ATE: I know it's been awhile since I last updated this story, and I'll admit that progress was slow at first...until a certain game was recently announced back in September! Because of that I worked really hard to get this chapter finished before Hyrule Warrior: Age of Calamity releases, and knowing me I'd be too busy playing the new game to update anytime soon.
So here's some Zelda (TFSIR) to tide you over for Zelda (AOC) while we wait for more Zelda (BOTW 2).
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Zelda related. Just my OCs.
~*~Chapter 11~*~
The flight back to Rito Village was quiet, but it was the sort of quiet that was comfortable and didn't require an exchange of words between the two. As Revali got closer to the landing Evangeline spotted two figures rounding the corner from the upper levels of the village; one of them must've spotted their oncoming approach as they came rushing over, and it wasn't long before she realized that the person was none other than the female Hylian—the princess, as she now realized—when Revali finally landed (and also allowing Evangeline to climb off his back).
"It's good to see you again, Revali." The princess said, her lips forming into a soft smile that made her look lovely. "How are things with Vah Medoh?"
"All is well with the Divine Beast. As you can see, I've just recently returned from there."
"Good."
Evangeline politely stayed quiet as the princess talked with the Rito Champion about Vah Medoh; as she observed the discussion between the two, she couldn't help but think of how pretty the female Hylian was. Maybe not exactly pretty as in drop dead gorgeous or sexy, but more along the lines of being considered pure and elegant while still being cute. In a way, the blonde female reminded her of the silent princess flower.
"And who might this be?" The princess suddenly asked, a curious expression gracing her face when she noticed her presence.
"This is Evangeline. She…"
At this Revali paused before turning to where she stood beside him. Evangeline was confused at first, but then she noticed the look on the Rito's face, as if silently asking her for something. It didn't take her long to realize that it was her permission he was requesting—specifically to tell the princess what she was. She was touched by the sentiment, being more than aware that he could've easily revealed the information regardless of her wishes.
With this in mind, she nodded in response.
"As I was saying, Evangeline here is a Human." Revali finished.
"A Human?!" In the blink of an eye she found the female Hylian in front of her, but what surprised her was the excited look shining in her green blue eyes. "Are you truly a Human? Are your ears actually round?"
Before Evangeline could respond the princess suddenly used a gloved hand to brush some of her dark hair away in order to get a look at her very round ears. She became flustered by the amount of attention she was getting from the blonde and took a slight step back. This didn't go unnoticed by the princess as she realized what she was doing and withdrew her hand.
"My apologizes! I didn't realize how forward I was being due to my excitement." The female Hylian told her with a sheepish look. "I also realize I haven't introduced myself. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."
Zelda, huh? Evangeline wasn't expecting to hear a name she was familiar with. Sure, it wasn't the most common name back on Earth, but it was still a name that was certainly used by a few people. And looking at the female Hylian, she couldn't help thinking that the name suited the princess well.
"It's nice to meet you, Princess Zelda." She greeted with a smile.
"Please, refer to me as Zelda." Zelda insisted. Link made his way over to join them, which brought him to the princess's attention. "Also accompanying me is Link."
"Believe it or not, I actually met Link earlier today."
"Is that so?" The princess turned to face Link. "And you chose not to inform me of this?"
Link simply shrugged in response, and Evangeline had to resist the urge to laugh at the slightly annoyed look on Zelda's face.
"Be that as it may, I still have plenty of questions to ask you, Evangeline. Such as how you can be here when Humans have been extinct for such a long time."
Evangeline couldn't help the uneasiness she felt at the sudden topic, seeing as Revali was the only one privy to her true origin. Speaking about Revali, the Rito Champion cleared his throat before speaking.
"Perhaps it'd be best for us to have this conversation away from prying eyes." The Rito suggested.
Zelda chose not to question Revali's decision, which was something that surprised Evangeline. If it were her, she knew she would've questioned the Rito's decision regardless of this situation or any other scenario. She found herself admiring the level of maturity the Princess of Hyrule was demonstrating, especially as she didn't appear to be much older than Link himself.
'Though the maturity is probably due to her upbringing.' Evangeline considered.
"Very well, Revali. I presume you already have a place in mind."
Evangeline followed Revali as he led the two Hylians back to his place. As soon as they were all inside, she was about to seat herself on the carpet along with Zelda and Link when she saw the Rito closing the wooden shutters. It didn't take her long to realize why he was doing that and quickly assisted him in closing the remaining shutters, along with allowing the curtain to cover the doorway before the two joined the others. She didn't fail to notice how Revali kept as much distance as he could from Link as he settled beside her.
