#of Revali being right handed. It's really hard to tell. But in the bunch of design tests that were gathered in his corner

[caguaydreams]

Every once in a while I think about the deliberate choice from the devs to make Revali lefthanded... Like, it's such a specific thing, and it's not even brought up at all, it's something you catch on when you're terribly obsessed with details and a character in question, symbolism and shit,...

Was it a "whoops we accidentally animated/sketched Revali drawing the arrow with his left wing, let's just keep it that way" or a "Let's make Revali left-handed because why not?" kind of situation? Is it like that because it somehow ties into his theme of being an outcast in the group? or in general? to stand out as different? was it made with that intention in mind? Or am I reaching too far???

Most likely, and allow me to reach even further: is it a reference to how Link used to be lefthanded for the longest time since the very beginning, coupled with that his coded color as a character is green when Link's in botw is light blue, green is the color associated with courage, and he despises Link for being proclaimed hero of prophecy just because he drew a legendary sword, while he had to work his ass off to get where he is?? Obviously he doesn't know at first that Link also struggles but like... Revali clearly wanted to be that hero, to gain more recognition.... Is the fact that he's lefthanded yet another hint at the apparent parallel between him and Link? or his relation to the legend? does Revali also carry a spirit of courage or has a connection with the trait of the hero?? did I go insane during the couple of years this has been running around in my head and keeping me up at night sometimes??? Probably. Don't listen to me I just needed to get this out of my sytem because fuck it, what difference does it make, y'all already know how my mind goes about things leave me alone more in the tags below

[queenof-literature]

I absolutely loved the gerudo story a lot! If you are still taking ideas/suggestions may you please continue on with wild telling them about the others? I liked medoh and the rito the most lol but any will be awesome I loved how happy wild and the others were while hearing the story of Riju and nabrois.. thanks 💚💜

Thank you for your kind words! I turned this into a series on my AO3 (queenofliterature) since it has gotten multiple requests. I hope you enjoy and your cosplay is super cool!

“Pleeeeeease!” Wind continued to beg Wild over dinner. It had been a couple of days since Wild told the story about his time with the Gerudo, and Wind was desperate for Wild to tell more, as he had made very clear. Since the first story, they had traveled to Twilight’s Hyrule, although no villages were close enough to get to tonight.

“Dear Hylia. Wild please tell him another story before he explodes.” Legend yelled from across camp.

“Wind, Wild doesn’t need to tell us anything else if he doesn’t want to.” Time lectured Wind, who was attached to Wild’s back, arms wrapped around him like a stationary piggyback ride. Wild didn’t find himself minding. Ever since he had returned Wind’s hug the first night he told a story, the kid had seemed comfortable with attaching himself to Wild like he would Hyrule and Warriors. It was surprising at first, but Wild got used to it, and kinda liked it.

“Um that’s okay. I can tell more stories. I just don’t want them to be boring or anything. There’s no more dressing as a woman and seducing people for items or sneaking into Yiga bases.” Wild joked although he was slightly nervous about his other stories not measuring up.

“But you still have three more divine beats to go right?” Sky voiced curiously.

“And your fight against Ganon!” Warriors called.

“And all your crazy ideas along the way!” Hyrule finished as the rest of the group laughed, Wild included.

“Okay, just let me pass out dinner.”

Once again, the group was all gathered around the campfire, eyes on Wild. Wild still found it intimidating, but it was far less scary this time.

“Well… I guess I could tell you about the Rito?” There were some questions and confused murmurs among the group, except Wind, who lit up at the mention of the birds who lived on Dragon Roost Island.

“You have Rito in your Hyrule too?” Wind questioned excitedly.

“Yeah I do. Do the rest of you not?” There were ripples of no’s throughout the camp.

“Oh, well they’re basically really big, talking birds? That might be an offensive way to describe them. They’re like Zora are to fish I guess.” Wild stated awkwardly. He didn’t really expect to have to explain what a Rito was.

“I can just show you!” Wild remembered he had a picture of Kass and his children on his slate. When they first saw the Sheikah Slate, all five of the girls had crowded around him and demanded to see it. When they saw the photo rune, they wanted him to take a picture of them and their mother and father. He told them he had no way to let them have a copy or anything, but they just wanted to be with him in his travels. It was a very sweet sentiment and Wild absolutely loved that picture.

“Oh wow, you weren’t kidding about them being giant birds.” Hyrule commented when Wild flipped his slate around for them to see.

“They look a bit different from the Rito from my Hyrule but that’s kinda been a common theme among all of us.” Wind noted.

“They’re very nice and welcoming people.” Wild confirmed as he put the slate back on his hip. “When I first got to the village, I had to walk up a whole bunch of bridges that just kept getting higher and higher. The Rito were really upset and worried, since the Divine Beast, Vah Medoh, was causing chaos and shooting anyone down that flew up too high.” Wild remembered the ear-piercing screech that greeted him when he first arrived. All of the Divine Beasts had a call, but none were quite like Medoh’s.

“Oh no that’s awful! The Rito love to fly! Was anyone hurt?” Wind questioned, genuinely concerned for the villagers.

“Unfortunately yes. Some men went up to try and defeat Medoh, but one got shot down and hurt his wing, his name is Harth. He’s alright now. The Rito that went with him, Teba, got him to safety and was planning to face Medoh once again. I spoke with the chief of the village, named Kaneli. He’s very kind, and he has a very deep and hearty laugh.” That was one thing about Wild the group had noticed. He always remembered odd or specific details of people. It may be connected to his loss of memory, but that was simply the person he was. He wanted to get to know as many people as he could and help them when needed.

