The drive from Goron City to Rito Village was much longer, even if they took the most direct route, which wound its way through northern Hyrule towards the west. Without the benefit of the main interstate, the drive was slower, and it would have been late in the night by the time they arrived. This only caused in argument between Link and Zelda.
"We should just drive straight through," Zelda said.
"It will be the middle of the night," Link argued. "We won't be doing anything until morning, anyways, so we might as well stop now."
"Where? At some sleazy motel on the side of the road?"
"I'm sorry if that's beneath you," Link snapped. "But I'm tired and I'm not driving any more."
"Then I'll drive."
Link laughed. "I don't think so."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means I don't trust you enough to stay awake through the night."
"Yeah, that's what you meant."
"Why are you so against sleep? I'm exhausted."
"Fine," Zelda muttered. "But I get my own room."
"I'm not paying for that."
"I want my own room!"
"You're being ridiculous."
"I don't need you trying to take advantage of me."
Link rolled his eyes and pulled into the lot. "Don't flatter yourself, Princess." He stepped out of the car leaving Zelda inside as she stared after him.
"Excuse me?" she said stepping out and trotting after him. "I'm attractive. I could be taken advantage of."
"Then I guess you'll want to stay with me so I can protect you." Link strode across the lobby and to the front desk. "One room."
Zelda pushed in front of him and leaned against the counter. "Two rooms."
The woman behind the desk blinked blankly at them as they argued.
"One room," Link said as he stepped around Zelda.
"Is this the kind of place where an attractive woman like me would get taken advantage of?"
"Uh… the doors have their own keys…" the woman said.
"Deadbolt?" Link asked.
"Both."
"It's easy to pick a lock," Link said.
"No one even knows I'm here." Zelda hesitated and turned to the woman. "You won't tell anyone, right?"
"I can't?"
"This was a bad idea," Zelda muttered. "I told you we should have driven right through."
"Give me a damn room!" Link barked.
The woman scrambled quickly to the computer, assigning them a room and practically throwing the keys at Link. With a satisfied grunt, Link made his way through the halls and to their room. Zelda followed closely, giving up the fight she knew she would not win.
"You could have been nicer to her," she snapped at him as Link opened the door.
"You should really have a different alias," Link said.
"What? Why? We're not doing anything suspicious or even dangerous. I travel all the time across Hyrule and never had an issue."
Link let himself fall on top of one of the old, twin beds and sighed. "Someone could be following us."
"Who would follow us?"
"The Yiga Clan."
"Then I guess you'll just have to do your job and stop them."
Link rolled onto his side, his back to Zelda, and yawned. "As long as they don't bother me tonight."
"I'm sure they'll take the night off just for you. They're pretty considerate like that."
Link ignored her and closed his eyes. He listened as she moved about the room, sighing lightly. The bathroom door opened and closed, then a few minutes later opened again. The bed squeaked as she shuffled the blankets about and settled in for the night. The light turned off, but there was a slight glow on the ceiling that Link assumed to be from her phone. After a moment, that light went out, and the night was still.
The drapes provided no relief from the early morning sun, shining right in Link's face the next morning. He groaned and turned over hoping to catch a few more minutes; he had never been much of a morning person. In fact, as a child, he often hid in the hay barn to escape his morning chores, only to be caught napping in the hay.
Link lazily opened one eye and looked across to the next bed. He bolted up right when he noticed Zelda was not in it. Frantic, he pocketed his gun and bolted out the door, bumping into her just outside in the hallway.
"Oh, hey," she said, holding a cheese danish to her lips. "Danish?"
Link stared blankly at her, his mouth gaping slightly. "Danish? What? Where the hell did you go?"
Zelda blinked at him for a moment. "I was hungry."
"You can't just fucking leave like that," he shouted at her.
Zelda held a second danish out before her, offering it to him. "I… got you one, too."
Link snatched the pastry from her angrily. "Don't ever do that again," he growled at her before stuffing it into his mouth. He turned away from her and made his way back inside the room.
"Aw," Zelda said as she followed him. "Were you worried for me?"
"No," Link snapped. "I was worried about my own life. If something happens to you, I'm a dead man."
Zelda snorted lightly. "I guess you're not very good at your job then, since you didn't even hear me leave. I could have been kidnapped and you never would have known."
"Unlikely," Link said, finishing off his breakfast.
"Hey, can we change our plans?" Zelda said between bites. "I want to head home after we're done in Rito Village."
"What for?"
Zelda shrugged. "I have a few things I need to get done before we head to Gerudo City."
"Fine," Link said, unwilling to argue with her any more than he had to. Maybe he could take advantage of their time back in the city to try to get more information on Dorian.
Link didn't waste any more time in the motel, pushing Zelda out of the room and checking out. He was eager to get far away from Revali as soon as he could, and even more eager to get back to the city.
The drive from the motel to Rito Village didn't take long. Like Goron City, Rito Village was nestled high in the mountains, and road access was narrow and limited as the Rito naturally prefered to travel by flight. They arrived in town by mid morning, and Revali didn't waste a moment to greet them in his typical over embellished way.
"I could smell that horrible thing from a mile away," he said, making a face at the car.
Link leaned against the hood, his arms crossed. "Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you."
"Link," Zelda warned.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over that obnoxious engine. Which I also heard from a mile away."
"You must hear that a lot considering any vehicle could out drive you in flight."
Zelda shook her head, her fingers on her temples.
Revali leaned forward, making sure to get in Link's face. "I don't need speed when I have deadly accuracy with a weapon."
"Are you finished?" Zelda muttered, but still, she was not heard.
"You're all talk," Link said. "But I have yet to see you backup your claims."
"How about a little wager, then? We'll settle this once and for all. But, where?" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, how about up there?" He pointed a wing towards the Divine Beast that perched on top of the mountain. "Atop Vah Medoh. Oh, wait." He laughed lightly. "How could I forget? You have no way to get up there on your own, now, do you?"
"Enough!" Zelda shouted. "Honestly! Is this how you act in front of me? I'll have both your damn jobs."
"My apologies," Revali said with a bow to her. "Just some friendly teasing between friends, hm?"
Link rolled his eyes at the Rito.
"Save it," Zelda muttered. "I need to get Vah Medoh activated."
"I would be happy to assist you with that," Revali said. "You'll need help getting up there, of course. I suppose I could bring you up, then." He spread his wings, inviting Zelda to climb onto his back.
"How am I supposed to get up there?" Link asked.
Revali narrowed his eyes at Link from over his shoulder. "I will gladly help Hyrule's Princess, but I don't make a habit of carting people around," he hissed. "I'm not a damn animal."
"I'll be right back," Zelda said to Link as she climbed onto Revali's back.
"You're not going without me," Link said stubbornly, but it was becoming clear to him that he wouldn't have a choice. Revali would not help him win this fight.
"What's the matter, Link? Don't trust your own comrades?" Without waiting for an answer, he flapped his wings and took off into the air.
Link watched as they soared into the sky towards Vah Medoh. He slunk back against the car and waited.