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As a prince, a lot of things were expected of Lance. He was the youngest of five, but that didn’t automatically discount him from taking the throne. So most of Lance’s childhood days were spent learning about the world around him, playing with his (many) friends, and - when he was a bit older - going through rigorous combat training.
Many outsiders visited Zora’s Domain - tourists, merchants, adventurers, and everything in between. Lance didn’t blame them. The city and surrounding area was very beautiful. Almost everything in Zora’s Domain - from buildings, to roads, to the ornate palace nestled in the back of the city, against the waterfall - was made out of a special kind of stone that shone with a soft, blue light, regardless of what time of day it was. But of the four other races that lived in the diverse land of Hyrule, Lance had only seen three of them with his own two eyes.
The small denizens of the kingdom of Altea who lived in the center of Hyrule, characterized by their pointy ears and glowing body marks, were the most frequent visitors to the Domain. For how small the Alteans tended to be, they were very adaptable and very curious by nature. A few Altean merchants visited the Domain almost monthly, and despite their radically different looks and beliefs, Lance always liked chatting with them.
A few of the Gerudo came to trade in the Domain as well, though they were a lot less common. Every pure-blooded Gerudo was born a woman, and men were forbidden from entering their (supposedly) beautiful desert city. When Lance was younger, he often thought this was unfair, but now that he was older, he understood that even if it was unfair, he had to respect other’s cultures. Despite their strict rules regarding men being allowed in their hometown, the Gerudo Lance met were always funny and willing to tell him stories of their travels. They didn’t like the “cold” of Zora’s Domain, but they claimed the city was worth it.
The huge, tough-skinned Gorons lived just north of Zora’s Domain, on the slopes of the volcano known as Death Mountain, but very few every actually travelled south to visit their fish-like neighbors. Lance had only ever met a handful of Gorons, but they were a cheerful, kind race. At first, Lance had been scared of their immense size and strength, but very few ever raised their voices above the occasional jovial shout, and Lance made fast friends with the few merchants or tourists that visited.
Lance had never met a Rito, however. Rito hated water, he was told, and even if Zora’s Domain was easy to reach from the air, the frequent rains and small rivers running through the city’s streets was more than enough to keep them away. Lance had thought it was, again, unfair, once upon a time, but as with most of his childish tantrums, he slowly began to understand that their decision was logical, and indeed, it was genuinely dangerous for a Rito to get their feathers wet. So while he was always curious to see what an actual Rito looked like (rather than constantly staring at the artistic recreations of ancient Rito murals), he understood why he never did.
Well, not until whisperings of a great Calamity began to reach his ears. Not until the Princess of Altea herself came riding to his humble city, begging for his help. Not until he stumbled across a great, mechanical beast slumbering under the deep waters of the reservoir and realized, with a start, that it had been the one calling out to him in his dreams. Not until he set out with the Princess Allura to find the other Champions and Divine Beasts with only a vague idea of what his new job was and a lot of doubt that he’d be able to actually do what the princess expected him to.
One of the other things Lance had learned about when he was a child was the concept of courting and marriage. Alteans had the loosest set of courting rules, almost tied with the Gorons, but the Rito had the strictest. Each present had to fit a general theme, and it was very easy to tell when a Rito wished to court you. At least, that’s what Lance had been told. He still had yet to meet one, though he supposed if Vah Medoh really was to take a Rito Champion, he might meet one soon.
The Zora, meanwhile, were somewhere in the middle. They had a few staple courting features, but it wasn’t uncommon for someone to completely forego the suggested gifts to do something unique and amazing for their beloved. The armor, however, was a must for members of the royal family, like Lance.
Now, the Zora were not very keen on war - none of the races were anymore - but every member of the royal family had to know how to protect themselves. One never knew when they would be in danger, and after a very famous Zora queen unknowingly saved her husband by making a special set of armor imbued with her love - and one of her scales - it became tradition for every member of the royal family to present their beloved with a special set of armor made and fitted just for them.
