"What a wonderful series of clefts!" Daruk admired as the Company walked among the overlooking outcroppings of sheer rock that loomed ominously overtop their path, "If feels as though we're recipients of some form of triumph!"

A poignant tone came from Zelda as she peered up along the jutting faces of rock, "The breach of demise."

"Is that a poem?" Mipha muttered questioningly.

Zelda grinned gloomily, "I suppose it is rather mellifluous for an idea so full of dread. It's actually a rather ironic name. In Hyrule Kingdom's formative years, this was one major avenue wherein interlopers would descend upon the people; therefore, the breach of demise."

"It lost its meaning as the Kingdom grew into its present state, though I suppose, depending on how you look at our history with the Rito-" Zelda paused, allowing Revali a moment to fluff up his plumage, "-it may just mean the opposite. Any Hylians stretching out too far to the west may very well find their demise. Hence the irony."

As certain as night follows day, Revali lifted his head proudly, "Well, the poetry of the Rito is world-renowned; it's no wonder life has chosen to imitate such artistry."

"Keep your feathers close to your chest, bird man," Link muttered, "She's trying to butter you up."

Revali scowled toward the soldier, "I beg your pardon?!"

Before Link could go on, Zelda quickly spoke up with a nervous breath, "Anyway-! If we make good enough time, we'll approach the nearest township by nightfall and ensure decent lodging before roughing it the rest of the way, at least until we reach the Rito Village."

"Ah, yes; you may all bask in the finest linens the Swallow's Roost has to offer," Revali grinned proudly, "I must say, for the first time on this journey, I am quite excited. Not a single Rito has been able to tread upon Vah Medoh, so the idea of doing so-"

His eyed narrowed while curling lips denoted his mischievous intentions, "It is quite intriguing."

"To be honest, in making our way over here, I've been wracking my brain thinking of that," Zelda admitted with a tinge of dismay, "That said, I'll take an impossible feat over another perilous one. Just having caught a glimpse of Vah Rudania- anything to do with Vah Medoh will be far easier to consider."

Revali eyed her skeptically, "You say that, but you haven't a clue what undertaking this feat will require. As I've mentioned before, even our most powerful warriors cannot come close to that Beast. It generates the very winds that have brought Tabantha such prosperity, but even if you hope to circumnavigate the Beast to approach it from above, you must contend with its lasers."

Daruk's wide eyes caught Revali from afar, "I'm sorry, what?"

Smirking, Revali tilted his head in dismissal, "I doubt that will be much of a worry for a man of rock, but certainly for those capable of flight, it certainly the most dangerous aspect of approaching the Beast."

Arms crossed, Zelda lowered her head in thought, "I mean, Vah Naboris had a similar aggression to its defense, yet we rose to its challenge. I'm sure we'll manage here, as well. We might just need to visit the Rito, gain some inspiration, and-"

Frowning, Zelda concluded, "And, I suppose- consider the possibility that we might not all be able to stand atop this Beast…"

"Until we know for certain," Urbosa assured with a smile, tugging on Zelda's arm to bring her closer, "We've no reason to consider such a thing. We'll get up there."

"I just wish-" Zelda paused, sliding Link's notebook from her pocket, reviewing their notes, "We know so much about these Beasts, yet so little. If we could simply crack that code- If we knew how the Sheikah piloted these things-"

Mipha's eyes widened with awe, "You mean, like- Revali could pilot it and collect us at a lower altitude?"

"Revali or some other Rito, yeah," Zelda muttered in reply, "I mean, we have all this information on the other Beasts- We know they're similar. If we could learn how to pilot the others, I'm certain Vah Medoh would operate the same."

Link scoffed, "Ignoring, for a moment, the fact of getting him up there in the first place."

"Yeah…" Zelda sighed uncertainly, "Other than that, though… I haven't a clue."

Urbosa sighed, "Well, as you said, we have little less than a week-long trek through Tabantha itself, so we have plenty of time beneath that Beast to come up with ideas. I'm certain one of us is absolutely chomping at the bit."

Half-shrugging, Revali replied, "As flattered as I am that you would bestow such dogged determination upon me, I'm not nearly as interested in mounting Vah Medoh as you might believe. Clearly, after these centuries of studious examination, there's hardly a thought that anything more than mere chance will allow a Rito to approach that machine. I would much rather be revered for my own hand-crafted works than a chance encounter."

