The dark breeze of Tabantha grew bone-chilling once the sun fell beyond the western cliffs of unexplored territory, leaving Link shivering whenever the convoy of Rito left the open air to walk through a small pathway between mountains, forcing the wind to gush along his skin while the Rito were merely left with fluttering feathers. Even then, they seemed unbothered, though they were given to rousing conversation anyway; they probably didn't notice.

Of course, the chilled air only reminded Link of Mipha, even if this sensation was far different from the now-familiar taste his skin had acquired for hers. This wind nearly tore at his skin, so cold that it felt like burning, while Mipha's skin rested comfortably enough again his own, waiting to be joined in that beautiful fusion of hot and cold that so characterized their love. Link remembered the searing heat that accompanied the blood now crusted alongside his face, now contrasted against this blistering chill. It made it all the more magnified how close to his bones the wind caught him.

"I still don't like 'is eyes," Gamni complained, shooting a glare back over his shoulder toward Link, "They've only gotten meaner."

"Judging from what? The forty minutes we were escorting him to the village?" Ilyzo retorted in annoyance, "Who looks a prisoner in the eye, anyway?"

Tokk cackled, "They call it love, ya know."

The gang of Rito began a chorus of laughs while Gamni scowled, angrily firing back, "Watch your tongue, waif! I'll yank it outta yer skull!"

"Hee hee!" Tokk only giggled in reply, jovially bouncing around with every step.

Ilyzo commented quietly, "He's being led to his own death. No doubt he's steeling his nerves."

"For what it's worth, we're a kind people," Penso shrugged, "We might make it quick."

Tokk laughed, "Yeah, 'f Yzi's gonna change 'is entire style."

The craggily made up Rito turned to Link with a mischievous simper of a grin along his lips, "It's never quick, boy."

"Not if I put up a fight," Link noted pithily, "Make myself too much of a hassle to keep alive."

Ilyzo commented simply, hushing Link's words, "If our master doesn't find satisfaction for his cousin's murder from you, I doubt he would mind going and getting another Hylian to sate his desire for revenge."

Link turned his head away in defeat, leaving Tokk to giggle with a conniving breath, "Look how his honor shackles him so!"

"We would know the feeling of being free from such things," Penso mused with melancholy, thinking of a time long gone.

Yzi spoke up in a quip, "Our ancient brothers may have allowed us our freedom by severing such ties. but we still have honor, if not along with them, then in ourselves."

"Now, leave him be," he further ordered, "The Hylians may not have given my cousin a death worthy of respect, but I refuse to offer the same in return. Let him reflect upon the last few moment of his life."

Clicking his tongue, Yzi spun his head toward Revali, "Besides, there's still the matter of preparations. You cut a sliver from his cheek, I assume you would want the privilege of finishing the job?"

Nodding while devoid of emotion, Revali replied, "If you would allow me to further demonstrate my dedication to this new friendship."

Yzi chuckled, shrugging tenderly, "Of course, brother! If we are to follow the example set forth by the Skoss, those vermin bird to the north, I scrupulously manufactured a death worthy of recreation. At least, with whatever we had lying around. I wish I could say I spared no expense but-"

His brow curled in dissatisfaction as he turned to the other Lowlanders, "-Tokk and others were rather lazy…"

Tokk challenged with haste, "Oi! We did what w' could!"

"Oh, yeah," Ilyzo asserted with clumsy sarcasm, "Digging through trash heaps is all you could do."

Gamni retorted in reply to Tokk's earlier slight, "I'm sure he felt right at home while he was there."

Sputtering, Tokk cried, "You li'tle-!"

"Hush, all of you," Yzi groaned, running a hand along his face, "We're nearing the summit. Gamni, Ilyzo. Go on ahead and set up the effigy. The rest of us will take this Hylian's final steps with him."

"Yes, sir," Ilyzo nodded reverently, turning toward Tokk and taking a large line of rope from the crooked old man's grasp, "With all the accouterments?"

Yzi nodded, "Of course.

Giggling in a heavy voice long beyond its years, Tokk cackled, "Ahyeee! Splendiferous!"

