"There's… the Stable," Kass gasped as the settlement came into view. The Bard had caught up to him and Mipha shortly after had started dragging the Zora Princess in a vain attempt to chase after Revali. He had left all of his personal effects with Daruk and Urbosa in order to fly the two Champions to the Stable where they would be able to rent a horse.
Link looked over his shoulder at Mipha. The Zora Champion was just as trapped in her own head as the last time he had checked on her.
"… almost… there!"
Link was extraordinarily glad that they were almost to their destination. He wasn't sure that Kass could take them much further considering how strained his flaps had become.
As Kass descended, Link twisted around and put his arms around Mipha. He picked her up and hopped off Kass' back, causing the Bard to wobble in the air as he lost stability.
The Hylian hit the ground hard and, despite bending his knees to absorb the impact, felt his left ankle twist uncomfortably beneath him. He shrugged off the pain as he set Mipha down and took hold of her hand, pulling her along again as he raced towards the Stable. Link could just make out the sounds of Midna barking somewhere behind him.
"I need a horse," he said to the perplexed stable head as he tossed a small purse onto the counter.
"I'll need a few minutes to- "
"Now!" Link snapped. The part of him that was still rational regretted his shortness with the man. There was no question that it was jarring to have a complete stranger sprint up and demand a horse.
"You can't just- "
Link tossed another purse onto the counter. He was glad he had grown accustomed to carrying his money in several different pouches.
The man's eyes widened as he looked at the two bundles of rupees in front of him. "A horse, you said?"
Link nodded firmly, his face tightening.
The man must have sensed his impatience, for he began moving like a man possessed. In no time at all, a chestnut brown horse was brought out. "We don't have a double saddle, so we left it off."
Link nodded. "Mipha?" he said as he turned back to his companion.
The Zora Princess didn't hear him.
"Mipha," he said more firmly. She blinked and looked at him, lucid for the first time since Revali had left. "Let me help you get on."
"…Oh… right."
Link boosted her up on the horse, helping her to position herself properly. As a Zora, her torso was disproportionately longer than her legs, forcing her to sit sidesaddle. Without a saddle though, her ability to remain astride the animal would be limited.
"I'll stay here, and… wait for the others," Kass panted as he finally rejoined them
The Hylian Champion climbed up in front of her and looked back over his shoulder. Mipha's eyes were beginning to gloss over again. "Hold on," he muttered. He felt her arms wrap around him loosely. "Tighter."
He frowned as he felt her grip tighten. While he was glad that she was responsive now, he was worried that she would slip back into whatever trance she had been in and that doing so would cause her to loosen her grip again. It was dangerous enough to fall off a horse when it was merely walking, let alone traveling at a gallop.
He tapped the horses' sides with his heels, sending the horse into a light canter. "Yah!" he shouted as he tapped a bit harder. The horse began barreling along the dirt roads as he leaned forward. He could tell that this wasn't the fastest the horse could gallop, but he was also aware that pushing her too hard this early could very well injure it, and he had a feeling that Mipha wouldn't be able to heal its wounds. He knew that use of her powers required intense concentration, and right now she was struggling to focus at all.
The Hylian contented himself with the current pace, not willing to risk the loss of the horse. He didn't know how long it would be to the next Stable, and by the time the horse they did have gave out, they would be too far along to try and make it on foot.
He kicked himself as he realized his mistake. Revali had flown West, to a section of Hyrule that they currently had no maps for. Even though he had the Slate, he could have very easily bought a map with the mare, but he had allowed himself to get caught up in the moment and had made a rookie mistake. "Stupid," he grunted callously.
He'd have to keep on until they reached the next Stable, where he could buy a map. He would also be sure to refrain from making more careless errors in the future.
Link frowned as he felt Mipha's grip beginning to loosen. He set a hand on hers, hoping that it would be enough to cause her to readjust her grip. Her grip did tighten, but now she was holding on much tighter than she had been before. He glanced at her, becoming increasingly concerned by her behavior. Link could tell that she was not at all aware of what was happening around them.
