Revali was in disbelief as he stared into the mirror at what he supposed was his reflection. Though he only knew that because he was looking at it with his own eyes. If he had seen himself through someone else's eyes, he wouldn't have been able to recognize himself. He didn't look at all like himself, no, he didn't even look like a Rito. Because he wasn't a Rito. Not anymore.

"I'm a Hylian?! What the hell did you two do?"

Robbie and Purah, Hyrule's best scientists (or so everyone said), circled around him, taking notes and observing every angle of his now Hylian body. He was trying to shy away from them as his now too large armor hung about him. He didn't like the extra attention they were suddenly giving him, especially not in this new body that was definitely not his.

"Yes! Don't get me wrong, it was a complete accident, but we've managed to break the rules of nature and have you switch species! Pretty cool, right?" Purah said excitedly, seeming incredibly ecstatic at the scientific breakthrough she had made.

"Maybe those rules weren't meant to be broken. I mean, look at me." Revali groaned, Purah snickering as she continued to write on whatever piece of paper she had managed to find off the floor. For a Royal Lab, it was very disorganized.

"Oh, I'm looking at you alright. For someone so grouchy as a Rito, you sure make a very handsome Hylian, wouldn't you say?" She teased, unfazed by Revali's death stare as he glanced down at himself. He supposed he was attractive by Hylian standards, but he didn't want to be a Hylian.

"Can't you change me back? You two seem to have plenty of notes now after analyzing me like another one of your experiments." He grumbled, Purah shrugging as she set down her paper.

"We couuuuuld, but where would be the fun in that? You can't really learn all you can in a lab, we have to go out into the field and see how you perform with your new body." She said, Revali groaning. If that was how she felt, then he couldn't do much but let her and Robbie observe him until they decided to change him back. He just hoped Mipha wouldn't see him like this. He would do anything to make sure she didn't see him like this.

"Fine, but do you at least have some clothes for me to wear? My armor is a bit revealing now." He said, Purah giggling as she tossed a stack of clothes towards him.

"We only have Sheikah clothing for you to wear, sorry about that. It should fit fine, but you may want to wear a sleeveless shirt, your arms might be a bit too muscular for sleeves."

Revali glanced down at his arms and had only just noticed the well-toned muscle that he had gained from his years of archery as a Rito had transferred to his Hylian body as well. Hopefully that meant he could use a bow as well. He had two Sheikah scientists in mind for target practice.

"You haven't told any of the other Champions about your little experiment, have you?" He said, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the now nervous scientists.

"We didn't tell all of them, just one." Robbie said, and Revali could feel his heart drop at those words. They would only tell one Champion, and that Champion was the last person he wanted to see him like this. Who knows how'd she react?

"Where is she? Is she here?" He demanded, Purah shaking her head.

"She's not here, but she's on her way. You may want to get ready, she could arrive at any moment." She said as she and Robbie left the lab to give him some privacy to change, though mainly to avoid hearing the string of curses Revali was muttering under his breath while he put on the new clothing they had given him.

The shirt was rather form fitting and had no sleeves, but it fit nonetheless. The pants were more loose, though they were tucked into the boots he was wearing as well. Revali assumed that this was what Sheikah soldiers wore when they were off duty, but it was a good thing he didn't plan on leaving central Hyrule while like this. Hylia knew he would freeze without any proper garments once he stepped into Tabantha.

His cheeks burned with shame at the thought of his people seeing him like this, their once mighty Rito Warrior reduced to this weak body that couldn't even leave the ground. He couldn't imagine living his entire life on the ground, it sounded so...boring.

His feathers-or he supposed hair, had fallen out of their braids, but had retained the blue and white colors that his feathers had been. He managed to find the jade bands that had once tied his braids together from the ground and began to swiftly braid them back. His Hylian hair was thicker than it was as a Rito, so unfortunately he only could get so much into the braids, leaving much of it in an unruly mess.

"Perhaps Mipha will like this...new me. I can only hope this isn't permanent." He thought to himself, hearing voices from up ahead, Purah's and...Mipha's.

He could recognize her soft spoken voice from anywhere, suddenly making him nervous all over again. What if she actually thought he was hideous and never wanted to see him again? Or that he wasn't as good looking as her former love, Link? He couldn't bear to think of it, not that he had much time to think at all before Mipha stepped into the room.

Since the war had ended a year ago, Mipha had taken to wearing her blue scarf that the Princess had gifted each of them when they had been inaugurated as Champions as a shawl. Her jewelry was still as elaborate as always, though a blue feather lay within her headpiece, symbolizing her love for her betrothed. The one who stood before at that very moment.

"Revali? Is that you?" She asked, bewildered at the sight of the towering Rito being reduced to a Hylian. She could hardly speak, she was shocked at his appearance.

"Please, if you're going to say that I'm ugly, just tell me." Revali silently pleaded, to be put out of his misery would be a blessing at this point, though he opened his eyes to see Mipha's face having turned a bright shade of red as she ogled at him. She used her hand to cover her face in an attempt to hide her expression, though Revali felt relief at the fact she didn't find him hideous.

"It's me. I'm sorry you got dragged into this, two people who are very lucky they're alive right now are why I look like...this." He said, gesturing at himself as Mipha attempted to regain her composure.

"It's quite alright Revali, you look...very handsome." She said nervously, Revali smirking as he stepped closer, his boots replacing the usual clack of his talons.

