ATE: I'm aware that it's been some time since I last updated, but I recently found time and have been the past two weeks working on this in my free time. To make up for my lack of updates, I decided ya'll deserve a nice long chapter, and I think a word count of 10,064 would be good enough.

Big thanks to M aeeeeee, Cynder 7, Sp00kyT00ns, Mitsuo the Universe jumper, KilledByHerOwnReflection, Kyle, Professor of Gallifry, Mimzy94, Typhoon Boom, and Abi-chan fiction fan for their review and everyone that's still around to read my stories. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OCs.

~*~Chapter 10~*~

Ever since Evangeline was first introduce to blanket weaving, the days seemed to pass by in a blur; she would've easily lost track of time if it weren't for the number of blankets she'd brought back with her at the end of the day. Every day she'd take care of any tasks Revali left her, followed by her lessons with Elder Chie (who had been elated to see her return after everything that happened), and once she was done she'd head over to the tailor and spend time with her new friends as they weaved blankets. Not only did the task of weaving blankets helped her cope with her situation, but the conversations she had with the female Rito helped her realize that she could talk to them if she needed to.

Though, she still had to get used to referring to them as friends.

Yesterday Kali informed her that the Snowquill armor she'd been working on was completed—though she told her that she'd have to pick it up the next day due to wanting to apply "the finishing touch" to it—which was why she was currently heading over to the shop. Surprisingly, Elder Chie had given her a day off from lessons, with the only explanation being that she had been making a remarkable amount of progress that she earned it; that, and he was expecting a visit from someone today. It's true she was beginning to get a grasp on the Hylian language enough that it'd only take her a moment to decipher, so maybe she did deserve a break for that day.

Before she knew it, Evangeline found herself arriving at the tailor, the openings in the hut giving her a view of the female Rito working at looms as the sound of their voices conversing with each other reaching her ears.

"So good to see you, Evangeline!" Kali greeted her as soon as she walked through the doorway. "You're here early."

"Only because Elder Chie cancelled lessons for today. He said he was expecting a visitor today." She stated.

"I see. Regardless, you're here now and I can give you the Snowquill armor I promised you. I know you'll like it!"

She couldn't help but smile at Kali's enthusiasm as the female Rito ushered her into the backroom of the shop. She expected the Snowquill armor to have the same appearances as the one Kali had shown her all those days ago, only to have those expectations dashed as soon as she saw the final result.

Similar to the regular Snowquill armor sold at the tailor, the armor had the long-sleeved shirt lined by wool, leather cuirass, and leather gloves, but that was where to similarities ended. Unlike the original—which was based off the male Rito clothing—the clothing over the armor was based off the clothing the female Rito seemed to wear, even down to the coloration and belt that wrapped around the waist. The outfit had a skirt to provide a feminine touch, but upon closer examination it wasn't a full skirt as she expected since both the front and back where split at the sides that allowed the wearer free mobility without risk of the legs getting tangled up. She was worried about how high up the thighs the splits went, but thankfully there was a pear of pants underneath, providing both warms and modesty. Interestingly enough, there wasn't the tail feathered pieces that the original armor had.

Evangeline was left speechless as she took in the Snowquill armor before her, likely much to Kali's amusement judging by her next words.

"I knew you'd like it." The female Rito told her, sounding very proud of her work. "Normally, I would've just made you the traditional Snowquill armor, but I wanted to make something special you could call your own."

"This definitely wasn't what I was expecting at all." Evangeline said before turning to look at Kali. "How long did this take you to make?"

"Not as long as you're thinking, that's for sure. The only part that took the longest was planning out how I wanted the skirt to look. Now, go on! I want to see how it looks on you."

Evangeline soon found herself behind the changing screen with the mannequin wearing the new Snowquill armor. She glanced down at the dress she wore while experiencing an unexplainable emotion at the thought of wearing something else; she'd worn it for so long that she was used to it. Pushing the thought aside, she worked on getting her dress off before changing into the new outfit. Surprisingly enough, putting on the Snowquill armor was a lot easier than it was to put the dress on correctly (there were days where she still struggled with the sash and belt when it came to putting said items on correctly), which was a nice change of pace. As soon as the new outfit was on, she noticed how well-fitted and comfortable it was to wear, which was more than she'd hoped for.

Not to mention pleasantly cozy.

As soon as she was done, she came out from behind the changing screen with her the components of her previous outfit in her arms. If she'd thought Kali was proud before, she was practically glowing upon seeing the Human wearing her creation.

"It's perfect! You look splendid!" Kali exclaimed excitedly.

"I'll admit you did an amazing job as well. I'm surprised how comfortable it is." She said.

"I'm glad you love it! Now that you have your own Snowquill armor, you won't have to worry about winter this year."

After awhile both Evangeline and Kali returned to the main area of the shop, and it was there she found the female Rito (even Onra and Sarai!) gushing over her new outfit and showering her with so many compliments that she felt a little overwhelmed.

Was it really that big of a deal?

She was about to leave the tailor when Kali stopped her.

"Don't leave just yet! I have your payments for the blankets you made. You'd be surprised with how well they sold!"

Before she could say anything, she found a hefty leather coin pouch being placed in her hands; it wasn't too heavy, but it certainly wasn't too light either.

Just how much did she make?

Despite her surprise, she still thanked the female Rito before she left, with the goal of returning to Revali's home to drop off her stuff before doing anything else.

As she turned the corner, she could hear a female voice (with what sounded like a British accent) talking to someone; upon getting closer she could see two Hylians, both blonde and wearing a familiar shade blue, though the female had long beautiful golden hair that went passed her waist while the male had shorter (lightly shoulder length) honey blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail. She couldn't really make out what was being said (or really make out any details in regard to their appearance), but the female Hylian's body language showed that she wasn't pleased about something, what it was she didn't know.

