HEY GUYS! This chapter is a bit of a long one. I got a bit carried away writing it, and I had to stop myself somewhere before I started getting into the events I have set aside for the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda nor any of it's characters.
Serina belongs to me.
NOW! LADIES AND DUDES!
I NOW PRESENT:
Chapter 6 – One More Shrine, and Reuniting With a Friend
The morning was still cold, but the sky outside was clear once again. The storm that had lasted all of the night before had finally died down.
Not too long after Serina had fallen asleep that night, Revali did as well. His beak had rested on the top of her head and he kept his wing around her shoulders so she wouldn't freeze. His sleep was interrupted by the girl twitching in her sleep. He opened his eyes and allowed them a moment to adjust to the bright daylight shining into the cave, then looked down at Serina.
Her arms had been wrapped around his waist and her head was leaning comfortably on his shoulder. When he caught glimpse of her face, he noticed something was wrong. She looked as though she were trying to shrink and hide from something. He knew that whatever it was that was plaguing her dreams was disturbing her. Using the wing around her shoulders, he gently shook her awake.
Serina gasped and quickly jolted awake, feeling a tight and reassuring grip around her shoulders. She looked down, noticing how close she had ended up to Revali. A light blush tinted her cheeks.
"If it weren't for the unpleasant awakening, I'd say you look rather comfortable," He smirked.
"How long was I asleep?" She ignored his statement.
"All night, you looked very tired, so I didn't bother to wake you up." He said.
A cold breeze blew into the cave and caused her to shiver, so she nuzzled further into his wing.
He chuckled, "You must be enjoying yourself."
Her blush deepened and she pulled away slightly, "If it weren't freezing I wouldn't have to resort to this."
"Deny it all you want," he smirked.
"Who said I was denying anything?" She asked.
"So you do like it," Revali playfully tightened his grip on her shoulders.
At that point, Serina had become absolutely flustered and he knew it. She released him from her grip around his torso and stood up, feeling the cold air touch her skin. After quickly gathering her things, she wrapped the thin sailcloth around her shoulders again.
Revali equipped his bow and looked at her, "We'd best get going if we want to make it to the Tabantha region in a reasonable amount of time."
Serina nodded, and they set out for the edge of the Great Plateau.
When they finally got back into the warmer weather and away from the cold mountain range, Serina shivered from the transition of cold to warmth.
"I'm a bit surprised I didn't catch a cold up there," Serina removed the sailcloth from her shoulders as they reached the steep drop-off of the Plateau.
She took one last glance at their map and pinpointed their destination before they left the Great Plateau.
Time Lapse
About a week went by as they traveled around the Tabantha region locating and identifying all of the shrines they could find. Eventually, they made their way to Rito Village, where the last shrine of that region rested.
Serina and Revali stood at the entrance of the village. A light breeze blew through town and the weather was perfect, sunny, but not too hot nor too cold.
"It's good to be back after so long," She smiled at the familiar sight.
"Refresh my memory, what is it you've studied during your visits?" Revali watched her as she re-introduced herself to the Village.
"I had to study the shrines around here and locate them for the Princess, but out of my own curiosity, I had always been interested in the Rito culture, so in my spare time the few friends I made here informed me of some things." She explained.
"Such as?" He inquired.
"Well I know Rito warriors are excellent archers and practice somewhere called the Flight Range. And I know the women are excellent singers." She said.
"That last statement applies to men as well you know," He smiled, "It's how one would go about courting the other."
"Isn't that where if one Rito is drawn to the other's singing, they join in and if they're both interested, things go on from there?" Serina's grey eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"To put it into simpler terms, yes," He said, "Assuming they were to take that next step, they'd go about getting to know each other if they weren't acquainted already."
"I see," She then got a mischievous look on her face, "Have you ever attempted to court a lady Rito?"
His eyes widened at the question, "Now what makes you ask such a question?"
"I'm just curious," She smiled, "I guess I just wanted to know if you might have someone waiting for you here."
He shook his head, "No, I've always dedicated myself to training. I hadn't been all that interested in looking for anyone."
"Do you think you might settle down in the future… when all of this is over?" She asked.
"Depends on if I find the right person." He said.
They began to walk up the steps of the Village, each of them receiving warm welcomes from passers by.
"What about you?" Revali nudged her arm.
"What about me?" She repeated.
"How do you Hylians go about finding a significant other?" He asked.
Serina scratched the back of her head, "Now that's a lot more complicated…"
"How so?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"A lot of the time, people think they find the right person and gain strong feelings towards them, only to find that they don't feel the same way in return… there's a lot of rejection and heartbreak involved." Serina explained.
