A/N – Happy Holidays, all! Don't really have anything of note to say, other than that this chapter will include the obligatory 12 Day of Christmas parody song because of course it does.
OnePunchFan8 –Yeah, I've noticed that too. For me, I kind of let some of Midna's mischief seep into Urbosa because I don't know Twilight Princess nearly as well as Breath of the Wild, but I still love her character. Also, Urbosa serves so many purposes; warrior badass, respected ruler, mother figure to Zelda, voice of reason for the Champions… so what's one more title to the mix?
Curtain Hero – (These are the heroes that matter) The word repetition is something that annoys me to no end, also, but for the life of me I can't find enough synonyms sometimes. I'm usually better about that, but thanks for pointing it out!
ZeroTech – (Old fashioned, huh?) That is word for word the reason I started writing this. Champion bickering + Lipha = awesome.
TheDragonSaver – (Is there a conservation movement I can join?) I've noticed that in other stories as well. I'm a firm believer that almost anyone can be molded into a good person… but some take longer than others to get there, like our favorite Rito archer, and sometimes that journey is almost more trouble than it's worth. Honestly, I didn't even plan on making this story so Revali-centric; it just happened like that.
Also, for my DK Country Returns people in the audience, I listen to the W7 Factory boss theme (aka Feather Fiend) whenever I write a Revali scene. For some reason, it just works.
EDIT 3/4/2018: Link's inner angst over his relationship with Mipha has been changed to better fit his actions in the next few chapters; I figured this was a much more natural and sensible stance to take with Link instead of trying to wring out some cheap drama. Repeat readers, I would at the very least skim over Link's section in this chapter to be aware of the changes. Thank you.
Now. Shall we begin?
On the First Day of Dinsday
The day of celebration, reverence, and piety had arrived in Hyrule; Dinsday, one of the few celebratory days to be acknowledged by all five races of Hyrule. The holiday period emphasized a giving nature, spending time with family, and a friendly relationship with all.
"Watch where you're going, you great lummox!"
Well… almost all.
Daruk glanced down at the indignant Rito, who was stumbling over his talons from his inadvertent collision with the amicable Goron. "Sorry 'bout that, Revali," said Daruk, scratching his chin and straightening his Champion's tunic. "Wasn't lookin' where I was goin'. You alright?" The Rito in question snorted, ruffling his feathers up before glaring at the Goron.
"Yes, I'm fine," he spat. "No thanks to you." Daruk winced in sympathy, but he knew that the angered Rito wouldn't be satisfied by words. If anything, another apology would probably set him off again. Daruk was about to resume his stroll when he noticed that Revali looked like he was trying to hide something behind his back…
"Hey!" Revali squawked angrily as Daruk effortlessly reached over the Rito and plucked the package from his feathers. It was a modestly wrapped box, complete with bow, that was about the size of a Hylian's fist. Daruk tilted his head in confusion.
"Hey, why'd ya try to hide this, little Rito?" he asked. Revali snarled and lunged for the package, but Daruk held it high above his head while the archer kept hopping up and down, trying in vain to reach it.
"None of your business!" snapped Revali, now trying to shove Daruk down. "It's nothing!" The Goron laughed, shaking his head at the archer's futile arguing.
"It sure doesn't look like nothin'!" exclaimed Daruk, easily holding the enraged bird at bay. "Are ya sure you're not hidin' anything?" Revali scowled and summoned an updraft, soaring into the sky and snatching the parcel from Daruk's hand as he passed. Two more seconds, and the airborne Rito had disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
Daruk sighed to himself, scratching his head as he did so. It saddened him to see that Revali was still hostile to any attempts at a playful joke. If the Champions were to work together as a unit to defeat the Calamity, then they'd have to start by being able to stand being in the same room with each other. Somehow, as of now, that seemed like a lot to ask.
"Daruk? Are you alright?"
Princess Zelda's voice brought Daruk from his thoughts. He grinned self-consciously as the Hylian Princess stared up at him. "I'm alright, Princess," said the hearty Goron. "Don't worry your pretty little head 'bout ol' Daruk." Zelda smiled softly, nodding graciously, and made to walk off. Daruk was about to continue on his way, when an idea suddenly occurred to him.
"Wait, Princess!" Zelda turned around, nodding for the Goron to continue. Daruk grinned and ambled over to the young girl. "I've got an idea about the celebrations that I think could really knock it out of the crater."
"What did you have in mind?" asked the Princess. Daruk told her his idea, and Zelda's smile spread wide. It certainly was an excellent idea.
"I think I have just the right person for that," Zelda said knowingly. "I'll send for him immediately. With luck, he should be able to make the journey from Kakariko by tonight for the party."
"Sounds great, Princess!" said Daruk, pumping his fists before giving a friendly wave. "Happy Dinsday!"
