Chapter Text
1
The mirror before Saki showed an image she was not quite used to. Her bright pink hair glistened and shone as usual, swept back, flowing down into wondrous curls at the base of her neck, held neatly in place by a white headband patterned with blue triangles on the edges. A fairly standard for her look for her but on this night the rest of her was a sight to behold. Her peach-coloured beak was finely polished and reflected the light of the room like another mirror, her feathers were nearly trimmed and styled in a way that flowed perfectly all across her face and down her neck to her extravagant tunic, red silk lined with gold at the edges and a pink bow on the front. The wraps around her shoulders were clean leather lined with golden tassels. Around her waist, the same tassels and silk, accentuating her hips wonderfully while still keeping her tunic secure. She took a step back and raised her wings, adjusting the jewel encrusted earrings attached to her ears before she dropped her wings to her chest and brushed down, flattening out some of the folds in the fabric. She stood still, checking over every aspect of herself in the mirror, taking a deep breath, calming herself down. She could do this, she was ready.
Behind her, she heard a swish, like the flap of a curtain. She turned and watched the clean white feathers and yellow, grey-tipped beak of her fiancé, Teba, stride in. Despite his naturally stern gaze, his smile radiated through the room, genuine and powerful. He was dressed just as formally as Saki and yet he seemed so impressed and taken aback when he set eyes on her. "My goodness." He said, raising a wing to his chest.
"Don't get too excited, we've a whole evening ahead, remember?"
"How could I forget? Introducing my darling bride to the village." He stepped forward and wrapped his wings around her, calmly pulling her closer before burying his beak into the back of her neck, softly nuzzling, sending the Rito equivalent of soft kisses her way. "I couldn't be more excited."
"Nervous, more like." She felt it again, the pang of fear, like a knife in the chest, a sinking feeling coming from the idea.
"Is something the matter?." Teba said, a hint of concern creeping up onto his face. Saki stepped away, towards the curtain of the hut.
"Everyone's expecting us, let's not hold anyone up, let's give them what they want." She brushed the curtain aside, turning a gaze back towards Teba, still standing in the centre of the room, empty space engulfing him. Saki held out a wing for him to take, her feathers blowing softly in the wind. Teba continued to stand for a moment, thinking before he reached his own wing out, taking Saki's and following her out.
2
The sky was a midnight blue, dotted with twinkling stars and the occasional cloud obscuring the full moon. The breeze was soft on Saki's feathers as, wing wrapped around Teba's, they slowly walked down the wooden steps towards the bridge to the small islands connecting the main village to the rest of Hyrule. The walk towards the island was intolerably long for Saki, each step feeling heavier than the last, a greater tension mounting on Saki's back, weighing her down every moment.
She looked up, before her, on the island stood a large congregation of Rito, some of whom were known to her, others not so much but it was safe to assume that the entire village was here. Between the tops of the rocks, strings of coloured flags had been taped up and torches had been set up around the area at various intervals in order to light the area. While the adult Rito spoke calmly to each other, holding drinks, the children were free running around playing games with each other. Every now and then one would fall off the edge and promptly take flight and swoop back on to resume the game. Dotted around the congregation were a few non-rito guests, a few Hylians, including some Sheikah, a few Gerudo women, a couple of Goron and even one Zora. Saki couldn't help but be impressed by the massive turnout which also did very little to alleviate the pressure now crushing her shoulders.
The pair arrived on the island, Teba, a proud smile on his face while Saki wore the same shy and nervous stare. She tried not to make eye contact, even as every face in the crowd now turned their way. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked. The pair took a first step off the bridge and onto the island as the crowd gradually, one by one, fell completely silent, each head turning their way, looking expectantly at the pair. Teba held his head up high, a mighty presence he held over the village and their guests, something Saki couldn't help but find inspiring, she'd always loved that about him, that was why she loved him. "Welcome, all! Rito and non-Rito alike! Thank you all for being here tonight, it's an honour to have you all here. While it would be so easy, in fact, so delightful to get straight on with what we're here for there wouldn't be much point in you staying once that's out of the way so let's continue to enjoy ourselves a while!" Teba raised his wing as the rest of the village followed suit, laughing and cheering at his silly remark. Slowly, as if on a delay, Saki did the same and timidly raised her wing too.
The crowd thinned out again as the pair stepped forwards, Teba immediately reaching his wings out, wrapping them around a nearby Rito in a friendly hug.
He and Saki parted ways quick, she'd stayed only a few minutes while he talked to some guests but once she'd completed the formalities she departed and crossed the island. By the small pool in which the children splashed waves at each other, the Hylian children's waves being put to shame by the Rito's, their wings giving them something of an advantage, there was a table adorned with various drinks and glasses. Saki walked up and rested her wings on the table, taking a few deep breaths before she took a small glass filled with some form of champagne and raised the thing to her beak, taking a sip.
