A/N: Revised version uploaded on 2/27/2019
Midna eyed the numerous two-legs from underneath the table that the rest of her newfound pack were gathered around. Though she had been allowed to stay, she knew she was in hostile territory as she watched for the wary stares that were thrown her way from time to time. While she had encountered many different varieties of two-legs, from the river swimmers to the air walkers, she had always been surrounded by others of her kind, and she had been able to give them a wide berth. Now though, she had nowhere to hide and would have to rely on her new pack to provide protection. It was not ideal, but that was the situation she was in.
Sitting there, hunched beneath the flat-topped, wooden construct, she couldn't help but think back to her previous pack. Things had been so simple with them. When they were hungry, they hunted. When they were tired, they slept. Most importantly, there was an established pecking order. Things made sense as her former Alpha had earned his place as leader. If anyone else wanted to take his place, then they would have to prove themselves by showing their strength. On the other hand, her new companions didn't happen to have any sense of discernible order to it. The living stone, the one she considered to be Alpha, was clearly the largest and strongest, yet he consistently let the weaker among them challenge him. It made the dynamic of the pack so terribly difficult to decipher as she didn't know why Alpha allowed himself to be challenged and what it would take for him to become more assertive. Not to mention, she couldn't help but find his constant shouting to be irritating and often left her head aching for long periods of time.
Then, there was the red-haired one she referred to as Mother. Much like the wolves that had born cubs, Mother spent much of her time keeping the younger three in line. While this was something that Midna could understand, what made her difficult for the she-wolf to understand was that she often made it a point to keep Alpha in line as well. As far as Midna was concerned, Alpha should have been the one that wasn't required to respond to her, yet he did so anyway. To make matters worse, she had far more tonal shifts than any, and many of her wide range of sounds eventually had the peculiar effect of forcing her head back as she performed some strange sort of howling, which caused her chest to heave. Perhaps she wasn't quite right in the head.
Of course, she could forgive those two for their oddities, even if they were nonsensical. The one she struggled to forgive was the Large Chicken. He spent so much time biting at the others and causing infighting that Midna was struggling to understand exactly why it was he was kept around. He certainly was competent when it came to using his stick thrower, but he caused more trouble than that skill alone was worth, at least in her opinion. The last time she had a companion as contrarian as the Chicken, he had been mauled so brutally by her pack that he had been walking among them with his tail in between his legs for several moons after. If she had it her way, the same would be done to the Chicken; however, the others were far too complacent to see it through. She might have taken it upon herself to take care of the issue, but she was well aware that it might have been enough to have her be abandoned again, this time without a stone crushing her paw.
Thankfully, things became a little more clear from there. Sister, the River Swimmer among them, was still a mystery of course. The wolf had seen evidence of her strength, yet she balked quite often when challenged. Another oddity was how often she smelled of embarrassment, particularly when Mother was nearby. Regardless, she had a massive amount of respect for Sister, as it was due to her that she Midna could still use her paws. Whatever her otherworldly power stemmed from, the wolf respected it and acknowledged that she owed Sister her life. And that was to say nothing of how easily she had accepted Midna into the pack. All of that considered, she was the wolf's second favorite pack member.
Brother, the one who had lifted the stone and held her as Sister healed her paw, had the most favor with her. He was, by far, the most sensible of the bunch. He was quiet, determined, and refused to back down when challenged. He also understood his place in the pack and was content with it. Just like her previous companions, he wasn't overly warm or affectionate, but he still welcomed the wolf by sharing food with her. He wasn't perfect as, occasionally, he would try to run his hand along her back, however, a simple growl was all it took to end it. He was also very attached to the piece of metal that he set over the bright lights he created at night. It might have been something she understood had she not smelled an extreme amount of stress from him as Sister was using it. Despite those things, she found him to be quite respectable and the easiest to relate to.
She listened to the sounds of her pack speaking idly as she sniffed at the air, relishing many of the smells wafting towards her. Even with such a short amount of time, she had become accustomed to the scents that were created when Brother took food for the pack and set it over his light. She had come to love sitting next to him and bathing in the scents that emanated from the piece of metal he was enamored with. Had they not been among a group of unfamiliar two-legs, Midna likely would have found her way to the source so as to better enjoy the experience.
Regardless, it was enough to boost her mood and made it easier to tolerate the cacophony of sounds that constantly attacked her sensitive ears. Between the cubs that were charging around, nearly tripping the adults that walked around, the sizzling of food, and the sounds of communication, her head was beginning to ache terribly. She was accustomed to using her heightened hearing to listen for prey or potential threats. Now, it was being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of noise bouncing around her.
Thankfully, Brother had taken to his feet and was making his way outside. Midna chased after him quickly, growing excited at the prospect of returning to a less crowded, more open space. While she had willingly joined the pack, as lone wolves did not last long, that didn't mean she was ready to give up all of her ways right then.
"Link, may I join you?"
The Hylian Champion turned to greet Mipha, nodding in answer to her question. He had meant to get away from all of the people, and the noise, but he didn't mind Mipha's company. Before meeting Rosso and Irene, it hadn't occurred to him that he wouldn't do particularly well in crowds. He managed to spend the majority of his days with four other people, most of which had large personalities, yet he somehow handled prolonged periods with Revali better than he did a few hours with Irene and Rosso. Unfortunately, not only were Irene and Rosso still there, albeit at their own table and with their own room, but there were plenty of other people there as well. Being surrounded by so many people had made his skin crawl uncomfortably. He was relieved to be away from it all, even for a few minutes.
