Princess Ruto

"Princess Ruto has gone to the temple of Lake Hylia and has not come back... I'm so worried...again!"

- King Zora

Princess Ruto is primarily considered as Princess of the Zoras, Sage of the Water Temple, and, temporarily, Link’s fiancée.

Biography
It is unknown how old Ruto is or when she was born, although it appears that she is the same age as Link in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Going by that assumption Ruto would be around ten in the past and around seventeen in the future. Ruto is the daughter of King Zora, and is also in charge of feeding Lord Jabu-Jabu, the guardian deity of the Zora race. While feeding a customary fish to Jabu-Jabu, Ruto was swallowed whole by the water god. Apparently, Ruto was used to this, as according to her she had been exploring Jabu-Jabu's belly ever since she was younger, but eventually, while she was swallowed, Ruto managed to lose the Zora's Sapphire (the Spiritual Stone of Water) within Jabu-Jabu's belly. Not only that, but Ruto noticed strange and hostile creatures that had taken root within the innards of Jabu-Jabu.

Shortly after, a letter in a bottle, written as a plea for help pertaining to Ruto's current whereabouts, was eventually carried down to Lake Hylia. At one point, Link, still just a boy, dove into the waters of Lake Hylia and came across the bottle and the note inside. Showing the note to King Zora, Link gained access to Zora's Fountain, where he used a fish to be swallowed by Jabu-Jabu. There Link met Ruto. At first the Zora princess was angry at someone coming to her rescue, but eventually Link was able to reunite Ruto with the Zora's Sapphire and then defeated the evil that was plaguing the insides of the water deity. Outside in Zora's Fountain, Ruto remarked how "cool" Link was and gave him the Zora's Sapphire. However, in Zora culture, the stone is considered as an engagement ring. And so, the Zora princess proposed to Link, who, unknowingly accepted.

Imprisoning War
As Link slept in the Chamber of Sages for the next seven years, Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to spread his evil reign all across Hyrule. In order to prevent the legend of the Hero of Time from coming true, Ganondorf decided to eliminate the possibility of a Sage of Water, by creating Morpha, a great evil that stayed within the sacred Water Temple. As long as Morpha remained in the Water Temple, a great curse would befall the Zora race. And indeed, it did. Zora's Domain was completely frozen, and its inhabitants trapped beneath between thick, magical sheets of ice. However, the mysterious young Sheikah, known as Sheik, managed to save the Zora princess, Ruto, who had grown into a fine young woman. Ruto raced to the Water Temple to defeat the evil curse and save the Zoras.

After the war
Then the Hero of Time awakened. When Link raced to Zora's Domain, and saw the ice that covered it, Sheik taught Link the song known as the “Serenade of Water”. With this song, Link could warp to the entrance to the Water Temple in Lake Hylia (which was nearly drained, due to the evil in the temple). Upon entering the Water Temple, Link found Ruto, who told him her mission in the sacred place. Eventually Link was able to defeat Morpha, awakening the Sage of Water, who was, not surprisingly, Ruto! After granting Link the Water Medallion, Ruto remained in the Chamber of Sages with the other Sages, until she was needed to help the other six Sages sealed Ganon within the tainted Evil Realm. Once the evil king had been imprisoned within the realm, Ruto returned to Hyrule with the other Sages and watched the people of Hyrule celebrate joyfully over Ganon's defeat.

In the Manga
In the manga, during the childhood chapters, Ruto got swallowed by Jabu-Jabu on purpose because the husband her father presented was not acceptable to her. She gave Link the Zora Sapphire out of her new-found feeling for him after he saved her life. She has a huge crush on Link, and truly believes that they are meant for each other.

Other games
In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, there is a town called Ruto. As such, Ruto's name was purposely done by the creators as a nod to past Zelda games. However, from historian’s point of view, since it is assumed that The Adventure of Link happens long after Ocarina of Time, the towns were named after the Sages.

In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask there is a Terminan counterpart of Princess Ruto called Lulu. The main difference between Princess Ruto and Lulu is that while Ruto is naked, Lulu wears a blue dress.

Ruto also has a minor appearance in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. She is represented as the Sage of Water on a stained-glass window in the chamber where the Master Sword rests inside Hyrule Castle. Also, Laruto is the ghost of a Zora sage that may have some connection to her.

In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, it's assumed that Ruto (or her successor) is the sage that Ganondorf kills just before being sent to the Twilight world, because the sage is seen wearing the Water Medallion.

In Phantom Hourglass, there is also a treasure that Link can aquire named the Ruto's Crown. Obviously this makes a reference to Princess Ruto.