Link rolled his eyes, leaning closer toward Daruk, murmuring, "Here it comes…"

"Though, I cannot deny that such a tale as me flying atop the Divine Beast would be a welcome addition to my life's work," Revali admitted wryly.

Daruk chuckled at Link's preemptive warning, though the soldier simply spoke up toward Zelda in reply, "Are you sure you got a large enough cloak to fit over that ego of his?"

Ready to sputter back some insult, Revali stared at Link with a fierce expression before gradually melting into one of piercing curiosity, his head slowly turning toward Zelda as he questioned, "…what cloak does he speak of?"

Zelda groaned, crossing his arms, "Well, I was hoping to get closer to Dangarnon before telling you, but it seems Link, here, was quick to the draw."

"So nothing new, huh?" Urbosa teased, shooting a wink back toward Mipha that forced Link to hide a blush despite the Zora's inquisitive glance.

"Look, while you were all recovering from your drunken reverie, I was doing some investigation back in Willowdale, right?" Zelda recounted with spun lips indicating her indecisiveness, "As it turns out- The people of Dangarnon don't exactly…"

She bit her lip, leaving Revali to complete her sentence for her, "They are woefully inept to bear the experience of a Rito being amongst them. I understand."

Sighing with relief, Zelda dropped her shoulders, "Oh, thank the goddess you understand. That just makes it so much easier. So-"

She dug into her backpack, "Here's your cloak to conceal yourself. I made sure it had a long enough hood to cover your beak as well, so long as you remain hunched over like an old man. I'll just tell them we're escorting my grandfather to Tabantha so that he can watch the pollen flutter by one final time; but you'll have to speak in muttered tones, like 'geeeh' and 'ooohh', like that- sound the part, just so they don't get suspicious. Oh, and maybe walk with a hobble? or not- they might try to touch and guide you along. Maybe just stick with the hunchback thing- But you can't let an inch of your body be exposed, otherwise-"

Her eyes glazed over as they peered upon Revali, "What?"

The Rito had stopped in his tracks, simply standing there as the rest of the Champions continued along to follow Zelda's pace, though with ogling glances of their own. Revali's body didn't shudder, though his plumage glittered in the sunlight as the wind brought to him the only movement upon his body while his eyes had widened like orbs, staring off into space as though his brain had suddenly sputtered itself to sleep, leaving him with little much of an existence in that present moment.

"Wow, you broke him," Link surmised, impressed.

Zelda bit her lip to conceal a frown, trudging over toward the Rito with a furious rebuttal, "I wasn't trying to do so! He said he understood, so-!"

"WHAT in the great blue YONDER would have you believe that I, Revali, of the RITO, would EVER submit himself to such DEPLORABLE DEGREDATION!" Revali suddenly exploded, sending Zelda tottering backward.

Urbosa shook her head, arms crossed, "I told her. Take the northern route. We'll have our collective tuchus frozen off before we get this one to play along."

Eyes like daggers, Revali sputtered with his attention upon Urbosa, "For once, I agree with the Gerudo! Me?! Impersonate a-! a-!"

His body swung away from the group as he hunched over, clawing at his knees as he began to dry heave, a laryngeal sort of clucking accompanying his every attempt at purifying himself of that idea which had just invaded his body.

"GAAHCK! GAAAHCK!"

Daruk threw his open palms toward him in presentation as he turned pleadingly toward Zelda, "Look! He's perfect at being hunched!"

With a sudden swirl, Revali twisted his body back around, glaring at Daruk with viciousness glassing his eyes, stepping across the dirt path as he furiously closed the gap between the two of them, "Alright, rock man! Bear witness to these talons crushing solid rock!"

"Only if you can survive my 'eight peaks of fury'!" Daruk suddenly challenged, throwing imaginary sleeves up his arms as Link might have done against this foe, though he was quickly halted by Urbosa pressing herself in between the two, pressed into a heated cloister of rock and feather as the two shouted at one another from both sides of her head.

"I will shove a quill so far into that faultline you call a brain that you shudder and die!" Revali barked, only for Daruk to grit his teeth in angered answer.

"Not before your cloaca houses my foot!"

