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Broken Spirits

Summary:

"Darkness. That is all Revali knew for what only felt like a second. And then he saw the sky."

In which Revali wakes up after being released from Windblight Ganon, alive but barely, with a huge malice-colored scar in the middle of his chest. No time had passed between his fight with the Windblight and waking up with Link standing over him. Or so he thought.
As he relearns the world around him while traveling with Link, he learns more about what happened during the hundred years he was gone and his own demons, as well as the other champions'.

Notes:

Whew! Okay, this is my first fanfic ever on here. I'm super nervous since this is my first fic I've written in forever, so I hope everyone likes it ;-;

Chapter Text

Darkness. That is all Revali knew for what only felt like a second. And then he saw the sky. 

His whole body ached. Well, perhaps ache was not the right word. Every muscle in his body felt like it was on fire. He wanted to sit up but his body refused to listen to him. He let out a weak groan. He felt a shiver run down his spine. He then realized he barely had clothes on, for what was on his was torn pieces of cloth hanging loose from his body. He heard footsteps on stone. 

Link. 

Link was the one who came into his view, blocking the sun that was in his eyes. He had no idea where he was or how Link was there. He was supposed to be in Hyrule Castle as of this moment. Why was he here? 

Medoh. 

They were on Vah Medoh. 

How was Link here? 

His mind was running with questions as Link scooped him up from the ground so easily. He felt light. Link’s face was in shock, that was clear enough. His bright blue eyes searched Revali’s as he held him. Revali’s chest tightened as he stared up at the swordsman. What was going on? 

All of a sudden, the air around them started to shine as specks of light surrounded them. Revali opened his beak to protest but as soon as he managed to get a groan out, they were...somewhere else. He turned his head to see a small village. He saw a Rito approach Link and stop to stare at them. 

“Help.” he heard Link say. It was hoarse, but it shook with fear. Why was he afraid? But too many questions were racing, and he was feeling tired. He felt himself drift to sleep in Link’s arms. 

---- 

Revali shot awake and almost fell out of the bed he was in. He cried out of pain as he sat up too quickly for his body. He heard a loud gasp and turned to see a Rito standing behind a desk, looking terrified. 

“Where am I?” Revali demanded, but the woman seemed too startled to answer. His cry summoned another Rito and Link to him. The tall white avian froze when they made eye contact, but Link came in to stand by his bed. Link crouched down to his height and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed. 

His breathing slowed as Link attempted to calm him down by slowing his own breathing to teach Revali what to do. In...out...in...out...okay. He was okay. The panic subsided for the moment, his chest feeling lighter sitting below the surface as he analyzed his surroundings. He was in a small room, the crescent moon sign above the doorway indicated this was an inn. Besides Link, two Ritos surrounded him. Of course, he had to be in the village. But something felt different about the air. It did not feel like the same Rito Village he had left to board Vah Medoh. It felt claustrophobic. 

The confusion and panic must have been clear as day on his face, for Link squeezed his shoulders once again. Revali took a deep breath, then looked into Link's eyes. His suffocatingly blue eyes were filled with worry, even if his face itself was stoic. Revali's eyebrows immediately started to wrinkle and he shrugged Link's hand off his shoulder. He missed the sensation. But he did not need pity. He just needed answers. 

"Where am I?" he asked again, making sure his voice boomed with authority. Link stared at him blankly, emotions no longer clear. That was when the tall white Rito stepped forward. 

"You are in Rito Village, in the Tabantha region. And who might you be? I've never seen you in my life." he spoke with a deep voice, matching Revali's tone. Revali could already tell he would not like this avian. He straightened his back the best he could, though the adrenaline had worn off so every movement he made caused shooting pain. He ignored it as he spoke. 

"I should be asking you the same question. I am Revali, the champion of the Ritos and the pilot of Vah Medoh." 

The Rito blinked once, and then let out a short bitter laugh. "Yeah, and I'm the Goron chief. Seriously, who are you?" Revali felt his blood boil as his face scrunched in rage. He was about to shout when Link turned to look at the white Rito and nodded. The Rito's eyes widened before looking back at Revali, his face turning apologetic. 

"But...but it is not possible! Master Revali died a hundred years ago with the rest of the champions. Champion descendant, how do you know this is the real Rito champion?" 

Wait. A hundred years ago. No. That could not possibly be right. He had flown to Medoh the day before, had he not? That was where he...he was... 

The memories were coming back to him as the world around him started to spin. 

A hundred years. 

It had been a hundred years. 

He had been shot down by that brute created by Ganon. 

A hundred years. Malice filled his bloodstream as he laid there helpless inside the Divine Beast. 

