Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Fairies were truly amazing creatures.

Holly watched as they fluttered through the air above her, their twinkling, musical calls echoing around the clearing as they circled the Great Fairy Fountain. From her spot on the ground, where she was seated amongst the lush grass and wildflowers, she reached up a hand and started to count the tiny creatures as they flew overhead. There were a lot of them out today- mostly common pinks, but also a few blues, greens and yellows. She’d even spotted a rare red one earlier, although it hadn’t stayed long, disappearing mere moments after it arrived, leaving just a fading trail of glistening particles in it’s wake.

Even after all this time, Holly was still amazed by the way fairies could simply vanish like that when they needed to escape quickly. How did they do it? Where did they go? She could add those questions to the dozens of other ones she still had about them.

Still, she didn’t mind the mystery. In fact it was what drew her back time and time again. She was an adventurer after all, and that came hand in hand with an insatiable sense of curiosity. No one really knew much about fairies, and Holly wanted to be the first to understand them, and hopefully even befriend them. She was still a long way away from that, but she’d made some solid progress over the last few years. For starters she’d gotten ‘Fairy Watching’ down to an art, learning by trial and error how to approach the flighty creatures without scaring them away. She was quite proud of her skills, as far as she knew no one else was able to stay in their presence for so long without scaring them away.

Movement suddenly caught her eye, and her breath caught when she saw a blue fairy approaching her. It’s gossamer wings caught the light as it glided over, and she made sure to stay perfectly still so as not to frighten it away.

“Hello little one.” She whispered softly when it stopped right in front of her, bathing her skin in it’s soft warm glow.

It twinkled curiously at her in response, and while every fibre of her being ached to reach out and touch it, she forced herself to hold still. Nothing scared a fairy more then seeing a hand reaching out toward it, and after thousands of years of being snatched up and stuffed into bottles, who could blame them? No, she couldn’t try to touch it, that would only break the fragile trust she’d started to build with them.

The fairy fluttered curiously around her head a moment longer, and Holly waited patiently until it flew away away to rejoin it’s friends near the fountain. Then she let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding, allowing herself to relax now the temptation had moved away.

“I guess I should get moving too.” She said after a few more minutes had passed, standing up decisively and brushing the grass off her trousers. She walked slowly across the clearing, apologising to the fairies for disturbing them as she moved, and finally climbed up the colourful mushroom steps that led to the heart of the fountain. In the centre of the great golden flower a pool of water glistened with supernatural light, the music echoing from within it sounding warm and inviting.

Holly smiled and dropped a single red rupee and a handful of apple blossom into the water.

“Kaysa, it’s me.” She called, and then quickly took a step back.

The water started to bubble and the light shining from within it intensified as something rose rapidly up from the depths. A moment later a large shape surged out of the fountain, scattering water everywhere and sprinkling Holly liberally despite her attempts to move out of splash range.

“Ah-HAAAAAAAAAA!” The Great Fairy Kaysa cried as she extended her hands up towards the sun, her lavish jewellery sparkling in the light as she slowly settled back down into the water. She placed one arm on the lip of the fountain and rested her chin in her free hand, perching their delicately as she turned to address the young woman before her.

“Holly darling.” She purred in obvious delight. “ It’s so good to see you, and what lovely flowers you’ve brought me!”

“I’m glad you like them !” Holly beamed in response.

“They’re delightful! Now, what brings you here today? Hmm…?” She paused and tilted her head as two fairies suddenly darted up towards her, twinkling loudly as they circled her head. “Oh I see, you’ve been watching the little ones again hmm?”

“Mhm! I really like them!” Holly replied happily. “Oh, but if I’m bothering them I’ll stop right away!”

“No dear, you don’t bother them.” Kaysa chuckled. “ If anything you’ve managed to pique their curiosity! It’s been a long time since anyone visited so regularly without trying to capture them- they’re not quite sure what to make of you!”

As she spoke she held out a hand the size of Holly’s torso, her painted nails of green and red catching the light as several fairies nuzzled up against her offered fingers. Holly couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy as she watched, but she quickly shook off such gloom thoughts and made sure to smile brightly when she replied.

“Well I hope they’ll think of me as a friend one day!”

“I wish you luck darling. It certainly won’t be easy to earn their trust, but I have faith in you.”

Holly smiled happily at her words. Kaysa and her sisters had always been very encouraging about her attempts to befriend the younger fairies, offering advice and guidance as she tried to learn more about them. However the one thing they had never offered to do was to speak to the fairies on her behalf. Holly could have befriended them all easily if they had vouched for her, and she somehow sensed that that was why they hadn’t offered to do so. She understood instinctively that this was something she needed to do on her own, that it would be meaningless if she didn’t prove through her own words and actions that she could be trusted.

“Now then my dear,” Kaysa spoke, drawing her from her thoughts. “Seeing as you summoned me I must assume have something you wish to discuss?”

“Oh I just wanted to have a chat with you!” Holly beamed happily, “You see I’m going to be very busy soon so it might be a while before I can come see you again.”

“Well isn’t that sweet of you!” Kaysa gushed, looking utterly delighted. “You know you’re the only one who just pops in to talk sweetie? With everyone else it’s just ‘enhance this clothing’ or ‘strengthen this armour.’ No one ever asks how I’m doing!”

“I’d like to know!” Holly said happily, raising her hand like a child in school.

“You’re such a darling, I’m so glad you kept coming to see us, even after it turned out we didn’t have the information you’d hoped for.”

The smile on Holly’s face faded briefly at the reminder.

You see, Holly was no ordinary girl, she was a Witch. In fact she was the only Witch in all of Hyrule. Her power had manifested out of the blue one day, saving her from what should have been a deadly fall by allowing her to fly on a broom. She had been as surprised as everyone else to learn that she had such power, but her joy had quickly turned to dismay when she realised there was no one who could help her control her new found ability. Any knowledge of magic had died out long ago, there hadn’t been a Witch or Wizard in Hyrule in thousands of years. In fact it had been so long most people thought magic users were nothing more than myth and legend. Holly had spent months trying to work out how to fly properly by herself, earning only countless bruises and a broken ankle for her trouble. Things had started to look pretty grim, but then her brother had come up with a miraculous suggestion.

She could ask Hyrule’s avian race, the Rito, for help.

True they flew using their wings rather then magic, but the Rito tribe were still her best chance at learning how to fly, so she had gone to them hat in hand and begged for help. To her great surprise they had agreed to teach her, and even allowed her to stay in their village while she learned.

Her time living amongst them had been the happiest of Holly’s young life. She had quickly fallen in love with the Rito’s culture and way of life, delighting in everything the village had to offer. Her flying had rapidly improved with their help, and while she was there she’d become good friends with four young Rito who were training to be warriors; Leri, Revali, Ollet and Farell. Of those four she’d become particularly close to Revali, a proud and rather headstrong teenager who was determined to become the best warrior in the village. It had hardly been a easy friendship, at first their personalities mixed about as well as oil and water, and they’d done nothing but aggravate and irritate one another. However after a series of eye opening events they’d been able to see past their differences and become fast friends. Now Holly couldn’t imagine her life without Revali in it.

The Rito were also the ones who had first introduced her to Kaysa, allowing her to tag along on a regular visit to give offerings to the Great Fairy in exchange for armour enhancements. Kaysa had recognised Holly as a Witch the moment she’d laid eyes on her, leading Holly to ask hopefully if she knew anything more about Witches. Unfortunately Kaysa’s knowledge was very limited, and while she had spoken to Witches in the distant past, their interactions had been brief and she couldn’t remember anything of note.

“It’s okay Kaysa.” Holly smiled, quickly bringing herself back to the present. “It’s not your fault you don’t know much about Witches. Besides, I like talking to you and your sisters, you all have such interesting stories!”

“Well thank you dear!” Kaysa smiled, only to suddenly lean down closer, her tone dropping to that of a conspiratorial whisper as she continued. “And speaking of my sisters, Cotera’s been putting on airs again.”

“Oh?”

“Well you know how she’s always been so smug about having that village right next to her fountain, yes? Since she gets such regular offerings? Well it turns out the people there have only gone and named her their ‘sacred protector’ of all things!”

“Gosh, really?”

“Really! And she’s acting like she was crowned Queen of Hyrule! It was pure chance that village settled next to her fountain in the first place, and it’s not like she’s actually done anything special to earn such a title!”

“I’m sorry Kaysa, I know it’s hard on you, Mija and Tera since your fountains are in such remote locations.” Holly said sympathetically.

Kaysa let out an annoyed huff, only to glance down at Holly and soften moments later.

“Well.” She began, holding out a hand which Holly quickly stepped onto, letting the Great Fairy raise her up so they were eye level as she continued fondly. “I do have one big advantage over my sisters. I get to spend the most time with you since you live closest to my fountain.”

“Awww, thank you!” Holly blushed happily.

“I’m so lucky you decided to settle in Rito Village.” Kaysa grinned as she let Holly back down onto the ground.

“Oh! Well, thank you, but that isn’t really official...” Holly hesitated.

“Pish-posh, it might as well be!”

It was hard to deny what she said. Holly had originally only planned to stay in Rito village long enough to finish her flight training, but she’d formed such strong friendships and enjoyed living there so much that she kept extending her stay. Months turned into years, and still she chose to remain in Rito Village, only leaving long enough to go on the occasional trip with her brother.

There was a time in her life when she never could have imagined staying in one place for so long. Holly loved travelling and had always intended to follow in her brothers footsteps and become an adventurer one day. However she just couldn’t ignore how happy she was in the village and how much wanted to continue her training. She loved learning more about flying and aerial combat, and ever since she’d started participating in her friends warrior training classes she’d started to see a different path her life could take...

“Holly, dear, are you listening?” Kaysa asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry, I was miles away.” Holly apologised swiftly, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “What were you saying?”

“Oh don’t worry dear, I was just wondering what it was that was going to keep you away for a while?”

“Oh that! I’m going to be participating in the Rito’s annual tournament this year- in the flying competition!” Holly beamed proudly. “I’m going to be flying against seasoned pro’s, so I’ve got to put in lots and lots of extra training if I want to take first place!”

“Well in that case I wish you the best of luck!” Kaysa smiled. “I’m sure you’ll do well and be the talk of the village. Oh, and speaking of talk, I’ve been meaning to tell you! I’ve heard some very interesting gossip about you!”

“Gossip? About me?” Holly blinked in confusion. “From who?”

“Fairies hear all sorts of interesting things Holly, my little brothers and sisters flit about everywhere you know!”

“Oh I see! So, what did you hear?”

“Rumours are circulating that there’s a Witch in Hyrule again after all these years. It seems people have spotted you flying overhead when you went on those trips with your brother, and visitors at the Rito Stables have noticed a girl on a broom flying alongside the Rito. You’ve even been given a nickname.”

“A-A nickname? Really?”

“Mhm. They’re calling you...” Kaysa paused, leaning in for dramatic effect before she continued.

“The Witch of the Rito.”

“The Witch of the Rito?” Holly echoed softly. “But, wait...how do they know I’m with the Rito? I mean the people at the Rito Stables I understand, but the others?”

“My dear you’re hardly subtle about your ties to the tribe.” Kaysa chuckled, looking her up and down pointedly.

Holly glanced at herself and realised she had a point. She was dressed in distinctly Rito clothing, and the goggles the Rito had made to protect her eyes even had a fake beak built in to shield her face from the wind. It was only natural people would make the connection.

“Wow, I can’t believe I have a nickname.” Holly finally grinned, deciding that she liked the idea.

“Mhm.” Kaysa purred. “If you keep this up you could become a household name.”

“Oh I don’t think I’ll become that famous.” Holly said modestly.

Kaysa gave her a contemplative look, and her tone was thoughtful when she finally replied.

“You are a singular existence Holly, and people are always drawn to things that are unique and different. So long as you chose to use your powers openly, it’s only natural that people are going to take interest in you.”

“I guess so...” Holly mused, frowning softly to herself.

Kaysa’s expression swiftly softened into a smile. “Don’t worry about it too much dear, you are still young, and it’s impossible to tell exactly what the future will bring. That’s why you should enjoy the present as much as you can.”

Holly brightened at that, smiling happily up again at the Great Fairy.

“Now then!” Kaysa said, clapping her hands together purposefully. “As much as I do love your visits, the sun will be setting soon, and you should get home before it gets dark.”

“You’re right. Thanks for chatting with my Kaysa, it was fun as always!”

“You’re welcome my dear, have a safe trip and good luck with the tournament!”

“I’ll do my best!” Holly grinned, grabbing the broom that was strapped to her back and swiftly mounting it. After all her training it only took a moment’s thought to will the broom into the air, and she waved goodbye one last time before soaring up into the sky.

Kaysa watched her go, smiling and waving until Holly was little more then a dot on the horizon. Only then did she finally lower her hand and allow a frown to cross her features. The small fairies swarmed back around her, tinkling curiously as she reached up a hand to absentmindedly soothe them.

“It’s nothing. It’s just...well I do hope she’ll be okay. Being noticed is such a double edged sword….”

She finally sighed, exhaling away her gloomy thoughts and giving the fairies a smile.

“She’s our one and only Witch, so lets all watch over her, okay?”

They twinkled in response, and Kaysa smiled and slipped quietly back down into her fountain, leaving nothing but a few ripples in her wake.

Chapter Text

The sun dawned bright and clear over Rito Village, promising a warm spring day.

