As soon as the Sheikah Slate was back in Princess Zelda's hands, she and Link had set out to first visit Rito Village in Tabantha Frontier in the west. Their journey had been just as awkward to Zelda as before when those silent moments passed after each other. But she was glad that Link was with her because she would never have been able to take care of the monsters they encountered by herself. He saw them before she did and he took them down with confidence and bravery. He pulled out arrows to re-use them and he swung his sword so elegantly. Zelda watched him with admiration and fear at the same time. She had never seen combat before and she realized that more monsters would try to attack them in the time to come since they were only two. He truly was skilled for his age and never got badly hurt. He was also better with horses than what she was.
And during the whole trip, she was constantly reminded of what a failure she was when she saw him.
A few days had passed when they finally reached their destination. Vah Medoh was gigantic and could be seen from far away in the sky, and Link observed it more than what the Princess did. He found it both fascinating and intimidating at the same time, never have seen anything like it before.
It was early noon and the sun shone brightly over the cool mountains. Link took care of his and Zelda's horses and left them at a stable nearby – they couldn't possibly bring them with them into the village – and they were greeted with songs and warm smiles from the Rito. Zelda first paid her respect to the Rito chief and Link kneeled, not sure what was considered appropriate for a chief, but was quickly told by the feathered leader to stand up again and leave them. So he walked away and stopped at a wooden platform where he could still keep an eye on the Princess in case he was needed.
He looked around him. He had seen many places of Hyrule, perhaps more than others in his age, since he had followed his father to various places when he was still a child. As he grew older and began to serve Hyrule as well, first as a simple foot soldier and later knight, Link had also been placed in different spots for training and defending. Yet, he couldn't recall seeing Tabantha before or the Rito Village. He curiously observed his surroundings in silence and glanced up at the enormous construction above from time to time, still not used to see something so large and almost… alive.
He had seen and met Rito a few times before, but he had never seen how they lived. Their home felt peaceful in the mountains. The air a bit cool. Quiet. Any spoken words were soon gone as the wind brought them with it. But… He turned around. He had heard right. Shy laughter came from a few Rito children as they watched him from behind the fence. He smiled and softly waved to them, causing them to squeal out of excitement and running away, too shy to observe him any longer now when they had been caught. Still smiling, he turned back and returned his gaze to the Divine Beast. He thought to himself that they had most likely never seen a Hylian before.
The serene feeling soon disappeared when a strong wind suddenly blew up, making the platform shake and Link tried to stand firmly on wooden floor for a few seconds until he learned what had caused the wind. The Rito Champion Revali was high up in the sky and locked his eyes on Link before he sank down with spread out wings, confidently landing on the fence with one last flap and crossed the wings over his chest. Link listened as Revali immediately began to boast about how much superior he was compared to Link. Link didn't like what he heard – he would have thought that Revali was mocking him if they weren't both Champions – but he stayed still as the Rito stepped around him and didn't show any signs of annoyance. After years of serving Hyrule, he knew better than to let anyone provoke you so it shows. Revali might be proud and have a strong self-confidence, but Link wouldn't let that annoy him.
He listened to the last words of Revali's monologue before the Rito took off, laughing at Link and landed on Vah Medoh again. The wind was strong again and Link instinctively covered his eyes with an arm until it faded away.
Ok. Link changed his mind, Revali had indeed mocked him. His previously good mood had turned sour. He wasn't sure why he had said those things, he thought that they were together in this? Why had Revali made it sound as if he would rather step into Link's shoes? Link wasn't sure what was awaiting him except for a fight which might be the toughest one he would ever have.
Perhaps Revali had only tried to say that Link need to get stronger, better, if he would stand a chance. Could it really be that terrible? He had only been briefly told what it meant to carry the Master Sword but it hadn't truly sunken in yet. It was still fairly new to him. Perhaps he would ask Princess Zelda to tell him more?
No. He couldn't let her know how unprepared he was. He must stay strong. The lives of the Princess, the King, everyone in Hyrule… those Rito children… they all depended on him. He mustn't lose. There was no other option than to stand victorious.
