Elder Olen's eyes twisted with scrutiny as he noticed the Hylian being brought to him, peering through the open-air enclosure that circled around his chambers high atop the spire piercing Totori Lake, figuring what might have been the obvious conclusion. He had, after all, sent two of his finest scouts to investigate Vah Medoh's sudden departure- an event not having even been recorded in the Rito's histories beyond mere fables that were well within the fictional realm. Now, here they returned, with a Hylian in tow, along with a Rito he couldn't recognize.
That, alone, meant bad news for Revali. The Elders knew everybody- everybody except those Rito whom offered nothing in the way of respect.
Kolmore and Fozli dutifully brought the two instigators along, the two having all but admitted Revali's partaking in the event, though with the momentary glances of skepticism being shot back over their shoulders. They gave two wiry nods to the two guards placed just outside Olen's highest-perched balcony. As the two opened discussion with who must have been an equivalent of Zelda's Royal Guard, the Princess leaned closer to Revali for some insight.
"What exactly is your Elder like..?" she questioned nervously.
Revali scoffed, "Pah! How would I know? I've not once met the man!"
With scornful eyes, Zelda twisted her head toward him, aghast, "What?! But your from this Village!"
"Tch!" Revali shrugged, "Surely you understand, by now, what it means to get orphaned amongst my people. We hardly waste resources on them, much less attention. That's why I've had to scrape on by my entire life, disguised among my people only by my plumage."
Zelda's brow furrowed, "But- why? Why subject yourself to such degradation? I mean, you praise these people who've so scorned you."
Throwing his shoulder into a dismissive shrug, Revali simply answered, "Better to be a wretch amongst the best of us all than a paragon amongst the worst."
Zelda winced at his reply, sour eyes twisting up toward Kolmore as the more lax of their two escorts gestured his head toward the others, "Fozli's going to give his preliminary report so Elder Olen understands what his two scouts understand. Namely that this Hylian has all but admitted to taking this one simply to commandeer the Divine Beast."
"Quite a few lines to read between…" Zelda replied pithily.
Kolmore shrugged, "Then be gracious that my superior is giving the report and not me."
The scout turned his narrow eyes toward Revali, "To think this one could do such a thing. I still don't buy it, regardless of what you've admitted to."
Revali didn't reply, merely meeting the other man's stare with one of his own, leaving the air open for Kolmore to go along matter-of-factly, "To answer your question, Princess, Elder Olen is stern, but fair. He'll listen to Fozli's report, but that doesn't mean he's weighing the scales against you. We've seen how inefficient and often detrimental monarchy of your people can be; we elect the best of us to be our elders. You can rest assured he will remain open to your explanation."
Groaning her way into a frown, Zelda muttered lightly, "Never have I been so thrilled to hear about our differences…"
Kolmore cocked a grin, turning away as Fozli stepped out from the open-air rotunda, head crooked over his shoulder with a nod toward his Elder before returning to the awaiting gaze of Zelda, "He wants to see you."
Sighing a heated breath through her nose, as though prepared for battle, Zelda acknowledged simply, "Alright. I'll-"
Within a single step, Fozli barked in interruption, "-with him."
Revali, whose attention had been lost within the nether, suddenly snapped back to attention, aghast at his instruction, "What?!"
"You understood me, whelp," Fozli shrugged, doing nothing to hide his distaste at having to speak to the man before him, "Elder Olen's direction."
Zelda turned up toward Revali, catching his harrowed expression as Fozli took Kolmore by the arm, the two guards stepping away, their work being left two the two Rito guarding Elder Olen's quarters. With a wince along her face, Zelda studied the pained twisting of Revali's face, as though he were not only scared, but ashamed. Confused, she reached over, pressing an open hand along his fidgeting hand, forcing him to jolt toward her as though having been torn from a bad dream.
"Why are you so frightened?" Zelda inquired, hoping her dreary eyes translated her utter concern.
Revali curled his beak, his eyes rolling up toward Elder Olen, "He-"
He pulled his hand away from Zelda's in an instant, "It was due to my Elder's unending mercy that I even stand before you today. I was disowned by my parents. What good would one such as me be to such a being?"
Revali suddenly took a step toward the exterior room, muttering quietly as he approached the guards, "The greatest gift I could hope to offer him in return would be to cease subjecting him to my very presence."
Such a dramatic shift, Zelda thought, from the normally brash and bravado-fueled man she had so come to know. So wary was she, now, that whatever confidence she might have had a moment ago had left her; she might have had a plan, a certain expectation as to what she would encounter upon meeting with Elder Olen. but, now, she felt empty, devoid of all thought of what to do.
