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Chapter Text

From the very day he was born, Revali knew who he was meant to be. 

“A bow!” he screeched excitedly, on the first day of his fifth year of life. It was a gift, given to him by his father. His mother sat disapprovingly in the corner, although she smiled lightly when Revali ran to her to show off his present. 

He heard them talking that night. He was up late, new bow tucked beside him in bed with his father's promise to practice archery in the morning. He was too excited to sleep, and so he listened to them speak quietly around the fire. 

“You know how I feel about this, my love. It is too dangerous. He is too young.”

His father huffed. “He will be fine. The thing is merely a toy, and you know how badly he wants to be a warrior.”

“He is a fledgling.”

“And he is our son. We are meant to make him happy, are we not?”

“It's too dangerous,” his mother said again. 

Revali shut his eyes tightly and hugged his bow to his chest. “Goodnight,” he whispered to it, willing his dreams to be of him, wielding his bow against a great beast. He fell asleep soon after.

➹

He and his father began to practice Revali’s archery twice a day, once in the early morning before his father went to guard the main bridge, and once when he got home, before his mother prepared dinner. His father said that Revali’s skills were great for his age, and Revali beamed with pride each time he hit a target. He had yet to hit any sort of live creature, they were still too quick, although he had gotten close quite a few times. 

“When you manage to kill something, we’ll take it home to your mother so that she can make supper out of it.”

“Really?” cried Revali. A flock of birds flew away from the tree that stood next to them, their casual leisuring obviously soiled by Revali’s loud shrieking. 

His father chuckled, and brought down a wing to ruffle the feathers on top of his head. “Yes, although you will have to learn to be quiet while you are hunting. Crying out can alert your prey about where you are. Hunters move in silence.”

Revali’s eyes were wide as he nodded. “Okay. I understand,” he said, still entirely too loud. 

His father chuckled again and pointed ahead. “Go, son. Hit the target.” 

Revali stood straight, pulled back the string of his bow, and did. 

➹

Months after he had gotten his bow, he overheard some of the older Rito talking. 

“My dad says it’s near Coldsnap Hollow. It’s called a Frost Talus.”

Revali brought his lunch to their table, so that he could hear better. 

“Well I heard that the chief is gathering warriors to go and fight it.”

”What is it?” Revali asked, curiosity getting the better of him. 

One of the Ritos looked over at him before leaning down. His voice was dark as he spoke, in an obvious attempt to frighten Revali. “It’s a giant monster. It freezes anything in its path, and apparently it’s already killed three Hylians this season.”

Revali leaned back. He felt the feathers on the top of his head droop down. The monster sounded scary. 

“It’s over at Coldsnap Hollow. You know where that is, don’t you?” Revali nodded. “I heard that especially likes to kill Rito. Maybe he’ll make his way to the village and freeze us all.”

Revali gasped, both wings coming up to cover his beak. 

”Stop it, you’ll scare him. He’s only a fledgling.”

”I am not!” Revali cried. His wings dropped to his sides and curled into tight balls. “I’m a warrior.”

The older Rito stared at him, and both began to laugh at his claim. 

Revali huffed and grabbed his soup bowl, stomping away in fury. 

Their cackling continued behind him, but Revali paid them no mind. He quickly finished up his lunch and ran back home to prepare for his practice that night. He’d managed to shoot a rabbit, a tiny little thing, and the meat was nearly ruined as Revali had shot it through its stomach, but his father praised him nonetheless. They cleaned it off and brought it back home to be cooked. The small portion was just enough for Revali to be filled, and he felt like a king while he ate the dinner that he had caught himself. 

“Your son is going to be one of the greats, my dear,” his father said to his mother that night around the fire.

”Not just one of the greats. The greatest!”

His mother smiled and shook her head, opening up her arms for him to climb into. Revali sat on her lap as she wrapped her wings around him. 

“Well, great warrior. It is past the time for you to go to sleep so… go to sleep!”

Revali giggled as his mother nipped at the top of his head with her beak, trying to wriggle out of her grasp all the while. 

It became Revali’s fondest memory, and it would remain so for a very long time. 

➹

The next morning, his father did not wake him up early to go practice. He had to be on guard for the early morning shift today, so Revali spent all morning pestering his mother about bringing him to practice. 

“I won’t even shoot a rabbit, mother! I’ll just hit the targets, I promise.”

After a few hours, she relented, and Revali was climbing on her back, bow and arrows clutched in his grasp as she took off. 

They flew for more than a few minutes. Revali directed his mother to go this way and that before they finally landed in the middle of Coldsnap Hollow. 

“This is where your father takes you to train?” his mother asked skeptically. Revali was already off her back and flapping around the area. “I don’t see any targets.”

”Oh, they’re just over here. Up that hill!” Revai took off, not paying any mind to his mother’s yelling to slow down. He slid down the other side of the hill and climbed onto a big, icy rock that sat in the middle of the clearing. 

“Where are you, ice monster?” he said to himself. He looked back to see his mother at the top of the hill, watching him. 

“Revali!” she cried.

”Just a second, mother!” Revali looked around, squinting his eyes against the harsh wind. 

It was cold, almost too cold, and the wind was getting worse. It nearly knocked him down before he realized that it wasn’t the wind. The rock was moving below him! 

Revali’s breath caught as he slipped and fell down into the snow below. The rock was still moving, still pulling itself up and out of the ground in front of him. Revali watched in horror as the Frost Talus appeared before him. Its giant icy feet pounded forward slowly. The impact caused Revali’s entire body to leave the ground for an entire second, a testament to how small he was in comparison. 

Revali’s breathing was quick as he pulled out an arrow and strung it in his bow. He pulled the string back and released. The arrow flew over the Frost Talus’ head, missing completely. Revali cried out, wings coming up to block his face from the incoming blow that was about to land. 

“Mother!” he cried. How stupid he was, to think that he could defeat a monster like this. 

Revali huffed as he body was pushed to the side. He rolled over, and when he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of red, painting the snow, his feathers, his beak, and the fist of the great Frost Talus. 

His mother’s body had been crushed under the strike, leaving her completely unrecognizable. Her blood seeped out into the snow beneath where she lay, one of her wings was broken and bent backwards, and some of her insides were now hanging off of the monster’s massive hand. 

“Mother!” Revali cried again, fat tears streaming down his face. It was a horrible sight to see, blood and feathers and death right in front of his eyes. 

Although he had no time to mourn. The monster began to move towards him. The sound of its stomping rang all around him, and Revali rolled sideways once more, narrowly missing the swinging arm that flew towards him. 

It left a freezing wind as it soared by, sealing his weapons in ice. Revali didn’t have time to try and pry them away. He had to move. He got up and ran as fast as he could away from Coldsnap Hollow. 

When he finally arrived back at the village, hours late and covered in his mother’s blood, he was exhausted. He frantically told one of the night guards what had happened, and collapsed almost immediately after. 

When he awoke, a day later, he was told that his father had gone off to avenge his mother. 

Days passed, and then weeks. He never returned, and Revali was left alone in Rito Village. An orphan. An outcast. A murder. 

And the furthest thing from a warrior that existed in the world. 

He was completely alone, with nothing but a bow and arrow to call a friend. 

He trained day in and day out, not stopping until his wings cramped completely and his body ran weak from lack of food, only to rest for the night and do it all over again when he awoke.

Because this is what he deserved. This is what he was meant to do. He was okay with this. 

And sometimes, he even believed it. 

➹

It was Revali’s last day of his fourteenth year of life. Tomorrow would mark the year that he would come of age. Sometime during this year, each Rito would venture to Dragon Roost Island and greet the Sky Spirit, Valoo. From there they would receive a scale and finally grow their wings. It was the only way for a Rito to become full grown, and since he had lived, Revali only knew of one Rito that never completed the ceremony. He’d left the village when Revali was little, and he was never heard from again. 

Revali was terrified when he’d first learned of this, that a Rito could essentially not grow to their full potential. Although, he was young then. The journey seemed daunting, the dragon’s power was overwhelming, and the chance that he could fail loomed over him. 

Now, Revali was ready. He wasn’t scared, or nervous about the journey to come. He set off early that morning with only his bow and arrows strapped to his back. The journey would take about a day, give or take a few hours, and as Revali left his village and began to walk towards the shore, not once looking back. 

When he was still a fledgeling, he imagined this moment many times. His parents would journey with him to the shore, sending him off with luck. His mother would make him promise to be careful, and his father would smile brightly and tell Revali that he was proud. 

Of course, that fantasy was crushed long ago. Revali had no one to go back home to, and no one to tell about his journey. Many times, Rito of the same age would complete the ceremony together. His parents did. Although Revali had no friends or even acquaintances to go with. 

And he was okay with that. He didn’t want another Rito along to slow him down. He wanted to complete the ceremony and grow his wings. He was nearly deadly with his bow and arrow, and finally being able to fly would only add to the fact. 

He was going to be the greatest warrior that ever lived, so help him Valoo. 

Hunters move in silence, his father once said. He didn’t need friends. Especially not the ones in Rito Village, who mocked him for his pride. 

Once he’d reached the shore, Revali uncovered a raft hidden between a few rocks. There was a large leaf lying beneath a tree nearby, and he found that it was sturdy enough to propel the raft forward if he waved it around. 

It was around noon when Revali took a break. He shot a few fish along the way, and although he preferred to cook salmon before he ate it, he knew that he still had a long way to go. He needed to preserve his strength. 

Revali sat on the raft, floating in the middle of the ocean. He picked the meat off of each fish, and stared at the island that he was meant to reach. 

“Well this is entirely boring,” he said to himself, scowling at the water below him. He snorted and kicked at the leaf. “This would be so much easier if I could fly.” Although he supposed that was the point. “Even if I could create an updraft… That went sideways…” 

He shook his head and scoffed at the absurd idea. Updrafts existed all around Rito village, and it made it easier for his kind to catch the wind and launch themselves into the air. Hylians that occasionally visited the village asked about them constantly. 

“Can’t you just, like, fly? Why do you need the wind to help you?”

The Hylians were stupid. Of course they wouldn’t understand. Many times, the wind could actually deter a Rito from flying. If it was blowing in a different direction, or there was no updraft to help you it was difficult to keep in the air for a long period of time. It took effort, not that the Hylians would know anything about that. They were such simple creatures. 

However, Revali also knew nothing about flying. Not yet, anyway. Those were all things that he had heard from older Rito, the ones that could actually fly. 

That thought alone caused him to stand up and angrily pick up his leaf, waving it this way and that in an attempt to reach the island more quickly. 

“Isn’t that a thought,” he said to himself. “Creating an updraft wherever you wanted. I wonder if any Rito has been able to accomplish it.”