He grunted as her grip tightened again, making it difficult to breathe. As uncomfortable as it was, he was glad that her hold was overly tight as opposed to too loose. It was better for him to be in discomfort than to risk her wellbeing.
Link turned his gaze back to the road they were traveling on, listening to the breathing of the mare below him. Though it was labored, he heard the steadiness that he had been hoping to hear. Confident that the horse could handle going faster, at least for a brief period, he spurred her onwards, keeping his sights set on where Revali had disappeared.
"Whaddya mean we shouldn't chase after 'em?" Daruk asked as Urbosa continued her far from leisurely pace.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't go after them, I'm saying we shouldn't bother trying to catch up," she responded tightly as she continued along the trail. The Gerudo Champion was far from pleased with the situation they were in. Revali had abandoned them all, hellbent on proving that he didn't need any of them, and Link, always far too willing to play the part of the hero, had charged after him. The fracture had dragged Mipha and Midna into the middle of it as well, while all she and Daruk could do was hope for the best.
She hated resorting to hope alone.
"But –"
"Even if Link has already managed to get his hands on a horse, there's little to no chance that he and Mipha can catch up to Revali before something happens. Now, I don't know about you, but I can't run as fast as a horse, meaning that no matter how hard I push myself, I'll still be too late. The only thing I can change is how late I am."
"Right, so shouldn't we be movin' as fast as we can?"
"Think, Big Guy. So, if I push myself to my limits, what happens when my body gives out?"
"We'll have to stop," he conceded.
"Right. So, I don't push as hard as I can, but rather for as long as I can." She wanted to agree that they should be moving as fast they could, but now wasn't the time to throw rationality to the wind. Catching up with the fastest member among them meant thinking more critically about how exactly they gave chase.
"Shouldn't we go back and ask the Deku tree to send us to him."
"He won't," Urbosa growled. She had already considered the possibility, but then she remembered his response when Daruk had originally asked him to send them to the Rito's homeland. The pause before his response had come could have suggested that there was a reasoning behind his refusal to do so.
"So, what? We just give chase and maybe let him die?!"
"I don't like it," Urbosa muttered, hating her next words, "but I think he needs to fail."
"What?" She wasn't at all surprised by the incredulity she heard in his voice. Even as the Rito Champion had taken off and disappeared, she'd had to content herself with the thought that maybe it was for the best that he was going to do something stupid.
"There is nothing we can do to change him. The only way he'll ever learn to rely on us is to realize that he can't possibly do it all himself."
It was far from the ideal. Given more time, she was sure that they could have helped Revali to see that they genuinely cared for him and that he needed them just as much as they needed him; however, they didn't have years.
There was another method to teach him, but it was far more dangerous. It was to let him have exactly what he believed he wanted. Allow him to engage Medoh on his own and fail. It was risky, as there was a good chance that Revali wouldn't make it out alive, but if he did, it may be enough to spark a change in him. Only time would tell.
"I don't like this," Daruk replied darkly.
"I don't either," she sighed.
The Gerudo Champion hated everything about the situation. What she wanted to do was charge Hyrule Castle and free Zelda. Seeing the pain and despair written on the Princess' face had affected her more deeply than she would have thought. She had long suspected that she and the Hylian Princess had possessed a strong bond, but the sorrow and anger that had overtaken her when she had seen the memories contained within the Master Sword had surprised her.
Even so, she couldn't give in to baser instincts. There was still a great deal left to be accomplished before they could even think about confronting Ganon. She'd have to let the burning anger she felt drive her forward rather than allowing it to send her to an early grave.
"Come on, let's pick up the pace," she muttered as she began jogging. It was still a painstakingly slow pace, but it was one she knew she could keep up for hours.
"Do you think he meant what he said?"
"Which part?" she asked brusquely.
"Pretty much everything he said to Mipha and Link."
"No. He's got an attitude problem and an ego the size of Mount Lanayru, but he isn't malicious. I think he's just scared."
"Scared? Of what?"
"Who knows," she muttered. She had her theories, but right now, none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that they kept moving forward.