How...how long had he been up inside of Medoh?! It had been only an hour, right? 

Right? 

His eyes were wide with panic once again, but he did not want to rely on the Hylian champion anymore. As shaky as his breathing was, he turned away from Link and the Rito. 

"Please. I wish to be alone." The request was stern, however, it came out an octave higher than he had intended. But his wish was respected as he heard footsteps leaving the inn. 

Revali did not sleep that night.

 --- 

For the past couple of days, Revali had to relearn the world around him. He had lost a hundred years of his life, trapped in the oozing void of Malice. He couldn’t describe the past a hundred years, for it barely felt like any time passed at all. He felt himself die -- the memory of the traumatizing event coming back to him in bits and pieces -- before the world went black and deep purple. Before waking up on the ground of Medoh with Link standing over him. He was confused and angry at himself. He let himself get defeated by Ganon’s monster, only to be rescued by the same person he despised. Maybe...despised would be the wrong word. But Revali’s pride stopped him from thinking about what it could be for too long, for then he would have to admit he appreciated Link’s presence. No. That would be wrong. He only appreciated the man as much as he needed to, for who else could relate to being thrown into the future suddenly. That was it. Nothing more and nothing less. 

When Link and the tall white Rito came for him in the morning, he was sent to get medical help immediately. His instinct was to redirect Vah Medoh to fight Ganon, but the Ritos (and Link) would have nothing to do with it. Even when the adrenaline kicked in and he had tried to make a run for it to take off. He was caught, for his pathetic limp slowed him. After that, they had decided to bring the medical help to Revali to avoid another escape. 

So now there he was, laying in the makeshift infirmary that had taken up the inn, feeling pathetic and useless. Vah Medoh still flew over the village but he had been informed that the Divine Beast had yet to shoot down any Rito who flew near it. It had truly been appeased when Revali had been, well...released. But he knew there was unfinished business to attend to. From his bed, he could see The Calamity circling Hyrule Castle, its malice filling the air around it in a dark, ominous liquid. He almost shuttered, but he stopped himself. He did not fear this beast, as much as his chest tightening by the sight said otherwise. He could not be bested by— 

His thoughts were interrupted with Link entering the infirmary, the flimsy wood creaking under his weight. Revali ignored him as he came to sit by his bed. They sat like that for what felt like years before Revali could feel his frustration growing. 

“Why are you here when you could be fighting Ganon? Isn’t that what you’re known for, great champion.” He spat at Link, his eyebrows furrowed. Link blinked at him and then shook his head. That was when Revali noticed that Link lacked his prophetic sword, in its place was a weak sword that looked like it was on its last life. The Hylian glanced behind him at where Revali was staring, then unsheathed the sword. It was...underwhelming to say the least. It looked as if it had belonged to merely a traveler. It was no "sword that seals the darkness". Revali looked at him. 

"Is this some type of joke? Because you do not see me laughing." Link shook his head. His face copied Revali's intense expression, but his eyes reflected the fear the avian had. They both knew what that meant for Hyrule if Link did not have his sword. 

"What happened to you? To Hyrule? Did we...truly fail?" Link looked down at his hands in his lap, then pointed at the castle. Revali felt his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, then stared at Link. 

“Tell me what happened.” 

With Link’s very limited memory, he retold what had happened. The Shrine of Resurrection. Princess Zelda saved him while he barely hung onto life. How the kingdom of Hyrule fell overnight. While he spoke, Link explained as if he were just another traveler going off rumors and stories he had come across while traveling. Revali supposed it wasn’t too far off. He felt that the man in front of him was not the same Link, yet his courage and personality still stood. But he lacked...something. Revali could not quite put his feather on it. Link recalled regaining his memories a bit, but a few were still missing. Perhaps that was what it was. But it could not explain the disappointment Revali felt deep inside of him. What was with him today? 

Revali sighed then gazed at the castle. 

“This monster has been terrorizing Hyrule for a hundred years while we were...all supposedly dead,” he mumbled the last part but shook his head as he started to sit up more. “Then we have no time to lose, I need to get up to Med— urk!” He held his wing up to his chest, and he looked down. He had been ignoring the inevitable, but he finally took a good look at the scar on his bare chest. 

It looked horrendous. It was a blast wound, presumably from when the blight had shot him down. It stained his chest with malice as if the same material sat idly inside the scar, ready to release at any moment. Though it hurts now and then, it did not seem to be open, however. The medics had concluded that it had sealed up while he was trapped inside Ganon’s monster. His face scrunched into a grimace, internally cursing the blight for leaving such an obvious reminder of his failure. He almost wished he had stayed dead instead of living with this. 

