Worry not dear readers, I have not given up on my other stories. Just writer's block, but I'm beginning work on another chapter for ASC (A Second Chance) currently, but I thought I would write something for the holiday season, and I really love how this turned out. Its a long-shot, so this is it, but who knows, I may write another Christmas story if I feel like it. Only time will tell.
Thats enough rambeling on, so I hope you enjoy this work
It was that time of year again and the Christmas spirit hit everyone in Hyrule. The first snow had already fallen, starting the winter season, and the fall harvest had been a good one, the best in many many years, supplying everyone in the kingdom with plentiful amounts of food for the chilly months.
Death Mountain's residents, the Gorons, had no snow stay on the ground, but they still were able to watch the white powder fall down from the sky, and if they looked far enough down the mountain, they could see how it stuck to the ground of Hyrule Field below. Many days followed of different Gorons heading down the Mountain to the fields of Hyrule, with nothing more in mind than rolling around in the powdery ground that covered the majority of Hyrule.
The Zoras were affected by the colder climates, yes, but that still had not stopped them from enjoying themselves. They had stored many fish from the waters in heated aquatic tanks so they would not freeze during the winter, and many of them had taken enjoyment to play onto the now frozen waters that littered the entire domain.
Not even the fierce Gerudo kept their usual demeanor. Sure, they were still as on guard as ever, but something special happened this year. Normally, they would have to leave the desert to even see snow, but this year, they received snowfall in the desert. Many of the desert-dwelling race was quick to run around and enjoy the rare occasion that was presented to them this holiday season. Many of the merchants had closed down their shops, just to play in the snow.
The Rito were used to seeing snow. Living in the coldest region of Hyrule meant snow was not very rare, but still the winter season arriving sent many of the younger hatchlings off to make snow angels.
Within Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda was overjoyed that she would not have to make pointless trips to any more of the Goddess Springs for the remainder of the year. She was free to enjoy herself however she saw fit. She and her appointed knight, Link, left the castle, choosing instead to enjoy themselves on the snowy fields of Hyrule instead of staying inside.
Everyone was enjoying themselves, excited for Christmas Day to come. Well, almost everyone.
Instead of being in the midst of celebration and merry songs, someone chose to keep to themselves. They locked themselves away from everything. The only way you could see this person was if you looked hard enough through the freezing Hebra Mountains.
If you searched through the snow for many hours, you may just come across them. Situated in front of two Goddess Statues, both of them decorated, one would see a navy blue feathered Rito talking to the statues. He was choking on his words, doing his best to fight back tears.
Christmas Eve quickly came, and Zelda invited all the Champions to a private celebration, and all of them had accepted. All of them except Revali. He had turned down the invitation, saying instead that he had already made plans.
The Champions who came spent the entire morning forgetting about all their woes and for the first time in a very long time, the heard the Hylian Champion speak. They all forgot about the pressure they had to face the Calamity, all of them forgetting their duties, instead, they just enjoyed the company of each other.
When it was time for lunch, a small feast was laid for the Princess and her appointed Champions, and after filling themselves up on food, they began to converse in a more calm setting. One that didn't involve giant balls of the white powder to be thrown at someone every five seconds.
"I do wish that Revali was here to celebrate with us," Zelda spoke. "He said that he was busy, but it felt like he wanted to come and join us, however, something was holding him back."
"I do wish that he was here to celebrate with us," Urbosa responded, "Going by what you said, it seems that something is bothering him, and he wants to say what it is, but he also doesn't want to."
Mipha was the next to speak. "Normally, I don't like to get involved with the business of others, especially anything emotional, but something does feel wrong, and I am concerned about him."
"What should we do then?" Zelda asked questioningly, worried about the well-being of the Rito Champion.
"I say we should go to Rito Village and talk to him," Link suggested, "We could make it there well before nightfall if we left within the hour."
Daruk voiced his own opinion quickly afterward. "I agree with the little guy. We have no time to waste. Everyone, get your winter stuff and we all can meet up back here in 15 minutes. We'll head off together once we regroup."
All other heads nodded in unison, and just like the Goron said, everyone was dawned with winter layers, ready to begin the journey to Rito Village.
Zelda and Link got their horses quickly ready, also preparing an additional two horses for both Mipha and Urbosa. Daruk would just roll along behind the others for he was too big for a horse.
Minutes later, all the horses were ready to go, and the group sped off towards the Hebra Region, ignoring all distractions along the way.
Just as Link had said, the group arrived only 3 hours after they began their journey. Unsure as to where they would find Revali, they choose to speak to the Rito elder, knowing if anyone knew where one could find the missing champion, the elder would be that one.
The group quickly ran up to the top of Rito Village to the elder's home and were thankful when they saw that he was not preoccupied with anything at the moment.