“So do any of the leaders know that you’re the hero from 100 years earlier?” Four questioned. He really hoped he wasn’t crossing a line by asking, he was just truly curious.

“It kinda depends. The Zora live to be centuries old, so most of them knew me, well… the old me.” Wild stated uncertainly. The rest of camp knew Wild’s struggles with his past self, almost seeing him as a different person than the one they knew now. They were slightly curious about what Wild was like before. They would never trade Wild for anything, but it would be interesting to see how much he had changed. Twilight, who was sitting on Wild’s left, put a gentle hand on his shoulder, while Legend scooted a little closer on Wild’s right, almost unnoticeable to everyone but Wild.

“The Gorons didn’t care all that much, just as long as I could board Rudania. Riju knew that I was friends with Urbosa, or that she at least sent me. And the Rito thought I was the champion’s descendant.” Some snickers left the group at that.

“Hey, I tried to tell him it was really me, but I didn’t have the Master Sword yet. Even then, I’m not sure if he would have believed I was the actual champion, but he was worried for his people. He asked me to help them with the Divine Beast since I was the only one who could board it.”

“Why are you the only one who can board it?” Warriors asked.

“Well, I don’t have a solid answer for you, but it’s because I’m the Hylian Champion.” Wild answered. There wasn’t a scientific answer he could really give, that’s all he really knew.

“Wait, since you’re a champion, do you have a Divine Beast too?” Hyrule exclaimed, eyes shining with anticipation and mischief. Oh Hylia, if WIld had one of those things and he and Hyrule teamed up... Please say no, please say no, please say-

“Well, sorta.” Wild rubbed the back of his neck as gasps (and some groans) arose around him. “It’s very small, smaller than a horse. But it has two wheels and it’s faster than anything I’ve ever ridden. It’s loud though and has to be powered by materials. I’ll show you when we get back to my Hyrule, I’ve tried summoning it here and it doesn’t work.” Wild wished he had a picture of it, but he would show them the real thing soon.

“That sounds amazing!” Surprisingly Hyrule didn’t yell this, but Legend did. He blushed, realizing how loud it was. The rest of the group chuckled. Legend could pretend to be snarky and cool all he wanted, he was such a nerd for new items.

“It really is. I can run over so many monsters, and jump off so many cliffs without getting hurt! And it goes over pretty much any terrain! I just have to be careful not to fall backward down a hill or something. But that doesn’t happen often and-” Wild rambled on, oblivious to the look of horror on Twilight’s face.

“Um, Cub. We love hearing about your Hyrule but… I think you’re going to give Twilight a heart attack.” Time teased, looking at his protege’s face.

“Hehe. Whoops.” Wild laughed, the rest of the heroes joining in, except for Twilight of course who simply glared at his mentor.

“Anyway.” Wild continued, still giggling a little. “The elder sent me to Teba’s wife and child, who begged me to go to the Flight Range and stop him. She said that I could just jump off the Revali’s Landing, a platform named after the Rito Champion from a hundred years ago.”

“Did you remember him at this point?” Sky questioned reluctantly. Like Four, he was nervous about crossing a line.

“I actually remembered him when I looked at the landing.” Wild’s eyes grew slightly distant. “Revali was a complete and utter asshole.” There were surprised huffs of laughter from around the group. That certainly wasn’t what they were expecting. “But… I understood why.” Wild stared into the fire. “He was hurting I think. I got to read his journal and he worked really hard to develop Revali’s Gale, the wind I use now. He worked to become the best archer and protect his village. And then, some random Hylian kid comes and takes the Master Sword and becomes the princess’ appointed knight. He always taunted me, kinda telling me that I was only getting to fight Ganon because of the sword, while he had to sit in his Divine Beast. But I got the sword when I was twelve, and my training started long before that from what I can remember. And I don’t - I don’t think I ever wanted that.” Wild’s breathing hitched the tiniest bit. Not enough to be noticed by anyone who didn’t know him, but this group knew him well.

Twilight instantly pulled him into a hug, and Wild didn’t fight it. He didn’t cry or feel a huge panic coming on, but the hug felt nice all the same.

“It sucks that Revali went through that Wild.” Warriors stated, smiling at the teen gently. “But that is not your fault. You didn’t choose the sword, the sword chose you.” Wild nodded from where his head was on Twilight’s shoulder, before pulling himself away gently. Meanwhile, Time cursed Hylia in his mind, again. Twelve… He understood there was a fight coming, he really did, but this boy was only twelve. No, he was younger when he was forced into training. Wild mentioned to Time when talking about Mipha that he traveled there with knights as a child. He was a child. He still was a child… Time pulled himself out of his own head. There was no changing Wild’s past. That was over one hundred years ago. They could help him now.

“I’m sorry, Wild.” Wind sighed out. “I didn’t mean to bring out bad memories.”

“You didn’t, bud.” Wild reassured. “Sometimes memories just come into my head, even if I’ve seen them before. I wouldn’t tell you if I didn’t trust you.” That halted the camp entirely. Wild had made a lot of progress in trusting them, but they were happy to hear him say it. Before they could dwell too much on what Wild said, he continued his story.