Revali's eyes had held so much pain in that glance.
With little in the way of an inkling toward how this encounter might go, Zelda nevertheless followed Revali into the small throne room, essentially, as Zelda sought comparison between the Rito man she had come to know and the one standing in front of her, skulking to the side, almost ashamedly, beneath Elder Olen's fierce scowl. Zelda remained firm with her expression, hiding her concern well, as she approached a distance from the older, feathered being that seemed appropriate.
Despite his near-savage expression, as though he were aiming for a kill, his eyes twisted forward, brow sharp, and beak spun in razorlike ferocity, Olen's voice surprisingly came out rather calm, a warmth timed perfectly to match his words.
"Fozli explained what occurred from his perspective," Olen explained, "While I have many questions, I feel it more efficient to begin with your side of the story. That, alone, may answer what questions I have had primed to direct toward you."
His head lowered zealously, the feathers surrounding his head fluttering aside like a cowl atop his shoulders, "When I caught wind of your previous visit, it was my understanding that you had requested companionship from one of our lowborn. Never was it stated that it was for the purpose of Hyrule Kingdom commandeering our most sacred of artifacts."
"We-! We're not-!" Zelda pleaded in an instant, pausing only beneath Olen's raised hand.
"As I said," he nodded, "I seek explanation, not denials."
His gaze tensed once again, "Now, why are you here?"
Sighing, Zelda bowed her head, turning her attention only slightly to allow her eyes to peer over toward Revali, "We were- hoping to better understand Sheikah technology. Not specifically the Divine Beasts, but- I suppose, generally speaking, we were attempting to learn how to- pilot them."
Her hand raised up to massage her opposite arm, guarding herself now that she realized how stupid it must have sounded to anybody beyond her and her Champions. Even with her father, he had long been recipient to her wilder ideas, but to one so dignified as the Rito elder…
Elder Olen's eyes narrowed, "Why?"
Clenching her fists in solemn frustration, Zelda bit her tongue for a brief second of regret before answering as proud as she could, "We were going to save the world… Hyrule is in danger. and like the tales of old- of the Sheikah using these Beasts to their advantage, so, too, must we be prepared to use them."
She thought it fortunate that Olen hadn't immediately burst out in laughter, though his next question proved to be one that kept that reaction as a possibility, "And how do you know Hyrule is in danger?"
Sighing with shame, Zelda dropped her head, "A-…"
Her voice slid to a pause, causing the Elder's critiquing eyes to narrow further before roaring with direction, "If you cannot hope to convince me, what hope have you of convincing the other leaders of this land?!"
He reiterated, "How do you know?"
"A-" Zelda replied in a halting breath before biding her strength, exhaling with brusque zeal as she finished, "A fortune teller…told me."
Olen's eyes remained fiercely forward, though that hadn't changed any from before her reply. Zelda shut her eyes, awaiting the mockery that was sure to return from the Elder, yet as she stood there, no such thing came to be. Instead, Olen's voice came back rather even-keeled, even as Zelda forced her sight through clenched eyes to find the old Rito addressing Revali.
"And you knew of this when you agreed to join their little troupe?"
Revali tensed up, feeling the weight of his own culture bearing down upon him. He knew never to address one such as the Elder, lowborn as Revali was, and yet, here he stood. He breathed fervently, unsure of what to make of the situation, taking a sharply jarring glance toward Zelda before speaking up, lowly, as though to conceal his voice in the very breaths of air passing through the open corridor.
"I was not made aware of this until later on," Revali admitted, "I was under the impression we'd be etching our names into history- but not like this."
Olen muttered in solemn, thoughtful reply, "And when you found out about this plot, why did you remain amongst them?"
Revali lowered his head, eyes so focused that they might as well have been shooting holes into the floor. He knew why. Yet he couldn't bear to speak up, even within the presence of his Elder. Zelda watched from nearby, her brow curling with worry at what was being requested of the normally proud man, turning toward Olen to speak in his stead.
"Pardon me, sir, but why do-"
"Because there are wilder things in this world than even I've grown acquainted with," Olen scorched in reply, as though he were scolding the young Princess, "If what Fozli suggested is true-"
Zelda's mouth fell open, "Wait, he confirmed our story?!"
A tremor squirreled its way up Revali's spine.
With a shake of his head, Olen corrected, "For from it. He merely suggested that it was more likely that even a lowborn among our caste were to steer that creature rather than those from the South. I would tend to agree; we Rito have stood by Vah Medoh's side from our earliest recorded histories. It only makes sense that it would be the benefactor of our people."