"Have you gone about finding your other half?" He inquired.
"I've tried… and failed a few times. There was one time I thought I did find 'the one' but I guess he didn't like the idea of spending more time with me." She looked down and watched her feet as they walked.
"That does indeed seem a bit complicated," He said, "Why would he do that?"
"I…" She sighed, "I'd rather not say for now."
Revali nodded, "If you'd like me to change the subject, I do believe we've made it to our final shrine."
Serina looked up and took note of the shrine in front of her and grabbed out her notes. She set her bag down on a rock and approached the shrine, starting to study the Ancient Text. Her vision was slightly blurry, she looked down at her notes and back to the engravings.
Revali took in the scenery of his home as Serina studied the markings, unaware of her predicament. A number of times, she wrote down what she thought was the correct translation only to become unsure of her readings. He heard another exasperated sigh escape her lips as she threw a wadded up piece of paper with crossed out scribbles and writing on it. Serina was unaware that the piece of paper she threw behind her ended up hitting Revali's shoulder.
He bent over and picked up the piece of paper, taking note of all of her crossed out guesses.
"I believe that's called littering," He stood over her.
Serina cross-legged in front of the pedestal, she looked aggravated as she glared at the writings on her fresh piece of paper.
"Is there a problem?" he knelt down beside her.
"I can't get a proper reading of these damned engravings." She growled, not taking her eyes off of her work.
He hummed, "I don't believe I've heard such foul language come from you."
"That's because you haven't hung around long enough to see me frustrated.." She grumbled.
Realization struck the girl and she buried her face in her hands, feeling her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
He chuckled, "Whatever is the matter now?"
"I'm an idiot…" the words came out muffled as she spoke into her hands.
"Why do you say that?" Revali gave her a puzzled look.
"I can't read my notes or the writing on the pedestal because it may or may not have slipped my mind that I took my glasses off earlier today." She uncovered her face and scratched her head, revealing the light blush on her cheeks.
She earned another laugh from the Rito sitting next to her.
"What did you do with them?" He asked.
"I put them in my bag…" Serina rested her head in one of her hands.
Revali walked over to her bag and grabbed out the blue framed glasses. A smirk was on his face as he handed them to her.
Serina placed the frames over her eyes, "You know, I hate these things.. They're nothing but a nuisance and an obstruction to my face, yet I can't go anywhere without them."
"I think they make you look even more intelligent." Revali stood up and began to pace around the shrine.
As he turned his back to her, her blush deepened and a smile crept onto her face. She went back to studying the writing and successfully wrote down the correct name of the shrine.
"Akh Va'Quot…?" she struggled to pronounce the name.
Revali furrowed his eyebrows, "Bless you.."
"What? No.. the name of the shrine is a bit difficult to say." Serina studied the name.
"It sounds like there's something lodged in your throat." He turned around as she approached him.
"Why don't you give it a try?" She handed him the sheet of paper and pointed out the name of the shrine.
"Let's see.." he studied the words on the piece of paper, "Oh dear.."
"See?" She giggled at the confused look on his face.
As Serina gathered her things and threw her bag over her shoulder, a maroon colored female Rito approached her.
"Serina?" She inquired.
"Lena!" Serina ran over to the Rito and threw her arms around her neck.
Lena wrapped her wings around Serina, returning the warm gesture.
"It's so wonderful to see you back safe and sound." Lena released her from the hug.
"It's great to see you too. How've you been?" Serina smiled.
"Hanging in there," Lena said, "I think you're already aware of how much Sarah misses you."
"I'd love to see her before I have to go again." Serina said.
"Oh yes, we've heard the news. You're on official Champions business." Lena said, "Well if you have the time, I'd love to have you over for dinner tonight."
Serina turned back towards Revali, who had approached behind her.
"Go ahead and visit," He said, "I thought it'd be refreshing to stay here for tonight and leave for Goron City tomorrow."
"I won't keep her for too long," Lena smiled.
"There's no rush for the time being." Revali said, "I will be down at the Flight Range if you need anything."
Serina nodded then turned towards her friend, "I'm all yours this evening then."
He waited until the two were out of sight before taking off for the Flight Range to get in some time of his own to shoot arrows at his leisure to pass the time by.
AAAND That's a wrap for this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy what little of the character Lena I have for this chapter and the next. I needed a friend for Serina to catch up with so I came up with her on the spot.
ANYWAY! I hope you all enjoyed this lengthy chapter and stay tuned for the next! Until then, farewell readers!
