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It didn’t even make an impact.
Just falling to the ground with a weak thud. Weak, pathetic, and never live up to becoming a Rito Warrior like Teba had promised. His bow lays there on the floor of the Flight Range making an angry well up inside of him at the sight.
It wasn’t fair!
No matter what Teba did his arrow kept straying from his bow and sailing way off course. Everyone else in his class has already mastered the simple shot. Even his teacher became concerned when Teba kept missing.
Teba couldn’t help but crouch down and wrap his wings around himself. Tears roll down his cheeks but he refuses actually make a sound. Everyone already believes that he’s pathetic, there’s no need to give them even more reasons.
There’s no one else at the Flight Range since the class had long since returned back to the village for dinner. His teacher had come back after returning her students to their parents but left at some point.
Harth was the only one whom Teba had to convince to go with the class. The Rito had stubbornly refused to leave until Harth’s Dad came to the range to collect him. Even then Harth still tried to get Teba to come back with them but he refused.
It really doesn’t matter if one Rito out of the whole village like Teba. There’s no one in the village for Teba to return home to anyway. Just some orphan that the Chief had taken pity on.
That’s what all the kids kept telling Teba.
Sometimes Teba wonders if anyone would notice if he left.
“My, what’s going on here?”
And then Kaneli would appear.
Peeking out from his hiding spot, Kaneli picks up Teba’s bow and takes his time to look it over. Most of the bows are made by Harth’s family but Teba’s bow was actually crafted by Kaneli’s wife which makes throwing it a terrible thing.
Teba stands up quickly, wobbling a bit, before quickly entering the building. “Sorry, I’m just…” Teba sighs realizing that he doesn’t have a good reason.
Kaneli gestures for Teba to take a seat at the fire which the young Rito does. Watching as the Chief beside Teba and going about restarting the fire. Which had died out at some point when Teba wasn’t paying attention.
“I don’t know what I am doing, Chief.”
Teba ran his wing along the bow - taking note of the cravings and even tracing out his name within the wood. He just wants to be good enough, to prove that Kaneli isn’t wasting his time on him.
“I’m just not good enough to become a Rito Warrior.”
The words felt like fire burning against his skin when Teba said them. He wanted to be a Rito Warrior since he arrived in this village. Seeing these strong and powerful Ritos who are able to not only protect themselves but everyone else as well is something that Teba wants to become.
Learning about Master Revali, someone quite similar to Teba, was the final push that Teba needed to live out his dream.
Instead, reality made itself known and reminded Teba that he was just not good enough.
Kaneli just hums; taking a seat across from Teba and gently taking the bow to place on his lap. The bow’s string had come undone and, with a skill that Teba could never imagine having, Kaneli put the string back into place.
“I remember when I was hunting some odd years ago and out of nowhere this little fledging came out of the bushes.” Kaneli didn’t look at Teba but he didn’t have to.
Teba ducks at the mention of how the two had met.
“I had two thoughts that day: the first was ‘who are you’ and the other was ‘that’s a Rito Warrior if I have ever seen one’.” The Chief holds the bow over the pot and towards Teba, who gently takes it from Kaneli’s wings.
Teba does remember the day that they met, kinda.
Most of his memory are unclear but Teba does remember falling out of a bush somewhere in the woods and came face to face with the deadly end of Kaneli’s arrow. He wasn’t very old and got left to die out there.
Unknown if his parents abandoned him or what. Teba likes to think they are either dead or still out there looking for him. It’s a nice thought, believing he has family out there but it’s just a silly dream that will never happen.
Teba will most likely be alone for the rest of his life.
“You remind me so much of Master Revali that I thought I was seeing him all over again.”
Teba scoffs at that, snapping out of memory lane. “Me? Anything like Master Revali, unlikely.” How could he be anything like the Champion? Teba can’t shoot, can’t fly without help, and is still afraid of the dark! Maybe he should just quit.
Kaneli’s face softened.
“I know you’ll become an amazing person, Teba, and I can’t wait to meet him.”
Teba rolls his eyes at the saying; something that Teba had heard since first meeting Kaneli. Meeting the Teba that Kaneli is expecting and just being disappointed in the end. That’s how it’s going to go and Teba doesn’t want to disappoint the Chief.