When Lance was a child, he often fantasized about making this armor for his own beloved, one day. Even if he was destined to never take the throne, perhaps that wouldn’t bother his beloved. Perhaps they would want him to make them his armor anyways, and he could finally put all his smithing lessons to work. He wasn’t much of an artist, but that didn’t stop him from sketching out designs from time to time. Even now, as he was reaching the age of an adult, he still caught himself idly doodling a vague frame and the sleek, but strong armor that would protect his beloved.
If you had told Lance, even just a few years ago, that his beloved would turn out to be a Rito, he would probably blink in disbelief. How could his beloved be a Rito when he knew barely anything about them? And if you had told Lance after meeting Keith that Keith would be the specific Rito he would fall for, he would double over, cackling and thinking you were quite mad.
But love worked in strange ways. Although the first few months after their meeting was filled with a lot of shouting, snide comments, insults, and tension (romantic or otherwise, Lance honestly couldn’t tell), they soon started a tentative friendship. That tentative friendship soon lost any hesitancy and quickly became a blood bond, one forged by strict training and many vulnerable moments, usually shared in the private dark, when sleep loosened their tongues and anxieties.
Lance found his mindless doodles suddenly filled with Keith, Keith, Keith. He found little excuses to give the black-and-red feathered Rito small gifts: seashells he found when visiting the Domain or one of Hyrule’s many beaches, a dagger bought from a Gerudo merchant when Pidge finally let them visit Kara Kara Bazaar a day’s ride outside of Gerudo Town, countless handmade meals made with Keith’s peculiar dietary restrictions in mind, and many small things in between.
Keith reciprocated with similar, small gifts, though he was always a lot more awkward and nervous when giving his. It started out as Lance confessing he was getting homesick, one particularly long stint away from Zora’s Domain, and Keith approaching him the next night with a traditional Zora dish made with armored carp and crab. Lance had nearly cried as he ate it, and Keith’s feathers had puffed up slightly in embarrassment, but he nodded awkwardly when Lance had thanked him sincerely and didn’t leave until long after Lance had finished his meal.
Maybe if Lance had paid more attention to the courting rituals of other races instead of so much on the Zoras’, he might’ve realized what was going on a lot sooner. Yes, he knew perfectly well that all his little gifts could technically be taken as courting gifts, but he knew how little Keith knew about the outside world and told himself that Keith would never find out. And as much as Pidge and Hunk and Shiro and Allura all scolded and teased him for being so painfully overt with his advances, he knew none of them would tell Keith themselves.
(He did, however, keep an eye on Hunk. The Goron was wonderful, the best friend one could ask for, but he was also a horrible gossip. Lance had a mini heart attack whenever he spotted Hunk talking with his Rito beloved, but so far, Hunk had managed to keep his lips sealed.)
He couldn’t tell you when he started wondering about Keith’s measurements, or how he would have to modify the armor to fit a Rito’s vastly different frame. He couldn’t tell you when he started researching opals and sapphires, wondering if the magical gems could really help a Rito swim. He couldn’t tell you when he started sneakily trying to measure Keith’s clothing, trying to find out how long he’d have to make the arms or how large he’d have to make the collar.
But he knew that the next time he went home, he spent almost the whole time in the blacksmith’s shop. The elderly Dento, who oversaw Lance’s work, had obviously noted the vastly unique design, but he kept his questions to himself and never told anyone anything about Lance’s beloved. Lance’s own family, though they tried and tried, never got a word out of him either. Every time they asked about his beloved, Lance just blushed slightly and murmured that they would meet them one day, when they and Lance were ready.
The armor sat heavy in Lance’s bag for many weeks afterwards. Every time Lance thought he worked up the courage to give it to Keith, fear choked him. Keith would blink too slowly or the light would reflect of his sleek feathers just right or he’d show off during training, and Lance would be left with no breath in his lungs or explanation for why he was standing there, gaping like a trout.
The day Lance finally worked up the courage to give Keith his final courting gift, it was raining. Actually, scratch that: it was practically monsooning. Lance loved the rain with all his heart, but none of his other companions shared his sentiments. The constant dry, hot climates of Death Mountain and Gerudo Desert meant that neither Hunk nor Pidge were very used to (or fond of) the rain, and while Allura and Shiro were a lot more used to it, being Alteans, they had quickly been soaked and begun to shiver.