Zelda returned the Goron's wave with a smile. "Happy Dinsday, Daruk."
Link loved this time of year, although not for the reasons one might think. Winter was by far the Hylian's favorite season. The brisk cold made the air so crisp and perfect, and there was nothing better to a battle-worn eye than waking up and seeing once destroyed and conflicted lands covered by a blanket of pure white. It was all Link could do to keep his face the typical neutral instead of grinning like a Yiga Clan member.
At the moment, he was on the second floor of the Sanctum, leaning over the balcony and watching the snow-covered southern horizon. A moment of peace was just what he needed…
"Link."
The Hylian Champion felt his heart stop at hearing the soft voice come from behind him. He could see her in his mind's eye: blue Champion's scarf wrapped around her torso, jewelry glinting off of her finned head, and the softest pair of amber eyes he'd ever seen…
Mipha.
Link finally managed to scrape up enough courage to turn around and face the Zora princess. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she was fidgeting so badly it looked like she was trying to swim up a non-existent waterfall. Her eyes flickered all over the place, from her feet, to Link's eyes, then to a random place on the ceiling, and back again. She'd never seemed more nervous.
So, in summary; falling to pieces, just like Link was.
Despite his nerves, the Hylian let a rare smile eclipse the neutrality that normally shrouded his countenance. The Zora had always been able to coax a grin out of the normally stoic Hylian. The two simply stared at each other for the longest while, neither feeling comfortable enough to make the first move yet desperately wanting to advance. Getting lost in each other's eyes, the pair felt themselves drawn closer together as if by an invisible hand. They crept closer and closer together until they practically collided with each other in a warm, passionate kiss.
Pent up and suppressed emotions exploded into life as the two deepened their kiss, each Champion fighting for dominance with each other. Surprisingly, Link felt himself pinned against the wall by Mipha, who groaned quietly into the kiss. Reinvigorated by his partner's excitement, Link woke up from his slumber.
The Hylian Champion groaned, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion as he sat up in his bed. That was the third such dream he'd had in as many periods of sleep, and by far the most… vivid of them all. Their effects on his emotional state were rather dramatic, taking into account that Link hadn't seen Mipha since they were children. Link groaned again as he swung his feet out from under him to stand up, stretching as he did so.
Being close to her again is distracting me, he thought to himself as he changed from his nightclothes into the Champion's tunic Zelda had commissioned for him. I guess it really isn't for the worse, but still... Link felt very very unsure of himself being near Mipha once again after spending so much time apart. The Hylian would be lying to himself if he'd said the Zora Princess wasn't one of the reasons he found the strength to crawl out of his bed every morning to face the world and uphold his duties.
The two had been best of friends since childhood, after all; they'd done practically everything together, and each of them had always hated the idea of being separated from the other. As children, they'd never even considered their affections anything beyond friendship. Now, though… now things were getting complicated.
Keeping his facade of stoicism up was harder with Mipha around, he had noticed. During his training in the Hylian Knight's Academy, being the youngest boy in a group of highly-trained men did not do him any favors. He would always be discriminated against because of his youth, and a few particularly racist soldiers would pick on him because of his time spent with the Zora during his childhood. Even at the end of his patience, Link was generally a very passive person, but when the insults had become less about him and more about his childhood friends, the boy had been pushed to a point of rage he'd never seen in his life before. After being asked by a particularly rowdy soldier twenty years his elder if he knew what "sleeping with the fishes" meant (in a rather provocative tone), Link had snapped and attacked the armed man bare-knuckled.
The soldier spent the next six months recovering in the infirmary, and insults came about with much less frequency.
Link had learned from that experience (and though much trial and error) that the best response to the cruel remarks was to simply not give one, to hold his head high, and to trudge on in his exercises with the rest of them. He retreated into himself, silencing his youthful voice and keeping a lid on any rampant emotions that threatened to ruin his facade. Training had become his existence, and duty became the reason Link rolled out of bed in the morning, not his friends or family. Even after his graduation and appointment as Zelda's knight, he still held his silence. Eventually, the silent-protagonist act stopped beng just an act and started becoming who he truly was.
Seeing Mipha again had changed everything. Her presence pried away at his defensive barrier, begging and pleading him throw down his conflict and sorrows and to return to how he used to be; a lighthearted, jovial boy who tackled life with such courage and energy that he could put a smile on even the most hardened veterans' faces.
Link sighed heavily as he went to walk out of his room and escort Zelda to the Dinsday festivities. I guess I'll just have to see how this goes, Link consoled himself as he closed the door behind him, locking it. Though, I suppose things will never get to catastrophic so long as I have Mipha near me...