At Yzi's direction, Ilyzo took a sleek plate of metal from Penso before skittering backward at Gamni's side, the latter clutching intently the wooden planks meant to become Link's final resting place. The two Rito took to the skies soon after, ascending in unkiltered flight up the remaining stretch of mountainside until they grew out of sight.


"Daruk, c'mon, bring the torch forward," Urbosa goaded, "You might as well lead the way and take this stinging breeze off the rest of us."

Frowning as he hustled around the still-plodding collection of Champions, Daruk frowned, "Yes, ask the guy with no nerves to- Actually, that's not a bad idea."

"Uh huh," Urbosa nodded, switching her attention toward the two princess's, "You two keeping a bearing on where we are?"

Zelda remained wholly lost within the task, leaving Mipha to answer affirmatively, "I suppose so."

She carefully controlled her grip on the torch in her grasp, holding it close enough to illuminate the map while also ensuring no bites of ember would hop onto the parchment itself, "It might not be so difficult were it not for the darkness."

"The cloud coverage is astounding," Urbosa complained rubbing her hands along her arms, "I suppose we have our ultimate destination to thank for such a wild atmosphere, same with this ghastly wind chill."

She noted Mipha's lack of sensation from the wind while Daruk stomped ahead with a wry rising of her brow, "About time we reach another environment well-suited for our Zora companion."

"Indeed!" Daruk exclaimed, sure to keep his own torch before him at a distance.

Hebra as a whole, but more so Tabantha, in general, lacked greatly when it came to earthen pathways, owing, most obviously, to its main tenents' little use of such things. Indeed, while they had entered the region with the light of day to guide them, either by visible intuition or by drawing upon landmarks etched upon the map they had better constructed back at the stable, the Champions now found themselves heavily inhibited by the darkness that now encapsulated their view.

"I think we're approaching this fork, but-" Zelda paused, mulling over her thoughts in deepening consideration, "I can't tell if we've passed this jutting cliff here."

Rolling up her sleeves, Urbosa reached over to offer her hand to Mipha, "Looks like I'm up. You three stay put, I'll check where we are."

With a nod, Mipha passed off the torch before Urbosa turned to saunter off, grinning as she did so, "If some monsters get you, you know what to do."

A forceful glance from Daruk as he turned in place, still keeping the wind from breaking onto the two companions still there, "Leave me to them so that they think we all taste awful…"

"See? You got it!" Urbosa chimed with a giggle before pouncing off the lowly-beaten path, with only the flames of her torch signaling her advance in the midnight darkness.

Mipha turned to examine Zelda's absently downtrodden expression, recognizing how heavily she had placed the current situation upon her shoulders, hoping to bring her some levity as she spoke up, "Shall we…continue our word game from last time?"

"Oh!" exclaimed a thrilled Daruk, "I believe I was nearing the lead in points! Let's see, how about 'misslieness'? I'm gonna need the number of letters, one point, a definition, five points, er-"

Mipha's furrowed brow caught him off guard, "That's- difficult…"

"And ten points for me if neither of you can do either one," Daruk finished unabashedly.

The Zora turned toward Zelda with apprehension, leaving the Hylian with a huff as she countered, "Cat."

"Cat?!" Daruk cried, "That's so sim-!"

"Three. A tiny animal."

Zelda tilted her head, "Six points Mipha."

"But-!" Daruk began in protest, only for a smarmy sort of glance from Mipha brought him back to silence.

"Looks like I'm still in the lead," she reminded wryly.

Daruk smoothed his beard in deepening critique, "You know, there ought to be referees or something…"

"No, no! It's fun!" Mipha happily noted, clapping her hands together, "Another one, Zel- Are you okay?"

Escaping her blank state, caught in an empty stare into the void, Zelda softly answered, "I'm fine, just- I've been thinking."

She absent-mindedly reached over to touch the strap of the Master Sword slug across her shoulder, "Link left us his Sword. He left his journal. He wasn't expecting to come back, alive. If Revali truly is cooking up a plan, know only to himself, then-"

A sigh before pressing on, "He'll have enough trouble considering Link's unknowing presence, much less ours…"

"Ah," Daruk nodded, "You believe that we might mess up this plan of his by our very involvement."

