"She carried a harp. There's actually a family of bards that claim to be descended from her, though I've only ever seen any of them with accordions," Revali told Zelda.
The Princess had once again asked about the Rito Sage Medli, and while she had listened to the story itself in silence, she had been peppering the Rito Champion with questions about the sage almost non-stop since he had finished. Urbosa was almost certain he was getting annoyed after nearly three hours of the conversation-even the Gerudo herself was starting to wish for a change of topic-but Revali's tone had only grown more and more controlled as the time had worn on. If it had been anyone else he would have sounded polite and reserved, but Revali had never been either of those things.
Zelda considered this. "If they were descendants, would Sage Medli have passed on this Earth God's Lyric? Would they know it?" Urbosa sighed inwardly. As tired as she was of listening to a dissection of Rito mythology (it had been interesting, at first, three days and countless hours ago), it was nice to see the Princess excited about something. The girl would have made an excellent scholar, had her responsibilities not lain elsewhere.
Revali jerked his head sideways, but Urbosa had noticed the gesture was rarely a straightforward answer. "I don't know whether the song as the Earth Sage knew it was passed down through the family," he admitted. "But a version of it certainly still exists-even children know the Earth God's Lyric-parents sing it at night to their fledglings to ward them from evil, and sometimes fledglings will sing it when trying to convince themselves that they're brave, usually when doing something they probably shouldn't."
"So you used to sing it a lot, then?" Urbosa teased, winking at Mipha. Revali glared at her, but Zelda interrupted before he could reply.
"Do you know it?" the Hylian gasped. "Could you sing it?"
Revali blinked. Looking away, he rolled his shoulders.
"I'm going to scout ahead," he said gruffly. A sudden breeze whipped through previously neat hair and tugged cloaks rudely as he took to the air.
Zelda frowned. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked uncertainly, looking toward Urbosa for reassurance.
The Gerudo shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't like singing," she offered. "Maybe he didn't appreciate me teasing him," she added, not wanting the Princess to feel guilty. It was easy enough to politely decline such a request. At least, it was easy if one was not their resident Rito Champion.
"Don't worry about it," Impa advised her. "By the time he gets back, I'm sure he'll have found someone else to be annoyed at."
Zelda's face fell. Her Sheikah assistant was not always as helpful as she meant to be. Urbosa shook her head.
"It'll blow over," she said. "He doesn't seem the type to hold a grudge." She nodded to Link. "Present company excluded, of course. I still haven't figured out what you did to make him dislike you so much."
Link didn't answer. Urbosa wondered briefly if that were the problem.
They continued walking, following the road. Nearly an hour passed with no sign of the Rito, but that was hardly unusual. Revali would be back sooner or later, pretending whatever had originally caused him to leave had never happened. Sometimes the Gerudo wondered what he would do if she started the conversation right back up as if he had never left, but figured that was just a bit too antagonistic. It also held more potential for trouble than she cared for.
Instinct made her look up; Revali was headed their way, a dark blue blur against the bright sky. The Gerudo frowned, something in the way the Rito moved did not look right, even from this distance.
"He's back," Impa said, looking up as well. "See, Princess, nothing to worry about."
Urbosa continued to watch as high in the sky Revali whirled, then began to dive: not his usual elegant, controlled dive that inevitably ended with him landing (albeit gracefully) too close beside someone for comfort, but something loose, wobbly, and alarming that looked as if he might actually crash into someone this time.
He drew up, spreading his wings, and lurched to one side. Dropping, he managed to tuck his shoulder in and roll, narrowly avoiding slamming into Mipha in the process.
Half sprawled and breathing hard, the Rito looked up at them with wild eyes for a moment before scrambling to his feet. "We need to get off the road."
"Why?" Urbosa asked, puzzled by his behavior. "What happened-"
"Now!" Revali snapped. Grabbing Mipha's wrist, he turned to dart into the trees that lined either side of the road.
Mipha stumbled, glancing over her shoulder at Link. The Hylian quickly stepped forward, trying to put himself between the two of them. Revali bristled.
"Enough!" Urbosa snapped, distracting the two. "Revali," she noticed he was holding his wing oddly, "What did you do to yourself this time?" she demanded.
The Rito let out a sigh. "There's a lynel headed this way!" he snapped. "Do you want to fight a lynel?"