Almost. 

While he had been staring at his chest, Link had been reaching out to him. Revali shot him a glare when he noticed Link’s hand inches away from his chest. The Hylian immediately recoiled and looked down once again, squeezing his hands. 

“There’s no need to acknowledge this....thing. Maybe if you had done a better job with Ganon, we wouldn’t be in this—“ 

He cut himself off when he saw Link staring at him, his thoughts clear on his face for once. 

Oh. 

That is guilt. 

Damn this Hylian, making Revali feel guilty for his anger. He chose now to learn how to properly express his emotions. He looked away from Link and stuttered as he started. 

“N-Never mind what I said...you— you did all you could.” Though it did not feel sincere, that’s what left his beak. And looking back at the Hylian to see his face ease up a bit told Revali that it worked somewhat. Goddesses, what will he do with this man? 

He looked down at his chest once more, feeling a twinge of insecurity before sighing. “I need new clothes.” 

----- 

Frustration was what kept him from falling into a depressive state. He had healed enough to be able to walk around the village, but when he attempted to fly away, he was stopped by the other Ritos. He often started cursing them as he limped away from them. He hated the way they looked at him. Sometimes it was in awe, which was more than fine to temporarily put him in a good mood, and other times it was pitiful. He did not want their pity. He did not become champion to be looked down upon. 

He spent most of his time on what the villagers have now named Revali’s Landing. A memorial for him, they said, to remember the horrible event a hundred years ago. Because of course, it is. He realized that he shouldn’t be too bitter against the villagers, for he had been dead in their eyes. But yet enough reminder for him to be angry at himself was all he needed to accidentally take it out on others. He just wished that his body would recover enough so that he could return to Medoh. It was all he had to one-up Link before this whole thing, and now he couldn’t even reach it. Some champion he was. 

Link visited often to sit with him. He could not go a couple of moments without sensing the presence of the Hylian. Though, for once, he did have to admit he appreciated the silence of the knight instead of the constant worry. It was a nice change of pace. 

He had just limped his way to the landing when he felt a presence behind him. He smirked before hiding it as he turned to face Link. 

“Ah Link, yet another visit I see--” 

It was not Link for once. 

Instead, it was a small Rito child. They stood there fidgeting with feathers, their feet shifting weight from one to the other. Revali raised an eyebrow. This was the first time a child had visited him. He cleared his throat to show that the child has been acknowledged and the child squawked. He bit back a chuckle. 

“Are-- Are-- Are you really the Rito Champion Revali?” the child stuttered out. This time Revali did chuckle. 

“The one and only,” he said. The child gasped as they ran forward to sit next to him. He smiled softly. He couldn’t help himself. 

“My name is Tulin! My dad’s name is Teba, he’s a Rito warrior just like you! We have only heard stories about you but to meet the real thing is-- is-- amazing!” the child, Tulin, gushed. “My dad said, he wanted to become a warrior so he could be just as great as you, and that’s what I want to do too! You’re just so so so cool, Master Revali!” 

Revali hummed pridefully, he appreciated to once again be looked up to by a Rito child. It helped his frustration ease up a bit. He felt he needed this after having such a rough welcome. 

“Why, you flatter me, young one.” He made sure to put his wing over his chest, almost to pretend to be wounded by Tulin’s words. The child’s eyes were round with excitement as he stared at Revali. He seemed to be expecting something, though the champion did not know what. After a few awkward minutes of silence created by Tulin staring at him, the child gasped and stood up. 

“I’ll be right back! Don’t go anywhere!” he yelled and he ran off down the stairs. He laughed inwardly, though he was confused. Within minutes, Tulin returned with a small group of more Rito children who made a circle around Revali. 

“I told you he was the real deal, you guys owe me!” Tulin proudly exclaimed as one of the other children groaned. The rest were laughing in glee as they surrounded him, whispering ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ as they examined him. Revali felt a bit nervous as they watched him, but he refused to show this outwardly. Eventually, all the children sat down in a neat circle around him once again and waited. His eyes glanced around at his audience before Tulin started. 

“Do you have any stories?” 

Revali blinked, once, twice, and then smiled. “Why, of course. What would you like to hear?” 

He started with something simple, like the archery competitions he had won. He spoke of how he requested the Flight Range to be built to practice his skills, at which the youngest of the group exclaimed how she wanted to be able to go there but she was too young. He told them of the princess and Vah Medoh, and Hyrule a hundred years ago. He made sure to add grandeur to the parts with him in it. He may look beat up right now, but he was not about to tell a small group of children about how he broke his wing when he stubbornly refused to stop practicing Revali's Gale. Between stories, the children finally decided to introduce themselves. Cree, Kotts, Molli...so many names. It was hard to keep up. But he decided he would take the time to learn their names as he spent his time in the village, knowing he would be there for a bit longer. 

