!"
"Hauvir, please sit down." Oton said sweatdropping.
Link meanwhile was looking up at the ring as more zora jumped through it, wondering how he could jump that high. It was then he noticed a rock formation nearby that had a slanted look to it, and an idea occurred to him. He turned towards the rock and shot at it with great speed, shooting up it and doing an impressive leap into the air off the rock.
King Zora managed to pull his eyes away from his daughter for a second and looked up with surprise as he saw Link shoot through the air, clearing the ring, before impacting down into the water.
"Hm, he takes to that tunic well." King Zora said.
"Yes, you should have seen him at the Desert Goddess Festival, the Gerudo King learns things like this pretty quickly." Oton said, "He may not be as skilled in royal relations as Ganondorf was, but King Link has him beat in ways that matter far more, namely his drive, and his heart."
King Zora paused and looked down at his old friend, before focusing back on the race. As excited as he was to watch Ruto, he would sometimes check to see where Link was doing as well.
And that ends the chapter. With Link and the group working to unite with the Zoras and Ruto working to become the queen, will everything go swimmingly, or is there something lurking below the tides...?
Thanks you all so much for reading and your support, leave a like, follow or comment at your leisure!