Shades of Blue

Divine Beast Vah Medoh

A regal thing, with wings spread wide

This master of the winds and sky

Corrupted and diseased she flies

A long and low refrain she cries

Safe again they soon will be

Board the beast and set them free

When Link climbed his way into the Flight Range that morning, he found Teba in almost the exact same place he had been the day before. He sat on the landing with a bow, different from the day before, quite a bit bigger than the last he had been fiddling with. It was clear the day's rest had been useful. Even the Flight Range itself looked more put together than it had been. The arrows which had been scattered all around the floor were now in neat bundles on the chest of drawers, joining the fresh pile of bomb arrows carefully wrapped in brown paper.

Teba too, looked more prepared than he had the day before. He had more complete armor on, dark leather not too different from Link's own, just without the gloves and arm guards. His braids were freshly done, armor cleaned and clearly battle ready. And more importantly, he looked well rested now, a little less tightly wound—ready for a fight, certainly, but without the barely restrained anger that had hung around him yesterday.

Link made no effort to hide his entrance, and so Teba heard him as soon as he stomped the snow from his boots. He glanced backward briefly, slung his bow over his back and got to his feet, turning back with a firm set to his expression.

That set expression went slack, though, when he caught sight of Link. More specifically, when he caught sight of just what he was wearing.

For earlier in the morning, before most of the village was awake, and well before the realities of the day's battle could settle upon his thoughts, Link had made his way into the armor shop in Rito and all but begged Nekk to mend his old tunic and armor. It had earned him a very odd look from the man (and a few unnecessary revelations) but the end result was well worth it.

Gone were the tears, the frayed threads, the loose feathers which had begun to poke their way out of the top of his snowquill tunic. The collar was freshly mended with the same sturdy thread Nekk used on the armor he crafted for visitors. The old feathers had been kept, of course, but a good amount of new snowquill had been added as well, just to ensure the tunic was as warm as it could be. Nekk had redone the intricate embroidery along the edges as well and offered to do a more complete job if Link gave him the time (which he promised to consider, after freeing Medoh). With a thorough cleaning and a good dry in the sun, his tunic looked exactly as he knew it ought to.

Of course, it was unlikely this was what caught Teba's prolonged attention. Certainly, he had stared at his tunic first, but his eyes had quickly moved on to the headdress clipped to Link's ear, and they lingered there for far longer than he had stared at the tunic.

Nekk had (far more begrudgingly, and with a look which could only signal deep discomfort with the idea) helped Link with his braids that morning, and with ensuring that the three feathers miraculously preserved on the cuff were lying as they should against his hair. Even if they had been more hidden, however, it was unlikely anyone who caught a glimpse of them would be confused by their purpose. They stuck out, more so even than the Rito tunic or the old bow now strapped to his back—and had caught the eyes of quite a few other Rito as Link had walked here.

They were a clear statement, to those who knew where to look. A sign, if anyone had ever really needed another, that marked Link quite clearly as Revali's.

Teba cleared his throat a bit roughly and shook his head. "I...see you've found your armor."

Link smirked a little at his surprise but nodded. "Something wrong?"