Shades of Blue

Going Home

When I return, you will see

I've always heard your call

With pain too much to breathe through

Never close enough to touch you

But now, it's time to face facts, or at least theory

To see you, either way, is worth anything, clearly

Zora's Domain glowed in celebration, bright and blinding, as if even the luminous stone it was carved from rejoiced in the people's freedom. All around, in every hovel and on every street, there was the high sound of relief and joy. The curving walkways and open pavilions were flooded with people, all the Zora's scouts and guards called back with uncanny speed, and more than a few lost peoples having found their way back with them. Even the river far below the Domain was full, as people caught fish, swam, and played together, now that the waters had calmed enough for them to do so.

Link watched the crowds move from his perch atop the inn, hidden behind its fine decorative structure. From here, he could see Tumbo and Keye running circles around their mother, who had found her way back with a shocking number of fish to show for her impromptu expedition through the Hylia River. Their father was all but clinging to his wife, smiling so wide it almost looked threatening. It was a heartwarming sight.

They had gotten back to the Domain several hours ago, now, with Sidon letting him walk the last stretch, but not letting him get much distance between them. There was such concern in his eyes (and Link was so tired and numb) that he didn't bother to tell him off. He let him hover and usher him through the Domain's rapidly forming crowds, marching all the way up to the throne room.

A brief and noxiously joyful conversation with the King followed, which Link largely tuned out. Showers of thanks were thrown his way (along with an incredibly stilted, awkward apology from the rude Zora from earlier, Muzu) and he hardly heard any of it, he was so lost in the numb cold which Revali's absence left behind.

Mipha's return softened that, at least a little bit, but she was quickly swept away by her people, who rejoiced so much at her freedom that they hardly seemed to care she was a spirit. Nearly ten minutes were spent in the throne room in silence as the King held his daughter in his far too large hands, apparently unable to come up with any words at all. Sidon joined them in their embrace eventually, and that was when Link took his leave, feeling as if he did not belong.

And so he sat now, on the finely carved roof of the inn, watching the people celebrate and trying to avoid drowning in his self-imposed despair.

This was his fault, after all. He'd been pushing Revali away for quite some time now. Who was he to judge when he did the same in return? There was no reason for Revali to stick around anyway...

He sighed, resting his head on his curled-up knees, staring at the wall instead of down into the Domain. There just wasn't a point to thinking about these things. Not when he had no way of solving it now, as distant as he was from Revali, physically and...metaphysically?

The shut out wasn't surprising, but he thought that Revali might have given it up quickly. Not that he hadn't earned the silence with his own behavior...

"...up there," an unfamiliar voice said from somewhere below.

He tucked his head into his arms, not caring over much who exactly had found him. There were only a few candidates anyway. None of them were such terrible company, even now when he was...at a low.

Hands appeared around the decorative edge of the roof, and barely a moment later those hands were joined by a familiar face and a concerned expression.