Keith, however, was practically seething. The Rito hated the rain like the Zora hated dry weather, and Keith was quickly getting stir-crazy even after only a few hours of being stuck inside the Castle of Lions.
Lance found him huddled by a fire in the corner of the dining hall, scowling and glaring out the window like the drops running down them had personally offended him. Lance would have found it funny if his heart wasn’t panging sadly. Lance loved the rain and water like he loved little else, but his own beloved despised it. He understood why, but the idea that Keith would never be able to share his fondness for cool lakes and lapping waves and gathering clouds broke his heart a little.
Maybe that’s what finally prompted him to give Keith the armor. He was dripping wet from having stood outside for the past hour, just letting the rain splash all over his smooth scales, and he felt slightly bad about all the dark looks the servants were shooting him as he padded inside the castle with a trail of water following him.
Keith looked up when he heard Lance approach, and Lance felt his stomach lurch slightly as he watched Keith’s expression clear. Then, suddenly, his violet eyes were narrowing, and he grumbled, “You’re wet.”
Lance laughed quietly and turned to a nearby servant. “Sorry, may I trouble you for a towel?” he asked. The words were barely out of his mouth before one was being practically shoved at him. He carefully began rubbing the water off of his scales and sat down on the stone floor next to Keith’s chair.
“Better?” he asked, looking up at the other with a grin that showed off his sharp teeth. If Keith was bothered by the sight, he didn’t let it show.
“No,” he snorted softly, a small grin creeping onto his face. “But I think the servants will be less inclined to murder you now. What were you thinking, standing outside in this storm?”
“I’m a Zora,” Lance explained with a laugh. “If water bothered me, I would have died a long time ago of parched skin.”
Keith shook his head slightly and looked back at the window, his glare returning. “I can’t understand your love of the water,” he murmured. “I suppose I get that you need it to survive; the Zora are an aquatic species after all... But to a Rito, water is basically a death sentence. A little bit is... I hesitate to say harmless, but it’s not terrible. But a storm like this is deadly. If someone was unlucky enough to get caught in it…” He shuddered. “I hope no one did…”
Lance frowned and was quiet for a long moment. Keith was too, his eyes tracing the drops of water as they sped down the windowpane. He didn’t look away even as Lance shifted and brought out the carefully-wrapped package he’d retrieved from his room not long after coming inside.
“This…” Lance cleared his throat quietly and tried again when his voice caught. “This is for you. I thought… I thought it might help.”
Keith finally looked down as Lance placed the weighty gift down on Keith’s lap. He frowned and glanced at Lance, even as he began to hesitantly open it. “What is it?”
Lance chuckled slightly and smiled at him, fondness no doubt almost sparkling in his eyes. “The whole point is that you open it and find out,” he teased. “Ah, but no. I guess it requires some explanation.”
Keith’s eyes widened as he finally revealed the stack of armor and accompanying accessories inside the package. He lifted the intricate, silver circlet with delicate, careful fingers (feathers?) and gawked at the sparkling sapphires inlaid in it. “I--” he choked, but no other words followed.
Lance felt his heart leap up into his throat, his fins fluttering nervously. “T-that’s a sapphire circlet,” he explained dumbly. “It’s enchanted so that whenever you wear it, you won’t get overheated. I know you get hot really easily cause of your feathers. I thought it might help more than just constantly scarfing down Hunk’s cooking. N-not that I blame you, though.” He laughed weakly. “I just... for when he’s not around or whatever…”
Keith glanced at him for a moment before putting the circlet aside, treating it with extreme care. He unfolded the armor next, his eyes widening impossibly more. “Is this--?”
“It’s armor,” Lance explained quickly. “B-but not just any armor. It’s enchanted, l-like the circlet, so that when you wear it, your feathers won’t get wet, no matter what! The opals would also help you swim faster. The silver is just there to look pretty, though.”