His head hung low as the thoughts began to fill his mind. Serving as a royal guard at such a young age had its downsides. At the beginning it had felt welcoming even though the training had become more intense. But soon some of the men had become jealous of Link fast advancement and the mood in the hallways had changed. Sure, there were still who cheered on him but it was harder to appreciate as the words got harsher whenever their superior wasn't nearby. He spoke less as the months passed and the ones who used to greet him soon stopped when he didn't reply back. Having a problem free unit was important, he knew that, and he had tried his best to fit in with the older men of the royal guard. But it wasn't easy, they treated him differently for a reason he couldn't find out. And ever since the he had pulled the sword out, he hadn't spoken at all unless it was to reply a command. His comrades soon realized that it was his duty to protect the kingdom from the doom that crept closer and closer, and the pressure on him grew bigger and bigger. The harsh words disappeared but it was the never ending hopes of him succeeding that made it feel as if he was carrying the world on his shoulders. He figured that it was the best to stay silent and keep a strong face to let them have something to hope for, and he let their words cling onto him. He wasn't blaming them, he would probably have felt and acted the same if someone else was carrying the sword. No one wishes to die after all, even if you're a knight and prepared for the worst.
He had felt something when he first grabbed onto the sword before pulling it out and that feeling had been enough to convince himself that he would succeed. But the doubts began to grow when he hadn't felt it since. It had been a few weeks and he was no longer sure if he had felt anything to begin with.
He turned his head up quickly when he noticed the Princess' presence and cleared his mind. His face once more expressionless and hands placed behind his back, his focus was completely on the Princess again. She stepped down to the platform, dressed in a formfitting suit instead of her ordinary dress which was less practical for traveling.
"The Rito elder wished to speak to me privately but he asked me to let you know that he'll pray for our success. When we all have to face… Well, you know already, I suppose." She nervously picked on her fingers. She hoped she didn't sound silly for reminding him of their fate, it wasn't precisely something someone easily forgets. She continued with a steady voice. "I need to make some adjustments on the Divine Beast and ensure that Revali can control it before we leave. It might take some time and I don't think you have to stay with me while I'm working on it." And she would get a moment without him following her so closely. "So, that means that you're free to do whatever you want in the meantime." She looked him in the eyes, hoping that he understood, with hands still fidgeting. She took a few more steps on the platform, passing him slightly, and waited for Revali to steer Vah Medoh down so she could enter the Beast. He did so with less difficulty than she had expected and stepped into it with the help of her knight's steady hand. And Link watched the gigantic mechanical bird lift and soar into the sky again. He kept his eyes on it for a few minutes as if making sure that it would really keep them afloat. It seemed to stay steady.
Relaxing a bit, Link no longer held his stiff, soldier-like posture and turned around to leave the platform. He slowly strolled around in the unfamiliar village, silently observing Rito men and women carrying on with their lives as usual and children playing in the air or singing sweetly. They seemed so oblivious to the doom which drew closer with every day. It must have been nice.
The more Link observed, the quicker he noticed the foreign design of the bows which some of the men were carrying. He wished he could get a chance to see what made them different from the ones he was used to but naturally no arrows were shot in the village. Instead, the men soon flew away to some faraway spot in the mountains which Link couldn't properly see. He supposed they must have gone to some kind of training ground.
Speaking of training, he was reminded of what Revali had told him. Link thought for a moment and considered it for being an excellent time to practice more with his new sword. He was already a perfect archer but he could spend the time practicing with his bow as well, depending on how much time it would take for Princess Zelda and Revali with the Divine Beast. The question was only where he could go and practice?
He looked up to the sky and the Princess. Then he glanced down to the ground just outside the village. And up again. He hesitated. He didn't want to be too far away in case he would be taken for intentionally neglecting his job for a while. But if he stayed nearby the village, it couldn't hurt too much, right?
He decided that it was worth the risk and began to exit the village. He could keep checking the Beast every now and then while taking a break from practicing after all.
Link had allowed himself to catch some proper sleep after days of traveling, now that they had been staying in an inn in a village properly protected by trained soldiers like himself. He woke up feeling fresh, gratefully savoring the food they had been offered as breakfast (he would have finished what was left from the Princess' bowls if he didn't think it was inappropriate) and Zelda politely thanked the Rito elder for the hospitality before they fetched their horses at the stable nearby the village and departed.
Link stayed silent during the whole journey back to the Castle, keeping his mind occupied with unanswered questions about his sword, about who had held it before him, about what he eventually would have to face. He never tried starting a conversation with the Princess first since he knew that it was not in his place. Every soldier and knight knew not to speak with a member of the Royal family or the nobles unless they addressed you first. And while he had heard her speak to him, he found it difficult to respond, searching for the right words and never been able to give her a reply.
Staying silent was the best option he thought. Silence couldn't raise or lower anyone's expectations. But he didn't consider that his silence could make the Princess feel anxious around him. She seemed so collected at all times.