THWAK!

An arrow embedded in the target as the archer took his shot. Reaching for his quiver, the archer readied another arrow. The target was peppered with previous shots, each of them within the eight-to-nine range.

"Not good enough," the archer said. He brushed a wing through his budding head-feathers before pulling back the bowstring on his Swallow Bow and released.

THWAK!

The arrow landed in the seven range.

"Dammit."

"Language," came another voice. The archer gave a great sigh before turning to the voice, revealing a Rito sitting on a nearby rock. He had the appearance of a snowy owl with grey feathers speckled with black spots and a white face and underbelly, a purple scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. "Really Revali, would you want mom to find out what you say behind her back?"

Revali glared at his fellow Rito. "You should keep to yourself, Aquila." He turned back to the target and pulled out another arrow. "Unless you can somehow make my aim better, then go back to the village and stick your beak in a book instead of my business."

"Wind direction," Aquila stated.

Revali put down his bow. "What?"

Getting up from his seat, Aquila took Revali's wings and held them in his own, positioning his brother's wings. "The wind keeps blowing your arrows off-course. If want to hit the bullseye, then offset your aim towards where the wind is blowing."

Revali shook off Aquila's grip, but did as he was suggested to do and offset his next shot. Taking a deep breath, the archer drew his drawstring, released it, and…

THWAK!

The arrow embedded itself right in the middle of the target, a perfect ten. Revali shook off his temporary shock at the outcome and readied another arrow, landing it in the bullseye yet again.

"Well then, I guess I should thank you for improving my aim," the archer said, scoffing a bit but letting a small smile show on his face.

"Hey, we're brothers. We've got to look out for each other," Aquila replied.

Revali turned his vision back to the target and shot a few more arrows, each of them hitting the bullseye without fail. When his quiver ran out, he placed his bow on his back and turned to Aquila. "That should be enough training for today. I don't want to strain myself for the contest tomorrow." He smiled smugly. "They'll be so enamored by archer skills that they'll have to make a statue to commemorate my greatness."

Aquila rolled his eyes. "I don't think the elder would want something so gaudy in the village." He walked over to the target and pulled out the arrows, tossing each of them over to Revali to sheath and putting the broken ones into his own quiver. "Let's get back home so dad can repair these arrows."

Revali nodded, and with a flap of his wings took flight back to the nearby Rito Village. Aquila took to the skies as well, following close behind his brother as they headed home.

My name is Aquila. I am a Rito living in Rito Village, located in the Tabantha Frontier region of Hyrule. I am also the brother (well, half-brother, if you want to get technical) of Revali, the Champion of our people. This is our story of how we became part of a bigger legend, one that would change the fate of us, our friends, and Hyrule as a whole.

TheDrgaonSaver Presents

A story based on "The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild"

Brother of a Champion

Up on the Great Plateau, Aquila and Revali, now fully grown Rito, were on their way to visit the sacred Temple of Time to gain the blessing of the goddess Hylia. Revali had grown into a lean yet strong young man, his head feathers held in four braids behind his head and his signature Great Eagle Bow strapped to his back.

"Come along, brother. The temple is just ahead," Revali said.

"Right behind you," Aquila replied. The owl Rito was only an inch shorter than his brother, the only thing shared between them being their father's green eyes. Aquila was wearing the traditional Rito armor design: a black vest with silver chest shield and pauldrons that had blue accents, tan shorts with purple wing designs on the side, black leg guards with blue accents, and a brown belt and strap that held his quiver and Falcon Bow, respectively. A tan scarf that matched Revali's was wrapped around his neck as well.

Walking into the Temple of Time, the two brothers were currently the only ones there, besides a cloaked figure that was silently praying at the goddess statue's feet.

"I still don't know why you insisted on coming here for the goddess' blessing," Revali said, his voice echoing slightly within the halls of the temple. "We have a perfectly fine goddess statue in our village back home."