"I just hope he doesn't get himself killed."
"Less talking, more jogging." She began regulating her breathing after she finished speaking. Wasting time debating Revali's mental state would take effort and air; however, if she controlled her breathing and didn't waste her breath on pointless small talk, she could increase the time or the pace.
"Right." The two eldest Champions exchanged a brief nod before returning their gazes back towards the horizon. They knew their hopes of catching up to either Revali or Link and Mipha before anything happened were less than none, but they also knew that when they finally arrived, they would be needed.
She watched as Link forced his battered, broken body up using the Master Sword, still ready to fight an opponent she could not see even though he could barely stand. Seconds later, he would fall back down, too weak and injured to even stand back up. Then, the Hylian Champion would die, left all alone even as he tried to get back to his feet. Then it would repeat, the exact same as before.
Or at least, that was how it had started.
Eventually, the world around the Hylian came into view. She could make out monsters, Guardians, and even a giant boar that all attacked him relentlessly, beating him down time and time again. Through it all, Link kept getting back up. She was forced to watch as his bones were broken, his skin burned and pierced, and the life drain from his eyes. Then it would repeat.
The Zora Princess wasn't sure when she became a part of the world, but it didn't matter. No matter how hard she tried to heal him, his wounds would not disappear. No matter how she tried to shield him, his opponents took no notice of her. No matter how she tried to attack, her weapons had no effect. No matter how she called to him and held him as he passed on, he was never aware of her. Then it would repeat.
All the while, Revali was informing her that it was all her fault, derision the only thing his tone contained.
There were brief lapses in the repetition. Moments where she caught sight of a flowing landscape and Link's concerned gaze. Moments where she felt herself slipping off something that bounced beneath her and felt a familiar hand pressing on hers. The brief intervals were a welcome reprieve from the torture she had been enduring, even though they were viewed through some sort of fog.
Mipha wasn't sure which one of the two worlds was real. The one where she watched Link die time and time again, or the one where she and Link were traveling to a location unknown to her for a reason that was just as mysterious. She vaguely had memories of Revali saying something terrible, and she thought that he may have run off, but the persistent fog clouded her thoughts and memories.
She was in the middle of holding the dying Link, trying and failing miserably to heal him when she was drawn to the other world. She dully recognized Link ahead of her, as well as the uncomfortable bouncing beneath her, except it was clearer this time. Strangely enough, Link had twisted around, pulling a blanket around her. She barely registered a biting cold that would explain the action.
"What's going on?"
"Are you okay?" Link asked gently, as though worried that any force at all would hurt her.
"Here? I think I am fine."
"What?"
"You aren't really here, are you?" she asked quietly, afraid of the answer she would receive. "You are probably just an invention of my mind to help me cope with his death." She abhorred the idea, but it was the only one that made sense. There was no way Link could have survived the constant barrage of attacks she had watched him receive.
"Who's death?"
"Link's," she murmured, choking slightly as she said it. It was a painful realization, knowing that one of her closest friends had died tragically.
"Mipha… what's –"
"Where are we going?" She interrupted quickly. Talking about what had happened was too much for her at the moment.
"… We're chasing after Revali," he answered slowly.
"Revali… he ran off, didn't he?"
"…Yes."
She frowned despite how pleased she was that she at least remembered something. Link's insistence when it came to playing dumb was starting to frustrate her. She knew that the phantom in front of her wasn't real and was instead a creation of her mind to help her cope with the fact that Link was gone. She was also quite certain that as a creation of her own mind, he should be well aware of what she was thinking, instead, he continued to pretend ignorance.
"Mipha, what's going on?"
"I keep reliving that moment, over and over again," she murmured absently as they rode through a pure white landscape. "You, know, the moment he died."
"I didn't die," Link muttered over his shoulder.
"Yes, you did," she replied, verging on impatience. She really didn't care to discuss this right now… or ever.
"Mipha, look at me."
She didn't look, choosing instead to watch the snow fly by.