He took a deep breath, allowing the cool air wash over him as it calmed his frayed nerves. He looked around the twilight blanketed landscape, searching for the small pond they had passed on their way to the Stable. His original plan had been to go for a brief walk before returning to the rest of the Champions; however, he scrapped that in favor of a new plan. If he was going to be joined by Mipha, then he thought it best to find a spot where they would both be comfortable in. Seeing as the Zora Champion typically defaulted towards the water, he felt it was best to find that small spring again. Thankfully, it was easy to find despite the quickly fading light.
"We can simply walk," Mipha murmured quietly, as though knowing precisely what he was thinking. "I simply wanted to make sure that you are doing well."
"I'm okay," he replied quietly. It was as honest as he was willing to be in the moment. He had woken up that morning and had managed to make it through the day without giving in to the little niggling voice at the back of his head that wanted to remind him at every possible turn of his cowardice. There had been a few moments where he had almost let it get the better of him, but he had forced the voice far back and refused to acknowledge it.
"Are you sure?" Mipha asked, stopping in her tracks to look at him. He turned to her, finding himself momentarily mesmerized by the way her compassionate eyes glowed in the dark.
He nodded after a few seconds, trying to shake off the childlike response. There were far more important things to attend to then getting lost in his friend's eyes, as beautiful as they might be. Or at least, there were more important things to attend to in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do concerning such things now, making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything else.
"Well, if you are still struggling with your memory, then I wanted you to know that I think it was quite brave of you to do what you did."
He looked away at her words. For some reason, he found it hard to look into the eyes that were far too kind. Far kinder than he deserved. No matter how much she might have believed that his guilt was due to his abandoning his brothers in arms, that was only part of the issue. The truth was, there was a part of him that hadn't wanted to make through that day. He hadn't wanted to see the results of his failures and was hoping that he could pass on to the next life before he had to be confronted with them. No matter how fleeting the motive had been, it had still been there, making him a coward no matter what anyone else thought.
"I cannot imagine how much courage that would take."
"I'm not brave," he muttered quietly, wishing that she would stop talking. Suddenly, he wanted even Mipha to leave him alone.
"You left knowing that you would survive. Knowing that you have to see what happened after the Calamity. I can't imagine how… I do not think I could have done it."
Link frowned, finally returning his gaze to her. So far, he had known her to be compassionate and had no doubts that she had said it simply to make him feel better, yet as he searched her face, he found no signs of a lie. The Zora Champion truly did believe that she wouldn't have been capable of the same feat. Judging by the pained expression she wore, it had been something that was difficult for her to admit at all. "Why?" he asked, hoping that she would understand what he was really asking. He didn't want to know why she thought so little of herself, but rather why she had made it a point to tell him regardless of how difficult it had been.
She locked eyes with for some time before she folded her hands and gave him a small smile. "You are my friend," she stated simply. Though the response could have covered a wide range of questions, Link was still under the impression that she had some inkling of what he was asking. She truly was far too kind.
The two continued on in companionable silence as Link reflected on what she said. He couldn't exactly say he felt better, but Mipha's words had given him another perspective from which to look at the event. He wasn't ready to forgive himself for having the thought, however fleeting it may have been, but the fact that the Zora Champion wasn't sure how she would have responded made him question whether or not he needed to reevaluate his opinion of himself. Was he truly horrible if even the most selfless person he knew struggled with the thought?
As much as Link was sure it was something he needed to think about, he couldn't quite bring himself to do it right then. As a result, he found himself searching for anything that could potentially take his mind off the thoughts that assailed him. As his eyes strained to see through the darkness that had overtaken them, they settled on a rock that stuck up awkwardly from the ground. That was when he remembered that Daruk had been complaining about a lack of good food earlier. Grateful that he had something to devote his attention to, the Hylian left the path behind.
"Is something the matter?" Mipha asked as she followed after him.
"For Daruk," he replied before squatting next to the stone and wrapping his arms around it. Straining just a bit, he hefted the rock up with a grunt.
"Here, allow me to help."
"I got -"
"Ya ha ha! You found me!"
In the blink of an eye, Link dropped the stone as his right hand flew to the hilt resting above his shoulder.
"What happened!?"
Link ignored Mipha's question as he eyed the little form that had dived away from the falling stone. "Jeez! I knew you'd be upset that we stole your maracas and the seeds, but you don't… wait-" the creature muttered as it finally looked at him "- you're not Hetsu."
Though he had been staring at it for a few seconds, Link found that he was having trouble processing the sight before him. A few from him, standing no higher than his knee, was what appeared to be a living sapling. It had small, stumpy arms and legs with a tiny, leafy shoot emanating from its head, dancing lightly in time with the wind. Serving as its face was a large leaf with holes cut into it in the shape of a mouth and eyes. Topping it all off were the stripes of dark brown and light, nearly creamy wooden color that covered it from head to toe.
"Huh? Can you see me?" it asked as it noticed his stare. Not waiting for his answer, it began trying to sidestep out of his view, waddling with each step. Link trailed it silently with his eyes, hand still resting on the hilt of his sword. "You can see me! Weird… I didn't think your kind could see us." The diminutive creature looked around, as though not entirely sure what to make of his current situation. "Uh… if you see a guy named Hetsu, can you give this to him?" he asked as he held a black purse out to Link. The Hylian Champion knelt down and took it into his hand.