"Princess, Champions, I am humbled to be in your presence. Is there anything I can help you with?" the older Rito asked.
"The honor is ours, Elder Gaborea," Zelda said with a small, polite bow. "We were wondering if you know where we could find Revali. He declined our invitation to a Christmas Eve party, and we have been worried about him all day."
Elder Gaborea hummed to himself for a minute, trying to think of the best way to answer the question. "Master Revali is not someone who you see this time of year, so, unfortunately, I don't know exactly where he is, but I may have an idea."
Zelda's eyes quickly lit up, "Anything would be helpful, even the faintest idea would be better than none at all."
"If you are looking for him, you would probably find him on the top of Hebra Peak."
"Do you know why he's up there?" Zelda asked, confused as to why Revali needed so much solace that he would go to the very top of Hebra Peak just to get it.
"I do, but I am unsure how mad Master Revali would be if I told you. He would be the best one to ask. I don't know how much of the story he wants to tell, but if you plan on searching for him, I suggest getting additional layers. If you think it was cold on your journey here, then you have seen nothing. This Is a walk in the park compared to where you are planning on going. I wish you the best of luck in finding him."
The entire party thanked the elder before going and each of them purchasing an additional set of Snowquill Armour to wear on top of what they already owned. After finding something for everyone, they began their journey.
An hour after their journey had started, they finally reached the base of Hebra Mountain. They were all thankful that they had decided to purchase the additional armor, or they would have had frostbite by now.
They decided they would take a 15-minute break before continuing on. Link pulled some flint and a bundle of wood out of his bag and started a fire, hoping to warm up the group a little more.
After the break was over, they began to long climb to the top, somehow finding comfort in the silence as not one of them had said anything to each other. Urbosa stayed in the front, followed by Mipha, then Zelda with Link right by her side, and Daruk stayed in the very back.
Not too far away from the party of Champions, the navy feathered Rito did his best to stop the tears from coming, but a few of them still showed. The tears that flowed were not even able to completely slide down his face before they crystallized, and he had to brush them off.
He kept on mumbling, first sad, before angry and scooping up a pile of snow in his wing and tossing it over the peak.
The Rito was so lost in his own mind that he hadn't heard the many grunts of people on the side of the mountain, or heard them panting until someone from behind his spoke.
"Revali?"
The Rito turned his head to the direction of the sound, and the source of it. Zelda. Looking past the princess, he saw the rest of the Champions. Urbosa, Mipha, Link, and Daruk were all there as well.
"What are all of you doing up here?" Revali barley choked out.
"I guess we could all ask the same for you," Urbosa said, not upset, but in a very caring tone.
"It's a long story that I don't think we have time for it now," Revali said.
"You do realize it's long past dinner. How long have you been up here for?" Urbosa asked.
Revali said nothing, but the entire group could see that he was shivering. He was going to end up really sick if they didn't get him into warmer weather immediately.
Revali tried to speak but he couldn't, so when Daruk walked over to the Rito and gently carried him on his shoulder, he couldn't say anything but watch as they began to make way back down the mountain.
The entire trip back down the mountain was much easier than making the way up. There was a sense of urgency in everyone's eyes as they brought the Rito Champion back down, who had become unconscious shortly after the journey began.
They made it back to the flight range in an hour, and Link lit the fire while everyone worked together to warm up the Rito. All the others completely negating their own selves, doing everything they could to just heat up the Rito.
No one wanted to leave Revali, no until he got better, so while the others watched Revali, Zelda hurried over to Rito Village and had one of the messengers send a quick note to her father, informing him that she would be spending the night in RIto Village in company of the Champions, and she would return home the next day.
The sun was starting to sink over the horizon, and Revali had yet to change. Everyone was starting to get concerned that the worst had happened, but they knew that they could not lose hope. All the Champions prayed that the Rito would be fine, and an hour later, they could hear some sort of noise come from the bundled up Champion.
Revali shifted around, trying to get comfortable when he realized where he was. He never remembered going back down the mountain, and he knew he never slept on the floor, in so many layers.
"Revali?" he heard someone say, however, he could not recognize the voice. It was obviously full of concern, and he wanted to respond, but he couldn't think of what to say, so she moaned instead.
All of a sudden, he felt himself get yanked up off the ground and pulled into a bear hug, hearing the squeals of excitement from his fellow Champions.
"Daruk, I think you should put him down," the same voice as before said. This time, however, he turned his head to where the sound came from and finding the voice belonged to none other than the apparently silent knight.
"Wait… am I dreaming, or did you just talk?" Revali asked, unsure what to make of the occasion.
"Wow. You finally get your consciousness back, and that's the first thing you say to him," Urbosa said jokingly. "You should know that he is the one who suggested we head out to Rito Village and look for you."
