Zelda's eyes continued to turn toward Link's back whenever he managed to walk ahead of her, her attention drawing along the tracing edges of the sword hanging from his shoulder, concealed as it was beneath a roll of fabric. She wished he would unfurl its encasing bolt of blessed linen and allow her full disclosure to gaze upon the Master Sword, though his ability to wield the sword meant he'd been chosen by the blade, and his will be done, even if it meant hiding the weapon from any prying eyes. Still, she couldn't help but stare whenever the feeling arose, trying to make out its shape beneath Link's rucksack.
Urbosa's speech broke the Princess from her trance, "Why don't you just touch it already?"
"W-What?!" Zelda sputtered in shock, though her embarrassment only further charged the innuendo that the others heard.
Her surprise successful, Urbosa laughed, "You keep checking out that sword every chance you get."
"Indeed, she does," Daruk nodded in elation of his observation, "Just the other night, I caught her with a spoon dangling from her mouth as we ate dinner, unable to tear herself away from the allure of holy metal."
Frowning at their presumed teasing, Zelda crossed her arms, "So? It was the first thing that got me into history. I mean, you can't blame me for being intrigued by it."
"I wasn't blaking you for your interest, but your inaction," Urbosa smirked, gesturing toward Link, "So long as the boy's a member of our Company now-"
Link's head rolled along his shoulders alongside a groan, "Three days. I figured I'd get at least a week in before you two began pulling the 'he's a member now' card…"
"Such power you have," Urbosa suggested lightly, brushing a hand against Zelda's shoulder.
Zelda frowned, "Even if he allowed me to see it unconcealed, it's not as if I could study it any differently than back at the castle. Only Link can wield it; it would merely leave my grasp were I to try."
"Pah, you speak of that accouchement as if it were alive and holding a personality," Revali complained.
Shrugging in reply, Zelda answered, "I mean, it kind of does. Not only does it choose who can wield it, but there are degrees to its acceptance or denial. If it finds you particularly unworthy, of even its presence, it's been known to draw soldiers clear away from the altar. Other times it allows some to view it, others can't catch a glimpse without a feeling of conviction compelling their leave."
Link's eyes turned toward Revali with a suggestive glance, leaving the Rito to frown, "I know what you're thinking, Hylian, and I presume to think you believe you're rather smart. I can assure you, no harm would come to me were I to come near the thing; how can the great Rito people not be worthy of such a thing? and in particular, the most resilient of the Rito? Legends tell of many powerful weapons wielded by the Rito; that sword of yours would cower against any number of them."
At words that might very well be sacrilege, Zelda's eyes widened in disbelief, even if she knew the Rito had little to no reverence for such relics, her attention drawing quickly toward the Master Sword as though to check to see if its feelings had been hurt. Link's glare turned rather mischievous as he watched Revali fluff up his plumage in a show of superiority, though it was Urbosa who offered the challenge.
"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Urbosa shrugged, turning her head to hide a smirk.
Zelda's hands flew out from her sides, waving is quick dismissal, "That-! Our sacred relics are not toys to be trifled with! The Master Sword is not-! Link!"
Her mouth dropped as Link began sliding the sword's sheath from his shoulder, "Link! What do you think you're doing?!"
"I think preparing dinner," he smirked, "Fried cucoo with all the fixings, if what I think will happen truly happens."
At such bravado, Revali's scowl brightened tremendously into a fierce sneer of his own, "Look at the rostrum on this Hylian! Presenting his weapon to facilitate my deconstruction of its power!"
The Rito began rubbing the palms of his paws together as Link unraveled the fabric concealing the sword, all the while leaving Zelda to having spun away, covering her face as if to hide from such lack of decorum. Mipha looked on from afar, her brow rising as the sword appeared from within its linen safeguard, its sheath doing little to reflect the magnificent blade held within. Her lips pursed with intrigue, even as Zelda began to chide.
"Y-You-! You said it would remain only with you at all times!" she spoke up in a rush, having looked over her shoulder for only a brief moment.
Urbosa reached over to pat the Princess on her shoulder, scoffing, "It isn't going anywhere."
"Oh, the Gerudo speak falsehoods," Revali challenged happily, "As per Rito tradition, should you take a weapon into the sky, it becomes your own. I'm all too excited to claim this weapon as my own; all the better to cease all discussion of it being better than any Rito artifact."
Link carefully rested the sheathed weapon on a nearby rock, stepping away with his fists resting atop his hips while his eyes skeevily narrowed up toward Revali in expectation. The Rito proudly raised his arms into the air, cocking his head toward Daruk.
"Goron, please remove the pack from my shoulders," he ordered, his attention still on the sword.