Mipha knew that Hylians would celebrate Dinsday differently than the Zora would; that was to be expected, since their cultures were vastly different. However, walking into the Hyrule Castle's dining hall and having her ears met with accordion music, of all things, was most definitely not what she'd had in mind.
Over the din of the bustling dining crowd, Mipha could hear a somewhat-melodious voice come from the east fireplace. Glancing over, she saw a Sheikah bard holding a gleaming and ornamented accordion, bellowing at the top of his lungs and encouraging the crowd to sing along. Mipha had never been the best judge of music, but from her uneducated ears, she guessed that the song was nearing its end. She had nothing much better to do, so she leaned against the far wall and listened to the raucous song.
"On the twelfth day of Dinsday, the Goddess blessed me with…
Twelve Hyrule regions,
Eleven archers arching,
Ten stones illuminous,
Nine Yiga sneaking,
Eight Guardians stalking,
Seven Koroks hiding,
Six Lynels crushing,
Fiiiive Champioooooons!
Four Fariy Fountains,
Three winding labyrinths,
Two Royal Guards,
And a Cucco in the Lost Woods!"
The song ended with a loud flourish, before the assembled audience applauded loudly, erupting into cheering. Mipha couldn't help herself and giggled, clapping along with the crowd as the grateful bard took a few bows before walking away. As things settled down once again, King Rhoam cleared his throat and asked for everyone's silence.
"Thank you for attending our Dinsday celebrations, everyone," said the King, receiving polite applause. "If you will all take your seats, we'll begin the feast immediately." The patrons began talking amongst themselves as they went to find their seats. Mipha began to move as well, but Rhoam called out again.
"One more thing!" he shouted, catching everyone's attention. "If I could have our five Champions proceed to the Sanctum? My daughter Zelda has requested that you all eat with her." A smattering of polite applause washed over the crowd again before they resumed their journeys to be seated.
Mipha's brow furrowed a little as she exited the dining hall and made for the Sanctum as requested. A request to dine with the Princess? Mipha wondered to herself. Isn't that what we normally do anyways? Still, no harm in humoring Zelda, right? With that in mind, Mipha nodded to herself and continued along her way—
"Oof!"
"Ack!"
… until she collided headfirst with Link, that is.
Mipha was immediately at Link's side, putting her hands on his shoulders and trying not to hyperventilate. "Link!" she squeaked. "Are you okay? I am so sorry, I should have been paying attention and I—." Mipha stuttered to a stop as she felt Link move her hands off his shoulders and instead take them in his own. A small smile graced his lips, and his face told her don't worry, I'm fine. Quit apologizing.
The Zora Princess felt her insides fluttering a little at both his understanding of her over-caring nature and at that fact that their hands were still joined. Say something! screamed her brain. Anything!
"A-are you headed to the Sanctum?" Okay, not the worst thing I could have said… Link nodded his agreement before looking down at their joined hands. Quick as lighting, he withdrew his hands, and Mipha swore she saw wisps of red at the tips of his ears. Before she could say anything, Link made off down the hallway, and Mipha scrambled after him.
Why did he just move away like that? she wondered dejectedly. Maybe I've been reading too deeply into things… Mipha was about to give up and just walk by herself when she remembered Urbosa's words about ten seconds of courage. She looked ahead, where Link was walking briskly, and without second thought jogged to catch up to him. Moving quickly so she didn't have time to talk herself out of it, Mipha caught up to Link and wordlessly slipped her hand into his as they walked.
She felt the Hylian tense, and saw him glancing over to her with confusion in his eyes. Mipha's heart was beating its way out of her chest, but in spite of that she managed to give him a warm smile. There was conflict in his expression for a brief second, as if he were debating whether or not to withdraw his hand.
Mipha almost melted into a puddle as she felt Link's hand squeeze hers in response, and the two Champions peacefully continued down the hall, each of them desperately trying to appear nonchalant despite the happy fireworks that were rocketing in both their chests.
"No, go away. I don't want to deal with you right now."
Urbosa scoffed and placed a hand on her hip as she walked alongside Revali. "Sorry to disappoint, Master Revali, but we're both headed the same direction. You'll just have to suffer for the minute its takes us to get to the Sanctum." Revali groaned audibly, and it was all Urbosa could do to keep a straight face. If she were being honest with herself, Urbosa wanted nothing to do with Revali either; she'd be more than happy to let them go their separate ways until they arrived at Zelda's meetup.
Yet, Urbosa was curious to try out the advice that Mipha had given her the night prior, about letting Revali accustom himself to the group before going off on a teasing spree. So, Urbosa was trying her best to uphold a normal conversation with the Rito marksbird.
It was much harder than it sounded.
"What do you Rito do to pass the time over at your village?" asked Urbosa, glancing over to the bird in question as they walked. Said Rito's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he responded nonetheless.