Keith blinked slowly and looked at Lance again. For once, Lance couldn’t read his expression. Normally, the dude was an open book. Despite Rito not having the same facial muscles as most of the other races, they always had little tells: they couldn’t blush, but their feathers puffed up slightly, and most Rito had trouble meeting your gaze. Keith especially found it hard to make eye contact while embarrassed, and his feathers puffed up drastically.
But right now, Keith’s feathers were smooth and flat, just like always. His eyes had no trouble staring right into Lance’s, and his shoulders were relaxed. His eyes were slowly narrowing, and Lance’s heart gave an anxious flutter. Was this a good expression or a bad one? He had no way of telling.
“Wait here,” Keith said suddenly, carefully gathering up his gift and standing. He was gone before Lance could remember how to speak, and Lance was left awkwardly crouching next to the chair he’d been in just a few seconds ago.
Lance sighed and finished drying himself off as he waited for Keith to come back. Was his reaction a good one? A bad one? Lance honestly couldn’t tell. He always thought he could read the Rito like the back of his hand, but then something like this would happen, and Lance was reminded that Keith was still very much an enigma.
It seemed take eons, but eventually Lance heard the doors to the dining hall swing open again. He looked up, hopeful, and his jaw dropped as he watched Keith walk towards him.
Lance had been forced to make a couple changes to the armor’s design to make it suitable for Keith’s wings and tail feathers, but other than the shorter sleeves, missing gauntlets, and small slit between the tunic and greaves to allow his feathers to rest comfortably, he looked every bit the part of a royal Zora’s beloved.
It took Lance an embarrassingly long amount of time to put his jaw back where it belonged and notice that Keith was holding something in his hands. It was a package, made of simple white paper and a beautiful, purple ribbon. The ribbon was tied rather messily and there was a small rip in the paper already, but Lance’s heart skipped a beat anyways.
Keith held it out to Lance wordlessly. Lance took it carefully, trying to keep his sharp, pointed nails away from the small rip, but the ribbon proved to be a bit hard to untie. “Just rip it, I don’t care,” Keith said after an awkward few seconds struggling to figure out how to untie the knot in the ribbon.
“I don’t want to,” Lance sniffed as he hooked a fingernail in the knot and began to carefully pull it apart. “I want to keep the ribbon. It’s pretty.”
“The gift is inside,” Keith laughed quietly. “It’s not the ribbon. That’d be a pretty shitty gift.”
Lance paused and looked up. “It’s a gift?” he asked, trying to keep his face from heating up.
“Of course,” Keith snorted. The tips of his mouth were quirked upwards in a fond smile. “What else would it be?”
“I don’t know,” Lance mumbled, looking down in embarrassment. The knot was a good distraction from Keith’s unusually soft expression. “I don’t usually get gifts unless it’s my birthday or a holiday or something.”
“Well, it shouldn’t have to be a special day to give you a gift. If I want to give you a gift, I’m going to.”
Lance laughed quietly and glanced up briefly as the knot finally began to loosen and the ribbon came undone. “I never said you couldn’t. I just said it was odd.”
Keith shrugged and watched silently, smiling that same soft smile, as Lance carefully set aside the ribbon and unfolded the paper to see what was inside. He gasped and began taking his gifts out and holding them up to the light.
“You weren’t the only one who was making outfits,” Keith finally said. “I know you hate being cold. So I made you this.”
“This” was a small circlet, much like the one he’d made Keith, but made with gold and rubies instead. Two familiar feathers had been attached on either side of the circlet: sleek and oil black but for the deep red at the fringes. They were perfectly formed and could have only been plucked (probably painfully) from Keith’s healthy feathers.
“These are… these are flight feathers,” Lance whispered, brushing his fingers against the silky soft feathers. He looked up at Keith. “You plucked them. I thought flight feathers don’t grow back when they’re plucked.”
“They don’t,” Keith confirmed, but he didn’t say anything else. His expression hadn’t changed. How could he be so calm? Lance had felt like he was going to explode when giving Keith his courting gifts.
If these even were courting gifts. Clothing was intimate in every culture - it took a while to make, regardless of how talented you were, and it required you to memorize someone’s exact measurements. It was often the final courting gift someone gave, right before things got serious and talks of marriage began to spring up. If this wasn’t a courting gift, Lance didn’t know what it was.”