One by one the village’s inhabitants started to rise, stretching and rolling out of their hammocks as they began to get ready for the day ahead. Birds chirped happily in the trees, and the air was filled with soft music from the many wind chimes hung throughout the village. A sense of peace and tranquillity wrapped itself around the Rito’s ancestral home like a warm comforting blanket, putting all who lived their at ease.

Inside the Swallows Roost, the village’s one and only Inn, a young girl hopped from foot to foot as she tried to pull on her Snowquill boots as quickly as possible. She smiled happily to herself as she bounced about, obviously looking forward to whatever it was she was hurrying to get ready for. The second her boots were on she grabbed a large broom that was resting nearby and rushed for the exit, only to screech to a halt when someone called out to her.

“Holly dear, hold on a moment!”

Holly spun towards the speaker, an older Rito with beautiful dark brown plumage and piercing green eyes. This was Jade, the owner of the Inn and the woman who had helped her find her way around the village when she first arrived three years ago.

“You forgot your scarf.” Jade explained, holding out a piece of pure white cloth, thick and warm to insulate the young girls featherless skin from the cold.

“Oh! Gosh I didn’t even notice, thank you Jade!” Holly replied, walking over and letting her wrap it around her neck.

“There you go.” Jade smiled once she’d arranged it to her satisfaction. “Now before you rush off, have you checked you haven’t forgotten anything else? Do you have your lunch?”

“Mhm! I checked, honest!” Holly nodded quickly, bouncing from foot to foot in her eagerness to be off.

“All right then dear, have a nice day.”

“I will! Thanks Jade, I’ll see you later!” She smiled, waving goodbye and turning quickly on her heel.

Rather then heading for the door, Holly ran to the small landing pad that was built into all Rito houses so they could fly directly into and out of their homes. She jumped up onto the platform, pulled her googles down over her face, and mounted her broom. It only took a moments thought to pour her power into her broom and make it rise into the air, and then a light push off from the ground sent her soaring up into the sky like a bird.

There were some amazing benefits to being a Witch.

Holly rose upwards, moving at an easy pace as she circled the village in a wide, lazy loop. She’d been eager to get going, but now that she was in the air she couldn’t help but linger a while, enjoying the freedom of flight and the incredible view she had from her vantage point.

Rito village spread out below her, bathed in a warm golden glow from the morning sun. The avian’s home was entirely unique in its construction, built as it was upon the colossal rocky spires that surged upwards from Totori Lake. The lake was huge and sunk deep into the ground, the water level a good 50 feet below that of the surrounding land, so anyone who didn’t have the ability to fly would have struggled to reach the pillars, let alone build upon them. As it was, the Rito had fashioned giant spiralling wooden staircases around each of the pillars, with their hut like homes built along the stairways at regular intervals. Rather then removing the grass, trees and other flora that had blossomed across the rocks over time, they had built their homes around the greenery, only cutting back what was necessary for construction, and managing the rest as their own personal garden. The individual spires were connected with a web of rope bridges, and the biggest pillar in the centre of the lake formed the heart of the village. A single bridge connected the edge of the lake to the spires, allowing access for those who couldn’t fly.

The whole village was a celebration of the sky, with colourful flags, pin wheels and wind chimes dotted everywhere, creating sweet music in time with the breeze. Even the Rito’s homes were wrapped in vibrant banners and built without walls for the most part so as to be open to the sky, with thick curtains that could be dropped when needed for privacy. A lot of visitors found it unnerving to be in a home with a roof and no walls, but the Rito preferred to be able to see the sky at all times, and feel the wind in their feathers. Holly had also found it strange at first, but after so long living in the village she couldn’t imagine living in a place where she couldn’t see the whole world spread out around her.

She smiled at the thought, but then spotted her destination and shook herself out of her introspection, pointing her broom back towards the village and aiming for the Azure residential pillar where her best friend lived.

She glided down easily, and ignored the landing pad on her friend’s hut, choosing instead to alight on one of the larger communal ones nearby. Using someone’s personal landing pad without prior permission was generally seen to be impolite, and while she knew her friend and his family probably wouldn’t mind if she used theirs, she still thought it was more respectful to walk the short distance and enter through the doorway. So that’s what she did.

“Good morning!” She called when she arrived, knocking lightly on the wooden door frame to announce her presence.

“Good morning Holly! Come on in!” Came the immediate reply, and she smiled and bounced inside with light, joyful steps.

On one side of the room her friend’s guardian’s, Eli and Elena, were carefully preening each other in front of a large free standing mirror. Eli was humming softly to himself as he braided his wife’s hair in the traditional Rito style, and Elena was carefully polishing the jewellery her husband would be wearing today. They both looked up and waved to Holly as she entered, smiling and greeting her warmly.

Holly made sure to greet them in return, and then turned her attention to the other side of the room, where two teenage Rito were also preening each other. One of them was holding out his wing for the other, who was meticulously grooming the proffered plumage, checking and adjusting each individual feather as he moved across the wing.

Having someone check your feathers so carefully might seem like needless fuss to an outsider, but Holly knew just how important the task was to the Rito, both socially and practically. Properly aligned feathers meant better weatherproofing and more efficient flight, and preening the wing allowed you to remove any loose or damaged feathers, get rid of dust or debris, and check to see if the feathers needed additional oiling. (Rito produced their own oil naturally, like sweat, but they liked to add extra oil when needed, especially since the ones they crafted and sold themselves came in a variety of pleasant scents.) Along with this practical aspect, preening was also considered a very important bonding experience for Rito. This time early in the morning, where families, lovers, and close friends gathered together to help each other get ready for the day ahead, was considered near-sacred to the Avian race. It was a chance to give care and attention to your loved ones, and receive it in return. The Rito believed that preening helped you to face the day ahead confidently, secure in knowledge that someone loved and cherished you enough to make sure you looked your best before heading out.

Holly though it was a wonderful sentiment, and smiled to herself as she crossed the room and flopped down bonelessly onto a cushion beside the teenagers.

“Can I be next please?”

“You may need to grow some feathers first.” Her best friend replied without missing a beat, smirking at his own quip.

“Oh ha-ha, you know what I mean!” She pouted, ignoring the way both Rito chuckled at her response and quickly pressing on. “Please Li? You know my Uncle’s due to arrive soon and I want to look my best. So I really really want you to tie my hair!”

The blue avian paused for a beat, and though he tried to act aloof, Holly knew her words had hit the mark by the way his crown feathers perked up at the compliment.

“...Well I suppose if you want to look your very best I have no choice but to help you.” He finally replied with no small amount of pride, letting go of the wing he’d been preening as he spoke. “All right, I’ve finished, swap with Holly please.”

“Thanks Alvan.” Holly smiled as she took the Rito’s relinquished seat.

“No problem, I’m all finished now so I’ll go make some more tea.” He replied cheerfully, going to do just that.

“Now then.” Holly’s best friend spoke up again, reaching down and selecting a hairbrush from a cloth covered tray that held a variety of preening tools, “I know it is hard for you, but do please try to sit still while I work.”

“I’ll do my best!” Holly grinned, throwing him a cheeky salute in the small mirror that stood before them. “So thanks in advance, Revali!”

Her friend sighed in exasperation, but there was a fond smile on his face as he got to work.

Revali was a warrior in training, and the adopted son of Eli and Elena. They had raised him alongside their biological son Alvan after his parents (dear friends of theirs) passed away when he was young. He was a confident (some would say arrogant) young man, who carried himself with a proud, aristocratic air. He wanted to become the best warrior the village had ever seen, and trained endlessly in order to achieve this goal, holding himself to a ridiculously high standard in everything he did. In comparison Holly was cheerful, energetic, and rather childish. She didn’t like to take things too seriously, and often got carried away by her own abundant enthusiasm. With such contradicting personalities, it should come as no surprise that the two didn’t get along when they first met. Revali thought Holly was a undisciplined, disrespectful simpleton, and Holly thought he was a stuck-up jerk. In the end, it took being thrust into a life or death situation before they were finally able to see eye to eye.

As much as they’d fought before hand, after that incident things changed and the two became close, forming a unique bond which had only strengthened as time passed. When Holly declared that she wanted to become the best flier in the village, Revali had welcomed the idea of having a rival, relishing the idea of strengthening himself by facing someone who was just a determined to achieve their goal as he was his. They had trained hard together over the following years, each aiming to be the best in their chosen fields, and it had brought them even closer together.

However, while they had been best friends for several years now, they had only started preening together a little less then a year ago. Because preening was such a special activity to the Rito, it wasn’t something that you could offer to do lightly. You could cause outright offence with an unwarranted offer of preening, as it implied a certain level of closeness between both parties. Holly had therefore never asked Revali if they could get ready together in the morning, even though she wanted to, for fear of overstepping. That had all changed one day when Revali had come to collect her so they could go to their lessons together, only to find her running late. She was desperately trying to braid her hair, but was rushing so much that she kept messing it up. He had watched for several minutes before finally stepping forward and intervening in his usual arrogant manner, telling her to give him the brush before she completely butchered her poor hair. His words would have seemed rude to most people, but Holly knew exactly what the gesture signified. She had handed him the brush with a smile and a thank you, and he’d straightened out the knots in her hair with a tenderness you wouldn’t have expected considering the gruff way he’d spoken.

Holly still remembered the way he’d told her how honoured she should be to be receiving personal treatment from him, and how the arrogant words were so completely at odds with the reverent way he was treating her hair.

Ever since then, they preened together most mornings.

While Holly was reminiscing Revali continued to work, brushing out her hair till it was smooth and free of tangles before beginning an intricate braid. Holly usually had trouble sitting still for any period of time, but there was something very soothing about having her hair styled, and she found herself relaxing trustingly back into Revali’s wings as he worked. In what seemed like no time at all he was done, and she felt almost put-out that it was over so quickly.

“All done.” Revali said in a clearly pleased voice as he patted her lightly on the back. “And some of my finest work, if I do say so myself.”

“Thank you Revali! It’s beautiful!” Holly gushed, admiring her hair in the mirror and noting the way he’d woven a colourful ribbon into her braid, tying if off with a decorative jade bead.

“Naturally.” He smirked.

“Can I help you with your wings?” She offered, thinking it was only fair to help him in return.

“Thank you, but Alvan’s already taken care of it.” Revali replied, reaching for a small pot of eye liner as he spoke.

Rito used eye liner to make the natural coloured bands around their eyes look more neat and uniform in colour. For a ‘natural’ look you used a pigment close to your natural colour, but Revali was more daring then most, and liked to stand out by ringing his eyes with a bright crimson paint.

“Will you do mine to?” Holly asked as she watched him start to carefully paint around his eyes.

“I just did your braid for you, you can do your own eye liner.” He muttered, focusing on his reflection in the mirror.

“Please?” She wheedled. “You’re so much better at it then me.”

“Oh, very well.” He sighed as he finished his work. “What colour do you want? The usual?”

“Yes please.” Holly nodded, handing over a pot of black eye liner she’d brought with her.

“You know you could choose a more daring colour.”

“You said black looks good on me!”

“And it does.” Revali agreed as he dipped a small brush into the bottle and wiped the excess liquid off on the rim. “But I thought you might like a change, especially as your Uncle is coming.”

“Mmm...not today, but maybe later.” Holly hummed after a moments thought.

“Very well then, hold still.”

He gently reached out and caught her chin between two large feathery fingers, holding her head still while he worked. Holly closed her eyes trustingly, and a few moments later felt the cool paint being brushed delicately across her eyelids.

It was a peaceful moment, one of trust and care between two good friends.

At moments like this, Holly understood why preening was so important to the Rito.

“Done.” Revali said a few minutes later, letting go and pulling back to admire his handiwork. “Hmm, marvellous work if I do say so myself.”

Holly opened her eyes and turned to look in the mirror, smiling brightly at what she saw.

“You’re so good at this! It looks great!”

“Naturally.” He smirked, putting the lid back on the bottle and returning it to her.

Alvan returned just then with the tea, and the three teenagers chatted for a while as they drank and finished the last of their preparations. Once they were done they bid goodbye to Eli and Elena and headed down to the main kitchen on the central pillar for breakfast. There were delicious smells wafting from within as they approached, and when they stepped inside they saw a huge platter filled with crusty bread rolls and pastries. Lots of different fillings had also been prepared so people could add whatever they wished to their rolls, there was butter and jam, as well as scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and smoked salmon. There was even a large pot of creamy porridge put to one side for those who preferred to eat something a little simpler for breakfast.

It was hard to choose with so much on offer, but in the end Holly filled two rolls with bacon and eggs and grabbed two more pastries for good measure, knowing she’d need the energy for the day ahead. The three friends happily tucked into their food together, and when they were done they handed their dirty plates to the Rito who were on kitchen duty. Their meal finished, they waved goodbye to one another and went their separate ways. Alvan headed to the General Store to meet with his parents, while Revali and Holly took to the skies, heading for the training field where the warrior cadets had their lessons.

The two travelled in silence for a few minutes, but as soon as they were clear of the village Holly called out eagerly to her friend.

“Hey, let’s race!”

“My, my. You never learn, do you?” Revali called back cockily, drifting closer so they could hear each other over the wind.

“I’ll get you this time!” Holly grinned, leaning down over her broom and tightening her grip in anticipation, knowing her friend would never back down from a challenge.

