Revali was busy writing in his chambers, filling out his diary, when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"What is it?" He called out nonchalantly, not bothering to look. Hearing nothing in response, he turned around to see Mipha standing in his doorway.

"I came to see if you also had any injuries from today you'd like me to look at."

Revali was taken aback by the offer. This was unexpected, none of the others usually came to see him unless it was for official champion business. But he supposed injuries counted as such.

"Nope. Just as flawless as ever. Not a scratch on me, I'm afraid." He confidently assured her.

"Oh, okay."

Was he mistaken, or did Mipha seem almost saddened by his response? He immediately waved away the thought—Mipha was basically sadness with two legs. Still, hearing the despondency in her voice urged him to want to do something about it, but he really wasn't sure if he could. She was still standing there hopeless as if she had more on her mind.

"Did you need something else?" His words came out a little more sweet than he would have liked. But he always found it hard to be disdainful towards her.

Mipha wrung her hands. "Well, I was wondering if perhaps… if it's not too much trouble… could we continue my practice?"

"Hm, I dunno, I'm rather busy at the moment," Revali glanced down at his diary, which had a boorish doodle of himself, muscular with his bow and arrows in his talons, lording over a defeated Lynel. He closed the booklet. "But, I suppose I could make time. We can continue your lessons. If you want."

Mipha looked back at Revali and smiled. "Yes, I'd like that!"

The limited evening light certainly made it more difficult to aim properly, and Mipha still struggled with string slap. She had tough skin though, so it didn't seem to bother her much, claiming it was more startling than painful.

Revali noticed that overall, somehow, she had improved. Mipha was a surprisingly fast learner. Though she still had a long way to go before she could be expected to actually take anything serious down.

She'd seemed to have taken his confidence instruction to heart however, as every arrow she fired was shot without a hint of apprehension. Almost bordering on mindless ferocity. She released arrow after arrow, sometimes hitting the targets, the grass, the trees, and even a stray bird, which had Revali gulping.

"Okay let's take it easy." He placed his hand on the bow.

"No! I think I'm getting it." Mipha snapped, still concentrating on her shot.

Her sharp tone startled Revali. This was unlike her. He stood in her path and grabbed the arrow before she could shoot it. They stared each other down before he spoke. "What's up with you?"

Sudden embarrassment washed over Mipha's face. Revali understood now why she wanted to practice so badly. He could see she was using the opportunity to take out her frustrations about her predicament. As gratifying as it may feel, he knew all too well shooting aimlessly into the sky wasn't going to solve her problems. He lifted the bow from her grasp, knowing he might regret what he was about to ask.

"Wanna… talk about it?"

Mipha covered her face and looked towards the ground. Revali was pretty sure she was about to start the water works again. Oh no. He wasn't good with this at all, but he couldn't just leave her standing there. Well, he could, but even he wasn't that much of an ass. Instead, he stood there awkwardly in front of her, rubbing his neck with his feathered appendage.

"Let me guess… this is about Link?" He sighed.

Mipha continued to stare down at the ground. "Sometimes he watches over her when she sleeps, you know."

Revali was confused by this new information, though he assumed she was referring to Princess Zelda. He muttered to himself, "Well, that's not creepy at all."

Mipha's voice shook as she spoke. "I hate feeling this way," she continued, "I… I just want to be happy for him."

Her words echoed in Revali's mind. See, this… This right here was why Revali didn't mess with love. It was hard for him to sympathize with these feelings of attraction she seemed to have for that frustrating Link. He didn't know how to offer her any comfort. Hard to be happy for someone who doesn't seem to give a damn about much of anything at all, is what he almost said.

Instead, Revali stood beside her and considered resting his wing on her shoulders. He played ping-pong with the idea back and forth through his brain until he just went ahead and did it. He winced as his arm landed on her, somehow afraid she might literally explode. When no such thing happened, he relaxed, feeling a sense of calm enough to really see her.

