The moon had founds its perch among the stars by the time the Champions exited the bar after last call, herded out the door with the rest of the patrons like cattle before dispersing into fragmentary collections of people heading every which way, leaving the Champions meandering across the road with only a few patrons passing by to give their Princess muttered regards before departing.
Daruk dragged Revali across the dirt part, cradling the Rito's shoulders which were slung around by his gigantic arm, turning his head over his shoulder to watch Urbosa with a laugh as she threw her fists into the air triumphantly, shouting at the drudgering mass of bar-goers.
"Perhaps next time you will best me! Until then-!" she boasted with uneven speech before spinning both hands into rather rude symbolism, "Y'all can suck it!"
Aside from a few dismissive waves and groggy laughs, she was met with little reply, leaving her to swoon around gracelessly back toward her party, nearly stumbling in place as she separated her hands, hoping to steady herself, "Now that the battle is over…"
She turned toward Revali, who had subjected himself to drunken sleep as he hung from Daruk's extended arm, raising an imaginary glass toward him, "We mourn our fallen. The speed of the Goddes- May it accompany you-"
At that, her legs lost all power as she stumbled to the side, leaving Zelda to quickly tear her arms through the air, only barely able to catch the Gerudo without being taken to the ground herself, leaving Link and Mipha to hurry to help her.
"Hehehe," Urbosa giggled, running a hand across her face, "You think koroks are carnivorous?"
Link eyed Zelda with a pithy stare as the Princess groaned, shaking her head as the three attempted to force Urbosa back onto her feet, though they were only met with her own tired assistance, her body growing ever steady toward become mere dead weight in their clutches.
"Good idea, Link," Zelda complained, grunting under Urbosa's weight.
His brow shot forward, "My idea? I didn't tell her to go on some Hyrulean merry-go-round of beverages. Now, look-"
Link examined the situation as Daruk worried approached, his free arm extended as he attempted to navigate his own help toward holding Urbosa on her feet.
"Okay, let's start this over; Daruk's the only one who can carry her. I'll get Revali," Link suggested, more so in command, before Daruk nodded agreement.
"Aye," the Goron nodded, "If it would lessen the debt I owe for her doing the same for me, I would be happy to oblige."
Link nodded before Daruk neared him, sliding the Rito's body along his arm while grasping at Urbosa's shoulder, the transfer coming with shaky movements until their roles were solidified. Daruk carefully pulled Urbosa onto his shoulder, where she hung like a dead animal, leaving her to complain groggily.
"You better not me showing off my bad side," she mumbled, shaking her head which only sent her frazzled hair sauntering back and forth.
"Oh! My apologies!" Daruk spoke quickly before sliding her down into his arms, where she rested as if she were a princess herself.
This only forced her to sputter out zealously, "Trick question. I have no bad sides."
Scratching her hair nervously, Zelda sighed, "Well, she was right about using alcohol to learn about others. I didn't figure we'd learn how vain she can be."
"Speak for yourself," Link complained as he held Revali in his arms, having slid them beneath his shoulders, leaning his head away as though in wretched disgust, "Goddess, his breath stinks."
He looked over his shoulder, "Look, you all get us rooms at the inn so Urbosa can sleep it off. I'll wash this one off."
"You sure?" Mipha asked, a shot of worry in her eyes of leaving her lover.
Nodding, Link began stumbling backward, dragging Revali along the soil as he answered, "Yeah. He'll be offensive enough once he wakes up without smelling like all the liquor in Hyrule."
"Alright, then," Zelda agreed, waving the others along, "We've got you, Urbosa."
The Gerudo giggled, still enraptured by her drunken spell, "Got me what? Presents?"
"Perhaps in a matter of speaking," Daruk chuckled, "Assuming you so desire rest by now."
She complained with a heated breath as she broke beyond earshot of Link, the Company working their way toward the inn while Mipha kept watch over Link from atop her shoulder, her eyes offering guiding light in the form of the shimmering stars above.
Link muttered obscenities under his breath as his arms achingly kept hold of the man within his grasp, his body taking squatting strides as he approached a nearby well, allowing Revali to hit the ground as he released his grasp in relief. He shook his head while his arms were allowed to rest, making out the line of rope that slithered into the earth, lazily sliding its nearby bucket down into the pool of water below.