“Very well, the same as usual then?” Revali asked, falling in alongside her so they would start from the same position. Holly nodded in response, and quickly pulled her goggles down over her eyes as he started the countdown.

“Three...two….one….now!” He called, and they both shot forwards at the same time.

Revali quickly pulled out in front, putting space between himself and Holly as he weaved nimbly through the sky, but the young Witch narrowed her eyes and put on another burst of speed, steadily closing the distance between them. The two wove back and forth, tacking through the sky as they sought out any air currents they could use to give themselves an advantage.

This was an almost daily race between them now, something they’d been doing for years. In all that time Holly had never once beaten Revali, but that did not deter her in the slightest. Like a dog with a bone she came back day after day to challenge him again, eager for a chance to practise with one of the most skilled fliers of her generation.

Over the years some people had laughed at her antics, their words bordering on unkind as they asked Holly when she would give it a rest and leave her friend be, but Revali himself quickly shut down such comments. He knew first hand just how hard Holly was working in order to reach her lofty goal of becoming the best flier in the village. She put in hours of extra work, practising whenever she could in order to catch up with her peers who had been flying for so much longer then her. He respected her work ethic, and wouldn’t let people belittle her efforts.

Besides, no matter what anyone said, Revali knew her dedication was yielding results. She still lost, but with each fresh challenge it was by a smaller margin, and what had started out as an easy competition was now something he had to fully apply himself to if he wanted to win. She’d gotten good enough that one mistake, one tiny slip up, and there was a good chance she’d beat him.

He should feel annoyed, but honestly it was exhilarating to have a friend whose drive for improvement matched his own.

They landed in the training field just 10 minutes later, and Revali touched down only a few moments before Holly, beating her by the slimmest of margins.

“Not again!” She wailed, dropping bonelessly onto the ground as she struggled to catch her breath.

“I-huff-told you.” Revali panted, doing his best to catch his breath and appear unstrained by the flight, “The-the result will always be the same.”

Holly rolled over to look at him, her chest still heaving from her exertions, and grinned as she asked,

“So, same time tomorrow?”

He sighed, rolling his eyes as he walked over and held out a wing to help her up.

“Whatever am I going to with you?”

Holly laughed and took his wing, letting him haul her to her feet. “Come on Li, you knew what you were signing up for when you agreed to be my friend.”

“I suppose I did.” He sighed, smiling quietly to himself at Holly’s use of his nickname. Generally he detested that sort of thing, (his full name was glorious after all, why would he ever want to shorten it?), but in Holly’s case he made an exception.

“Do you guys ever get tired of racing one another?”

The new voice caught the teenagers’ attention, and they turned to see their friends and fellow warriors in training were walking over to meet them.

“Yay! Everyone’s here!” Holly smiled, and Revali had to admire her ridiculous recovery speed, as the girl who had been struggling for breath moments earlier suddenly ran over and threw herself at one of their friends with a childish cry of-

“Leri, I lost again! I want hugs!”

The violet hued Rito laughed and easily caught her in his wings, letting her bury her face in his feathers as he consoled her.

“Awww, but it looked like it was really close this time! You did great!”

“This again?” Revali drawled, rolling his eyes at her juvenile behaviour.

“Oh let her be, Leri doesn’t mind.” Ollet chuckled as she came to stand beside Revali, where her white and grey feathers created a striking contrast to his dark navy blue ones.

“I sure don’t.” Leri smiled, happily resting his chin on top of Holly’s head. She had turned around to face outwards so she could join in their conversation, but apparently wasn’t ready to get out of his wings yet.

“So warm. So comfy.” She hummed happily, not even the tiniest bit ashamed of her behaviour as she snuggled back into Leri’s chest.

“I think she may be taking advantage of you Leri.” The final member of their small group, a teal coloured Rito named Farell, chuckled as he watched their antics.

“Eh, I don’t mind. Besides, Holly doesn’t have feathers, so we gotta keep her warm, right?”

“Aww, that’s sweet, but I just wanted a hug!” Holly grinned, patting Leri’s wings so he would release her and then quickly stepping forward and twirling around in front of them all.

“There’s no way I’d get cold while I’m wearing this after all!”

She was wearing her usual training gear, a unique outfit the Rito tailors had created specially for her by blending insulated Snowquill clothing with lightweight leather armour. The resulting outfit was warm, protective and comfortable, allowing her to train and fly at high altitudes safely.

“Glad to hear it.” Leri grinned as she stopped twirling for them. “So I guess that means you don’t need any more warm hugs then, huh?”

There was a beat of silence, during which Holly looked utterly stricken, and her friend’s managed to keep straight faces for perhaps 10 seconds before bursting into laughter.

“Oh goddess Holly, your face! You look like a fledgling whose just been told they’re too big for their nest blanket!” Leri laughed, clutching his stomach.

“You’re mean.” She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest as they all continued to laugh at her. “You’re all mean.”

“Oh don’t give us that look, you know we’re only teasing.” Ollet smiled, coming over and throwing a wing around her shoulders, “We love you really.”

“Well that’s okay then.” Holly laughed, easily melting into a smile. She was never one for holding grudges.

“If we’re all done laughing at Holly we should probably start getting ready for lessons.” Farell reminded them gently, trying to restore order.

They sobered at his words and hurried to complete the last of their preparations, and had only just finished when a sharp cry from above called them all to order.

“CADETS! ATTENTION!”

They scrambled to fall into line, and had barely gotten into position when a Rito suddenly dropped from the sky. He landed in a graceful crouch with his wings flared, but quickly straightened and folded them smartly behind his back as he began to walk along their line, his golden eyes piercing them as he looked for any mistakes in their posture, or any ill-maintained equipment.

He finally stopped pacing, and gave a single nod of approval that made them all let out a breath they didn’t realise they’d been holding.

This was Kaeli, the Captain of the Rito Warriors, and without question the finest archer in the entire village. They were incredibly lucky to be taught by him personally, and were grateful that he went out of his way to make time for them each day. Revali in particular was always very attentive during his lessons, he idolised the dignified Rito whose archery records had never been beaten, and aspired to be just like him one day.

“Good morning cadets. Today we will be continuing our practise of mid-air dodging.” Kaeli said, getting straight down to business.

“As you know, when engaging in aerial combat the only way that others can retaliate against us is using projectile weapons. Therefore being able to successfully attack while dodging return fire is an essential skill for Rito warriors. For this exercise Holly and Revali will be acting as targets on the ground, and the rest of you will attempt to attack them from the sky while they defend themselves. Once sufficient time has passed I will call a ceasefire and then you will swap roles and repeat the exercise again. If you all understand then please go get ready.”

The cadets immediately sprang to work, going straight to the storage shed and retrieving training arrows and goggles. The training arrows were special, their arrowheads had been replaced with thickly padded cotton balls wrapped in muslin. They weren’t deadly, but they did sting like hell and left large bruises, which was more then enough incentive to avoid them. The cadets took a quiver full each, and carefully covered the balls in bright powdered dye, making sure to each choose a different colour so that it would be easy to distinguish who had made which shot. Revali chose green, Ollet red, Farrell blue, Leri purple, and Holly bright yellow. The goggles protected their eyes from the powder that would fill the air if they took a hit from an arrow.

As soon as they were ready Holly and Revali moved into the middle of the training field, and their friends took to the sky, circling overhead as they waited for their teacher to give them the signal to start.

“Is everyone ready?” Kaeli called, looking at each of the cadets in turn and waiting for them to give him the affirmative before continuing.

“All right then- begin!”

Holly and Revali turned as one, standing back to back to cover each other’s blind spots as they waited for their friends to attack.

“Same plan as normal.” Revali said simply. “Back me up.”

“Got it.” Holly nodded, readying her bow. Revali was a far superior archer than her, so it made sense to let him take the lead.

Their friends swooped down moments later, weaving back and forth to try and make themselves harder to hit as they approached. Holly struggled to find a clear shot, but Revali let his first arrow fly without hesitation. Despite the precautions the others were taking he hit Ollet square in the wing, and she was forced to peel off so she could stabilise her flight.

“Nice one!” Holly cheered, but Revali quickly snapped at her to focus, and she looked up and saw that Leri was heading straight for her. As their eyes met her friend reached for his bow, preparing to attack her, and so she quickly fired at his right hand side, forcing him to abandon his weapon so he could dodge her attack. He banked hard left to avoid her arrow, and she quickly let a second shot fly.

‘Gotcha’ She murmured as Leri flew straight into the path of her second arrow, unable to change course quickly enough after making such a sharp turn. He let out a rather satisfying yelp of pain as he got coated with a large splotch of yellow dye.

Holly didn’t have any time to celebrate her success, as just then Ollet came swooping back in with Farell by her side, the two of them teaming up to try and take her, the weaker archer, down first.

“Li, Ollet and Farell are double teaming us, we gotta move.” Holly called over her shoulder.

Revali glanced over and quickly took stock of the situation. “Fire one arrow at them on my mark to make them scatter, and we’ll go left towards the tree cover.”

Holly nodded and did as she was asked, trusting in her friend’s judgement and skills. Arrows thudded into the space they’d occupied mere moments ago as they ran, and Holly forced herself to slow down and keep pace with Revali as they moved, resisting her instincts to run away as fast as possible. As a Hylian she was far faster at moving over land then Revali was, and if she let herself pull ahead and got separated from him their friends would pick them off one by one.

Revali fired at Ollet and Farell as they ran, while Holly did her best to keep Leri from interfering. She found it much harder to shoot while running, so was annoyed but not at all surprised when all her shots went wide. Leri quickly returned fire, and she dodged each attack until one arrow came down so close she was forced to jump to one side and roll along the ground to avoid it. She came up in a crouch, and now she was in a more stable position she fired once again, this time successfully hitting Leri in his tail feathers and sending him careening of course.

...She’d actually been aiming for his wing, but hitting his tail had the same effect so she was still going to count it as a win.

They continued their mock battle until Kaeli finally ordered them all to cease fire and assemble before him. Most of the attacking team were liberally coated in green dye with a few scatterings of yellow, while Holly had a few different coloured marks on her arms and shoulders. Revali was the only one amongst them who hadn’t taken a single hit.

“Leri, you’re dead.” Kaeli said flatly as he gazed pointedly at the large green mark in the centre of his chest.

“Sorry teacher.” The young avian replied, bowing his head contritely.

“Don’t be sorry, be careful. You cannot become complacent just because we’re using training arrows. I want you to each look at where you’ve been struck, if this was a real attack everyone but Revali would be crippled, grounded, or dead.”

He let that sombering thought sink in for a moment, then went on to critique each of them in turn, praising what had been done well and pointing out where they could have done better. Once he’d finished he gave them all a 10 minute break to recover, then the teams switched roles and they ran the practise again.

Holly preferred being on the attacking team. For one thing she got to fly around to her hearts content, and on a more practical note she was a far better shot when firing from her broom, so she could support her team mate better. She and Revali took no time at all to decide on a plan that played to both their strengths, and as soon as Kaeli told them to begin Holly flew down and harassed the team on the ground with a barrage of attacks, keeping them focused on her while Revali fired at them with pin point accuracy from higher up. They tried to chase Holly off by returning fire, but she twisted and turned in unpredictable ways, taking full advantage of how manoeuvrable she was in the air to dodge their attacks. At one point she even slammed into a instant stop to let some arrows sail in front of her, only to flip end for end and go back in the direction she’d come from.

“Show off!” Leri yelled from below, only to cry out as a green arrow hit him smack in the back of the head moments later.

When time was eventually called Holly and Revali didn’t have a single mark on them, but their friends were coated in green and yellow powder.

“It’s not fair to let those two work together sir!” Leri whined as the scores were counted.

“Cadet, things are rarely ‘fair’ in a real fight.” Kaeli replied, giving him a pointed look as he spoke. “It is important to be able to adapt your strategy depending on the situation. You three have fought against Revali and Holly many times before, you cannot claim you didn’t know what to expect from them.”

Leri pouted quietly, but didn’t try to argue any further. He knew what his instructor was saying was true, but it still didn’t seem fair somehow. Revali was a highly skilled archery specialist and an excellent tactician, while Holly was a flexible fighter who was good at thinking on her feet and could be downright devious when pressed. Individually they were tough to handle, but when they worked together they were a nightmare.

They ended up running through the drill 4 more times, rearranging their groups so everyone got a chance to work with different people, and by the time they finally broke up for lunch they were all sore and utterly exhausted.

The teenagers moaned to each other as they crowded round a water butt, trying to wash the coloured powder off themselves before they sat down to eat.

“Revali I’m starting to think you have some sort of personal vendetta against my poor back.” Leri pouted as he gingerly poked the sore flesh between his shoulder blades.

“Well if you will keep presenting me with such an easy target, how am I supposed to resist?” Revali smirked, only to pause when he saw just how much dye his poor friend was coated in. He had clearly taken the most hit’s out of all of them, and looking at the amount of green powder covering his feathers, it seemed he was mostly to blame for Leri’s current sorry state.

“Oh very well then.” He sighed loudly, “Since I was the one who put the most dye on you, I suppose it’s only fair that I help you clean up.”

“You are the only person I know who could work a boast into an offer to help.” Farell said dryly, but Revali pointedly ignored him and went to assist Leri, using a cool cloth to gently wipe down his back.

“You look like a rainbow Leri.” Holly giggled, adding her own two rupees to the conversation.

