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Mipha sees it, the way Link looks into the princess’s eyes like she hung the moon, the way he is always close to her not only for his duty, the way he seems to lower his facade only around her. She sees it all. She knows that the two have unspoken feelings that are told through actions. The descendant of Hylia and the Heroes spirit brought together by fate, how much more poetic can that get? Mipha can only acknowledge that the man of her supposed dreams has fallen in love with another woman, no matter how bitter that may be…
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One evening, Mipha finds herself sitting in her room, looking at the Zora armor that lays on her desk. She looks at the scales that she sewed on one by one to match Link’s measurements perfectly, the hours she spent pricking herself on needles to make them neat…
She thinks of the memories she has of him, smiling bittersweet at them. She sighs and stands up, setting the armor aside and heading out of her room. She walks along the domain, watching the people of it smile and enjoy themselves in the fine evening weather. She’s glad her people are happy in her domain but it feels like salt in an open wound because of her inner turmoil.
Eventually she finds herself grabbing her trident and leaving the domain, taking a walk in hopes to clear her mind. Though, the trident is in case something happens. Monster attacks have been more common lately with the upcoming calamity, better safe than sorry. She didn’t mention her departure to anyone, if she’s being honest she forgot to with her mixed emotions.
While walking she looks around the scenery, finding the bleeding colors of the sky quite nice. The settling sounds of the forest add to the peacefulness of the walk. It was calm for a while, soothing her active mind and bringing it to a serene quiet. That was until she heard a loud grunt echo through the forest and followed curses.
She immediately springs into warrior mode, what if someone is in danger? She immediately heads towards the sound of the noise and finds an unexpected sight.
The Rito Champion, in all his prideful glory is currently cursing and throwing a wooden club at a nearly dead bokoblin. Once the thing disappears (after being bonked in the head), Revali huffs and composes himself enough to grab his bow. But the bowstring is broken, seemingly cut in half.
He looks at the bow and grumbles a few more curses before looking up and locking eyes with Mipha, who was hiding behind some foliage and watched his outburst. He didn’t know it was her at first until he recognized the trident and eyes that are shimmering in the setting sun. He tenses for a second before sighing and looking back at his bow.
“Well, if it isn’t the Zora princess herself, what a surprise.” His tone is clearly sarcastic, using her title and a less than welcoming expression. It’s weird, normally he’s quite kind to the Zora. Well, as kind as kind can get for him.
Mipha steps out and brushes off any leaves that clung to her as she looks up at him fiddling with his bow. “Greetings to you too Revali, I hope I didn’t interrupt whatever just happened too badly.” She matches the sarcastic energy for a moment, she can be quite witty for such a sweet face.
Revali lets out a quiet “tch…” and still doesn’t look at her. Mipha continues, “anyways, you aren’t injured are you? Aside from your ego that is.” Revali looks at her in indignation and sputters illegible words for a moment before groaning and looking away once more. It’s barely noticeable but the feathers on his face ruffle up…
Mipha smiles at his fluster, quietly giggling before composing herself. “Sorry, I suppose that was a bit unnecessary from me. Are you sure you’re okay?” Revali scoffs “a bit?- Nevermind. Yes Mipha, I’m fine. The damn boko just decided it was a brilliant idea to cut my bowstring while I was gathering materials.” He walks over and sets the bow down by his fire before he starts rummaging through his bag for something.
Mipha follows him curiously, observing him as he rummages and mutters different things under his breath. Revali has always piqued Mipha’s curiosity, the way he acts and does things catches her attention. What slightly upsets her though is his undeniable dislike of Link. For what she can tell, Link hasn’t done anything to Revali that would provoke such a reaction.
After a bit of Mipha just thinking she’s startled out of her thoughts when she hears Revali clearing his throat, “What’s got you all spaced out over there?” He asks, partway curious, partway confused. Mipha shakes her head and replies with a tone that reads mental exhaustion “nothing, just random thoughts. No need to worry.”
Revali looks at her, raising a brow in something that could be passed as concern but doesn’t think much of it. He shrugs and goes back to messing with his bow, “whatever you say, Princess.”
The sun has set by now and the stars illuminate the sky as tiny specs of light compared the vast black canvas they’re laying on. The other light source in the night is Revali’s fire, which he’s sitting next to and replacing his bowstring. Mipha watches him, there are not many bow users in the domain, so she always finds herself drawn to his bow and the way it works.
Soon she interrupts the quiet atmosphere. “So Revali, what brings you all the way out here? I can imagine the flight is quite long.” Revali huffs, “some of the Rito in the village wanted me to grab some plants that only grow over here, and they figured that I have the skill to do it. As if I have the time to, we’re preparing for a war, not a picnic. But I digress…” he doesn’t seem as upset as he sounds, more like a kid being told to go grab groceries against their will.
Mipha nods “I see. If I may, what were you looking for?” “Swift violets, blue nightshades, and some other flowers that grow over here. They were pretty insistent that I get them from this region…I’ve stopped asking why.”