His eyes came upon Revali's face as the man snoozed deeply, lost in some dream world while Link frowned at having such a task as making this detestable being presentable. Truly a daunting task, indeed, yet Link couldn't help but think of the man's quick moment of gallantry atop Death Mountain, forcing the Hylian to bite his lip, sighing as he slowly continued with his task, wrangling in the whetted bucket with powerful strokes of his arms until the wooden vessel came into his possession.
Link turned his body until he stood over Revali, lifting the bucket and carefully turning it over until a steady stream of water cascaded down onto the Rito's face, Revali's body jolting awake as-
"WHAT IN THE-?!" he sputtered angrily, wildly throwing his arms asunder as he flung his body upright.
Link returned the bucket to its proper angle before shrugging, "You smell like a demon. I'm washing you up."
"Washing me- I-!" Revali seethed, glaring at Link as if he were about to pounce, "If you thought my threat to peck one's eye out to merely be a joke, I would absolutely love to demonstrate-"
Link threw his arms toward Revali, grasping the bucket tightly as the voluminous amount of water splashed into Revali's body like a deluge, leaving the Rito sitting there with a snarl, all while his feathers drooped low, leaving his eyes concealed beneath his plumage.
"Wouldn't hurt to clean up that behavior of yours, either," Link muttered with spite lining his voice.
The Rito stood up slowly, carefully sliding away the feathers that had fallen atop his face, revealing his ghastly sneer as his teeth barred with furious zeal, "I suppose you would know about detestable attitudes, Hylians."
"At least you're admitting to your own," Link shrugged, "I was simply getting you washed up, is all; you ought to thank me for such kindness."
"Pah!" Revali scoffed, throwing a finger toward Link, "I'll have you know, I've gone far, far too long allowing you to speak to a Rito in such a way. All you wretched beings can carry upon yourselves is the disgusting soil of this land; while you were all crawling around in the dirt, we were carrying amongst our feathers the sunlight itself!"
Link rolled his eyes while he returned the bucket to the edge of the well, turning to leave, "Keep preening up your self-image. You're about the only thing alive stupid enough to believe what you spout out."
Before he could take another step toward the inn, a powerful hand took hold of his shoulder, whipping him around, much to Link's surprise, as he came face to face with Revali's devilishly contorted face.
Revali drew a finger, placing it between their faces as his alcohol-lined voice carried with heated breaths, "Don't you dare-! You-!"
Link took Revali's wrist, attempted to loosen his grasp, but Revali answered with his own hold atop Link's arms, leaving the two locked as Link demanded, "Let go, you beast!"
"I'm the beast?!" Revali challenged incredulously.
Link sneered, his nose rising in disgust as their tussle died down, leaving him to reply with a heavier tone, "That's how you came into this world, wasn't it? Like a beast."
With a sudden burst of anger, Revali threw his arms forward, sending Link stumbling backward, loosing his footing as he hit the ground, rather awestruck by the strength possessed by Revali. He had wrestled with Rito before, but Revali's power had only been concealed by his detestable attitude.
Gritting his teeth angrily, Revali stepped forward as Link quickly rose to his feet, clenching his fists while Revali retorted, "Rather be born like a beast than live like one!"
Link thought about delivering a punch, but Revali's own motion was too swift for his own mind to catch up. Within a second, Revali threw his arms out, taking Link's arms and spinning around, throwing Link rolling toward the ground.
"Living amongst the dirt," Revali spoke almost in sing-song, tilting his head from side to side, "You know, I never trusted you. You, the knight so quiet, yet you can't help but show off every little attribute about yourself. It's sickening, that hypocrisy. At least I act proper."
Link pushed himself up, gritting his teeth, "A proper drunk, perhaps."
"Even so, it feels far too freeing to halt myself now," Revali confided, his head falling toward his shoulder, almost as if he were sizing Link up, "I'd love to punch that face of yours. See the man who's been given everything have something taken from him for once. Not that Sword, not your woman- Something that matters to you, taken."
"I was worried, Hylian, when we first started this journey. Terrified that, for all your deliberately abhorrent behavior, you might show me up. But let's review the notes, you filthy land-dweller; I took you to that desert Beast. I took on the most ferocious of Zora while you lay there like a fat sow. Even at your most hopeless, atop Death Mountain, I was the one who carried you from those lowly depths, allowing you to see what no man, Hylian or Rito, has ever seen."
Revali's lips turned low behind his beak, "All you've done is defile the most kind among us with that wretched body of-"
In a flash, Link's faculties had been done away, perhaps simply be the small amount of alcohol he, himself, had consumed. He lashed out toward Revali, throwing a fist which the Rito skillfully dodged, Revali proving far more formidable, even outside of flight, than Link had ever expected. But the knight didn't care. Not now.