“You’re not looking much better.” He pointed out wearily.

“I think it’s kind of pretty.” Holly smiled as she admired all the colours along her arms. “It looks like I’ve just come back from the Festival of the Air!”

“Well I’m glad you like it Hol.” Ollet sighed as she glanced over her own plumage. “But some of us have white feathers. Do you know how hard it is to wash dye out of white plumage? There’s always some trace of colour left behind.”

“Oh gosh, I didn’t think about that. Turn this way and I’ll help you.” Holly offered immediately, hurrying to help her friend.

With all of them helping one another they finished cleaning up in no time, and quickly settled down in a warm patch of sunlight so they could dry off while they had lunch.

They chatted idly amongst themselves as they ate, but it quickly became apparent that Farell had something he wanted to say. It took a little prodding, but eventually the quietest member of their group spoke up.

“I’ve just heard back from the Residential committee,” He started softly, his face lighting up with a smile as he spoke, “They’ve confirmed that I now have my own hut reserved on the Cloud Pillar.”

The others gasped in delight at the news, and quickly gave him their hearty congratulations.

“That’s so great! The Cloud pillar is really nice, my Aunt lives there!”

“Yeah, and it’s close to the Bards Pillar! You’ll be able to go listen to concerts any time!”

“Thank you, I went to see it last night, and I can’t wait to move in.” Farell smiled, and while he was reserved by nature it was obvious that even he could barely contain his excitement at the news - which was completely understandable! Getting your own hut was a huge deal for a young Rito, it was all anyone their age was talking about!

You see, unlike Hylians who were considered adults once they turned seventeen, the Rito age of adulthood was twenty. Upon reaching this age they were allowed to drink alcohol, have sex, get married, be elected to the village council (or one of it’s subgroups) and, most excitingly, own property in the village.

Having your own place was regarded as a symbol of adulthood by the avian race, and every young Rito looked forward to the day they finally got their own hut. Teenagers were allowed to put in a request for one once they turned 19, and the residential committee who monitored and maintained the village housing would then look for a suitable place for them. In the following year those who had asked for a hut would be presented with a few options, and once they selected one it would be reserved for them, ready to move into on their twentieth birthday.

All of Holly’s friends had rushed to put in their applications once they turned 19, and now they were each starting to hear back from the committee and choose their future homes. It was an exciting and happy time, and everyone was talking about the type of hut they wanted, which pillar they hoped to live on, and how they planned to decorate their new home once they got it.

...Everyone except Holly.

Sadly, while she might live amongst the Rito she wasn’t a member of the tribe, so she had no right to apply for a hut herself. She could only listen to her friends as they talked about their reservations, offering encouragement and support as they planned for their futures.

At first everything was fine, but as time passed and talk of new homes continued to dominate every conversation, Holly couldn’t help but start to feel a little envious of her friends. She tried to push the feeling down, the Rito had been so generous already and she feared wanting more would be greedy and ungrateful….but she just couldn’t help it. Leri and the others made the idea of having her own place sound so tantalizing. Before she knew it she was daydreaming about what it would be like if she could also apply for her own hut, picturing how she would paint pretty motifs of the sky on the ceiling and collect shooting star fragments for soft light in the evenings...

...Except that wasn’t going to happen, no matter how much she might like it, so she kept her thoughts to herself and tried to just be happy for her friends.

She thought she’d been doing a good job of covering up her envy, but then one evening Revali had suddenly pulled her aside and asked if she wanted a hut of her own. Her clever friend had seen right through her, and she quickly gave in and told him everything, unburdening herself after weeks of holding back. They talked all night, and in the end Revali helped her realise that it wasn’t just the hut she wanted, but rather place in the village itself. After all, what would be the point in obtaining a hut when she was going to leave as soon as she finished her training? Because that had always been the plan, to train with the Rito to polish her flying and archery, and then leave and become an adventurer.

Only...that wasn’t what she wanted any more.

She wanted to stay here. With the Rito. Not as a guest or a visitor, but as one of them, a part of their tribe.

“If that’s what you desire the solution is simple.” Revali had replied after she reached that conclusion. “You just need to officially join the tribe.”

“J-Join the-” She’d spluttered, “Li, I’m a Hylian.”

“I’m aware of that, but you fly, and you’ve proven your worth and your dedication to the village several times over. We’ll think of a way.”

After a moment, once the shock had passed, Holly had smiled wide. One of the things she loved about her friend was that the word ‘impossible’ wasn’t in his vocabulary. Revali thought anything could be accomplished so long as you put in the work, and where most people would give up in the face of insurmountable odds, he simply squared his shoulders and grinned at the challenge. His confidence was inspiring, and never failed to bolster her spirits. If Revali said it was possible to join the tribe, then she believed he would find a way.

He did.

It took a few days, but he came up with a plan, and after some discussion they gathered up their friends and told them what they were scheming. They were all immediately supportive, and apologised for not realising how Holly was feeling sooner, promising to help however they could going forward. Since then they had all been working hard to help her improve her flying skills-

“-Holly?”

The young Witch was brought back to the present by Farell, who suddenly broke through the excited chatter to address her directly.

“Don’t worry,” He smiled reassuringly, “I’m sure you’ll be telling us all about your own hut soon.”

She was touched that he’d think of her when he was celebrating his own success, and thanked him warmly for his words.

“Of course she will, my plan is faultless,” Revali cut in imperiously. “Speaking of which, we should meet up tonight and go over the next steps.”

They quickly agreed to meet after class in their usual spot, and then continued to chat happily amongst themselves until it was time to go back to their lessons.

In the afternoon they shadowed the older warriors, learning directly from their seniors and getting practical experience of the work they would one day be doing themselves. They were each assigned to a different warrior, and Holly ended up spending the afternoon helping to guard the main bridge that led into the village. It wasn’t the most popular assignment (no Rito liked walking back and forth when they could be flying), but it was an important duty nonetheless, so she tried to pay attention and not feel too envious of her friends who were getting to assist with the aerial patrols.

(It could be worse, she could have been asked to help collate reports in the record room.)

The afternoon flew by, and before Holly knew it training was over and she was officially dismissed for the day. Her time was now her own, but rather then returning to the village she flew straight back to the training field to meet up with Revali. The two of them always did extra practise after their official training was over, and as she waited for him to arrive she went over some of the basic flight manoeuvres on her own. Her flying instructor Benta always told her that you had to have an absolute mastery of the basics before you could attempt to do more advanced moves, and so she practised them diligently everyday.

She’d just finished a set of aerial loops when she spotted Revali approaching, and eagerly swooped down to greet him.

“Hiya Li! You ready for some flight training?” She grinned.

“Change of plans, we’re doing archery practise today.” He replied as he landed and unhooked his bow from his back.

“Huh? How come?” She asked, the smile falling from her face as she slowly dropped down to the ground like a wilting flower.

“Because your performance this morning was appalling.” He said bluntly, never one to sugar coat things.

“...Appalling is a strong word.” She winced.

“It is an accurate one. Do you think I missed how often you resorted to firing wildly in the right direction rather then properly aiming? I know we’ve had to focus on flying training lately, but you can’t neglect your archery! You can do better then that, I know you can, so...” He picked up a spare bow and tossed it to her. “Practise.”

Holly sighed, but she knew he had a valid point.

“Okay, you’re right”

“Of course I am.” He smirked as he moved to stand beside her. “Now first of all, let’s work on your aim...”

Holly nodded and let Revali guide her, his strict teaching style familiar and oddly comforting. He had been her first archery teacher after all, training her in exchange for being shown some of the unusual unarmed combat techniques she practised. Revali was undoubtedly the best of their generation in terms of flying and archery skills, but Holly had everyone beat when it came to close ranged combat. Never one to like being outdone in anything (even a skill he didn’t really care for), Revali had stubbornly insisted on learning the basic movements from her.

They trained together for just over an hour, until Holly had to get back at the Inn to help Jade with the chores, something she did to pay her back for letting her stay there so cheaply. She left Revali to carry on without her and hurried back, arriving to find a pile of dirty linens that needed washing. She was kept busy scrubbing and rinsing until the bell rang to signal that the communal dinner was ready, at which point Jade shooed her off good naturedly, thanking her for her work and telling her she’d done enough for the day. Holly ran off happily, having worked up an appetite with all her hard work, and followed the delicious smells up the stairs and into the kitchen.

The meal on offer was delicious as always. There were juicy mushroom skewers to start, followed by spiced salmon risotto and baked apples stuffed with raisins and honey. Holly ate her fill, savouring each bite of the delicious meal, and made sure to compliment the chefs before running back to the Inn to wash up before she went to meet her friends.

They had agreed to meet at their usual spot, the old shrine near the top of the village. The ancient relic’s constant orange glow provided some light as the sun dipped down below the horizon, but as Holly approached she noticed that some thoughtful soul (most likely Farell) had brought a lantern for extra illumination. Her friends were already in the middle of a heated conversation when she arrived, and she had a fairly good idea what she would be walking into when she saw the familiar lovelorn expression on Leri’s face.

“Whose he fallen in love with this time?” She whispered to Revali as she quietly slipped in beside him.

“An apprentice jeweller.” He replied with a disapproving sigh. “They bumped into each other when he went to pick up a necklace his sister ordered, and apparently it was ‘love at first sight’.’”

“He’s so handsome” Leri sighed dreamily. “And you should have seen his work! So beautiful...”

“Yup, it’s official. He’s in love again.” Ollet grinned, resting her chin on one wing as she watched the drama unfold.

“I wonder if I can convince one of my sisters to order something else,” Leri mused as he stared off into the middle distance, apparently lost in his own little world. “Next time I want to find out his name.”

“You didn’t even ask his name?” Farell spluttered, his tone somewhere between amused and exasperated.

“There wasn’t time!” Leri blushed, finally glancing up and actually looking at them all. “I-I got flustered, all right?!”

Holly laughed as everyone immediately started teasing him for the slip up. Leri was a hopeless romantic and notorious for falling in love at the drop of the hat. Unfortunately he also had terrible luck when it came to romance, and so far every person he’d fallen for hadn’t reciprocated his feelings. Last month his ‘true love’ had been a beautiful singer named Lana, and two months before that a bowsmith called Reich. Lana had explained that she was only interested in women, and Reich had turned out to not be interested in romance at all. (And those were just the latest examples of his romantic escapades).

They all got quite distracted teasing him (it was just too much fun to ruffle his feathers), and in the end Revali had to step in to get them back on track.

“If we’re all quite done discussing Leri’s love life, perhaps we could get on to the subject at hand? In case you’ve forgotten we have less then a month left to help Holly prepare for the tournament. We need to focus.”

The chatter instantly stopped as he reminded them of their time-line, and everyone settled down and turned serious.

“Our progress so far has been good.” Revali continued, in his element as he took the lead and addressed them all. “Holly and I have been training hard to improve her flying, and we’ve all helped her memorise the race route, but now it’s time to step up our game. Flying in a crowd during a race will be a completely new experience for her, so I think we should all race her together a few times to let her get used to it.”

“That’s a good idea.” Farell nodded “We don’t want her to be disqualified for something silly like bumping into someone just because she’s not used to competitive flying.”

There were murmurs of agreement all around, and everyone started to discuss their schedules, trying to work out which days they all could all meet up to practise together.

This really was a serious discussion, as Revali’s plan to get Holly into the tribe hinged on her winning the flying race in the upcoming tournament. The tournament itself was a much anticipated annual event in Rito Village, where everyone got the chance to engage in friendly competition. There were many different categories, but the singing, archery and flying competitions were the highlights each year, as these were the subjects in which the Rito excelled. The competition in these three events was always fierce, and for this reason the winners received a special prize, the right to ask a boon of the village council. Revali’s plan was to have Holly win the flying competition and use the boon to ask for permission to join the tribe.

It would be nice if the plan was as simple to action as it was to summarise. Winning the flying competition would be no easy feat, even if it was Holly’s best subject. She would be up against Rito with decades more flying experience then her, who had participated in the contest dozens of times before. She was very grateful that at least Benta, Kaeli’s second in command and the undisputed best flier in the village, would not be participating this year. However while that definitely increased her chances, it was still going to be an incredibly tough competition. That was why all her friend’s had been setting aside their free time to help her train and practice as much as possible.

“I know I’ve said it before, but thank you all so much for helping me.” Holly said suddenly, causing everyone to pause their discussion and look over at her.

“Don’t be silly, we know how much this means to you, and we all want you to succeed, right guys?” Ollet replied.

“Of course!” Leri beamed. “I mean, you’re practically part of the tribe already Hol, this is just going to make it official! Plus, once you’ve joined up you can finish training with us and we’ll all get to graduate and be warriors together! It’ll be amazing!”

“Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” Farell cut in suddenly, cautioning them before they could get too excited by the idea, “You’re training every chance you get as it is, and no one wants you to win at the expense of your health. There’s always next year, and other plans to try.”

“Don’t worry, my energy and stamina are my strong points!” Holly grinned, punching a fist in the air for emphasis.

“She’s got a point, she has more energy then a fledgling on festivals eve, and there’s no sign of it ever running out.” Revali sighed, glancing at her fondly despite his rather exasperated tone.

They all laughed at that, and then quickly went back to working out when they could get together to fly the race course. It took a while, but they eventually managed to sort out a schedule, though Ollet would have to miss a few sessions to take care of her baby sister. Overall though they were very satisfied with their work, and once the serious business was over they ended up chatting about this and that until the sun set and everyone started to head home.