Urbosa could see the fear in his eyes, but stopped to consider their group. The Princess and her assistant could help, if needed, but even without them she had a Goron Cheiftan, a Zora Princess, Zelda's personal bodyguard, and a Rito Warrior on her side. All of them were Champions of their respective races.
"Depends," she admitted. "What color is it?"
Revali closed his eyes in sheer exasperation. "It's yellow. With darker yellow stripes. And it's fast. And did I mention that it breathes fire and shoots lightning arrows?"
Urbosa couldn't remember hearing anything about yellow lynels before, but Revali was standing there, plainly frightened, and just as obviously unconcerned with who saw it. "So are you worried about the lynel or the lightning arrows?" she wanted to know.
She watched the Rito visibly resist the urge to bolt. "Did I forget to mention that it was coming this way?" he demanded. "We can discuss which parts I should have been paying better attention to all you want, so long as we do it somewhere else."
"You tried to fight, didn't you?" The Gerudo asked. Oddly colored or not, she was pretty sure they could take it.
"No," Revali snapped. "I flew in close enough to see what it was and got grazed by an arrow for my trouble. I nearly fell out of the sky."
"Maybe we should go," Zelda spoke up. The princess looked nervous.
The sound of hoofbeats ended any opportunity for further discussion. A loud roar split the air and they turned as one to face the creature.
"Gold," Impa stammered, staring. "That's a gold lynel. They're the most dangerous of all, but they're not supposed to be real. They're supposed to be-"
"Look out!" Revali slammed into the Sheikah, knocking her clear of a column of flame just in time. Urbosa was forced to scramble out of the way as another column spewed in her direction, fumbling for her scimitar as she did so.
Daruk's protection flared red as it kept Mipha and himself from being engulfed in a third fiery attack.
Urbosa lunged forward to strike. Making contact, she raised her free hand to the sky and snapped, summoning her lightning and using her body and sword to direct the current straight into the gold lynel.
Link dashed in as she backed away, but both could tell something was wrong. The lynel barely even flinched as the lightning coursed through its body. Turning, it swung at Link; the Hylian ducked out of the way just in time, retreating without ever landing a blow.
"Gold lynels are silver lynels that have been struck by lightning!" Impa shouted.
Urbosa wondered if the girl could have said as much before Link had nearly been murdered as Daruk rolled by, slamming into the lynel at full force.
It barely seemed to notice.
"Arrows! It's weak to arrows!" Impa shouted. The Shiekah looked terrified. She was clearly doing the best she could.
Urbosa half expected Revali to come charging in, bow drawn, tossing some sarcastic comment about saving them all again over his shoulder as he went, but then she realized he was still standing right next to the Sheikah, wings empty of any weapons, staring.
"Revali, get it together!" she snapped. "We need you."
The Rito shook his head. "I can't fly."
"What?" The Gerudo felt her heart stop. Just in time, she dodged out of the way of the lynel's sword.
"I took an arrow to the wing," Revali replied angrily. "You saw me land. You think that was just for fun?"
Link somehow narrowly avoided being decapitated. Daruk slammed ineffectively against the creature's shield.
"What about your bow?"
Revali rolled his shoulders and put an arrow to the string. He drew the arrow back carefully, releasing it with a sharp grunt of pain. The arrow flew wide, grazing the creature's arm, but not doing any real harm. Revali nearly dropped his bow.
He fumbled for another arrow.
I knew he was injured. Urbosa cursed herself mentally as she barely deflected an attack with her buckler. I saw how he was holding that wing. I saw how frightened he was too, when he didn't bat an eye fighting that hinox. And I ignored it.
The Rito Champion aimed, drew, and released. The arrow embedded itself deep in the lynel's left shoulder. He reached for another arrow as the creature stumbled and recovered.
Urbosa felt the heat of flames as they blew past her. She turned to late to call a warning as Revali struggled to draw another arrow.
This time Impa knocked him clear, the two landing hard. The Sheikah looked up just in time to lunge back in the direction they had just come from, dragging the Rito with her as another column of flame spurted their way. Revali somehow managed to pull them both clear of a third attempt.
Impa practically dragged Revali to his feet as he looked around almost frantically. It took them less than a second to see what he was looking for; at some point during their scuffle he had dropped his bow.
