Scattering petals
Link & Zelda
Chapter 9: Revali's rivalry
When a Rito warrior dares to compete against a hero's honor
Author's Note: I finally made my own cover for this story! You can follow me on Deviantart to check the art I (try to) make.
Link had managed to concieve some rest before the sun rose. The presence of his fellow knights allowed his conscience to shut down, followed by his senses to finally drift away to sleep. In such an important trip, the princess' safety was completely assured, so as much selfish as it seemed, Link took advantatge of his partners guarding her to rest. In the end, it was better to be well-rested during dusk and vigilant during the day. Truth was that the troops acompanying them were mere fanfarre, a show of power. Zelda's personal escort could manage all posible threats appearing in their way during the periple. But appearances mattered the most and Hyrule needed a Rito warrior to command their divine beast. Bringing their princess along with a good number of men was a fact that in the end could influence their will to collab with their fight against Calamity Ganon. The Rito warrior selected by the royal family was known for his stubborness and pride. They needed all the help they could get to seem worthy of his cooperative skills in the war. All of these internal reflections twirled in Link's head during his sleep, unable to disconnect from his reality despite being in dreamworld.
When the first scorching rays of sun arose, his blue eyes scanned the surroundings. The fragile figure of an absorted Zelda made him snap out of the matutine laziness. She was on her knees, muttering words full of faith and begging. Her body facing the sun, its light making her white ritual dress show a hint of her silhouette. The princess was putting up with her spyrituals duties and Link had to force himself to look away from her vulnerable figure. He had to blink a few times to erase the texture of her skin from his memory. He couldn't interrupt her or he could taint her devotions.
The contrast with the sight of the other knights, looking as not as radiating as the princess, aided him to forget the scene. The fireplace had extinguished its flames long ago judging from the lack of smoke or burned smell. The ones selected to be posted until dawn had clear signs of wearyness on their faces. Luckily, the ones that had enjoyed a peaceful night's rest had prepared some warm cofee for them to wake up. The companionship between the knights kept Link's mind busy until the princess finished her morning devotions. With his back turned, he allowed enough privacy for her to pray out loud but also enough closeness to protect her in case a threat suddenly showed up. He stood there, like a statue, not speaking a word. One of the knights, a close childhood friend, handed him a bottle of milk and a brochette with mushrooms and some meat. He didn't think twice before swallowing it, aliviating the hunger he had ignored until the food stimulated his taste. He could be set for the day with just that due to his survivor skills, but his stomach craved for more. Nevertheless, he remained silent.
It wasn't until Zelda got up and turned to face her personal escort that Link realised she hadn't slept at all. The dark circles under her emerald eyes were a firm proof of it. Nevertheless, he didn't dare to say a word about it. His protective instincts covered her pale figure with a cloak, noticing that her skin shivered as soon as the shadow of the trees covered her. The defiant cold so characteristic of the Rito terve was starting to make its presence. Compared to Hyrule's fields warm sunny weather, the progressive change made everybody shiver. The princess noticed her appointed knight's worry.
"I will change clothing. We will be leaving in ten minutes." And despite the authority Zelda attempted, the consecuences of the icy air made her sweet tone tremble. It made Link recall that time in the freezing fountain, but he snapped out of his thoughts as soon as he realised the princess had left.
They did as she commanded. In less than two hours they were entering a snowy storm, a sign that the Rito town was close. As the troops marched, their eyes scanned the horizon to look for traces of the tall mountains where the Rito town was located. However, as far as they went, more white fields surrounded them.
There was a point where even Zelda started to worry, a single drop of sweat freezing as it fell. She couldn't even hold the Sheikah Slate straight, freezing to her toes despite the thick coats and furry gloves that protected her. The screen showed blue and black stripes, a big "no signal" message popping up. They were lost without the map on the slate but the princess kept walking forward as if she knew what to do. Somewhere in her mind she thought 'how would father let me travel around these frozen lands without the slate?'
Yes, everybody could see she had the slate in her power despite being forbidden to use ancient technology. But in the situation they were, she doubted her own troops could share that secret, now theirs since every single one of the knights also needed the aid the Sheikah Slate could offer. But with no signal...
Link was the only one, however, that could notice the princess' troubled mind. His blue eyes noticed the intrussive message that informed that the signal was lost, surely due to the unstable icy weather. Eventually, Zelda shared a complicity glance with her appointed knight. Link took a good few seconds to understand its meaning. She was asking for his help as they were lost. And Link, for once, could also relate to her since he had no clue either about their location. He had also relayed on the Slate and now that the signal was gone...