He sunk into his seat, turning his attention toward Revali, "And yet, I cannot understand how a lowborn such as he could be the one who-"
"H- How can you keep calling him that?!" Zelda interjected with a sudden, incredulous tone, "Revali is one of the most-!"
She suddenly dropped her head, recognizing her faux pas, "I- I apologize for my outburst… but-! He's one of the most proud- most dedicated men I've ever known to have put up with us for these last couple months! and he's too much of a credit to the Rito to simply be referred to as a lowborn!"
Elder Olen studied Zelda as she came to a pause, nearly recoiling in despair over how frightfully vocal she had made her point, the old Rito's eyes slowly carrying over toward Revali before muttering, "So your name is Revali, is it?"
Zelda's brow furrowed, her shoulders slumping defeatedly as she returned her attention toward the Elder, "Did you not-"
"How could I have known his name when he never offered it to me?" Olen revealed, sending Zelda's exasperated eyes toward Revali, who simply brought his shoulders further forward in an attempt to cloister himself.
Olen shrugged, "It seems however proud he is, it does come to a fault. Make no mistake, Princess, I do not discriminate. An elder cannot afford to pick and choose in such a manner; however, I do recognize our culture of excelling beyond mere excellence, and that most of my people have some harsh opinions regarding those of questionable parentage. However proud my people are of chasing perfection-"
He leaned forward in his chair, as though in critique of the Rito before him, "-it seems Revali, here, has found his own way of following that same path."
Even beneath the weight of such a compliment, Revali remained distance until Olen finally inquired, "Why have you so long denied an audience with me?"
Revali shivered.
"I-" he began, taking a lengthy moment's pause.
Zelda watched him with eyes full of sadness, wondering what all must have been going through his mind at that moment. For all the help she felt that she could offer, for once, she felt some kinship with her own surrogate mother, recognizing that Revali could only speak for himself at this moment. Thankfully, she thought, Olen appeared to be the patient type.
"I'm not-" Revali managed before another breath, finally twisting his face in disgust, saying the words that he had denied his entire life, "You shouldn't have to peer upon the face of a lowborn, like me…"
Olen's eyes narrowed in study as Revali pressed on, shaking his head with a voice weakened by a subtle twinge of anguish, "I stayed because- because nothing short of perfection might make up for what I am, and yet-"
Zelda's lips sunk inward, tightening as she fought back her tears. She watched the feathers along Revali's mantle quiver, indicative of the turbulent emotions pouring out from within him in the form of restless shivers, helpless to do anything. Still, she reached over to take his hand, grasping it tightly, even if he seemed too flustered to recognize her presence.
"-yet… Even taking Vah Medoh by the reins…" Revali smirked beneath two streams of tears, "Perhaps that, too, wasn't enough."
Olen, who had taken to stroking his chin, dropped his hand as he retorted, "And who are you, or anybody, to tell me what I ought to value about a fellow Rito?"
His eyes shooting up toward his elder, wide as they were in shock, Revali trembled as Olen continued, "With every advantage given to your peers- That you've so matched their potential is more worthy of merit than any action you could have performed."
Olen took a second to pause, more to allow Revali a chance to compose himself than to further consider his reply, before pressing on, "And today, to hear that you might have exceeded your peers-"
Grinning, Zelda brought Revali's hand closer so that she could press it between both her own, patting him proudly as the Rito remained rather shaken by what he was hearing.
"That you fought so vehemently to come as far as you have- That was always enough to earn my respect, child," Olen confirmed with a nod, "I only wish your pride had allowed you to hear that sooner."
Revali dropped his head, unable to fully understand the emotions coursing through his body. A lifetime's worth of venom, spite, and tempered anger, that had so dug its claws onto his shoulders, forcing his unwilling portage for decades, suddenly began to loosen its clutches. He only shook more desperately as he now battled back his tears, recognizing how weak they must have made him appear, though the thought immediately left him as the terror of being held broke him from his reverie, recognizing that Zelda had leapt nearer to embrace him.
"Revali!" she cried through elated tears of her own.
He quickly began to shake back and forth, trying to free himself from her jubilant grasp, "Z-! Pr-! Un- Unhand-! Me-!"
Olen could only chuckle at the scene before him, resting back into his chair as he surmised aloud, "I suppose with that out of the way, we might can-"
"Ah!" Zelda piped up, hurriedly breaking free from her hug, much to Revali's relief, to return her attention to the elder, "I, uh- My apologies. again."
