Chapter 3: Gales and Graves

Revali panted heavily from his kneeling position on the ground, holding out his shaking wings to steady himself. He watched his breath emerge from his beak in a white cloud before evaporating into the cold air of the flight range.

This time. This time... it will work.

He felt the chilling touch of wind around him, and focused as hard as he possibly could.

"Fierté du père." Revali whispered. It was phrase his father had often said. It was part of the ancient Rito language, which was seldom used.

"It means 'Father's pride,'" The Rito warrior had told him. "And I know that you are, perhaps even more so, worthy of it, my son."

Revali thrusted his wings out and felt a powerful gust from beneath him.

He gave one strong flap of his wings and launched himself upward. He managed to glide steadily on the whirlwind. It's working!

Then he, very slightly, caught the edge of the gust. It instantly caught his wings, spinning him for what seemed ages, before spitting him onto the ground, knocking out his breath.

When the shock had subsided, he panted heavily to regain his lost breath, curling his limbs inward. I was so close… So close!

Slowly, he forced himself upward.

"Not…" He panted, "Not enough... I must… stay in the eye of the whirlwind… must… push myself… harder..."

That was when he heard a whinny from behind him.

Revali jerked his head towards the sound, only to see the beautiful Hylian princess, wrapped in white furs, and an escort of two knights, both keeping their steeds in place.

"You know, Your Highness," Revali grunted as he pushed himself to his talons. "it's rude to eavesdrop."

Revali steadied himself on his talons, slowing his breaths.

"My apologies," The princess's voice replied calmly from behind. "I went to the village, and I was told I could find you here."

Revali drew in one more deep breath, before grinning. "You have need of me," He said, remembering the letter he had received a mere few days earlier. He turned towards the princess. "To defeat Calamity Ganon. To slay the beast, once and for all!" He eyed the princess with his left eye. "It will be my great pleasure."

The princess smiled, her nose and cheeks rosy from the cold. "Thank you, Revali." She held a hand to her chest. "If we work together, I am certain we'll be able to defeat-"

"However!" Revali interrupted. The princess tilted her head slightly at him, eyes glistening with confusion.

Revali turned and kneeled.

Wind swirled under his talons, and Revali shot upwards, into the sky. He drifted on the gale, rising steadily above the ground. At one point, he leaned a bit too far to the right and swerved, but this time he managed to regain control.

He sought out all of the targets in the Flight Range before diving downward, drawing his bow, and shooting five bomb arrows at once, each hitting a different target right in the center.

He repeated the process once again, and high above explosions could be seen all over the range, barely a second between each, sometimes less.

Revali then swooped and perched upon the fence of a platform. He stood up, balancing easily upon the railing, and held a wing to his chest. "I know I play the biggest part in helping that…" Revali coughed, making his disdain known. "That little knight with the darkness sealing sword. Correct?"

Revali rested his wing on his hip, the other clutching the bow firmly. "Well, if he loses his confidence after seeing me in action…" Revali stood up straight, puffing out his chest, his beak curled into a smirk. "...don't come crying to me."

This is so weird, Link thought, glancing up at the lowering sun in the evening sky.

Link had come to Zora's Domain before, of course. A few times, as a matter of fact. However, this time was… strange. Instead of being the one to follow, he was the one leading the escorts. He was the one being escorted.

His Highness had tasked Link to deliver a letter to Princess Mipha in person, as Royalty was to make their visits known ahead of time. Apparently he was the best option due to his 'good relations with the Zora.' It would also help with the publicity of the new 'hero.' The king had announced the drawing of the sword a mere few days ago, and already Link was getting far more looks than usual, people pointing and watching his every move. After what Impa had taught him, he knew that now it was more important than ever to remain silent.

"Sheikah like myself tend to stay silent unless the situation calls for it. Silence, like blankness of emotion, can aid in gaining respect from your allies and instilling fear in your enemies. It is your shield..." ...Or something like that. Link wasn't entirely sure.