"Link, what's going on?"
He held up a hand in what he hoped was a placating gesture.
"And if you see Hetsu, can you tell him 'it was just a prank, so no hard feelings, kay?'"
Link nodded uncertainly. A small part of him wondered if he was caught in some sort of fever dream, but considering how tense Mipha was and the way that Midna was whipping her head around wildly, he figured that couldn't be the case. If it were truly a fever dream, they would have been acting out as well.
"Thanks! Uh… see you around, I guess." With a small pop, the creature disappeared, leaving the Hylian Champion to stare at where it had been. After a few seconds, he stood back up and turned to Mipha.
"What happened?" the Zora Champion asked worriedly.
"Something asked for a favor." Though it was a statement, it came out more as a question. "He needs me to give this to someone." Link continued as he reached into the purse and pulled out a small handful of seeds. He let them sift through his fingers as he stared uncomprehendingly at the contents.
"Are you certain? I didn't see anyone."
Link nodded before stowing the black pouch away. Wasting no more time, he crouched back down and once again picked up the stone. While he wasn't sure how to process that had just happened it didn't change the fact that Daruk was likely still hungry. As such, the Hylian Champion proceeded to haul the stone back to his friend, completely forgetting the thoughts he had been trying to escape.
"I'm Daruk, Champion of the Gorons!"
Revali looked up from his pile of arrows, smirking as the child that had made the declaration began rolling lopsidedly along the ground. He found it highly appropriate that the child was unintentionally lumbering and bumbling around. It made the act that much more accurate.
Deciding he didn't need to see anything more, he turned a critical eye back to his arrows. Just looking at the pile before him was enough to make the Rito Champion's head ache. Since he had first picked up his worn quiver, he had been stocking as many arrows into it as he could without overfilling it. Unfortunately, the various arrow types were unable to be stored together. Fire and ice arrows would damage each other to the point where they had become unusable, and trying to create a buffer zone between them with normal arrows warped or cracked the metal tips. Even shock arrows inevitably destroyed normal arrows and became more or less volatile when stored with other arrow types. As a result, he had been forced to have Link carry his extra arrows, which was not only inconvenient but insulting to Revali as well. He hated having to ask the Hylian Champion for his arrows back.
"Well, I am Master Revali, the Rito Champion!"
He looked up sharply, observing another child running around the room, waving his arms around in a poor attempt to imitate flapping wings. He snorted derisively before returning his eyes to his arrows.
"And what's ruffling your feathers, Feathers?"
He ignored the Gerudo Champion as he quickly recounted his arrows and replaced them neatly in his quiver. Continuing to not pay her any mind, he pulled his bow out and worked to loosen the tension in the weapon. He tried to hide the fact that he kept looking up at the two children who were now roughhousing, trying to determine which "Champion" was the strongest. During one of his subtle glances, he noticed another child approaching their group nervously.
"E-excuse me, miss?"
"Yes?" Urbosa replied warmly, causing Revali to snort again. Of course, she would feign civility for a child. Apparently, she knew what was going through his head, as her light green eyes glared daggers at him before returning their attention to the child before her.
"I was wondering if you knew anything about Lady Urbosa."
"Lady Urbosa?"
"Yes!" the child replied excitedly. "A bard came to visit a few days ago, and he told us stories about all the Champions!" Revali paused when he heard that and glanced up, exchanging a brief look with the other two Champions. Though they had never sat down and actively discussed the topic, there had been a silent agreement among them to hide their identities as best they could. It had been a slip of the tongue that had led to Irene and Ross calling Revali by his real name. The other Champions had been a bit more quick-witted and gave the couple false names; however, Rosso had been quick to draw historical connections to all the names. He was the most interesting case of being somewhat brilliant while being a complete moron at the same time.
"And what did he tell ya about Lady Urbosa?" the Goron Champion asked.
"Well, he said that she was strong enough to use lightning as a weapon!"
"Lightning?" Revali was grateful that Daruk had verbalized the question that he hadn't. Even with one companion who could summon a barrier from nothing and another who could heal injuries, the ability to manipulate lightning was still a bit hard to accept.
"Yes! He also mentioned that she was almost as strong as the Hylian Champion-"
"Who cares about the Hylian Champion?" Revali narrowed his eyes as the child who had interrupted joined them, confidently placing his hands on his hips as he stood next to Daruk. "He couldn't even protect the Princess -" Revali felt his beak tightening as he listened to the child. It was one thing for him, a Champion of Hyrule, to criticize his peer. It was another matter entirely for an errant brat who knew nothing to do so. "He was a failure of a-"
"They all failed!" Everyone stared at the Rito Champion, the shock in their expressions mirroring his own. He had no idea where the words had come from, or why he had said them at all. He may not have liked the Hylian Champion; however, he wasn't enough of a fool to believe that Link alone could have messed up so spectacularly that it would have had to all of them failing. No, It would have required more than the shortcomings of one or two. Knowing this as he did, he was still unwilling to admit he would have had a hand in it. Rhoam had admitted his own culpability, Zelda herself had been unable to play her role, Link hadn't even been able to protect the Princess, and he and the other Champions had been fighting on multiple fronts. None of that could have possibly been his fault.
