"Would the wife need to also be royal? Do you avoid having multiple children so succession is clear? What happens if you have twins? What happens if you and your father both die at the same time?"

He's outright frowning now. "Only one of the royal couple needs to be royal... I think it's traditional to avoid lots of heirs, yes... I don't think that happens to Zora... And... Chaos and bad times, in all likelihood."

"It sounds precarious. How big is your advantage over other Zora? How bad would it be if a king died with only an infant child and someone else had to rule for a while?"

"The priests would choose someone. Ah... I don't know all the old lore, but the royal line isn't a biological thing, it's a magical one... I think a new royal line would rise up if we all were lost somehow... Kinda depressing to think about, though, isn't it?"

"I'm glad it's not as precarious as it sounds. At home magic isn't inherited like that at all. So what do you have to do to keep this place running when you're not dealing with an emergency like this?"

"I talk to people and learn what they need and what they want and what they're afraid of! I organize trips to go get things we need or want but don't have any way to make, like luminous stone. I make sure to look for problems people care about but don't think are important enough to bring to the king. I look for people who haven't come back when they were supposed to from a fishing trip or something. Usually they just forgot the time! All sorts of things, really."

"How are you compensated for that? Taxes?"

"In the end, yes. The royal household is paid out of taxes, like many other important services. We try not to live expensively. I fish a lot when there's nothing more important to do, chip in to the food pool... We don't have gaudy treasure all over the house or anything..."

"What's a food pool? What do you mean by gaudy treasure?"

"The poorest of Zora don't have to pay for food! It's sort of a tradition for those who go out fishing and gathering to give a little of what they make to the food pool, where those in need can take it without paying or explaining. Good hunters and fishers who do that a lot get respect and favors! I have a lot of respect for the guys and girls who contribute to it! Like Kara, she likes to go all the way out to the ocean, which is not a fun trip, and get us salt and ocean fish. With salt we can preserve food and have it stored up for emergencies. Very useful."

"That sounds like a kind policy. How far is the ocean from here?"

"The coast is about ten or twenty miles from here. The easiest way is actually further, but we can swim most of the way! We're very quick in the water, you know. Still, it's a tough trip."

"I don't think I've seen anyone here swim at full speed yet and there aren't Zora where I'm from. How strong a swimmer are you?"

"Hah! Time for me to show off!"

He leaps into the water without saying anything more and rockets off.

...Zora are very very fast swimmers. Well, they are pretty fishlike.

He makes a wide circle and leaps out again to land nearby, dripping surprisingly little lake water on the pale stone, and does a little bow.

"I've never seen anyone swim that fast before. Wow. I think back home we have fish that aren't as fast as you."

"Haha! Yes, we Zora are really good swimmers. Helps us catch fish. I'm the fastest swimmer I know, though."

"Where I was born we caught fish with nets and magic. Do you cook your fish? Link cooks but at home we ate fish raw."

"Hey, eating raw food isn't a good idea. There's all kinds of pathogens in it. We cook everything except fish, we don't get sick from those, yes."

"I'd say we're lucky we can sterilize things with magic but you learned cooking so really you're the lucky ones."

"You probably have some cool thing that I don't know to even look for! Different environments and cultures mean we learn different things!"

"If only travel were possible more often, we could have trade. ...Uh. And monsters. You know what, I think I'm okay with missing out on those."

"Yes, monsters are dangerous. They got a lot worse after the Calamity. Ganon's influence is much less bound, now... I'm sure Link will be able to seal him again with Goddess Hylia's aid, but it's still worrying."

"Was there any warning? Would I know if there were something equally terrible waiting to happen where I'm from?"

"There was a prophecy. There were-" He pauses. "Four great champions, a princess holy, a hero great. Mipha. My elder sister. She was one of them. They were prepared to fight Ganon's inevitable return. They were worried and anxious and the kingdom was prepared for war. But Ganon seized control of mechanical monsters, the Guardians, and the Divine Beasts. There were a lot of battles... I was too young to fight properly, then, but I saw most of it. Things calmed down after the first big rush. We all thought Ganon was defeated when the Guardians stopped attacking. Link told me he's just... Paused."

"Prophecy? I'm not sure I know what that means."