He continued barreling forward, punch after punch, catching enough of Revali's body every few blows to keep him wanting the next. Even the hits that Revali couldn't outmaneuver, his face remained stone-like, unfazed even by the most vicious of blows thrown by Link. As Link quickened into tire, Revali fell to the side in parry, throwing a foot dangerously deep into Link's stomach, sending the Hylian reeling as he keeled over, stumbling backward.
Revali stepped forward deliberately, taking a handful of Link's hair before yanking the Hylian upward, leaving him wide open for a monstrous fist as Revali wound his arm up, slamming his balled hand into Link's cheek, sending Link stumbling backward for only a couple of steps before the world spun around his very eyes, surrendering his balance as he fell, face-first, into the ground.
"LINK!" Mipha cried from behind the two men, having hastily returned, her eyes wide in fright at what she had just seen.
She quickly advanced, desperate to stop the two, or perhaps simply Revali, given Link's paralyzed state, though she slid to a stop, trembling as Revali stepped toward Link's still body.
Link's vision had gone blurry, leaving his hands grasping at dirt as he perilously attempted to work himself into a more defensive position, leaving him only with helplessness as he lie there, wholly at Revali's mercy. His mind knew to twist his body around, to fight back- yet his muscles remained stagnant, unable to hear his pleas.
Mipha covered her mouth as Revali bent low, taking a hold of Link's shoulder. He muttered something to himself as he rolled the Hylian over, onto his back, before grasping both shoulders and lifting Link's body upright under nothing beyond his own Rito strength.
"I'm not gonna lie," Revali spoke lowly, "That felt good."
He pushed Link's body, rather lightly, against a nearby building, allowing Link to support himself without Revali's assistance. He stepped back a pace or two as Link curled up as he stood, his entire gut feeling nauseated by the devastating punch, even as it had been upon his face. Revali examined him for a moment before releasing a sigh, stepping toward him again and pushing Link upright once more.
"Now don't go eating the dirt again, you fool," Revali chided.
Even with his mind still reeling, Link understood his own perplexion as Revali began wiping off his shirt, brushing his feather hand along Link's chest as he cleared the dusty debris from him.
"W-" Link achingly worked past his lips, "W-"
"Why?!" Revali questioned, still with a sneer, "Because I may despise your every breath? as if imparts upon you the sweetest air that you never earned-?"
He paused, pulling his hand away for a moment before continuing, nearly in a scold, "We're Champions, are we not?"
Link's eyes fell in confusion as Revali returned to brushing off the soil from his shirt, complaining under his breath as he did so, "What a stupid question…"
"Thanks…"
Revali eyed him angrily, "Now don't go offering thanks when it's not extended!"
His shoulders slouching, perhaps from his present weakness, Link went on, "Then maybe an apology."
A look of surprise worked its way onto Revali's face as his hands paused, allowing his eyes to stare at Link with increased confusion.
"Sorry," Link offered weakly, "about- about calling you a- a beast."
Revali shrugged with a huff, returning to his task of clearing off Link's clothing, "Yeah, well, for one such as me, such words mean little. I know, more than anybody, who I am, and I am no beast."
Unable to fire back some retort, Link simply hung there, perched as he was along the wall that offered him all the support he had in the world at this moment, feeling its frigid exterior bleeding through his sleeve and along his arm, so picturesue of the chilly air exuded from Revali opposite him.
"But," Revali continued, pausing as though fighting to release the rest of his words, "Thanks anyway, I suppose."
His work done, Revali stepped away, shaking his head, "No reason for Zelda to see her own created garment ruined a week into its existence. I doubt-"
His stance still weak, Link began to slide down the wall, his legs giving way while Revali grumbled in frustration, stepping forward once again to take hold of Link's arms, helping him toward the ground and sitting him there against the tepid wall of that neighboring building.
"By the goddess, have some self-respect, man," Revali complained, "Pull yourself together."
Link dropped his head, "That was some punch…"
Unable to withhold a smirk, Revali glanced away, muttering, "I suppose it was."
The air between the two men grew empty from their silence. Revali's eyes clenched as he studied the horizon, watching the moonlight dancing atop the rolling hills in the distance, not having ever noticed those spry, almost playful, spurts of slopes only seen from the ground.
"Why is she not just anybody?" Link asked, correcting Revali's earlier presumption.