“How about we return home?” Kaneli stands and offers a wing to Teba, smiling softly down at the Rito. “I believe there is a nice homemade dinner waiting for us.”
Teba takes Kaneli’s offer, feeling so much like that moment when they first met. It’s silly but Teba really wants to become someone that he can be proud of, not for anyone else but for himself.
And maybe that’s Kaneli’s plan along.
…
Link’s house has been overrun with the whole family coming to visit. Even a few friends have joined them, though everyone is a little divided due to the argument between Link and Zelda. No one knows what happened but they are also adults that can figure it out.
Some of the children are playing a board game at the table. Riju, Molli, Tulin, and Kohga are working together but appear to be losing to Genli, Cree, Kheel, and Sooga. While Notts and Kotts are acting as bankers for each team.
No one is sure what they are playing.
Least of all, Kohga and Sooga.
Link and Penn have been recruited by Saki and Amelia to work on the holiday meal. The two were tasked with making a cheesecake; something that Link wanted to make for everyone for a while now.
Saki and Amelia have been making everything else while talking about Tarrey Town for some reason.
This left Kass, Harth, and Teba who are busily trying to figure out Purah’s new Purah Pad that she had made. From what Teba understands from Link, a theatre group came to Purah to talk about a new means of presenting their work.
And knowing the Sheikah, it’s not surprising that she took up the challenge.
The camera has also been changed to work with the idea of being able to take moving pictures which you can replay. Strange idea but Link was quick to offer to test it out.
Teba and Harth have to lift the giant Purah Pad up against the wall, moving it to the left and the right as Kass asks. However, it’s surprisingly very heavy and the two aren’t what they used to be anymore.
“Do you want help?” Link offered but only got a chorus of ‘no’s instead. “Alright, just know that Penn and I can help.”
Penn quickly looks away, elbowing Link to do the same, due to the wick glares that the duo got from the trio. The two return back to their conversation about the newest story that Traysi wants covered; it seems to be in another country though Teba isn’t sure which one.
“Right there!” Kass quickly takes Harth's spot so the Rito can hook everything into place. He was not expecting the weight of it. “I’m surprised Purah made it so heavy, you would think that she would make it lightweight or something.”
“She said that she was on a roll and didn’t think of anything else.” Link looks back over at them, having been stuck listening to Purah and Robbie about this project. “They’re looking for feedback so I’ll send it along.”
Kass shakes his head before looking over at Teba.
“You good?”
“Just great,” Teba said even though he’s just a bit tired. “How much longer Harth?”
“Got it!” Harth steps back and gestures to his friends to let it go. “Let’s hope it holds.”
Everyone had to stop what they were doing to watch this train wreck. However, the Pad didn’t move an inch and the guys celebrated for a pretty good job.
“I hope we haven’t missed anything!” Stormwind announces after entering the house with Kaneli close behind.
The two had to shake off the snow and Stormwind takes Kaneli’s scarf to hang it up with the other mess of clothes in the wardrobe.
“Grandpa Stormwind!” Tulin jumps to his feet and runs over to greet them, “Grandpa Kaneli!”
Stormwind easily wraps his arms around Tulin and picks him up briefly.
“Hello, Tulin!” Kaneli couldn’t help laughing when Tulin easily reached over from Stormwind to hug him as well.
Once he gets back on his feet, he returns to his friends. Riju teases him about it but Tulin reminds her about her own Grandma Mural. The game gets picked back up quickly after that.
“And happy holidays to you all,” Stormwind said on his way to the kitchen to help out.
Everyone repeats it back to Stormwind before going back to what they were doing.
“Dad, you should really sit down.” Teba steps away from directing Kass and Harth to get the Elder to take a seat on the rocking chair that Link had made for him. “You’re not as young as you used to be.”
Kaneli couldn’t help the laugh as he sat down and waved Teba away from him. “I know but there was a time when I wasn’t.” It’s a joke but also kinda made Teba sad as well.
The two came a long way from when they first met. Even longer for Teba to accept that Kaneli is his Dad and how much time he wasted because of his own stubbornness.
“What do you think, Kaneli?” Harth asks, gesturing to the Purah Pad. “It should be able to display those fancy moving pictures that Purah was working on.”
“Does it actually work?”