He entered Zora's Domain atop Epona, attempting to ignore the knights that rode behind him. According to Impa, the king had thought it would be better to send Link on his own, in order to demonstrate that Link was completely capable on his own. However, all messengers, whether temporary or 'heroes,' were required to have an escort, preferably two knights.

Whoopee.

"The word you are using does not match the emotions you feel, Master Link," Fi observed.

Sure it does!

"The expression 'whoopee' is used to express wild excitement or joy. You currently feel neither of the previously stated emotions."

Link did not reply, instead turning to the knights. "Have you both been here before?" It was strange, being the one to ask the questions and give the orders. Especially since both of the knights were older than him. Link had never been in this position, and thought that he certainly did not belong in it.

One barked "Yes, Sir," while the other shook his head.

Link looked the first dead in the eye. "Do get him up to speed."

"Yes, Sir," he repeated.

Impa, knowing full well of his lack of confidence (whether from knowing him well or from vidensia was not made known to him) had helped him with speaking properly as one of higher rank. Fortunately, he still didn't have to talk... too much.

Link nearly went to the horses reins to take them to the stables, before remembering that the escorts were the ones who did that. The messenger always waited. "The stables are over that way." Link nodded towards the left. A stable for horses was built just outside the domain's main bridge entrance. The Zoras would have put it within the domain, but they didn't want an escaped, wild horse running amuck, ramming into a walls and causing damage to the glowing domain.

Well, that's what the Zora told travelers. However, Princess Mipha had told him when he was younger that their volunteers on cleaning duty didn't want to deal with scrubbing up... horse biscuits from the ground.

The two knights returned from the stables after mere moments, both looking at Link with what seemed newfound awe.

"That horse of yours is a wild one, Hero," The first said, his mere tone showing his surprise. "You seemed to have no trouble with it at all."

"She's just like that around unfamiliars," Link said blankly, waving off the statement. "Now," Link began before the knights could reply. "We have a message to deliver."

"Yes, Sir."

So they entered the domain, across the main bridge. Link dipped his head to the Zora guards and greeted them formally, but he could tell that their eyes were drifting to the sword on his back and the clothing he wore, marking him as a Royal Guard.

Link missed the days that he could get away with wearing the ordinary soldier's armor. He had had to wear the Royal Guard insignia somewhere, but other than that, he hadn't stood out. He had been just like every other soldier.

But what with being the 'hero,' he wasn't going to get away with things so easily anymore. At least he wasn't wearing anything too flashy - besides the sword, of course. Royal Guards sometimes delivered messages and went on missions to kill stuff - or something like that - so it wasn't strange to see one at the domain. Only those that looked closely would recognize the sword on his back.

It wasn't long before they made it to the large throne room. King Dorephan, tall and with a strong figure, was sitting upon it. The throne was so large, the giant Zora seemed a mere third the size of who would usually sit there.

"Greetings, Sir Link," King Dorephan said in a deep, rumbling voice. Link bowed slightly. "I have heard rumors of the drawing of the sword, but I had not expected it to have been you!" The Zora king chuckled. "Though now that I think about it, I'm not exactly surprised!"

Unlike everyone else… myself included, Link thought. Instead, Link nodded silently.

Then he realized that he should speak. "I have been sent on behalf of King Rhoam to deliver a letter to Princess Mipha," Link said, keeping his voice formal and firm. Fortunately, it seemed none of his fear or anxiety came through. Blank. Just how Impa taught me.

Link pulled the letter out of his pouch. It was sealed with the insignia of Hyrule's Royal Family.

King Dorephan stood up from his oversized throne and walked down the steps, to Link. The knight in question could feel the two escorts gaping at him from behind.

The Zora king stood at least twice Link's height. He bent down, still taller than Link, and held out his hand.

A silent exchange passed between them - in more ways than one. For one, Link dropped the letter into the king's hand. For two, their eyes met, and the king winked.

Link feared for his life. When any sort of leader or royalty winked at you, then there was something about to happen.

