Took a few days off from Blind, But Now to dip my toes in a bit of Revali. The characterization might be a bit janky, but it's a learning curve, and I just had to get this idea off my chest. Don't worry, though—BBN will be back soon ;)

Revali was of the opinion that nobody could prepare a meal quite like the Rito.

Experiencing the decadence of a royal Hylian banquet had only made him more certain. Oh, the food prepared for the Champions on the night of their inauguration had been delectable, exotic delicacies spilling across the table in such numbers that no one person could hope to try them all. It was grand, extravagant, opulent—and absurd. Perhaps Hylians impressed each other with such unnecessary displays of wealth, but the whole affair had curled his feathers, not to mention left him slightly ill. Who knew he could feel both stuffed and dissatisfied all at once?

Now, a Rito meal—that was a masterpiece in harmony, the sweet balancing the savory in a tasteful array of dishes that could actually fit on one's plate. Traditional Rito fare was as hearty as it was delicious, and Revali watched with satisfaction as the Hylian princess helped herself to another serving of nutcake, a delighted gleam in her eyes.

"This is very good," she said enthusiastically to the aged Rito woman seated across from her. "Did you really prepare it all yourself?"

"I certainly did," the old Rito chortled, reaching over to pat her husband's wing fondly. "We Rito live much more simply than you folk at the castle. Why, even the elder must occasionally cook for himself when he's hungry. Is that not so, husband?"

"It is so," the elder confirmed with a smile. He and his wife were round-faced and wrinkled and always smiling, their soft words perfectly suited for smoothing over Revali's rough ones whenever his attitude threatened to drop him into trouble. Still, Revali wished they were not so self-effacing at times, especially where Hylians were concerned.

"I hardly find our ways to be lesser," he commented, tossing his head so his beaded braids clicked together irritably, and Zelda rushed to assure him that she didn't either, that in fact she thought his culture to be quite charming and appreciated the chance to learn more. Her words were certainly more demeaning than she realized—Charming? Really?—but he accepted her assurances with as good a grace as he could manage. The princess was young, after all, and less self-absorbed than most Hylians he had come across.

In contrast to her first visit to Rito Village when she had come in royal grandeur to beg for Revali's help, Zelda's arrival today had been much less formal. Officially, she was on a royal tour visiting all of the Champions to measure their progress with the Divine Beasts, but Revali suspected it was as much an excuse to experiment with the ancient technology as anything else. Looking more a scholar than a princess, Zelda had wandered around Vah Medoh all day, taking notes and making adjustments and occasionally pelting him with requests to describe a process he found almost indescribable. Piloting Medoh had surprisingly little to do with operating controls and was more a process of forming a mental connection with the Beast, which came more naturally than Revali would have believed given that he still couldn't quite explain it. The other Champions must have told her something similar, but she persisted in asking, and if he would have preferred to operate Medoh in peace… well, at least it was the one place where the princess's shadow couldn't follow, not without asking for help.

"What about you, Link?" the elder's wife said kindly, ever the gracious hostess. "Is everything to your liking?"

Swallowing a mouthful of salmon, Link nodded, offering a grateful smile that Revali clicked his beak at.

"Princess," he said pointedly, "is it considered polite among Hylians to voice one's thanks after receiving a meal, or is that only a custom among the Rito?"

"It is a custom among Hylians as well," Zelda confirmed, her prim tone matching his as she cast a sidelong glance at Link. "Unfortunately, not every Hylian places an equal priority on good manners."

Revali allowed himself a brief smile at that—in some areas, he and the princess were in perfect agreement—but the elder frowned.

"We all offer thanks in our own way," he said firmly, and Zelda was quick to murmur her assent, looking a bit abashed. Revali only raised an eyebrow skeptically. "No offense was meant, and none was taken."

"Tell me, princess," the elder's wife said, drawing her attention. "How was your day spent on Vah Medoh? Did you gain any new insights?"

It was the perfect distraction. Face brightening, Zelda launched into an account of the day's discoveries, pausing every now and then between sentences for small, delicate bites of her cake. She had a peculiar habit of sitting half-turned from the knight beside her, as if ignoring Link might convince him to go away. It meant Revali was necessarily excluded from the conversation as well, having the great misfortune to be seated on Link's other side, but he didn't mind. Small talk was an irritant he preferred to dispense with when possible, and he had spent almost an entire day in the princess's company. Instead, he turned his critical eyes on the silent Hylian beside him. Revali wondered if anyone else had noticed that Link had so far managed to consume an entire fish.