“So anyway, I talked to Harth, the Rito that broke his wing, and a couple of other Rito. Including the girls you all saw in the picture. They’re Kass’ daughters!” Wild stated excitedly. He told them previously about Kass and how much he adored hearing his songs. Wind once asked Wild to sing one, but he blushed a bright red and furiously refused. Wind bet Wild had a pretty voice and he was just embarrassed about it…

“Their mother was worried sick for her children, along with the other parents in the village, and the children were all disappointed they couldn’t fly and play. Well one didn’t want to go to singing practice, but I still had to get the Divine Beast under control as fast as possible. So I bought the Snowquill Set that keeps you really toasty and rushed to the Flight Range to help Teba. When I got there, Teba said he didn’t need any help but I insisted. So he told me that he would challenge my archery skills.” The group leaned in, what sort of test? “He made me shoot five targets in three minutes with my paraglider.” Wild stated in a deadpan voice. The boys froze, then burst out laughing. Wild could shoot three arrows at once, sometimes five with the proper bow! Five targets in three minutes were nothing! Wild chuckled along with the group. He wasn’t arrogant with his archery, but five targets in three minutes was a little too easy. He expected Teba to continue challenging him, but he never did.

“So he gave me some bomb arrows and told me to jump on his back, we were gonna go defeat the Divine Beast.” Wild continued.

“Woah wait, already? Didn’t the other Divine Beasts take you a little time to get too?” Warriors questioned.

“Well Naboris took a little more time since the Yiga clan were causing trouble, but there was nothing else I could do to prepare.” Wild shrugged. “So we flew up into the clouds, Vah Medoh was huge up close! It had a giant courtyard type structure on its back! And it could shoot lasers and had a shield around it! So while Teba distracted it, I used the updrafts to shoot at all four points the shield was powered by. Unfortunately, Teba got grazed by the lasers. He was okay, but he had to land. So I started the puzzles in Vah Medoh. They were so fun! There was one where I had to get in this ride on a track and tilt the beast so I got to ride to the other side! And I was so high up!” Wild continued rambling on about the puzzles he had to solve.

The other boys in the group smiled softly. One of the reasons they enjoyed Wild telling stories was because of how excited he would get while telling the parts that didn't haunt him. The others sometimes struggle with Wild’s Hyrule because of the ruins of the structures they know, but Wild truly loved it, which made sense, it was just like the hero who came from it, wild and untamed.

“So finally all the puzzles were done and all the terminals were unlocked, and the main control unit was unlocked. Like the others, when I put my slate up the control unit, a Ganon Blight came out. This time it was Windblight Ganon. He was easier than the others, but still hard. He could summon tornados! And I had to rely on arrows a lot since he flew out where I couldn’t reach him. But eventually, I got his health down enough for the final blow. When I activated the main control unit, Revali appeared.” Wild smile became bittersweet like it did when he talked about any of his friends from one hundred years ago. “He teased me again, but this time, it seemed more friendly and less bitter. He gave me Revali’s Gale so I wouldn’t always have to rely on cliffs and high places for my paraglider. I went back to see Harth and Teba, and they and their families were fine! The elder thanked me a lot and gave me Revali’s old bow. It’s in my house with the rest of the champion’s items. I used them against Ganon. A little bit to avenge the other champions. You know?” Wild looked to find them all staring at him. “Uh… The end?” Wild ended awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. The rest of the group seemed to snap out of it. Wild was amazing. And highly intelligent. His stories of battles and puzzles and shrines only proved that. Once again, just like when he ended the first story, Wind crashed into Wild and knocked the breath out of his lungs.

“You’re a great storyteller Wild!” Wind cried happily.

“The sailor’s right, Cub.” Twilight smirked, but the kind look in his eyes betrayed his teasing lilt.

“Well, that was a perfect little bedtime story.” Legend yawned and clapped Wild on the back.

“Legend is right, it’s getting a little late. Warriors, you have first watch right.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know Old Man.” Warriors huffed but smiled and ruffled Wild’s hair as he passed, earning a lot of protests to which Warriors just laughed at.

The rest of the group thanked Wild for the story and headed to their bedrolls. The Links were happy that Wild was talking more, and didn't want to make a huge deal out of it and scare him into science once again. But they also wanted him to know they appreciate him trusting them enough to tell them of his trials.

After making sure no one needed his help with anything, Wild collapsed into his bedroll. He enjoyed telling the others his stories, but he still wasn’t used to talking for long amounts of time.

A couple of minutes later, Twilight, who was preparing his own bedroll, realized he hadn’t heard Wild shuffling about like he normally did. He turned around to ask if he was okay, only to see him completely conked out on top of the blankets, apparently tired from talking so much in one night. He snorted softly at the smaller teen, before slowly going over and tucking him in. If Wild wasn’t completely passed out, he would have denied what he called being treated like a child, but there wasn’t a single protest as Twilight lifted Wild slightly and put him under the covers, tucking them around him. There was only a small sound that Twilight absolutely would not admit not to find adorable, as Wild snuggled into the blankets covering him. Time hummed slightly, making Twilight turn around.

“He was too young.” Time said solemnly, referring to what Wild told them earlier that night. Twilight had similar thoughts. Wild had told him after a memory that he was only twelve when he got the Master Sword. Twilight knew he was too young. A lot of the group was.

“Yeah… But he has us now.” Twilight smiled at Time, who looked at his pup with pride in his eyes. Those who weren’t asleep or didn’t have the first watch were soon wrapped in their bedrolls peacefully, the only sound being crickets chirping around them.