Urbosa strugged between the two mighty bodies clamoring all around her, staring toward Link with a bile in her voice as she shouted, "Well?! A little help?!"

"Why?" Link wondered, sincerely, "I've got rupees on Daruk; my boy's got this."

Before Urbosa could yell any further, Zelda had finally wormed her way into the middle of the fray, shouting at the top of her lungs, "HEY! HEY! HEEEEEY!"

Her inexplicably harrowing tone simmered down the two's tensions for a brief enough moment for them to begin collecting themselves, leaving Revali to quickly step away from Urbosa before smoothing off his mantle as though removing her presence from his very plumage.

"Look," Zelda spoke up with a low tone, throwing her hands toward the earth below as if to signify her laying down the law, "Revali, I understand it's a difficult thing for you to do, alright? That's why I was so apprehensive about letting you know before I went all 'scholar' on you."

The Rito threw a dismissive shoulder back as he spun away, hiding his furious expression as Zelda continued, "The reason I wanted to embark on this journey was to bring all of our people a little bit closer. Sure, the Divine Beasts are important, but- There's so much…bad between us all that- I just want to do some good."

An inaudibly deep breath left Revali's snout as his frown broke its heated zeal.

"I don't think we can do anything tonight, but- If we do all this right, perhaps at some point- Maybe some good can come from this."

She dropped her eyes, "Of course, I understand how stupid that is to say when I can't even do what I'm supposed to. How could I even think of doing things I'm not supposed to? I mean, who am I to try and-"

"Hush," shot out Revali, much to the group's astonishment, especially Zelda, who watched him with wide eyes as her jaw fell.

The Rito spun around, still with a face stained of fury, before shaking his head, stepping toward her with an outstretched arm, "Just- Give me the damned thing, alright?"

Still deflated from her shock, Zelda simply raised her hand where the cloak had been kept, allowing Revali to swipe it from her grasp as he shot a stare toward the others, "And I don't want to hear a single thing about it, understood?!"

Urbosa smirked, "Joke's on you; I haven't even had time to think of any jokes."

A pithy stare greeted before Revali lowered his head, examining the dark cloak in his arms as he seethed, "Such an inane…"

Frowning, his eyes glanced up toward Zelda, painfully shoving words past his lips, "…thanks."

"I should be saying the same to you," Zelda smiled lowly, "If we can just- get through tonight, it won't be any big thing for you, I hope. Just get into the inn, then we're done until tomorrow morning."

Revali's face spun in disgust, "So long as none of the Lowlanders catch a glimpse of me like this…"

As he spoke, Zelda spun toward the rest of the group, declaring with a kingly breath, "As for you all- Mipha, not you. You three-"

She dropped her eyelids into a ferocious stare that spoke threatening words in a language far more silent than her own, "You're not to say a word. Understood?"

Link answered the easiest, simply shrugging as he replied, "As you say, my Princess."

For his part, Daruk took a moment to deflate the still-risen tension from the earlier bout before answering along, "I suppose I can forget him charging toward me."

Urbosa merely gave Zelda something of a suspiciously look, as if in silent appraisal, before tilting to her head to the side, raising her hands, "I suppose it's my own duty to submit to the voice of a Queen."

Suddenly blushing, Zelda turned away, covering her profile as she stammered, "I-! I didn't-!"

"'course you did," Urbosa smirked, winding an arm around Revali's shoulders that forced him to shoot a stare at her, "Why not lead us along from here just so we know for sure."

"…get off me…"

"Might as well try it," Urbosa proposed further, even as Revali attempted to shake her off.

Suddenly feeling the swelling of self-consciousness, Zelda nervously struggled to reply, instead deciding to simply walk along the dirt path without further comment, leaving the Champions to pick up, and let go, as was the case with Urbosa and Revali, before the Company was once again making their meandering way along the road toward Dangarnon.

They eventually came across Ludfo's Bog as they approached the major crossroads of Hyrule Ridge, catching Mipha's attention as she marveled at the sight, having never come this far from her home. She wondered how that viscous composition of the boggy waters might alter her normal swimming patterns, if she could swim in it at all.

"Don't even think about it," Link smirked, bumping a shoulder into her own, mid-stride, "I'd lose my boots were I to step into that bog."

Mipha's eyes widened, "I wasn't-!"

