Revali had been up for several hours, wide awake with excitement. Today was the day she arrived, and he had to not only make it clear that the Rito could be of service, but that he was the only bird for the job of piloting Vah Medoh.
"Eh, piece of cake," he muttered cockily, and yet anyone who knew him well enough would recognize the most minor hint of doubt.
The only problem with that was that no one knew him at all.
A hard lesson learned is that it is difficult to make friends, especially when one is superior to most others in every aspect. It wasn't an insult, just the simple truth. He truly was the most fiercely loyal, masterfully skilled, bravest warrior of the Rito. He had no need to hide the bravado he'd more than earned, but it certainly didn't help him make friends. And in reality, that had never mattered before. However, to earn the trust of the Hylian elite, being a smug loner didn't exactly scream "born leader," regardless of his abilities with the bow. As always, selections like this were never about actual talent, intellect, or skill, but about politics.
The Goron, Daruk, had also already been selected as one of the special team of warriors who would operate the divine beasts. The rock monster was an absolute beast physically; dumb as a pile of rocks, but the guy had the heart of a teddy bear. Revali was sure that the moron's heart had much more to do with the selection than his hard head; the Goron would have appealed to the princess in many ways, based on what he'd been told of her.
He would not be able to convince her of his viability for the role with kindness. He had none to offer to her or anyone. Any attempts at gentility would be seen for what they were: blatant falsehoods designed to make a case for someone that didn't exist. And furthermore, why should he be forced to act like someone he was not? He was the strongest Rito warrior, but also one of the best known archers of Hyrule.
Unfortunately, the arrow of arrogance would be shot down by Zelda. He knew she had no tolerance for preening.
So how would he assure her of his worthiness as a champion? What arrow in his quiver would strike her heart with sufficient strength to convince her that he was the only Rito who deserved to pilot Vah Medoh?