Although he ate with obvious gusto, the Hylian champion was not nearly as relaxed as he appeared. Revali could see it in the set of his shoulders, in the way his eyes swept continuously in a circuit around the open-aired room as if a threat against the princess might materialize at any moment. Even seated at the table, he had refused to remove his sword, prompting Revali to ask acerbically whether he thought the elder's wife might be hiding a knife inside her feathers. Link had only stared in response, his blue gaze surprisingly clear, and to Revali's immense frustration he had been the one to look away first. It wasn't his fault—a mote of dust had settled in his eye, that was all—but once he'd lost that small battle there was no reclaiming it.

That sword was a sore point for Revali, and he took the opportunity to study it now with narrowed eyes. It didn't look all that special to him, although his expertise was admittedly limited to archery. Some Rito trained with lightweight blades, but he had little use for a weapon meant for such close-range combat when his greatest advantage came from navigating the sky. Link might have known his way around a sword—rumor said that he did, and Revali thought he believed it—but how would he fare when his opponent never came within his reach? The Hylians were fools for pooling all of their hopes in this near child simply because—

Revali stiffened. At some point without his noticing, Link had started meeting him stare for stare. He flushed, grateful for the feathers that hid his embarrassment, but refused to look away. Link's expression took on a considering cast that stiffened Revali's back, and he opened his beak to say something biting, forgetting in that moment that he had been the first to stare.

"Revali, is it true that you crafted your bow yourself?"

Distracted, Revali turned his head, realizing too late that he had been first to look away again.

"I did, princess," he said, smoothing his gruff tone with an effort when she looked taken aback. "With the assistance of a master bowyer to ensure it had no flaws. Impressive, is it not?"

"I have never seen one capable of shooting more than one shot at a time," she marveled. "I would love to examine it. The way you hit those targets at your Flight Range was remarkable."

"Yes, well," Revali said, fully mollified now as his chest puffed out in full. "It is not unheard of for a bow to have that capability, but most archers never learn to utilize it fully, only clustering their arrows together. I, of course, have taken the time to master it. After all," he couldn't resist adding, "some of us must rely on our own skill rather than our weapon's... pedigree."

The elder looked wearily disapproving, and Link had that considering look back in his eyes, but Revali ignored them both. The first would forgive him, and the second was probably too dim-witted to know he'd been insulted.

Slowly, the meal wound to its end, the dazzling hues of the sunset fading down to a deeper, darker violet as the night progressed. The princess was still in deep discussion with the elder's wife while the elder himself gathered the dishes, but Revali noticed Zelda yawning behind her hand from time to time and thought she might retire soon. It had been a long day. Even Link had ceased his constant scanning, appearing lost in whatever passed for thought in that probably empty head of his.

Revali was just starting to wonder if he could excuse himself now without causing offense—interrupting his intense training regimen would only counter what they wanted to achieve, and Revali—but a soft noise made him pause. Glancing towards it, he was surprised to find Link already staring at him intently, as if he'd been trying to catch his attention for some time. Satisfied that Revali had finally noticed him, Link gave the Rito a small, secret smile, and his head… jerked.

Revali blinked, nonplussed. Link did it again, a quick, surreptitious duck of the head, and this time Revali followed the movement, glancing out the open doorway. The corners of his mouth twitching up further, Link nodded in confirmation, jerking his head once more to be sure. Before Revali could let him know that he was not in the mood to be gestured at, Link stood up, half bowing to the elder and his wife while making clear in a few efficient motions that he would return shortly.

Zelda glanced up in surprise as he left, but returned to her conversation looking considerably happier. Nobody but Revali caught the final glance Link sent his way before ducking out, descending the winding staircase of Rito Village. Even silent, his message was clear: Revali was supposed to follow.

For a haughty moment, Revali considered ignoring him, amusing himself with the image of Link slinking back in silent humiliation when Revali never came. At the very least, he would learn that Revali would not be ordered around by a few shakes of the head… but in the end, he could not suppress his curiosity. Did Link have something to show him, or did he only want to flap his useless hands around?

Deciding that he would just leave him flapping if that was the case, Revali stood, too.

"Excuse me," he muttered sourly as he left, ignoring the elder's disapproving glance at his tone. He was the pride of the Rito, not a small hatchling to be lectured whenever he stepped out of line.