Though her curiosity was tempting her to investigate the situation, she knew it wasn't any of her business and resisted as she continued on her way until she made it back to Revali's home. Unsurprisingly, the Rito Champion wasn't home and she assumed he went off to train at the Flight Range. Opening the top compartment of the wooden drawer Revali had provided her (the lower compartment had all the blankets she'd brought home from the tailor), she deposited her clothing and coin pouch inside. She was about to close the drawer when she stopped herself, her eyes falling on the scarf Revali gave her.

It was funny; she finally had plenty of blankets (despite someone telling her that she might've gone overboard on the amount) and her very own set of Snowquill armor—she should've been satisfied with that. And yet here she was suddenly hesitant to leave the scarf before her behind.

Why did this scarf have such an effect on her?

Did she have some sort of attachment to it?

Without thinking, Evangeline removed the scarf from the drawer, wrapping it around her neck before finally shutting the drawer. Unsure of what to do at that point, she decided that she'd go for a walk around Rito Village; just as she was about to walk through the doorway when she spotted the female Hylian ascending up the steps from the direction she came from earlier (without the male Hylian that was with her), and she couldn't help but stare in wonder at her appearance.

There was no mistake that she was beautiful, having green blue colored eyes that only served to enhance her features. Even though she looked a little angry (possibly from her conversation with the male Hylian), it did nothing to hinder her perfect posture or the regal air that seemed to surround her. Her blue outfit was very elaborate in design, having gold embroidery and looking too expensive to belong to a commoner.

She had to be nobility!

But if she was nobility, why was she here in Rito Village?

Just who was she?

Evangeline noticed that the male Hylian wasn't with her, which was concerning since the nobility usually had some sort of escort—and she assumed he'd arrived with the girl walking past her to act as said escort. Maybe the female Hylian had some sort of disagreement with her companion, hence the angry expression on her face.

Interesting…

It was then that she got an idea. Maybe she could get some information out of the male Hylian!

But first she had to find him.

With that goal in mind, Evangeline headed off in the direct the female Hylian came from to find the male Hylian. Surprisingly enough, it didn't her long to find him as she found him wandering around the commerce square, or specifically looking at the selection of produce being sold at one of the stalls. With his back turned to her, she had a clear few of the elegant sword he carried, the hilt of it being an indigo color (leaning slightly in the violet direction if she was seeing the color correctly); she couldn't put her finger on it, but something about that sword seemed to scream 'important'. It was strange to see him carrying a sword like that around since he didn't look like he'd be a noble, but he didn't look like a commoner either.

Maybe the circumstances surrounding this male Hylian were different if he oversaw the safety of the female Hylian.

The question is what and why?

Apparently, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings because the next thing she knew, she had a pair of blue eyes staring curiously at her, much to her confusion. She glanced behind her to see if he was actually looking at something or someone behind her, but that wasn't the case.

It didn't take her long to realize he was looking at her.

"Uh…hi?" She greeted awkwardly, unsure as to what to say.

She mentally screamed at herself for her words! She was better than this! She had come her with a plan to talk to this male Hylian, but ironically that plan was thrown out the window by her own stupidity.

It couldn't get worse…

The male Hylian regarded her for a moment, as if trying to determine something. She was starting to get worried by how quiet he was and was about to say something…

…Only for him walk away from her towards the stall he had been standing in front of before approaching her.

…

…

…

…What?

Did she…just ruined her chances of talking to this Hylian because of how she was acting?

She did.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Evangeline turned around with the intention of leaving the commerce square. She didn't get far when she suddenly felt someone tapping on her shoulder, and turning around she found the male Hylian standing behind her, cradling two shiny red apples in one arm while the other one had been free in order to get her attention. He gave a sheepish look before grabbing one of the apples with his free hand and extended it towards her.

She couldn't help but stare at the apple in confusion.

"…For me?" She asked lamely.

A nod was her only answer.

Reluctantly, she took the apple offered to her from the Hylian, still confused as to why he was doing this.

"Oh, thank you."

He smiled in response, almost seeming pleased with himself.

Evangeline couldn't help but notice how attractive the male Hylian was (to the point that bishounen would be the term she'd use), and his smile only seemed to emphasis this. He looked to be in his late teens, but that was just judging by his appearance since she didn't know the lifespan or Hylians or if they aged slowly similar to Tolkien's Elves. Then again, she had seen an elderly looking Hylian back at the stable outside Rito Village, so that crossed out the theory of them being similar to Tolkien's Elves.

"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Evangeline. And you?"

"Link."

"You do speak!" She faked a gasp of surprise. "For a second, I was worried you were mute."

"I can talk, it's just not often." He stated, his voice very fitting for his appearance.

"I see." She smiled. "How about a walk? It's such a nice day out, so it's only fair to take advantage of it before the season ends."

Link nodded, and that was all the response she needed before they left the commerce square; as they walked, the two snacked on their apples. The Hylian hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't talk often as Evangeline found herself doing most of the talking, but she didn't complain as she made do with the situation, and Link's eyes being so expressive seemed to make up for his lack of words. Every now and then he'd ask her some questions (which she answered), but when the topic came to why she was in Rito Village she became quiet. She couldn't really think of an answer to give him that would be satisfying without mentioning where she really came from, which was something she wanted to avoid.

"…It's…complicated." She decided to tell him before deciding to speed up her pace.

"Wait!"

The sound of hurried steps followed her before she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around. She was about to ask Link what he wanted, only to freeze when he brought his hand up to the side of her face. She could feel her face heating up as calloused fingertips grazed the edge of her ear as they tucked some of her dark hair behind it.

