@auroriaes | starter call
Much had changed in the few short weeks following the fall of Calamity. Princess Zelda had proven to be one of the greatest unifiers Hyrule had ever known; the different races of the country had between largely isolated in their respective territories, many linked to one another only by interactions with travelers and informal trade agreements. For the first time in one hundred years, the rulers of each dominion were routinely coming together to piece together the diplomatic relationships that had been lost in Hyrule’s decline.
In the years prior, Riju had never stepped foot beyond the frigid ranges of the Highlands or the dusty pathway that lined Gerudo Canyon, but politics required much travel from her in the present day. She had been gifted her first horse, a spirited mare she had named Drishti, who carried her through the wilderness.
Meetings between the five races took place in the central location of Hyrule Castle in days of yore, but its pending reconstruction pushed them to the Zora Domain; both Death Mountain and Gerudo Town had climates that were much too harsh for the Zora, and the limited spacing in Rito Village could not accommodate everyone.
Though enlivened by her youth and sprightly nature, Riju was unaccustomed to such long and frequent expeditions. She often returned to her homeland weary, but without much time to rest. Her own people were in need of her guidance, and she would always find the time to serve them. They were and always would be of the greatest importance.
After a yet another long conference with the other rulers, the young chief found herself entering the familiarity of the canyon pass to the desert as the afternoon began to wane. On this occasion she was accompanied not by her customary guard detail, but by a friend who also happened to be adept with blade. Riju was thankful, not just for her protection, but for her company. Barring Buliara, she held her tongue around her soldiers, but she was able to speak freely about her troubles with Lucina.
“Sometimes I feel as if every bit of me is being pulled in a different direction,“ Riju murmured, absently stroking Drishti’s mane as they advanced at a leisurely pace. “But I dare not wish for all of this to stop. This is the development Hyrule needs now.” There would come a time when she wouldn’t need to leave home as often, when she could sleep past the blue light of dawn, and conquer the grandest of dunes with her sand seal again. But until then, the time that was meant for the joviality of her girlhood was being seized by her chiefdom.