"It's tradition to come to the Temple of Time for the Hero's Blessing," Aquila explained. "It's said that the hero would come here to receive gifts from the goddesses. It is even said that the Hero of Time obtained the Master Sword here."

Revali gave a slight scoff. "Are you still going on about the rumors of somebody pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal?"

"It's not as strange as some of the other rumors around the village," Aquila retorted. "Summoning lightning, creating magic shields, reviving those that have fallen in combat. Those sound much more unlikely than a Hylian pulling the Master Sword." He gave a sly smile. "Besides, aren't you working on summoning a gale of wind yourself."

Revali glared at his brother but turned away afterwards. "It's still a…. work in progress." He walked up to the cloaked figure and took a knee in front of the statue. "Oh Goddess Hylia, whom brings the wind that lifts my people to the sky, I ask for the blessing of the hero. I, Revali of the Rito tribe, have overcome great feats to prove myself the strongest warrior in my village. I have challenged the mighty dragon Dinraal in combat and earned its respect. I have proven to be the fastest of my people in the air and on the ground by braving the harshness of Hebra Peak. And I have proven to be the greatest archer in my tribe's history during our annual contest."

He lifted his head up towards the goddess statue. In a soft voice, he said, "If you can hear me, then give me a sign of what I am to do next."

Nothing happened after he said that, but Aquila noticed something strange around his brother. A faint greenish glow was around Revali, blowing his braids as if in a light breeze. It was after a short time that the goddess statue shone, a symbol appearing in front of it.

"Aquila, what do you make of this?" Revali asked.

The owl Rito gave the symbol a closer look. "It appears to be the symbol of the Hyrule Royal Family. I believe this means that the next stage of your journey lies within the hands of the royal family."

Revali stood up from his kneeling position, thinking about what his brother had just said. "Well, the princess has been seen asking about the strongest warriors of each race." He held a wing up and smiled. "That must mean that my time as a hero draws closer. Let us return to the village so that I may continue my training."

Aquila nodded. "Agreed. However, there is something that I would like to do first while we're here. You can go on ahead if you want. I'll meet you down at Outskirt Stable to rest for the night."

Revali gave a short hum, then turned to walk out of the temple. "Don't stay here all night lost in your studies," he said with a laugh before leaving.

"He is certainly a character, isn't he?" said a voice from… somewhere.

"Who said that?" Aquila asked, looking around in surprise.

"That would be me, child," said the voice again. The cloaked figure walked up to Aquila. "I am the sage of this temple, watching over the history of this land. I sense that you care much about your brother, yes?"

"He's the only family I have left," Aquila replied. "Our father died fighting a Lynel on the northern snow field, and both of our mothers were lost to disease."

"Much tragedy fills your life, yes. However, from this it has made you strong, not on the outside, but within," The sage said, placing a hand on Aquila's head and heart. "You have an important role to play in the upcoming three years. Let me give you a gift that will aid you on your quest."

From within the robes they wore, the sage pulled out an object and placed it into Aquila's wing. It was a harp, red on one side and blue on the others, the strings held on the top by three feathers.

"This item will guide you on your quest, as well as to the next part of your journey " the sage explained.

Aquila looked at the object he had been given, before tucking it underneath his vest. "Why me? My brother is much more of a hero than I am. I'm just a historian and bard. I only have some skill in archery and metalwork."

"Everyone will have a role to play soon, and yours in one that is imperative to Hyrule's survival," the sage said. "Just remember: the night may be long, but dawn always comes to bring light back to the world."

With that, Aquila turned to leave the temple, but turned back around to thank the sage. However, when he looked back into the temple, there was no trace of the cloaked figure.

[***]

A few weeks later, Revali and Aquila were training at the Flight Range, with Aquila working on his archery skills and Revali practicing his wind magic. The Rito warrior focused on the wind around him, letting it flow upwards. When it reached its peak, Revali took to the sky in his created updraft. However, the wind proved to be too strong, spinning him around and knocking him down onto the ground in a heap.

Pushing himself up, Revali slammed a wing on the ground as he stood up. "Not enough," he spat out.