Her embarrassment was quickly forgotten as fear set in.

He knew about her ears.

There was no way she could hide or explain them.

Link did the same to her other ear as he tucked the hair behind it, and she anxiously watched his eyes went from curiosity to confusion until they eventually settled on a stern look that seemed to make her heart stop and his lips forming a frown.

"Who did this to you?" He asked, his voice taking on a tone that it caused warning bells to go off in her head.

He thought someone had done something to her ears.

Why was he so concerned about that?

He only just met her.

"My ears have always been like this since the day I was born." She told him.

"That's impossible. There's not a single Hylian with round ears—"

"I'm not Hylian."

Silent fell between the two and she realized what she just blurted out.

She had no choice.

There was no getting out of this situation without telling him the truth.

She let out a defeated sigh in resignation before opening her mouth.

"I'm a Human."

"Human?" Link repeated. "I thought they were extinct."

"And yet here I am." She said sarcastically, suddenly feeling annoyed. "Funny how that works, right?"

She started walking away from Link, not really paying attention to where she was going. Once again, hurried footsteps followed after her and she ascended the steps to the higher level of Rito Village.

"I'm sorry if I offended you in some way."

Evangeline stopped before looking back at Link. The Hylian looked apologetic as he gazed at her. He shifted around in place before clearing his throat awkwardly.

"It wasn't my business to ask you something you clearly wanted to keep secret." Link told her.

She couldn't help feeling sorry for the Hylian. She could understand where he was coming from, and she found it hard to stay mad or annoyed at him with how sincere he was being.

"It's fine." She replied. It was at this point that she noticed that she and Link were at the landing, and seeing the scenery that stretch across the horizon was always relaxing to look at. "I honestly don't see why it's such a big deal, but at least the Rito have welcomed me with open arms…or wings, if you want to be technical."

"If you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you in Rito Village?" Link asked.

At this Evangeline couldn't help the smile that formed on her face, and she could see the curiosity in Link's eyes at seeing her expression.

"Let's just say…I was given a place to stay in exchange for my services." She answered playfully.

The Hylian raised an eyebrow at this, and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped as she knew what his unspoken words were.

"I assure you, it's not anything inappropriate if that's what you're thinking. I act as a sort of attendant, but I use that term very loosely."

"For whom?"

She was about to respond, but it was at that precise moment that the wind suddenly picked up, quickly growing stronger and stronger until it became a full-on gale in just under a few seconds. The wind was so strong that Evangeline found herself being lifted off the wooden floor she stood on; fortunately, Link acted quickly enough and grabbed her before anything else could happen to her.

Unfortunately, she could just imagine how nightmarish it'd be to untangle her hair later.

Speaking about hair, she sputtered a bit to get rid of the few strands that had entered her mouth.

Yuck!

Managing to push her dark hair out of her face, her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Revali descend from the sky, using his wings to slow his fall until he softly landed atop the wooden fence before them with the gracefulness that any bird possessed—which she was sure was a skill that came as naturally to a Rito as the ability to swim came to a fish. The Rito Champion stood upright on his perch, crossing his wings as he gazed down at the two of them.

"Impressive, I know. Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky." Revali told them. "Yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar."

Why was he telling her this? She already knew he was skilled, so what did he have to prove? Unless—

"It's considered to be quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito."

…No!

She did not miss Arrogant Revali, and yet here she was subjected to this after so long! And what was with all the wing-waving he was doing? What was with the pose he was making? Just what was he doing?!

"With proper utilization of my superior skills, I see no reason why we couldn't easily dispense with Ganon."

Who was Ganon?

"Now then, my ability to explore the firmament is certainly of note…" Revali started, jumping off the fence before sauntering his way over to them with his wings behind his back.

What she didn't expect was the glare the Rito leveled at them—more specifically at Link—as he came to stand close to the side she was on. At first, she was confused as to why until she remembered that the Hylian was still holding on to her.

Awkward.

That still didn't explain the glare, though.

"But let's not—pardon me for being so blunt—let's not forget the fact that I am the most skilled archer of all the Rito."

Evangeline let out a yelp when she was suddenly yanked out of Link's grasp, stumbling slightly as she tried to correct her footing. She was surprised to find herself pressed close to Revali side with one of his wings wrapped around her shoulders; she tried pulling away from the Rito, only to discover that he had no intention of letting her go until he wanted her to. What was wrong with him and why was he acting like this? Realizing she couldn't get away she was forced to walk next to Revali as he paced around Link.

"Yet despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you. All because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back. I mean, it's just…asinine."

Darkness-sealing sword? She glanced over at Link to get an idea as to what the Rito was talking about, but was surprised to see that his expression had gone completely blank; she found it unnerving how his face was void of all emotion when earlier he'd been so vibrant during the time she spent with him. Why was he being like that?

"Unless…you think you can prove me wrong?" She felt Revali's wing slip away from her shoulders, and she was able to get away as the Rito suddenly got in Link's face. Was he trying to provoke him? "Maybe we should just settle this one on one?

Why was Revali being so antagonistic towards Link? And why wasn't the Hylian saying anything to defend himself? As she watched the two from where she stood, she couldn't help but noticed something; Revali's scarf and Link's tunic were the same shade of blue.

It couldn't be a coincidence, right?

"But where…?" The Rito asked thoughtfully, having brought a wing up to the underside of his beak. Suddenly his green eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! How about up there?!"

Evangeline couldn't help the confusion she felt at seeing Revali dramatically gestured his wing in the direction above them. Looking up in the direction he was pointing at, she soon found her answer.

The Divine Beast.