"I will deliver this to Princess Mipha," The Zora king said with a nod before returning to his throne. "In the meantime, feel free to rest before departure in the morning."

Link nodded and bowed again. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Link knew exactly where the inn was. Luckily, they had a few Hylian rooms with actual, feather beds at the moment. Unluckily, there were only two, both of which had three beds each. Therefore, Link had to share a room with the two escorts.

Yet maybe that was a blessing at the same time. It would make Link seem less "High and mighty," but that could also be bad at the same time.

Why can't I figure this out? He groaned (internally). Did he want his own comfort and less attention, or to seem strong? Being of high rank was complicated. Why did he - of all people - have to draw the sword?

Link sat down on the bed, ignoring the other knights. Other knights… Link thought longingly. Why can't I just be an ordinary knight again? I'm not worthy of… this. I'm not competent enough or capable enough for this!

"You are the most capable for the job, Master Link," Fi spoke emotionlessly from the back of his mind.

Sure. Link had quickly learned that Fi had very high expectations of him - just like everyone else. She (or at least, what Link thought was a she) seemed to hold him in the most esteemed light.

"Any other would be placed under a high amount of stress, Master."

I'm quite positive that I am more stressed than 'a high amount,' Fi.

"Any other would, according to my calculations, have a 64 percent chance of having an outburst within any ordinary conversation, due to the high levels of stress."

So what you're trying to say, Link began, is that I cope with the stress better?

"Affirmative, Master Link. Or at the very least, from basing my calculations on my experiences with human stress levels - as well as information given to me by my creator and past wielders."

If you say so. Link was sure that Liari or Purah would know more about how stress worked. It probably had to do with hormones or something. Link would try to figure it out, but he wasn't exactly smart enough for that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, the sword was contemplating her Master's state of mind. If she wanted to pull him out of this strange downward spiral, of which she had seen the likes of before, she would have to do so soon, before her master dug his own grave.

Fi had a lot of work ahead of her.

Like many other chapters, the formatting got completely erased (it's becoming quite normal). Hopefully it'll stop doing that someday. But for now, keep an eye out for things that should be italicized! That includes thoughts, as well as words with extra emphasis. Maybe some people don't really care, but I do! Because I'm a gosh darn perfectionist!

I also finished reading a book this week, which is tips for aspiring fiction writers. Some doesn't apply to this, but there was some useful information about flow of a story and characterization! And, of course, if I end up writing (and finishing) an original novel, it will certainly help. Anyway, hopefully that will help with this story!

Don't google translate "Fierté du père," please. It's stupid. But knowing all of you, you'll do it anyway, so I'll just tell you. Surprisingly enough, it means exactly what Revali said it meant - in French. It made sense, but I am also being lazy. I could've said the phrase "tengo un gato en mis pantalones" - Go ahead and google translate it (it's more stupid than the one I went with) - for crying out loud!

What else? Oh! ANY CRITICISM IS COMPLETELY WELCOME! Please do critique me on what could be improved - I will do my best to fix it! From the smallest grammatical error to an extreme flow shift! Do not hesitate to tell me what could be fixed! I am grateful for any sort of help to make this the best I can!

Oh, and also (This is a long author's note, isn't it?), due to my obsessive writing schedule (I've already written a chapter and a half after this one), I can ask you if there's a specific day of the week you'd prefer me to update! Mondays (Currently my schedule), so you can relax after a frustrating... well, Monday? Or maybe you prefer Fridays, because you have free time! Or maybe you couldn't care less when I update, so long as I keep writing! It's up to you, my dearest readers (Gosh, that's not a creepy way to phrase it or anything)!

REPLIES! (Secret review phrase: Dehydration (I went with a random word; Just go with it)

MeaninglessMayhem: SO much fun! Ugh, I love Fi. It's so much fun making her knowledgable, yet completely oblivious at the same time. Heh.

