Chapter Text
Prologue:
As the deep-blue feathered Rito laid astride his trusty Divine Beast Vah Medoh, perched atop Rito Village with its enormous mechanical claws, Revali closed his tired eyes. He took in everything from his other senses that his eyes could not. The story of the world could not be told through his eagle-eyed vision.
He took in the fresh scent of the wet grasslands wafting through the wind all the way up from Hyrule Field; It had been raining there just moments ago, and the smell was almost intoxicating. He loved that smell all too much.
He took in the sounds of birds singing in the distance, of the bustle and weave of the Rito below. He could just about hear the sound of one particular Rito, going by the name Teba, uttering the words “I love you” to his wife Saki and his son Tulin, as they all went to bed for the night. The blue Rito’s mouth muscles moved of their own accord as he heard those words. He had not smiled in a very long time. It was odd to him that he felt so at ease, so relaxed that he could smile at simple words like that.
And he took in the feeling of cool stone at his back that had been warmed by the sun and blue feathers, only accented by open air and breezes rolling in all the way from the distant Hebra Mountains. He wasn't sure if there was ever a day as perfect as today 100 years ago.
Alas, there he was, drifting away from the world before him into a peaceful rest. He knew the Hero would be facing Ganon sometime soon, however Revali could not bring himself to worry about anything. With the destruction of Hyrule, lo, 100 years ago, he hadn’t been able to relieve the tension that had been plaguing his mind as a spirit until now.
“Go! I’ll cut them off,” shouted one gruff, low pitched voice.
“No! There are too many! You… You’ll be killed!” The voice that shouted back was softer and higher in pitch. The person this voice belonged to was holding a baby: their only child.
“You must go! Save him.. Save our child,” pleaded the lower voice, much softer this time. This voice belonged to the child’s father. The child’s parents hugged and wept for each other, not wanting to let go, desperate for any other choice, but they knew they didn’t have one. The father backed away and turned to face the onslaught of Bokoblins, Moblins, Lynels, and more heading their way.
“GO!” As the man shouted back to the mother, she hesitated for only a moment before turning on her heel claw and fleeing. She could fly, as she had the brilliant wings of a bird, but thanks to a Bokoblin scout that had gone ahead of the rest, one was broken. Luckily, the father had been able to grab a sword from the wall – it had originally been a decoration gifted to them by a friend at Rito village – and had killed the creature before it could do anything else. The mother ran and ran, trying to stay ahead of the horde.
“It’s okay,” she cooed to her baby as it started to wail from all the jostling. “We’ll be safe soon, I promise.”
They soon arrived at a neat little cabin just north of Rito Village and she decided to shack up there for the time being. The fireplace was already lit. She rummaged in the various boxes at either side of the chimney, trying desperately to find food. Luckily, the cabin was a supply and rest point. There was a bed on the right, and a table and chair on the left.
As the mother placed the sweet child o’ hers onto the bed, she fished out some appropriate foodstuffs that she could mush into baby feed: a few Swift Carrots, some Fleet Lotus Seeds, and some Swift Violets. She found a mortar-and-pestle and got to work pressing and kneading the ingredients together into a sort of liquid paste that she could feed to her little one. She was careful not to agitate her broken wing.
After feeding her baby, the mother laid down, attempting to sleep. She cuddled the baby tight to her soft, feathery bosom and promptly closed her weary eyes. However, slumber would never come, as just a few minutes later she could hear the footsteps of the horde approaching. She decided to run again, quickly hopping off the bed and scooping up her child in her good wing. The horde was coming from her left as she exited the cabin; she ran the other way as fast as her small talons could carry her.
The Rito mother followed the path around towards the bridges to Rito Village, but was cut off by arrows landing in front of her. She turned to where they came from based on the angle of how the arrows landed. Bokoblins on horses had caught up to her and they were now too close for her to be able to move out the way. As quickly as she could, she turned away and held her baby close to keep him away from harm. The Bokoblins whizzed past and she fell to the ground. An excruciating pain spread all across her back and down one leg. She held her son tight to her, keeping him warm whilst she lay there trying to catch her breath. She coughed a few times, a bright red liquid spewing across the snow just a few inches away from her beak.