[song-of-storms162]

Revali’s Pie

There’s something familiar about this scene: the sound of the crackling fire loud over the winds of the Flight Range, a Rito training with a bow, and a bunch of spicy fruit pies amidst it all.

Sky and Twilight sat near the cooking pot, fingers hovering over the heat the fire underneath radiated, an attempt to combat the cold that was creeping over the two heroes. Despite Wild’s attempt at keeping the two warm with armor, it seemed the chill of the winds and the temperatures at the Flight Range were something that didn’t want to be ignored.

Twilight lifted his eyes from the fire before eyeing Wild who was showing the Rito fledgling the differences between a number of arrows. Wild was careful in handling the arrows, making sure Tulin held none of the arrowheads while pointing out each arrows’ strength and weakness.

“This one’s a Fire arrow, see how the tip’s shaped like one?” Wild points out the red glowing tip of the fire arrow while watching Tulin’s curious eyes rake over the glowing arrowhead. Rito village was having their annual Champion Festival and Teba had been selected to take part of the Festival acts. With Teba being swept into festival work, he hadn’t been taking Tulin to the Flight Range as often as usual. So when Teba spotted Wild and the rest of the heroes amidst it all, he didn’t hesitate to ask Wild if he could take Tulin to the Flight Range.

Wild had agreed without thinking, but before they could take the conversation any further, a Rito came running up to Teba, asking if he knew anyone who was free as an accident happened and they were down two birds. As the Rito continued to tell Teba of their situation, Wild was pulled from the two by Hyrule toward the others. “Wild, you said you wanted to show us around, and yet you just agreed to go to this ‘Flight Range’ without thinking it through,” says Hyrule and Wild’s expression changes.

“The Flight Range is a place where the Rito train and with all this festival work going on, I don’t think I’d be able to show you all what Rito Village has to offer.”

At Wild’s words, Time sighs. “Then i guess we’re all going to the Flight Range.”

“We’ll need to get warm garb then,” says Wild but before he could say more, a voice cuts in.

“I’m afraid the clothing shop’s closed, Link.”

Teba walks over to where Wild and the rest of the heroes stand, the other Rito trailing behind him. “All shops have been closed to prepare for the festival. Except for the inn, you won’t find another place in business.”

Wild’s expression twists into a frown. “Without warm garb, the rest of my group can’t travel to the Flight Range and I don’t have enough materials to whip up spicy elixirs.”

Teba glances at the rest of them, eyeing all of their builds and the gear they wore before speaking up once more. “Forgive me for asking, Link but would your companions be willing to help out here?”

The other eight turn their heads to the white Rito before looking at Time and Warriors, both mulling over the situation as Teba continues speaking. “We’re short on hands here and all your friends look capable of hard work. I’ll even ask the owner of the Clothing shop to spare some warm garb for all of them after the work’s done.”

“We’d be glad to help,” says Time finally as he grins. “W-Link can take a few of us to the ‘Flight Range’, while the rest stay to help out. Link?”

Wild nods and pulls out his Sheikah slate, tapping on icons to check his armor. “I have enough warm garb for two people. So two can come with me while the rest can stay help out.”

And so here they were now, Twilight wore the Warm Doublet and a Ruby Circlet while Sky donned a Snowquill Headdress and Trousers, the two were warming their hands over the fire, Twilight having taken off the itchy gloves in favor of the warmth the crackling embers emitted. The two watched Wild, dressed in Snowquill armor and a giant glowing sword stapped to his back.

“Hey Link, the arrowhead kinda looks like your sword. All glowy and stuff,” pipes up Tulin as he peers at the giant sword on Wild’s back. “Is it made from the same material?”

Wild unstraps the weapon and Sky sees the latter’s ears momentarily redden. “I believe so, this is a great flameblade, if I attack with it, then flames shoot out of it.”

Tulin’s eyes widen. “Really? I wanna see it in action!”

Wild’s expression changes to surprise momentarily before shaking his head. “I can’t do that. What if you got hurt? I wouldn’t be able to face your mother if I accidentally hurt you.”

The excitement in the Rito’s eyes dim. “Yeah, mom still doesn’t let me handle the bomb arrows.”

Wild pats Tulin’s head, and the child purrs when the hero’s finger graze over a certain spot. “How about i go a round with the arrows? Show you what they can do?”

“Yeah!”

Wild opens up his sheikah slate and as he taps icons and buttons, Tulin speaks up. “Hey what if we have your friends count?”

“Count what?” Wild replies, eyes not straying from the tablet.

“Count the number of arrows and the time!”

“Sure just let me ask them first alright?” Wild puts the tablet back on his waist, a Swallow Bow now strapped to his back.

Sky and Twilight look up when he reaches in front of them, Tulin trailing behind him. “Hey, was wondering if you guys are willing to help count for the next round?”

“Count?” “Round?”

“Link’s gonna shoot as many targets as possible in a certain anount of time, while you two count the targets and the time I’m gonna tell Link what arrow to shoot!”

Wild freezes up at the last words. “Wait Tulin-“

But Tulin’s eyes were full of innocent want, like a child asking their parents for another cookie. “Please?”

“Of course,” Wild finds himself saying and Tulin beams at him before running off to gather more arrows from the chest of drawers near the cooking pot.

“Make sure the bow you use isn’t one near breaking point, cub,” Twilight warns and Tulin skids to a halt at the Wolf’s words.

“That’s a great idea! I can yell out what arrow and bow for you to use!”