His quiver was gone as well.
Urbosa turned once more to face the gold lynel, cursing herself for being so easily distracted. We're nowhere near ready to face Calamity Ganon. The thought sank to her stomach and settled in an icy lump.
She and Link were forced back out of the reach of the lynel's sword. The monster roared again, and in one swift movement sheathed its sword and retrieved its own bow.
They were forced even further back as arrows rained down. Daruk barely managed to get his shield up around Mipha and himself as three lightning arrows flew toward them. They hit the barrier and dropped harmlessly to the ground, but it was a close thing.
Impa and Revali scattered. Urbosa had by now lost sight of the Princess. She could only hope Zelda was safe, somehow, in spite of their foolishness.
The lynel flinched, nearly falling; an arrow lay embedded deep in its chest. Link lunged, striking its left side. Urbosa followed suit on its right. Another arrow lodged itself in the creature's chest. It was followed by yet another as Link and Urbosa took advantage of the lynel's weakness.
A final lunge, and the creature shuddered and fell. Link and Urbosa jumped back, but the lynel did not move.
It was over.
Urbosa turned and saw Zelda standing between two trees, Revali's lost bow in one hand, an arrow in the other, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
The Princess looked around, blushed, and turned to Revali. "I-" she held out the bow. "I'm...sorry. I didn't know what else to do."
Revali stared at her. After a long moment he said, "Your stance is terrible. And your grip is deplorable. And your aim definitely needs work." His gaze dropped to his bow. "And the draw on that thing is way too heavy for you."
He took it and his quiver from her and slung them gingerly over his back.
Urbosa looked around. Mipha appeared completely unharmed, much to her relief. Daruk sported a few sooty streaks, but had overall escaped undamaged as well. Impa looked bruised and battered more than anything else.
Beside her, Link looked to be about in the same state she was, with some bruises and scratches but somehow still mostly whole. Mipha made short work of a gash in Link's shoulder and a cut on Urbosa's leg, healing both before either could offer protest.
"Revali said he took an arrow to the wing." Urbosa remembered as the Zora princess fussed over her leg. "And another one grazed his leg."
"I know." Mipha nodded. Smiling, she explained. "We've reached an agreement. As long as an injury is not immediately life threatening and he's not unconscious, he'll let me know about it and we'll take care of it as soon as we can do so without an audience."
Urbosa raised an eyebrow. "And if it is life-threatening?"
"If it's life threatening or he's about to pass out, he's supposed to let me know immediately so we can take care of it, no matter who's around." Mipha smiled again, this time wickedly. "He was more than happy to agree, you see. The alternative was that I call him out on every scratch, bruise, and bent feather no matter who was present."
Urbosa chuckled. "Well, it's nice to know he's letting you help him when he needs it."
Mipha nodded, sobering. "He doesn't like being seen as vulnerable. Or weak. Sometimes I feel like I'm tending a wild animal, and he'll bolt if I move too quickly or talk too loudly."
Urbosa frowned. "I've seen plenty of people that don't like to admit they're hurt," she told the Zora.
"As have I," Mipha agreed, "but this seems to go beyond that. Sometimes I think he's afraid of me..." she tailed off, shaking her head. "But that's silly, isn't it?"
Urbosa shrugged. "You would know better than I," she admitted. "I could offer a second opinion, but I think that might go against your part of the agreement."
"I'm afraid you would most certainly count as an audience," Mipha admitted ruefully. The Gerudo shrugged, unbothered.
Link, Urbosa, and Daruk dragged the creature off the main road and into the forest. It was heavy, smelly work, and by the time they were through they felt as if they had battled the lynel a second time. They returned to find that Impa had scouted ahead and found a place to camp for the night not too far from where they were.
The Sheikah led them to a clearing not too far from the road. Upon inspection, It seemed to be a frequent camping spot. A fire pit had been dug; passing travelers helped maintain it as well as the stack of firewood nearby. Felled logs were arranged at a safe distance around the fire pit as seating.
Daruk worked to start a fire while Impa and Zelda went looking for water, with guidance from Mipha. The Zora helped Link and Urbosa start unpacking and setting out bedrolls. When Revali wondered off, Mipha set aside what she had been doing and followed.