"You already know that I'm a Human, but what you don't know is that I'm not originally from Hyrule." Evangeline began.
"If you're not from Hyrule, then what land to you hail from?" Zelda asked.
"I don't come from any land or country outside of Hyrule. I come from a different world called Earth."
"Earth?"
Evangeline ended up explaining her story of how she woke up in the Gerudo Highlands in nothing but a hospital gown, followed by how Revali found her and took her under his wing (pun not intended). She told the princess how she'd tried to find a way home when she discovered the nature of her predicament, along with how she planned things until the Rito Champion's departure from the village gave her the opportunity to travel to the nearby Great Fairy Fountain (which made her feel a certain level of guilt as she practically admitted to taking advantage of Revali's trust). She also recounted how the Great Fairy Kaysa was unable to send her home, and lastly the aftermath of the visit where Revali had found her, though she made sure to leave out any details that would made the Rito look bad such as how she managed to punch him.
"To be fair, I would've done the same thing." Revali commented, as if trying to soften the blow of her words.
She was surprised by the Rito's words, knowing that he could've easily thrown her under the bus if he wanted to. It invoked the same feeling she had not that long ago, back at the landing since their return to the Rito Village. Evangeline glanced over at Zelda, who had been quiet during her story; Link was no different, but then again his face was schooled into a blank expression that didn't betray his thoughts. Eventually, the princess spoke.
"I see you've been through a lot." Zelda told her. "And with your story being what it is, I offer my condolences."
"Thank you, Zelda." Evangeline smiled. "I admit coming to terms with my situation hasn't been easy, but I like to think I'm adjusting well enough."
The princess then turned to face Revali, who was seated next to the dark haired girl.
"Have you told her of the looming threat Hyrule faces?"
"I've recently told her about it." Revali replied.
'And yet you would've kept it a secret if I hadn't hounded you with questions earlier.' She thought.
"Good. That would save us some time when it comes to explaining things." Zelda then turned to her. "Would you mind if I took a picture of you?"
This caught her attention.
"A picture? Don't you mean 'sketch' or 'drawing'?" Evangeline couldn't help asking.
"No, I meant picture. Let me show you."
Evangeline watched as Zelda pulled out a brown color slab of sorts, roughly the size of a book. On the back of it was a familiar eye shaped symbol—in fact, it was the same eye symbol (and coloration) she'd seen on one of the terminals back on Vah Medoh, though only a small portion of the bottom of the orange ring was present due to the slab's size. Something was familiar in the way the princess lifted the slab and aimed it in her direction and she was about to ask what she was—!
Snap!
Hazel eyes widened when the familiar sound reached her ears!
No!
No way!
"There!" Zelda said, lowering the slab to look down at it before glancing up at her. "Would you like to see?"
Evangeline didn't have to think twice as she scooted over to where the blonde girl sat to get a look at the slab. Though she had a suspicion of what the object truly was, nothing could've prepared her for what she saw! She found herself staring at a lit screen that showed a picture (a picture!) of her looking directly into the lens of the camera (thankfully she hadn't made a funny face when the picture was taken) from her spot beside Revali (who appeared to be watching her reaction at the time). It was shocking how she found herself looking down on something so modern, regardless of how the technology itself was both familiar and foreign.
"A tablet!" The dark haired girl exclaimed. "And a camera feature too!"
Zelda's head whipped in Evangeline's direction, her blue green eyes lighting up.
"You're familiar with Sheikah technology?!"
"Maybe not this technology exactly, but this sort of device looks to be very similar to a tablet or iPad—which happen to be things commonly found back in my world. I'd easily go as far as saying that this is practically classified as a smart device!"
If Evangeline thought Zelda wasn't excited earlier, she was downright the epitome of a child in a candy store. Before she knew it, she found herself talking excitedly with the Hylian princess about Sheikah technology and the similarities between it and modern technology from her world. The princess showed her pictures of the Guardians she'd taken with the Sheikah Slate (the device she'd been referring to as a 'slab' up until now) as she explained what she knew about them, as well as pictures of the other Divine Beasts the other Champions had the honor of piloting. In turn, Evangeline explain some of the more commonplace technology from Earth as best as she could, even going so far as making sketches to provide visual aid for Zelda; suffice to say the blonde girl was fascinated by the concept of cars ("a mechanical carriage without horses and fueled by oil") and airplanes (the best comparison she could provide being Vah Medoh outside of the sketches she could make). Even with the accurate sketches she'd made, the dark haired girl explained that they weren't perfect representations, that she wasn't an expert that could go into further detail on the inner workings of modern technology.