That is a very good question that none of them have an answer for.
There was a shy knock on the door before it swung open to reveal Revali, Paya, and Sidon.
“It was not easy getting these,” Revali said. “Also, Sidon had a fight with his sister.”
“It’s quite alright, just the difference about how Mipha and I wanted to celebrate the holidays is all.” Sidon looks a bit awkward in the home even though he has been over far more than anyone else…well, maybe not as much as Tulin and Revali but still a high amount. “Anyways, I did bring a dish is that quite alright?”
“More the merrier, Sidon!” Link quickly grabs his friend and pulls him to the kitchen. He was explaining the whole cheesecake thing, earning a fond look from Saki because this would be the hundredth time this week that he talked about it.
That and pizza.
Saki and Teba have one strange kid.
“Here are the pictures for tonight’s entertainment,” Paya said. She holds her own Purah Pad out for Kass to take since he was tasked with figuring it out. “Aunt Purah had taught me how to set it up if you want help.”
“Sure, that’ll be great.”
Harth had somehow joined in with the kids’ game when no one was paying attention.
Teba slings an arm around Revali’s shoulders, startling him out of his thoughts. “Anything noteworthy?” he questioned. Mostly just to talk to his son than anything else.
Revali looks away from Link and towards Teba. “Whatever happened between Link and the princess was pretty bad.” His son pulled away but didn’t move far so to keep his voice low. “We ran into Zelda on the way out, she didn’t want to speak to me and now Paya is lumped in with us too.”
“Link and Zelda just have to figure it out.” Teba can’t always be meddling in his son’s life, he’s an adult now that can handle his own problem. Unless Link comes to him for help, Teba is staying out of it. “We just need to stay natural in this.”
“I don’t think we can,” Revali nods towards Riju and Tulin. “I heard through Stormwind that Mural isn’t sure what to do with Riju. Urbosa always has a strong stance with Zelda and last I heard Riju hasn’t been seen in Gerudo Town in a while.”
Teba heard a few things but this is getting out of hand quicker than he thought. Maybe they should step in and deal with the matter. At least, to solve any misgivings on either side.
“We’ll figure it out,” Teba said. “Go enjoy the party.”
…
The party continues but Teba’s mind keeps wandering, wanting to solve this before it gets any worse. However, he doesn’t know what to do.
Everyone had found a place around to see the Purah Pad to watch the skit. It was decent enough but it’s clear that the actors are used to this; with time, Teba is sure that it’ll get better and maybe others will get involved as well.
Teba noticed that at some point Kaneli had left but it wasn’t to figure out where he went.
Sitting on the steps at the back door is Kaneli and Teba easily takes a seat next to him.
Snow falls gently from the sky with only a whisper of the winter winds blowing past them. Its probably something to do with having two sages of Wind and the King of the Air hanging out instead.
“I don’t know what to do,” Teba said before explaining the situation that he found himself in. “…Link and Zelda won’t solve this by themselves.”
“Do you know if they tried?” Kaneli ask.
Teba was about to answer but quickly realized that he didn’t. Link refuses to talk about what happened but it is clear it was about the hundred years thing; back when Link was just a knight and Zelda was still the Princess of Hyrule.
A time that Teba knows Link does not remember.
It’s unfair of Zelda to expect Link to know anything of that time. But also understandable after meeting Princess Zelda; both of them are strikingly similar even after all this time.
“I don’t.”
“Then there isn’t much that you can do,” Kaneli said, looking at Teba. “You can offer to help Link or you can wait until he comes to you, either way, it’s out of your control.”
The two fell silent; watching the snow fall and coat the ground.
It reminded Teba a bit of that moment in the Flight Range all those years ago. He is stubborn and hates the fact that he can’t be good enough like everyone else. Actually, Kaneli had only repeated his saying a few times over the years and Teba completely forgot about it.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Teba.”
His Dad looks at him with pride; a look that Teba had only seen in passing since he was always stubbornly looking away.
Teba couldn’t help but feel proud of himself in this moment as well. Even though he doesn’t have all the answers, and doesn’t know how to help his son, being able to get to this point anyway is a huge thing that Teba had pushed to the back of his mind.
He couldn’t help leaning into Kaneli’s open side.
“It’s good to meet you as well, Kaneli.”