Sky looks like he wants to laugh and Wild looks like he wants to say something so Twilight says,”Alright you can tell Link what bow and arrow to use but you’re getting a quiz after, how’s that?”

“What do i get from the quiz?”

“You get a whole piece of fruit pie,” says Wild, not missing a beat and Tulin’s eyes widen once more.

“Your fruit pie?!” Wild nods at the exclamation and the three wielders of courage can’t help but smile at the child’s excitement. “I’ll do it! I accept!”

Wild stands on the ledge jutting out from the room, the chorus of the winds filling his ears and leaving their icy chills on his face. “Ready?” Sky yells over the orchestra of wind and ice, Twilight stands next to him, ready to count the number or targets he would shoot down.

“3!”

Wild readies the bow in his arms, an arrow already waiting.

“2!”

He changes his stance, ready to sprint off the ledge.

“1!”

30 seconds, he has 30 seconds.

Wild sprints off the ledge, immediately aiming for the highest target on the pillar of rock. He lets the arrow fly and his eyes immediately dart to his next target. The next one below the first he just shot.

“Royal Bow! Ice Arrow!”

Twilight and Sky watch in disbelief as Wild immediately switches bows and arrows. No hesitation, no falter to the Wild hero’s actions.

Wild shoots the next target and the one below the latter before taking out his paraglider and shooting back up. This time, he faces the sides of the chasm, making eye contact with Sky, Twilight and Tulin.

Quick as a wink, the paraglider’s gone and Wild begins to shoot at the target underneath the ledge.

“Duplex bow! Fire arrow!”

After shooting the one under the ledge, Sky thought he was dreaming. Wild switched bows and arrows so fast, they seemed to blur as he aimed at the next target.

The two arrows found their mark. And Wild’s hands immediately redirect the bow and arrow to the next target.

It went on and on, Wild switching bows and arrows before switching them for his paraglider. One by one, the targets were gone, the blue glow coating the chasm quickly decreased as Wild went, well wild.

Time wasn’t even up when all the targets were gone. Wild was sweating through his tunic as he shot up from the last target and returned to the ledge on his paraglider. Light pants escaped in puffs of air and Twilight felt relieved when he saw the cub tired.

If no one was panting and sweating from an exercise like that, Twilight would start wondering if there was something wrong. “Time?” Wild gulps in air, the bow still in his hands.

“28 seconds,” Sky looks up with awe from the stopwatch he holds.

Wild nods, his form wavers slightly when Tulin rushes over to hug his legs. “That was amazing, Link! Wait till I tell dad about this!”

Wild pets Tulin’s head before smiling. “Thank you, Tulin. I hope you’re ready for your quiz.”

Tulin’s eyes widen and he lets go of Wild before bashfully looking down. “I was hoping you’d forget about that.”

“Well i could forget about it but I’ll also have to forget about giving you a fruit pie.”

“Link?”

“Yes?”

“What’s the first question?”

Wild chuckles and leads the rest of them back inside. “How about we get inside first?”

Wild felt odd, sweating in a winter backdrop was not something he ever got used to, even as Sky handed him a warm towel to wipe off his brow. Tulin was talking with Sky and Twilight, and the young Rito’s eyes widen when the former brings out a small parcel.

“Is that-“ “Yes it is, Tulin. This is your prize if you answer correctly.”

What Wild hears next surprises him. “I love Revali’s special! I’ll be sure to ace the quiz.”

Wild rises from where he was seated and makes his way to them. “Did you say Revali’s special?”

Tulin looks up at Wild and nods. “Yep! You got this recipe from Ms Amali, right?”

Wild nods and Tulin continues. “It’s a Rito specialty! Mom always makes some when me and Dad decide to play here longer! It’s made with wildberries and a pinch of spicy pepper, it’s named after the Rito Champion!”

At the word ‘Champion’, Sky and Twilight’s eyes shoot to Wild whose face was filled with incredulity. “Apparently, the Champion would bring some with him when he trained here,” Tulin rattles on, not noticing what the others were thinking about. “Me and Dad always left a slice out for the Warrior! And after we wake up...”

Tulin grins and Sky’s the one who asks,”What happens when you wake up?”

“The slice is gone!” Tulin giggles and Wild’s eyes widen.

“Gone?”

Tulin nods sagely. “That’s right. Dad says it’s a blessing if it disappears but i think the Champion’s just hungry.”

Twilight laughs. “Ah of course, we know how hungry Champions can be.”

The Wolf elbows Wild with a grin and Wild glares at him before looking at Tulin. “C’mon Tulin. Your quiz is ready.”

Tulin nods and scrambles after Wild, who had turned away after saying those words. Twilight and Sky watch him carefully, even as they try to catch the survivalist’s eyes, they know something’s up.

Wild had Tulin rearrange bows of varying sizes in terms of power, speed and durability. After getting them all correct, Wild cuts out a piece of pie for Tulin. “You earned it,” says Wild as he slides the plate to the young Rito. Tulin’s eyes glitter but it disappears as he shoots up frantically.

“I forgot!” Tulin exclaims before taking out a plate and cutting a slice. Wild, Twilight and Sky watch as Tulin takes the plate to the ledge outside before placing the plate near the edge. Tulin skips back to the trio before grinning at them.

“Almost forgot to leave a slice for him!”

Wild smiles tightly before watching Tulin happily eat the pie.

The four decide to stay there overnight, it wasn’t wise to travel at night, even at such a distance between the Flight range and Rito village. Tulin brings out blankets from the chest of drawers and bundles next to Sky. Soon, soft trills escape the young Rito.