Evangeline was careful when it came to explaining computers, even going as far as to avoid
mentioning any concepts like the internet and Wi-Fi; something like that would be considered ahead of its time and she didn't think Hyrule was ready for something so complex. Even then Zelda hung on to every word of her explanations, absorbing the new information like a sponge.
Both females were so engaged in their conversation that they lost track of the time, and it wasn't until Revali informed the two that it was already evening that they had to end things.
"Goodness, I didn't realize how late it has gotten!" Zelda exclaimed. "I apologize for overstaying my welcome."
"No need to apologize, Your Highness. In all honesty, even I found the discussion of Earth's technology interesting." Revali said.
"Well, then. Link and I should probably turn in for the night." The princess then turned to the dark haired girl, offering her a smile. "It was good to meet you, Evangeline. Though I didn't get to ask all the questions I wanted to, I hope to continue our conversation at some point in the near future. Perhaps we may discuss Human culture, or at least how things are done back on Earth."
"I would like that." Evangeline agreed. "It's nice to know there's another person I can trust with where I'm really from."
Having bit the two Hylians farewell, Evangeline and Revali headed back inside, with the Rito Champion setting about preparing dinner for the two of them. Things were silent between them as she went over to her drawer to pull out pouch of money she'd gotten from Kali earlier that day, all the while thinking back on the events that transpired not that long ago. As she thought back on it, she started to feel a bit of guilt as she realized she'd monopolized the majority of the time together discussing technology with Zelda—even though Revali was supposed to speak with the princess.
Wow, didn't she feel like an ass.
"Revali?" She started, catching the Rito's attention as his green gaze met hers. "I'm sorry for monopolizing the conversation with Zelda earlier. I realized you probably wanted to talk about more important things that didn't involve technology."
"And you feel you might've slighted me because of that?" Revali asked, coming to some sort of conclusion.
"Well…" She shrugged, not knowing what else to add.
"If you're worried over something like that, then stop." The Rito focused his attention back to the food he was now placing in the cooking pot. "I have no reason to be mad over a topic that brings both you and the princess some joy, regardless of how brief or small it might be."
Evangeline's expression fell, realizing what he truly meant as she joined him by the fire.
"Because of Calamity Ganon's return."
Revali nodded solemnly.
"Indeed. With the way things are, it's important to remember what we're fighting for."
She turned her gaze to the fire, staring into the dancing embers as its glow lit the room. Now aware of the true nature of Calamity Ganon, she started to understand that Revali hiding to truth had been a mercy he'd tried to give her. Despite all this, she found she didn't regret her decision of wanting to know the truth.
Wanting to take her mind off the current topic, Evangeline pushed the pouch of money in front of her. Excited to see what she made, she undid the string keeping the pouch closed before opening it, only for her excitement to be replaced with confusion.
She had expected to see coins.
What she didn't expect was to see colorful gems that gleamed in the warm light of the fire.
"Revali, what am I looking at?" Evangeline asked.
She watched as the Rito turned away from the food simmering in the cooking pot, and once he saw what she was referring resulted in a knowing look forming on his face.
"Those are rupees." He told her. "Judging by your reaction, your world uses a different form of currency."
"Yes, but there's more than one form. Without going into too much detail, Earth used to use coins made of gold and silver, but the world more or less moved away from that system and uses paper money with the occasional coin. Where I lived in, our paper currency was known as dollars, and it takes 100 cents—or coins—to add up to a dollar. I know that I said cents are coins, but there are a few types: pennies are worth 1, nickels are worth 5, dimes are worth 10, and a quarter is worth 25."
"So you use paper and coins as currency, but not rupees?"
"In a country known as India they use rupees, but they look nothing like these colorful little gems. How exactly does this work?"
Revali reached a wing into the pouch, pulling out one of each colored rupee available (which was six different colors). He laid the gems on the floor in front of her before he spoke, pointing to each color as he did.
"The green rupee has a value of 1, like the pennies you told me about. Blue is similar to your nickels and are worth 5. Red is worth 20 and purple is worth 50. Silver and gold are a little rarer to come across, but they are worth 100 and 300 respectfully. Unlike your currency, it doesn't take 100 rupees to make up a dollar; but as I understand it, if a green rupee were to be cut into four parts, it's work the same way as your quarters do in order to make a dollar."
She was surprised at how easily he applied the concept of US currency to explain how Hyrule's rupees worked. That, and it made her wondered how close he was paying attention to her words during their conversations. And just how long has this been going on?