The Zora hums in acknowledgment. Swift Violets were her favorites, always have been. Blue nightshades… Those were Link’s favorite, last she knew anyway. She shakes the thought of him away and speaks once more “What’s your favorite flower?”
The question must’ve been surprising because the Rito raises a brow in confusion. “My favorite flower? I’m a warrior, not a gardener-“ “and? You can still have a favorite” she interrupts, not giving him the chance to stroke his ego. He hesitates before finally replying “fine. I enjoy the aroma of cool saffinas…good enough?” He looks very unenthusiastic about the topic.
Mipha smiles “yes, thank you.” He looks back to his bow and messes with it some more. After some fiddling with it he stands up and grabs an arrow, he knocks the arrow, pulls the drawstring back, and aims at a tree. He pauses out of focus and then releases the arrow, sending it swiftly into the tree with perfect aim. He tries to suppress a proud smirk but it doesn’t work, showing the pride he feels in his efforts.
Mipha can’t deny there isn’t something charming about that smirk. He wears it most of the time as a way to hide things, but on rare occasions there’s a genuine aspect to it. And it’s undeniably attractive.
“Good as new, wouldn’t have even known that boko broke it.” He says with pride, grabbing the arrow off of the tree and walking back to where he once was. He looks at Mipha, quietly for a moment, before speaking up “Are you camping out here with me tonight? I thought you had a domain to attend to.” He doesn’t sound annoyed, just curious.
Mipha shrugs, “I’ll be heading back soon, I’m sure the domain will be fine until then.” Revali nods and puts his bow up, “do what you must, princess.” He stretches and sits down by the fire once more, looking into it.
Mipha looks at him and with some confusion “Revali?”
“Hm?”
“Why do you always address me by my title as Princess? The others call me my name and only call Zelda the princess, but you almost always address me as princess…I can’t help but be curious as to why that is.” She speaks with curiosity, no ill intent from her words.
Revali is quiet for a moment, looking at the fire and then Mipha before looking away with a scoff. “Just because I wasn’t born into privilege doesn’t mean I don’t respect it.”
Mipha acknowledges the logic but then tilts her head and speaks without thinking “if that’s the case, if us Champions as a whole are privileged, why does it seem you disrespect and treat Link so much differently?” She regrets her words when she sees the way the Rito tenses.
“That little Hylian doesn’t deserve my respect or my praise, not yet.” His words are cold and bitter, but he continues, “I’ve seen the way you’ve all trained, harnessing your abilities and using them to the utmost potential. Hell, I’ve trained and harnessed my abilities but not once have I seen anything from him that gives him my respect. I don’t care if he was chosen by Hylia herself, he’s just some golden boy who happened to be chosen.”
Mipha is stunned for a moment at his honesty. She never thought there was such a deep-seated reason for his disdain towards the swordsman. She sees the way he clenches his beak, like he has more to say but is holding back.
“It isn’t fair that he gets all of the admiration and respect because he just happened to pull the darkness sealing sword. I had to work tooth and nail to get where I am, for what? To just be cast off to the side in the end? All of the sleepless nights, the days I didn’t eat, the time I spent mastering my gale for it to be worth nothing-“
“Revali!” A sudden shout and grasp of his hands interrupts the Rito’s rant and shuts it down. He feels the tinier, colder hands on his own and sees the Zora looking at him with a defiant spark in her eye.
“It may not be fair that he was chosen by fate, it may not be fair that everyone put in hard work and he still gets praise, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t put in the work either. He’s worked just as hard as the rest of us and I know you may not see it but it shows.”
Her immediate defense of Link sends Revali for a loop. He feels hot bitterness burn in his mind and cold jealousy swell in his heart. Something about the way she looks when she defends Link makes it all click for him. He clenches his fists and looks away, taking a wobbly breath. “Of course it’s him…it’s always him.
Mipha finds herself confused at the words but shakes it away and focuses back on him with a much more gentle tone. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t see your efforts either. I’ve seen your effort, your time, and your everything to be where you are now. I can tell simply by just the amount of scars you have under your feathers. The days you spent training weren’t wasted, they were put to where they were suited best.”
Revali stays quiet for a long moment, thinking over her words of reassurance and praise. He would never admit to the rush of heat on his face or the shaking of his hands. He didn’t know how to reply, his emotions were too big and mixed to make anything out clear.
After a long silence Mipha starts to say “I suppose I should be heading back to my domain now…it’s quite late.” She goes to pull her hands away but Revali suddenly grabs her hands gently but firmly. “Wait-“ he looks up, startled at his own actions. A childlike vulnerability plays across his face before he snaps out of his trance and lets go of her hands. “Sorry…for earlier I mean…” he looks away once more.
Mipha is surprised initially at his actions but doesn’t react rudely at all, rather more flustered and surprised. She composes herself once more, “it’s quite alright… just do try and sleep well. I can tell you’re tired…” she stands up, grabbing her trident and turning to leave. “Goodnight Revali” she says before disappearing into the dark of the night.