"Look at me!" She turned sharply at the hardness in his voice. It was something she had heard him use rarely, in fact, there were only one or two times she could recall on hand.
"What?"
"I'm real! I'm not your imagination and I'm not dead!"
"How can you be real when I've watched him die time and time again?"
"I. Am. Not. Dead!"
She frowned again. Either the illusion was breaking, or the Link before her was real. The Zora Princess had never imagined that he would speak to her to that way. A voice at the back of her mind began to shout in panic as she felt herself slipping back to the other world. Regardless of whether or not it was the real one, she wanted to stay where she was currently.
"Wake up!" Link shouted, causing her to jolt. His voice cut through the previously perpetual fog. She gasped as the cold hit her like a tidal wave, causing every muscle in her body to contract at the same time. When the shock from the frigid temperatures faded, she became very aware of the pain she felt on her lower half from the constant bouncing.
"W-wha-whe-?" She struggled to get a coherent thought out as she shivered violently.
"We're chasing after Revali, remember?"
"N-not r-r-really." Even with the covering that was wrapped around her and Link, the bitter cold still gnawed at her.
Link made a disgruntled noise as they continued on. The Hylian Champion straightened, nearly causing her to lose her balance. "Is something wrong?"
"I think I see a Stable."
"O-oh."
"We're going to stop when we get there."
"B-but –"
"You need some sleep," he interrupted firmly. "You've been out of it all day."
She really wasn't interested in sleeping despite her exhaustion. She wanted to find something to occupy her time and thoughts, but she knew that Link wouldn't have any of that. He would force her to get rest just like she would force him to sit and allow her to heal him.
The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, the only sounds being the relentless shivers from Mipha and the constant beat of hooves on the ground. Every so often, she felt herself slipping away to somewhere else, and each time, Link would shake her, breaking whatever spell that had been drowning her. There were times where he would shake her even though she wasn't slipping, making her wonder if he was sticking to some sort of schedule. Whatever it was, she was grateful for his intervention.
When they finally arrived at the Stable, he dismounted the horse and tied it to a post before scooping her off the horse, somehow managing to wrap her completely in the blankets. She protested as he carried her inside, but between being wrapped up tightly and her mental exhaustion, she quickly gave up. She felt herself slipping again as Link argued with the Stable head. Eventually, the two reached some sort of agreement as Link shifted her so that he could hand over a few glittering rupees.
The lights and sounds faded in a blur that left her even more confused than she had been before. She felt a soft yet firm surface supporting her as she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Link appeared after a moment as her vision shifted sickeningly. He pushed the rim of a bottle up to her lips and tilted her head back. The contents trickled down her throat far too slowly for her taste, but she couldn't even muster the energy to complain. She felt herself be lowered back down, where she stared straight above long after she had stopped seeing.
Link waited patiently for Mipha to fall asleep despite the manner in which the Stable attendant eyed him. Apparently, buying a sleeping elixir for Mipha meant that he wasn't allowed to remain by her side unless he was accompanied by a member of the staff. It was annoying, to say the least; however, he couldn't blame them.
He sighed as he left the room while his chauffeur locked the room behind them. He would have stayed there, but he had other matters to attend to.
The Hylian Champion returned to the horse he had left out in the cold. He felt bad for pushing her so hard and then leaving her to stand out in the cold. She nickered as he set a hand on her neck and patted her affectionately. He untied the rope from the fence and guided her towards the Stable's counter.
"Kish, you're a blithering idiot," Sprinn growled as Link stopped on the other side of the counter. "Selling one of our finest mares… flamin'- "
"Selling?" Link asked quizzically.
"You're Link, right?"
He nodded.
"Look here. When you 'rented' Epona here, you forked over more than you would have needed to buy her. Apparently, you're in some kind of hurry and 'stressed' him out," he grunted, disgust evident in his voice. "I can pay out the difference if you're interested in returni – "
Link cut Sprinn off with a quick shake of his head. Shortly after Epona had come into his care, they had been forced to leave the road entirely as it turned sharply towards Hyrule Castle. Considering how well she had held up in her cross-country trek with two passengers, he would be reluctant to let her go, even when her speed was no longer strictly necessary.