How was Link supposed to—

"Oh, you must pardon me." Revali chuckled condescendingly, not at all sounding apologetic. She didn't miss the smug look on his face as he turned his back on the Hylian. "I forgot you have no way of making it up to that Divine Beast on your own!"

Revali spreading his wings out was the only warning she got before the wind picked up again as the Rito used that technique of his to fly upward. However, nothing could've prepared her for what happened next. She suddenly found herself caught up in the powerful wind as her feet left the ground. Panic seemed to blind her senses as her mind had trouble registering the weightlessness of her body.

So this was how she was going to die!

All because the birdbrain had to get salty for some unknown reason!

Just great!

Just fu—!

Evangeline's train of thought was disrupted when she found herself colliding with something and without thinking she clung to it for dear life. Her hair whipped around her in the wind as she struggled to open her eyes, and though they were tearing up she found that what she was clinging to was Revali himself. She could feel his twist his body around and soon enough she had a clear few of the landing (and Rito Village) below them as it grew farther and farther away.

"Good luck sealing the darkness!" She heard Rito call out over the sound of the wind blowing around them.

There was a noticeable dip in the temperature the higher up the Rito flew toward the Divine Beast. It didn't take long to reach the giant mechanical bird and Evangeline had an overhead view of the top where she could see what looked like grass growing on top of its back while stone pillars (she assumed) evenly lined it from one wing to the other. She could see more detail (such as the strange round object right in the middle of the back, from what she could tell, and the glowing blue lines that highlighted the mechanical bird's form) as Revali glided his way down to the large area with the pillars until they eventually landed. She was more than happy to climb off the Rito Champion's back, but that happiness was short-lived as she remembered the encounter between Revali and Link; she turned to face her companion and was about to voice her thoughts on what she witnessed earlier.

Only to watched Revali storm off towards the direction of the nose (or beak) of the Divine Beast, using his wings to fly when needed to reach a spot where he settled down (which happened to be the highest point on top of the mechanical bird's head). Judging by his body language, he was clearly irate.

But why?

In hindsight she was thankful that Kali convinced her to put on the Snowquill armor, because she would've very likely been an icicle with how cold it was at the altitude the Divine Beast was flying at; the clothing itself kept her comfortably warm that the cold didn't bother her at all. She pulled her scarf up a pit so she could warm the lower half of her face as the wind bit at the rest of her exposed skin; her tangled dark hair was a lost cause at that point as there was no fixing that until she got her hands on a brush.

Deciding that it was better to leave Revali alone for now, Evangeline decided to explore the area. The round object she had seen from her overhead view of the Divine Beast appeared to resemble a flower bud (but at the same time not so much), which softly glowed on and off with an orange color. There was a strange panel connected to the base of the structure, roughly above the level of her waist, and it was strange that it resembled something she was familiar with: a terminal.

Was that what the panel was? A terminal?

It also had a strange symbol that look like an eye crying (though if you squinted, it might've been mistaken as being shaped like a hand mirror), The eye itself was glowing a light blue blue with an orange ring surrounding the iris, while there was another strangely shaped ring circling around the entire symbol with dots that glowed the same orange as the aforementioned ring.

The structure of the ground she stood on was interesting as well. Surprisingly enough, what she thought looked like grass was actual grass, and she couldn't help but wonder how that was even possible. There were also many etchings made into the structure in interesting patterns, and the stone pillars she had seen looked intact, but there were a few cracks in the surface due to the passage of time eroding at the stonework.

Looking behind her, she noticed an updraft coming from a large alcove, and upon closer inspection there was an opening where she could see a what looked to be another floor inside the Divine Beast, and below that floor was a fan (more like a vent, if she thought about it) creating the updraft. Glancing around, she couldn't seem to find another way to get inside the mechanical bird without falling off the ledge before her, but that didn't seem like a very appealing idea to entertain.

Was there really no other way to get inside the Divine Beast?

This was the only hurdle preventing her from exploring any further.

'It's not worth dying over.' She told herself.

Suddenly a powerful gust of wind started blowing behind her, causing her to lose her balance; a scream slip past her lips as she found herself falling off the ledge and shut her eyes so that she didn't see the approaching floor get closer.

Except, she experienced that weightless feeling again.

…

…

…

…Wait, what?!

Hazel orbs hesitantly opened to see what happened. She expected to have some sort of out of body experience and likely see her mangled body below her or something like that. What she saw instead was that she was still in the updraft, but she wasn't falling at all. In fact, she was practically floating on the wind itself!

"What's going on?" She wondered aloud.

Evangeline found that she was able to twist around until she managed to 'sit' upright (how that was possible, she didn't know) and she tried looking around to see how her sudden floatiness was even a thing. There was nothing immediately around her showed any signs of being the cause, or even a cause at all.

Strange.

She let out a yelp as she suddenly started shifting forwards before she found herself outside of the updraft. She thought she'd start rapidly falling to the floor below, but instead she slowly floated down until she safely landed on her feet as if she hadn't just 'fallen' from X amount of feet high.

Did she just fly?

"That wasn't flying." She told herself. "That was…falling with style."

She mentally groaned at the reference she made.

How lame could she get today?

She turned back to face the updraft she had descended from, still baffled that she had managed to safely make it down to the level she was on.

It was almost like she glided on the wind itself.

Again, strange.

Looking forward, she saw a doorway leading outside and made her way through it. To her right she found a terminal like the one she saw in front of the 'flower bud' she'd seen earlier, and not far from it was a circular pattern on the ground. Upon closer examination she presumed it was some sort of platform; the blue glow it gave off seemed to imply that it was used for something, but what?