Twilight watches Wild from where he lies down, the latter having decided to clean his bows before sleeping. Wild carefully inspects the Royal Bow before settling it next to a Duplex Bow, his expression concentrated but Twilight knew.

Knew the cub wasn’t sure of what to do with the new information Tulin had supplied them with. Twilight watches him sigh before turning over and seeing Sky doing the same thing. Keeping a laugh to himself, Twilight’s gaze momentarily pins on Tulin, who had snuggled up to Sky’s side after saying, “He smells like the fresh air. The kind you find high up in clouds.”

Soft trills escaped the child’s beak (was this a common trait in the Rito? Or was this how Rito snored?) and Twilight drags his gaze away as Sky quietly calls out to him.

“What is it?” Twilight whispers to not wake Tulin. Sky, whose arms are occupied, nods in the direction of the ledge. “Look over there.”

Twilight does and he almost misses it. There on the ledge, a faint outline of a Rito Warrior sitting near the edge was tucking in to the fruit pie they left out. Twilight glances at his protege and almost facepalms, Wild hasn’t noticed.

Wild inspects the Great Eagle Bow but looks at Twilight when the latter whispers his name.

“Ledge,” Twilight whispers before jerking his head in said direction. Wild’s eyes follow before widening. The bow at the spirit’s back, a twin to the one he was holding. Wild watches with bated breath as the spirit of Revali continues to tuck into the fruit pie.

Revali finishes his meal before glancing back, making eye contact with Wild. The two stare for a good minute before Revali turns his head to look off into the chasm.

Twilight and Sky watch Wild get up, Great Eagle Bow clutched in one hand.

“Revali,” Wild says when he’s behind the warrior. Revali simply looks back and Wild feels a knife cut through him, that expression of haughtiness so familiar.

��I must compliment on your making the pie Link,” says Revali as Wild sits with him on the ledge. “Your cooking’s better than i expected.”

Wild stays silent and Revali scoffs. “Still quiet, are we? I was hoping to just see Tulin today so imagine my surprise when you and your ‘companions’ show up.”

“Tulin says he and Teba leave fruit pie for you,” Wild blurts and Revali cocks his head. “Yes they do, even in your hands, the dish is still delicious.”

“About your companions,” Revali looks back inside the room where Twilight and Sky, who’s carrying Tulin, watch them intently. “I must say, I thought it enough to meet just one of you, but two more?”

“There are nine of us in total.”

“Should all nine of you ever come here together, you’d better bring a sack of fruit pies for me. You are already enough.”

“Is that all you came here for? To ask for more fruit pies?” Wild asks but sees where Revali’s gaze is directed. Little Tulin, happily trilling away in Sky’s embrace.

“Your friend, who carries Tulin, smells of the sky. I’ve never met a Hylian who smells so strongly of the sky before, did your friend live with Rito?”

Wild shakes his head and Revali mutters something Wild doesn’t hear.

“What was that?”

Revali mutters again and Wild asks once more.

Clearing his throat, Revali glares as he says, ”I said I’d like to meet them.”

When Wild motions for them to come over, Twilight and Sky stiffen before wrapping a blanket around Tulin and leaving the room. The two walked on stiff feet as Revali eyed them as they came closer. Revali sniffed the air once before nodding in Sky’s direction.

“You, why do you smell so strongly of the sky?”

Sky hesitates in answering but replies when seeing curiosity light the archer’s eyes. “I used to live among the clouds.”

“Interesting,” says Revali. “I would’ve called you a liar but with a scent that strong, I’ll believe you.”

Revali cocks his head when he faces Twilight.

“You, you’re the bearer of the Hawk’s Eye,” curiosity again fills Revali’s tone and Twilight nods. “You must be quite the archer to have it.”

“Are they all as quiet as you, Link?” Revali’s tone was filled with incredulity. “I’m surprised the nine of you haven’t gone mad from all the silence.”

“How are you here Revali?” Wild asks instead and the archer simply looks at him. “I’ve been here countless times, why show up now?”

“I’m confused myself really,” says Revali with a shrug. “I can’t ever appear here when i want to. I simply materialize when someone trains here, and the harder someone trains or the more feats they pull off with a bow, the more solid i become.”

“Like just now, when Wild shot down those targets with different bows and arrows,” says Sky and Revali raises an eyebrow.

“Wild? Ah yes, I suppose you all can’t call each other Link. How confusing that would be. But yes, like what Wild did.”

Revali sighs before looking at Wild again. “I suppose i should thank you for that feat you pulled, it has been a long time since i felt the wind against my face and the song of the sky whistling in my ears.”

Revali’s gaze snags on Tulin once more before he turns to face the chasm. “It’s time for me to take my leave, Link. Tell the princess I said hi and-“

Revali glances back at them, his gaze landing on Tulin, a soft fond expression replacing the arrogance. “Tell the fledging he will make a fine Warrior.”

Revali’s form begins to fade and Wild waves a goodbye as the Rito Champion disappears.

The next morning, Tulin wakes up to find Twilight, Wild and Sky packing to go. The fire in the cooking pot no longer crackling and the bows from last night put away. “Link,” Tulin looks up to Wild with pleading eyes. “Can i go check the ledge?”

Wild nods and motions for him to go, Tulin scrambling to his feet to the ledge. The fledgling beams when he sess the empty plate before picking it up and rushing back to Wild.

