Ah... I have mentioned I am the Sage of Water, correct? In Hyrule there are temples for the sages of Hyrule -- the Temples of the Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, and Spirit... along with the Temple of Time, in which the Triforce was hidden. It is said that the Water Temple, hidden in the depths of lake Hylia, was created by my ancestors when the world was young.

[The next part sounds almost like a recital] In the beginning, there were three great, golden goddesses, all of which had a powerful force representing them. Din, the keeper of power, created the vast lands of Hyrule with her powerful control of earth hand fire. Farore, the goddess of courage, then breathed with a gentle yet mighty wind life into this desolate land that Sin had created. It was then Nayru, the goddess of love, who with a wave of her hand created the laws that would govern this world, such as the mighty waters of the world. And to the supposed firstborn of this new world, who would become the Hylains of my time, they gave an artifact of untold power... the Triforce. With the Triforce in hand, any wish could be granted, and the entire fate of the world could be changed.

[She pauses, and then, in a far less practiced tone...] Naturally, over the centuries, many conflicts came into play over the Triforce, and to combat these threats, there came to be the ancient sages of Light, Shadow, Fire, Water, Spirit, Forest... and Time. The worst of all of these conflicts over the Triforce took place in the glory days of my father, in which the entire world was taken by the flames of war. It was the efforts of the current Hylian king which sealed the Triforce way... however...

Such things cannot remained sealed. He was a fool to trust that man.

It was originally a thing of great joy, the stories say. In the beginning, there was much prosperity, before the many peoples of the world splintered into the tribes that now exist -- the Gorons, the Koriki, the Guredo, and of course my beloved Zora tribe. I suppose it was... inevitable, in a way. [She closes her eyes, and then, slowly...] I believe that the goddesses consider it something of a test. For even when the Evil King took control of the Triforce, it was not all bound to him -- the Triforce fractured. The Triforce of Power was indeed his, but Wisdom was given to the Princess of the Hylians and Courage to my... to the Hero of Time, as he will become known. [And now she'll open her eyes with one of her grave looks]

Link, the hero, awoke us sages. At the time, only the Sage of Light, a true relic of the past, was awake. In activating the temples and finding the medallions stored within, we -- I -- inherited what I was always meant for.

I would think it's more of a test of our own wills. In the times I was born into, we needed to give our all and then some to defeat the Evil King. But... [A sigh] I do agree it seems far too heavy of price.

But as to my inheritance... [There's no canon on this aisde from inferences, but I got a complicated little theory, so bear with me] It was a complicated thing to explain, but perhaps the simplest way to put it is that I was awoken to the fact I am... more than Princess Ruto of the Zora tribe. The spirit of the Sage of Water, that is to say all the mortal bodies of that sage which have come before me, I am all of them... and I will be any and all of my successors into the future.

Yes... My people, in the past, were drawn into conflicts. Though for many years we tried to remain isolated, peaceful. The Evil King, with his knowledge of the potential that a sage would be born of the Zora Tribe... could not allow that. [There's a long pause, and then...] He put a curse on us. The entire Zora Domain became coated in thick ice, and all of my people were trapped under it. I escaped due to assistance by the last of the Sheikah, Sheik.

And yes, I believe that would be the simplest way of putting it.

It is more the fact we are isolated. The only Hylians to be allowed in the Zora Domain were those who bore the symbol of the royal family. The Guredo are thieves, and live in the distant sands of the desert in the far western region. The Gorons live high atop Death Mountain. The Koriki are, to most, little more than myth as they live in the shadow of the Great Deku Tree deep in the southern forests. And the Sheikath... well, they are almost extinct. I know of only two remaining members of that tribe.