"Could it be that we are walking in circles?" Zelda thought out loud, hoping that the glacial breeze didn't steal her words away to the silent landscapes.
Link was about to answer briefly when he noticed a sudden change on their surroundings. His arm blocked Zelda's way and made the troops stop their pace. The sound of the Master Sword being unsheathed made the other knights snap out of their peaceful manners, adopting a defensive stance as well. The princess took cover behing Link's broad shoulders, her green eyes observing the snowflakes that fell around them. Somehow the atmosphere had changed, almost as if they weren't alone. Zelda hid the slate inside one of her pockets and remained silent, close to her appointed knight. They reached a point when none could identify if the shivers running down their spines were due to the tension or due to the coldness of the air. Standing still in the middle of the fields was making the weather worse for their Hylian complexion.
"Hold." A voice echoed through the fields.
The knights redirected their eyes to the sky, where a feathery figure was flying, on its guard, bow in hand. Little dark dots in the sky were being spotted occasionally as the Hylians remained expectants. Then all of them realised that they were being surrounded by the Rito warriors. Probably they had been watching them wander through the fields for a while. It was the most rational explanation to why they had felt observed during the past minutes. They were completely surrounded.
One of them descended with great maneuvers from the sky. Probably their strongest leader. If that was the case, Zelda prepared herself to speak in behalf od their kingdom as they needed the most skilfull Rito of them all for the Divine beast Vah Medoh to be controlled. In one last loop, the Rito reached the ground, standing proud in front of the Hylian troops. He was carrrying a great bow on its back and had all kind of arrows with him to strike in case something threatened the peace of the Rito.
"What a sight to see. Hyrule's princess herself abandoning the comforts of her throne to pay out tribe a visit." His tone was unclear at first, not knowing if he was mocking royalty or if he was obnoxiously complimenting Zelda. "To what do I owe this honor, Your Highness?"
The majestic bow of the Rito warrior now showed that he was truly paying his respects to Hyrule's princess. Link's arm descended to allow for their princess to step forward and return the cordial gesture. Zelda struggled to find her voice in between of so much coldness. The wind threatened to silence her but she motioned for her troops to lower their weapons. The tension diminushed.
"Mighty Rito warriors." The princess started, closing distance with their representant. "I've come here in name of the King to ask for your aid in the battle against Calamity Ganon. You see, we are seeking the strongest warrior in the Rito tribe to-..." The princess' speech was suddenly interrupted by another exagerated mannierism from the warrior.
"Then you have come to the right place, Your Highness. Allow me to introduce myself." The Rito started, Zelda was all ears. "My name is Revali and I am the leader of the Rito warriors that watch over these freezing fields. We have been endlessly training to defeat Ganon whenever he decides to strike, but I have developed mastery in the heavenly arts of flying. As you have surely seen, you are talking to the chosen among all Rito-..."
Revali's speech went on and on. His immense ego didn't leave place for the others to even question the mastery in fighting he proudly atrributed to himself. His exaggerated manners weren't mocking them, he just had so much faith and trust in himself that everything he said seemed too good to believe. Nevertheless, Zelda needed to hear that spark of hope Revali ignited. Somehow, she thought, the four chosen champions could compensate her lack of skills to aid in the war. Then maybe a chance to win could spark amongst Hyrule's demise. The mere possibility of seeing her kingdom defeated to the ground made Zelda grow colder.
"You are shivering, Your Highness. Please, allow me to escort you to our hometown." Revali finalized his speech, kneeling before the princess to offer her a ride, or more accurately said, a fly, to the Rito tribe.
"We will be alright on foot as long as someone leads the way." Zelda rejected the offer kindly, she couldn't leave all of her troops behind and she wasn't very enthusiastic about flying on a Rito's warriors back despite how swiftly he could cross the skies. "We can meet on top of the village to greet the Chieftain. If he approves of your participation as second champion we will be ready to begin with the-..."
Zelda was once more interrupted by the proud archer. His expression showed that he had been disappointed by something the princess just said. She swallowed a handful of saliva down her throat, warming her vocal chords even though she didn't know what else to say in the moment.
"I didn't say I accepted your proposition, as much honorable it may be." Revali teased, walking from right to left with his wings crossed behind its back. He would need some begging, the princess realized. A strange type of fighter he was. "On purpose, did you mention there already is a first champion assigned? May I ask why and who is stronger than me to have the honor to lead our fight?"