"Link…" Revali said, locking eyes with the Hylian Champion, "thank you."
"Careful now," Urbosa said in an obviously sarcastic tone, "Your vocal cords are probably still sore, too many nice remarks could do you more harm than good."
Zelda swiftly elbowed the Gerudo afterward, earning a light laugh from everyone in the group, including Revali.
"So, on a more serious note, can I ask a question?" Revali managed to say. Everyone nodded their heads in unison, and Revali continued. "What happened? The last thing I remember was being on Hebra Peak, then I somehow ended up back here with all of you, so to say the least, I'm a little confused right now."
"Oh, we can answer that," Zelda said. She told Revali of how they asked the elder about his whereabouts, about them going to the very top of Hebra Peak just to find him, how they had a very short conversation before Revali just stopped talking, and the rest of his began to shut down as they tried to get him back towards Rito Village, able to make it to the Flight Range, and how they all waited anxiously, hoping that they got the Champion back soon enough.
"I missed a lot then, didn't I?" Revali asked after a small silence, attempting to take in all the information that had been presented just then.
"Yea, but we're happy your back now," Zelda said. "However… you never did answer the question. Why were you on top of Hebra Mountain, and how long were you up there for?"
The Rito paused for a moment, unsure of how much information he wanted to present to his fellow Champions. "I was on Hebra Peak just before dawn, and have been there ever since. Now, as to why… that's a long story."
Zelda put a hand on Revali's shoulder, his sadness obvious to all of those around him. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, maybe it will help. All I know is that no one goes to the coldest spot in all of Hyrule and spends the entire day in front of two decorated Goddess Statues without a reason."
Revali thought about what Zelda had said, and silently debated how much of it he would say before he decided to just get everything off of his chest, and say everything.
He took in a deep breath, then began. "10 years ago, to this day, I lost both of my parents. That morning, they promised they would be back before sundown. They just wanted to get a few last things before Christmas came. During the time they were away from home, a bad snowstorm, the worst in recorded history, hit and both of my parents had gotten lost in the midst of it. I assumed they would come back home, so I waited outside on the nearby landing, but they never came."
Revali paused for a moment, fighting hard against the tears that threatened to show. After he cleared his throat, he continued. "I waited all night, waiting for them to return. The next day, I told the elder my parents had not returned from their trip yesterday, and several Rito warriors offered to look for them. They searched all day, while I felt bad about them all leaving behind their own families, just to help me find my parents. It was later that night when one of the scouts found two bodies that looked like my parents."
Revali paused yet again, looking around to each of his fellow Champions. After another moment of silence, he barely got out the next words. "They were dead."
Saying that broke the Rito, and he was now crying. The others quickly rushed over, and pulled him into an embrace, refusing to let go of their friend. They all stayed there, no one saying anything, instead just enjoying the company of each other.
Once the Rito had calmed down, Daruk stopped pulling so hard, and everyone was left choking for air before one person gave a light laugh. One laugh turned to two, two to three, and in a short time, the entire group, Revali included, were laughing, forgetting all of their hardships, and for the first time in a long 10 years, the Rito was genuinely happy during the holiday season.
"I'm sorry for taking this day away from all of you," Revali said mournfully. "You all tried to have a good day, but I ruined it."
"Revali," Mipha said quietly, "you ruined nothing. What we are doing right now is what Christmas is all about. Being together with each other is what the holidays are for."
Everyone agreed and after Link had cooked a small meal for everyone, they feasted, talking of various things. Tonight was not a night for the Champions to be the Champions Hyrule expected them to be. It was not a night for the Princess of Hyrule to be proper, the Hero of Hyrule to be silent. Tonight was not for either Goron or Gerudo Chiefs to be the leaders and worry about all the various aspects of their homes. It was not a night Zora Princess to be the royalty Muzu expected her to be.
Tonight was a night for everyone to be like anyone else. Not the princess and her appointed knight, two normal Hylians. Not Goron and Gerudo Chiefs, just another Goron, and another Gerudo. Not the skilled, brave, proud warrior, simply a Rito that could show weakness and not be mocked for it. It was a night to be as reckless as she wanted, not having to worry about a proper upbringing in the Domain.
The entire group had fun all night, not even knowing, or caring to know, about the time it was. They had each other and that was all they needed. Not gifts or elaborate, over-the-top celebrations, but the comfort they all gave each other.
Sitting on the landing right outside the small house the group was standing in, Link was the one to speak. "No matter what hardships we face, the trials we have to confront, we will always be there for each other, and nothing will ever stop that."
Just then, a star flew across the sky, speaking on behalf of the entire group.
Did you enjoy it? Tell me what you think, and if you have any ideas for what I could do in the future, please tell me and I will do my best to complete them if they are possible. Thanks for reading. Bye :)