Revali spun his head forward to stare at Link as the soldier's head remained slumped, failing to reply in his incredulity at such a question.
Link took a breath, "You shouldn't care about this journey any more than me, but- I have skin in the game, now. You don't."
"Why should you care?" Link completed, taking a subdued glance up toward Revali.
Scoffing, Revali turned away once again, "Such a stupid-"
"I've had things taken from me," Link spoke up, quietly, in interruption, though Revali didn't offer him an attentive glance, "Things that mattered. My mother and father. My life as a knight. I've lost friends whom I loved like brothers. For a moment, I thought I had lost one person who loves me as I love them."
His eyes narrowed in study as he looked upon the ground, "But I've never had my history taken from me. Even if it turned out my parents didn't love me, I know who they are, and more importantly, why I'm here. why I was brought into this world. and-"
Link took in a breath, hoping to avoid further damage as he pressed on, "I can't imagine having to live, as you do; knowing nothing of your parentage. Not knowing whether you had come about because of some great love, or some partnership toward business, or- some wretched, shameful reason."
Revali's eyes remained transfixed upon the horizon, falling only as he replied, lowly, as if in repayment for Link's revelation, "I once told you of our greatest deity, Witwa, and the battle waged between him and his two siblings. After defeating Vurla, and later Timte- he recognized their true nature; that of two others that so perfectly balanced his being third. So, Witwa resurrected them, their combined souls becoming the very Divine Beast that now protects us. or so our oldest legends tell."
He frowned, "Even though we now know Vah Medoh to be a creation of the Sheikah, such a thing as resurrection- That alone-"
Given the topic, Revali timidly turned his head around to find Mipha having cautiously approached, more out of respect for the scene before her than any fright, leaving Link to confirm quietly, "She knows…"
"Ah," Revali nodded toward Mipha with reverence, "Then you must understand that you've been the beneficiary of something quite extraordinary, particularly to the Rito. Even from birth, we break free from the shackles of our eggs; we break away from that force which binds everything to the earth below us. Tearing ourselves free from death, you can imagine, is a widely reverent idea amongst our culture."
Link nodded, "No wonder Zelda, now, isn't just anybody."
"No," Revali bit at the air, "Now I see."
The air felt weighed down by the heavy conversation coming to a pause. Link felt his body gradually begin to recover from his bout with Revali, allowing him to reach up to his cheek, massaging the welt that had already begun to form.
"Hell of a punch, regardless," he muttered languidly, forming a smirk upon Revali's face as the Rito took to his feet.
"Do not be fooled by this conversation. I still find you utterly detestable," Revali confirmed with a sigh, crossing his arms, "We may both be Champions. That means I will continue to do what I must for the good of the company, even if only for Zelda's benefit."
He cocked his head to the side, "But I will not hesitate to strike you further, should I feel it so necessary."
"Especially given your new taste for such a thing," Link grumbled, hidden as he was behind the tender hand against his face.
Revali's lips spun into a wry sort of grin at the comment before he turned to leave, throwing a dismissive swipe toward Link as he stepped away, "So long as you understand such things."
He nodded toward Mipha before making his way to the nearby inn where she had come from, his gesture offering Mipha a chance to take his spot in front of Link as the Hylian sat there, still working free from his face the searing pain that continued to greet him. She knelt down beside him, taking in a gentle breath as she reached her hand up, covering Link's as best she could, joined as they were against his cheek, until a solemn, golden glow began to radiate from beneath her scales, signaling her healing magic at work.
"He means well, you know," Mipha spoke up.
Link's scoff led into a chuckle, "He has an intriguing way of demonstrating it, then."
Frowning, Mipha sighed as she lowered her head in thought, allowing all the time in the world to work her healing magic into her lover's tender skin.
"Thanks," he spoke up.
She nodded, "I told you. I would allow no harm to come to you."
A boyish glance from Link piqued her interest as he smirked, "I can't help but notice that your promise largely comes about only after I've sustained my injuries."
"Well, we can't all be chosen to do the goddess' bidding," Mipha teased with a grin of her own, "Given my mortality, nebulous as that might be, now- I think I'm abiding by that promise pretty well."
Link mutely chuckled before lowering his hand, allowing his lover to tend to him all the same, feeling that tepid warmth that had arisen from that magical energy swirling atop her still-chilled hand. Such a contrast felt an infinite stream of those hot-cold poultices he had often held against his skin during his training. It was a calming note of sensation, taking him back to those days when his mother would offer him as best of remedies as she could devise.