There wasn't much else to see where she was, so she went back inside to explore some more. It was s she entered the Divine Beast that she noticed the glowing blue markings on the walls consisting of lines connected by dots, resembling something akin to constellations that she'd never seen before. Moving on, she went down on of the two ramps that was on either side of the updraft and came across square shaped platforms that connected to different poles that ran horizontally from one end of the room to the other, as if the platforms were supposed to slide along the poles themselves; there was also platforms that were made of some type of metal that ran on tracks leading to the opposite side of the room from where she stood.

But how were any of these platforms supposed to move if there was no force to make it happen?

There were also gaps in between the platforms that prevented her from getting to the other side of the room. At least not in the convenient way a bridge would.

"Looks like I have to improvise a bit."

The first platform was connected to the side she was currently on, so stepping on it was her first plan of action. From there she had to carefully jump over the gap to reach the metal platform before her. Thankfully, it was a simple as walking over the next to platforms before taking a huge step over to the last one to reach the other end of the room.

Looking back, it wasn't that bad.

She continued on forward until she reached the end of the corridor (for lack of better words) where she found two large circular windows and in between them was another terminal, this time with a strange crystal-like stalactite hanging above it. She noticed that the panel on the terminal itself was different from the other two she'd come across as it had a distinct shape in the middle that implied that something was supposed to be set in it. She stepped forward to run her hand across the surface of the panel and was surprised at how smooth it was.

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!

Evangeline jumped in surprised at hearing the screeching sound pierce the air around her. Her ears were left ringing at how loud it was, but a few moments later her hearing was back to normal. Where had that sound come from? She continued to think on it until she realized something.

The screeching sound was similar to an eagle's cry.

She was currently inside a mechanical bird.

And the two windows in front of her looked like—!

"Eyes…" She whispered.

She was standing inside the head of the Divine Beast.

That explained a lot.

"Was that you, Divine Beast?" She asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!

Her eyes widened. Though the cry was softer than it had been earlier, she still didn't expect to hear any sort of response to her question. The surprise she felt slowly faded away as fascination took its place, all the while a grin formed on her face.

"Amazing! You have some level of sentience despite being a machine! Do you have some sort of AI…I mean, artificial intelligence?"

She heard a computerized beeping sound that was strangely familiar. She listened to it carefully, noticing that there was a distinct pattern as opposed to being random sounds.

She knew this sound.

But where had she heard it from?

Searching her memories, she tried to think of any instances where she might've heard such a sound as it continued to loop. She found her thoughts going back to the History classes she attended back when she was still in school. That was when it hit her!

Morse code!

No wonder the beeping sounded familiar.

With this in mind, she again listened to the sound as she tried to interpret it. She even hummed it back to herself.

-.- . …

"Y…E…S… 'Yes'!" She couldn't help her joyous laughter at the fact she could understand the Divine Beast. This was a wonderful surprise to have! This was a gamechanger in and of itself! "I knew learning Morse code would pay off, and my friends said I was wasting my time. Oh, the irony!"

Even her own dad thought the same—

Realization hit Evangeline and she sobered at the thought of her dad. A depressed sigh escaped past her lips as she went to sit on the floor next to one of the windows, her back leaning against the wall behind her. She never had the best relationship with her dad, but it wasn't to the point that it'd be considered strained (which she was grateful for). She remembered being so glad to leave home for college that thinking of him had been the last thing on her mind, but in hindsight she wished they could've parted on better terms.

"What do I call you?" She asked, wanting to distract herself from thinking of the life she left behind. "I'm sure you don't want me referring to you as Divine Beast all the time, right?"

...- .- ... / - . -.. - ...

"Vah Medoh, huh?" She chuckled. "I never would've guessed that as your name."

.. / ... .- ...- . / ... . . -. / -.- - ..- / .- .-. - ..- -. -.. / .-. .. - - / ...- .. .-.. .-.. .- -. . .-.-.- / .- ... - / .- .-. . / -.- - ..- ..-..

This one took her a little longer to interpret since it was longer string of code and took some time for her to hear to full sequence. After a minute or so she managed to figure it out.

"I'm Evangeline."

-.- - ..- / .- .-. . / …. ..- - .- -.

She let out a humorless laugh at this.

"How could I forget? Every single Rito in the village knows what I am and consider me some exotic anomaly. Sure, it was interesting at first, but now it's overstayed its welcome." She ran her fingers through the hair on her head as she realized how stupid it was for her to complain about something so trivial, especially when there were other things to worry about. "Sometimes I wish they wouldn't view me as just being 'the Human'. I mean, is that really all I am in their eyes?"

-. .. ...- . / .. - / - .. - . .-.-.-

She let out a sigh.

How ironic.

Of all the people to give her advice, it was a mechanical bird that chose to step up to the plate.

Look like it was time to change the subject.

"Do you like music, Vah Medoh?" She asked.

- ... . / .-. .. - - / .- .-. . / .- / .-. .- -.-. . / .- ... - / -.-. ... . .-. .. ... ... / - ... . .. .-. / ... - -. -. ... / .- -. -.. / -.. . .-.. .. -. ... - / .. -. / -.. .- -. -.-. .. -. -. .-.-.- / - .- -. -.- / -.- . .- .-. ... / ... .- ...- . / .. / - -... ... . .-. ...- . -.. / - ... . / ..-. . ... - .. ...- .- .-.. ... / - ... . -.- / ... - .-.. -.. / .. -. / - ... . .. .-. / ...- .. .-.. .-.. .- -. . / .- -. -.. / - ... . / .- - -.- - ..- ... / - ..- ... .. -.-. / - ... . -.- / -.-. .-. . .- - . .-.-.-

Again, it took her awhile to hear the full sequence, but she soon figured it out. She smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Maybe you might like a song. I can sing you one from one of my favorite stories."