She looked around and caught sight of another Rito figure jogging towards her, yellow feathers with a white belly, and a light orange beak. Her eyes were an astonishing purple and she was wrapped in a stylish brown tunic, decorated with red and blue patterns at the sides. Saki's chest was suddenly filled with warmth and happiness at the sight of her closest friend. "Saki! Hi!" The Rito woman said as if she somehow didn't expect to see her here. She reached out her wings and wrapped them around Saki's back, Saki doing the same in return, both of them pulling each other into a long hug, rocking from side to side excitedly. The Rito woman leaned back, her arms still around Saki's back. "So, are you finally going to tell me what this is all about?"
"Ena, I've told you, we're to do social calls and then we're to make an announcement." Saki said.
"Well I believe you've filled your quota for social calls already then, besides, I'm pretty sure the whole village has figured out what all this is about. I mean, come on," Ena raised a glass. "Champagne? The drink of celebrations? I know I've figured it out, you couldn't make it more obvious that-" Saki swung a wing around and grabbed Ena's beak, holding it shut.
"Don't say it."
"Mrph mrm mmph mrph?"
"I'm sorry?" Saki let go of Ena's beak, letting her speak.
"But aren't you excited?" Ena asked. Saki looked around, the gathering of people all here to see her and her boyfriend, all of whom had probably already guessed that this elaborate party was to announce their engagement. It was what everyone had been expecting, what they'd all been wanting. So why wasn't Saki as excited as everyone else? Why was it that the idea of the announcement filled her with dread? This was what she'd always wanted, everyone said so.
"I don't know." She looked back to Ena who wore a concerned but empathetic smile on her face. "I guess I'm just nervous." Ena placed a comforting wing around Saki's shoulder, bringing her closer as the pair leant against the large rock beside the table and the pool.
She managed finally to relax a little, drinking a little more of the champagne while she joked around with Ena for a few minutes, the conversation steering away from the state of her relationship and towards the weather and other safe topics until, in the corner of their eyes, they spotted a Rito man with brown feathers and blue eyes, one wing raised, waving to get the pair's attention. Ena caught his gaze and smiled. The Rito man, Eva's husband, Hovet, beckoned the two to join him and his small congregation, all of whom were talking and laughing together. Ena finally let her wing fall from around Saki's shoulder and took a step forwards, turning to face Saki as she did.
"You coming?" She asked, a bright smile on her face.
"You go on, I'll stay here for a bit." Saki replied, taking another sip from her champagne.
"Are you sure?" Concern creeped more and more onto Ena's expression as she spoke but Saki kept up her smile.
"I'm fine, honestly, you go on." Saki raised her glass and pointed it in the direction of the group as she spoke.
"Well… if you're sure." Ena took a few steps back. "I'll try not to be too long."
"Take as long as you like." Saki said. Ena smiled again then turned and left, jogging up to her group, immediately wrapping her wings around her husband and nuzzling into his neck. He wrapped his wings around her and did the same.
Saki's smile fell slowly. Once again she found herself slightly overwhelmed as she leant against the rock, taking in the magnitude of the congregation that were gathered for them. She looked around the island, everyone in pairs or small groups talking, laughing and joking together. Somewhere off to the side was another pool, Saki watched as the Zora lady jumped in to show some of the children playing there some Zora tricks, the same way any self-respecting Rito would take the opportunity to show a Hylian with a paraglider 'how it was really done'. Saki raised the glass to her beak again, polishing off the last of her champagne before she turned and set the empty glass down on the table.
She perked her gaze up and watched as a small group of Rito moved along in the distance. As they passed the space behind them became visible and by a different rock on the opposite side of the island, standing still and alone was a Hylian woman. Her skin was light and fair, her eyes green like gemstones, hair blonde and shoulder length, clipped back at the ears. Her nose was small and round and her lips full and pink. She was the epitome of natural Hylian beauty, something Saki had never considered before, especially not in a woman. She wore a green tunic, brown trousers with lighter brown boots and a vest lined with various hooks and pockets. Around her neck was a blue Hylian hood, currently lowered and on her back she wore a large backpack, from the top of which poked the hilt of a sword and the top of a shield. The woman's hands, encased in comfortable looking leather fingerless gauntlets, held a glass which she swirled around before taking it up to her lips and taking a slow sip. She simply stood and observed various groups, her gaze like a fishing line, searching for the perfect target to reel in some gossip. Her head turned to watch another pair, potentially tempting them with her social bait but she nodded along, passing them up before turning her head again, her eyes almost passing along but locking fixedly with Saki's stare. Saki felt something strange, like some sort of upheaval in her stomach, a rush of confusing feelings filling her as this astoundingly gorgeous and mysterious woman looked in her direction, like she was analysing every inch of her being until a smile slowly picked up on the woman's face and, with that simple grin, that simple, cunning, wild grin, Saki was hooked.