"Now, this would be the perfect opportunity to count up how much you've earned." Revali told her, placing a sheet of paper between them and handing her the quill she'd used earlier. "And you can also practice your Hylian as well."
Taking the quill from Revali's wing, Evangeline started writing down the details of what she learned of the rupee system, listing the color and value of said color in Hylian (grateful that her handwriting had improved with the language from when she first start taking lessons from Elder Chie). After getting the paper ready, she started separating the rupees before counting and recording the total number of colored gems in each group. By the time she was finished, she looked over the paper and the numbers she had added up to find that she'd made—
"8,750 rupees!" She exclaimed. "That's a lot, right?"
"It's certainly not something to dismiss, given that you managed to earn that much over 15 days."
"You remembered."
"How could I forget when you've been bringing home blankets since you first started! Just how many blankets do you possibly need this winter?"
"You can never have too many blankets! Besides, I'm not a big fan of being cold, regardless of the time of year."
Soon enough dinner was ready and both Evangeline and Revali ate in comfortable silence. During that time, she couldn't help thinking over the Rito Champion's words or the implication of how Hyrule was gradually getting more dangerous (probably with each passing day, she assumed). True, she was still getting used to the fact she was now a permanent resident of Hyrule, yet she knew it'd be naïve to believe everything was sunshine and rainbows.
Evangeline knew she couldn't rely on Revali forever, and if she was going to live in Hyrule she would need to learn how to take care of herself. She already knew she could earn an income making blankets, but what if she had to leave Rito Village for something? Last time she left the village, she hadn't encountered any monsters—actually, there was that stone giant thing she ran away from, so maybe that counted. Besides that stone giant thing, she encountered wolves that would've eaten her if she hadn't abandon to sack of food she'd been carrying at the time.
Maybe she could learn to use a weapon. But the question was which one? She didn't exactly have the best upper body strength, so as cool as it'd be to use a sword it was unlikely she was strong enough to wield one. She could learn to use a bow—!
She paused for a moment as she realized her current line of thought.
Use a bow!
Not only was a bow considered a weapon, but it also doubled as a hunting tool as well. And seeing as Revali was the most skilled archer of his race, who better to learn from than the Rito Champion himself?
"Hey, Revali?" She asked, turning to face the Rito currently taking a sip of water. "Could you teach me how to use a bow?"
Evangeline watched with wide eyes as Revali suddenly choked on the water he was drinking, likely as surprised by her questions as she was at his reaction to it. She was about to ask if he was okay, but the Rito managed to recover before his head shot in her direction.
"What—" He choked out (pun not intended), but had to clear his throat before trying again. "You want me to teach you how to wield a bow?"
"Well, yes."
"And why, pray tell, would you want to learn that?"
"From everything I've learned today, it's apparent things are starting to get a little more dangerous in this world. I'm aware that I can't always rely on you for everything, especially if something happens to you."
"There's no need to worry! Nothing is going to happen to me!" Revali laughed, waving a wing dismissively.
Evangeline frowned at this. She knew Revali was confident in his ability (and for good reason), but it was foolish of him to believe himself invincible. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Even so, I want to be able to defend myself if I ever find myself in a trouble. If I'm going to live here, it's imperative that I become self-reliant."
Revali was quiet as he regarded her. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but she began to worry that he'd turn down her request and looked away from the Rito to stare into the fire instead. So what if he didn't want to teach her? She could probably find someone else in Rito Village to teach her.
'But it wouldn't be the same.' She told herself.
If Evangeline were to ask another Rito to teach her, she wouldn't have the same connection with them as she did with Revali, nor would she be able to talk to them about anything concerning Earth. It just wouldn't work.
"I will teach you how to wield a bow."
Her head whipped around to face Revali, her eyes widening in surprise by his sudden words. She was about to thank him, but he cut her off.
"However, I will warn you now that I won't go easy on you." He told her.
"What if I don't want you to go easy on me? No pain, no gain, as they say."
"I also expect you to wake up early every morning we train."
"And I'd expect nothing less! After all, I'd be learning from the best."
Appealing to Revali's pride seemed to do the trick as she saw a smirk form on his beak.
"Seeing as you agree to my terms, I will begin instructing you in the art of archer starting tomorrow morning."
"Great!" She couldn't help but smiling. "So, do I need to pay you or anything? Just how much—!"
"I don't want your money." Revali interrupted. "I do this as a favor to you."
"That implies I'll owe you at some point in the future, so what kind of favor are talking?"