Running an agitated hand along her scalp, Zelda relayed hastily, "But then maybe Revali isn't planning on anything, and by our inaction, Link will be lost to us. I just- I'm trying to be smart about this, or- I guess considerate above all things."

She sighed gloomy, "I messed up once. I can't bear to do it again."

Dropping his shoulders all while gripping his torch tighter, Daruk grumbled lowly, "I mean- Look, I don't think he-"

"M-i-s-s-l-i-e-n-e-s-s," Zelda spelled, forcing a weak smile while tilting her head, "I'm catching up."

Rolling his head along her shoulders, Daruk silently held his tongue all while Zelda confirmed, "I'm just speaking my thoughts. I don't mean to be any more trouble than I've already been."

"Well, too bad," came a sharp tone from an unexpected source, Mipha's voice escaping her in a rather low tone, earning her surprised glances from both Daruk and Zelda, "S- Sorry…"

Zelda offered a wry grin, "Don't be."

"I just- Link is the only reason I had to join this journey. Daruk was Link's Brother before he was any of our friends. Revali was sputtering to arrive just to spite him. I think I understand why you want to do this- Link is almost the glue that holds us all together. That's a difficult thing to replace, I know."

She twisted her lips in thought, "But I know what he thought of you before we started this whole thing. and I know what he thinks of you now. He said you were impulsive, quick to judgement, and that you had no scope of the world surrounding you."

Zelda's eyes narrowed in unamused critique, turning to Daruk with a boorish sigh, "We could just turn around, I suppose…"

Grinning, Mipha went on, "But during this trip, you've probably grown more than any of us surrounding you. He used to believe it some wild idea that you would one day become a Queen and lead the Kingdom of Hyrue- but during this journey, he knows, now, the potential you have. He knows how you've become so much more than the young woman you once were."

She lowered her head, smiling fondly, "And if he was so ready to give me this journal…"

Zelda shone a weary sort of frown, thinking in silent anguish of how much closer this Zora woman was to Link than any other.

"He believes in you. I believe he would be more than willing to give his life for this small bit of instruction unto his liege," Mipha concluded quietly, "As much as it pains me to think of it."

Daruk sighed, rubbing his chin, "I was thinking the same."

"Daruk!" Zelda spoke up in shock.

Shrugging in reply, Daruk confirmed, "That man reminded me that I was more than stone. That I am greater than the sum of my parts. Perhaps, in this way, he meant to teach you the same. Sure, he ultimately meant to pardon the death of his countryman, but to so simply make that choice- I'm sure his loyalty compelled him to such an action."

"So-" Zelda replied in a frightful, halting tone, crossing her arms lowly, "You think he didn't want us to come for him? but we already know that Revali- I mean, we have reason to believe-"

She brought her hands up to her face, massaging that tender skin along either side of her nose as she grumbled, having been thrust so much more to consider, "If Revali-"

"We're saying," Daruk interrupted, "Perhaps it is best to leave well enough alone. If we don't interfere- if Revali does have some plot, we don't have to worry about ruining it."

Zelda hastily answered, "But if he doesn't, and his betrayal is true-"

Mipha looked away, nearly haunted by the insinuation as Daruk confirmed with a sigh, "Then, perhaps, he'll have taught us all a lesson about unflinching loyalty and devotion. not just to our fellows, but to all of Hyrule."

He went on with a gloomy atmosphere about him, "These conflicts aren't going to be won by taking and taking and taking. At some point, somebody's going to have to give."

Zelda's brow remained curled inward, showing her worry as Urbosa trudged back toward the group, the Gerudo immediately picking up the air surrounding the remaining Champions before she could speak up carefully, "What, uh, is going on? Did I miss something?"

"Gah" Daruk clamored with light aggravation, "Same old thing, it seems when it comes to our little collective- that is, the always unexpected."

He smirked warily, "Normally I enjoy that level of spontaneity, but in this case…"

Mipha brought Urbosa up to speed as Zelda dropped her head, working her fingers along her chin as her thoughts slowly began to shoot nausea down into her gut from her stressful line of questioning, knowing they had little time to reorient their decisions. She knew that Mipha and Urbosa were correct, yet for the life of her, Zelda couldn't pin down her apprehension when she thought of turning back, regrouping before taking off north toward Vah Medoh- or call of the expedition entirely, seeing as they had become so fragmented, even before Link's untimely demise.