AddyBOTWfan13: So would I. As funny as it would be to see mind readers react to my overactive imagination, I want to copyright my ideas first, gosh darn it! I thought including Fi would add a bit of spice. You know, a bit of originality compared to the MANY other pre-BoTW fan fictions. That, and it's just fun to annoy Link with her blunt delivery of information, as well as her wonderful oblivion. Wait, if you're going to DIE during the wait... then... what's the point of this reply? Everything I've done up until now... it was all for nothing? (Don't mind my shenanigans; I'm a weirdo)

aso083: I agree! I think some background information is beneficial to the flow of the story! That, and now I can include the champions some more, what with the DLC cutscenes. I'm hoping to add some more details to make this more interesting! About Link's last name... uh... well... you see, the word I put in was "horseman." DoN't LaUgH aT mEh! I now realize that using the word "rider" would've probably been better, anyway, though, so let's pretend that THAT was the original word. Secret review phrase! Yippee! Gold star for you!

RoseyMirror (on chapter 2, but I'm too tired right now to PM or anything like that): Fi is a good doggo! Very, very good doggo. Oh, thanks! :D

RoseyMirror (On the last chapter/2.0): Hey, I need a reason for him to bug Impa! Fi is so much fun to write. Wait, I put ZELDA in the last chapter?! *Speedily checks* Oh, YEAH! I'm kind of doing a lot of Link's PoV right now, aren't I? She barely has a paragraph! But later on I'll be sure to put Zellie in there, more. She needs some spotlight, too! Can't use it all on Link (as fun- I mean, as easy as it is to torture him). I think that I did a secret review phrase last chapter, actually. And you used it in your review, too. IT'S THERE... SOMEWHERE! I'm still doing it! Oh, don't worry; Epona will be thrown into the chaos that is this story at SOME point. Actually, I included her a little in next chapter- Uh, I mean, she'll be around! I didn't spoil! (Gosh, Ari, why do you ruin everything?)

notaname (sure it is!): That is how my brain works! It turns months of work completely upside down, half the time! Paragraphs? Hmm... yeah, I guess I do write choppy paragraphs. *Gasp* is that why my page count has been going up?! It's a lie! The newfound lengths - it's all a LIE! *Scream* *clear throat* Anyway, I will try to lengthen paragraphs and string them together a bit more! If it doesn't happen, just remember that I tried! Sometimes my writing style is like, "Nu! You do not need to change! You are PERFECT!" And then the part of me that is realistic argues that that's really not true, and... well, in short, there's a lot of flying projectiles. I still have not managed to beat all the shrines, but I did get the Twilight Princess outfit via amiibo! But that's not as fulfilling, is it? I mean, I had to scan it for a MONTH to get the full set, but that's a test of patience, not actually searching out for shrines, solving puzzles, and defeating crazed monks in battle (I think that happens; boss monk? Yes? No?). You did not waste my time! It's nice to hear from my readers! :D

bladeofthebookworms: And a more complex backstory for Liari, and Impa, and the champions, and maybe Zellie, and maybe Purah... Eh, I'll figure it out. I can't tell you what he didn't want to think! IT'S A SECRET! I'm so glad you like it! MOTIVATION JUICES! Thank you! School can be a pain, can't it? It can go jump off a microwave. Best of luck to your own stories, as well! :D

Thank you all, once again, for the wonderful feedback! Honestly, sometimes you guys are too nice to me! Now I should PROBABLY go to bed (I'm publishing this... sometime tomorrow due to weekly schedule), lest I become even more insane due to sleep deprivation. But first, I want to thank you all once again! I looked at some of my old fan fiction works (Never published; written a year ago), and I've really improved in writing! Seriously, I misspelled the STUPIDEST words, and made the most ridiculous grammatical mistakes! But I DID write 258 pages of work (all of the stories included), so I guess I was doing something right.

So thank you all for the encouragement and suggestions! I've learned so much since I first published Before (The old draft)!

Sincerely (Guys, I'm being sincere! I mean it this time! No, really!),

Ari