Link was easy enough to find, a small, solitary figure looking out over the mountains on the landing where they'd first met. Revali approached in near silence, halfway hoping to catch Link by surprise, but to his annoyance Link turned around almost immediately. He had forgotten that Hylians were said to have superior hearing, although the Rito far outmatched them in eyesight.

"You're lucky I followed at all," Revali said, stopping to put his wings on his hips. The landing was not exactly isolated, but the other Rito had already retired to their homes, and the elder's small nest was just outside of sight. They were alone. "I almost chose not to. What is it?"

That secret smile was back now, almost a smirk.

"I doubt that," Link said roughly, and before Revali could properly register his shock at the voice, the Hylian knight had reached over his shoulder, the darkness sealing sword pulling free of its sheath with a flourish.

Revali tensed, his thoughts whirling to the Flight Range where his Great Eagle Bow hung proudly from the wall. If Link wanted to settle the score between them now, he'd chosen a poor time for it. Or did he actually intend to—

With a muted thunk, the tip of the sword sunk into the old wood of the platform, and Revali stared incredulously as Link stepped back, still with that infuriating smirk.

"I never allow my words to reflect poorly on the Royal Family," he said, pausing to clear his throat, and Revali realized just how long it must have been since he'd last spoken. "But you already do not respect us. Take it."

"You never speak at all," Revali pointed out blankly, too surprised even to bristle over the look Link gave him.

"Take it," he repeated more forcefully. "It's what you want."

Only then did Revali realize exactly what was being offered: the sword that seals the darkness.

"You would never give up your sword," he said suspiciously, scowling because if he stood around looking shocked for any longer Link was going to think less of him than he already must. How else could he expect Revali to fall for a trick like… what sort of trick was this? "What under the heavens makes you think I want that overpolished stick, anyway?"

"You want to lead the charge against the Calamity," Link said in his curiously blunt way, as if weeks of silence had caused the skill of softening his phrases to fall by the wayside. "To strike the finishing blow. For that, you'll need the sword."

"I don't see why," Revali retorted, and Link rolled his eyes.

"There isn't a darkness sealing bow."

Revali stared at him. Link stood casually with his arms folded, slim hips cocked to one side, unfazed by the icy wind blowing in from the mountains though it must have bit through his Champion's tunic. Even shrouded in darkness, Revali's sharp eyes could pick out the most minute details of Link's delicate face, from his clear blue eyes to his red cheeks flushed with cold, and he thought Link looked… expectant. He wondered what was visible through the shadows obscuring his own face.

"Who would pilot Vah Medoh?" Revali asked at last. He was not accepting the offer, because there was not an offer being made. The moment he laid a feather on that sword, Link was sure to snatch it away. All he could do was follow this farce to its tiresome conclusion. "Only a Rito can reach the Divine Beast unaided."

"I wondered that myself," Link said, and his gruff voice actually sounded amused by the question. "I thought you two were bonding well, but I guess you can't do both. Maybe there's a similarly talented Rito to be found?"

Revali snorted before he could stop himself.

"You're not subtle, you know," he said. "There's not a Rito alive with my talent. That's why you're pretending to offer me that sword in the first place."

"Is it?" Link was smiling again, a slight curve to his lips that spoke volumes, and Revali thought he wouldn't mind if Link never spoke to him again after tonight. Silent, Link was annoying. Once he opened his mouth, he became infuriating.

"Of course it is," Revali hissed. "You're here to make me admit this is the way things have to be." He was working himself up now, pacing back and forth. "You want me to fall into line and be grateful for the chance to support you."

"I wouldn't try to tell you how to feel about it," Link said, smile fading, and Revali stopped short, taken aback by his sincerity. "If you can think of another way to change things, I'm listening."

…There was a trick in here somewhere. Revali just had to figure out where.

"Humor me then, why don't you?" he said, testing Link's resolve by resting a wing on the hilt. A single shudder rippled through the Hylian, but he made no move otherwise. "If I decided to take this sword, what would happen next?"

"I would wait to see if you survived."

Revali laughed. Link did not, and after a long, uncomfortable moment, Revali cut off abruptly.

"You're not serious."

"I am." Link's face had returned to the stone it was before. "This isn't a weapon that you get to choose, it's one that chooses you. If you're not the one it wants…" He shrugged. "You can always pull away before it takes your life. If you're not too stubborn." His dubious expression said exactly how stubborn he thought Revali was likely to be.