On their journey back, Wild offers to carry Tulin on his back and the young Rito happily accepts before clambering over Wild’s back.

“Hey Link,” Tulin whispers into Wild’s ear despite Twilight and Sky able to hear his words anyway. “I had a dream last night about the Champion Revali.”

“Really?” Wild whispers back and sees Sky smiling from their conversation. “What was it about?”

“He, Revali said this,” Tulin takes a deep breath and tries to mimic the Champion’s deeper voice. “You’ll make a fine warrior, Tulin, i appoint you my successor.”

Wild laughs from Tulin’s voice before humming to himself. “He’s right. You’ll make a fine warrior Tulin.”

“Right,” Twilight cuts in. “And you can have Link make you Revali’s special when you do.”

“Really?!”

Wild glares at Twilight but says nothing, Sky being the next to chirp, ”Really, Link will make all the pies you want when you be that warrior.”

Wild sighs before nodding along. “But you have to be a warrior first alright?”

“Right!” Tulin’s grin didn’t waver the entire way back to Rito Village and somehow, the three wielders of courage found themselves smiling whenever they glanced at the fledgling with them.

[sage-nebula]

do you have any thoughts or headcanon on BOTW Link's past? I know his father is a night but I wish the game would tell us about his life growing up and how they knew he was the chosen hero. ( This is my first zelda game so I don't know how they generaly explain things like this)

Hey! So, apologies for the fact that I’ve been sitting on this for a couple days, but I wanted to wait until I finished the Champions’ Ballad DLC just in case there was new information about Link in it.

In regards to your parenthetical: They don’t generally tell you very much about Link’s history in the games, no. The Legend of Zelda series is an action/adventure series, meaning that although most of the games have a story, the emphasis isn’t actually put on the story (and thus isn’t on the characters). Rather, the focus is always on the gameplay, to the point where the developers actually come up with the core concepts they want to explore via gameplay first, and then write a story to incorporate those concepts (rather than crafting gameplay mechanics to suit the story).  We can see this in Breath of the Wild, actually; they wanted to recreate the feel of the very first Legend of Zelda game, particularly with regards to exploration, and they wanted to create a game where the player could do just about anything they wanted, whenever they wanted. This was the very first concept which inspired them to make Breath of the Wild, and so they crafted a narrative which would suit that concept. Thus, the post-apocalyptic Hyrule that we know and now love was born.

So to that end, we have that as our first reason for why Link’s backstory was never focused on very much in previous games. The second reason is that Link is supposed to be a self-insert for the player. When Miyamoto Shigeru first created the character we know as Link, he named him Link because Link was supposed to be “a link between the player and the game”. The reason why Link is a silent protagonist is because the player is supposed to imprint their personality onto him. The reason why he is right-handed in recent games that don’t feature the (supposedly) 1:1 motion controls is because the majority of the world is right-handed. Although Link is always male, his appearance has become increasingly androgynous as time has gone on to make it easier for players to believe they are him. And though his default name is Link, in previous games you were always given the option to name him, with the idea being that you would input your own name into the name entry field. (The only reason why you aren’t given that option in Breath of the Wild is because of the voice acted lines.) The Legend of Zelda is a game series where you’re supposed to imagine yourself as the Hero, so just like we don’t learn anything about MC’s backstory or history in Mystic Messenger, much of what we learn about the various Heroes in The Legend of Zelda games is left open to the imagination, even when it comes to his personality. (This is really shown in Skyward Sword, where you do get dialogue choices, but those choices let you decide what his personality is like.)

So with all of that being said, the information we got was always limited. In A Link to the Past, for example, we learn that Link was descended from a line of knights (again), and that he lives with his uncle, who is a knight. In Ocarina of Time, we learn that Link’s mother was a Hylian woman who, dying from injuries due to the war, fled into the Kokiri Forest with him and entrusted him to the Great Deku Tree when he was an infant. In Wind Waker, we know that Link lives with his grandmother and his little sister, Aryll, on Outset Island, and that he loves them very much. We also learn that he is not descended from the Hero of Time. And once again, that’s all we learn. In Skyward Sword, we learn that he is childhood best friends with Zelda and that Groose is jealous of him, and also that he’s an orphan. And again … that’s it.

With the information being as sparse as it is, the fact that we know so little about Link in Breath of the Wild is unsurprising. All the same, thanks to the dairies especially, I feel that we actually know a bit more about him than we do about previous Heroes.

Canonical information for the Hero of the Wild:

His name is definitively Link, with no room to call him anything different.

He comes from a family of knights.

He is omnivorous, with a huge appetite (and yes, the omnivore bit is hard canon as of Daruk’s training journal, not just implied by what you can eat in game should you so choose it).

He met Mipha when he was four years old, and she was an adolescent; she saw him as an adorable child at the time as a result.

He … bested adult knights in swordplay when he was a four-year-old toddler … I guess.

When he was a toddler, he was energetic, bright, and rambunctious, resulting in him acquiring quite a few bruises but not losing his cheer.

He enjoyed swordplay even as a toddler and was always eager to challenge older knights to duels.

Sometime shortly after they met, Link left Zora’s Domain (since he was only there for a visit with other, adult knights), and didn’t return until over ten years later, when he was ~17. (Note: We know this because Mipha met him when he was four, yet then didn’t see him again until it was time for the Champions to be sought out. Thus, despite the main story making it seem as if they spent their entire childhoods together, Mipha’s diary makes it pretty clear they didn’t.)

