"But...how?" Mipha asked, looping her thumb back through her bracelet again. "I can hardly stand, let alone move about..."
Revali put a wing on his hip, looking off in the distance where the coastal village could be seen. It hadn't been too far.
"Listen, I very rarely do this, but it'd be cruel to force you to swim back to town," the rito said, sighing lightly before kneeling down on the sand and spreading out his wings. "You can ride on my back."
The zora princess looked at him with great hesitance. She'd never been on land before, much less in the air.
"W-what if I fall?" She squeaked, causing Revali to let out yet another sigh, this one slightly less annoyed than the last.
"You won't if you hold on tight," he replied, his voice ditching its know-it-all tone, at least momentarily.
Silence filled the air between them as Mipha gauged whether or not to come near. By now her new knees were buckling underneath her and fear made her entire body shiver.
Nevertheless, she managed to recall the oracle's words. War would be devastating.
She took a step forward and caught herself before she fell forward while Revali watched her with curiosity.
Eventually, he got up and kneeled directly before her.
"Sorry, I just can't watch you nearly collapse to the ground every five seconds," he stated bluntly, spreading his wings open again.
Mipha thanked him as she slowly edged her way onto his back, each move she made clumsier than the last as she placed her hands onto his shoulders and shut her eyes.
Revali had to admit, she was surprisingly light. Which was good, he normally hated taking passengers; they were uncomfortable burdens.
"Apologies...I've never flown before," the princess admitted, as if that wasn't already painstakingly obvious.
Revali simply let out a hum of amusement.
"Never would've guessed," he remarked. "You're rather lucky, you know. I'm one of the most exceptional flyers in the village."
"R-Really?"
"Of course," he boasted on, pride dripping off every word. "I've even recently invented an arial technique that allows me to soar high up into the sky. It's quite the masterpiece if I do say so myself."
"Figured you could be a test audience, but you're about to tear out my feathers, so..."
Mipha hadn't even realized how tightly her hands were clamping onto him, he could probably feel her shaking too.
"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry, I-I'm just..." embarrassment staining her face red, "I would be willing to see this technique of yours, it sounds...quite impressive."
Mipha couldn't see it, but Revali allowed himself a mischievous smile.
"Very well then," he replied as the air around them began spiraling into wind, causing Mipha to let out another petrified squeak.
Seconds later, Revali had propelled them into the air at an unimaginable speed, and Mipha's firm grip on his shoulders paid off.
She thankfully, wasn't flung into the sea.
"Oh, it feels so good, doesn't it!" the rito cheered, to no response from his stunned passenger. "Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky."
The unfamiliar breeze that brushed against her face was surprisingly exhilarating. After gathering up the courage to look down below, she was met with the sight of the sea she called home.
The waves that rose and fell dispersed into crystalline foam, and she swore she noticed the fins of dolphins peeking out of the water.
"Ah, there she is. We're coming up on the village, when we land, you're going to have to be extremely quiet; everyone's likely asleep," Revali said.
Sure enough, Mipha could see that up ahead, a tiny town sat on the shores just before the sea. Everything looked so small! The houses almost looked like little toys.
The rito finally began descending, choosing a spot just in front of one of the houses that the zora princess could only assume was his.
Once Mipha felt the small thud of the landing, she could feel Revali lowering himself for her to get off. Something she'd nearly completely forgotten she'd have to do.
Mustering up all the strength and poise she could, she managed to gently slide off his back and bring herself to stand up again.
"Well, this is it. My humble abode," Revali said, keeping his voice somewhat hushed. "It's not much, but it's home."
Mipha analyzed the little house. It was quaint and simple, the complete opposite of her lavish palace a few miles under the sea.
"It's lovely," she said, a small smile spreading across her face as she watched the rito walk up the small stone steps and open the door.
"Well?" He asked after a few moments of standing with the entrance agape. "Are you going to come in or do you prefer sleeping on cobblestone streets?"
The notion took the little princess by surprise.
"Y-you want me to come in?" she stammered, watching as Revali tried his hardest to suppress making a face.
"No, I just prefer to keep the door open, so all the warmth escapes the house," he replied bluntly, before sighing again, "Of course I'm asking you to come in."
"Besides, this will help you practice walking," he added after noticing the hesitation in her face.
Through his snarky words, the rito definitely had a point. She wouldn't be able to negotiate any sort of peace not being able to move.
Taking in a deep breath, the zora managed to place a foot forward, and to her surprise, she remained upright.
But this was just one measly step. She still had stairs to climb, and likely a house to navigate.
Revali watched as the zora continued to shakily walk towards him, and he could see a sense of assuredness beginning to build with each correct move she made.
Once she'd reached the bottom of the stone stairs, he offered a wing of support.
"Not bad," he remarked, as she gratefully accepted his help heading up the steps. "Considering you've had the bottom half of a fish all your life."
For once, Mipha couldn't help but giggle softly at his joke; it wasn't condescending at all, which took her by surprise.
"Wait here, I can barely see a thing..." Revali said, hurrying to go grab something as they entered the dark house.
He returned moments later with a candle holder in his wing, the little flame allowing Mipha to see where he lived. The house was simple; it carried all one needed to get by with nothing being excessively ostentatious.
"There's an extra room over there you could stay in, just try not to break anything," he said, pointing a wing over to a small door across the room.
The moment didn't feel real. A sworn enemy of her kingdom permitting her shelter in his own home wasn't exactly something she had pictured after receiving legs.
"What's the matter?" Revali asked, after the zora simply stood there saying nothing. "Listen, at some point you're going to have to learn to-"
"No, no, it's not that..." Mipha interrupted him. "I'm just surprised you're showing me such generosity."
The rito stayed silent for a moment, blinking a few times before thinking up a response.
"It's not that big a deal, I'd do the same for just about anyone," he answered, handing the candlestick over to her.
"Tomorrow, I've got some work to do in the morning so uhm...try to lay low until I get back; understood?"
Pursing her lips together, Mipha gave him a nod of confirmation.
"Good..." Revali said, waiting a couple moments before saying anything else. "Mipha...was it?"
"Yes, that's it. And thank you...Revali," she allowed herself to smile. Despite the dim light, she could make out the rito giving her a tiny one back.
"Like I said, it's no big deal. Goodnight," he replied, shaking his head and turning on his heel as he walked back to his own room.