Holly waved goodbye to her friends as they left, thanking them yet again for their help, but found herself lingering on at the shrine, feeling oddly reluctant to go back to the Inn straight away. She knew she should go get some rest, but she was also very aware of the fact she’d given up her extra flight training session earlier to focus on archery instead. She didn’t regret it, after all she would need to be an adept archer if she wanted to become a Rito warrior one day, and she was sure that was what Revali had had in mind when he made her practise….

But even so...everyone was doing so much to help her, and she wanted to do absolutely everything she could to increase her chances of winning.

She nodded to herself as she came to a decision, and unhooked her broom from her back, heading towards the nearest landing where she could launch herself skywards. She crossed the village quickly, but as she stepped out onto the wooden deck a familiar voice suddenly called out to her from the shadows, making her jump.

“I knew you’d try to get in one more flight before bed.”

Holly spun round to see Revali leaning casually back against the railing, his wings crossed over his chest as if he’d been waiting for her to turn up this whole time. He glanced up when he was sure she’d spotted him, meeting her eyes and giving her a smug, knowing grin as he asked,

“What took you so long?”

Anyone else might have been irritated by his cocky attitude, but Holly broke into a smile when she saw him.

“I should have known you’d know what I was was going to do even before I did.” She laughed.

“Of course, we've been friend’s for years after all. It was obvious to me that you’d want to make up for lost time.”

“Exactly! If I don’t do at least this much I’ll never be able to win the contest, let alone be the best flier ever.”

“An attitude worthy of of someone I’ve acknowledged as my rival.” He nodded approvingly, before continuing in a more lecturing tone. “You’re determined, I’ll give you that, but you’re still far too reckless. Training alone at night? That’s both foolhardy and dangerous. You know full well you should have someone with you.”

“Are you offering?” Holly asked eagerly.

“Of course. Someone has to keep an eye on you.”

“Thanks Li! You’re the best!” She grinned, jumping forward and hugging him tight.

“Oof! A little gentler if you please- and yes of course I am.” He said smugly, patting her on the back as he spoke. “Now hurry up, we can’t be out too late or someone will worry and come looking for us.”

Holly nodded, releasing him, and the two friends leapt eagerly into the air.

Hidden deep within the trees that surrounded Totori Lake, a solitary figure watched the two teenagers soar across the sky, carefully tracking their progress. He didn’t look away even when the area next to him began to glow with a sickly red light, an unnatural, localised wind stirring the air. Scraps of paper, red as blood, appeared from nowhere and swirled around him, and then with a sudden boom a figure appeared, kneeling respectfully with one fist touching the ground.

“Sir, I have come to report. There has been an unexpected complication, and we request your direction on how to proceed.”

“I truly hope, for your sake, that this complication is serious enough to warrant disturbing me.” The observer replied, and while their voice was calm there was a distinctly dangerous edge to it.

The soldier pulled out a scroll and handed it over wordlessly to his superior, who quickly looked over the contents.

“...Has this been verified?”

“By two separate individuals. He was spotted approaching the Tabantha Great Bridge, and his path puts him on course for Rito Village. With your permission, my team are prepared to move in and neutralise him at a moments notice. We have already pinpointed several isolated areas which would be perfect for an ambush and-”

“No.” The observer cut him off sharply. “He would tear you all to pieces, and I refuse to waste soldiers unnecessarily, not when we are so close to the promised day. For now the Witch must take priority. Track him, but do not let yourselves be seen, and do not attack.”

He turned, and the large crimson eye on his mask glinted ominously in the moonlight as he spoke.

“The Witch will be ours, it is only a matter of time.”

Chapter Text

It had only been a few days since Holly had started flying the race course with her friends, but she was already beginning to feel the strain of adding even more work to her already busy schedule. Her friends worried that she was pushing herself too hard, but she shook off their concerns with a smile and pushed on. She knew that you had to work hard if you wanted to achieve your goals, and was determined to do everything she could to improve her chances of winning the flying contest and joining the tribe.

She was so busy with her training that she completely forgot about her Uncle’s visit, and it was only when Revali asked about it that she realised he was now several days late. She felt awful for forgetting, but knew that her Uncle was more then capable of taking care of himself in the wild, so wasn’t too concerned by his tardiness. She reassured her friend’s that he’d turn up sooner or later, probably with an interesting story about whatever had delayed him, and continued to focus on her training.

This was fine at first, but as the days passed and she continued to hear no word from him, a small seed of worry started to grow in Holly’s heart. It was easy to ignore during the day when she was oh-so busy, but at night when she settled down to sleep she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, something bad had happened.

Luckily, before her worry could grow into real concern, she was assigned to shadow the warriors doing the long distance patrol. She was elated by the news, as not only would she get to do lots of flying, but there was a good chance she’d be able to spot her Uncle as he made his way towards the village!

When she met the warriors for her pre-flight briefing she listened carefully to everything they had to say, and only once they’d finished did she mention her Uncle. They were very understanding, and asked for his description so they could keep an eye out for him, promising to spread the word to the other patrol groups if they didn’t spot him themselves. Holly thanked them over and over, and resolved to be the best assistant she could be during the patrol to repay them.

After a quick pre-flight check (a Rito ritual for checking each others plumage for any defects before a long flight) they took to the air, and Holly quickly fell into place behind the two warriors, letting them lead the way. They kept up a running commentary as they flew, pointing out areas she should pay attention to and passing along helpful advice that Holly did her best to absorb, even as she kept her eyes peeled for her elusive Uncle….

He had to be out here somewhere.

By a twist of fate, as Holly was heading due east out of the village, her Uncle was approaching from the south. Their paths really should have crossed, but he had decided to ignore the main road and forge his own path across the Tabantha countryside, so they missed one another.

His travelling companion was none to pleased with his decision to ‘take the scenic route’. They’d been expected at the village ages ago, but their wandering had ended up putting a mountain between themselves and their destination. Doubling back would have cost them even more time, so there was nothing to do but accept the delay and start climbing.

It was a long, tiring hike, and they were both relieved when they finally crested Cuho mountain and got their first clear view of Rito Village. Holly’s Uncle couldn’t help but admire the scenery from his vantage point, letting out a soft appreciative whistle at what he saw. Totori lake sparkled in the sunlight, and the village pillars surged upwards from it’s depths to piece the sky. The immediate area around the lake was lush and green, and the snowcapped Hebra mountains provided a picturesque backdrop to the whole picture.

“Isn’t this place great?” His friend exclaimed, drawing his attention. “I can’t wait to show you around, and Holly’s going to be so excited to see you again!”

Ray rolled his eyes at his best friend’s enthusiasm. Kenta was younger then him, but you’d think it was by decades rather then years with how he acted sometimes.

“Well you two have certainly gone on about this place enough, I just hope it lives up to all the hype! And you never know, Holly might forget all about me when she finds out I brought her beloved big brother along for a surprise visit.”

“You’re trying to embarrass me but I’m delighted she loves me so much.” Kenta grinned proudly.

“Pfft. You’re no fun.”

“Awww, don’t worry, she loves her Uncle too.”

“She-! Oh, shut it.” Ray huffed in embarrassment, quickly shouldering his pack and moving forward. “Come on, if we leave now we can reach the village by midday.”

“Oh now you want to hurry.” Kenta pouted as he followed him down the mountain.

“What? Are you telling me you didn’t enjoy seeing all the sights? Taking the path less-travelled? Aren’t you supposed to be an adventurer?”

“...You are such a pain.” Kenta huffed. “I love a detour as much as any adventurer, but not when Holly’s waiting for us!”

“Oh come on, I’m sure she’ll forget all about waiting a few extra days the moment she sees we’ve both come to see her.”

“I guess….but we really didn’t need to go that far into the wilds.”

“Hey, this is one of the few places in Hyrule I’ve not visited before, can you blame me for wanting to look around a bit? You know as well as I do Holly’s gonna want to show me everything and introduce me to everyone once we arrive. I’ll never be able to get away once she sees me.”

“...And that’ll be a terrible thing, huh?” Kenta asked with a knowing grin.

There was a pause before Ray responded.

“...So we’re heading for the Stables first, yeah?”

Kenta smirked, but let his friends obvious deflection slide.

“Yup, the Rito Stables. It’s right next to the entrance to the village.”

“Wow. They really worked hard on that name, huh?”

“At least it’s easy to remember!”

The two men continued to chat as they made their way down the mountain, and Kenta was in his element as he pointed out various landmarks along the way. It was quite a pleasant stroll, but as soon as the Stables came into view Kenta quickly suggested that Ray should wait for him there while he went on ahead and announced their arrival.

“Aww come on Ken, can’t I look around the village while you do that?”

“No.” Kenta said flatly. “When I’m not around to chaperone you in a new place you always manage to piss someone off and start a fight!”

“Lies and slander.” Ray exclaimed, doing his best to sound highly offended. “I don’t always piss people off and start a fight-”

“Ray”

“-Sometimes they piss me off and I start a fight.”

Kenta groaned and rubbed his temples. “I don’t get paid enough to deal with you.”

“Oh lighten up,” Ray grinned, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “If it means that much to you I’ll wait in the Stables like a good boy till you’ve spoken to everyone.”

“Thank you.”

When they actually reached the Stables Ray wasn’t at all surprised when several people called out to Kenta, welcoming him warmly. He’d always been good at making friends and forging lasting connections, which was a real asset for his work as an adventurer. Even one of the Stable owners, a woman called Flora, ran out to personally greet him, gushing about how happy Holly, Kaeli, Benta would be to see him again. (Ray later learned that she and her husband Aiden managed the Rito Stables together, with many of their children working as Stable hands).

Eventually the two friends sat down at an empty table, and Ray ordered himself a a beer so he’d have something to drink while he waited for his friend to return. Rather then dashing off straight away though, Kenta suddenly started dithering, fidgeting with his hair and clothing as he waffled on about how long he may or may not be.

Ray raised an eyebrow at the strange behaviour, trying to think what might have caused the sudden change, only for his face to split into a Cheshire cat grin when he remembered some very specific names Flora had mentioned a few minutes ago.

“So...” He asked slowly “Are you looking forward to seeing Kaeli and Benta again?”

It was a good thing Kenta didn’t have a drink, because if he had he would have either spat it out or choked on it. As it was his head snapped around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash, and the tips of his pointed ears burned crimson.

“W-What? Who said anything about them?” He eventually stuttered, and Ray’s grin only widened.

Kenta had first gotten involved with the two Rito warriors some years ago when they had helped him through a rough patch, offering their support and friendship when he was still new to the village and didn’t have anyone else to turn to. Kenta had been incredibly grateful for their kindness, and the three of them had been firm friends ever since. Over the following years he had mentioned them often to Ray, praising their skills as warriors and leaders and enthusing about what good company they were. As months turned to years however, things started to change. Kenta talked about them more and more, and his admiration for them started to sound like something more then a simple appreciation of their skills. He sounded wistful when he spoke of them, and words like ‘handsome’ and ‘breathtaking’ started to regularly make their way into his reports. He sighed when he talked about them carrying him through the air on long journeys, and stared longingly into the distance as he recounted home made meals they had shared with him of an evening. They had gifted him a bracelet for his birthday last year, and as far as Ray could tell he only took it off to bathe.

It short, he had obviously developed a crush on them, and like any true friend Ray delighted in teasing the ever living hell out of him for it.

“The Stable manager mentioned them earlier, remember? Saying how happy they’d be to see you again?” He finally replied to his friend’s stuttered question.

“Oh, r-right. Of course.”

“...Funny how she picked out those two specifically though,” Ray continued meaningfully, “I mean out of all the Rito in the village.”

Kenta’s cheeks turned red even as he scowled warningly at his friend. “Don’t you dare start.”

“Who? Me?” Ray asked with mock innocence.

“Yes, you.” Kenta groaned. “That’s it, I’m leaving before you can say anything else! Please try not to cause any trouble while I’m gone, okay?”

“Yes, Dad.” Ray drawled, only to pause when a wicked idea suddenly came to him. He waited till Kenta was a good 10 paces away, and then called out after him, “Better hurry up, don’t want to keep the lovebirds waiting!”

Kenta’s bright red face when he swung round, and the look of outrage of his face, was absolutely worth the pot ladle Ray had to dodge a moment later.

Ray was still chuckling to himself when Kenta disappeared over the suspension bridge that led into the village, and only calmed down when his beer arrived. He immediately noticed that the drink had been served with ice, making it refreshingly cool on the warm day, and made sure to tip the Stablehand a little extra for his thoughtfulness.

With his beverage in hand he finally relaxed back into his seat and started to people watch to pass the time. There was the usual collection of travellers, merchants and adventures milling around, a few of them sharing a meal around the fire while others chatted over a drink. In one corner a beautiful young woman was sitting with a group of flashy looking merchants and giggling merrily at their jokes, while in another a young family was having a picnic. Ray was about to turn his attention elsewhere when suspicious movement caught his eye, and he did a double take when he saw what the young woman was doing while the merchants were distracted by her flirtatious behaviour.

Damn, that’s nice work. He thought to himself, honestly impressed as he watched her lift items from the merchants packs and slip them into what had to be a hidden pocket in her dress. In broad daylight no less! If nothing else he had to give her points for sheer nerve.