Camp set up, Link joined Daruk at the fire and started preparing dinner. Impa and Zelda returned with water and joined them. Urbosa stood and watched them, her mind not entirely at peace.
Sighing, the Gerudo Champion went off in search of the winged member of their group, figuring Mipha had probably already finished with him by now. She found him fairly quickly, stopping in the shadow of a tree as the Zora Princess's voice reached her as well.
"You said your leg and your wing," Mipha scolded lightly. "You said nothing about your back. And you certainly never mentioned any singed feathers."
Revali shifted uncomfortably but did not pull away. "I singed my feathers when we were fighting the thing," he explained. "We didn't quite manage to get out of the way of that third column in time." He hunched his shoulders. "And there's not really anything you can do for them. I'll just have to wait for new ones to grow in."
Mipha looked curious. "Oh? Do the Rito molt?"
Revali hunched down even further, looking away. "I don't want to talk about it."
"That's all right," Mipha turned her attention to his wing, "unlike fish, we Zora sometimes shed scales. It can take up to a month for new ones to grow in."
Revali rolled his shoulders. "I really don't want to talk about it."
Mipha leaned forward to study the Rito's face. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she told him. "It's all perfectly natural. Just part of life."
The Rito definitely looked as if he were considering making a break for it. "It's not something we talk about, and we generally avoid others while it's happening," he finally ground out. "Can we talk about anything else, please? I will sing the Earth God's Lyric here and now if that will get you to stop talking about this."
Mipha smiled and went back to examining his back. "What happens if you start while with us? You can't just disappear for a month until your new feathers finish growing in." Revali remained silent, staring determinedly at the ground, and the Zora relented. "You've got a lot of singed feathers and I'm not sure I can do anything about them. Do they hurt? Is it uncomfortable?"
"It doesn't hurt. It feels..." he trailed off, searching for the right word. "It's like when you've been on the road for a while, and can't really get completely clean, no matter how hard you try."
"So it's like an extra layer of road dust?" Mipha asked.
Revali nodded. "It's annoying, but not painful."
The Zora considered his answer. "Will it affect your flying?" she asked.
Revali rolled his shoulders. "Not really. Old or bent or damaged feathers don't respond the same way to the wind, but I deal with that all the time. It's not really noticeable by the time you been flying for a couple years. Or, you do notice it, but in the same way you notice the difference between walking on dirt and walking on grass. You don't trip just because you go from one to the other."
"That's something, at least," Mipha conceded. "Anything else I can do for you?" she asked, smiling.
The Rito shook his head. "Thank you," he said softly. Mipha's smile widened.
"It's no trouble at all," she said. "You're quite welcome."
She left, passing Urbosa without a word, though she did raise her eyebrows at the woman. Urbosa wondered if the Zora had known she was there the whole time.
"So, do the Gerudo not have a problem with spying on people, or are you rude in your culture too?" Revali's drawl made it clear he knew she was there.
"Don't your people have open houses?" she retorted, stepping out from her tree's shadow. She joined him on the fallen log Mipha had vacated. "No walls, anyone can see-and hear-everything?"
"We know when to mind our own business. We also know not to say anything private when strangers are around."
"I'm sorry I didn't listen earlier."
Revali blinked, at a loss for words since the first time she had met him. "What?"
"You tried to warn us, and I didn't listen." Urbosa explained. "Worse, I know you're not a coward, and I saw your reaction to that thing, and I completely ignored it. We could have been killed. Zelda could have been killed."
"Oh," Revali rolled his eyes. "I mean, you're an idiot for trying to take on a lynel, but what else is new?"
"I'm serious." Urbosa waited for him to meet her gaze. "We weren't ready to face a gold lynel. The fact that we survived-we were lucky. That's all."
Revali sighed. "The Princess knew how to use a bow. That's what saved us. Skill. Training. So we work harder. We train. We practice. We make sure that next time, we are ready." Something glinted in the Rito's eye. "And if another gold lynel shows up, you listen when I tell you we need to get out of there before it shows up and starts breathing fire."
Urbosa huffed, but recognized the jibe as a peace offering, of sorts. "Next time we'll be prepared," she agreed, trying to ignore the icy lump that had settled in her stomach.
Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda Universe, Breath of the Wild in particular, does not belong to me.