"A great many of us practice archery, much like myself," Revali said slowly, as though he were waiting for Urbosa to lunge at him. "In honor of one of my tournament victories, the village elder created a training range for all Rito to use, whether for flying, archery, or both." Urbosa nodded understandingly. The newest sand seal rally course had been recently re-designed in honor of Urbosa's slaying of a Molduga, so she understood the sentiment.
"That's very kind of you, Revali," said the Gerudo. "I'm sure your people must adore you for it." Revali's look of suspicion only deepened at hearing these words from the chieftess.
"… Sure," said the archer after a palpable silence. "They do. Among other reasons." Urbosa raised an eyebrow and smiled curiously. It felt strange, smiling at that barely-tolerable Cucco, but it wasn't an entirely horrifying experience, she had to admit.
"What other reasons might there be?" asked Urbosa, surprised to hear genuine curiosity in her voice. Her revelation was cut short by Revali moving in front of her, stopping her in place with a wing on her shoulder. Suspicion now clouded everything about the Rito's demeanor.
"What are you doing?" he asked, emerald eyes narrowed. Urbosa blinked.
"Walking to the Sanctum and chatting with a fellow Champion," said the Gerudo, confused as to why Revali was so confused. "Is it such a crime?"
"With you, it almost certainly is," Revali said seriously. "What are you trying to pull? You've spent all the time I've known you relentlessly prodding and poking at me with your words, then suddenly the holidays roll around and you're making small talk? With me? What's wrong with you?" It was Urbosa's turn to narrow her eyes. Why, that insolent mound of—
"What's wrong with me?" Urbosa asked incredulously, hands instinctively going to her hips. "What's wrong with you? I'm not allowed to be amicable with the mighty Revali?"
"You're allowed to," Revali said, "but that's not the point. The point is you, of all people, would normally rather laugh your head off at my expense than uphold friendly conversation." Urbosa scoffed, knocking away Revali's wing from her shoulder.
"Perhaps I've made a habit of that in the past," Urbosa said, doing her best to keep a lid on her temper. Punching the Rito was a very appealing course of action at that moment. "And perhaps I've made it seem like I couldn't give two bokoblin dropping about you."
"Which you don't," scoffed Revali, crossing his wings over his chest. Urbosa scowled, and she felt her fists inadvertently clench.
"How would you possibly know whether or not I care about you as a comrade?"
"I know what people say about me."
"Like what? How amazing an archer you are? I've heard that one many times."
"Do you also hear how everyone thinks I'm a complete jerk?"
Urbosa's anger halted for a moment as she processed the Rito's words. "What?" she asked breathlessly.
While Urbosa's anger may have faded, Revali's increased tenfold as he sneered at the Gerudo. "You must think me deaf," said the Rito bitterly. "I know what people say about me. I'm egotistical, narcissistic, I only care about myself and couldn't be bothered to help anyone else if I didn't stand to benefit from it." A sardonic chuckle prefaced his next comment. "I know that everyone thinks I'm a coward trying to cover up his faults with bluster and pride."
In an odd parallel of the previous day, Revali jammed his beak right in Urbosa's face, undiluted anger and bitterness saturating his eyes, his eyes a bright, livid emerald. "I'll prove them all wrong," he said quietly, almost as if he were threatening the other Champion. "You'll see. You'll all see. I'll prove I'm not a terrible person." The anger in the archer's eyes faltered for a split second, and Urbosa could see a rare moment of vulnerability from the Rito. There was an empty sadness where furious rage had once been, and the depth of Revali's emotions shocked the Gerudo into a rare spell of speechlessness.
"A terrible person doesn't deserve to be a Champion," Revali muttered, and Urbosa suspected that the comment wasn't meant to be directed at her; it felt as though her were speaking to himself. "I cannot be a terrible person." The Rito blinked suddenly, and all the deep emotions vanished instantaneously, replaced by blank indifference. Without another word, Revali summoned an updraft and launched himself into the sky, gliding the rest of the way to the Sanctum.
Urbosa remained where she stood for a good while, until a passing guard asked her if she were feeling alright. She'd said yes, of course she was fine, and had immediately continued her journey to the Sanctum. Normally, the Gerudo warrior didn't lie to others, or herself. She was surprised to find that the reason for this particular exception to the rule was Revali.
She had a lot to think about.
E/N – So, there ya have it! I technically made my self-imposed deadline of publishing on the 25th, even if it's at around 10:00 at night. Christmas day, Christmas night, what's the difference, right?
Although Christmas may be drawing to a close for us, the festivities won't stop for our Champions, oh no! Next chapter will see many antics caused by the commercial staple of this season; gift giving. Hope to see you there, and don't forget to drop a review in the meantime! Any feedback is good feedback!
Write on,
EyeofAmethyst07