Once again, Revali rolled his eyes and dismissed the idea. Of course it wasn’t possible. He’d never heard of a Rito accomplishing such a feat. 

➹

Revali arrived back at the village in two days. Once he reached the peak of Dragon Roost, he saw the dragon. Valoo was beautiful, surrounded by a fierce wind that nearly knocked Revali off the peak. 

“Great spirit Valoo, I have come to gain my wings. I ask for a scale, and in return I offer this.” Revali pulled an arrow out of its sheath and used the sharp edge to cut off of his braid. It was the braid that he had been growing since his birth. He wore it down the back of his neck, and the color was his tertiary, a beautiful gold that shined when it hit the sun. 

Rito didn’t usually cut their braids, as each one was meant to signify something important. Many times, male Rito would give half of one braid to their bride, in order to show them how serious they were about their commitment. Other times, if a Rito’s life had been saved by another, they would give them one of their braids in return. 

In this instance, Revali was giving Valoo his fledgling braid. Each Rito began to grow it at their birth, and when they completed their coming of age ceremony, it was cut and given to their parents as a sign of thanks. 

Revali had no one else to offer his braid to but the dragon, so as he sliced through the feathers and set it on top of the peak, he hoped that this would be enough in exchange. 

Revali bowed and waited for the dragon’s acceptance. He felt the ground shake beneath him, as the dragon landed and curled itself around the peak of the island. 

“Many do not offer braids in exchange.”

Ravali’s eyes grew wide, although his head was still bowed. What did they offer? He had nothing else but this and his bow. Hesitantly, he moved to unsecure it from his back, but the dragon spoke again. 

“What I mean, young Rito, is that many do not offer anything.” 

Revali stirred, and picked up his head. He paused, choosing his words carefully before he spoke. “I feel as though I cannot take something from you without offering something of mine in return. So I offer you my fledgling braid. It has no use in Rito Village.”

Valoo huffed, his breath warming Revali’s feathers. “You have no one else to offer this to.” It wasn’t a question, although Revali nodded anyway. “When young Rito come to me, I offer them scales that I have outgrown. Ones that are old from wear, that I have no use of. Would you like one of these?”

Revali dropped his head down once again. “I will take whatever you offer me in exchange. Whatever you deem fit, Sky Spirit.” 

Valoo huffed again, and Revali realized that he was in fact chuckling. “I say that you do not deserve something old and worn. I offer you a new scale, if you are able to take it from me.”

Before Revli could ponder what he meant, Valoo kicked off the peak of the island and began to climb the wind. His scaly stomach was facing Revali as his wings flapped, huge gusts of air causing rocks and dirt to fall down the peak. Revali cried out, gripping his talons into the ground beneath him. 

Valoo was nearly lost to the skies before Revali realized what he was meant to do. He quickly grabbed his bow and one arrow, aiming it at Valoo’s tail. He gasped as a scale fell off, and moved to grab it before it was lost to the sea below. It glowed in his wings, and he stared at it in wonder before a great light encompassed him. Revali fell backwards, blinded by the harsh beam. After a few moments, when he was able to see again, his wings felt heavier as they sat by his sides. They were finally full grown. 

He whooped and shouted after the dragon, thanking him for his gift. Valoo spun and twisted around in the air, too far away to hear Revali’s joy, although he was sure that Valoo felt his thanks anyway. 

When Revali returned to the village, the other Rito stared at him in judgement. His fledgling braid was cut, and his wings were full grown. He had completed his coming of age on the first day of his fifteenth year, something that no other Rito had accomplished before him. 

When he went to the kitchens to make dinner that night, he heard a few of his peers talking about him amongst themselves. 

“He thinks he’s so much better than the rest of us.”

”He should have given his braid to the chief. I wonder what he did with it?”

“He’ll be alone forever if he continues to be this way.”

Revali held his head high as he walked past them, wings carrying his bowl away. Their whispers died down, although they turned to watch him as he exited the canopy. 

He walked all the way to Dronoc Pass, looking out at the canyon below him. His food was cold by the time he arrived, but Revali didn't much care. He sat and ate, and once he was done he laid alone under the stars. 

His bow sat beside him, and he picked it up and clutched it to his chest. 

“Goodnight,” he said to it. He dreamt that he used his bow to take down a great monster. He was envied by all those around him, because he had finally become the greatest archer in Hyrule.

➹

Something was changing in the air. Evil creatures bred in each corner of Hyrule. It started small, at first, and they stayed in the dark and only attacked if you were unfortunate enough to find yourself without shelter for the night. They were weak, and easy to sneak up on. Easy to kill. 

However, as time passed, they became more populated, and more aggressive. They hunted as though they were not simple. As though they were out for blood. 

The chief called Revali into a meeting, telling him that something needed to be done. 

“Revali,” he started. Revali knelt before him. “You have won the archery competition. I wanted to congratulate you for your achievement.”

Revali nodded in silent thanks. Something had changed in Hyrule as of late, but something had changed within the village as well. It seemed as though with danger lurking around every corner, his people had become scared. They needed someone to look up to, someone that wasn’t the chief. Someone to protect them, and of course, that someone happened to be Revali. 

He had participated in the archery competitions before, although the most recent one had been amazing. He surpassed every other Rito’s capabilities completely, surprising even himself a bit at his skill. Afterwards, whenever he returned to the village, the fledglings flocked to him, each proclaiming that they wanted to be a great archer like him when they gained their wings. The women watched him with a new look in their eyes, as if he were the greatest prize to be won, and nearly everyone he passed praised him. One of the elders even called him The Pride of Rito Village.

The new attitude was different, although not unwelcome. It was what he had dreamt about since he was just a boy. It only added to his ego. 

“I am sure you know of the dark creatures that have begun to spawn around Hyrule. Unfortunately, more than a few have set up a camp near us, at the northern end of Lake Totori.” Revali kept his gaze on the floor beneath him, although he knew where this conversation was going. He was nearly vibrating in anticipation. “I am asking that you go and kill them. You have the archers of our village at your disposal, if you need them, although I have heard from others that you prefer to work alone.” 

Revali nodded, raising his head. He didn’t bother to hide his cocky smile from the chief. 

“Consider it done.” Revali stood and turned around, intending to take the camp out immediately. 

“If you succeed I will reward you.” Revali paused to listen. “A place to rest, perhaps?”

He was asking if Revali would prefer to have a canopy in Rito village. He would not, although he knew what he would have in exchange. 

“I want an archery range built near Dronoc Pass. There is an area there where updrafts are strong, in the canyon.” The chief made a noise under his breath, as though he were surprised. “I ask that you start building now. I will be back by tonight.”

With that, Revali took off, jumping off the side of the Chief’s canopy. He took down the camp within hours, and stayed there until the sun went down. Within a week, the archery range was finished. 

He set up a bed, and a cooking pot, and left a place where he could set his bow down for the night. 

Occasionally, Rito would come to practice there, but more often than not Revali was left to his own devices. He didn’t mind the others coming to train. Their skills didn’t threaten him, and he supposed that everyone should continue to practice when they wanted.

These were dangerous times, after all. He wanted his village to be protected, and by all logic, having many fighters was more helpful than having just one. 

➹

There was talk in Rito Village about the royal family taking a trip to see the chief. 

A few years ago, some scientists dug up an ancient beast. They called it Medoh. It was used to fight Ganon in the last war, and apparently it needed a skillful master to be its pilot.  

Of course, the village was beyond excited about it, and many told Revali that the princess was coming to ask for him. 

He was overwhelmed with pride. Finally, after all this time, the world would see what he was capable of. This was his chance to prove himself. He felt prepared in every sense of the word. 

Although, there was also talk about something else. Something dark and horrifying. 

Many were claiming that Calamity Ganon was gaining his power back. If that were true, then everyone in Hyrule would be in great danger. 

Revali stood on the chief’s left hand side in anticipation of the princess. She was meant to arrive that afternoon, and for the past week, the village had been surrounded in chaos. The Rito were chirping about this and that, flying about to surrounding areas to gather Hylian supplies, and the fledgelings had not stopped practicing their songs to perform for her. Because of this, Revali had spent nearly every night at the archery range. He couldn’t bear to see the efforts that they were making on her account. It made him bitter to think that he wasn’t greeted with the same extravagance when he arrived at the village. 

However, as one of the guards had told him that morning, he was requested to be at the chief's side. Revali spent a few hours preening and redoing his braids, even going so far as to weave gold beads into the strands. He stood tall, bow and arrows strapped to his back. He caught a glimpse of light blonde hair, and both he and the chief knelt as the princess walked into the room. She asked them to rise, and as they did, Revali met the gaze of the knight that stood behind her.

He stood shorter than the princess, although it seemed to Revali that he was twelve feet tall. There was something about him, the way he carried himself that caused Revali to falter just a bit. 

“This is my escort, Link,” Zelda said, gesturing behind her. 

Link bowed his head to the chief, yellow blond hair falling forward to surround his face. 

When he raised his head, he gave a short nod to Revali, as if he wasn’t worthy of a full bow. 

Although his eyes stayed on Revali long after, almost throughout the entire conversation. Revali was so focused on the knight’s stare that he hardly realized the princess hadn’t asked him to pilot the beast. 

Revali was fuming, and after another short talk with the chief about a bokoblin camp that needed taking out, he flew back to the archery range. He saw Link practicing melee attacks near a cliff at the outskirts of the village. He landed next to him, talons hitting the ground hard enough to cause Link to look back in surprise. 

Revali squatted down, using all his momentum to propel himself into the air. The wind he created caused the knight to cry out, taking a few steps backwards to right himself, but by then Revali was off again, soaring through the sky. 

When he reached the archery range, he was out of breath, although Princess Zelda and her yellow haired escort were in the back of his mind completely. 

He had nearly created an updraft. He felt it, and he knew that Link had felt it too. 

He spent the rest of the night studying himself and the winds below, attempting to figure out what exactly he had accomplished. 

If he was able to do this, truly do this, he would be the first Rito to create something this important. 

He continued to work for days. He was sure that the princess had left by now, although that didn’t matter to him. 

He hoped to never see her again. She would regret not asking for his help in due time. 

Chapter Text

It was four days later when Revali saw Link again. 

Not by his own accord, of course, because if it were up to him he would have stayed at the archery range alone until the chief summoned him.

Revali was taking a break from the skies to restring his bow. He did so about every moon cycle or so, mostly out of habit than anything else. Most times, it helped him clear his mind, and at this point his mind was in desperate need of clearing. 

The move he had started to work on was coming along nicely, although it only worked about half of the time. Even then, the updraft only lasted for a few seconds, and the gust of wind was barely enough to get him off of the ground. 