"Let me get this straight," Revali said sarcastically. "You want me to lead the assault on Calamity Ganon, using a weapon I'm not well-versed in that might, in fact, choose to kill me." He refused to inch his wing away from the sword. Hylian superstitions… It had to be. "Where do I sign up?"

"I never said what I wanted," Link said, and Revali glared at him incredulously. He was going to give himself a headache trying to keep up with Link's madness… though he had been wrong about one thing. Link might be crazy, but he wasn't stupid.

"Do you hate me so much?" he asked, and Link blinked, looking truly startled for the first time in Revali's memory.

"What? No, I—"

"Did the princess put you up to this?"

"Zelda doesn't—" He cut off with a rueful grimace. "No. I just… thought you deserved to be given the choice."

"The princess doesn't know," Revali surmised, tilting his head. "Such insubordination, and from you of all people… I can't think she would approve."

Link said nothing.

Revali looked down at the blade, running a feather down the grip to where the guard flared out like wings. Grasping the hilt, he imagined pulling it free, leading the charge against the darkness with this legendary blade shining in his grip… and laughed, shaking his head as he stepped back.

"Keep your sword, Link. What you're offering here isn't a choice. My bow is the only weapon I need, anyway."

Link stared at him through the darkness, then nodded. Stepping forward, he wrenched it from the wood with surprisingly little effort considering how deeply he'd embedded it.

"Maybe none of us have a choice, then," he said quietly, sheathing the sword with the soft whisper of metal against leather. "At least we both know it now."

Revali frowned. Despite his words, he sounded almost disappointed, but there was no reason for that… unless...

"You don't even want it, do you?" he accused. Link stiffened, glancing up sharply, and Revali's eyes went wide. "It's true! Here fate has gifted you with an opportunity far beyond what you deserve for reasons I can't even fathom, and you would hand it away if you could! That is more than asinine, it's— it's—" Revali floundered, unable to even find a word to express his disgust.

"My father was a knight," Link retorted coolly, standing straighter, though he still had to lift his chin to meet Revali's furious gaze. "I've trained all my life to be worthy of the title. If this is where I've been asked to fight, don't think I won't go."

"But it's not what you want," Revali persisted. "You wish it was someone else."

Link opened his mouth, and seemed surprised when at first no words came out.

"No." Clearing his throat, Link's rough voice firmed. "No, I don't. You might not believe it, but I haven't met a knight that can match me." From Revali that would have been a boast, but Link said it like a statement of fact. "I couldn't pass this duty on to anyone who had less chance of success than I do."

"Then why?" Revali hissed, gesturing at Link's sword. "Why offer me this, if duty demands that you fight?"

"I…" Again words failed him, and he looked frustrated, holding up a hand when Revali tried to interrupt. Maybe talking after weeks of silence wasn't as easy as Link had expected. "I think… because you think you can do it... and why should it be me over anyone else? Except…" He took a deep breath. "If we're both where we're supposed to be… and I think maybe we are… then you should know that it's not a personal slight to you." Link shrugged, turning his head as if to distance himself from his own words. "I think you could defeat the Calamity if our roles were switched. You deserve to know that much, at least."

And that was the whole of it for him, Revali realized with a sort of awe. The honor and adulation that came of being a Champion, the acclaim he would earn by defeating the greatest evil ever to threaten Hyrule… it all meant nothing to him. If somebody with superior talent stepped up, then he would step down, and see it as his duty fulfilled. No shame, no regret, just… acceptance.

Revali could not comprehend going through life with so little regard for the opinion of others. He wanted to hate Link for it.

"Why must we seal Calamity Ganon at all?" Revali said abruptly. "It's ridiculous. Eventually it will break free again, and all our work will have been for nothing."

Link stared at Revali intently.

"What are you suggesting?"

"We should defeat this evil for good," Revali said, his eyes almost glowing at the thought. "Wipe it from the face of the land. End the cursed being entirely. Why should our descendants be forced to live in fear when we could put a stop to it all right now?" And then Revali would be remembered, not just for years but for ages. Generations would speak his name in reverence, and this cyclical war would finally be over.

"You really see no limit to what you can accomplish, do you?" Link said, tearing Revali from his thoughts. His voice had that same awe that Revali felt so unwillingly for him. "You think that anything is possible."

