Chapter Text
After spending an extended period with the Ka'o Makagh shrine in the Faroh region, I'm preparing to leave for Lurelin Village before I hear my name being called across the grassy plains. I stand and look up from my backpack to see a Royal Courier approaching with a bodyguard closing in behind him; they look exhausted but remain professional and attempt to hide their fatigue from me.
"Lady Syfyn, we have a letter on behalf of Princess Zelda and our King Rhoam." The Courier says with a grand gesture, proud that he was chosen to deliver such an important message, and I chortle to myself before I volunteer a place at the cookpot to them.
"Oh thank you, you are unbelievably difficult to locate - you hop from place to place like a tireless frog!" The Courier's face conveys his exhaustion, so I propose that they have some fresh milk, and I pass it to them - they snatch it up and drink it as if there to die without it.
While the Courier and his bodyguard take repose by the fire, I take to offering food to the stablemaster and the stablehands. I also offer this to the travellers and merchants gathered in this remote part of Hyrule.
"Okay! Everyone, the food's ready!!" I call, and everyone gathers, holding their wooden plates as the aroma of the prime meat wafts throughout the stables, luring any self of shyness away from them all.
"This is my thanks for being so hospitable and patient with me while I researched the shrine here - you have all been wonderful, and I hope to see a few of you on the roads of Hyrule further along. Now I hope you enjoy it!" I chirp. They talk and eat, the atmosphere calm, and I'm happy as I see faces suddenly zone in on the meal in front of them.
I used prime meat, rock salt, chickaloo tree nuts, and chillies. It's an explosion of rich and robust flavours that has the dish eaten in less than ten minutes. I get feverish compliments and expressions of thanks as they all slowly trickle back to either bed or their horses and donkeys to prepare for the journeys ahead of them.
"Will you be coming with me, or do you have other letters to send?" I ask the Courier, and while the bodyguard leans back and moves his hat down to cover his eyes as he tries to relax his weary muscles and sleep.
"You was the top priority letter, I have to travel to all the stables in Hyrule to deliver the new guidance and protocol when a monster attack occurs", The Courier explains, and then he wipes his brow with the back of his sleeve. I smile and nod along with what he's saying, expressing relief that they were recognised for needing the extra support.
"I too share the same sentiment - now I'm off to sleep, big day tomorrow as always," I say goodnight to the Courier pleasantly before I look at my stallion, who's staring directly at me, and I smile and come over. I dish up Xanthius' grilled greens that I seasoned with a bit of salt, honey and nuts that he adores and eventually, he is satisfied enough to go and rest before our journey tomorrow morning.
I book the bed inside the stables for the last time for this duration and crash into bed and sleep faster than I ever had during my stay; the thought of wasting time being asleep kept me awake and by the shrine.
I slept when I passed out from fatigue, usually midday, but now my research is done, and I'm needed at the castle.
I'm jolted awake the following day to see Xanthius staring down at me, and I sigh and gently pat his snout before rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
"Thank you for getting me up. Also? I still find this weird, don't give me that pleased look" I yawn while he neighs softly and trots back out. Slipping out of my rented bed, I see it's still dark out, but I'm confident that the sun will be rising very soon.
I grab my backpack and swing it onto my back before leaving 100 rupees for the stablemaster as thanks for understanding my work's nature. I walk out into the early morning and saddle up, using a barrel to mount my gigantic horse and setting out.
I take the north path through Faron woods, Xanthius finding great joy in stamping about and disrupting resting birds nearby, and I roll my eyes as he neighs in amusement. When we reach Hylia's bridge, strangely, nobody seems to be crossing it, so I kick my heels, and we speed across. My stallion shows his strength by leaping over a wooden crate, which has me laughing in amusement and shock at the sudden jolting movement.
I stopped to check everything over, and after the inspection, Xanthius and I set back out with a new careful mindset. Passing scouts hill, we see a couple arguing about trying to find a silent princess, and I'd stop if not for how enamoured the man looks in his wife. When the west path arrives in my field of view, I steer my horse in that direction and travel through an outpost.
"You're doing the goddesses work! Keep it up; y'all are doing great!!" I yell as Xanthius goes past, and I get a couple laughs and a cheer of thanks as I leave that settlement and travel on the outskirts of the Forest of Time.
I debated staying at the outpost before going to sleep, but thanks to Xanthius rising me before the crack of dawn, we've got enough time to get further with leisure in mind. Keeping west, I keep looking out for the Champions arena, and when I see it, I take the path north and stick to the track, giving a couple hours of rest to Xanthius before getting back on the road again when the sun's highest in the sky.
We end up curving around the Hyrule Fields till the path we're on adjoins onto another, and when I see the Sacred Grounds, I see Zelda and the champions.
The princess gazes upon Xanthius before anyone else, and the small group seems to have completed the Ceremony of Legend; this makes me a bit sad as I was hoping to be present for it, but I digress. None of them has seen my stallion before, so Link and the champions put themselves between the princess and me, and Xanthius nearly tries to jump over them till I tug on the reins; we turn, and he slams his hooves down as I ruffle my hair.
"My lady, terribly sorry for the fright! Xanthius just gets a bit excited," I say, and she stares at me with wide eyes.
"You have tamed such a large stallion- I dare not ask how," Zelda says, smiling for the first time today, and I then laugh joyously.
"Your wit always put a smile on my face; oh it is such a pleasure to see you again, Zelda. Wanna pet him? Xanthius is the definition of a gentle giant," I say, and I literally jump down, land gracefully, and Zelda hurries over. Xanthius turns, his emerald eyes staring into her before lowering down, and Zelda looks to me as I smile.