Cutting off the thought process before it could go any further, Revali stood up quickly and stalked toward the door leading to the outside world. He was feeling far too claustrophobic to remain within the walls of the Stable any longer, and the stares from everyone in the stable certainly wasn't helping.
As he reached the door, he was stopped as Link and Mipha entered, both gazing with nonplussed expressions. "Out of the way!" he hissed as he pushed past Link and finally made it into the darkness of night. Despite how cool the air was as it drifted lazily past him, ruffling his feathers lightly, the night held no solace for him. He stood, forcing himself to take deep breaths as he worked to calm himself down. The way he saw it, it was asinine for him to get so worked up about some petty comment from a know it all brat. So, why was he so irritated?
A tiny voice at the back of his mind quietly chirped that maybe there had been some truth to his words, but he crushed it as soon as he heard it. Of course, he couldn't have failed. He was above allowing his enemies to use his weaknesses against him. As he had reasoned earlier, he wasn't to blame for the fall of the Champions or Hyrule. Yet no matter how firmly he thought it, he couldn't quite reconcile the thought with himself, and he was left to his dissonance as the moon crawled across the sky above.
Urbosa watched, the bemusement she felt painting itself across her face as she observed Link communicating with someone only he could see. She might have believed he was making a joke or was beginning to snap under the pressure of their responsibilities; however, Mipha had been quick to ensure she believed it to be genuine. She had then briefly recounted an episode from the night before in which Link had engaged someone else only he could see in a conversation. Supposedly, the exchange had ended with a small black purse appearing in Link's hand.
If that weren't enough, they had come across a band of roaming monsters that morning. In the aftermath of the brief fight, while scavenging for supplies, Link had come across a pair of wooden instruments he had identified as maracas. Rather than leave the useless, and for that matter, empty, objects behind, the Hylian Champion had insisted on carrying them with him despite how against the idea Revali had been. Personally, Urbosa didn't see the point of hauling them around, but so long as the needless things weren't her responsibility, she didn't really care. Link's business was his own so long as it didn't endanger the rest of them.
Of course, within a couple of hours, Link had stopped to have a conversation with an invisible being, and within two minutes, he had handed over the maracas. Not long later, Link had also dug out a black purse and handed it over it as well. Though both objects had disappeared as soon as they left the Hylian Champion's hand, Urbosa had heard the faintest sounds of seeds colliding softly.
Though she knew it was likely pointless, she hoped that it would be the strangest thing she had ever seen.
"Do you have a quiver?"
"What?!" Revali snapped. "What's going on now?"
"He wants you to be quiet so he can concentrate," Link replied impassively.
Urbosa snickered quietly as Revali stared at the Hylian Champion dumbfounded for a few seconds, clearly surprised by the response. "Excuse me?!"
"He wants you to -"
"I heard you the first time!"
Link said nothing more as he turned back to the person only he could see. He stared into open space for a few moments before a small, soft light began shining above his head. Slowly, Link stretched his arms up and reached into the light's core, drawing out a long, thin leather tube from it. The Hylian Champion turned it over in his hands, analyzing it from every angle as he absently nodded to what Urbosa could only assume was something he was hearing.
"Here," the Hylian Champion said as he handed the quiver to Revali. "It should help you store all of your arrows."
The Rito eyed the tube, his eyes temporarily flicking towards the pouch on Link's hip before returning to the quiver that was held out to him. The Rito Champion took the proffered item while removing the quiver he currently wore. Kneeling down, he removed the arrows he had stocked in his quiver and stowed them into the new one. Interestingly, the quiver continued accepting arrows even though it should have been full after Revali had stocked half of his normal arrows.
"Hand me a fire arrow," the Rito Champion demanded as he held out a feathered hand. Link complied, reaching into his satchel and withdrawing a single fire arrow. Revali took the arrow, and, after a brief look of consternation crossed his face, he placed it into the quiver, causing every arrow before it to disappear. Everyone, Link included, stared at what appeared to be a nearly empty quiver. "I'll take the rest of my arrows now," Revali grumbled as he held out a wing. Link acquiesced, handing over all the arrows he had stockpiled for the Rito one type at a time.
It took a little longer than she would have liked, but eventually, the Rito Champion finished moving his arrows into his new quiver. "Thanks," he muttered begrudgingly as he stood back up, folding his wings sourly as he eyed his fellow Champion.
Link responded with a simple nod before turning back to the rest of his companions.
"Right..." Daruk muttered. The poor Goron looked to still be struggling to come to terms with what had just happened. "How far is Kakariko?"
"Not far," Link replied as he pointed to the path that wove between to higher plains of stone.
"Think we can make it there by nightfall?"
"Yep."
"Alright then, let's get a move on," the Goron commanded, prompting the youngest three Champions to funnel into the path, followed shortly by the older two. As they continued along toward their destination, Daruk sighed.
"What's wrong?" Urbosa asked, only half listening as she observed Revali, noticing that the slight dip in his shoulders had increased a bit. Ever since the night before, the Rito Champion had been even more distant and sour than usual. Even stranger, he had also lost much of his aggression toward the rest of them. Under different circumstances, that might have been a welcome change, but in this instance, it was concerning. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do as Revali was as willing to discuss what was bothering him as Link was, and he was far more acerbic to boot. As it was she would just have to be patient and wait to confront him until he let his guard down.