Still, it was something. He was determined to keep working at it until he perfected it. 

It was there he sat, leaning against his bed when he’d heard someone’s footsteps in front of him. He glanced up slowly, but as his eyes landed on the figure in front of him, Revali’s impassive stare turned to one of disgust. 

“What in the world do you want, Hylian?”

The Hylian in question did not speak. Instead he began to move his hands around this way and that, all while keeping his gaze locked on Revali. 

Revali’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Are you having some sort of spasm? I may be the strongest Rito among us, but don’t think that means that I’ll expend all of my energy to fly you back.” Or Valoo forbid, allow Link to climb on his back.

Link said nothing, and his reaction to Revali’s words gave no indication that he had understood. 

“Forgive me. I thought I was speaking the common language but perhaps I am not. What I meant to say was ‘Leave me alone.’ I want nothing to do with you.”

Once again, Link didn’t answer back, although he took a step forward and looked around the room. Revali almost felt insecure as he examined what was before him. His hand reached out to ghost over Revali’s spare bows, and Revali was ready to snap at him to stop, but his fingertips never brushed them. He only traced around each one in the air. Revali watched carefully, eyes narrowing when Link turned to face him. 

He pointed at Revali, and then made a motion with his hands. 

Revali cocked his head to the side, and Link did it again. 

“Oh, goodness. It’s trying to communicate,” he said under his breath. Link gave no indication that he’d heard, only continuing to stare at Revali expacantly. 

“Yes, okay, okay. Me…” he said, while Link pointed at him once again. “Half circle? Incomplete? Umm, upside down bowl?”

Revali tsked and Link shook his head quickly. He then walked forward and did the motion again over Revali’s head. Revali looked up to watch him, beak curled up in confusion, before he gasped. 

“Me house!” Link took a step back and nodded once. Revali nearly smiled, although he stopped himself at the last moment. “Are you asking if I live here?”

Link nodded again, hands dropping to hang at his sides. 

Revali thought for a moment, about how that information could be used against him, if at all, and decided that it was alright to tell the knight the truth. 

“Yes, I do live here,” he said, finally standing up. He walked past Link to put his bow away, and picked up another one before securing it to his back. When he looked behind him, Link pointed across the canyon and up, towards the village. 

“Why don’t I live in the village? I prefer it down here. I prefer to be alone.”

Even as he said the words they felt like a lie, but that was the truth, wasn’t it? He was sure by now that if he wanted to sleep in the village that his kind would welcome him back with open wings. But he didn’t want that. He found solace in his isolation. 

“Sorry,” Revali said, shaking his head. He’d almost forgotten that he’d been interrupted. “Why are you here again?”

Link glanced towards the village, hesitating before he made another motion with his hand. 

“I… I don’t understand.”

He stared at the Hylian, frown forming on his face. He figured that Link must be mute, and that is why he relied on these hand movements. Revali sighed and flapped his wing in front of him. 

“Go slowly. I’ll figure it out. I just need a moment.”

Link nodded, and Revali noticed that his jaw was set. He was clenching his teeth together tightly, in aggravation? No, in determination. Revali was sure of it. 

“Okay, okay… Speak? Me?” 

Revali couldn’t quite understand the last sign, although by the context he understood what Link was trying to say.

“Princess Zelda wants to speak with me?”

Link smiled, actually smiled, and nodded. Revali let out a breath, proud of himself. 

Link pointed at him again, and made a flapping motion with his hands. 

“Fly where? To the village? I wasn’t lying about what I said before. I can’t carry you all the way there.”

Link shook his head and pointed at Revali again. 

“What? Just me? Well then, what will you do?”

Link made another motion with his hands, which Revali assumed meant walk. 

Revali was about to protest, before Link pointed at the village again, this time with a lot of emphasis. 

“Alright. I will.” He turned around and took a few steps toward the canyon. He glanced down below once he was in the air, only to find that Link was jogging away from the archery range. Revali scoffed, but paid him no mind. He had a feeling that he knew what the princess wanted to speak about, and he grinned all the way to the village.

➹

He found Princess Zelda standing next to a small pond, seemingly talking to the fish that resided there. She jumped a bit when Revali landed behind her, but she gained back her composure fairly quickly, eyes bright as she regarded him. 

“Revali,” she said kindly. Revali began to bow, but she shook her head at him before he could start. “Please, don’t. My father is the one who demands acknowledgment. I cannot say that I care for it much.” 

“You wanted to speak with me?” He internally cringed at his curtness, but it seemed that the princess did not mind. 

“Yes. I had hoped that Link would be able to convey the message.”

Revali snorted. “It was a bit difficult. Does he not speak?”

Zelda began to walk forward, and Revali had no choice but to follow. “He does. You understood him, did you not?”

Revali rolled his eyes freely. Princess Zelda was so short that she wouldn’t be able to see him do so. “As I said, it was difficult. What was that, that he was doing? Do Hylians actually communicate that way?”

Zelda took a deep breath. “Some do, when they have no other means to do so.” Revali nodded, wishing that she would just get to the point. “It is called sign language. I might kindly suggest that you begin to learn it. It will be necessary if you decide to accept my offer.”

She stopped walking and turned to face him. “I must ask if you will be the one to pilot the divine beast Medoh?”

Revali chuckled. “I must ask, then, what the plan is.”

Zelda nodded, eyes cast downward. “Calamity Ganon will resurrect. When that happens, all of Hyrule will be in terrible danger. We must stop him.”

She spoke with a finality in her voice that surprised Revali. The Calamity returning had only been a rumor. At least, that was what he had been led to believe. Although the princess told a different story. 

“Years ago, four divine beasts were constructed to aid in beating Ganon. I ask you now, Revali, if you will pilot one of the beasts along with three others that I have appointed. We will need all four on our side to take him down.”

Revali’s beak clamped closed, cutting off the agreement that he was about to give. “Wait, three others? So you only need me for one?” The princess nodded, still looking at the ground. It was as if she knew that he was going to reject her. “And who, do tell, is going to be the one to fight Ganon?” His voice raised, anger dripping off of every word. Finally, Zelda looked into his eyes. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and she stared at him for a moment before answering. 

“Link.”

Revali’s beak dropped open again, although no words came out. Nothing could come out, as he was shocked to hear what she had just said. There was no way, no way in Hyrule that he, that short, silent, yellow haired Hylian had the skills to take down Ganon. She was insane, she must have been. Years of rotting away in that castle had turned her mind into soup.

”I… I…”

”We must protect the precious life of this land from the Calamity's grasp at all costs. Hyrule needs you, Revali.” 

Revali turned his head away immediately. His breath was shaky, coming out in little gasps. He felt as though he could fly for hours and pass out at the same time. 

“I will think about it, Princess Zelda, and I will let you know.”

The princess made a little sound under her breath. “I will come back in three weeks for your answer.”

Revali turned away from her as she walked away. He was going to say yes, he knew that he was, although he just couldn’t at the moment. He couldn’t get the word to form through his beak. Revali sniffed and crouched down, using the small updraft he created to shoot himself into the air. 

When he got back to the archery range, he laid down in his bed and cried. 

➹

Revali had given the princess his answer. The three weeks had passed quickly, and Revali had even found some time to venture to a nearby Hylian stable to ask them about sign language. 

It was a waste of time, it would seem, as none of the Hylians there knew how to communicate with it, although the stable owner had lent him a children’s book with simple phrases and words pictured in sign language. Revali had finished reading it by the time the princess had arrived at the village again, although he didn’t find any time to practice conversing with Link. 

Truth be told, Revali was avoiding him. He was still bitter about not being chosen to defeat Ganon alone, and staring at the knight’s tanned face across the kitchens was not making him feel any better. 

After he had spoken to Zelda, she had invited him to Hyrule Castle for some sort of ceremony. Revali paid no mind to the details, and only accepted because he wanted the chance to meet the other beasts’ masters. 

Finally, Revali had been given the chance to excuse himself. After dinner, he flew back to the archery range and practiced for a while, although he felt as though he was just going through the motions. His mind was elsewhere. The ceremony, Medoh, Ganon. 

If only his mother was alive to see what he had gotten himself into. 

Revali picked up the book of signs and flipped through it quickly. He had memorized almost the entire thing, although many of the words would not be able to aid him in conversation with Link. Still, he figured that it was something. Perhaps he should fly to a farther town and see if they had anything more suited to his current situation.

He tossed the book on his bed beside him and sighed. His wings came up to knead at his temples. 

“This is just ridiculous,” he said to himself. 

A knock on one of the pillars caused Revali to look up. 

Revali rolled his eyes. “Hello, Hylian.”

Link waved. 

Inside?

Revali nodded and gestured to the ground in front of him. Link sat down, and Revali moved off of the bed so that he was sitting across from him. 

You Learned? He signed, head tilted to the side in surprise. 

“A bit.” Link hummed, as if he were impressed. “The princess asked me to. I would not have done it otherwise.” Link hummed agian, one eyebrow raised slightly. “Oh, shut up.”

Link chuckled under his breath. 

Gift. You.

“You have a gift for me?” Revali repeated back, skeptical. Before he could say anything more, a book was passed to him. He took it and flipped open the inside cover, letting out a huff of air when he realized what it was. “More sign language.”

He didn’t say thank you, because he wasn’t thankful, exactly, but Link still smiled all the same. 

It was quiet between them for a moment. Link seemed content, leaning back on his hands with his eyes closed and face turned up towards the sky. He breathed in deeply, taking in the cool air and breathing it out slowly. 

It irritated Revali to no end. 

“It should be me,” he said. Link’s eyes blinked open slowly and fell on Revali. “I should be the one to fight Ganon.”

Link’s expression didn’t change, but after a few seconds he leaned forward to grab the book that sat in between them. He flipped through it before finding what he was looking for, and turned it to face Revali. 

Dangerous, it said. When Revali looked up, Link was repeating the sign with his hand.

Revali scoffed. “I know it’s dangerous! But I can do it. I’m the best in Hyrule at aerial combat. I’m strong enough to wield a bow that many other Rito dismiss. I’m beyond fast when I take to the skies! Do you know what they call me back at the village? They say I’m the Pride of the Ritos. The best among them.” Link finally looked away, down at the book between them. “It should be me,” Revali repeated once again, voice dropping to a whisper. He felt as if it were more to convince himself than it was to convince Link. 

Link stood up, toeing at the book with his foot. Revali huffed, but picked it up and threw it on his bed. 

“I will look through your little book, yes. I’ll return it to you when I see you next.”

Revali stood up as well. He didn’t like looking up at the knight. It made him feel at his mercy. 

Link shook his head, and pointed to the book. 