"Whatever kind I decide on when the time comes, but I assure you it will be within reason. Now, due to the nature of how early we'll be waking up, I'd suggest you get some rest."
Evangeline couldn't help but laugh at Revali's insistence on her going to bed.
"Okay, fine. I'll go to bed." She said, making her way over to her hammock.
As soon as she was next to her hammock, she carefully took off her boots, gloves, and scarf before climbing in and getting settled underneath her blanket for warmth. Soon enough she drifted off to sleep.
%%%%%%%%%%
"Wake up."
Hazel eyes slowly opened as Evangeline awoke from her sleep, rubbing the sleep out of them as she sat up in her hammock. Glancing to her left revealed Revali standing beside her hammock with an expectant look, and at first she wondered why he was waking her up; thankfully it didn't take her long to realize why and quickly left the comfort of her blankets to climb out of her hammock. Despite how tired she felt, Evangeline managed to get her boots, gloves, and scarf on in what felt like record-breaking time (though that may or may not be an exaggeration).
Once she was ready, Evangeline followed Revali outside, and upon taking her first steps outside the hut she discovered the sky was still dark, indicating just how early she'd been woken up.
"What time is it?" She couldn't help but ask.
"It is passed 3 in the morning." Revali answered simply.
3. In. The. Morning?
He woke her up at 3 am, at an almost ungodly time where normally the average person would still be sleeping comfortably in their beds?
How was Revali even functioning with little sleep?
"How can you know what time it is?"
Out of all the questions she could've asked, that was the most pressing one she had? She'd physically facepalm if it weren't for the fact she'd looked weird to the Rito Champion.
"By looking at the position of the moon or sun, of course." He looked over his shoulder at her. "What, was that something not widely taught back on Earth, or did you happen to miss that particular lesson?"
"I know how to tell time, it's just-!" Evangeline stopped herself, realizing how loud she was being and lowered her voice. "We used to tell time using that method, but that's something we haven't used for a very long time. If I remember correctly, we made sundials that were set up in such a way that we could tell time by the position of the shadow it cast, but those are rarely used as well. What we do use are mechanical devices called clocks, which are created with two arms—a big and small arm—and a needle that move around a round face that shows numbers. The big arm measures the hour, the small arm the minutes, and the needle continuously moves around the clock to represent the seconds that pass."
Revali suddenly stopped—causing Evangeline to quickly stop herself from running into his back—before he whipped around to face her with an expression she couldn't discern. If anything, it was almost as if he couldn't decide what to think about her explanation, but it wasn't long before he managed to school his expression into something more neutral.
"Sometimes I forget your world is more advanced than Hyrule. Even then, certain objects from Earth seem so outlandish when you describe them." He finally said.
She couldn't help but laugh at this, though she did her best to keep her voice down.
"If it help, I'll be more than willing to draw a picture of what a clock looks like. I get the feeling my description might've made you image some kind of monstrosity."
It didn't take the two long to arrive at their destination, which turned out to be the landing. Climbing onto Revali's back (when prompted), Evangeline made sure to hold on (while being careful of the bow strapped to his back) before the Rito launched himself into the air with the aid of his Gale. The early morning air was cold as the wind whipped her dark hair around and as Revali made his way towards the direction of the Flight Range, but once again her Snowquill armor once again proved how effective it was in the colder climates.
In the distance Evangeline noticed how in the sky was starting to gradually brighten as the world welcomed the rising sun, and it made her wonder how long they've been flying. Even though she didn't enjoy having to wake up so early, she couldn't deny how beautiful Hyrule was as the coming dawn bathed the land in light. That, and she started to feel a sensation that she couldn't seem to place the longer she gazed at the horizon.
Eventually the temperature started to drop as the air became sharp and thick with snowfall the closer the two got to the Hebra Mountains, and it didn't take long before Revali landed on the wooden platform of the Flight Range. Evangeline slid off the Rito Champion's, allowing him to head inside the hut to do his own thing while she looked over the targets set up around the area. She also noticed the updrafts coming from below and realized how they were the same as the ones she encountered back on Vah Medoh.
'I was able to ride the wind back on Vah Medoh.' She mused. 'Does that also mean I'll be able to do the same here?'
"Here."
A winged arm held a bow out to her and she couldn't help but admire the craftmanship. The bow looked similar to the one Revali used, though its appearance was less elegant in comparison, seeing as the bow she held was mainly gray as opposed to the shade of purple that the Rito's bow possessed. While Revali's bow had the blue cloth tied to it, the one given to her had two small feathers tied at the end of one of the weird stick things that extended away from the handle. The fingers of Evangeline's right hand wrapped around the handle as she took it from Revali.