Link only gave her a knowing grin, forcing her to turn away in embarrassment, still curious as to how he had become so good as to catch such a thought from her, though, she supposed, she had been staring.

"Alright," Zelda finally spoke up after distance had brought her relief, "So, from what I know- and, granted, it's not a lot- Dangarnon is kind of a rough little town. They're a bit standoffish, so I would prefer we do our best to avoid incident while there; hence, I mean-"

She pointed a finger over her shoulder before turning her head over her shoulder, eyes wide to find Revali stepping in awkward steps as he was halfway upon pulling the cloak down over his shoulders, the black fabric only impeding his vision now that he strode off the path.

"Gah!" he grumbled angrily as Urbosa gave a snicker before helping him get the entire regalia on, "Not gonna lie. You look good in black."

His beak emerged from the collar, revealing his knowing frown, "All Rito look good in the darkness. Fight in the dark, and save your beauty for the sunlight and the formels."

"Formels?" Link wondered through sarcastically uncertain eyes.

Yanking the cloak down his body until it fell straight down to his feet, Revali jeered, "Formels! The women, you poor sod!"

As though hunting for an example, Revali left Urbosa, much to her perturbance, before throwing a finger toward Mipha, "Certainly you know of them?!"

"Pfft!" Urbosa immediately covered her face as it transformed into a look of utter amusement as Link's face ran red.

Daruk even chuckled boisterously, "He got you there, Brother!"

Still confused by the pitfalls he was continuing to fall into amongst this group, Link merely threw up a shoulder to demonstrate his indifference, though his face still held on to its crimson hue, leaving Mipha, herself, with a heartful smile.

"I'm starting to like finnicky Revali," Urbosa smirked, "I think we've officially gotten to him."

Revali scoffed, "Don't hold your breath."

"Ahem," Zelda suddenly broke out, needlessly clearing her throat to instill order once again, "As I was saying. These are rough and tumble people, so I don't want to incite any offense by anybody speaking out of turn."

Her brow fell worriedly, "I'll admit… The last time we sent a Royal convoy, they weren't greeted to kindly, so- I'm not entirely certain my own presence won't cause a ruckus."

"Ah," Link nodded, "They felt it imprudent to call out the township directly, but I recall that incident. They sent the convoy back, unclaimed, though the driver of the wagon train returned with more than a few welts and bruises, apparently as 'payment'."

"After Akkala, the King wasn't exactly thrilled to incite further rebellion, so given that they seemed more content being independent, he stopped future supply runs. Haven't heard much from 'em ever since."

Zelda sighed achingly, "They were apparently dissatisfied with the lessening supplies being sent, thinking we were weaning them off to be left entirely, so they finally attacked the convoy as a sort of symbolic gesture, though- My father assured me that, while supplies were, indeed, waning, it wasn't simply Dangarnon; our entire Kingdom was undergoing rationing at the time."

Frowning, Urbosa noted, "I suppose sovereignty and dependency aren't simple to balance."

"No," Zelda replied, "But if my presence can mend some old wounds- I would like to do what I can. Perhaps negotiate some friendly terms, see what they need; we haven't even received wellness reports from them."

"Good to know, then, that the final leg of this excursion begins here," Daruk surmised with a grin.

Urbosa watched Zelda with dreary eyes, "Child. Now, I know you sounded like a Queen back there, but- Are you sure you're ready for diplomacy? Not everybody listens to your own form of reason. especially those who have grown so indelibly set into their ways."

Link nodded, "These are people who are citizens of Dangarnon even before they're subjects of Hyrule Kingdom."

"Well, I mean- Perhaps I can't," she shrugged, "But I at least have to try. Despite our history, these people are still mine to look over and protect. Even if we disagree on everything-"

Her lips pursed in deepening thought, "I refuse to let disagreements cloud my ultimate goal. Perhaps they'll agree that, even above being citizens of Dangarnon… They're living beings of Hyrule. and they have as much a role in this world as the rest of us."

Urbosa turned to Daruk, "Told you she sounded like a Queen."

"As if I ever had a doubt!" Daruk exclaimed, laying upon Zelda a tremendous blush.

Lowering her head to hide that blush, Zelda couldn't hold back a soft smile, accepting such praise.

Without magic, she knew it was all she had in this life.