There it was. He wasn't just convinced that he was the strongest of the Rito tribe. Revali also needed to be the number one in the fight against Ganon. Zelda didn't have the time to figure out the reason why he was so perfectionist about himself: was it because the Rito tribe was strict with their education? Or Revali had an ego so enormous due to his own merits? Either way, it didn't matter. Zelda needed to convince Revali to join her fight.
"Oh, no, the champions are all equal. There are no ranks between them." Zelda clarified, palms held up to show she wasn't hiding information from the Rito. Then she pointed at her escort, redirecting the spotlight on him. "In fact, Link here is the carrier of the Master Sword. He was the first one to be discovered, that's why I merely adressed him as first champion."
All of the attention that Revali had been adressing to the princess now switched back to her appointed knight. Another drop of sweat froze on its way down Zelda's cheek. Revali's loud and exaggerated steps paused, his feathery figure standing in front of the mythical knight. Revali raised his chin, examining carefully Zelda's escort. Link mimicked the warrior's stance and also raised his glance up to meet eye to eye. The gesture offended Revali, who groaned with disappointment. He stared at the princess by the corner of his avian eye.
"Do you really think, Your Highness, with all due respect, that he will be capable of leading us? He doesn't even have a Divine Beast to pilot." His eyes switched back to meet Link's icy glance. A spark of rivalry had awoken within them. Revali didn't allow himself to be the second in line and Link simply wasn't fond of the Rito's rude manners. "Tell me, kid, do you even know how to use that pointy sword you are carrying, huh? Are you even aware of what being the 'chosen one' means?"
Link deeply frowned, showing clear disgust, the edge of his teeth bare at everybody's sight. It was rare to see his true emotions on the surface, Revali was the first one to unleash them. The knight, as it was known, was not very fond of speaking. He was more than aware of what carrying the Master Sword meant to his kingdom. All of the answers were obvious and Revali was trying to get on his nerves to awaken some kind of conflict between them. It was too soon to determine what his true colors were, but he was not trustworthy at the moment. Link could see his own insecurity reflected in his big avian eyes as well. Deep down, all of the warriors feared facing the Calamity. But Revali's ego didn't allow him to show some cooperation and fight side-to-side with other warriors.
"We are all struggling to find the correct plan to defeat Calamity Ganon." Zelda intervened, alarmed by her escort's angry expression. "I didn't even manage to awaken my powers yet, Link still has to connect with the Master Sword and the rest of champions also lack of abilities for sure. We're on the same side. Conflict is the last thing needed during time of bonding with allies."
Despite the princess' polite reasonment, Revali was not buying her speech. Unlike Link, he was fond of showing his true emotions easily. In this occasion, he snorted out loud, as if war wasn't important. To him, all that mattered was his warrior pride.
"I should be the key for us to win the war, princess. If that is not the case, don't count me in." Revali finally sentenced, turning to look up at the sky.
"Revali, please, reconsider." Zelda pleaded, taking a few steps forward.
Link immediately could foresee what was about to happen. A twirl of air surrounded the Rito warrior as a swift breeze made him ascend. The strenght of the movement created more air that impacted with Zelda's numb figure. The princess felt the impact of the frozen wind on her face, pushing her body backward with more strenght than she could fight. She felt the fall in slowmotion, the snow caressing the locks of her hair that were nearly touching the ground. Luckily for her, the appointed knight had never snapped out of his guard, so he was there behind her to catch her, preventing the fall. The warmth of his muscular arms trapping her waist made the princess shiver as her feet were placed on the floor once more. It took Zelda a few moments to comprehend the aid she had been granted by the hero's hand, a loyal aid she could always count in.
"Thanks." She muttered shyly, then looked up at the sky, returning to her duty. The Rito warrior was already gone, his figure disappeared beyond the cloudy skies. "We have to reach the Rito village. The Chieftain won't deny the tribe's cooperation." Zelda reasoned out loud and unconsciously stared at Link, seeking for some external approval. He nodded in agreement and followed her green eyes up to heaven.
"There." The knight sentenced, finger pointed slightly at the east. He turned to face the rest of the troops. "We just have to follow his flight's trajectory."
Zelda followed Link's finger and noticed a pierced cloud, a hint of Revali's destination. He was right. If they followed him, they would end up in Rito village one way or another.
Well! This is it, Revali freezing the scene. Until next year!
Stella Prim