However, nothing could've prepared her for how surprisingly heavy the bow itself was and she let out a yelp as the arm holding it was pulled down underneath its weight.
It had to be at least 5 pounds!
"I'm guessing you've never held a bow before." Revali noted.
"And you're guess would be right!" She said. "To be honest I was expecting it to be a little lighter than what it is."
"Originally I was planning on having you use a Swallow Bow since Rito children use those when they start training, but I believe you're capable of handling a Falcon Bow instead. Now then, what do you know about bows?"
"Aside from watching other people use them? Nothing."
Revali seemed to click his tongue in disappointment, but ended up continuing regardless by going over the anatomy of the bow she held. It turned out that the weird stick thing that had the feathers tied to it was called a stabilizer (to help with balancing the weight of the bow) while the other (shorter) one was the sight used to help with aiming. He made sure she had a familiarity with the structure of the bow until he was satisfied.
"If memory serves me correctly, you're dominantly right-handed?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"I am." She confirmed. "But what does that have to do with using a bow?"
"Everything. Which hand or wing is dominant determines how someone handles a bow. For instance…" Revali took this time to pull out his own bow, even pulling the bowstring back to demonstrate how he held it. "I am dominantly left-winged, and as such I would hold the bow in my right wing. This allows me to use my left wing to notch an arrow and also guide the direction of the bow while aiming. Since you are right-handed, you would hold your bow in your left hand and draw an arrow with your right hand."
"And what's to stop me from using my other hand?"
"Nothing." Revali lowered his bow, his green eyes seeming to bright as he smiled. "In fact, go ahead and see what happens."
Not one to back down, Evangeline held her bow in her right hand, lifting it up before experimentally drawing back on the bowstring (albeit with a minor amount of difficulty). Upon doing so, she noticed that something felt…off. She turned to glance over at Revali to say something, but the knowing look on his face revealed he was more than aware of the conclusion she came to and was just waiting patiently for her to admit defeat.
And that was what she did as her allowed her shoulders to sag.
"It feels awkward…" She admitted.
"Which is exactly why your dominant hand or wing determines how you handle a bow. Try again, but this time wield it in your right hand."
Evangeline did as instructed and switched her bow to her left hand, lifting it up and slowly pulling the bowstring. Right away she noticed a significant difference compared to how she handled the bow earlier, along with how it felt more natural.
"Now that you are aware of the importance of which hand to hold your bow with, we move on to the next step." Revali stated.
"What would that be?" She asked.
"Stance." The Rito Champion approached her and stopped beside her before drawing his bow as he had earlier, but this time posing as if he were aiming an imaginary arrow at one of the many targets set up. "I want you to mirror my pose as close as possible."
Raising her bow and pulling the bowstring, Evangeline did her best to copy Revali's pose. As she did so, she couldn't help the confusion she felt and wondered why he was having her do this but reminded herself that the Rito knew what he was doing and to take his word for it.
"I see you have a basic idea from mirroring my pose. However, your form is in need of improvement."
Improvement?
What was she doing wrong?
Before Evangeline could voice her thoughts Revali was already closing the distance between them and she soon found her back lightly pressing against his chest as he stood behind her. Heat flooded her face at the awkwardness she felt from the position she was currently in and mentally berated herself. Why was she feeling awkward when this situation wasn't that much different than the many times she'd flown on the Rito's back?
What change?!
"Your footing is off." Revali suddenly said, and Evangeline let out a startled yelp when one of his talons nudged her feet apart into a different position until he was satisfied. "Placement is vital as it serves as your foundation, which will affect your balance and center of gravity. Since a solid foundation ensures your stability, you need to separate your feet as such."
"Okay…" She quietly said.
But it didn't end then as Revali placed a wing on her left elbow in order to rotate it a bit.
"Your elbow on your bow arm is set incorrectly and shouldn't be pointed at an angle. Firing with your elbow like that will result in injury and your arrows will veer to the side of your target. Rotate your elbow outwards while drawing. Proper elbow rotation will help your upper body align and result in a stronger shot." He pulled his wing away from her elbow and placed it on her shoulder and pressed down on it slightly. "Lower your shoulder and extend it forward so that your bow arm doesn't collapse from the lack of stability."
The Rito then used a wing to carefully maneuver her left hand that held the bowstring, encouraging her to relax so that she wasn't pulling the bowstring much as she had been.