Revali, left with a dam of suppressed emotions, just buries his face into his feathered hands and groans. He hasn’t the faintest clue on what to do or how to feel but he’s sure going to be upset for the night. And if for the rest of that night he just hates the world? So be it, no one will know anyways.
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In the morning, the Rito wakes to the light of the sun pouring through the trees. Not quite dawn but a little after. He stretches in his makeshift hammock and gets up, rubbing his eyes. He looks around and remembers last night, remembering the Zora brings a red flush to his face before it quickly vanishes and becomes a heavy feeling. “Right…it was kinda tense when she left. Great going Revali…great going.” He thinks to himself, almost guilty.
He starts packing up his things and puts on his bag full of flowers. He gets ready and takes flight with his gale, soaring into the sky with ease. He admires the rising sun and clouds surrounding it. For a moment he just stays hovering, admiring the scenery, but then he remembers he actually has to do things and begins flying towards Rito Village.
He flies that direction for a few minutes, not thinking much of it until that scene of Mipha being upset with him replays in his mind. She was upset with him, wasn’t she? How could he know, he can barely decipher his emotions, let alone hers.
After some thinking, he groans and turns his flight direction towards Zora’s Domain, which is quite visible from his position due to its size. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing, but his gut instinct is telling him to go there. What will he say to her? Will he even talk to her? Ugh…this is not what he needs to worry about right now.
He flies in silence until he lands at the bridge to the domain. He comes to the conclusion that landing in the domain's core is too eye-catching, he needs to be quick with this. His attention is grabbed when a tiny red Zora sneaks past the chatting guards. He looks awfully familiar…
The kid gets past the guards but doesn’t make it much further when Revali speaks up “hey kid, what’re ya doing?” The kid stops dead in his tracks before slowly turning to look at Revali. His scarlet red scales and tail look just like…Sidon? The kid looks at Revali for a moment before a flicker of recognition crosses his features. “Revali…?” The question is unsure and the pronunciation of his name could use some work.
Revali nods, brushing it off. He doesn’t mind kids all that much, if anything, he enjoys their presence more than some adults. “Sidon, right?” He asks, walking closer to him. Sidon nods, giving a toothy grin that seems to sparkle. Revali holds back the upturn of his beak at it. “Well, if that’s the case, what are you sneaking off to?” Revali asks, knowing the kids' plan clear as day.
Sidon is startled at the fact his plan was found out but just frowns and looks over to a mountain, Ploymus Mountain. Revali raises a brow, that kids got guts to want to go there with the Lynel. Revali quickly tries to think of something that will keep the kid distracted from going there…hm…Wait…
Revali crouches down to Sidon’s level and locks eyes with him, “hey kid, instead of going there, how about you do me a favor?” Sidon looks hesitant at first but is curious nonetheless. “I know your sister would be pretty upset if you went up to that mountain, and you don’t want that, do you?” His tone is calm while speaking to the boy. Sidon immediately shakes his head no at the question, Revali continues, “then, can you do me the favor of giving her this then?” He pulls out a swift violet, offering it to the kid.
Sidon pauses a moment before taking the flower and nodding, much to Revali’s relief. Revali smiles despite himself, “you’re a lifesaver, y'know that kid?” Sidon grins before rushing off back into the domain, holding the flowers carefully but making great speed. Revali sighs and stands back up before taking flight once more and observing the domain from above.
After a few seconds he begins flying off towards his village once more, feeling much better about it than before. He finds himself smiling as he flies, having much lighter emotions than earlier.
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Mipha is discussing different battle topics to her soldiers when all of a sudden a little Zora with the same scarlet scales runs into the room holding the flowers. Mipha, being surprised at the sudden entrance, looks at her little brother.
“Sidon? What’s going on?” She manages to say before Sidon holds up the flowers proudly and excitedly announces “from Revali!”
The room goes quiet and even Mipha is surprised for a moment before making out words “from Revali you say?” The young Zora nods and gives a toothy grin, proud of completing his task.
Mipha takes the flowers, Swift Violets…how did he- nevermind. She can’t deny the warmth she feels spread throughout her at the thought of Revali giving her flowers, let alone her favorite. She must’ve been too quiet because she can hear slight laughter coming from her soldiers.
She looks at them and knows what that laughter insinuates, she feels her face grow warm and she shakes her head before turning her attention back to Sidon. “Well thank you, Sidon. I’m sure Revali would be pleased to know that you did what he asked.” She pats his head, “now, why don’t you go play with some of the other kids?” Sidon nods and runs off quickly to the center of the domain, listening to his sister.
She looks back at her grinning soldiers “let’s continue, shall we?” She immediately disregards the topic of what just happened, not even wanting to hear it from her soldiers.
And if she put the flowers in her favorite vase? Well, no one would even know anyways.