Ray continued to monitor the situation silently, and a few minutes later the woman must have decided she’d pushed her luck far enough, because she gave a simpering excuse and quickly took her leave, blowing flirtatious kisses to the merchants as she went. Ray snorted into his drink as they waved her goodbye, obviously smitten and calling out pleas for her to come back soon. He made no move to intervene, the merchants looked well-off so probably they wouldn’t suffer badly from the loss of whatever she’d managed to steal, and more importantly the experience might teach them a valuable lesson about being more cautious around strangers.

He turned his back on the situation and wandered inside the Stable building, hoping to get a snack to go with his drink. Flora was very obliging and quickly whipped him up some riceballs wrapped in smoky bacon, and he munched on one happily as he walked back outside. As he strolled along he couldn’t help but wonder just how much his niece would have changed in the year since he’d last seen her. She was nineteen now, which was sometimes hard to wrap his head around. It seemed like only yesterday she’d been a tiny child, clutching his and Kenta’s hands and giggling as they swung her back and forth between them.

The memory brought a smile to his face as he stepped back out into the sunlight.

His good mood vanished when he saw the woman from earlier sitting next to a frail looking old man, asking detailed questions about his cooking while she worked expensive bottles of Goron spice out of his bag.

Good grief. He sighed to himself, quickly swallowing the last bite of the riceball.

Never a moments peace.

Revali’s day had been rather dull. He’d been assigned to shadow a warrior who was doing administrative work in the Library pillar, so he’d spent all morning collating reports from warriors in the field, noting down anything that warranted further investigation, and then filing the documents appropriately. Needless to say it had hardly been riveting work. He knew it was important to keep records, and understood that a true warrior had to be as much a scholar as a fighter...but there was just something so disheartening about sitting still and reading reports on such a fine day. His wings ached to take to the sky, and he felt envious that Holly had gotten border patrol duty.

Still, he tried not let his mood effect his work, and made sure to diligently listen to the warrior he was working with. After all, if he was to be the best warrior one day, he had to be the exceptional at everything, even the tasks he found tedious.

Eventually he was excused for the day, and he quickly took to the sky, hurrying to the training field where he would be having lunch with his friends. Holly wouldn’t be able to join them as the border patrol took so long to complete, but she’d be back in time for their afternoon classes, so they knew they’d see her soon enough.

Revali and the other cadets eagerly swapped stories about their shadowing experiences as they ate, but the conversation quickly turned to talk of their upcoming lessons. Kaeli and Benta had decided to take them out for survival training that afternoon, and they were all curious about what exactly they’d be learning. They got so caught up discussing the possibilities (‘survival training’ was quite a broad topic after all) that they lost track of time, and ended up having to rush back to the meeting point at the entrance to the village so as not to be late.

Kaeli and Benta were already waiting for them when they arrived, and told them to be at ease while they waited for Holly to join them. The seasoned warriors used the time to talk to the cadets individually, asking them about their shadowing sessions and answering any questions they had about the work. Revali was excited to talk one on one with his idol Kaeli, even if it was only about doing paperwork, and made sure to brag about how hard he’d worked in the Library.

“Your dedication to all your tasks, even the more monotonous ones, it truly impressive cadet.” Kaeli nodded in approval after listening to him, and Revali had to fight to stop his feathers from ruffling at the praise.

“Thank you very much sir, I-”

He was abruptly cut off by a sharp piercing scream.

The Rito’s head’s all snapped round at once, their sharp eyes scanning for the source of the commotion.

“It came from the Stables!” Benta cried a moment later, and they all took off at a sprint towards the horse shaped building. The cadets instinctively drew their weapons as they ran, arming themselves as they followed their teachers, ready for a fight if necessary. As they approached they could hear a hysterical female voice crying out, “Let go of me! Let go of me right now!” and they wordlessly put on a burst of speed.

They rounded a corner to see a young Hylian woman wailing as she tried to pull away from an older man, who was holding her quite effortlessly with one arm. She was yanking with all her might, but he didn’t move so much as an inch, and looked thoroughly unimpressed by her hysterics. The rest of the Hylian’s at the Stable were frozen in what had to be shock, as no one was moving forward to intervene.

Kaeli quickly took stock of the situation, and called out to the man, his voice sharp and authoritative.

“You there! Release that woman at once!

He didn’t reach for his bow yet, giving the man a chance to stand down before things escalated, but he was ready to go for it at a moments notice. Benta wordlessly fell into place beside his Wingmate, and cadets stood behind them both as back up.

The man glanced over at them, looking vaguely annoyed by Kaeli’s demand.

“Um...no?”

“Help me, please! He grabbed me out of nowhere!” The woman shrieked, her eyes full of tears as she called out to her would be saviours.

“I said unhand her.” Kaeli repeated, readying his bow and drawing a thunder arrow from his quiver. It wouldn’t kill the man but it would paralyse him for a while, giving them a chance to rescue the woman. “I will not ask a third time.”

“This guy seems like a real scumbag.” Leri whispered quietly to his friends, and Revali nodded in agreement. Not only was he acting like a brute, he looked like one too. He was scruffy and dishevelled, like he hadn’t bothered to bathe or preen in a long time, and his battered cloak was hung haphazardly to one side. A Rito would be ashamed to be seen in such a state. And then there was the frankly ridiculous sword strapped to his back – just who was he trying to impress with such an oversized blade?

“...You really want me to let her go?” The man finally replied.

“Yes.” Kaeli said, nocking his arrow for emphasis.

The man’s expression suddenly changed, his frown transforming into a devilish grin.

“Suit yourself!” He smirked, and abruptly let go of the woman. She’d been trying to free herself the whole time, and when he suddenly released her she flew forward and tripped, crashing to the ground. As she hit the dirt a bunch of items fell out of her clothes, a mismatch of jewellery, rupees and brightly coloured vials spilling everywhere. She gasped in shock and frantically tried to gather them all back up, but it was too little too late.

“M-My spices!” An old man cried in a wavering voice, using his cane to point at some bottles that had fallen out of her dress. “My precious spices! Why do you have them?”

“Hey hey hey! That’s my jewellery!” Came another outraged voice.

“Any my perfume! He was right! She is a thief!”

The Rito’s beaks hung open in shock as they realised their mistake, and while the man didn’t say anything, the smug look on his face spoke volumes.

The thief took advantage of the momentary confusion, gathering her stolen loot and dashing towards the nearby forest, hoping to escape while they were all still reeling.

“Wha-stop her!” Kaeli cried as she ran past the man who had been holding her moments ago.

“Hey, you told me let her go.” He shrugged, making no move to stop her as she flew by. “I’m only doing what you commanded.”

Kaeli clicked his beak in frustration, but before he could say anything more the Stables owners, Flora and Aiden, ran out of the Stable building.

“We got the rope you asked for-” Aiden called, only to freeze in confusion when he noticed the man no longer had his prisoner. “What the- why did you let her go?”

“Don’t blame me, he’s the one who insisted I release her.” He replied, pointing to Kaeli as he sat down and poured himself a drink, settling in to watch the drama unfold.

“I didn’t know she was a-!” Kaeli started to defend himself, only to swiftly cut himself off. “No, never mind, I’ll take responsibility for this.”

With that he quickly replaced his thunder arrow with an ice one and took a ready stance. The cadets watched closely as their teacher drew his bow and sighted along it, tracking the woman as she fled.

TSING!

The arrow flew true, leaving a glittering trail in it’s wake as it soared through the air. There was a flash of blue magic as it hit it’s target, and the woman gave a cry and fell to the ground, immobilised. Kaeli’s shot had struck a puddle of water as the thief stepped into it, freezing the water around her foot and locking her in place.

“Hmm. Not bad.” The scruffy man said, glancing at the scene over the rim of his cup.

Not bad? Revali fumed, his blood boiling at the man’s impudence. The number of variables that had to be accounted for to have the arrow hit at the precise moment the woman stepped in the puddle was astounding, yet Kaeli had done it all in a matter of seconds! Was this Hylian truly so ignorant that he couldn’t recognise the skill involved?

“...Course, you wouldn’t have had to go through all that trouble if you’d just talked to me.” He added, giving Kaeli a pointed look as he spoke.

The cadets all simmered with silent rage at his arrogance, and longed for their teacher to call him out on his boorish behaviour. Kaeli could fell the man where he sat if he wanted to, and they all knew it. It was surely only his sense of honour and fair play (something the Hylian clearly lacked) that stayed his wing.

But to their great surprise, instead of issuing a challenge, Kaeli took a single deep breath then turned and bowed to the man.

“You are quite correct, I should not have jumped to conclusions. Please accept my apology.”

The Hylian blinked, a look of honest surprise flicking briefly across his face before he schooled his features into something more neutral.

“Well well, aren’t you just full of surprises.” He hummed. “Okay, yeah, I accept your apology.”

“I am glad to hear it.” Kaeli said, straightening as he spoke. “Though for the record I do not think I was wrong to try and come to the aid of someone who was in obvious distress. In the future you might wish to clarify the situation sooner.”

“...Fair point.” The man conceded.

Kaeli nodded to him smartly, and then turned back to address the Stable’s managers. “I apologise for all the commotion, do you need any help freeing her from the ice?”

“No need,” Flora smiled, “We’ve got plenty of experience dealing with ice. We’ll thaw her out and hold her inside until the guards from Tabantha town come to collect her, I’ll send word to them right away. I doubt she’ll give us any more trouble at this point, the fights gone right out of her after that shot of yours.”

She nodded at the thief as she spoke, who was whimpering softly while prodding at her frozen foot.

“Don’t let that fool you, she’ll act pathetic to try and make you lower your guard.” The Hylian advised shrewdly as he continued to sip his drink.

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

“If you’d like we can assign a Rito warrior to help watch her until the guards arrive.” Benta offered, stepping forward.

“That would be wonderful,” Flora smiled, “Thank you so much.”

As Kaeli, Benta and the other adults made arrangements to hold the woman, the cadets started to talk amongst themselves. They were all shocked at what had just occurred, and couldn’t understand why Kaeli had apologised rather then challenging the man for his rude and disrespectful behaviour. Revali in particular was absolutely livid to see his idol treated so poorly.

“Even if Kaeli did misunderstand the situation, there was no need to let the woman go just to prove a point! What if she’d pulled out a weapon and attacked someone!?” He huffed, his feathers ruffling in agitation as he turned his head away from the man dismissively, as if he wasn’t even worth looking at. “He’s an uncivilised ruffian, and he’s lucky Kaeli is such an honourable warrior. I certainly wouldn’t have bowed my head to him.”

“Then you would be making a mistake, cadet.” Came a familiar voice, and Revali spun around in alarm to see Kaeli and Benta walking back towards them.

“Sir! I just- ah-” He stuttered, mortified that his idol had heard him disagreeing with him. However Kaeli simply held up a wing for silence, waiting until he was sure he had the cadets attention before continuing.

“Let this be a lesson to you all, it is easy to make a snap decision based on your first impression of a situation. If you have the time to do so you should always double check things before taking action. You all know the saying, ‘Once an arrow is fired, it cannot be called back.’”

The proverb was a popular one amongst the Rito, and was used to caution people against making hasty decisions.

“But-but he was so rude!” Leri argued, voicing what all the cadets were thinking. “He doesn’t deserve an apology!”

Kaeli glanced at the cadets, and softened slightly when he saw the same look of outrage echoed on each of their faces.

“I am touched that you are angry on my behalf, but that man had cause to be short with me. I jumped to conclusions and threatened him without giving him a chance to explain the situation, anyone would be angry if they were treated that way. I am not so fragile that a few snide words will hurt me, and he did not say anything truly unforgivable. The more important thing is to acknowledge my mistake, and try to set things right. There is no shame or dishonour in apologising when you have acted in error, refusing to do so only shows your immaturity.”

His words settled on the cadets like an uncomfortable weight, and all they could do was nod mutely in response. They could see their teachers point, but having to bow your head in the face of such rudeness...the idea didn’t sit well with any of them. Revali in particular struggled with the idea, wondering if he would be able to swallow his pride and apologise if he was placed in a similar situation.

To be honest, he didn’t think he would.

Revali sighed and raised his head, only to do a double take when he saw the scruffy Hylian man was now staring curiously at him and his friends.

“Do you have some business with our pupils?” Benta asked pointedly when he noticed the man staring, moving to block them from view.

“Huh? Oh no, I was just thinking that the four of them kind of look like...” He paused, a look of dawning realisation crossing his face as he slowly asked, “….Your name wouldn’t happen to be Revali would it?”

“H-How do you know my name?” Revali demanded, just barely stopping himself from squawking in surprise.

Rather the responding to the question, the man groaned and slammed his palm against his forehead.

“Dammit she’s gonna kill me.”

“Kill you? Who?” Kaeli echoed in confusion.

The Hylian started to explain himself, looking rather harried as he did so, but while everyone else listened intently Leri was distracted by a sudden flash of red in the sky.

“Guys?” He called as he spotted a familiar figure starting to accelerate towards them.

“Leri not now.” Revali said distractedly, more concerned with getting an explanation from the Hylian.

“No, everyone, seriously, this is important.” He tried again, tugging on Ollet’s wing urgently.

“Oh what is it Leri?” Ollet snapped as she finally spun around to face him, only for her eyes to widen when she saw what he was pointing at.

“Everyone down!” She yelled, her voice urgent enough that all the Rito ducked instinctively.