She knew they were right. and had Link remained as stoic, as placid as he had been when the two first met- when Zelda couldn't have been closer to wandering into danger just for a chance for that man to take a strike that would have maimed him enough to leave her alone. Were they still that remarkable pair of Hylians, she would have easily left him to his duty.

But now- Now, they had become friends. Even more than that, they had become companions in this crazy adventure- they had become Champions. His duty only extended as far as Zelda's reach, and yet, that night, just a few weeks ago, when she had ordered him to strike her…

He had foregone his own duty for her, then, if only for the briefest of moments. Why, now, shouldn't she do what felt right?

"Daruk and I-" Mipha frowned, "As much as it pains us to say… Link did what he did so that we could complete our mission."

"And if Revali is-" Urbosa paused with a nod, sighing as she dropped her head, arms crossing over her chest, "I hate it too, child… If we're wrong-"

Her eyes locked onto Zelda's quiet distress of an expression, "If what you say is true, and the fate of Hyrule depends on this mission-"

She gave a heavy, pensive sigh, weighed down by the sheer tome of regret, "What is the life of one man against all of Hyrule..?"

A trembling hand came to rest against Zelda's face as she took stock of the advice levied toward her from those she trusted most. She knew they were right. On every metric that any leader should care about, they were right. Yet she couldn't free herself from that nagging thought in the back of her mind. That thought that she was going to change this world; if not with her unmanifested magical abilities, then with her pen, her tongue, her art- whatever it took.

She took a deep breath, taking wavering notice of her tensing lungs, as she turned her eyes to the others.


Gamni yanked at Link's arm, nearly having to drag him across the craggy earth atop Coho Mountain as Link's lower body locked up in refusal, forcing the Rito to cluck angrily, "Tokk, you fool! Help me!"

The older man cackled, having simply strode alongside the two in plaintive audience, "A'right, a'right. Act right, you Hylian-"

As Tokk reached for Link's legs, the soldier quickly threw his leg in a savage motion toward the Rito, sending the old man hobbling backwards with a curse escaping his lips. Ilyzo looked on with a dismissive sigh while Penso laughed at the sight, dropping his head into a bemused shake of the head as he quickly approached Link.

"You've lost a step, old man! You gotta-!"

He reached for Link's leg, though with a swift strike, the Hylian sent another kick that Penso blisteringly parried, taking his ankle into his clutch before twisting the man's leg, forcing a surprised, pained gasp to escape Link, locked into his position as he was, feeling the joint at his knee constrict in unnatural motion.

Penso laughed as he and Gamni carried a suddenly subservient Link the rest of the way, clucking proudly toward Tokk as he went, "See? Just gotta let this vermin know who's boss. Even rodents can learn tricks."

"Bah," Tokk complained, "I'd been trainin' Hylians since before you were born."

Ilyzo cocked a smirk, "These vermin were around back then?"

"Shut it!" Tokk complained, showing angrily for only a moment before cracking a grin, laughing as he failed to resist the deprecating humor.

Gamni and Penso skittered along with the weight of Link in their grasps, dropping their prisoner to the ground as they arrived at the effigy shoved into the rocky terrain. Three planks had been erected there, two of them worked at an angle to create an 'X' shape while the third drew straight up through the junction, leaving something akin to a shambled pyre which Link was to be hung from in presentation. Link's eyes drew sharp as he glanced up at the thing from the ground, wincing as Gamni chugged closer to the collection of wooden planks, lifting the metal sheet to shove into a divot that had been cut into the vertical plank as if Link were to be set along a stagnant table saw.

"We'll make ya look pretty, at least," Gamni shrugged, "Until the Skoss come to get you, anyway. That shields gonna prop your body up rather nicely; keep you from your head hanging there looking at the ground."

Ilyzo grinned, "If it looks uncomfortable, don't worry. You won't even feel it."

He chuckled, "You won't feel much of anything, actually. No more than Yzi's cousin, anyway."