"Things have just gotten so complicated," Daruk replied with a frown as he scratched at his though it were a terrible itch. "We've been asleep for a long time, we have to go talk to this Impa because a dead king told us to, we're traveling with a wolf, Link and Revali are out of it, and now there are invisible people… why can't things go back to being simple, ya know?"
"When were things ever simple?" Urbosa asked with a raised brow. In her opinion, things had been complex since the beginning. They had woken up with no memories, been provided a piece of technology that was capable of astounding feats, found an old man that was as cryptic as their pasts, and had been traversing shrines that had been buried deep below the surface of the earth. She might have been able to accept that as the norm for the world they found themselves in; however, she had yet to see anything even remotely close to what she had experienced on the Plateau. So what was the norm?
"I guess it was just simpler with Rhoam. He gave us a simple thing to do, then we got it done."
"That's what we're doing now," Urbosa replied. "We're going to a place to do a thing. Once that thing is done, we'll probably be given something else to do."
"You've got a point," the Goron sighed. "Jeez!" he exclaimed as he palmed his face, causing a loud crack to resound around them. The Gerudo Champion snickered as Link, Revali, and Mipha all whirled around with their hands on their weapons. "Sorry!" At the Goron Champion's apology and placating gestures, the younger three relaxed and turned back around. "I need to quit thinking like this. I really should just focus on the problems right in front of me."
"There's nothing wrong with trying to think about issues that aren't immediate."
"I know, but it can be frustrating. There's not much I can do about them, so all I can do is sit and think about them. I'd rather do something about them."
She could understand why he felt that way. He had always been one more for action than sitting around considering eventualities that might not even come to pass. While she could empathize to some extent, she still saw value in entertaining such thoughts just in case the possibilities became something more than just an idle thought. "So, what are you going to do?"
"I'm gonna make sure we make it to Kakariko and that we talk to Impa."
"Well, it looks like you're about to accomplish that," The Gerudo Champion replied as they rounded a corner and found a sign that read 'Kakariko Village.'
Mipha found that she was questioning every decision that she had made since arriving in Kakariko Village as Revali paced back in forth angrily as she sat before him. Though she and Revali hadn't spent much time getting to know one another, she had still been concerned after she had heard about his explosion the night before. She knew he could be acerbic, but shouting at children didn't sound like the Revali she had come to know, and that concerned her. As a result, she had decided to attempt to start a conversation with him to try and understand what was wrong.
Revali had been far from pleased by the gesture.
As she clutched her hands in a vain attempt at comforting herself, she gazed outside, trying to see the town outside through the veil of night. She had quickly become enamored with the small village that was nestled into the plateaus and mountains that surrounded it. She loved the pink flowers that swayed in the breeze, occasionally sending petals drifting through the streets. Several gardens and waterwheels were scattered along the banks of the narrow stream that wound its way alongside houses and underneath the various bridges. If that weren't enough, various lanterns had been hung on posts along the road, adding a sort of ethereal quality as the lights glowed warmly in the twilight.
It wasn't just the natural beauty of the village that had won her over.
Despite how low the sun was hanging in the sky, many of the village's inhabitants were out and about. Children ran around, stopping to stare at them with wide-eyes before remembering that they had been in the midst of a game. The adults who walked through the streets or knelt over their gardens greeted them with nods and small smiles and then returned to their tasks. It was a new experience for her to enter a populated area and not be the center of wary gazes or the subject of a lot of questions that she didn't have the answers to. In Kakariko, however, she was only given the minimum attention. Of course, that didn't mean that they were ignored by any stretch as they had been stopped in their attempt to enter the largest building near the opposite edge of the town, but the Zora Champion didn't feel the constant need to look over her shoulder.
Though Daruk had been unhappy when he learned that they would have to wait until the next morning, she was glad as it meant they would be spending more time in the village. The serene nature of the location and its populace helped reduce stress she didn't even know she had. Unfortunately, that couldn't help her now as the darkness outside of the inn prevented her from being able to use the sight to help her regain her composure.
"...Please Revali. We're all worried about you."
"Worried about me?" he scoffed as he stopped his pacing to glare at her. "We both know that you don't actually care. You feel obligated to talk to me because you're the 'nice one.'"
"That's not true," she replied weakly, trying to find some way to talk to the Rito Champion without causing him even more grief. As far as she could tell, there wasn't any way to continue the conversation without putting him off even more. The only solution she could find was ending the talk as soon as she could and informing Daruk and Urbosa. From what the Zora Champion had seen, he had more respect for them, which might end with him being more receptive to their message.
"Give me a break," the Rito Champion sighed as he turned away and stalked to the door to his room. He turned the knob, flinging it open as he continued. "I'm -"
"Staying right where you are." Both Mipha and Revali froze as Urbosa stepped into the room. "I was on my way here to let you know that dinner's almost ready, but I see I'm interrupting something."
"You weren't," Revali growled as his fiery green eyes met Urbosa's cool gaze.
"Is that so? Good, I was hoping to talk to you myself," the Gerudo Champion replied. "Mipha, would you be a dear and tell Link and Daruk that we'll be down shortly.
"I can do that!" the Zora Champion answered quickly, nearly jumping to her feet. She tried to keep herself from rushing to get out of the room too quickly. While she was eager to separate herself from the situation, she didn't want to reinforce Revali's idea that she didn't care.