He wasn't sure if it was the light of the moon, the tears, or some sort of zora gene, but her eyes were glowing bright. Since her kind typically didn't travel far outside of their domain, he'd never actually seen a zora before this whole champions business, let alone be this up close and personal with one. Even in her upset state, she was still, dare he say, adorable?

Mipha wiped her eyes. "Have you ever had feelings for another?"

Revali was taken off guard by her question. He was almost offended by the mere thought, quickly releasing his wing from around her. "Most certainly not," He scoffed.

Of course, with him being the best of the best among the rito, he had plenty of options. There were girls in his village, and even a guy or two, that tried their hardest to sway him, but he had always been too focused on his goal of becoming the greatest warrior to waste time with such nonsense. Judging now by Mipha's breakdown, he knew he made the right decision. Look what love was doing to this girl. Mipha: zora champion, princess, and Link's supposed friend! All the more evidence for him to never fall prey to anything of the sort. Her feelings were holding her back. Her feelings for LINK were holding her back.

"You don't need him," Revali blurted.

Mipha was silent for a moment. She slowly dragged her gaze up from the ground. "I know," She spoke softly. Then she lifted her head to meet Revali's sharp green eyes. She placed her small hand on his shoulder and reassuringly stated, "You don't need him either."

Her words ruffled Revali's feathers. He was pretty sure she just insinuated that somehow he needed Link. No, worse! That somehow he felt that he needed Link.

"Come again?" Revali spat, moving away from her.

Mipha looked surprised that she offended him. "I'm sorry, I only meant that—"

"Okay, first of all," He released a contemptuous half-laugh, "we were talking about you, not me. And second, I'm perfectly aware that I don't need that feeble excuse for a knight! What in the hell would ever make you think that I would stoop so low—to be so pathetic—as to need someone like him!" The words came rushing out of Revali with scathing indignation.

Mipha's shock left her face and was replaced by a scowl Revali had never seen before. "So is that what you think of me then? You think I'm pathetic?" She asked.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Revali didn't know what to say. This was not going well. He said the wrong things, as he knew he would. "I wasn't referring to… it's different, okay?" He tried to backpedal, but Mipha was already fired up.

"Well, you want to know what I think?" Mipha continued. "I think you're just jealous of Link! You're always mocking him, and insulting him, trying to get him to fight you, because he's the chosen hero, and you know, deep down inside, you just want his approval."

Mipha was going off. Somehow, she managed to be simultaneously meek and furious. This wasn't the first time something was blowing up in Revali's face, but her rage was more terrifying to him than any bomb arrow could be. She wasn't hiding her teeth now, they were bare and sharp as ever. He was so captivated by the sight, it was hard for him to retaliate.

"If I'm pathetic for wanting his attention, then you are just as well!"

Revali was still mulling over that jealousy line, "Jealous? You think I'm jealous of him? For what? I can fight just as well as he can! No—better! And for the record, I don't insult him because I want his approval, I want him to face me so I can show him exactly where he belongs."

Mipha shook her head. "You're not jealous of his fighting skills, you're jealous of his respect," she countered. "Respect he has, not because he's the chosen one, but because he's the type of fellow who would never fight you because you're his comrade! Everyone else on the team loves Link, everyone across Hyrule loves Link!" Her voice softened, "I love Link…"

Why did her declaration sting so badly? It was hardly a surprise. Mipha's words cut Revali like a feathered edge; like she'd stabbed him with her own trident; like she'd shot an arrow straight through his chest. Pulling it out was going to hurt like hell, but it nonetheless had to be done. He just couldn't let her see him bleed.

He relaxed, a familiar conceited urge fell over him. Letting out a haughty chuckle, he went on, "Well, I guess that's it then. You've figured me out!" He retorted, waving his wings about. "But you're wrong about one thing. I don't need anyone's approval. Not yours, not the princess's, and most certainly not Link's. You all can keep your "chosen one" titles, and your respect, and your…" He paused to mimic Mipha, "Love."