Yours.

Revali’s eyes widened just a bit, but Link had already turned around and began to head back to the village. 

➹

The ceremony had turned out to be a complete waste of time. The other ‘Champions’ were fools, crowding around Zelda as if they were another lost soul for her to collect. Revali stayed present for the ceremony, and he waved at the crowd and smiled towards them as if he was the answer to all of their prayers, although all he really wanted to do was fly back to Rito Village.

The other Champions held titles. A princess, a hero, a chief. 

When Revali was presented with no title to speak of, he felt prideful of his own achievements. His skill alone had gotten him here. He didn’t need to be royalty to prove his worth. 

The moment that he had the chance, Revali snuck out of the throne room. It was easier than he expected, and in any other instance he would have been pissed off by how effortless it was to get away from them, but he was learning to take a win when he was given the chance. 

He found an area outside that overlooked the east side of Hyrule. The view was captivating, so much so that he hadn’t realized that he’d been snuck up on. 

Revali nearly jumped when he realized that someone had walked up next to him, but he sobered immediately when he realized who it was. 

“Hylian.”

Link fingerspelled his own name. 

“Yes, I know what your name is, thank you.”

Revali knew that he was being rude, borderline mean, although he just couldn’t help himself. Link had begun to piss him off more each time he crossed the Rito’s mind. 

The sword that he carried, hidden away in its sheath, beckoned to Revali. The handle glinted softly in the moonlight. He had to tear his eyes away before he grabbed it and threw it off the balcony. 

Daruk proposed that they appoint him, Link, as the Hylian champion in the morning. Revali wanted less than nothing to do with that, but it would seem that he would have to in order to stay in their good graces. 

Or, semi-okay graces, at least. He had tried to talk to Mipha earlier, although all he got in exchange for his words was quiet muttering from the Zora princess. He had commanded her to speak up three times before Urbosa shooed him away with a flick of her manicured wrist. 

Daruk wasn’t much better. He was quite loud, and his movements were awkward to the point of destruction. Since he had entered the throne room, Revali watched him back into a table, the bar top, and funnily enough, Link. He had stepped right on top of the knight’s foot, and Revali outright laughed when Link bent over and grunted in pain. 

“I don’t like you,” Revali told Link. It would never be said that he was one for subtlety. Link blinked at him. “It should be you, fighting at my side. Not the other way around.”

He huffed and turned away, looking out over the scenery once again. When he turned back again, Link was gone. 

➹

Revali wouldn’t say that he felt bad about how things had ended with Link earlier, but long after he was shown to his room, he wandered the castle in an attempt to find him. 

He walked all around. Up and down hallways and staircases, through the washrooms and kitchens, and still, Link was nowhere to be found. 

Revali had nearly given up when he’d heard a soft grunting coming from somewhere outside. Following the sound led him to some sort of training ground, and it was there that he found Link. 

The knight wielded his sword in his hand, and he swung it around as if it were a complete extension of himself. He moved as though he were dancing, finess laced within every step, every swing of his sword. He didn’t falter once, and any invisible enemy that he had been fighting surely held no chance against him. 

Revali could only think of one word to describe it: Beautiful. 

Revali stepped forward, into the light. Almost immediately, Link’s sword was trained on him. They stared at each other. Link’s chest was rising and falling with each breath he took. Beads of liquid gathered on his forehead, making it shine in the moonlight. Finally, after what felt like hours, Link dropped his sword and slid it back into its holder. 

“Hylian, I-”

Link cut him off, making a sign that Revali didn’t recognize. 

“I should think not! You in your right mind-”

He did it again, this time shushing Revali. Link stared into the trees, and Revali glanced behind him, following his gaze.

“I can’t see in the dark,” he whispered nervously. Whatever he was going to say before had been forgotten. He had left his bow back at his room, thinking that he would appear less threatening to Link, although it seemed that decision had completely backfired. Even if he did have his weapon, Rito vision was terrible when the sun went down. He couldn’t shoot anything even if he wanted to. 

Link stepped forward quietly, moving in between Revali and whatever creature was lurking in the dark. Revali held his breath, searching around what he could see for something that could be useful as a weapon. 

A snarling sound came from Revali’s left, and a bokoblin ran out from the trees beside him. 

He cursed, and dodged it quickly. “Hylian!” 

Link didn’t turn around. He was fighting off two of his own, using his sword to land blows wherever he could. The bokoblin that originally ran towards Revali now had its sights trained on Link. Without any weapons, Revali did the only other thing he could think of. He flapped his wings as vigorously as he could, and reached his talons forward to grip the monster’s flesh and carry him into the air. The thing cried out in pain, and Revali grunted as he tried with all his might to lift them into the air. 

Once he was sure the bokoblin wouldn’t survive, he released his talons and dropped it, watching as it impacted with the ground and stayed there. 

He lowered himself down steadily. Link watched him with wide, excited eyes. 

“They’re getting closer to the castle,” Revali said, before he even hit the ground. Link nodded his head up and down quickly, blond hair shaking with the effort. It was the most emotion that he had shown since Revali had met him. 

Inside. Now. 

Link grabbed Revali’s wing and began to lead him inside the castle. Revali was so surprised that he didn’t say anything, only pulling his wing away once the castle door had closed behind him. 

Sorry. Hurry. 

“It’s… alright,” he said, slowly. 

Revali stared down at his wing, feathers still buzzing from the contact. He had never been touched by a Hylian before. 

He had barely even been touched by another Rito. 

Link was in front of him, signing too quickly and too messily for Revali to even begin to understand. He seemed stressed, anxious. Revali felt the same, although he hoped that his expression didn’t give that away. 

“Hy-Link.” Link took in a breath and looked up at him. His breath was coming in short, panicked gusts of air. He seemed close to having a panic attack of some kind. Revali would know. He dealt with them often. “Link,” he repeated, voice steady. Link’s face was covered in shadows, dimmed by the candle light, but Revali could still pinpoint nearly every scar and blemish on his face. “It’s alright. We’ll stop them. All of them. Ganon doesn’t deserve a chance.”

Revali watched as Link took a deep breath and swallowed. He closed his head and nodded slowly. 

LINK.

Revali huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, Link. I suppose if I keep calling you ‘Hylian,’ then twelve other people might think that I am calling them instead. It would be good to use your… name.” He scowled as he said it, although it seemed that Link didn’t disapprove. 

He made a sign with his hands, and repeated it once more when Revali raised an eyebrow at it. 

“I don’t know that one.”

Link made the sign again, and then pointed at Revali.

”That’s my name?”

Link nodded, lips curled up in a tired smile. 

Revali.

He signed it again, and then,

Goodnight. 

“Goodnight, Link,” he said quietly. Link smiled again and grabbed his wing, squeezing it lightly before turning around to walk up the stairs. 

Revali stood in place, staring after him for a very long time after he was gone. 

➹

In the morning, Revali was dragged to go watch Link be appointed as the Hylian champion. He scowled throughout the entire thing, and only stopped complaining under his breath when Urbosa told him to knock it off. 

Although, his insults weren’t up to his own standard. He felt as though he was merely playing the part. His mind kept wandering to the night before, when bokoblins attacked outside of the castle. 

Ganon was getting stronger, there was no doubt about that. Deep down, Revali was nervous. He knew what was necessary of him, and he knew that he would be able to complete his task, but relying on four other people to hold up their end of the bargain was stressful. Revali had become accustomed to working alone. He knew what his limitations were, and how far he could push himself before his wings and body tired out from use. 

So it wasn’t him that he was worried about. It was the other champions. He only hoped that Zelda had chosen correctly.

After the ceremony, Urbosa and Daruk walked back to the castle together, leaving him, Mipha, Zelda, and of course, Link. 

The knight was lounging in the grass, lazily holding his body up with one arm while his face turned upwards towards the sun. He looked like a boy, only a boy. Not a knight tasked with killing a demon. 

He cracked one eye open and smirked when he noticed that Revali was looking at him. He signed his name, and Revali huffed, walking a few steps closer. 

“What?”

Revali heard muffled laughter from the girls’ direction, and his head snapped towards them. Link watched them as well, with the smirk still trained upon his lips. 

Mipha immediately quit laughing when Revali looked in their direction, hiding his mouth with her fin and looking down quickly. The princess, however, wasn’t as quick to do so. She stifled her giggle, and then glanced at Revali before letting out an ungodly snort from behind her hands. 

Mipha began to giggle again, and Link began to chuckle as well, head hanging back as his body shook lightly. 

Revali’s wings came up to bat at his own head, and he looked down at his feathers to see if anything was out of order. “What is it?” he asked, irritated. 

Link finally sat up and shook his head, still smiling. Revali turned back towards the girls. 

“Well?”

Zelda was still laughing, seemingly not able to control herself, so it was Mipha that spoke. “Link’s name for you is very telling, Champion Revali. That is all.”

Revali frowned. “What do you mean, ‘His name for me?’ That sign means Revali.”

”Not exactly,” the princess said, before succumbing to her fit of giggles once again. 

Revali looked down at Link, eyes sharp with betrayal. Almost immediately, Link’s smile dropped. He stood up and signed for Revali to wait, but he had already begun to fly away. 

Revali looked down to see that Link was running after him, nearly keeping his pace. He descended, and landed in front of Link with a grunt. 

“You’ve decided to make fun of me then? In a way that I wouldn’t understand.” Revali stood over Link, feathers ruffling in anger. 

Link’s eyes were wide, and his head was shaking wildly. 

“Well what is it then? What does it mean?”

Link’s mouth was hanging open in shock, and he sighed as he opened and closed it several times. He let out a soft sound, and began to sign something in front of his chest. Revali slapped his hands down with his wing, not wanting to listen to any of it. 

“Just leave me alone, Hylian,” he spat, emphasizing the title. 

Link dropped his hands, face falling in defeat. 

➹

Revali didn’t see Link again for two weeks. He wasn’t planning on seeing him at all, actually. He had been spending most of his time with the divine beast and requested that he’d not be bothered unless something drastic was happening. The chief listened to his request, it would seem, because he hadn’t realized that Zelda and Link were staying at the village. Revali was flying around in search of some new arrows when noticed the knight standing on the launching pad, looking out over the scenery. 

Revali smirked to himself, and used his own updraft to blast himself into the air. He heard Link cry out, and watched as he stumbled backwards in shock. 

Revali landed, and hopped down from his post to face Link. 

“I call it ‘Revali’s Gale.’ Impressive, isn’t it.”

Link looked uncomfortable, taking a step backwards. Revali took a step closer. “Not one Rito has been able to create an updraft so masterfully. That’s why they say that I am the best.”

