Revali had risen and packed his gear by the time Urbosa awoke. While she suspected he was somewhere nearby-she doubted he would leave after declaring they couldn't just replace him once they got tired of him-she also suspected that he was staying intentionally out of sight, which meant that no matter how hard she tried, it was unlikely she would find him.

She and the others packed their own gear quietly, each of them occasionally looking around or even overhead for the Rito. He did not reappear by the time they were ready to go, and when Zelda looked around uncertainly, it was Daruk who spoke up.

"He knows what time we leave camp," the Goron said calmly. "He knows not to stray too far from the group. If he decides he wants to travel with us, he is, as always, more than welcome. If he needs his space, then we must respect that and give it to him."

The Gerudo spotted him overhead once they had gotten moving. She wondered if Daruk were right, and Revali simply needed some space, or if there were something else at play.

He disappeared again when they stopped for lunch during the hottest part of the day. The sun shone brightly overhead, and there really was not much in the way of cover. Urbosa wondered where, exactly, the Rito was hiding.

He reappeared once more when they started back on the road, though he remained aloft, and high enough in the sky that conversation was impossible. Idly the Gerudo wondered if he were getting tired, and exactly how long the Rito could stay up there.

"What's on your mind?" Daruk asked, his voice low. The others were walking a fair distance ahead of the two, offering them privacy. Urbosa sighed.

"I may have said something to upset him last night," she admitted, knowing full well why the Goron had sequestered her from the others. Daruk waited, and she looked away. "I didn't mean to. In fact, I never mean to! That feathered menace is more tightly wound than a molduga and twice as testy."

Again, the Goron waited. Daruk too was good at waiting when the situation called for it. "I made a joke at his expense and then it turned into-I don't even know. Apparently he thinks that as soon as we all get tired of having him around, we'll just up and replace him. As if we could just pick someone at random as the new Rito Champion. As if the Rito didn't insist that he was the best they had to offer. As if-" she shook her head. "I don't know why he thinks that, and I certainly don't know how to fix it."

Daruk looked thoughtful as they continued in silence. It was not an expression he often wore. Gorons were simple folk at heart. Not stupid, certainly, but not particularly deep. Urbosa was touched and maybe more than a bit relieved to see him taking this so seriously.

It was also nice to have someone else worry about the Rito for a change.

"I'll talk to him," Daruk finally said, and just like that, Urbosa no longer felt relieved to have him involved.

"I don't think-"

"Trust me," the Goron laid a massive, rocky hand gently on her shoulder.

She supposed it couldn't get much worse than it already was.


Daruk found Revali just as the Rito finished stringing up his hammock.

"Bit far from the rest of the camp," the Goron observed. "What if something happens?"

"Not gonna be much help to them in the dark," the Rito drawled.

"I meant, what if something happens to you?"

Revali looked away.

"Urbosa said you think we're gonna get rid of you." Daruk was not the sort to beat around the bush. "That as soon as we get tired of you, we'll find someone else. That true?"

"Isn't it, though?" Revali continued to study the sky.

"No."

"No?" Revali scowled, turning to face his fellow Champion.

"No." the Goron met the Rito's gaze evenly, his eyes strangely unreadable. Revali broke eye contact first.

"Why not?" he demanded. "It's not as if any of you actually want me around."

"Do you want to be around us?" Daruk asked instead of answering. The Rito stared at him, bewildered.

"What?"

"Do you want to be around us?" the Goron repeated patiently. "Do you like us?"

Revali did not have an answer.

"You don't like Link. Are you tired of him yet? Are you going to make him leave?" Daruk waited, but Revali still did not reply. "I suppose the Princess could go back on her decision to make you a Champion," the Goron continued thoughtfully. "Of course, you did save her from falling off a cliff. And help her bake a cake. And you've been teaching her archery. And have probably told her that story about the Rito Sage at least a hundred times. And you sang that song for her..." he trailed off, then grinned at the Rito. "I'm pretty sure that Princess Zelda, at least, has taken a liking to you. She's not going to kick you out of the group just because you don't always get along well with others."

Daruk grew serious. "Nobody's going to get rid of you. No one's even thinking it. You're one of us."

Revali's shoulders hunched and he continued to look away. The Goron looked him over and came to a decision.

"Come here." He turned the Rito carefully but firmly to face him. Revali could no sooner have resisted the action than Daruk could fly. "Face me. Head up. Shoulders back. Chest out."

Revali's eyes narrowed, annoyance barely masking outright confusion as Daruk looked him over. Nodding in satisfaction, the Goron spoke, his voice solemn.

"Revali, Rito Warrior and Champion, you have shown yourself to be brave, strong, and loyal, as every Goron should strive to be. You have proven yourself a friend to me, Daruk, Chieftan of the Goron people as well as their Champion. More than that, your actions have been those of not just a friend, but a brother. Today you are no longer Rito, separate and strange. Today you are Revali, member of the Goron and brother to their Cheiftan." He fell silent for a moment, his gaze boring into the Rito. When he continued, his voice rang oddly in the otherwise still air.

"Welcome, Brother Goron!"

Daruk stepped forward and pulled the shocked Rito into the lightest, most deliberate embrace of his life, careful not to break any bones, bruise any skin, or bend any feathers. When he released Revali, he waited for his highly unnerved brother to meet his eyes.

"This cannot be undone," Daruk told him. "Once a Goron, always a Goron. Until death, and even after."

Revali blinked and drew a long breath. "Okay, then."

Daruk grinned and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. The Rito still winced, but did not pull away.


Urbosa swore as Revali landed far too close beside her with perfect accuracy. Whatever Daruk had done the night before must have had at least some effect if the Rito was no longer ignoring her. "I've been adopted into the Goron race," he grumbled. "Daruk wants to have an official ceremony once all this is over. Do you know how hot it is on Death Mountain?" The Rito scowled at her. "This is your fault, so if you even think about skipping out-"

Urbosa laughed. "I don't mind the heat," she told him. "I'll be there. I'll even dance in support of your official adoption, if that's what you want."

The Rito shuddered. "Please don't."

"You know we aren't going to ditch you just because sometimes you get on our nerves, right?" The Gerudo asked, suddenly serious. Revali tensed.

"Sure," he said, but Urbosa was not entirely convinced. She had said her piece, however. Anything more might do more harm than good. She would just have to wait for him to believe her, or not.

"So who else is invited? Zelda? She would find the whole thing absolutely fascinating. You might even get a break while she questions all the Goron elders about anything and everything she can think of concerning Goron culture."

Revali snorted. It was weak, and a bit forced, but it was something. "She could be asking Daruk right now. He is a Goron, after all."

"But Daruk hasn't captured her attention with his enchanting storytelling," Urbosa pointed out. "You need to be less interesting when you open up about your culture."

"I can't help it. That's how we were taught to relate our history," Revali grumbled. "Anything less would be an insult to my people."

"Well, then, you're just going to have to grin and bear it until she finds something else to distract her," Urbosa told him.


Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda Universe, Breath of the Wild in particular, does not belong to me.