Daruk did so, his expression more in curiosity than anything else, wanting to see just how true the words were of this weapon's power. He held Revali's backpack to his side while watching the Rito rolling his shoulders, stepping up toward the lone rock which now held the Master Sword, his big talk finally about to add to his prestige- his children's children would be telling tales of his renown, beginning with this moment here; demonstrating his dominance over the most notable symbols of privilege levied to Hyrule by the gods, a symbol used for generations to the benefit of Hyrule rather than the Rito.
"Observe," Revali spoke up as he strode toward the sword, earning him a smirk from Link.
Mipha's lips quivered in worry, unsure of what exactly would happen. Would he literally burst into flame?! She looked toward Urbosa, whose crossed arms belied her own grinning face, much to the Zora's immense terror. For her own part, Urbosa was merely happy to witness Revali's pride being checked, by an inanimate object no less. Though, behind her amused expression, she wondered if the same was true of Link, or if the Hylian was legitimately happy of the prospect of this man being somehow punished by the sword, particularly now that Link no longer had that barrier of not exactly being on the same level when it came to his membership within the Champions.
Zelda's own curiosity got the better of her, as well as a bit of worrisome expectation, her hand grasping the blanket beneath her backpack, just in case it was needed to smother any flames, despite the fact that nothing of the sort had ever happened to anybody attempting to take the sword into their grasp.
As Revali approached the sword, every step of his weakened Link's determined expression, the Rito's gait taking him closer to the weapon than Link ever thought he would end up. If Revali was worried, Link couldn't read it upon his face; Revali's face remained as tenacious as when he started, even now as he stood above the blade, staring down upon it as if his elevated stare was a demonstration of superiority.
To be sure, Revali's insides were aquiver, roiling with worry as he mulled over actually reaching down and taking the sword. Remaining composed in the face of such nerves was nothing of a challenge by this point in his life. He remembered not a week or so ago, taking flight in that sandstorm in the face of lightning barreling toward him, with only his determination shielding him.
He remembered how terrified he was, yet he went on.
"I'm not awaiting further invitation," Revali spoke up, cracking the joints in his neck before throwing his hand toward the blade, "This sword belongs to-"
His speech came to a sudden halt, characterizing his immense shock that matched much the same emotion within all the others. Link's eyes flew open in surprise; Zelda's hands were atop her face, tears forming at her eyes from the already churning emotions within her, now punctuated by Revali's talonous hands gripping the handle of the sword.
"W-" Urbosa managed quietly, her loss of words as unbecoming of her as the lock of horrified surprise upon her face, "What?"
Revali's expression varied very slightly, his eyes looking around as though to check if he was sincerely in reality, before his face jumped up to meet Link's aghast expression, the Rito never one to shy away from showboating; his surprise immediately melting into elation.
"Wah ha! How about that?!" Revali charged with a boisterous voice, the plumes at his neck still curled from either terror or excitement, "I done told you, Hylian! The Rito have been subjugated beneath the weight of this weapon for long enough! With this blade in my grasp, I will-!"
"Try lifting it up, genius," Link drolly instructed, his surprise having left quickly enough for him to examine the situation fully.
Sure enough, while his grip was fierce around the Master Sword's handle, Revali was still hunched low to meet its place atop the small boulder, this new challenge forcing Revali to curl his lips determinately, "I was getting to that! Behold, my-! My-!"
The muscles in his arm bolstered as he tugged, the sword refusing to obey as he did so. It was as though he were yanking at some earthen beam ejected from the side of a cliff face; no matter what he did, from whatever angle, the blade failed to budge, resting atop the stone in sheer defiance of physical laws, much to Revali's frustration.
Urbosa sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow, "False alarm, everybody."
"N-No!" commented Zelda as she rushed toward the sword, crouching down to examine where Revali's body met the blade, even as the Rito continued growling with boisterous effort, "For the rarity of somebody wielding this blade, somebody simply taking it like this is just about as rare! Even this hasn't been witnessed for generations, not until my father attempted it! This is truly amazing!"
"Amazing?!" Revali sputtered angrily, yanking mightily enough that Daruk was worried he'd dislocate his shoulder, "I would not define this as-!"
With another intense tug, Revali's grip slipped and he stutter stepped backwards, attempting to catch himself with his feet before falling and slamming into the ground, quickly pushing himself to his feet to lessen the time he was atop the soil and immediately brushing his tail feathers as he kept his gaze low, averting the glances from the others, even if they were mostly in worry.
"…This means nothing," was all he'd say as he continued his truncated preening.
Zelda's rabid curiosity continued, her attention now turning toward Urbosa, "You! Come here!"
"I beg your pardon?!" Urbosa replied incredulously.