"Yeah, I figured that's what you were gonna say," Sprinn sighed. "You're lucky that Togo, our postman, arrived when he did, otherwise, you'd be paying the rental price for her again." Sprinn began shuffling papers as his face regained a more businesslike quality. "Since Epona is no longer ours, you'll have to register her; however," he sighed again as he analyzed one of the sheets in front of him, "you already paid most the cost when you bought her. That'll be five rupees."
Link handed over the blue jewel and watched as Sprinn held it in front of him glumly, sighing at the loss. "Included in the fee is the cost of a saddle set. We'll set it up while you and your friend get some rest."
"Thanks," Link murmured.
He grinned as he heard Sprinn continue lashing Kish verbally all over again as he stepped back inside. He ate a small meal, cringing slightly at the lackluster cooking even as he failed to taste anything. The greens were undercooked, the meat was over, and the rice crunched uncomfortably. After the Hylian Champion had finished his meal, he returned to the door leading to Mipha's room.
He was concerned about her. Her lapses between moments of lucidity had become increasingly concerning when she had claimed that he was dead. What was more, she was certain that he was also a figment of her imagination. At first, he had thought that Revali's comments had hurt her deeply; however, he wasn't even sure that she had been there mentally for the Rito Champion's comments.
The only conclusion he could reach was that the memories the Master Sword had contained were too much for her to handle, causing her to shut down as her mind tried and failed to cope with what she had seen. All things considered, it may have been Revali's breaking point as well.
He hated the idea of leaving her alone when she seemed to have no sense of what was real anymore, but there was nothing he could do. The Stable's rules concerning the purchase of sleeping concoctions were strictly enforced. And so, he pulled his legs in and set his forehead against his knees. He would be in pain when he woke up, but this was the best he could do right now.
Vah Medoh flew just above him, suspended by ridiculously small propellers. Had the circumstances been different, Revali would have been impressed that a handful of small, whirling blades could keep such a massive machine airborne. As it was, his mind was more preoccupied with thoughts and strategies to help him free the beast.
He couldn't rely on the other Champions, that much was certain. To do so would show how weak and vulnerable he was. After that, they would cast him aside as a child would a toy when a newer, shinier one came along. No, the only way to ensure his place among them was to free the beast on his own. He would show them that they did need him, even after what happened with Dinraal.
After his failure with Dinraal, his long-dormant anxieties had come to a head. He had always believed that being a member of the Champions was based solely on the group's collective need for an individual; however, that hadn't bothered him too much as he had a nearly flawless track record in the past. When Dinraal had almost killed him, the illusion that his skills would keep him safe shattered in an instant. Now, all that was left was for him to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was capable of all they could do and more.
The Rito Champion returned all of his arrows to his quiver and finished tuning his bow. He was sure that he had plenty of arrows and his bow, while not the one that Owen had given him, would be more than sufficient to subdue the Beast's defenses, whatever they were. His preparations complete, he crouched low and promptly flung himself to the heavens, ready to take Medoh back.
Under normal circumstances, he would have reveled in the feeling riding air currents upward. He had always adored the sense of freedom that flight bestowed, the ability to leave all of his problems on the ground below. This was not one of those times.
Despite his self-assurance in his preparedness, he still felt his stomach twist itself in knots as he approached the Divine Beast. He still had no memories of what Medoh was capable of. He was flying blind as it was.
As he drew near, Medoh sensed his presence and prepared to defend itself. Revali drew his bow as he spotted a handful of Guardian like machines flying out of Medoh. If ancient Sheikah technology was anything to go by, then the machines would be difficult to kill even though they were small. Luckily, he'd had the foresight to stop and buy a hefty sum of bomb arrows from a traveling merchant. The machines surrounded Medoh, creating a translucent red shield around the Divine Beast.