"He likes his mane played with" I give her a pointer, and she brushes and combs through the orange locks with her hands; Xanthius weighing in with his own praise as I put my hands on my hips as Zelda looks at me with absolute joy.
"Oh, he is beautiful, Syfyn! You always have an eye for this sort of thing" She looks back, and I then rub my neck embarrassed as she pets the horse with a gentle hand. I notice the champions staring at me, so I take the initiative and walk in front of them.
"My name's Syfyn. It's actually about time I finally met you all in person! Letters are an absolute joy to receive, but I prefer to speak face to face," I say, smiling and the Rito Champion, Revali, gives me a look over.
"You're an excitable Hylian, aren't you?" He says with a tone of annoyance, and I look at him and then shake my head. I choose not to rise to his words as I would with anyone else, purely out of respect and because I want to impress them and not cause a fight.
"Usually I have a cool head on me, I just get really loud and talkative when I'm nervous," I say bashfully, and Daruk smiles and then laughs loudly.
"The princess has told us stories of your travels and what you have done for our mission to defeat Calamity Ganon; I'd like to thank ya for easing up a couple issues and worries we had!" Daruk grins at me while I'm left to smile sheepishly at the praise.
"I'm not playing a monumental role in this fight, so I just wanna be sure that I can assist in any way I can! I don't wanna sit back and watch everything happen around me, honestly I'd go nuts way before that evil rears its head. Oh! That reminds me!" I say and then shrug off my backpack and rummage till I find a strange medallion and then offer it to Zelda.
"I found this, I didn't look into it, so I hope you figure it out", I say, and she is almost relieved to be given it; I knew she needed a distraction from the stress of not having her sealing powers revealed and so I'm working on relaxing her more.
Zelda and Link head to the castle first, and then my attention is on the Champions, who also watched the princess walk with Link - the two seemingly getting along better than they were before I arrived.
"She's beating herself up about her power, isn't she?" I say, worried, crossing my arms as I watch the two walk away, and Mipha asks what I know of Zelda's inner turmoil.
"This young Hylian has been beside the princess since birth, if anyone was to know Zelda it is Syfyn," Urbosa says, and then I smile as I say hello warmly.
"It is a relief to see you are well and thriving; it has been a while since we were last together", She admits smiling, and I bow my head slightly as Xanthius gallops up behind me and rests the bottom of his jaw on my head. I then smile and pat him gently before I walk forwards to the castle, Xanthius following beside me as I rest a hand on his reins.
"I have an inkling that the reason I was summoned is to assist you four with your divine beasts, and I'm gonna go ahead and say now that Purah, Robbie and I have done extensive research on them and the ancient technology. So! If you have any questions or queries, you can ask me anything." I've mellowed down now, and I'm calmer and collected as I then look at each of them.
"That's an excellent observation, Syfyn," Mipha says shyly, and I thank her with a bow of my head. She smiles and blushes slightly as I hold Xanthius' reins as we begin heading to the castle, where the royal bodyguards of Princess Zelda stand around her with Link at her side. Zelda's eyes twinkle in delight when mine meet hers, but her face is serene to uphold the expectations of her role.
I hand off my stallion to the stablehand and stable master, who then call for five people to assist them. He's led to the royal stables, and he gives me a whine as he goes, and I smile at his antics before turning my attention to Zelda; she's put herself in the professional role, and I bow to her before rising once more.
"I have seen to it that your guest room is close to the champions, as you will be working with them for quite some time, and I thought it would be good to get to know them. Tomorrow at noon I do request that you attend the war conference with my father and I, the champions and the ambassadors of each tribe." Zelda speaks with clarity and poise, and I smile and nod my head.
"I shall be punctual, my lady", I promise, and she smiles, turns and walks away with Link and the guards following quickly after. A maid hurries towards me, while a few servants have notably taken up my bags and escaped from my line of vision as they most likely take my belongings to the bedroom chamber I'll be staying in for the duration of my visit.
"Ms Syfyn! Please will you follow me to your quarters?" She smiles with a warm aura surrounding her, and I feel like I'm back home. I follow after the maid after bidding the champions a hearty farewell, and the corridors we walk down are so familiar yet foreign to me.
"Here we are Ms, if you require anything, please ring the bell, and one of the maids or servants will be right with you!" She says before swiftly turning on her heel and allowing the doors to shut behind her.
I focus away from the closing door and instead fixate on the grandeur and the splendid extravagance of the decor in the room, making me feel as if I am a royal which is a stark contrast to the stable I've stayed at.
My bags are placed neatly on the end of my bed, and I don't bother unpacking; instead, I shuffle off my Hylian tunic and trousers; already discarding my dark green hood.
While I'm tempted to simply crash into bed and never wake up again, I decide to dress into a grey nightgown, go through my simple facial routine, and then worm my way under the covers.
It's quiet, except for the patterning of the rain on the balcony, and the chill from the open door has me sitting back up, running a hand through my roots before I shuffle to the balcony and just as I'm about to close the door, I see who is my next-door neighbour.
Revali, the same champion who I earlier had to hold my tongue against, standing on his balcony looking out to Hyrule with a troubled look on his face. His feathers ruffle in the cold breeze that makes goosebumps rise on my skin.
Feeling too shy to say anything, I duck back indoors and miss him looking at me as I turn away. I get back in bed, yawning and rolling my neck to ease the aching sensation while I cuddle into my pillow and hope for a dreamless sleep. My dream as of late has been plagued with nothing but darkness and misery, and I hope to the gods that it's not a sign for the upcoming battle.
But my mind instead wanders to Revali. Despite meeting him only today, that sight on the balcony has made the gears in my mind turn with questions that will never be answered. In the short time they interacted, he seemed proud, nothing like the Rito I just saw outside. Suppose this overthinking is what eventually dragged me into my sleep.