Link didn’t respond. He took another step backward. Reavli was getting annoyed. 

“Don’t you agree, Hylian?” Revali crossed his wings over his chest and hummed. “I am, of course, the most skilled archer of all of the Rito. I would even put myself up against anyone in Hyrule. And to think, the princess has me defending you from the sidelines.” He paused, waiting for a retort. None came. “What do you say we put up a little wager? You against me. That way we could really see who deserves to fight Ganon head on.” He let out a breath, as if he was disappointed. “But where, oh where would we decide to have our little duel. Oh! I know…”

He spread out a wing and motioned towards the sky, where Medoh was flying. “How about up there?”

His eyes darkened. “But you can’t get up there, can you, Link?” Link cringed when Revali used his name, eyes shutting as if he were in pain. “You’re useless. In the sky and otherwise. Come find me when you need to be reminded of that.”

Revali crouched down and used his gale, flying high into the sky to go sit with Medoh until someone dragged him away. He looked down once, to find that Link had dropped to one knee. His head was bent down and his body was shaking. 

Revali turned his head away and kept flying, not bothering to look down again. 

➹

He was called into a meeting with the chief later that morning. Revali stilled in the doorway, beak clicking in annoyance when he saw that Link, apparently, had been called to attend the same meeting. Reavli walked up and stood next to him, glancing over at Link quickly before turning his attention back towards the chief. 

“You called?”

The chief nodded, looking off into the distance. “I have asked the both of you to meet with me because it seems as though something is acting up in Coldsnap Hollow.”

Revali’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t thought about that place since…

He sucked in a breath of air, talons scraping at the wood floor beneath him. Link looked over, concerned, but the chief didn’t notice. ”Would the two of you go and find out what sort of creature has made its nest there?”

Link nodded steadily, sparing another glance towards Revali. “Thank you, Hylian Champion.” Revali kept his head dipped down, blinking at the ground. He tried to even out his breathing, and only looked up when the chief called him by name. “Revali, find the young knight some warm armor, won’t you? I would send my daughter but it seems as though she has run off.”

”Yes-yes, Chief.”

With that they were dismissed, and almost immediately after leaving the canopy, Link rounded on Revali, asking what happened. Revali blinked at the knight’s hands, trying to decipher the sign. His vision was blurry, and he felt as though he wasn’t present in his own mind. He shook his head, and began to walk down the stairs towards the seamstress. 

“In there,” he said, motioning to the doorway. “She will have something that fits you.” Link didn’t move, not until Reavli snapped at him to go inside. 

Revali brought his wings up to rub at his temples, shaking his head and muttering to himself wildly. He had to calm down. Under no circumstances could he be seen like this, cowering with fear. Especially not in front of Link. He would find it amusing, Revali was sure. He would probably even make up another name to call him in front of his friends. 

Revali hadn’t even realized that his body had crouched down, cowering in on itself in panic. He flinched when he felt someone lightly brush his wings with their hands, taking a second to crack his eyes open and pry his wings away from his face. Link knelt in front of him, mouth downturned in a soft frown. 

Okay?

Revali gulped and brought the tip of his wing forward to flick Link’s hair. 

“Your hair should be in braids, if you are deigned to wear Rito made armour.”

Link shook his head. 

I like it. 

Revali took a deep breath and stood up. Link stayed in place, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

Reavli snorted and turned his head away, face heating beneath his feathers. “Get up. If someone sees us like this my reputation will be ruined entirely.”

Link grinned and stood up as well. 

Fly?

Reavli began to walk down the stairs. “I suppose I can fly us, yes. But if you rip out any of my feathers I will drop you from the sky.” Link nodded, serious expression on his face. “Oh, stop it.”

They walked all the way to the end of the first bridge, and before Revali could crouch down and allow Link to climb on his back, Link grabbed his wing and looked down. 

Sorry.

Reavli raised an eyebrow. “For what, Hylian? I am not able to read your mind.”

Earlier. Wasn’t insulting you. 

“Ahh, yes,” Revali said. He had hoped to never speak of it again, although it would seem that Link would not move forward without doing so. “What did you call me, then?”

Can’t explain. Not bad. Promise. Sorry. Want us to be friends.

Reavli barely caught half the signs, and Link had to repeat it twice and simplify it a lot more before Reavli could understand. 

“You want us to be friends?” he asked, quietly.

Link nodded, and then signed, I like you.

Revali turned his head away. “I am embarrassed for you.”

Link shrugged with a smile on his face. 

Not subtle.

”Yes, well the same could be said for me. Let’s go,” he said, intending to put this conversation on pause. He crouched lower to the ground, holding himself steady with his wings. 

He stilled with he felt Link touch him, the knight only continuing on when Reavli urged him to do so. 

This moment felt intimate, in a way. Link’s touch was so soft, so delicate, different than Revali imagined it would be. He assumed that years of training and weilding a sword would have caused Link to be strong and durable, incapable of caressing or holding in a kind way. He assumed that Link would climb onto his back with a grip that pulled and legs that squeezed. 

He never allowed himself to imagine the opposite. 

As Link adjusted himself to sit more comfortably, his hands rested loosely around Revali’s neck while his legs hung snugly by his sides. The weight on Revali’s back was new, although not exactly uncomfortable. He felt Link sigh, and melt into his back, almost unconsciously. 

Revali laughed nervously, and Link’s body went rigid when he realized what he had done. 

“Are you ready?” Reavli asked, deciding to give the knight some grace and not comment. Link nodded and Revali used his gale, feeling Link’s limbs wrap around him, hanging on tightly so that he didn’t fall off. 

Once Reavli was in the air, able to coast as the wind guided him, Link sat upright. 

Reavli smiled, a genuine smile when he looked back to see Link with his hands in the air and his eyes closed, grinning all the while. He opened his eyes and nodded in thanks. 

“I forget that not everyone gets the chance to soar,” Revali yelled. Link leaned forward so that he could hear better, and Reavli repeated his words. Link laughed and nodded. He signed something that Revali didn’t catch, but it didn’t matter. At this moment, they understood each other. They didn’t need to speak. 

And for the first time in a very long time, Revali was happy to share the sky with another.

They arrived at Coldsnap Hollow just as the sun rose to its peak. Link grabbed tightly once again as Reavli descended, immediately taking his sword out of the sheath once his feet were on the ground. 

They didn’t know exactly what they were looking for, so for a while they just wandered, each one checking a different direction. It wasn’t until Revali flew to the top of a small hill that he recognized the area below. 

He closed his eyes. ”I’m sorry,” he whispered. When his eyes opened again, Link was at his side, looking at him as though he understood. As though he knew. 

Revali flapped his wings and landed in the middle of the clearing. 

“Where are you, ice monster?” he asked himself, voice hard with determination. The ground began to shake beneath him, and when Revali turned around, he saw the Frost Talus ascending from the snow, using its giant fists to pull itself out of the ground. 

“I’ll distract it!” Link cried, as he slid down the hill. “Go!”

Without another thought Reavli was in the air, flying around the monster as Link dodged blows by its feet. His bow was in his wings, and he shot at the only part of the monster that wasn’t encompassed in ice. 

Three fire arrows exposed the area more, and from there, all it took was one more to kill the beast. 

The fight lasted for a few minutes, maybe less. 

Revali landed on the ground, watching as Link began to pick through the gemstones that it left behind, taking the most valuable and placing them in his bag. 

“You can speak?” Revali cried. Link shrugged, sheepishly bringing a hand up to rake it through his hair. 

Yes. Don’t. Only sometimes. 

Reavli’s beak hung open, and he looked at Link as if he were something foreign. 

“Do the others know?”

Zelda. Mipha. 

Link signed, used the designated names that he had created for each of them. Revali bitterly wondered if they meant something else as well, or if only his name had some hidden, horrible meaning to it. 

“I hate you, Hylian.”

Link shrugged again, knowing that his words contained no malice. 

I trust you. 

Reavli’s eyes were wide, although he didn’t have time to continue the conversation. An armored moblin appeared only paces behind Link, and in the next moment they were surrounded. 

“Shout if you need me! I’ve got your six!”

Revali took to the air, shooting arrows at anything that got close to Link and taking down anything that dared to shoot at him. 

It seemed that the monsters were never ending, continuing to climb the hills and attack whenever they had an opening. Link cried out, and Revali’s eyes were on him immediately, wings flapping to propel himself forward as he angled towards the ground to grab Link’s armor with his talons. He set them both down a few meters away from the chaos. 

“Are you alright?” Link nodded, and squared his shoulders towards the creatures that began to run at them. 

Revali did the same, pulling back his bow and shooting at each monster that got close, giving Link time to take them down with his sword. 

By the time they were done, the snow was stained a deep purple. Revali’s wings were tired, and Link’s face was dripping with monster blood, but they had done it. It was the largest camp of monsters that Revali had ever come across, and he knew from experience that this area was close enough to Rito Village that any curious fledgling could have made their way there. 

They wouldn’t have stood a chance. 

The sun was nearly down by the time they had finished, and thankfully, it was Link that had made the call to stay there for the night. Revali would have flown back if Link had asked, even though he was exhausted, although it was the darkness that worried him. It was hard for Rito to see in the dark, and even harder for them to fly in it. 

They found a tree some ways away and decided to stay there for the night. Link made a small fire, and they sat next to each other, each lost in their own heads. 

“Your hair,” Revali finally said. Link had used some clean snow to wipe away the blood on his face, but the flight over and the monster attack had left his hair looking like a tangled mess. 

Link didn’t say a word, just shuffled around so that he was sitting with his back facing Revali. When Revali didn’t move, Link turned around expectedly. 

Braids?

Revali nodded slowly, unclenching his wings from where they sat on his legs. 

He tried to smooth down the hair, although it seemed to be of no use. Finally relenting, Revaly brought his beak down to groom the knots out of Link’s hair. 

He hadn’t done this before. Preening other Ritos was seen as a sign of affection in their culture. 

He’d imagined that one day, he might. He might learn to preen another, perhaps a lover or a friend. He might meet someone one day that was deserving of his marital braid. He would cut off half of it and gift it to them, in the hopes of a mating ceremony and perhaps a family when they were both ready. 

He would fly with them, dance with them in the sky. 

It was what was expected of him, he was sure. Once this deal with the calamity was over, he would begin to settle down. Train less. Court a Rito woman and hatch three Rito children and have a perfect Rito life. 

He knew that he could do it. He saw the way that other Ritos looked at him, female and otherwise. They would flounder over themselves, shaking their feathers around in the hopes to grasp his attention, although none had succeeded. The only thing that made sense to Revali, the only thing that he understood was his bow. Fighting. Destroying whatever challenge overtook his path. 