"And why not?" Revali snapped. "Who says it can't be done? It's not as if we have any guarantee that the princess will awaken her sealing power."

"She will," Link said, and Revali snorted.

"I've seen no sign of it."

"She will." Link's faith in her was a surprise, given that she clearly despised his company. Revali wondered if she knew of it. "It's the only way. Maybe if we had more time… but we're already making use of ancient technology that we barely understand. If the people who built it in the first place could do no more, then what chance do we have?"

"Maybe," Revali admitted, unwilling to give up so easily. "Maybe."

Link sighed, glancing up to where the elder's home hung just out of sight, and Revali watched as the weight of his responsibilities settled over him like a physical thing. I never allow my words to reflect poorly on the Royal Family… but there was more to it than that, he thought suddenly. The inexplicable thought came that he would miss Link's rough-hewn voice after tonight, as absurd as that might be.

"Would you really have given me your sword?" Revali asked, and Link looked back in surprise.

"I offered it to you, didn't I?" he said, shrugging again. "I would have let you take it, and if the sword tried to hurt you I would have stopped it. We need you too much to lose you so pointlessly. It's like you said before... you're irreplaceable."

Well. Well then. Revali's feathers puffed up no matter how he tried to suppress them. He had heard similar words from the princess, of course, but Zelda would have said any flattering thing to secure his aid. Hearing them from Link…

"I still hate you," he said abruptly, flushing once more beneath his feathers. "Nothing about that has changed. You know that, right?"

"Of course." That terrible smirk was back on Link's face, and Revali turned away, flustered. "I never thought otherwise."

By the time he turned around again, Link had left without saying goodbye. Revali wondered if that meant the conversation was still in progress—a strangely exciting prospect. Link was still horrible, and frustrating, and an ungrateful recipient of praise and respect he had not yet earned… but talking with him had been a sort of duel on its own, one he wouldn't mind continuing.

The late hour dragged suddenly against his limbs, his weary muscles aching for his hammock, and Revali considered allowing the elder to show the princess to her bed. He could apologize for his abrupt departure in the morning if needed, assuming the elder hadn't smoothed things over by then as usual.

You already do not respect us.

With a sigh, Revali followed Link up the stairs, putting an unnecessary amount of weight on each step. It was practically on his way, anyway.

He arrived in time to hear Zelda commenting on Link's return.

"And here I thought I was finally to be given my freedom," she was sighing regretfully as Link took his place beside her, and for the first time, Revali felt a twinge of shame at the prodding game he and Zelda had played together. As if Link was not the one forced to follow her around with nothing but verbal abuse for reward. "I suppose I should be grateful you do not have wings, or you would have tailed me like a lost child all day."

Link didn't even look annoyed—only impassive. No choices, he had said. Maybe there were none where he was concerned.

"There you are, Revali!" The elder's relieved voice interrupted his thoughts. No doubt he had expected Revali to leave as he'd been strongly tempted to do. "Where were you for so long? Did the two of you go somewhere together?"

Revali looked over to where Link was just taking a sip of his water. Meeting Revali's questioning look blankly over his cup, Link half shrugged, clearly intending to resume his silence. Maybe he expected Revali to play along, their conversation falling quietly into the past until he could pretend it had never happened.

He obviously didn't know Revali.

"Link tried to give me his darkness-sealing sword," Revali said blandly, and Link choked, water spraying from his lips. "He practically begged me to take it, in fact. Of course, I kept telling him that my bow was the only weapon I could ever desire, but then he started to cry, and—sorry, Link, did you have something to say? Correct me if I get something wrong, I certainly don't want to misrepresent you—but anyway, Link was crying, tears streaming down his face as he insisted that as the strongest warrior between us, I must face Calamity Ganon in his place. Well, naturally I could understand such a sentiment, so I…"

The elder and his wife listened in stunned silence as he went on, clearly at a loss for what to say much less how to stop him, but the princess had overcome her surprise and was now giggling uncontrollably. Link had recovered enough to appear resigned, although Revali didn't miss the way the corners of his mouth twitched, and he smiled himself in grim satisfaction. If he could only hear Link's voice again, then perhaps he could figure out why he cared so much to hear it.

"...And I told Link that he simply must find the courage somewhere inside him to fight Calamity Ganon himself, and then he said—Link, tell them what you said."

Link sighed, his forehead falling against the table.

"Well, I suppose you had to have been there," Revali concluded. "Isn't that right, Link?"