Mere seconds after she’d spoken Holly shot over their heads, creating a gust of wind in her wake as she made a beeline for the scruffy man before them. In a feet of pure daring she leap straight from her broom without stopping, letting it drop to the ground as she slammed into the man and wrapped both arms and legs around him in a tight hug.

“UNCLE RAY!!!” She shrieked as she embraced him. “You’re here you’re here you’re here! You’re really really here!!”

To the man’s credit he somehow managed to stay on his feet despite Holly’s flying tackle. He let out a loud grunt at the impact, and took a step back to keep his balance, but otherwise didn’t falter. One strong arm came out from under his cloak to wrap around Holly and keep her securely in place, and suddenly he was laughing, the most genuine sound any of the Rito had heard from him so far.

“Freckles! What’s with dive bombing your Uncle from the sky? You trying to take me out?”

Holly pulled back and grinned wildly as she replied, “Hah! If that was enough to take you out I’d know you were an imposter!”

Ray was apparently delighted by this response, because if anything he smiled wider, hugging her tight and spinning the giggling girl in a circle as he cried, “Thatta girl!”

While Holly and Ray had their joyful reunion, the Rito looked on, utterly stunned by what was happening.

“Tha-That’s her Uncle Ray?” Ollet asked in a hushed whisper, and the cadets shared an uneasy look with one other. They all knew how much Holly loved her Uncle, after all she’d spent weeks gushing about how excited she was to finally see him again. So how could they possibly tell her what he’d just done? How rude and confrontational he’d been? If they told her what they really thought of him right now, it would break her heart.

Unaware of her friend’s dilemma, Holly finally turned back to speak to them, only to freeze when she saw the expressions on their faces.

She paused for about 5 seconds, and then quickly rounded on her Uncle.

“Uncle Ray, what did you do!?” She demanded.

“Hey! What’s with the instant accusation?”

“I know you. Your the only person I know who can walk into a room full of strangers and manage to insult everyone inside with one sentence. ”

“What can I say, it’s a talent.” Ray smiled smugly, looking oddly proud as he gently lowered her to the ground. “But I can promise you I absolutely did not pick a fight with anyone this time.”

“Really? You didn’t?”

“Nope. They picked a fight with me.”

Holly paused for a moment, and then gave her Uncle a very unimpressed look as she replied flatly, “I find that very hard to believe.”

“Ahem, Holly, if I may intervene?” Kaeli said, stepping forward smoothly. “There was something of a...misunderstanding between us when we met just now.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Ray smirked.

Kaeli pointedly ignored him, and he and Benta quickly explained what had happened.

“Ooooh, I see.” Holly nodded when they had finished, and thanked them both before turning back to address her Uncle.

“I know you were mad that Kaeli just assumed you were the bad guy, but considering the situation he had good reason to. Did you really need to let that woman go just to prove a point?”

“I didn’t, but it was deeply satisfying.” Ray hummed casually, looking completely unconcerned about his poor behaviour.

Holly gave him another incredibly unimpressed look, and then made a single firm demand.

“Apologise.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Apologise right now.” She repeated, putting her hands on her hips as she spoke. “He apologised to you, so now you apologise for being rude.”

The Rito could only stare as they watched this play out. Ray had been stubborn and churlish since the moment they’d met him, but he actually seemed to be faltering in the face of his tiny niece’s scolding. It was both bizarre and amusing to watch.

“I don’t need to-”

“Yes you do. And if you don’t then I’ll tell Kenta’s Mama what you did.”

The woman must be a force to be reckoned with, because Ray visibly flinched at her mention.

“You wouldn’t.” He hissed.

“Try me.”

The two Hylian’s stared at one another, locked in a silent battle of wills. The tension could have been cut with a knife, and everyone stayed still and silent, waiting to see who would be victorious.

Finally, after what felt like a small eternity but could have only been a minute at most, Ray slowly turned to face Kaeli and offered a stiff bow.

“I apologise for my earlier rudeness.” He said, and while his tone was awkward the apology sounded sincere enough.

Kaeli was so stunned he barely remembered to reply.

“There, happy now?” Ray asked in a huff once his apology had been accepted.

“Yes! Thank you!” Holly grinned, all smiles again as she hugged his arm.

“Look, don’t you want to know why I was so late in the first place?”

“You’re always late.” She chuckled good naturedly. “But yes, what happened?”

“I had to take a detour to pick something up for you.”

“What? You mean like a present?”

“The best damn present ever.” Ray grinned, pointing over her shoulder as he spoke.

Holly blinked and turned around, the Rito echoing her actions, and all eyes widened when they saw a very familiar face crossing back over the bridge from the village.

“Kenta!?” Kaeli gasped, only to be immediately drowned out by Holly, who let out a euphoric shriek of-

“BIG BROTHER!”

She was gone in an instant, racing to her brother at a speed that would put a charging Lizalfos to shame, and slammed into him just as he stepped off the bridge. She knocked him clear of his feet, and they both fell to the ground in a happy tangle, laughing and clutching each other tightly as they reunited after many months.

“It looks so violent when you see it from the outside.” Ray commented idly as he watched the reunion.

Kaeli and Benta shook their heads at the scene, torn between honest amusement and their need to remain professional.

Needless to say, it took quite some time to restore order after that.

In the end Holly was excused from her lessons for the rest of the day so she could help Kenta and Ray settle into the village. She was a little reluctant to take time off when she was still training for the tournament, but everyone knew how much she’d missed her family, and in the end it took very little effort to persuade her to stay with them. Once the decision was made the group split up and went their separate ways, and Holly waved her friends and teachers goodbye as they flew off for their wilderness survival training.

Any lingering guilt she felt for skipping her lessons quickly vanished when she turned around and saw Kenta and Ray patiently waiting for her. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she ran over and threw herself into their arms for more hugs, still overjoyed to have them close again after so long. After a brief discussion they decided to head straight into the village, and Holly’s heart soared when Kenta and Ray each offered her one of their hands as they set off.

She’d missed them so much.

She peppered her guardians with questions as they walked hand in hand across the bridges, eager to catch up after so long apart. She started by asking about their trip, and laughed when Kenta told her how Ray had dragged them all over the Tabantha wilds – to the point that they’d ended up so far from any of the established roads they’d had to climb over Cuho mountain to reach the village.

“I guess that explains why I didn’t see you during my patrol this morning.” She chuckled. “Honestly, only you two would end up accidentally taking one of the most difficult routes to reach the village!

They both laughed in agreement, and continued to regale her with stories of their travels as they made their way across the rope bridges that led into the Rito’s home. When they finally reached the central village pillar Ray whistled lowly as he eyed the long spiral staircase that led up to the topmost level of the village. From their perspective the stairs seemed to stretch up into the very clouds themselves.

“Guess you get a lot of exercise living here, huh?” He asked with a wry smile.

“Yup! It’s great for your legs!” Holly said cheerfully, waving to the warriors on guard duty as she bounced up the first of many sets of stairs.

They headed straight to the Swallows Roost Inn, where Jade was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Kenta had dropped by earlier in order to greet her and request two beds for the duration of their stay, and the industrious woman had already readied the beds and prepared clean towels and blankets for them.

“Hello Holly, and welcome back Kenta!” She smiled warmly when they entered. “Ah, and you must be the infamous Ray. Holly and Kenta have told me so much about you, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.” She said, holding out a wing in greeting.

“I could say the same about you.” Ray smiled as he took her hand and shook it warmly, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Holly.”

“Oh it’s no trouble at all, she’s been an absolute delight to host.”

They shared a few more pleasantries, and then Jade showed them to their beds and indicated where they could store their luggage.

“I’ve put the three of you together since I assumed that would be your preference. There’s a basket in the corner where you can put anything that needs laundering, and I’ve already prepared some towels for you since I assume the first thing you’d like after your long journey is a good hot bath.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you.” Kenta smiled.

“It does...” Ray said slowly, before glancing pointedly at Holly as he continued with a smirk, “But I think Holly might explode if I don’t let her give me the grand village tour straight away.”

“W-What!? No I wouldn’t!” Holly squeaked, her face colouring instantly. “I-I can wait! Really I can!”

“Calm down squirt, I’m only teasing.” Ray chuckled, reaching down and ruffling her hair as he spoke. “Just let me freshen up a bit and we can go, kay? I already had a chance to sit down and grab a drink back at the Stables so I’m good.”

“Really? You sure?”

“Absolutely,” Ray smirked, “Though Kenta’s an old man so he may need a sit down before we get moving again-”

“I’m younger then you!” Kenta interrupted with an affronted yelp, grabbing the pillow off his bed and chucking it at his friend as hard as he could.

Jade chuckled as she watched their antics, shaking her head fondly at the young family. It seemed like things were definitely going to be lively while they were staying here!

It didn’t take long for Kenta and Ray to freshen up and change into clean clothes, and then they all headed out into the village together. (Kenta already knew the village well, so he didn’t really need to go on the tour, but he wanted to spend time with Holly so he decided to tag along anyway and help her show Ray around).

As they walked, Holly explained that each of the village pillars had a specific purpose, from the residential pillars where the Rito made their homes, to the Healing Roost that served all their medical needs. Some of the pillars even had their own flags, like the place they were heading to first, the Bard’s Pillar, which was decorated with crimson banners bearing a golden harp. Beautiful music echoed out from inside the pillar as they approached, and when they arrived they found a choir rehearsing for an upcoming performance, accompanied by a full orchestra. The Rito were as famous for their musical talent as they were for their skill with archery, and Ray was honestly impressed as he listened to them practise, and joined Kenta and Holly in applauding as they finished.

Their next stop was the Library Pillar, and Holly showed Ray the classrooms on the ground floor where teaching took place, eagerly pointing out where she sat during her own lessons. The upper floors made up the Rito Library, and each room was filled with books, scrolls, maps and parchments, with reading desks crammed into whatever space remained. Ray noticed that the books and scrolls were all carefully stored inside wooden cabinets with glass fronts for protection, since like all Rito buildings the Library had few walls and was open to the elements. Kenta and Holly told him that anyone was able to use the Library free of charge, which he was honestly impressed by. Hylian Libraries made you pay a deposit before taking a book out, and if it got lost or damaged while in your possession you would be barred from the Library until you paid for a replacement.

They went to the Healing Roost next, and while they couldn’t really show Ray inside as they didn’t want to disturb any of the patients, they did take him to the huge public garden on the lowest level, which had been built as a peaceful area for rest and recuperation. They wandered around leisurely, admiring all the vibrant plants and flowers, plus the beautiful fountain that formed the centrepiece of the garden. Holly was just pointing out all the wind-sculptures and wind-chimes hung in the trees when Ray suddenly noticed a door in a secluded spot at the back of the garden. It was framed by a beautiful archway of sweet smelling roses, and Holly and Kenta both lit up when he asked about it.

“A Spa?”

“Mhm!” Holly grinned eagerly. “You can get massages, aromatherapy, beauty treatments-”

“-And they have an open air bath with an incredible view of the mountains.” Kenta finished brightly.

“...You speak like two people who have experienced this personally.”

“Ollet took me for my birthday last year!”

“Kaeli and Benta treated me to a Spa day after I said I was curious about it...” Kenta murmured, studiously avoiding Ray’s eyes as he spoke.

Ray grinned at his shy response. Kenta was very lucky Holly was here because otherwise he’d be asking a lot of follow up questions about that little trip.

Kenta noticed the mischievous look in his friend’s eyes and quickly ushered Holly on, reminding her that she’d really wanted to show Ray the residential pillars next. Oblivious to her brother’s ulterior motives, Holly grinned and happily tugged Ray towards the garden exit, eager to take him to their next destination. Ray sighed but decided to let it go for now, after all he could always hassle Kenta later once the squirt was asleep.

After a quick tour of the residential pillars Holly led Ray to the village market area where artisans and craftspeople plied their trades. There was a bustling set of blacksmiths shops selling weapons and armour at the entrance, and several bow-smiths making archery equipment. Higher up the pillar a tailors shop provided clothes for the village, and also sold the cold-resistant Snowquill clothing the tribe was famous for. There were also jewellers, a pottery, a glass-smiths and several carpenters, all with tantalizing items laid out at the front of their stores to coax people in. Ray couldn’t help but notice that the village was filled with talented craftspeople, and he supposed that made sense considering how isolated the Rito were. There were few merchants willing to travel this far out to trade, and their only neighbour was the small Hylian settlement of Tabantha Village. If they couldn’t rely on being able to procure goods and services from others, they had to be able to make everything they needed themselves.

After a bit of light shopping they moved on, and eventually finished the tour just as the sun started to dip down towards the horizon. They had planned to go straight back to the Inn when they’d finished, but as it had gotten late they decided to swing by the central kitchen first and get dinner.

“So what do you think of the village Uncle?” Holly asked eagerly as they walked down the stairs together.

“It’s a nice place kid. The lack of walls and doors still feels a bit strange but...” He glanced to one side, taking in the beautiful landscape that stretched out all around them and listening to the soothing tones of wind chimes and birdsong, “...I get what you said about it being peaceful here.”

“I’m so glad you like it!” Holly smiled in delight, giving him a spontaneous hug before quickly tugging him along again. “Now come on, you must be starving, and the kitchen’s just started serving dinner. I can’t wait for you to taste Rito cooking!”