"Your pulling the bowstring too far back, which results in your exerting more effort in drawing. It's important to pick a spot on your face, such as the corner of your mouth or below your chin, to serve as a reference for your anchor point. Having a consistent anchor point will prevent your draw hand from changing spots each time you shot, and failure to do so will send your arrow flying in a direction you don't want it to go. This will be something I'll guide you through when the time comes, but for now your anchor point will be set to the corner of your mouth. Also, your draw hand is hooking the bowstring with too much tension. Relax your grasp slightly. Incorrect hooking can cause you to miss the target entirely or develop blisters on your fingers."
Satisfied with the changes he made to her stance, Revali pulled himself away from Evangeline and she let out a sigh of relief. Though what she didn't expect was for him to circle around so that he was in her line of sight.
"Now that you're aware of how your stance should be, your upper body strength could use some work before we make any other progress."
"I'm guessing that working on my upper body strength will help with stability and stamina?" Evangeline asked.
"Precisely." Revali confirmed. "For now, I want you to practice drawing back on the bowstring, not just to build up strength, but to help you familiarize yourself with how your stance should feel."
"And how long should I do this for?"
"For now, I'll have you do this exercise 20 times."
'Okay, I can do that.' She thought and pulled back on the bowstring until she stopped at the corner of her mouth. 'I think…'
Evangeline still struggled a bit when it came to the repeated process of pulling and loosening the bowstring, and the longer she did it the more the muscles in her arms started to feel that building soreness that came from exercising. At some point she'd lost count after 10 and had no clue how many more she needed to complete before she was done.
"Stop!"
She let out a sigh of relief (why did she get the feeling this was going to be a reoccurring from now on?) as Revali came up to take her bow away, and her arms were more than happy at the lack of weight.
"That'll be enough for now." The Rito told her. "This would be a good chance for you to rest a bit and eat something before we continue."
A break!
Wordlessly, Evangeline followed Revali into the shelter of the hut and the smell of cooking food drifted through the air as she joined the Rito seated on the wooden floor. Though she wasn't cold, the warmth of the fire was more than welcomed when compared to how the temperature was outside. The two shared a meal in relative silent, though every now and then they'd make small talk where nothing in particular was really discussed.
That was until Revali asked something that caught her attention.
"You mentioned the importance of being self-reliant when you were convincing me to teach you archer. Why is that?"
Evangeline was quiet, gazing down at the empty bowl sitting in her lap as she thought of what to say while the Rito waiting patiently for her response. Though the question seemed innocent enough, it wasn't exactly one she felt comfortable discussing something that personal due to how her life had been back on Earth.
"That isn't an easy question for me to answer." She started.
The face of a woman came to mind, one that was older and closely resembled herself as she thought back on her past. Memories of canvases covered in colorful paint and a small hand holding a paintbrush while under the guidance of the older woman, whose presence was warm and vibrant. She could faintly recall the smell of violets she always associated with the woman.
She had barely grasped that memory before it was quickly replaced with that of chemicals and the image of the woman showed up once more, however it was painful to look at her in her current state. Once she'd been vibrant and full of life, but the weak and gaunt woman before her was a shadow of her former.
Though it had been years ago, she could vividly remember the woman's silent suffering, along with her resigned expression when her hair had started falling out…
"Let's just say that something happened in the past that caused me to develop a level of independence. You probably don't find that answer satisfactory, but it's the best one I can give you for now."
"You're right. I don't." He agreed.
Evangeline lifted her gave from her bowl so she could face Revali.
"It's not that I don't trust you or anything—believe me, I do! It's just…I'm not exactly ready to discuss this topic at this point in time." She said in reassurance. "But someday I'll tell you the full story when I am."
Revali was silent and she could only imagine what was going through his head. Eventually, he let out a sigh.
"Fair enough."
Placing her bowl on the floor, Evangeline stood up as she glanced outside where all the targets were set up, but her attention wasn't on the targets themselves and instead were focused on the updrafts coming from below. Though it might've seemed like an excuse to change the subject, she felt that she needed to tell Revali about her newfound ability to ride the wind.
"Revali." She started, turning around to face the Rito Champion. "Back on Vah Medoh you asked how I managed to get to the spot where you were napping."
"And you told me you somehow managed to climb up smooth stone." He pointed out.
"I did." Evangeline walked outside onto the platform overlooking the target range, and she could hear the sound of talons against wooden floors as he followed her outside. "But that wasn't the truth."
"I thought as much. Yet I fail to see where you're going with this."
Revali maneuvered himself around her so that he stood in front of her, though he wasn't blocking her path entirely as she could easily move past him to the end of the platform. Hazel eyes met green as she gazed at him, and though he didn't show it outwardly he was curious as to what would happen next. Evangeline walked by his as she made her way to the end, her back facing the edge before she turned to face the Rito.