'And the movie that inspired me to pursue an art major.' She added silently.

She thought for a moment as she tried to recall the words to the song itself; it had been some time since she'd last watched the movie that it took her awhile to do so. As soon as she remembered, she opened her mouth as she started to sing quietly, albeit in a lower key than the original song (because not everyone could be sopranos).

In the moonlight I felt your heart
Quiver like a bow string's pulse
In the moon's pale light
You looked at me

Nobody knows your heart

She paused for a moment to remember what came next before continuing.

When the sun has gone I see you
Beautiful and haunting but cold
Like the blade of a knife
So sharp so sweet
Nobody knows your heart

All of your sorrow, grief and pain
Locked away in the forest of the night
Your secret heart belongs to the world
Of the things that sigh in the dark
Of the things that cry in the dark.

Evangeline couldn't help the nostalgia she felt as she finished singing. Before she could delve deeper into that feeling a new sequence started.

- ... . -.- / .- .. .-.. .-.. / -.- -. - .- / -.- - ..- .-. / ... . .- .-. - / .. -. / - .. - .

She couldn't help but snort at this.

"Still hung up on that, huh?"

-.- - ..- / .- - ..- .-.. -.. / -. - - / -... . / - ... . / ..-. .. .-. ... - / - - / ... . . -.- / - -.- / -.-. - ..- -. ... . .-..

This made her raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh really? Who was the first?"

.-. . ...- .- .-.. ..

"Of course! Speaking about the birdbrain, it's probably time I checked up on him. Nice talking to you, though."

She stood up from her spot on the floor and started down the corridor leading back to the room with the sliding platforms. Once back in the room she carefully navigated her way over the platforms, and everything seemed to be fine as she readied herself to make the jump to the last platform.

Except when she lost her balance after making said jump.

It all happened so fast and before she knew it, she found herself on the level below with the sliding platforms above her. Surprisingly, she wasn't hurt at all despite how far she fell.

But hey, silver lining and all that jazz.

Getting back on her feet, so looked around the area she found herself in, noticing how the floor had large panels of glass windows that gave her a clear view of the world below Vah Medoh. Behind her to her left was a doorway leading outside, the doorway having two torches on either side of the opening that were lit with blue flames. And then right in front of her was the vent creating the updraft leading up to the top level where she first started her exploration of the Divine Beast; there was no way to get back up to that level except through the opening above.

Perhaps it was time to test out a theory.

She took a deep breath to calm the anxiousness she felt from what she was about to do.

"Hopefully this works." She told herself. "Here goes nothing!"

Evangeline rushed for the vent before leaping directly into the updraft itself. Immediately her body became weightless as the wind easily carried her all the way to the top of the opening as if she weighed no more than a feather. As soon as she reached the top, she quickly lunged for the ledge.

Finally! Solid ground!

She could've practically kissed the ground for how thankful she was, but that probably wasn't such a great idea in the long run.

"Now to find Revali." She said as she got to her feet before walking to stand next to the strange flower bud looking structure. "Last I saw him he flew off for—!"

That was when she noticed a glaring problem.

The Rito Champion had gone to the highest point of Vah Medoh's head. That itself wasn't bad, but it was bad news for her since there wasn't any way for her to get up, seeing as the stone was too smooth for her to climb.

'Great… He just had to go somewhere I couldn't access!'

Wait.

Maybe she could…

Glancing around her surroundings, she spotted that there were two vents on either side of the flower bud structure that produced updrafts. There were also updrafts (coming from below) that were on either side of Vah Medoh's head.

It didn't take her long to connect the dots before she frowned at the implication.

"Today has been chalk full of nothing but risky behavior on my part. There's clearly something wrong with me for even considering this as an option." Sadly, it was the only option she had. Sighing in defeat, she realized what she had to do. "Well, it was nice knowing you, Hyrule."

Evangeline took a few deep calming breaths to help her build up the courage she needed before jumping into the updraft closest to her. Riding the wind as high as she could go her gaze landed on the next updraft nearby, specifically the one next to Vah Medoh's head.

Could she even make it over to it via gliding?

'No point second guessing myself.'

Taking the plunge, she left the safety of the updraft she was currently in to glide over to the next one. Everything was fine, but as she got closer it seemed like she was starting to lose a bit of momentum and height, which caused her to start panicking.

She knew this was a bad idea!

And did she listen to her conscience?

NOPE! NOT AT ALL!

Just as it looked like she would partake in an impromptu case of skydiving, she was surprised when she barely managed to enter the updraft itself and was floated up to the top. Her heart was pounding, her mind was racing, all while trying to register what occurred over the last minute or so as she stared at nothing in particular.

Hysterical laughter filled the air around her and she was confused as to where it came from.

It took her a moment to realize she was the one laughing.

This was insane!

She was insane for even doing this!

After awhile, she managed to calm down enough to think critically and assess what was around her. She could see that she was close to Vah Medoh's head and that she was high enough to see Revali on the highest point, where he was—

…

Was he taking a nap?

Before she realized she had done so, she found herself gliding over to the platform the Rito was on, and sure enough he was napping! This sort of situation would've warranted a laugh if it weren't for the life choices she'd been making lately!

Evangeline got on her knees beside Revali and she couldn't help noticing how peaceful he looked while sleeping. He was laying on his back with his left wing placed behind the back of his head to act as a pillow while his right wing was placed over his stomach, looking as if it acted as a blanket due to how large it was. It was so strange to see him like this after how angry he'd looked when they first arrived on Vah Medoh, but maybe spending some time alone had been what he needed.

Even so, this wasn't exactly the best place to be taking a nap, regardless of how relaxed he was.