"He's angry, but-" Mipha spoke with a start before pausing, deli eating whether or not Link needed this information.
He merely sat still, giving her the drive to continue, "He once told me of that language of kindness. It is a language he knows with which he's not so eloquent. The more I think about it-"
Mipha bit her lip, "I think he's always been upset. Not at us, but- toward his own parents. I mean, they disowned him; they weren't there to teach him kindness, or nurturing , or-"
Shrugging, Link interrupted, "My parents' last concern was teaching me to be kind beyond the reaches of the barracks. Such things only lead to false senses of security, after all- I turned out fine."
He watched Mipha give a wary aversion of her eyes, turning her head as Link furrowed his brow, "…right?"
"I mean," she grinned, holding back a laugh, "You are a bit stubborn."
"I'm not stu-"
"That summer you refused to speak to your mother because she refused to let you swim in the basin?" Mipha reminded.
Embarrassed, Link frowned, "I mean- Look, we're not talking about me here."
Smiling sincerely, Mipha nodded, "I know. I just think of the two of you chose to understand one another, you'd both find agreeable parts."
"Zelda's said something similar," Link grumbled, shaking his head with obvious disdain.
Mipha turned her lips into a sad smile, "I think his life has simply been a litany of attempts to get his parents, whomever they may be, to regret leaving him to die- if not literally, than figuratively, given the Rito's culture."
Her eyes fell toward the ground knowingly, "Imagine if he were friends with the owner of the Master Sword?"
"I just threw up a bit in my mouth."
Mipha snickered, rolling her eyes as she retorted, "I'm serious."
"I know you are," Link sighed, "He's just- He's such an ass."
Mipha pulled her hand away, sliding it down past his chin, trailing that glowing light that shimmered in the darkness for mere moments before evaporating into the nether. Link followed her displaced hand with his eyes, missing her touch already, finding a heartfelt reprieve as she reached her face over to give him a tender peck of a kiss.
"You've already done amazing things," she offered with a gloomy smile, her tone of voice lending a gentle light to guide a hint of goodness to her lips, "You will continue to do amazing things. Who knows. Perhaps one of those things will benefit the both of you."
Link's eyes trailed off uncertainly as he shrugged, "Now I know you're giving me too much credit."
Now with a crooked, mischievous grin, Mipha simply gave a gentle nudge with the crown of her forehead, running it along his cheek before returning her eyes to him, "How's it feel?"
"Better," he nodded in appraisal.
"I do good work."
Link turned a pithy glance toward her, "What if your magic does nothing? What if it's merely your presence that helps the pain subside?"
He shrugged, "A man could fight battles, alone, with the right kind of beauty upon the woman he loves, you know."
"Now I've gotten the idea that you've only fallen for a Zora simply because you'll have passed away long before I've gained anything analogous to a wrinkle."
She smirked wry as she pushed herself up to her feet, watching Link shake his head in reply while she reached out her hand to pull him up. He noticed her gesture, taking her hand with a gracious grasp, especially as he immediately sauntered in place as he reached his feet. Mipha simply held him in place, even as he took hold of her shoulders to better orient his balance.
"Nah," he spoke, "Another thing about alcohol, particularly wine- It only becomes better with age. Much like you, I'm sure."
Mipha could only smirk, teasing in reply, "Wouldn't you like to live long enough to find out."
"My life expectancy can only improve by remaining diametrically opposed to that bird," Link uttered sarcastically, "You've heard of piss 'n vinegar keeping people alive past their time."
Rolling her eyes, Mipha shot back, "Now you're simply making excuses."
"You bet I am."
"Just remember," she confirmed, with a bit of darkness to her voice, "He had every opportunity to hurt you further. yet he sat you down and brushed off your shirt. I wouldn't hope to assume, but-"
She caught herself, biting her tongue as she paused, leaving Link alone to watch her nerve-struck face with a faint longing in his eyes. A longing for her to no longer face such doubts about him when it came to that man.
Link took her hand in his, earning her eyes as they met with his own.
"I'll try. Promise."
She smiled weakly, "I never hoped to be the meddlesome type."
"You're not," he assured quickly, "Like he said-"
He took a breath to weight his next words, his lips turning inward as he considered his next thought.
"We're Champions," he finally asserted, much to Mipha's demure happiness, a soft smile appearing in Link's sight, her crimson scales shimmering in the moonlight from the edges of his vision.
She nodded, "Yes. We all are."