Ray was hungry, and the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen only served to whet his appetite further. Rito were already queuing up to eat when they arrived, but thankfully the line moved quickly, and in no time at all they each had trays full of piping hot food. The dish of the day was hearty salmon fried rice, which had been made using fresh fish caught in Totori lake that very morning. The rice was well seasoned and full of fresh vegetables that added a delightful crunch to each mouthful, and they each had a soft bread roll with creamy butter as a side dish. For dessert there was spiced nutcake, still warm from the oven and covered in a generous scoop of sweet honeyed cream that slowly melted as they ate. Ray and Kena washed it all down with a pitcher of wildberry cider, while Holly happily sipped wildberry cordial.

“Okay, you guys weren’t kidding when you said the Rito were great cooks.” Ray said once he’d finished, one hand resting on his belly and a smile firmly fixed on his face. “That was delicious, and the cider was the best I’ve had in years!”

“I know, right?” Kenta grinned, “Kaeli said the Rito have been polishing their brewing process for generations. Actually- speak of the devil that’s Illiona! She helps out in brewery and could tell you more.”

Kenta flagged down Illiona as he spoke, and the lavender-hued Rito was delighted when Ray complimented the cider. She invited him to come to the cellars any time for some free samples and discussion on Rito brewing methods, saying that she and her colleagues loved to get fresh opinions from outsiders.

Ray readily agreed to stop by later, and as Illiona left he couldn’t help but think about how welcoming everyone had been since he’d arrived. The minor incident at the Stables aside, all the Rito he’d met had been very amicable, from Jade’s warm words at the Inn to Illiona’s kind invitation just now. Several people had even approached him during the tour just to say how helpful and hard working Holly had been, complimenting her efforts and saying that he should be proud of her.

If he was the sentimental type he’d say it was sweet.

He pushed those thoughts aside for now as they returned their empty trays and headed back to the Inn. Now that dinner was done it was finally time for him to visit the Rito baths, and as Holly and Kenta had praised them at length, he was looking forward to finally getting to use them himself.

After collecting towels and a clean change of clothes from the Inn, Holly led Kenta and Ray down a set of steps that were tucked away at the back of the central village pillar and lead down towards the lake below. At the bottom of the steps a door led inside the stone pillar, where the Rito had hollowed out space and created multiple rooms which all branched off one long hallway. Ray was astonished to learn that all of the rooms were baths, and Holly explained that since the Rito all bathed frequently they needed this much space to accommodate everyone.

The entrance to each room was covered by a coloured curtain in either black, red, green, or purple, and Kenta told Ray that the colours indicated what the room was used for. Black meant the room was closed for cleaning, red meant the room was for males, green for females, and purple meant mixed bathing.

Ray whistled at that last statement, and grinned wolfishly as he replied, “Mixed bathing huh? You told me they were pretty liberal here but I didn’t think they’d go that far.”

“Don’t get any dirty ideas.” Kenta said sharply, “A lot of parents use those rooms so they can bathe together with their kids. Rito feathers get super heavy when they’re waterlogged, and there’s always the worry that a little one left unsupervised might panic and drown.”

Ray looked suitably chastised by that comment, and Holly quickly tugged him down the corridor before the mood could sour, stopping in front of the last two rooms at the end. The curtains on these rooms had the golden image of the Triforce stitched onto their respective red and green cloth, instead of the Rito crest which adorned all the others.

“Rito prefer to bathe in shallow pools ‘cause of the way their feathers get heavy, like Kenta just told you.” Holly explained cheerfully, “But they made these two rooms with deeper baths for visitors from other tribes – so these are the ones we use!”

With that she bid her guardians adieu, confident that Ray would have no issues with Kenta there to guide him. She headed into the green curtained room with a cheerful wave and a promise to meet them back at the Inn later, and once she was gone Ray eagerly followed Kenta into the opposite room.

After ducking through the curtain Ray found himself in a large steam-filled room, with a single window high on the back wall providing ventilation. The walls, ceiling and floor were all stone, exactly as the hallway had been, and as they walked in Kenta showed him where neat holes had been cut into the wall by the entrance, providing a dry space where they could store their clothes. After quickly undressing Ray turned to survey the room again, and he whistled lowly when he saw the massive stone bath recessed down into the floor, the water inside crystal clear and steaming invitingly. He would have leapt right in if Kenta hadn’t quickly intervened, leading him firmly to the back of the room where wooden stools and buckets were neatly laid out alongside a variety of soaps. There were a set of pipes coming out of the wall in this area from which you could get clean hot and cold water, and Kenta explained that the proper etiquette was to wash yourself here before getting into the bath, in order to keep the bathing water clean for as long as possible.

“Okay, I got it, but tell me, is it true we don’t have to ration the water we use?” Ray asked, eyeing the pipes eagerly.

“Not even a little.” Kenta grinned, and to demonstrate he spun open the taps on the pipes and stood under the flow of water, head back and arms out as it washed over him.

“Okay, move over!” Ray grinned, and the two friends jostled each other playfully for a moment before Kenta let Ray take his place, filling a bucket with water instead and tossing it over himself as they both grabbed some soap and started to scrub themselves down

“This sure as hell beats trying to wash with a pan of heated river water.” Ray commented some time later, marvelling that the hot water hadn’t gotten any cooler despite their extensive use of it. He asked how it was possible, and Kenta told him that the Rito had massive boiler installed that drew clean water up from Totori lake and heated it before distributing it to all the rooms via a network of pipes. Since the tribe all bathed extensively the boiler ran non stop throughout the year and was lovingly maintained so there was always hot water available, no matter what time you arrived or how busy the baths were. Ray whistled in appreciation, and made a mental note to see if someone would let him check that out later, as it sounded ingenious.

When Ray finished washing he was eager to finally step into the bath, and was delighted to find it was deeper then expected, allowing him to submerge right up to his shoulders. The water was just the right temperature, hot enough that it took a few moments for him to be able to adjust and slide in, and he couldn’t help but let out a happy moan as he felt the heat instantly start to work it’s magic on his tired muscles.

“Oh hell Ken this is bliss.”

“I know right?” Kenta sighed happily as he joined him, leaning back against the edge of the tub in complete contentment.

“Do you know how much getting access to place like this would cost you in Castle town?”

“5000 rupees an hour,” Kenta replied instantly, “I looked into it last year when I was in the capital.”

“Daylight robbery.” Ray muttered. “Jade could charge three times as much for a night at the Inn if people knew access to the baths was included in the price.”

“I know. I’ve told her that, but they don’t get many visitors here, and most people don’t know about the baths, so she worries that if she raises the prices everyone will choose to stay at the Stables instead.”

“S’Damn shame. Though I gotta say I’m not complaining if it means we get all this to ourselves.” Ray grinned, gesturing to the vast empty room as he spoke.

“Right?” Kenta smiled, and they fell into companionable silence as they simply enjoyed the hot water together. After weeks on the road, bathing in freezing rivers and cold ponds, the bath felt like heaven.

“...I get it.” Ray exhaled softly some time later, “I get why you and Holly love it here so much. Good food, hot baths, and the people are warm and welcoming. Plus everyone’s embraced Holly, magic and all. They had nothing but good things to say about her.”

“I know, she was so worried at first that they would think her way of flying was unnatural, but everyone warmed up to her when they saw how much she loved flying and how hard she was working to get better at it. Her friends are really good kids too, I know you didn’t have the best introduction to them but-”

“Nah, I know they’re good.” Ray waved off his words, “I mean, look at all they’ve done to help her, and that plan they’ve come up with to let her join the tribe. I’m not gonna write them off just cause of one bad encounter, I can’t blame them for being pissed that I showed up their teacher.”

“How very generous of you.” Kenta said flatly, still cross with Ray for picking a fight with the Captain of the Rito Warriors the moment he’d arrived.

“One thing I don’t get about this place though,” Ray continued, pointedly ignoring Kenta’s comment as he spoke, “How do they manage to maintain all these baths? The place is clean and well cared for, but the Rito don’t pay to use the baths, and there’s no way they can be getting enough money from visitors to afford the upkeep. So how are they doing it?”

“Oh, I asked Kaeli about that a while back.” Kenta said, sitting up in the water as he spoke. “It’s basically a big communal effort. By having everyone give up a few hours of their time each week they have enough manpower to do lots of things around the village, including maintaining the baths.”

Kenta told Ray about the village rota, which set out what chores everyone was expected to do each week during their free time. There were lots of different tasks, from generic jobs like cleaning the baths, cooking communal meals or filling up the oil lanterns, to more specialised tasks like repairing bridges where people with the appropriate skills would be called in. With everyone chipping in they were able to manage the entire upkeep of the village themselves, and could provide everyone in the tribe with all the basic necessities (such as food, shelter and education) for free. So long as a Rito worked and did their chores, they were assured a comfortable standard of living, and their wages could be put towards purchasing luxury items such as jewellery.

“...I’ve thought this for a while now but they’re very self-sufficient here, aren’t they?” Ray commented with Kenta had finished explaining.

“Mhm. Kaeli told me that long ago, when the Rito first came to this land, the Tabantha region was considered completely uninhabitable. There wasn’t even a road leading into the region, let alone another settlement, so they were completely isolated, even more so then they are now. The Elder back then declared that the only way they would survive was if they learned how to provide for themselves, with everyone doing their part and looking out for one another. That’s how the village was founded, and how they’ve lived ever since.”

Ray was impressed, and he admitted as such. He knew all to well how greedy and selfish people could be, so the fact that the Rito had managed to maintain this tight sense of community, of ‘we all do our part and help one another,’ for so long? That was impressive.

The conversation moved on, with both of them taking their time and savouring being in the water, but eventually they dragged themselves out of the bath and headed back to the Inn where Holly was waiting. Jade brought them sweet tea and biscuits, and they all settled on Kenta’s bed, drawing the curtains around themselves for privacy as they withdrew into their own little world. Holly was eager to have a proper catch up with her family, and shamelessly cuddled up to them both as they talked and talked, making up for lost time.

Time passed and the hour grew late, but Holly stubbornly fought the urge to sleep even when her eyelids grew heavy and she started nodding off against Ray’s shoulder.

“Kiddo, it’s okay.” Ray chuckled when she startled awake after dropping off for a second, “We’re not going anywhere, you can hear the rest of the story tomorrow.”

She mumbled something, already half asleep despite her best efforts, and Kenta and Ray shared a knowing look. They continued to talk in low soft voices, and within 10 minutes she was fast asleep on Ray’s shoulder.

“…We didn’t even get around to talking about the plan her friends concocted to let her join the tribe.” Ray whispered softly.

“We can ask her about it tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Help me put her to bed?”

“Sure.” Kenta nodded, and carefully scooped up their small charge and carried her over to her own bed.

“This reminds me of when she was just a little kid.” He chuckled as he tucked her in.

“She’s still just a little kid.” Ray snorted. “She might grow older but she refuses to grow up, and she got that from you.”

“What can I say, it makes life so much more fun.” Kenta grinned unrepentantly.

Ray sighed but let it go, too tired to argue, and with that the two men said goodnight and headed to their beds. The Rito Down mattresses felt like heaven after weeks sleeping on the ground, and they fell asleep in no time at all, joining the rest of the village in peaceful slumber.

They would not have slept so peacefully if they knew of the dark figures that prowled the nearby woods, skilfully avoiding the gazes of the night watchmen as they raced from tree to tree. Any animal that had the misfortune to cross paths with these strangers quickly fled, the heavy scent of blood and death they carried with them sending them scattering fearfully in all directions.

The intruders ignored the local fauna as they sped through the woods, seeking out hidden spaces where they could sequester themselves for a few days, well away from prying eyes. Their mission for now was simple observation. They would monitor the Witch and learn her patterns and routines, while also familiarising themselves with village security. That would allow them to work out the perfect time to strike - when she would be most isolated and vulnerable. By the time the Rito realised their precious Witch had been abducted, they would be long gone, leaving only fear and uncertainty in their wake.

They were the elite assassins of the Yiga clan, and once they picked a target, they never let them go. From the moment they’d made the decision to take her, the Witch was as good as theirs.

Chapter Text

As you might know, in the prequel story 'The Rito and the Witch' , chapter 7 was an 'Art Intermission' and was filled with character art. (Go check it out if your interested!) This chapter serves the same purpose for The Price of Fame, and is dedicated to art from this new story!

Holly

As this story is set 3 years after the events of The Rito and the Witch, Holly has grown and changed- so here is her updated character sheet! (and yes I did draw this myself)

You might note that her hair looks a lot neater now- that's the effect of living with the Rito for so long and learning how to take proper care of it! She also has a proper set of leather armour on and her clothing is made with some Rito-Down feathers to protect her from the cold. (It's not as effective as a full set of Snowquill armour, but it still protects her from the cold when she's flying at high altitudes).

ART COMMISSIONED FROM CHARLIE (http://charlieslowartsies.tumblr.com/)

Everything from here on down is art of my original characters that I commissioned from my dear friend Charlie.

First of all- Hollys family! We have Ray (on the left) and Kenta (on the right).

Next is Kaeli (golden brown) and Benta (black)

Leri (violet) and Farell (teal)

Jade (brown) and Ollet (white)

In the past some people have contacted me and asked if they can draw fanart for this story. The answer is yes - I am always delighted to receive fanart! I only ask that you don't draw any NSFW art of my characters, and that if you post your work online you include a link back to the story so people can see what inspired you! I'm also happy to post a link to your work here, so others can see it, (with your permission of course!)