She paused as the door closed behind her, setting a hand on her chest as she took several deep breaths. Once she had regained her composure, she made her way down the stairs to the inn's dining room, where she stopped, wide-eyed as she looked at what had been set out for them. Steaming plates of poultry, meats, vegetables, rice, and fish covered nearly every inch of the table. Daruk was gazing at the overabundance of food with a dissatisfied frown from his place seated on the floor while Link, who sat across from him, was busy filling his plate with a little bit of everything. Beside the table, Midna sat, snapping up a plate of raw beef prepared just for her.
Link greeted her with a nod when he finally noticed her, then motioned to the chair right next to him."I thought you might like those," he muttered as he continued stacking food on his already full plate, nearly laying on top of the table to reach items across the table. "How'd it go with Revali?"
"It went… about as well as could be expected." Despite the amount of food that had been set out for them, she took just a few fish and lined them up neatly on her plate. "What is all of this?"
"Apparently, this is a gift from Impa," Daruk replied. "I guess she's been expecting us and wanted to give us a warm welcome, or something like that. I just wish -"
The door to the dining room opened as several men worked together to roll a massive rock into the dining area. They grunted as it moved inch by inch until Daruk came back to his senses and rushed over to take the stone off their hands. The Goron Champion lifted the object on his own, allowing their hosts to relax and catch their breath. "Sorry, this wasn't ready sooner. You arrived faster than we were expecting."
"Got here just in time!" Daruk replied jovially. "Thanks!"
The men then excused themselves, leaving the three Champions and their wolf alone. Mipha turned back to Link, intent on asking his opinion on their current situation. She couldn't deny that she was concerned by the fact that the Sheikah, the inhabitants of the village, was tracking them. At the same, they had been open about the fact early on, leading her to believe that they meant no harm by it. Considering what Rhoam had told them, it wouldn't have surprised her if they felt it a necessary precaution just in case they landed themselves into a situation they weren't able to handle. Then again, there may have been other angles she wasn't considering. Unfortunately, Link was far too preoccupied with the food before him to pay her much mind.
"Link, what are you doing? We should wait for Revali and Urbosa."
The Hylian Champion, one of the heroes of Hyrule, froze with a fork in his mouth, staring at her with the most bewildered expression she had ever seen on his face. While she couldn't quite place why it was wrong to start without their last two companions, Mipha still found the idea of eating without them rather rude. However, she quickly gave up as she heard a large crunch, finding that Daruk was already working on his meal as well. The Zora Champion sighed, folding her hands as she decided to wait for Urbosa and Revali. It was just a shame that the steamed fish in front of her smelled so good.
"Jeez. What time do you get up, Little Guy?"
Link grinned back at the Goron as he re-sheathed the blade he had been sharpening.
Daruk shook his head. He was not a late riser by any stretch of the imagination, but no matter how early the Goron got out of bed, Link was already up, cooking, cleaning, or otherwise preparing for the day ahead. The same had been true this morning, Daruk had risen and returned to the entrance hall, only to find Link conversing with one of the villagers while attending to one of his weapons.
"Are you sure you're getting enough sleep?"
"What's sleep?" Link asked innocently.
Daruk chuckled as he shook his head again. It was nice to have a companion with a good sense of humor. Urbosa and Revali's relied a little too much on poking fun at people, and while Mipha found many things funny, she struggled to say anything funny herself.
"This is Dorian," Link stated with a gesture to the man he had been talking to. Much like the other inhabitants of the village, he had white hair, red eyes, and a simple white garb.
"I'm Daruk," the Goron replied with a grin. He reached out to take Dorian's outstretched hand.
"Be careful," came a familiar teasing voice. Daruk groaned internally. "He has a habit of maiming people when he first meets them," Urbosa finished as she and the last two champions paraded down the stairs.
"Seriously, Mipha," Revali grumbled as they reached the bottom, "do you really need so long to get ready?"
"I-I-I'm sorry," Mipha stammered her face burning. "I did not mean to- "
"Oh, stop," Urbosa broke in cheerfully, "you don't owe him any explanations."
"Why are you in such a good mood," Daruk asked hesitantly. He didn't consider himself to be a master of deciphering people's behavior, but he knew when Urbosa was seething beneath the surface. He could see it in the way her smile didn't reach her frigid emerald eyes.
"Oh, I'm just glad that everyone is feeling better."
Daruk suppressed a shudder. The Gerudo Champion's voice lacked any form of joy, rather coming out as coldly as though she were speaking to Rhoam again. Now that he looked closer, Mipha looked displeased as well, what with the frown that was boring its way into the floor below.
That left Revali, who looked quite abashed.
"Everyone is feeling better?" the Goron asked weakly.
"Oh yes. Our favorite archer," Urbosa said with a grand gesture, "is now feeling so emboldened as to make a pervert of himself."
"A pervert?" The day had barely started, and Daruk was ready to roll back up and go to sleep.
"Yes. He now feels as though he can brazenly walk in on two ladies getting ready."
"It's not like that," Revali squawked as he threw his wings up defensively, "right Mipha?"
Mipha refused to make eye contact with anyone, choosing instead to stare at the floor.
"What's your problem?" Revali asked, disbelief ringing in his question. "You don't even wear clothes."