"Revali. Time to wake up." She called, hoping to rouse the Rito.

Nothing.

….

…Let's try again.

Leaning over his sleeping form, she placed a hand on his right shoulder before she started gently shaking it.

"Come on, Revali. At least wake up so that you can take a nap somewhere else, preferably somewhere a lot safer."

Still nothing-!

Oh, he was moving—!

NO, NOT THAT WAY!

"OH SHIT, REVALI!" She cried out, frantically reaching out to stop the Rito from rolling over in his sleep.

But it was too late as she witnessed him roll off the platform towards the tip of Vah Medoh's beak. Too shocked by what happened, she couldn't bring herself to peer over the edge for fear of seeing Revali's mangled body, and she didn't want her last memory of him to be him lying in a pool of his own blood.

What was she going to do now that he was gone?

How was she supposed to get down from Vah Medoh?

Was she going to be stranded on top of the Divine Beast for the rest of her life?

Her eyes started tearing up at the thought of dying alone.

And without Revali—

She paused at that thought.

…Why did she care so much about what happened to him?

He had been almost unbearable to be around when they first met and even though he had gradually dialed it back a bit, it wasn't until the truth came out that they had come to some sort of understand of each other. She was kind of starting to see him as confidant (because let's face it; she'd probably lose it if she kept it to herself for too long), and as much as she didn't want to admit it, her dependency on him was a thing.

Sure, he may have been an ass as times, but he still didn't deserve to die like this!

But aside from all that, why did she still care so much?

Before Evangeline could figure out her chaotic thoughts, a familiar gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and lifting her head up, her eyes widened in surprise at the familiar figure that zoomed up from below before he gliding over to land behind her.

"…Need to stop taking naps if this keeps up…" She could hear him muttering behind her.

It all happened so fast that she found herself clinging to the Rito. She wasn't surprised to feel him tense up at the physical contact, but she didn't care as she was suddenly overwhelmed by relief.

"E-Evangeline?!"

"You're alive!" She said, ignoring his stutter.

It was quiet between the two with the howling wind behind the only sound around them. She couldn't remember ever being scared for someone like she had just now, and out of nowhere she found herself tearing up. It was so stupid that she was reacting like this, but the thought of him being dead brought back memories that she didn't want to be reminded of.

Maybe her unexpected hug had overstayed its welcome since she heard Revali clear his throat

"Evangeline…" He started. "As much as I appreciate your teary-eyed enthusiasm, would you kindly let go?"

At this she realized what she was doing and as she pulled away, she could see how flustered the Rito looked with the ruffled feathers around his neck. Normally she would've laughed at this, but it was probably wise not to bring attention to it for both their sakes. Not to mention that her own face no longer felt as cold as it had been as she averted her eyes.

"You jerk!" She found herself saying.

"Jerk?!" He squeaked.

"How could you do something so reckless as taking a nap in a place like this? Do you realize how stupid that was?!"

"It's not unheard of for a Rito to fall out of their hammock in their sleep, let alone at a greater height." He retorted. Soon his eyes lit up before he smirked. "Could it be you were worried about me?"

"Of course I was worried! How was I supposed to know you wouldn't—!"

She stopped herself before she could finish her sentence. Revali must've caught on to this as he didn't pursue the topic any further. A sigh escaped his beak before he spoke, changing the subject.

"How did managed to get to this spot?"

Evangeline's breathing hitched as the sudden question. She'd hoped he wouldn't have brought it up and she needed to come up with some kind of explanation to five him.

'Quick, think of something!' She mentally screamed at herself.

"I climbed."

He raised a brow at this.

"You climbed?" He repeated.

"Yes!" She insisted. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to climb up smooth stone? It took me forever to figure out how to even do it, and that's not taking into account how the time it took me to get here. Not everyone is capable of flighty, you know?"

She couldn't help but mentally cringe at that.

Yeah…that didn't sound like bullshit at all.

Revali regarded her but didn't say anything in response. It was quiet as she waited for him to say something. Thankfully, that wasn't the case as he seemed to accept her explanation and she watched as he turned his back to her before crouching. Realizing what he wanted her to do, Evangeline climbed on his back before he took flight with the aid of his wind ability; the Rito brought them back to the grassy area on Vah Medoh's back and landed before the flower bud structure.

"You have some explaining to do, Revali." Evangeline told him, catching his attention.

"And what, pray tell, would I need to explain to you?"

"Many things, but let's start with my more pressing question: what's up with you being antagonistic towards Link?"

She watched as the Rito's green eyes narrowed upon hearing the Hylian's name.

"You mean that little knight?" He scoffed, and it was apparent that he did not like the person in question. "I don't see what so great about him or why anyone would like him! You'd have better luck talking to a stone before you had a conversation with him! And he shows no reaction to anything, not even to Revali's Gale!"

She opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it as she realized what was going on.

It was clear Revali had beef with Link, but something told Evangeline that it went deeper than the surface. Did he feel like he'd been slighted or something? She thought back to his encounter with the Hylian earlier and how the Rito mentioned the sword on the blonde's back, something about a Ganon and another something about 'sealing the darkness'. For some reason her thoughts wandered to what the Rito told her back when they went to see the Goddess Statue in Rito Village and the story behind her—

That's when it hit her!

A blade with the sole purpose of sealing darkness

A Demon King that needed to be sealed

A chosen hero.

Did that mean the sword on Link's back was the one Hylia created? If that was the case, that meant-!

"Link's the chosen hero."

Revali froze, suddenly falling silent when he heard what she said. But she continued.

"The tunic he wore is the same shade of blue as the scarf you wear. Does that mean he's a Champion like you? And you mentioned something about defeating Ganon. Does this Ganon has something to do with the Demon King from the legend? Does that mean there's actual truth to the legend itself and that you and Link—"

"Stop!"