He straightened his face again, what he was about to say to her surprised even himself.

"Honestly, I couldn't care less about your pitiful feelings."

Revali watched as Mipha simply rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh before turning away. Feeling a sudden regret, he called out to her "Where are you going?"

Mipha ignored him. She carried on, back toward the castle, leaving Revali standing alone in the field.

"How dare she accuse me of such… such foolishness! Me—jealous!" Revali debated with himself while catching some midnight air. "That's what I get for trying to show a little kindness. She doesn't know what she's talking about… she doesn't know me!" As he soared through the sky, he started to feel something wrong in the pit of his stomach.

He landed again at the gates of the castle. He didn't even want to go back, but he knew he'd be bothered to no end about not communicating with the team if he suddenly disappeared. And if he didn't show his face, he'd basically be admitting shame and defeat by Mipha's words. He wouldn't allow it.

He wandered into the castle, past the guards and attendants who greeted him with respect for his title as champion. His mind elsewhere, he didn't even notice. Revali kept remembering the look on her face when her eyes were filled with tears. He tried to block the thought out of his mind. His assessment kept flopping back and forth.

Perhaps he was a bit harsh… but she was equally as presumptuous! Maybe she didn't mean to be offensive… but she did offend him, whether she meant to or not. He'd lost the only person he found tolerable to spend time with… whatever. He didn't need company, as usual, he was perfectly fine on his own.

The more he thought about her, somehow he had turned his thoughts one-hundred eighty degrees. By the time he got to his room, he felt full-on regret.

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

Revali paced around his quarters, berating himself for the way he spoke to Mipha. "I'm such an idiot! Why did I have to say all of that? You couldn't just keep your big beak shut could you, Revali? Oh NO! You just had to have the last word, didn't you? Master Revali, the legendary Cucco!"

He threw himself down onto his uncomfortable straw mattress. "What the hell is wrong with me? Maybe it would have been better if I just walked away when she started weeping."

He groaned and closed his eyes, grabbing the pillow to cover his face. He couldn't for the life of him understand why he always ended up pushing others away, ever keeping them at a wingspan's distance, like some sort of cursed superpower. Though he admitted the distance was so much easier than all of this heartache bullshit...

Revali's thoughts wandered back to Mipha. He could still feel the spot on his arm where she touched him. His heart felt heavy. He knew it wasn't true what he said about her feelings, though after having said it, he wished it were. Now he was burdened with guilt.

He continued to wallow in his anguish on the bed until a wrapping at the door startled him. Whoever it was certainly had impeccable timing.

"What?" Revali barked, his beak still exposed under the pillow. He didn't want to see anyone… unless that person just so happened to be…

"Mipha?" He tilted his head up hopefully.

His door opened by a large, meaty, yellow hand grasping the frame. "Hey buddy. I didn't wake you, did I?" Daruk greeted him as he poked his head in.

"Oh." Revali's voice lost all hope. He sat up, tossing his pillow to the side, "no, you didn't. What is it?"

"Tomorrow we're gonna go with the Princess to the ancient Tech Lab if you wanna come-with. We were going to drop her and the Link off there, and go chill at the Goron Hot Springs for a little RnR. Then head back to meet her at dusk. Maybe even go out for drinks in the evening."

"Sounds fun," Revali replied sardonically, staring out the window.

"Yeah! We're gonna leave pretty early. You can come with us if ya want, or meet us there. Whichever."

Revali gave Daruk a silent thumbs up.

"See ya tomorrow!" The Goron replied as he ducked out of the room.

Revali laid back down on his bed, thinking about what he was going to do. Did he really need to be there for this little excursion? If he went with the team, he'd just be dragging foot behind the rest of them, alone and ignored. Especially now that Mipha was surely not on speaking terms with him. He laid his head back down to rest, though he couldn't sleep.

Perhaps he'd talk to Mipha tomorrow after the hot springs.