A large thud bounced around the room as the palm of Daruk's hand collided with his forehead. He tried to exchange a glance with Link only to shiver. He had never seen the Hylian glare murder at anyone and he hoped he wouldn't have to see it ever again. Even Midna had put a little distance between herself and the Hylian, and he knew that the wolf was vicious herself.
"And I thought Link and Daruk were the dense ones," Urbosa responded dryly, shaking her head in disappointment as she sighed.
Revali opened his mouth, but Daruk cut him off.
"We're here to speak to Impa, not make fools of ourselves." He wasn't fond of putting so much force in his voice, but he knew better than to underestimate the lengths that the Revali and Urbosa would go to get the final word in. He also hoped to prevent more embarrassment on Mipha's part, as it wasn't fair that she was about to be caught up in another spat. Besides, doing so might keep Link from losing his head as well, and Hylia knew he needed at least one other sane companion, otherwise, he might go crazy himself.
"Yes," Dorian cut in, "Lady Impa will see you when you are ready."
Daruk sent the others an expectant glance, nodding toward the door before standing back to watch them file out of the inn. He shook his head as he watched Link deliberately put himself between the Rito and Zora Champions, still giving Revali a hard glare.
Sometimes, he wondered why he was the one that had to be in charge.
"I get the feeling that being the leader is like herding cuccos," Dorian offered.
"Cuccos?"
"You'll see," Dorian chuckled.
Daruk followed the white-haired man out of the inn and onto Kakariko's main road. The small farming community was beautiful. With its terraced landscape, cherry blossom-filled trees, small wooden homes, and the friendly citizens, the town was a welcome change to what he had experienced since waking in the Shrine of Resurrection. Not a single one of them had even batted an eye at Midna. It was enough to help him see past the white hair and red eyes that every villager had.
Dorian pointed a man out to Daruk as they strode to the largest building in the village. The subject of their gaze was chasing around a small white bird frantically. Though he had seen each of his companions do odd things, none of the strange mannerisms he had seen came close to matching the desperation for which the man chased the bird.
"That's a Cucco," Dorian stated.
"So, cucco is another word for crazy?"
"Not exactly," Dorian laughed, "I was pointing to the bird he was chasing, but I suppose it isn't really all that far off."
Daruk chuckled along with his guide, thankful that he was able to forget about how exhausting the morning had been for a second.
Upon reaching the largest of the buildings within the village, Dorian retook the lead, guiding them up the steps. At the top, a young girl, with the same white hair and red eyes that the entire village shared, was carrying a large basket of laundry towards the door.
"Good morning Paya," Dorian called.
There was a small shriek, followed promptly by the basket she had been carrying hitting the ground, causing its contents to spill everywhere.
Dorian quietly berated himself while Link was quick to help Paya clean up. He knelt down across from her, quickly grabbing what garments he could and folding them deftly and efficiently before placing them back in the basket.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry," she stammered quickly. She took one look at Link, and her beet red face reached an even deeper shade of red.
"Hylia above, she's worse than- " The rest of Revali's observation was lost as there was an audible thud, followed by a grunt as he tried to subdue a cry of pain.
"You need to learn when to shut that beak of yours," Urbosa hissed. Daruk caught her removing her foot from the Rito's talons. He wasn't fond of the method, but he wasn't about to complain in this instance. He really didn't need Revali running his beak more than he typically did.
Link stood up and held a hand out to Paya, who somehow became more flustered by the gesture as she waved her hands, trying to fan her face.
"She'll be along in a minute," Dorian murmured, his words lost on Paya as she made incoherent noises. "In the meantime, I suggest we don't keep Lady Impa waiting."
Daruk smiled slightly as Link picked up the laundry and rejoined them.
"Well I suppose it's nice knowing that chivalry isn't entirely dead," Urbosa remarked as she sent Revali a pointed look.
"We're moving on," Daruk interjected tiredly. He didn't wait for the others, instead choosing to slide open the doors and walk through first. The Goron Champion took a moment to thank whoever had decided to make the doors larger than the Inn's doors. He only had to crouch this time instead of crawling on all fours, which had been humiliating, even for him.
The room he stepped into was spacious but sparsely furnished, with a few rugs spread across the floor and a few paintings hanging on the walls. At the other end, sitting with crossed legs on a pillow was an old woman with a large, circular hat sitting on her head. Though her face sagged underneath the weight of her age, she still regarded them with deep, analytical eyes that managed to dissect each Champion, even from her place on the other end of the room.
Only once they had lined up in front of her did she speak.
"Thank you, Dorian. I would speak to them alone now."
Dorian bowed and left them alone with Impa. She regarded Daruk carefully, searching for something within him. Her face revealed nothing as her gaze swept to Urbosa, yet Daruk felt as though she hadn't been thrilled with what she found. She continued poring through each of them.
"I see that none of you recognize me," she finally said. The faintest tinges of sadness could be heard in her voice. "I am assuming that you remember little if anything."
"Yeah," Daruk replied.
"I see." The Goron Champion shifted uneasily as the old woman sat quietly. "Very well then," she started again, "as you have probably guessed, I am Impa, the village elder… and, one hundred years ago, I fought alongside the five of you."
"Elder would be putting it mildly," Revali snickered quietly.
"My youth may have left me Revali, but my hearing has not."
The Rito Champion huffed and looked away. Thankfully, Urbosa chose to refrain from giving her own input on his comment.