Evangeline jumped at Revali's sudden outburst and immediately shut her mouth. Feeling anxious, she carefully watched the Rito to see what he would do or say next as he turned his back on her. After a while his shoulders seemed to sag as he left out a sigh.

"You're not supposed to know that." He said, his voice sounding surprisingly subdued.

"What do you mean? Does the fact that you're the Rito Champion and Link being the chosen hero have anything to do with defeating Ganon? Are there other Champions?"

"Aside from myself and the Hylian Champion, there are three others: one from the Gorons, another from the Zora, and the last from the Gerudo. Altogether there are five of us, but only four of us are tasked with piloting the Divine Beasts while the chosen hero is tasked with taking on Calamity Ganon."

There were more Divine Beasts than just Vah Medoh?

"I remember you telling me how the Royal Family of Hyrule being descended from Hylia. Does that have anything to do with the Champions and Ganon?"

"It does."

Evangeline found this interesting, but then she remembered the female Hylian that was with Link and her assumption of the girl being a noble. If Link had was the Hylian Champion and the chosen hero, and he was with the female Hylian, did that mean she was the princess of Hyrule and a descendant of the Goddess Hylia?

That was certainly food for thought.

"You don't make it a secret that you're a Champion, and everyone in Rito Village knows this as well. If this is the case, then they know about this whole Champion and Calamity Ganon shindig you have going on. So why am I not supposed to know any of this if it's apparently common knowledge?"

"It may be common knowledge, but I specifically didn't want you to know!" Revali said, whipping around to face her.

The look in his eyes made her pause and it didn't take her long figure out what he was implying. And she just stared at him. How exactly was anyone supposed to respond to something like that? He practically admitted to shielding her from information that might've been important for her to know, but she found she wasn't angry or annoyed; she wasn't even sad.

Just…disappointed that he didn't trust her to handle the information itself.

"…Why?" She found herself asking, her voice so quiet that she was afraid her companion wouldn't hear her.

Apparently, the Rito was able her as she soon got an answer.

"You've only recently come to terms with your permanent stay in Hyrule. With you starting a new life for yourself, I didn't want you to worry about the ramifications of Ganon's return." He told her solemnly. "This is a threat that constantly hangs over everyone's heads, and if I was able to, I'd willingly keep you in the dark for as long as I could."

"So it was a matter of 'ignorance is bliss'?"

She sighed, averting her gaze from Revali as silence fell over them. That hadn't been the answer she expected, and she certainly didn't expect the Rito Champion to extend such a kindness to her in what she hadn't realized was a dark time for the land of Hyrule.

"That…" She trailed off. Lifting her head revealed that she got his attention. "…is the STUPIDEST THING YOU COULD'VE EVERY DONE!"

Revali was taken aback by her outburst and she wasted no time storming up to him.

"Do you really think I'm so sensitive that you felt the need to protect me from knowing something like this? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that option was thrown out the metaphorical window as soon as you found me wandering the wilderness in nothing but a hospital gown! I'm flattered that you wanted to do this for me, but that was NOT your decision to make! In fact, it was incredibly selfish of you!"

The poor Rito just stood their shocked by her words, but eventually he managed to recover. She expected some sort of rebuttal to her words, anything to justify his decision to find truth from her. What she didn't expect was for him to start laughing, almost as if he'd just heard the best joke ever told in his life. A frown appeared on her face as she crossed her arms, all the while waiting for him to calm down from his fit of laughter.

"It would seem we picked the wrong person to face Calamity Ganon." Revali stated once his laughter subsided, though there was still a hint of entertainment in his voice. "Perhaps we should send you out to scold him into surrendering."

"That's what you took away from my rant?" She asked incredulously.

"Nothing of the sort! I merely jest. It was wrong of me to hide this knowledge from for so long. I initially believed you to have dwelled in this land all your life and were aware of the threat plaguing Hyrule. However, due to you revealing your true origin to me, I felt I had to keep it secret."

"You're damn right you were wrong! I don't appreciate you hiding this from me, but at least you came clean. I expect some level of transparency in the future so that we can avoid something like this happening again, because like it or not, I'm just as involved as the rest of Hyrule when it comes to this threat."

The Rito gazed at her with a look of acknowledgment.

"Fair enough." He said before turning his back to her. "Perhaps it's time we return to Rito Village. I'm sure the princess will wish to speak with me if her knight being there is any indication."

Evangeline couldn't help but smile at this as she climbed onto the Rito Champion's back, and as soon as she was settled, he took off with the help of his Gale. Despite the argument they had earlier, she felt that she had a better understanding of Revali from what little he'd shown her today. No doubt there was still more to learn, but that would all come in due time.

She was just glad he wasn't as insufferable as he used to be.

ATE: Explanation time!

(1) Snowquill Armor: The design for the female Snowquill armor is something I'm proud of coming up with, and the concept drawing I made of it was created back when I was working on Chapter 8 of this story. You can see what it looks like here (just get rid of the spaces): : / / f a v . m e / 8

(2) Morse Code: I used a Morse code translator I found online to write Vah Medoh's dialouge (since in game you hear the SOS sequence aboard the Divine Beast in the game). If you're curious about the website, just google 'Morse Code World' and click the first link that appears.

(3) Revali rolling over in his sleep: This was an idea I got from reading the Creating A Champion artbook where there was a tidbit written in Vah Medoh's concept (specifically for the head) that said "The Champion will roll over while napping here in a cutscene". Seeing that this was a think, I couldn't resist including something like that in this story.

That's all for now! Let me know what you thought of the chapter!