And, perhaps, Link. 

Fighting together, side by side, Revali felt it once again. The thing he had been searching for. The thing that made him soar. 

That sense of victory. And this time, it was shared with another. 

Link had said, before, that he wanted to be friends. Months ago, Revali would have scoffed at the idea, and stuffed it down so far with insults and hatred that Link surely would have run away. 

Perhaps now though, it wouldn’t be that way. 

Reavli’s beak was careful as he worked at separating Link’s hair into sections and began to comb the knots away. It was tedious work, as Link seemingly had put in no effort to keep his hair groomed, although in a way it was also cathartic. It took the better part of an hour, and by that point Revali was sure that Link had fallen asleep. His breathing had leveled out and he was leaning so far backwards that his head was nearly resting on Revali’s chest. Finally, when the last few tangles were out, Reavli lifted his beak away, admiring his work. 

Braids?

Link signed, turning around slowly. His eyes were blinking heavily, in an attempt to steer away his fatigue. 

“Yes, okay. Turn around.” 

Link did as he was told, turning around to face Revali. He sat so closely that his knees were touching Revali’s legs. 

Revali began to braid the front pieces of Link’s hair. Hylian hair was very different from Rito feathers, so it took him a few attempts to get used to the slippery strands, but after some time he was able to braid them down. He did one on each side, and took off two of his own beads to secure them into Link’s hair. 

When he sat back, Link was wide awake, watching him closely. 

“What?” Reavli asked.

“Thank you,” he said. His voice was strained from misuse, and his mouth formed the words slowly, almost as if he didn’t know how to do so otherwise. “Thank you, Reavli.”

Link then turned around and laid down. The fire was nearly out, the last few embers flickering slowly under the soft light from the moon. 

Revali’s name hadn’t been spoken so softly in years. He’d almost forgotten what it sounded like. 

Revali flew them back to the village in the morning. Few words were spoken between them, and Revali had to leave quickly to go check on Medoh. When he got back to the archery range, Link and Zelda had already left, but there were two new hair beads sitting on his bed, fashioned from a diamond that Link had picked up the day before. 

Without a second thought, Reavli secured them to his front braids, tucking the note that Link had left into his chest pocket. 

“For Reavli,” it said. “The best gemstone for the best archer in Hyrule.”

➹

It was nearly time. 

Revali met with the rest of the champions to see Zelda off to Lanayru. Revali nodded at them, and the other champions wished her luck as she and Link went off to hopefully awaken her power. 

They returned hours later. 

Zelda hadn’t succeeded. 

Revali and Like shared a look between themselves as the others tried to cheer her up. 

Revali took a step back and let the others speak to her. He and the princess were only acquaintances. He didn’t think that any encouraging words from himself would mean that much to her. He hadn’t formed any sort of relationship with her or the other champions. Only Link. 

Link walked around the group to stand next to him. 

The wind blew around them, smelling of ash and decay. It was as if the world stilled for a moment. The birds had stopped chirping and the insects were no longer buzzing. The wind stopped blowing around them for a mere second, and Revali turned towards the knight and spoke his name. 

“Link…” he said, but it was too late. The earth began to shake, and a shrill shrieking turned all of their heads towards the castle. Reavli used his gale, and flapped his wings in the air, eyes wide as he looked towards the castle. 

The demon was back. Ganon was back. 

When he hit the ground again, Daruk was already giving orders, telling each champion what to do and where to go. It seemed that everyone was alright with listening to him, and Revali was so shaken up that even he didn’t protest.

”Link, you need to get to Hyrule castle now!” Urbosa yelled over Ganon’s roaring. 

“I’ll take him. It’s on the way to my village.”

Five pairs of eyes were now trained on Revali, although he only looked at Link. 

“Alright,” said Daruk, breaking the silence. “Go get ‘em, little guy. You too, Revali. Show ‘em who’s boss.”

”Absolutely,” Revali said, gritting his beak together. He crouched down so that Link could settle on his back. He gave one last look to Zelda before wrapping his arms around Revali’s neck. Revali took off immediately after. 

There was no banter this time as they soared through the sky. Link didn’t dare close his eyes or smile as he flew. His eyes were glued to the castle, and to Ganon. Revali felt him sigh against his back before his forehead leaned down to rest against the back of Reavli’s neck. 

Revali allowed him to do so. Whatever Link needed to do in order to prepare was none of Revali’s business. His only job at the moment was to make sure that Link got to the castle doors safely. 

When they got closer, Ganon’s eyes were all around. Reavli told Link to hold on as he dodged each one, narrowly escaping their eyesight. Link’s arms and legs were wrapped around him tightly, and he made little sounds under his breath each time Reavli dipped or changed direction. Finally, Revali was able to reach a higher part of the castle, the tower that Link had directed him towards. 

It seemed that for the moment, they were safe. Only for the moment. 

Link hopped down off Revali’s back. 

You okay?

”Yes, I’m perfectly fine…”

Revali’s stomach was in knots. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the last time that they would ever speak. 

“Link, I-”

Link cut him off, rushing forward to wrap his arms around Revali’s middle and squeeze tightly. Revali didn’t move. He couldn’t. His wings stayed limp by his sides, and before he knew it, Link had pulled away. 

They stared at each other for a moment, neither one knowing what to say. Reavli reached up to grab an arrow from its sheath and brought it forward, slicing off half of one of his braids. 

His breath was shaky as he handed it over to Link. He took it, and held it in his hands as if it held some significant importance. 

Revali couldn’t explain, he only nodded towards the door. 

“Go, Hylian. Come find me when this mess is over.”

The castle shook. There was no time, they had to go. Revali lifted himself through the windowsill. When he looked back, Link was still staring at him. 

“Revali.”

”Link.”

They both spoke at the same time, and by the time Ganon roared again, Revali was already flying back to Rito Village. 

➹

It was dark by the time Revali made it back to Medoh. He stepped forward quietly, listening as intently as he could for any sort of disturbance. The beast was quiet, for the moment. The only thing he could hear was the shifting gears inside Medoh’s mechanical body. His bow was clutched in his wings. It was a familiar weight to carry, and it was the only thing keeping him sane. 

Reavli crept around inside for a long time. So long, in fact, that he had to ungrip his bow and straighten out his wings until they no longer felt cramped. 

Finally, the beast roared loudly as Ganon arrived. The inside began to shake, and Revali watched in horror as Medoh was overtaken with Ganon’s power. 

It was unfortunate that he couldn’t see well, because if he were able to, his right wing might not have gotten crushed under the falling debris. 

Revali cried out in shock, and used his other wing to push the metal away. He immediately ran out of a window, using the rest of his adrenaline to fly to the top of the beast before the pain set in. 

The moon was covered almost completely by Ganon’s ash, although he didn’t need moonlight to know that his wing was broken. 

Ganon’s power gathered before him, creating a mechanical beast modeling Medoh. It cried out, and the sound was nearly deafening. 

Revali rolled his shoulders back. There was no way he could fly, not now, and he had never been the best at ground attacks. 

But he had to try. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He needed to defeat this monster. For Hyrule. For the princess. For himself. 

Revali defended for the first two attacks, hoping to get a feel for Ganon’s style. 

He was able to avoid them both at the last second, but it was only due to luck. He could only make out the shape of Ganon’s body, and by the time he did he had to choose to either attack or avoid. 

Revali cursed, and ran around to hide behind a pillar. “Valoo help me, what do I do?”

He looked around wildly, hoping to find something that could aid him. His wing was hurt badly, throbbing each time he moved it. Even clutching his bow hurt so much that he had to blink away tears each time he held it in front of him. 

Ganon cried out again, and appeared before him. Reavli sobbed as he pointed an arrow at him. 

He hit it somewhere, but Ganon wasn’t deterred. He swung one of his mechanical hands towards the pillar, and Revali rolled out of the way, missing the blow by centimeters. 

He didn’t even know if he hurt it. Ganon hadn’t even paused. 

He stood tall and shot again, trying with all his might to make out something. A hand, a body, anything that would tell him where Ganon was. 

He heard it more than he felt it. Ganon shot a tornado at him, and Revali was caught inside before he even had the chance to run away. The gust of wind shot him into one of the pillars, and Reavli collapsed into a heap. 

He sent the SOS signal, hoping that someone would be able to come and save him. 

Ganon appeared once more before him, gearing up his shot to kill Revali. 

If he had the energy to do so, Revali would have laughed. 

He replayed a memory in his mind, one where he was little and naive, thinking that he could kill a monster all by himself. 

Reavli grunted and he brought his wing up to hold one of the beads that Link had given to him. As Ganon took his shot, the light caused it to sparkle brightly in the dark. 

➹

When Revali woke up, he didn’t feel pain. In fact, he didn’t feel anything. 

He walked towards the edge of Medoh, peering over Hyrule. In the distance, he saw Ganon circling around Hyrule Castle. They hadn’t stopped him. They had failed. 

“What have I done?”

Reavli knelt down and hid his face in his wings, letting out a sob. 

“What have I done?”

Chapter Text

A hundred and three years passed. Ganon was defeated, and Hyrule began to heal. Generations went by, and new lives were born. Revali felt the days bleed into months, and the months bleed into years. The pain of his defeat lessened, but the shame he felt was still prominent in his mind.

Shame, regret, heartbreak, for him and his fellow Champions. For Zelda. For Link.

The years passed quickly, and Revali almost allowed himself to forget the sight of golden blonde hair and soft smiles meant only for him. Hushed words whispered between them, the feel of his hair, the weight of his body pressed against his as they soared through the sky.

Almost, but not quite.

Revali watched from the shadows as the knight landed on Medoh. Link had grown some, in the three years since he had awoken. He stood the same height, but his arms were more filled out, his chest more broad, his feet more sure of their placement. He leapt and slid and grunted under his breath as he moved throughout the beast. Revali was in awe.

“I wish I remembered you,” he said, once he had defeated Medoh’s demon. Revali scoffed and turned away. He wasn’t well versed in ancient technology, especially that of the Sheikah, although Zelda had told him once that whoever was laid to rest in the Shrine of Resurrection would be purged of all of their darkness. That meant that they would be healed, yes, although anything tainted by the hardships of life would be wiped away as well. That apparently included the person’s memories.

“You would remember that we were not friends,” Revali said in response. He was cautious as he stepped forward. It wasn’t as though Link could hurt him, not physically. There wasn’t even a way for him to reach out and touch Revali, although something in him was still scared of getting too close.

Link smiled and shook his head, rubbing at his armguard absentmindedly. “I don’t think that’s true.”

Revali would have retorted, although when he looked down to glance at the leather covering Link’s arm, he was stunned into silence.

“What is that?”