"Trust me."
Before the Rito could say anything, she allowed herself to fall backwards off the platform. During that brief period of time she watched as Revali (wide-eyed with fright) frantically rushed forward and made a grab for her arm to stop her fall. However, he wasn't fast enough as the feathers on his wing barely grazed her hand.
"Eva!"
Hazel eyes widened in surprise and for a second she wondered if she heard correctly, but the emotion was short-lived as it was quickly replaced by the sensation of her stomach drop when she was suddenly caught up in the updraft. Feeling a sense of thrill, the wind wasted no time carrying her weightless body skyward and she soon found herself looking down at a flabbergast Rito Champion. He was speechless as his beak opened and closed, as if he didn't know what to say or how to react to her recent stunt.
Deciding to take pity on him, Evangeline allowed herself to float down to the platform. Whether or not he was aware of his actions, Revali moved forward with wings held out with the intent to catch her. Her feet had barely made contact with solid ground when she found herself engulfed in a pair of large wings and was pulled close to the Rito's chest. She was surprised by his reaction as he held her, and it reminded her of a worried mother having caught her offspring who had decided it was a great idea to try flying by jumping off the countertop—
Oh…
Oh, shit…
Before she could even respond, Revali seemed to do a 180 as his wings went from being wrapped around her to them gripping her shoulders. The livid look on his face was the only warning she got.
"What is wrong with you?!" He yelled, shaking her shoulders back and forth as if emphasizing every syllable. "I thought I told you to stop being reckless, you stupid woman! Yet despite my words you go a jump off this platform and try to scare me to death! Why are you laughing?!"
Indeed, Evangeline was laughing, but Revali's reaction wasn't the only reason. Her laughter was due to how similar this situation was to the first (and last) time she'd been to the Flight Range. It was almost comical! Eventually she managed to calm down before she spoke.
"But did you see me ride the wind?" She asked excitedly.
Whatever Revali planned to say next died on his beak as he just stared at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. Slowly he released his grip on her shoulders and stook a step back, letting out a sigh and placing a wing to his face as if he were trying to suppress an oncoming headache.
"I swear you're trying to make my feathers turn gray prematurely…" Revali grumbled.
"I can explain." She quickly offered.
"After scaring me like that? It'd be in your best interesting to do so!"
"Okay, okay! I'm gonna explain! Just…don't get mad, okay?"
Revali green eyes narrowed at her as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, along with the sound of nails clicking on the wooden platform as he tapped a taloned foot impatiently.
"I found out I was able to ride updrafts yesterday on Vah Medoh!" She blurted out. "And before you ask, no, Humans—let alone anyone back on Earth—aren't able to do that. I don't know how it happened, but it's apparently a thing I can do now."
The tapping came to a stop as Revali quietly regarded her, though his form relaxed slightly. Evangeline became anxious would he turned around, only to mentally sigh in relief when the Rito started pacing back and forth before her.
"That explains how you managed to get to the platform on Medoh's head without any assistance. In retrospect, that still does not excuse your recklessness for doing so, even if nothing happened to you. However, given this new discovery…"
Revali fell silent as his pacing came to a stop and he returned his attention to her. If she didn't know better, it looked as if he'd come to some sort of decision.
"Perhaps I may need to reconsider a few things before I continue teaching you. For now, let's head back inside, Eva."
Evangeline froze upon hearing the name and a strong sense of nostalgia washed over her as the image of the older woman came to her mind once more. It had been a long time since she last heard that name, and she wasn't sure what to think in that moment except for that woman.
"Is something wrong?" Revali asked, having picked up on her sudden change in mood.
"I'm fine. It's just…been a long time since I've been called that." She told him.
"If it bothers you so much, I won't refer—"
"You can call me Eva if you want! I get that Evangeline can be a mouthful at times, so it's okay if you do."
"As you wish." Revali then gestured to the doorway leading into the hut politely. "After you, Eva."
"Why thank you, kind sir." She joked before making her way towards the hut. Just as she passed the Rito, she turned to look over her shoulder at him before smirking. "By the way, I think you could easily pull off gray feathers."
The result was instantaneous as Revali's faced morphed into a look of indignation. He tried to make a grab for her, but Evangeline merely laughed and dodged out of the way as she rushed inside.
"That's it! No more lessons for you!"
1) Explaining technology is hard.
2) I have to google a ton of information concerning bows and how to correctly hold them.
Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review! :D