The mother stayed there for a few moments longer before struggling to get off the ground. She stood with a crooked posture, slowly limping her way over the bridge to Rito Village. After about 5 minutes, she had made it to the main arch to the village. However, the pain was worsening. She could not go any further. She slumped against the left arch post and held her baby to her as she awaited death's slumber.
After a while, a Rito guard found her barely alive.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” the guard asked. The mother slowly, carefully held the baby up to the guard, uttering a few words with her last breaths.
“Take him… Take my son,” she gasped out as she started coughing again. When she stopped, the guard asked for the baby’s name.
“Re… vali,” she breathed out with her last breath.
And then she was gone.
“Revali, I’m sorry. I was not aware your life had such a tragic start.” The Hero bowed his head apologetically as he spoke to the blue-feathered Rito sitting next to him atop a cliff overlooking Hyrule Field. Revali looked at Link as if he had just seen a ghost.
“I wasn’t expecting sympathy from you, of all people,” Revali said evenly, which was strange for Link to hear from him. He was used to snide remarks or quips. He smiled lightly and softly patted the bird on the shoulder, a sign of comfort and respect. “As much as it hurts to say this, I must thank you for listening to my tale. It is not a great one, so I was reluctant to tell anyone, let alone you,” the Rito explained hesitantly. “Do not get me wrong here, I still have my reservations about you.”
Link’s chest gave a low rumble as he chuckled. He understood exactly why Revali felt the way he did; Link felt the same, after all.
“Don’t worry, Revali. I know how you feel about me, too,” he agreed, his smile brighter than before. Revali laughed too, which was alien to him. He had not expected to be laughing with his rival like this. It was a strange feeling. Revali liked it.
“I appreciate your candor. It was quite amusing. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed like that, so you’re the first person to hear it,” Revali admitted. Link looked happy at that statement.
“I’m glad it was me. But, I need to ask. What is your opinion of me? The truth.”
“I think you are a very skilled warrior, and I have gained a little respect for you since our first meeting on my landing at Rito Village,” Revali replied, plainly and bluntly. He saw no need to put Link down as he had done before. “I’ve seen you in combat firsthand, you know? On top of that, I watched you train against soldiers when I last visited Hyrule Castle. You came out of every battle with nary a scratch. I was quite amazed that you could be so lucky.” Revali eyed Link with a look of respect, despite his last remark. “But it isn’t enough…” Revali’s head lowered. He looked worried, almost scared. He wouldn’t dare show it to anyone else except for Link in this moment alone. Weakness was not expected of him, after all. Link looked at the bird with an eyebrow raised; a silent question. One which Revali was happy to answer. “I simply must say it: as you are now, you won’t ever come close to beating that wretched beast. You need to be so much stronger than you are now. You had better train as if your life was on the line, because if you don’t… Then it will be, and the rest of Hyrule will go with you.” Revali only barely concealed his desperation behind a half-hearted snarl, but he knew the Hero could see through him. They both dearly did not want to lose the battle to that wretched beast.
Link nodded with a slight hum and turned to face Hyrule Castle, which sat majestically in the distance, lit up brilliantly by the full moon above. The two now sat in silence together, basking in the calm of the night. There was a cool breeze that wisped through the trees behind them, making them rustle and sway. A few leaves floated away in the wind. Some acorns fell to the ground. It was the perfect image of peace. A sort of calm before the storm, so to speak.
Link yawned. He must be tired. And so he stood up, said goodnight to Revali who returned the words in kind, and retreated to their tent. They were stuck camping with each other for three more days, watching the roads. They may as well get comfy and be nice to one another for that amount of time. It was not long before the blue Rito himself yawned, and he stood and turned towards the tent. Revali wished there was more than one tent but he supposed there wasn’t much he could do about it. It was better than sleeping outside. When he entered the tent, Link was already fast asleep. That was quick, even for a Hylian. At least I won’t be pestered while I sleep, he thought to himself, amused.