Aquila came to his brother's side. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Revali said, pushing his brother's wing away. "I must stay in the eye of the whirlwind… must push myself harder…"

"Let me help you," Aquila said. He handed a stamina potion to Revali, whom reluctantly but gratefully took it and drank it down. "It seems we have visitors," the owl Rito said.

Revali quickly turned around, looking at what his brother pointed out. Standing in front of an entourage of guards was none other than Princess Zelda herself. "You know your highness… it's rude to eavesdrop," he said, turning back to the canyon.

"Revali, maybe we shouldn't antagonize the princess," Aquila said.

"It's fine," Zelda said. She walked closer to the two Rito. "My apologies if I interrupted anything. I went to the village, and I was told I would find you here." She gestured to Revali while saying this.

"You have need of me," Revali said, turning back to the princess. "To defeat Calamity Ganon."

Aquila looked in surprise at the two. He had heard the rumors that Ganon might return, but he thought it had just been superstitious nonsense.

Revali continued. "To slay the beast once and for all…" He smiled slightly. "It will be my great pleasure."

"Thank you, Revali," Zelda said. She brought a hand up to her chest. "If we work together, I'm sure we'll be able to defeat- "

"However!" Revali interrupted. He turned back to the canyon and crouched down, summoning his wind magic once again. He took to the sky once again, rising in the updraft once more.

"He's going to fall again," Aquila said in concern, watching as Revali struggled to maintain his stable flight.

However, much to his brother's relief, Revali gave another flap and completed his flight up the gale, reaching its peak and turning around to fall back to earth. Diving into the Flight Range, he took his bow into his feet and divebombed downward. As he got closer to the targets, he did and acrobatic flip and took his Great Eagle Bow in his wings, pulling back three bomb arrows and letting them fly.

Each arrow his its mark, and as Revali landed on an outcropping, he activated his gale again and took off again, taking out the rest of the targets within mere seconds.

Aquila smiled, then jumped up in a cheer. "he did it! He actually did it!"

Revali came out of the smoke of the bomb arrows, landing in the Flight Range platform and making a bow. "I know I play the biggest part in helping that, ahem," he said, taking a mocking tone. "The little knight with the darkness-sealing sword, Correct?" He placed a wing on his hip. "Well, if he loses his confidence after seeing me in action… don't come crying to me."

Aquila sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "That's my brother alright. Always wanting to be the big hero."

"It's that confidence that will make him a worthy Champion," Zelda said. "I hope he can put his opinions aside, though, for the sake of Hyrule."

Aquila noted that the way Zelda said that hinted at a shared feeling between her and his brother. "You won't find a better archer in all of Hyrule, princess," he said.

Revali landed next to the two as Zelda spoke. "There will be a proper knighting ceremony and festival at the end of the week. I hope to see both of you there."

"You want me, princess?" Aquila asked.

Zelda smiled. "Of course. The village elder said that you are an excellent bard, and the festival is supposed to be a unification of all of the races. I've heard that the Rito's are known not only for their mastery of the sky, but also of song."

"Aquila will be honored to accompany me to the ceremony," Revali said, putting a wing on his brother's shoulder.

Author's Note

Hello Zelda fans! This is my first full length story set in the world of Hyrule, as all my other endeavors have been one-shots.

This is an idea that has been in my mind for quite a while, to have another perspective on the story of Breath of the Wild. Revali is my favorite character in all of Zelda, and I want to give a unique take on his character by giving him a companion that knows him on personal level. I hope that I can change a few minds about Revali, especially those that thinks he's just a selfish jerk or a retread of Falco from Star Fox (who, for the record, is very different when you get down to it). There's so much more to his character if you read into him, and I hope to show it off here.

On another note, this story will have references to other Zelda games besides Breath of the Wild, so be on the lookout for that (HINT: Aquila's new item is a hint at things to come).

Next time: The Champions' Festival arrives, and Aquila learns a bit more about his part in the legend.