Link grumbled to himself, wondering what was taking Revali's plan so long to come to fruition. He lifted his head to take a glance at the two men bringing up the rear, Revali and Yzi having been lost in conversation as the group approached the summit. Link stared at his silent ally with fierce eyes, which Revali noticed for only a moment before returning to his speaking.

Had he not been told, Link failed to understand how he might have otherwise known that Revali was aiming to assist him…

"I hope you find no offense to that designation," Yzi went on as he entered into earshot, "Those Rito to the north are Skoss. It's not the amount of plumage or your status- Skoss are simply Rito whose pride clouds their ability to judge others for their true worth. They're too proud to admit those they've so flagrantly discarded could be of benefit to them. They are lowly beings."

Yzi took a prolonged glance toward Revali, "Not like you."

Revali shrugged, tilting his head indifferently, "You're too kind, brother."

"All in service of earning your trust, I assure you," Yzi smiled, "Speaking of-"

He reached out his hand, "Have you the knife I gave you that rended this man's cheek?"

Revali eyed him, his normally stoic expression carrying a subtly bitter tinge as he confessed, "Ah. I fear I must have left it behind. That was back in your tent, I assumed it would be safe to keep it there."

"No matter," Yzi smiled, almost too wryly for Revali's comfort, "All the better, I suppose."

Revali scowled with suspicion as Yzi stepped ahead of him. What an odd thing for the man to say.

Yzi waved for him to follow along, resulting in quite the skeptical step from Revali as his eyes narrowed, examining the Lowlanders now surrounding him as he stepped closer toward Link, the Hylian angrily barring his teeth as he lay there on his side, hands tied at his back. A smirk greeted him as Yzi patted his hands together with a nod.

"Just kill me," Link muttered, "No need to make a show out of it."

Shrugging, Yzi leaned forward, smirking widely so that only Link could see, "No. You see, I believe the show was totally necessary."

Despite his odd position upon the ground, Link's head slid backward in recoil, attempting to understand what this man was getting at, all while Yzi chuckled lowly to himself, raising his body up and reorienting his august posture.

"*click*"

With the suddenness of a stranger's tap against the back of one's neck, Revali whipped around only to catch the act far too late in this matter of mere milliseconds. Ilyzo had thrown his entire weight into Revali's backside, sending the Rito falling to the ground, sliding along the rocky earth and right into Gamni's feet. The blow and ejected the whole of Revali's lungs, leaving him gasping for breath as he struggled to work himself onto all fours, though that only played into Gamni's hand, quite literally, as the Lowlander took hold of Revali's neck, holding his head up almost in presentation as Yzi approached the two, crouching down so that Revali could see, even in his distressed state.

"You're quite gullible, Skoss," Yzi frowned, shaking his head, "A trademark of your filthy kind, no doubt."

Still stunned from the massive strike against the backside of his ribcage, Revali more or less only hung here in Gamni's hand, clutching at dust, forcing Yzi to sigh regretfully while reaching up to pull the Skoss' eyes in line with own.

Revali clenched his jaw, his confusion swirling into bitter anger, "You… need me…"

"For that bird?" Yzi asked before chuckling, patting the man's cheek in sheer patronization, "I never said we needed you alive."

Another degrading pat before Yzi returned to his feet, taking a generous sigh as if his assignment had been completed. He swiped his hand along his waist as if to remove Revali's touch from it before turning to the other Lowlanders.

"For what it's worth…" Revali muttered in a cringing voice, wrung from his still-desperate breaths of air, "I never trusted you."

As though such words were far beyond anything able to make a difference, Yzi smirked before relaying to his men, "Make sure his heart's still beating. Beyond that, have at him."

He turned toward Link, the Hylian's eyes tensing angrily as he sensed Revali's plan unraveling as though Yzi were a cat tearing through a ball of yarn. At such defiance within a helpless body, Yzi merely rolled his eyes, further explaining to his men.

"He stays alive until dawn. No reason for his body to start eroding before our enemies get a good look," Yzi shrugged knowingly, turning back toward Revali as Gamni released his hold on his neck, allowing Revali to fall weakly to the ground, certain he had broken a rib or two as he continued battling for breath.

"What are you waiting for?" Yzi reminded his men, "This will be the last Skoss you'll ever see. Make it count."