“There’s more,” Keith chuckled, gesturing. “It’s not just the circlet. That’ll keep your head warm, but it wouldn’t do much else.”
Lance set the circlet down and carefully held up the next part of his gift - a heavy tunic made out of impossibly soft feathers and thick, brown wool. More of Keith’s feathers had been arranged on the shoulders, almost like miniature pauldrons, and the sleeves flared out below his elbow so they wouldn’t irritate the decorative flippers on the backs of his forearms. A small red sash with white, geometric patterning, hung from the thin belt, and Lance noticed with a small, surprised snort that the back hem of the tunic had been made to look like a Rito’s tail feathers.
The pants were made out of wool as well, cream-colored with more geometric designs, this time in sky blue and bright orange. More down feathers lined the insides of the pants and the thick, knee-high boots that would protect Lance’s feet from the snow.
“It should fit, but if it doesn’t, tell me and I can fix it,” Keith said, still casual. “Do you mind trying it on to make sure?”
Lance found it very hard to speak, and he struggled to fold the clothes neatly. “I… Keith, is this--?”
“Yes,” Keith interrupted, and he finally sounded just as breathless as Lance felt. He looked up, and the small smile had turned into something beautiful and blinding. Keith suddenly kneeled down in front of Lance and took his free hand in both of his own. “Prince Leandro Sidon Doreph of the Zora, would you do me the honor of accepting my offer of courtship?”
For a second, Lance couldn’t talk. Suddenly, though, he blurted out, “How do you know my full name?”
Keith’s blinding smile turned into a playful glare. “Lance. Please. More important stuff at hand.”
Lance couldn’t help it. He started laughing. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his whole body shaking with it. Joyful tears threatened to slip from his eyes. After a second, Keith joined in, and soon, the two lovestruck Champions were holding each other tightly and laughing. Despite Lance’s best efforts, a few tears slipped down his cheeks anyways.
“Yes,” he finally managed. His voice was quiet and choked but firm and absolute. “Yes. Goddesses, Keith, I have had literal dreams about this.”
Keith rested his forehead against Lance’s, his eyes closing. It was the Rito’s version of a kiss, and Lance returned it without hesitation. “Words cannot express how happy I am,” Lance admitted, tears now flowing freely. He sniffed and opened his eyes so he could look at Keith again. “I feel like I’ve loved you forever.”
Keith laughed and pulled away. “Even when we first met?”
“Maybe it wasn’t love then,” Lance admitted sheepishly. “But I admired you even then. I still do. And now that admiration has slowly changed to something even deeper. I wouldn’t trade all the moments I have with you for anything.”
“Even the unpleasant ones?” Keith asked, his smile dropping into something wary and guarded. It was a look he hadn’t seen directed at him in a while.
“Especially the unpleasant ones,” Lance assured without hesitation. “I will accept you in all your moments. You have nothing to fear from me. Just as I know I have nothing to fear from you.” He paused, then smiled teasingly. “Well, okay, maybe I’m a bit afraid of your sword skills. But can you blame me? You could probably challenge the Calamity itself to a duel and win.”
Keith snorted and began laughing again. “You’re an idiot,” he chortled. “I can’t believe I fell in love with an idiot.”
“Hey, I might be an idiot, but I’m your idiot,” Lance said, scooting a bit closer and wrapping his arms loosely around Keith’s neck. “And who’s fault is it that you fell in love with me anyways?”
“Yours,” Keith answered immediately. His hands found their home on Lance’s hips, and if he noticed his gift awkwardly smooshed between them, he didn’t let it bother him. “If you weren’t so charming and perfect, I wouldn’t have fallen for you.”
Lance laughed and rested his forehead against Keith’s, his cheeks warm. “Samurai.”
“Idiot,” Keith returned, staring into Lance’s eyes. He said something in the ancient Rito tongue, and while Lance didn’t understand a single word of it, he had a pretty good idea of what it meant.
“Yo también te quiero,” he whispered back.