He dove down, pulling out both a bomb and fire arrow in the process. While Kass had informed him that the stunt he had pulled during his battle with Dinraal had been nothing short of spectacular, he wasn't eager to repeat it. Instead, he held the fire arrow in front of his bow, holding it in place with his index finger. He smoothly drew a bomb arrow and nocked it, scraping the wick along the tip of the fire arrow. It was a crude and inelegant method, but he wasn't inclined to care as the fuse hissed.
He fired the first arrow, frowning as the first machine wavered in place. He had made a critical mistake and fired too early. He would have to be on point moving forwards, or else he would be killed before he had even boarded Medoh. He shook himself, trying his best to cast his errant nerves aside.
He brought his wings in as he dove down closer to Medoh. He angled to the left, dodging a projectile shot by one of the machines as he drew another arrow. He quickly lit the attached bomb and launched his second arrow, hitting another one of the machines dead on as he wove around another projectile aimed at him. His target exploded in a brilliant flash of light while bits of metal rained down below.
The Rito Champion didn't take the time to celebrate his minor victory as he finally shot down the first machine that he had failed to hit.
The shield surrounding Medoh flickered out, causing Revali to grin as he started his descent towards the Beast. His victory was short-lived as another handful of machines swarmed out of the Beast, forcing Revali to retreat.
He growled as he prepared for the new machines to recreate the shield surrounding Medoh; however, only two did so, leaving five to engage the Rito Champion directly.
Revali gritted his teeth as he was forced on the defensive, angling back and forth, spiraling down and shooting up to avoid the explosive weapons that were being used against him. He felt the sting of mild burns covering him from head to foot, but he was far from giving up. Knowing he only had one shot at his hare-brained scheme, he shot another bomb arrow, this one unlit, in a high arc.
The Rito propelled himself in the direction he fired the arrow, keeping his head tilted upwards slightly to keep track of the bomb's progress. He gave another mighty flap, forcing his wings to his sides as he raced ahead of his own arrow. He looked over his shoulder, making sure that his opponents were still following him.
Revali flipped around and let loose the fire arrow, hoping that he hadn't rushed it. His aim was true as the fire-powered projectile struck the bomb as he had intended. The resulting explosion ripped through three of the machines, leaving only two. Though he had hoped to take out all five at once, he was certain he could handle two.
He was in the middle of drawing an arrow when an explosion tore through his wing and side while also shattering his bow. In his attempt to rid himself of the machines, the Rito had drawn too close to the Divine Beast and had been attacked as a result. Revali was sent tumbling uncontrollably through the air as he felt another explosion tear through his back. He couldn't even draw enough breath to cry out as he desperately tried to right himself.
He lost all sense of direction as the sickening spin continued on and on. After what felt like an eternity, the sounds of explosions ceased as Medoh screamed its rage.
The endless spinning finally slowed, allowing Revali to find the quickly approaching ground. He tried to spread his wings, but his mangled left wing refused to listen. Mustering what little strength he had left, he flapped with his remaining wing, slowing his fall while also turning him around.
What little breath he had regained was knocked out of him as his back slammed into the earth. He was too disoriented to brace himself for the second impact as gravity forced him back down. He heard rather than felt the crunches and snaps that accompanied his rough landing.
He skidded to a halt, gasping for breath. He couldn't see anything as every one of his senses was drowned out by the pain he felt all over his body.
Eventually, the pain subsided enough for him to focus just a little. He tried to get up, but his body barely floundered, too battered and broken to be of much use. He laid his head back down, staring up at the expanse of sky above him.
The Rito craned his neck up so he could look around. Something about the layout of the clearing struck him as eerily familiar. The stone near the center, the half-dead trees at the edges, even the brambles struck a chord somewhere in the back of his mind.
It wasn't until he laid his head back down in defeat that it dawned on him. 'Wait… I know this place…'
A/N: Cheap references? I have no idea what you mean... just wait til the next chapter.
Guest Reviews:
Guest (1): I occasionally update in a timely manner. And yeah, Revali had a moment.
Guest (2): Was getting shot out of the sky by his own Divine Beast punishment enough?
Guest (3): A number of people caught the Starfox reference.