She smiled as she ran her wrists along her eyes. For whatever terror she might have felt about this man's presence, it had been washed away just the same.
Olen nodded, "No apologies necessary. That said, I do still have questions about this 'quest' of yours."
Her elation suddenly cut short, Zelda frowned ashamedly, "Oh… Right… The fortune teller…"
"Hylian," Olen muttered, "That the man beside you might have piloted Vah Medoh, the very construct of our god, Witwa- Convince me of that, and I will accept most anything else that you say. Such a feat has never even been attempted, much less demonstrated."
Zelda nodded, recognizing something of a pathway forward, "O- Okay… Well, uh-"
Her eyes went blank as she realized, turning toward Revali, "Uh, I don't know what happened, exactly…"
Olen's curiosity piqued, he turned his eyes toward Revali.
"Well, child?"
Ducking away to wipe away his face, Revali crossed his arms to compose himself further, though still kept his head low, not merely through continued reverence, but also to hide his still-tearful complexion, "Those Lowlanders- They had planned to kill me and use me to gain passage to the Divine Beast, I suppose, because they figured only the blood of a pure Rito could possibly attain such a feat. I tricked them as best I could, but they didn't buy my feigned cooperation, and after a struggle, I was left in a race between myself and the leader of those Lowlanders, a man by the name of Yzi. We flew at a tremendous pace, battling in the air, all while Vah Medoh fired its celestial lights upon us. Despite my injuries, I gained the upper hand, managing to wrangle his body into the path of one of the Beast's laser lights, sending him plummeting to the earth, lifelessly enough."
He scratched his arm nervously, "I was… aware that my certain doom was next. In our travels, however, we deduced that the Divine Beasts are not mere mechanical creatures, but have something of a consciousness within them. I pleaded, first in my mind, then aloud, for Vah Medoh to allow me passage. I shouted, as loud as I could so that it might hear me; begging it not to bring me harm. That I-"
His lips spun downward, "…that I had nothing to offer. That I truly was worthless. But were it to see me fit for just one single favor…"
Revali's eyes turned away, glancing at the setting sun, spilling its dusky hues across the breadth of Tabantha, "Without finishing my thought- Like a breath, gusting at my back, I- It felt as though I were being lifted toward that Beast."
Turning his head to follow Revali's stare, watching those lands which had sheltered him for decades, far too many than he, himself, ought to have deserved, Elder Olen took a deep breath, feeling that warmth flutter along his mantle as it passed into the ether.
"A breath…" he muttered.
Revali turned his head crooked, embarrassed as he was to admit, "I don't know why I- said that. It almost felt, at the time, as if Vah Medoh, itself, were leading me to that word. It was no gust or turbulence or zephyrous burst of air- It was a breath, from Vah Medoh itself."
Zelda's eyes had dipped as well, listening intently to Revali's words, though she caught on the edge of her vision the slim sight of Olen's lips curling into a nostalgic smile, the first she had ever seen of such a thing upon that man.
"I felt much the same," Olen confided quietly, "When I became the Elder of the Rito. Such is legend, passed down from Elder to Elder, but never to anybody else; when one has been chosen to lead, Vah Medoh's breath greets them. Never in my years have I heard anybody describe such a thing other than the Elder I succeeded."
"Princess," he suddenly spoke up, sending a jolting recoil from both Zelda and Revali.
"Y- Yes?!" Zelda replied with a start.
Elder Olen turned his studious gaze back upon her, "How many have you convinced of this plot, to save Hyrule, as you say?"
A light breath escaping her nose, Zelda hooked her thumbs along her belt with a dejected hanging of her head, biting her lip before admitting, "I mean… I suppose Urbosa, the Chieftain of the Gerudo, but- That's kind of a given, I suppose. Her people haven't been, exactly, so- That is-"
Olen watched her with narrowing eyes as he curiously awaited for something worthy of merit. Even Zelda knew, as she stood there, that she ought to have something to show for her assertions. She was the blasted Princess of the Kingdom of Hyrule- yet the weight of such a title meant nothing when it came to the incredulous claims of a young woman such as she. Rubbing her hand along her arm, she fought, not for numbers, but any way to finally her way back into the Elder's good graces, her mind whirring with possibilities, excuses, with-
"I believe her," came a sudden, sharp tone from Revali, sending Zelda's eyes scrambling upward to gaze up toward the determined profile of the man beside her.
With a withheld chuckle, Olen mused, "I wouldn't doubt that. While I respect your opinion, child, I ought to have more than that to bring to my people when they inquire."