Teba, the Rito warrior he had met his first day during his outburst in the inn, had decided that tomorrow they would see if Revali could fly his way to the Flight Range. If he could, he was to train to gain his strength back in his wings until he was fit enough to fly up to Medoh. He hated to admit it, but the thought of flying made him apprehensive. One of his first attempts, albeit being out of anger, caused him to nearly fall into the cavern before. If not for Teba catching him, well...he would have preferred dying a “champion’s death” rather than falling to his death. Nothing a second or third attempt would fix, he had thought. Because of this, he was forced to have someone keep watch of him for the first couple of weeks so he wouldn’t storm off. He was determined to sneak away for a fourth try but when Link was the one who found him at the landing, that was when he was embarrassed enough to stay put. He did not want Link to watch him plummet to his doom. He did not know if it was because he cared for Link’s reaction to seeing him die or for the sake of his pride. He preferred to think it was his pride, but he did not want to find out. 

While Revali continued to tell tales of the battles and trials he faced a hundred years ago to the small group of children who had formed a circle around him, he had not noticed another joining them. He glanced over to see the newcomer, Link, standing there watching them silently with his hands on his hips. His face was aloof but focused as if he was listening in on Revali’s stories as well. He tried not to scoff at him, but the urging of a child telling him to finish telling his heroic adventure of how he overcame the trials to master Vah Medoh pushed him to continue. Once he had finished, he told the children that he and Link had something to discuss. 

“Aww, but I gotta hear more!” one whined, before yawning. Revali chuckled as he patted the child’s head. 

“What you need to do right now is get some sleep, Rito warriors need plenty of rest to grow up strong,” Revali stated to his audience. At that note, the children started to disperse back to their homes, continuing their versions of Revali’s stories. He smiled before his face turned sharp to look at Link. 

“It’s late,” he said, “you should be getting rest too.” His voice dripped with sarcasm, hoping to hide the concern in his voice as the warrior came to sit next to him. He sat hunched over, his legs dangling over the landing’s edge. They were silent for what felt like an hour before Link pulled at his sleeve. He pointed to Revali's chest with a concerned look on his face. Revali let out a bitter laugh. 

“A hundred years and all you learned how to do is small talk? Please spare me.” He snarked. He let a smile slip as he looked over at Link, who was getting flustered. Revali let out a laugh. “I see you also learned how to emote properly. Color me impressed.” He continued to laugh at the Hylian’s reactions, his hands frantically trying to explain faster than Revali could keep up, let alone understand since he did not know much sign language and-- was Link blushing? No. No, it was cold for a mere Hylian, his cheeks must have become rosy from the climb up the mountain. Revali decided to change the subject before he over thought it too much. 

“Once it is suitable for me to travel, where shall we go next?” Revali asked and Link shot him a look. “Oh come now, do you expect me to sit around here inside Vah Medoh while you go running around Hyrule like a lunatic? I refuse to be but a sidekick this time, take my word for it.” 

Link stared at him before he nodded, bringing out his Sheikah Slate. Most of the map had been filled in, in which Revali pointed this out to him. Seriously, how long has Link been awake, let alone procrastinating finding the Divine Beasts? Goddesses help them. He would definitely be using this to poke fun at the Hylian later. 

“The closest Divine Beast would seem to be Vah Naboris,” Revali started, “however, from the looks of your condition, you seem barely fit enough to make the journey across the desert to Gerudo Town. Let alone anywhere by yourself. With the state of that pathetic sword, I'm surprised you managed to make it to Vah Medoh.” At that Link put his hand behind his head and let out a soft laugh. Guilty, of course. Revali sighed. “Then the only place that would not have extreme weather conditions would be--” He pointed at the Lanayru region, “there. The Zora Domain.” He smirked at Link. 

“Shall we pay our old friend Mipha a visit?”

Link's face was etched with confusion, before making an "oh" shape with his mouth. Revali did not have the patience to unpack what that reaction meant. Instead, he gave Link a curt nod. 

"Then that will be our next destination, but for now--" Revali struggled to stand. Link held out a hand to him, but Revali brushed him off. "I need to rest. Goodnight."

He limped his way back to the inn, where he laid awake for another hour. All he had to do was pass the flight test tomorrow.

He needed to.

And while he tried to convince himself that everything would be fine, the small sense of self-doubt consumed him. He finally fell asleep to his heart pounding in his chest, and a dull burning from his scar.