The question was unnecessary, because Revali already knew what it was.

Woven into the laces of the armor was Revali’s braid. The braid that he had given Link over a hundred years before.

“It was the only thing I woke up with,” Link said, almost to himself. His voice was soft and filled with affection as he traced his fingers across the braided feathers. Finally, when he looked up, his eyes met Revali’s. “I’m assuming it’s yours?”

Their conversation didn’t last much longer. Revali dismissed Link when he tried to prod further, and sent him off with a gift, his own gale, which Link thanked him for.

When he left, Revali was caught between feeling angry and grateful, but more than anything he was confused. Link was different, he had grown. He spoke now, and his smile was given out freely.

Although, all of this time, he had kept a piece of Revali with him.

“Good luck, Hylian," Revali said to himself, once Link floated away from Medoh on his paraglider. He spent the next few months staring at the castle, praying to the gods that Link completed his task.

➹

Unfortunately, Valoo wasn’t done with Revali just yet. When Medoh’s light struck the castle along with the other beasts, Revali felt relief. Finally he could rest. Hyrule was safe, and Revali could only hope that Link made it out unscathed.

But, of course, that wasn’t what happened.

When Ganon fell, Revali’s spirit was resurrected and thrown back into his Rito body. For the first time in over a century, Revali could feel again. He nearly wept as he felt the harsh breeze hit his feathers, as his beak picked up the familiar scent of fresh air and damp leaves from the snow below. Revali’s talons scraped along Medoh’s stone floor as he walked towards her edge. He spread his wings and jumped, and then he flew. The breeze from below steadily let him down until Revali landed on the edge of Rito village.

“Champion Revali?” questioned the guard that stood watch near the bridge leading inside. He scanned Revali in awe, his beak dropping open slightly in no attempt to hide his surprise.

He was taken to the chief’s throne room, the new chief. Revali spent some time explaining what had happened to him, and the chief listened intently to each word, not interrupting once. Finally, once Revali had finished, the chief thanked him for his bravery in helping to destroy Ganon.

“Welcome home, Champion Revali.”

The words sat uncomfortably in Revali’s mind. Rito Village hadn’t been his home in a very long time. Although he was thankful for the chief’s welcoming attitude, Revali declined his offer to make him a bed in one of the empty canopies.

Instead, he flew across the canyon towards his archery range. Another Rito was there, a father with his fledgling. Revali stayed for a while, content to watch the young Rito pull back his bow and aim at the targets while he sat on his father’s back.

The scene pulled something out of Revali, a memory from before. He left soon after.

As he sat at the edge of a small stream near the Hylian stables, Revali realized that for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do. He had no goal, no objective, nothing to train for and no one to defeat. The thought scared him, although the fear quickly shifted into something less sinister.

He went to a local stable and traded a few of his worn feathers for some food that would keep on the road. Then, he set off.

It was odd that in all of his time being a Rito, Revali rarely flew for his own enjoyment. In fact, he didn’t think that he ever had. Flying without any destination in mind always struck him as foolish. The Rito that had time to do so very obviously had no ambition in their lives. They found enjoyment in traveling Hyrule and bartering with crooked old men who conned them out of their belongings.

However, as Revali landed on top of Satori Mountain, doubled over in exhaustion as he gulped new air into his lungs, he could maybe see the point in doing so.

The scenery around him was breathtaking, and Revali felt like a king as he took it all in.

➹

Revali spent months flying across Hyrule, only venturing into a town unless he needed new materials for his bow or a new piece of metal for his armor. He avoided talking to people, which was relatively easy. His demeanor apparently warded off conversation, which was okay with him. He didn’t feel like catching up with every being across Hyrule.

He had been traveling for a while before coming to a larger village in the south eastern region. It was one of the more lively places that he had visited during his travels, and if Revali weren’t in desperate need of string, he wouldn’t have stopped there at all.

It was a nice day, and despite his discomfort with the people, Revali decided to stay in the village for a few hours. He had even paid for an hour in the bathhouse, using the time to clean his feathers and preen himself properly.

He sat outside now, feeling at ease as he restrung his bow. A little Hylian girl had been watching him for a while, peeking at him behind a post. Revali raised an eyebrow, discretely watching as she finally worked up the courage to speak to him.

“Hi,” she said, swaying back and forth on her toes.

Revali looked at her. She was so small that he didn’t even have to incline his head to look her in the eye. “Hello.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m restringing my bow.”

“Why?”

“Because it broke.”

“How did it break?”

Revali huffed. “It snapped in half.”

The young girl moved to sit next to him, so close that she was nearly touching Revali. His eyes widened a touch as he looked down at her. She began to hum to herself, and picked out a few wildflowers that grew from the ground in front of them.

“Here!” she said, after she had gathered a small bunch. Her little hand all but shoved the bundle into his face. Revali sputtered, but grabbed them from her anyways. “Do you like them?”

Revali looked at the bouquet in his hand. She had grabbed a daisy, two yellow weeds, and a handful of grass.

“It’s… wonderful. Thank you.”

The girl giggled and leaned sideways so that her head was resting on his wing. Revali’s entire body stiffened immediately, but the girl sighed as she rubbed her cheek against his feathers.

“You’re silly. You remind me of Link.”

Revali was still staring at the flowers, but he nearly dropped them after she spoke.

“Of who?”

“Of Link,” she said. Her voice was stern, as if she were irritated with repeating herself.

Revali attempted to calm himself. Link was surely a common name amongst Hylians. Not that he had ever met another person named Link, although she couldn’t possibly be talking about the Link that he knew.

“Did you make a new friend, Narah?”

Unless of course, she was talking about the same Link, who had conveniently just appeared in front of them, bare chested and wet, as though he had just come back from the bath house. Revali reverted his eyes immediately, cursing his bow string for breaking when it did.

The young girl ran up to Link, handing him a handful of grass. He took it without question, and picked the girl up to prop on his hip. His attention stayed on her, but Revali could feel Link’s glances even with his focus lying solely on his bow.

Link whispered something in the girl’s ear, and immediately she giggled, wiggling out of his grasp as Link lowered her to the ground. The moment her feet hit the grass, she began running down the path towards something in the distance.

Revali clenched his beak together and looked up.

“What?”

Link held his hands up in faux surrender. “I didn’t say anything.” Link grunted as he sat himself on the ground, crossing his legs together.

“I just needed new string,” Revali said, answering Link’s unspoken question.

Link raised an eyebrow. “And you came all the way to Hateno to get it?”

“Obviously not,” Revali spat. “I was in the area. Why are you here?”

Link’s eyes were closed, and he leaned backwards so that he was laying against a large rock that sat behind him. “I live here.”

Revali paused, his wings faltering in their movements. “What do you mean?”

A smile ghosted at his lips. “I mean that I live here. My house is over there,” he said, pointing towards a waterfall in the distance.

“Why?” Revali couldn’t stop himself from asking, or from the puzzled tone that poured into his words.

Link sighed, and shifted so that he was more comfortable. “The princess dismissed me.”

Revali’s beak dropped open in surprise. “She… why?”

He shrugged, but didn’t answer. After a moment, his hands came up to sign something in front of him.

Not needed.

“Well that’s ridiculous! You just took down the greatest threat that Hyrule has seen in its entire lifetime. Of course you’re needed!”

“She’s trying to help, I think. Wants me to go live my life or something but I…”

His words trailed off.

“You don’t know what to do,” Revali finished for him. Link nodded. His eyes were still closed, although Revali noticed the tightness in his jaw, the movement of his throat as he swallowed repeatedly.

It seemed that he and Link were in the same position.

Revali didn’t know what to say.

“When are you headed back?” Link asked, after a while. The change in topic was welcome, and Revali’s tail feathers twitched as he thought the question over.

“I don’t know,” he said finally. “Not… today.” Revali glanced towards the hill in front of him, where the sun slowly began to set. He would have to ask the innkeeper for a bed soon.

Link was sitting up now, looking at him. Revali felt uncomfortable.

“What, Hylian?” he finally asked, although his retort lacked his usual ferocity. Something about Link’s unwavering gaze was unsettling him. Link, in general, seemed to have that effect on him.

Link smiled and shook his head, as if Revali was not understanding some hidden message.

“Come on,” he said, standing up with a grunt. Revali’s eyebrows furrowed, and his beak opened to ask a question, but Link didn’t even look at him. Instead he turned around and began to walk down the hill.

Curious, Revali followed him, although not without protest.

“The sun is in my eyes, I can barely see two steps in front of me.”

“Ugh! Gross! I stepped in a puddle.”

“Hylian, is your house much farther? I’m going to drop—hey!”

Revali clicked his tongue against his beak and crossed his wings in front of his chest. Link, apparently not inclined to listen to Revali’s complaining, had snatched the quiver out of Revali’s arms and slung it over his back. He looked up at Revali with an eyebrow raised, irritated expression leaking through his stoic exterior.

Revali snorted, amused with this revelation.

“Oh? Oh my. Is Link, the most joyous creature that has ever lived on Hyrule, actually showing an emotion other than content?”

Link rolled his eyes and looked away from Revali, although he was doing a horrible job at hiding his smile.

Revali flapped his wings and jumped, landing in front of Link with an incessant grin.

“If only someone else was around to watch you break your composure. I wonder what they’d say?”

“They’d understand, once they spoke with you for more than five minutes.”

Revali squaked in protest. “I’ll have you know, Hylian-”

“Oh, Revali, it’s too hot outside. And I haven’t preened my feathers in over an hour! And my beak is sore from frowning constantly. And-”

Revali stumbled forward, doubling over in laughter as he clutched at his stomach. Link took a step back, and when Revali glanced up at his face, he was met with a look of genuine surprise.

Revali straightened up and blushed, throwing Link his best scowl. “My voice is not that high pitched,” he said, after he was sure that his giggles wouldn’t seep into his words.

Link shook his head, eyes still widened in shock. “I’ve never seen you laugh like that,” he said quietly. Now, it was Revali’s turn to look surprised.

“I… Well… You just don’t know me well enough.” That was a lie, and they both knew it. Revali hadn’t laughed that hard in ages, in over a century. He’d nearly forgotten what it felt like.

The sun was nearly set by the time they got to Link’s small house, and Revali was content with the silence that passed between them. He spent some time walking the grounds of Link’s property, muttering to himself about this and that. When he completed his second lap around the house, Link was carefully sitting down by the fire that Revali had made, balancing two bowls of food in his hands. Revali stared at him.

Link set the bowls down and signed towards him.

Come. Eat.

Revali did as he was told, quietly thanking Link as he sat down.