When Link returned to Zora’s Domain when he was seventeen (and especially when he saved her from a Lynel), Mipha developed a crush on him.

Link’s friends (Zelda and Daruk) tried to get him to eat strange things (frogs and rocks) with varying levels of success.

Link was assigned to be Zelda’s appointed knight as a result of both being the Hero and the most skilled knight out of the entire force.

Link and Zelda did not get along at first because Zelda thought he was silently judging her for not being able to awaken their power, and was also salty at the idea of having an appointed knight in the first place.

Link started concealing his feelings and keeping his thoughts to himself once he pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, because he felt the pressure of his role as the Hero and was afraid that revealing his feelings would let others down / disappoint / upset them. Thus, he thought it best to stay quiet.

Mipha asked Link why he was so quiet when he returned to Zora’s Domain as a young adult; he did not confide in her.

Zelda asked Link why he was so quiet when they were eating together one day; he did confide in her.

Revali resented Link for being the one chosen to fight Calamity Ganon, and for being so quiet all the time.

Daruk thought Link was super cool because Link wiped out a bunch of monsters by himself when they first met, and liked to eat a lot.

Link was very good with animals, and in particular he had a gift with horses.

Link sought out Urbosa when Zelda kept ditching him, and Urbosa gave him a tip on how to get into Gerudo Town (i.e. crossdressing). She also told him when Zelda was with her so that he could come seek them out.

The decorations Link can install in his house are places to hang weapons, and the picture of him and the other Champions + Zelda.

Honestly, this is a lot of information—far more than we have had about previous Heroes, even though there’s still so much left to the imagination. So with that said, I do have some headcanons, yeah:

I don’t buy, as you know, that Link, as a toddler, could defeat adult knights in swordplay. Rather, I prefer the explanation you provided that they let him think that he won, to boost his confidence, and bby!Link, not knowing any better, just told everyone that he beat them. However, by the time he got to be around ten or so, he was able to beat them, in part because he never stopped practicing due to the confidence boosts they gave him.

He really likes dogs, in addition to horses.

Both of his parents were knights, not just his father.

Both of them were very accomplished, and people often compared Link to his father. However, his mother was actually the one who took her duty more seriously, in the sense that she was always impressing on Link what an honor it was to be a knight, and what a burden such a duty was to carry, and how important it was to be worhty of the title, and so on and so forth. His father, while skilled, had more chill about it.

On top of impressing on him the weight of the duty of being a knight, his mother is the one who taught him survival skills, such as hunting and foraging for food in the wild, and how to throw something together in a pinch if you were out in the wilderness with no rations.

His father taught him actual recipes one would make in a home.

He forgot both of these things after waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection and had to learn all over again once awaking, RIP.

He always loved music and really wanted to learn how to play an instrument, but swordplay and knight training left him no time to learn. He grew a bit envious of the bard who would later become Kass’ teacher (who in turn was envious of him for being so close to Zelda).

When the Master Sword was discovered, all of the knights were given the task of trying to pull it free from the pedestal to see if they were worthy. Link was among the last (if not the very last) to try due to his young age. When he gripped the hilt, the blade gleamed with a faint blue glow; and when he gave it a tug, it slid free from the pedestal as if it had merely been cased in a sheath instead. The drawing of the Master Sword from the pedestal made it clear beyond doubt that he was the chosen Hero, and Link knew then that the burden he carried was far more than mere knighthood could grant him.

He always felt frustrated with Revali for being such a jerk to him all the time, not because Revali was a jerk, but because he couldn’t figure out why Revali was being a jerk. 

He didn’t actually enjoy eating that rock that Daruk fed him. He just pretended he did so as not to hurt Daruk’s feelings. Think like how Hiccup forced himself to swallow that bit of raw fish in the first How to Train Your Dragon movie to make Toothless happy.

He put in work during his spare time to learn how to braid hair so that he could braid Zelda’s hair as a thank you for the times when she patched up his injuries, or else they just had downtime together.

He did develop feelings for her one hundred years in the past, but felt it wouldn’t be right for him to act on them since he was her appointed knight, and as such he never let them show.

One hundred years ago, he communicated often with the spirit of the Master Sword (Fi); she mostly spoke to him in dreams, but she would “speak” to him in waking times as well, in the form of a little ideas or words popping into his head that he knew, instinctively, were coming from his sword. One hundred years later this never happens, and though he can’t remember that it used to at first, he still feels a strong sense of loneliness that he can’t quite place all the same. (And when he gets the Master Sword back, he does remember, and wonders why she won’t speak to him, and wonders if it’s because he failed her one hundred years ago.)

He didn’t return Mipha’s feelings, but instead saw her as a childhood friend / sisterly figure (albeit it was a bit confusing to him whether he should think of her as an older sister, a sister around the same age as him, or a younger sister; his decision changed all over the place depending on the moment). He didn’t realize that she had feelings for him one hundred years in the past, and when he learns about this one hundred years later, he feels confused and awkward whenever it’s brought up. He really wishes Sidon and King Doraphan would stop bringing it up.

He can be quite snarky, particularly one hundred years later when he no longer has the memory to remember why he repressed himself so much one hundred years ago, and curses the goddesses (Din, Nayru, and Farore) a lot, in varying creative ways.

He hates snow, sand, and he especially hates the rain.

He’s not a fan of lava, either.

I could probably think of more if I had time, but yeah! That’s what I’ve got for now.