"As much as I would love to reminisce about old times, I believe that must wait for. How much do you know about the state of the world?"
"Only what Rhoam told us," Daruk answered.
"Rhoam?" Impa asked sharply.
"Yeah. His spirit stayed on the Plateau until he could tell us about what happened. He was the one who sent us here."
"I suppose that would explain why we never had to intervene ourselves," Impa murmured to herself. "What did he tell you?"
"He only gave us a general idea of what happened when Ganon broke free," Urbosa responded.
"Am I correct in assuming he sent you so that I could tell you more?"
"That's right," Daruk replied.
"I see," was all Impa said. She bowed her head, covering her face with her large hat as she did so. "Ganon's history," she started as she lifted her head again, "is tied to that of the royal family."
"Ten thousand years ago- "
"Who cares what happened ten thousand years ago?"
"You would do well to keep an open mind. What happened then plays a part in what happened to you," Impa said sharply to Revali. "Ten thousand years ago," Impa started again, "Hyrule was a highly advanced civilization, capable of technological feats we can scarcely imagine now. Upon learning of the Calamity, the Royal Family ordered the Sheikah to craft weapons to defend them in their fight."
"And so, our ancestors developed the Guardians and Divine Beasts to help in the war against Ganon's return. The towers that you have seen scattered across the land also served a purpose, a sort of early warning system if you will."
"When Ganon finally reared his head, it was too late. The Divine Beasts, each piloted by a member of the other races, dealt him a devastating blow. The chosen hero, protected by the Guardians, used the blade of evil's bane to land the final strike, and the Princess used her powers to seal Ganon away once again," Impa bowed her head yet again. Her eyes were filled with regret when she looked up again.
"One hundred years ago," she paused to sigh, "we were fools. We believed that merely using the same tools as our ancestors would guarantee victory. Our overconfidence is what allowed Ganon to counter us so effectively. It did not help that Princess Zelda was, at that time, unable to use her powers."
"After Link fell, Zelda had him placed in the Shrine of Resurrection with the rest of you and, when that was gone, she went to confront Ganon all alone. The Princess left instructions that I was to give you when you finally woke up; however," she gave each of them a piercing look as she continued, "I will not pass on these instructions to those who lack the courage to see them through. Go," she commanded, "and return when you possess the same resolve as the Princess."
Daruk looked to Urbosa, who gave him a small nod. He saw Link and Mipha exchanging a similar glance, coming to the same decision as he and Urbosa. He found it oddly pleasing when Midna chose that particular moment to plop onto the floor as though she agreed with them. That just left Revali.
"Does it look like we're going anywhere?" the Rito asked, sounding vaguely annoyed that the Elder had just challenged them in that way.
Impa laughed again, causing her entire frail form to shake.
"Barely a memory to your names and you all are still ready to charge forward without a moment's hesitation. Very well. The Princess' message was this: free the Divine Beasts."
"Free them?!" Daruk asked quickly. While he had heard of the Divine Beats before this conversation, he still had no idea what they were. Mechanical beings wasn't exactly a specific descriptor, and that was to say nothing of the fact that he had no idea how they were even supposed to go about performing that task.
"Indeed," Impa replied with a nod, "how you will go about this is beyond me. However," she continued, with extra emphasis, "that does not mean I will leave you with nothing. Link, may I see the Slate?" she requested, extending a hand as Link stepped forward to comply.
"I will mark the locations or at least the approximate locations-" she corrected with a frown as she stared at the map, "- of the other race's abodes. Once you are at your respective homes, I recommend asking the heads of each race about your Divine Beasts. Lady Mipha, you will ask about Vah Ruta. Daruk, yours is Vah Rudania. Revali, Vah Medoh. And yours, Lady Urbosa, is Vah Naboris. Hopefully, the various leaders will be able to tell you more."
"Thank you for everything," Daruk replied. Despite the multitude of questions that hadn't been answered, and the new questions that had arisen, Impa had managed to give them a concrete goal, or rather four goals, that would help them complete their quest. Hopefully, they could figure the rest out along the way.
"There is more," Impa declared. "I recommend you start with Ruta. Not only is Zora's Domain relatively close, but Lady Mipha held the strongest bond with her Divine Beast. Reclaiming Ruta will likely give you the knowledge you need to free the others as well."
"Will do," Daruk grinned. "Mipha, sounds like you're up first."
"I urge you to be discreet when you visit your homes. When we placed you in the Shrine, we were not sure that all of you, if any, would survive. As a result, I opted not to tell the other races that we sealed you away. Many still feel the pain of your loss, especially the Zora and Rito. Many may recognize you, but I suggest that you at least attempt to keep a low profile."
"Why the Zora and Rito?" Urbosa asked.
"They are the longest-lived races in Hyrule, and they remember their champions fondly. They may struggle with how to react when you return. The Gorons and Gerudo remember you fondly as well, but there are none left alive who would know you now."
Daruk felt a small pang of sadness at Impa's words. While it was nice to know that he was remembered in some way, a part of him had been hoping that he had friends or family to make it back to. Unfortunately, it didn't sound like that was in the cards for him.
"There is one last thing I wish to say before you depart," she said as gave them a wide smile. "It is truly good to see you all again. May the goddess guide you on your journey."
A/N: Why is it so painful to go back and read my previous work? At least now I can feel better the earlier chapters now.