As they ate, few words were exchanged between them. The crackling of the firewood and the smell of sweet smoke overtook Revali’s senses. It was only when Link nudged his shoulder that Revali realized he had nearly fallen asleep.

Inside.

Revali shook his head. “I’m going to the innkeeper’s.”

Inside.

Link signed again, frowning softly.

“Truly, I will be okay in one of the innkeeper’s beds. Don’t ask me again.”

He moved to get up, and it was only then that Link reached out and grabbed his wing. Revali sucked in a breath dramatically, although he didn’t pull his wing away.

“Just stay here,” Link said calmly. His hand slowly retreated. Revali wanted to run after his touch.

Instead, he took a deep breath and whispered, “Asking me to lay with you is a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

Now, it was Link’s turn to be embarrassed. Link blushed deeply, the color still noticeable under the dying light of the fire. “I… I wasn’t…”

Revali threw his head back and cackled. Link narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him.

“Such a prude,” he said, before grabbing their bowls and standing to go inside.

“You can sleep in the bed, you know,” Link said, once he made his way inside. He had a blanket clutched in front of him, and his eyes were averted as though he were embarrassed. “Not with me, of course.”

Revali rolled his eyes and grabbed the blanket out of his hands. “I’ll be fine with this. I’ve been sleeping on less these past few months.”

Revali laid the blanket down on the floor and sat on top of it, smoothing it down with his wings. When he looked up, Link was staring at him.

“Why did you leave the village?”

Revali glanced around the room. Link’s house was small. Livable, but small. So much different than the castle that he had grown up in, with handmaidens there to bathe and dress him and advisors to tell him where to go and what to do. The house reminded him a bit of the archery range that had become his home so long ago. He wondered, for a fleeting moment, if Link was just as lost as he was.

“Do you like it here?” he asked, ignoring Link’s question entirely. Link sighed, and stepped over the corner of the blanket to grab a candle that sat on a near table. He set it in front of Revali, and then to his surprise, Link sat down in front of him.

Not sure.

“Your hair is in disarray,” Revali finally said, after a moment or two had passed. Link looked up, eyes glinting in the candlelight. He looked otherworldly in a way that Revali couldn’t describe. He was wearing a battered tunic and a horrible set of green trousers, his hair was a complete mess and his nose was stained bright red from the sunlight, and yet, he still looked like the most gorgeous thing that Revali had ever seen.

Link picked the candle up and moved it to the side before carefully turning himself around so that his back was to Revali.

“Will you braid it for me?” he asked softly. Revali’s breath caught in his throat, but after a moment spent unclenching his beak and spreading his wings, he leaned forward and began to groom Link’s hair.

Once he finished, Link turned around to face him once again.

“I left the village because it has nothing left to give me. The Ritos that I once knew have since passed on. All I am to them is a distant memory. A relic from the past. They owe me nothing, not a table amongst them nor a passing thought in their mind. I don’t belong there. I don’t know if I ever did.”

“I hate it here. And that’s awful to say, I know, but I do. And I hated the castle even more. I hated the way Zelda looked at me, as though she didn’t know what to say, or how to say it. I’m frustrated with myself and I’m angry at all of Hyrule for deeming me as either a hero or a failure who nearly killed us all a century ago. I don’t even know who I’m supposed to be.”

Link was out of breath by the time he finished, and angry tears were sparkling in the corners of his eyes. He grunted, and brought his hands up to scrub them away, laughing awkwardly as he did so.

“I’m sorry I’m not the ‘joyous creature’ that you remember,” he said, shaking his head.

“I was joking when I said that,” Revali said softly. “You were more apathetic than anything. Definitely quieter.” Link snorted, despite himself. “I like how you are, now, though.”

“Really? You don’t mind that I’m…”

Different?

“I don’t think you’re different. You’re exactly as I remember.”

Revali shouldn’t have been surprised by what happened next, but he couldn’t say that he was expecting Link to lean forward and rest his forehead on his chest. Revali stilled, unsure of what to do next, but the contact of another, living, breathing being touching him was too much to resist. Revali carefully spread his wings and wrapped them around Link’s body before relaxing forward, beak resting on top of his head.

Link shifted, and Revali lifted his beak so that they were looking at each other.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he said, before leaning forward to brush his lips across the underside of Revali’s beak.

Having sex with a Hylian was much different than having sex with a Rito. Revali wasn’t new to it, the act of sleeping with another, gaining release as their cloacas met, sticky and damp from secretions.

But this, this was another feeling entirely.

This was ecstasy, with Link panting and muttering things under his breath, sweet words of encouragement as his hips moved slowly, almost lazily, thrusting forward while Revali attempted to tame the sounds coming from his beak.

“Revali-”

“Link-”

When Revali came, wings wrapped around Link’s back and talons scraping at the floor beneath him, he realized finally that he probably loved Link. He had probably loved him for a very long time.

Afterwards, when Link had fallen asleep, snoring softly with his face burrowed in the feathers on Revali’s wing, Revali finally felt as though he had found his home.

➹

“Come play with us, Champion Link!”

Revali huffed as he watched the Zora children run towards Link, splashing a few other Zora in their pursuit. It seemed that Link was popular with all young creatures, although Revali would reason that it was because Link was just as immature as they were.

Revali had stayed with Link for about a month before the invitation came. Mipha had invited all of the Champions to Zora’s Domain in an attempt to “reunite their family.” Revali had felt that the wording was a bit excessive, although Link thought that it was a good idea to go.

“It will be good! Everyone will be there, even Zelda. I can introduce you to everyone else I've met since I’ve awoken, as well!”

Revali was less than thrilled, but he knew that he couldn’t refuse. Not when Link looked so happy to see his friends again.

It was a bit uncomfortable, at first, as the old Champions struggled to connect with the young man that they once knew, although after dinner, and quite a large amount of Zora spirits, night fell and it was as though nothing had changed.

“Champion Revali!”

Revali smoothed his scowl into something more tasteful and turned to face the booming voice that called for him.

“Come, have a drink! You can-”

Revali held out his wings to steady the Goron in front of him, but the man had righted himself before Revali had a chance to help. Not without spilling his drink, of course, half of which was now splattered onto the stone floor. Revali stepped out of the way fully, before Daruk decided to spill the other half on him.

“I am alright, Daruk. Thank you, though.”

“‘Vali doesn’t drink.”

They both turned to face the man that walked towards him, a bit lighter on his feet but no less drunk than the Goron warrior.

Link looked breathtaking, as he had the entire night. He was wearing a dark blue tunic with gold embroidery that the princess had specifically picked out for him. It wasn’t until halfway through dinner that Revali had realized that they were practically matching. He had a feeling that the princess chose those colors on purpose, if only to spite him.

Daruk was still speaking, although Revali paid him no mind. All of his attention was on Link, with his hair tied back and gold paint swirled around the skin of his cheeks.

“Vali?” he asked quietly.

Link shrugged, and nearly collapsed into his side when he got close enough to do so. He was laughing at some horribly crude joke that Daruke made, although his hands were speaking to only Revali.

That okay?

Link looked up at him afterwards, lips downturned as he awaited the answer.

“It’s… adequate.”

Link grinned at him before once again turning towards Daruk, telling an even more obscene joke than the Goron had. It caused him to double over in laughter, glass tilting forward as the rest of his wine spilled on the floor.

“It lasted longer than I expected it to,” Revali said to himself. Link hummed under his breath, but Revali waved him away. “Not important. I need a moment. I’ll be back.”

Link nodded and smiled as he walked away.

Revali spent a few minutes flying around the castle before catching the eye of Mipha, who waved him down excitedly. Zelda sat with her, holding a large tunic around herself and looking a bit more inebriated than Revali had expected her to be. She hiccuped when he landed in front of them, and both girls broke down into giggles. Revali couldn’t help himself from chuckling, as well.

“How’s Link?” she asked, inflecting her words as if she had stumbled upon a huge secret.

“Fine,” Revali replied. He didn’t care that they knew, or that they assumed what his relationship was with Link. Hylia, Revali hardly knew what their relationship was himself, although he knew that Zelda was just drunk and curious, if not a bit worried about her friend.

“I suppose it was time,” she continued, sipping a bit from the glass that Mipha tilted towards her. “Since Ganon is gone, and all.”

“Time for what?”

Zelda looked cross, and rolled her eyes plainly. Revali was almost impressed.

Mipha cleared her throat before answering for the princess. “For you and Link to court, of course.”

“We’re hardly courting,” Revali replied, crossing his wings in front of his chest. “We’re just-”

“Living together?”

“Traveling across Hyrule together?”

They both looked at each other.

“Sleeping with one another?”

They broke down into giggles again. Revali narrowed his eyes, attempting to be angry, but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to feel anything other than slight irritation.

“If you must know, then yes. I suppose since Link has already told you then there is no point in being secretive.”

“You haven’t been secretive,” Zelda said, shaking her head.

“Yes, and Link hasn’t told us anything.”

“You thought you were being secretive?”

Thankfully, Link came to his rescue once again, in the form of a crash as the vase that he had bumped into fell over and shattered on the ground. All three of their heads snapped towards him, only to be met with Link’s cringe as he muttered a sorry under his breath.

“‘S fine,” Mipha said. “Come, sit.”

Link sat between them, and now Revali had three pairs of eyes blinking up at him. Each of them were smiling coyly. Maybe Link hadn’t come to his rescue after all.

Link signed something towards him. It was a sign that he hadn’t seen since before Ganon fell.

It was his name.

Revali had a distinct memory from many years ago, where he stood in almost the exact same position, surrounded by the same group of people. Link had signed his name back then, too. Revali thought that he was making fun of him, when the girls had laughed and Link refused to tell him the real meaning.

Although, now, when the girls smiled softly and Link signed it again with a blinding smile on his face, Revali thought that maybe the name wasn’t so bad in the first place.

“What does it mean?”

“It means Valentine,” Zelda answered, as it seemed that Link’s tongue was too twisted up from the alcohol to speak properly.

“Valentine?” Revali questioned.

“It’s a Hylian name for a lover. Just a silly title, but Link chose that to be your name in sign language a very long time ago.”

Revali didn’t respond. His eyes were on Link and only Link. Link caught his gaze and held it.

The girls left after a while to go back to the party, and Link promised that they would be on their way as well, in a few minutes. Link and Revali stood by the railing, looking out over the scenery together.

“What you gave me. Your braid. I asked a few Rito about it. It’s a marriage braid, isn’t it?”

Revali sighed. “It is.”

“Well then, yes. I will.”

“You will?”

Link grinned and leaned into his side. Revali wrapped his wing around Link’s body, shielding it from the wind.

Yes, Revali.

They continued to stare at the waterfall in front of them, content.

This was Revali's new favorite memory.