With a rushed voice, as though data points were a drug, Zelda explained, "Just try and grab it, too."
"Are you serious?!" challenged Urbosa, "Didn't you just say that this thing was not a toy?"
"Science is not a game!" Zelda explained before turning toward Daruk, "How about you? Wanna try?"
Daruk gave something of a weary glance before shrugging, "I cannot deny my curiosity over this weapon's composition. I will happily assist you if it means acquainting me as such!"
Gleefully enough, Zelda clapped her hands together as she remained seated directly beside the sword, with even Link growing rather lost in disbelief at her sudden about face from moments earlier. Sure enough, Daruk's hand rested along the Master Sword's grip, much to his elation, not so much in his ability to do so, but in its implication that he was a part of something larger than himself, it seemed.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, "What, does this mean I was the right choice for this venture?"
Zelda rubbed her jaw as her eyes narrowed in inquiry, "I suppose so. I can't think of much else being the reason, honestly. Perhaps the sword understands what's going on, and you all being party with its wielder, is acknowledging the roles you all play at his side?"
Further investigation was necessary, as signaled by her still-ferocious curiosity, leaving Zelda to return to Urbosa, "You. Now."
Scoffing, Urbosa acquiesced, perhaps due to her own nerves having somewhat been quelled by two people's inconsequential taking of the sword, "Fine, fine. Just don't blame me if it tears my arm off, or- Huh."
Much like the others, her hand took the blade without incident, though her jolting movements to lift it were also met with disobedience by the blade, leaving her to muse, "Belligerent little sword, isn't it?"
"This- This is amazing!" Zelda finally quipped, as though the gravity of the situation was finally settling in, "I thought the sword choosing Link was merely destiny taking place, but-! But this entire venture of ours, it must be divined just the same, right?! or at least accepted as righteous by some deity, right?!"
She leapt to her feet excitedly, quickly turning toward Mipha, who jumped in surprise by Zelda's rabid behavior, "Mipha, quick! You've gotta try it!"
"I- I don't think-" Mipha weakly acknowledged, much to Zelda's impatience in the face of knowledge.
"C'mon! You're a Champion as well; it'll work for you, too!" Zelda explained as she grabbed hold of the sword herself to double check its efficacy and finding herself still able to do so.
Urbosa shrugged as she smiled reassuringly toward Mipha, "It's a nice feeling. You can't lift it, but you can still feel its weight in the palm of your hand. There's many eons in that blade; how often do you get a chance to clutch something like that?"
Still unsure, Mipha nervously rubbed her hands up and down her sides before slowly stepping toward the sword, with Zelda goading her on as she did so. Her eyes raised just enough to break underneath her crest, catching Link's eyes upon her with expectation, the softest smile greeting her as she watched him, leading to a similar expression from her, albeit lessened by the gravity of the situation surrounding her. Still, it brought a warmth to her heart, helping to melt away her insecurities as she came up to the sword, looking over it, scrutinizing its mighty frame, even despite its raggedy sheath.
"By the gods, how exciting is this?" Zelda was still musing aloud, "Forget Link being the…well, link between this Company and its divine mission; this is, like, a link between us all!"
Link replied with bemusement, "About how long were you waiting to use my name like that?"
Giggling slightly, Zelda answered, "Nearly as long as I've known you. Every time you mention how I should do my morning calisthenics, I want to say you're the 'link' between my dad and me."
A droll expression met her, leaving Zelda to laugh even more, though it stopped immediately upon realizing what was happened outside of their conversation. A cold, sharp pain caught her in the chest as she noticed Mipha's face, clouded with tears as her hand remained hanging in the air, seemingly unable to advance toward the sword's hilt. Her body visible strained as she pushed herself forward, only to be met with some unseen resistance, leaving her teeth to grit in pain as she desperately attempted to hold back her tears while violently attempting to take the sword herself.
A whimper escaped her as she made one final push, but to no avail. In defeat, her muscles lost their strain, seemingly in time with her furious resistance against crying, but not, her determination waned, she stood there with her head bowed low, clutching her torso with her arms with shaking shoulders, shivering as tears fell to the ground.
"I-" Zelda desperately attempted, but to no avail, her voice falling as quickly as it had arisen.
Urbosa stepped toward the anguished Zora and slowly allowed her arms to embrace her, hoping to offer something of comfort as the group began to sort out what all had just transpired. While the lot of them were merely thinking of the Champions themselves, as well as the Master Sword, Link's heart ached, intuiting what Mipha herself must have been torturing herself over at the moment. After their kiss, he knew their fates were tied; it was a conclusion he would have fought and died for.
But why, then, did this fate now seem so at odds with his destiny?