"It is my opinion, yes," Revali noted as his head rose proudly, "But mine is the opinion of the man who pilots Vah Medoh."
Zelda couldn't remember ever being more exuberant over Revali's sure-headedness.
Olen's beak went crooked as he smirked, eyes closing as he allowed a subtle rumbling of laughter course through his body, "For one who began this discussion so withdrawn, Revali, you certainly know your own worth."
The Champion swayed backward in recoil, his face twisting in embarrassment as he attempted to figure out whether the elder had meant that in praise or in contempt. Still, Olen patted the arm of his chair in a jovial show of agreement, taking a breath as he steadied himself.
"Princess," he spoke up, "It is no good for a Rito to be late to any party. Such a gift as flight demands we remain punctual at all times. Keeping that in mind, I would hate to misjudge your potential as Revali's has."
He nodded, "That said, it would be my honor to be the first to offer you my support in your endeavors."
Zelda's eyes went wide, shock rendering her speech worthless as she forced, "I- Wha- Ju- Do-?"
With hearty grin, Olen watched as Revali's sharp stare began to weaken into concern as he watched Zelda nearly break down, only missing the smoke bellowing from her ears as she shook in place. The Rito reached a wary hand onto her shoulder, gently shaking her as he muttered.
"It means he's giving you his support," he explained, even though he was nearly certain that she hadn't made out his words, either, "Now compose yourself; you've not been the one among us whose liable to embarrass me. Don't start now."
Zelda's eyes, like a switch, suddenly lit up as her cognizance broke through, an exuberant tone escaping her as she shouted, "Th- Thank you!"
"No such thing is necessary, I assure you," Olen nodded, cricking his neck to the side as he peered behind the two guests, "If anything, you ought to thank- Are those your two companions out there making a fuss?"
With nary a thought, Revali immediately dropped his face into the palm of his hand, ashamed, while Zelda turned over her shoulder to examine the ruckus that surrounded both Urbosa and Daruk, the both of whom appeared embroiled in a disagreement with the two Rito guards just outside the open-air chamber.
"Y- Yes..!" Zelda exclaimed with apprehension, hoping the commotion wasn't endangering the support she had just won from Elder Olen, "They're not, uh- They're usually well behaved…"
"Tch! Hardly," Revali scoffed, tossing his head to the side in dismissal.
Olen chuckled at the disorder that seemed to follow this motley crew around, even within the miniscule amount of time he'd met with Princess Zelda and Revali.
"If you'd like to quell their concern, you're free to leave," Olen assured with a nod, "My word is as steady as the mountains to the north. We can discuss things later on."
Zelda turned once more toward Urbosa and Daruk before returning to Olen with a sigh, "I might have to take you up on that…"
She spun around, stopping at Revali as she smirked, "You know, it's usually me who's embarrassing her. This is kind of exciting!"
"Exciting as extinction, I suppose," Revali dryly offered in retort, leaving Zelda to giggle at such a loathsome reply before hurrying toward the entryway to the Elder's quarters.
Revali gave a pithy scoff as he turned his head to watch her exit, returning toward Elder Olen with a start as the old man's voice broke through the still air between them, "And you, Revali."
"Y- Yes sir?"
Olen's face soured, "For Vah Medoh to select one of us aboard its massive wings of stone… Such an unprecedented occurrence leaves me more than a little apprehensive about that young woman's words."
His eyes turned away in foresight, "I don't yet know what all of this means. I fear I can't hope to know until such calamitous events come to pass."
Revali's eyes narrowed in serious resignation while Olen bowed his head for a moment's recollection, "I may not have been offered your name until now. but lowborn Rito are few and far between. I've kept my eyes on you as best I could as you grew into the man you've become today. Whatever evils might befall this world-"
He smiled, "I have no doubt that Vah Medoh- nay, the great god Witwa- chose wisely."
Revali dropped his head in silent reverence, feeling that pang of trembling nerves overwhelming him once again. Even Elder Olen, old as his eyes were, caught the man's quivering shoulders, smiling easily at such a proud man's humility at a time such as this.
"You may leave," Olen offered simply.
"Thank-"
That was all Revali could speak in anguished tenor, choked up as he was, before burying his face into the feathers atop his chest, spinning in place before stamping out of the small enclosure. Elder Olen smiled respectfully as he watched Revali leave, though as his thoughts began to darken on that warning which had come by way of a Hylian Princess, his face soured, leaving him staring out onto the horizon.
"Witwa…" he sighed, "Perhaps even you, Hylia. Protect us."