"Shall we go then, Princess?" He asked, holding a hand out to Mipha, who tentatively took it. He wasn't a Rito anymore but his hands were still larger than hers. It was a comfort as she was still so very confused about the entire situation.

"You aren't needed here?" She asked, Revali shaking his head and glared up at Purah, who did her best not to make eye contact.

"No, Robbie and Purah want to see how this new body of mine holds up before they decide to change me back. Though, we should see if I'm still able to shoot correctly. Purah, where's my bow?" He asked, though Robbie seemed to be in a hurry to get the two of them out of the lab (probably to avoid being target practice) so he handed Revali his bow and shooed them out of the lab before any of them could say a word.

The day outside was calm, the sky a clear blue with white clouds drifting across the sky. It was hard to believe that a war had happened such a short time ago.

The struggle to reclaim Hyrule from Calamity Ganon, or the "Age of Calamity", as the royal historians began to refer to it as, had taken a lot out of the kingdom. There were still some places that one couldn't even traverse because of how war torn it was, but that wasn't even the worst that could have happened. The little Guardian that Zelda and Link had found towards the beginning of the war had foretold a much more dire end to it, with Calamity Ganon succeeding in taking over Hyrule and decimating much of the kingdom as well as killing all four Champions.

That had what shaken everyone most. There was never any outright confirmation, but the warriors from the future who assisted them had always grown silent whenever any of the Champions had asked about their legacy in the future. Mipha had been the first to put it together, and after Revali had learned the truth much after, he and Mipha had spent the night holding each other. Revali could still remember that night clearly in his mind.

How she felt so small in his arms. How her sobs had wracked her body. The way her hand had rubbed over his wing as a way to assure him she was there for him too. It was the night they had first realized they were in love with one another.

Revali had sworn he'd protect Mipha with his life if necessary, but he wanted to stay alive with her. He loved her, he didn't want to lose her just as much as she didn't want to lose him. And that was what had happened, they won the war, they rebuilt Hyrule, and had started a romance of their own. A Zora and a Rito. How bizarre.

Not that a Zora and a Hylian was much better, but Revali decided not to dwell on it. He had more important things to worry about, mainly the Zora standing beside him that has said barely a word.

"Are you alright?"

The question seemed to bring Mipha back to the present as she nodded. She was fidgeting with the ends of her shawl, signifying her nervousness, something Revali hadn't seen since before they had confessed their feelings towards one another.

"I didn't want to drag you into this. I had no idea they were going to do this to me, they are supposed to be friends of the Princess after all." He continued, Mipha nodding again as she dropped the shawl.

"I would have wanted to know if something like this were to happen to you. I can't fix it but...I at least want to be here to support you through it." She said finally, smiling warmly at Revali, who could feel his cheeks warm at the sight of it. Though now he could feel the telltale burning on the tips of his ears too and prayed Mipha wouldn't notice.

"Here, let's see if this pitiful Hylian body can actually shoot or if these muscles had somehow manifested from thin air." He said, readying his bow in his hands. His fingers were a lot smaller, but the familiar feel of the polished wood and thick string between his fingers was a welcome relief. Revali pulled a simple wooden arrow from his quiver that was slung over his shoulder and strung it against the string. He steadily pulled back, aiming at a nearby tree, and took aim.

Mipha blinked, and in the split second she did, Revali let the arrow loose and it hit the tree dead on with a satisfying thunk. The relief that rushed through him was immense as he walked over and carefully removed the arrow from the tree, glancing back at a starstruck Mipha. 

"Are you going to heal the tree?" He asked with a teasing smirk. Mipha gasped in realization as she rushed to the wounded tree, her hand glowing a soft blue light as she hovered over where the arrow had punctured through the bark. It hadn't gone deep, but Mipha always liked to make sure the trees Revali occasionally used as target practice were healed before they moved on. It had seemed an unusual practice for the Rito at first since he had been using trees as target practice for years, but he figured it must have hurt them when he did, so he didn't question Mipha's urge to heal them. In fact, it was quite endearing.

"It seems your archery skills are still quite strong within you, even as a Hylian." Mipha said with a smile, Revali sighing with relief as he placed his bow on his back.

"Good, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to shoot as far, but it seems my years of honing my skills haven't gone to waste. Though, I suppose this isn't all Purah would want me to do to 'test' being Hylian." He remarked, a distant "No!" answering his first question but bringing many more. Mipha giggled as she gestured to the nearby lake.

"Well, Hylians are more adept at swimming than Rito, perhaps we could test out your swimming skills?" She suggested, the idea filling Revali with dread, but he supposed Mipha's idea had merit. Purah seemed to love to make him suffer.

"Fine, but you'll help me, right?" He whispered, Mipha nodding as she tugged him to the water. It felt strange how easily her hand seemed to fit within his own, as though they were meant to be like this, as though he was meant to be like this. That made him dread going through all of Purah's "tests" even more, but he had no choice. Not if he wanted his body back.

He was about to step into the shallow water before realizing that Hylians couldn't swim very well in their clothes, and he already couldn't swim well to begin with. But what to do, he couldn't strip down naked out in the open like this, Purah would never let him hear the end of it. Revalithen recalled how Zelda scolded Link whenever he dove in the water in only his underwear when they were on missions, so he gritted his teeth as he took a page out of the Hylian's book and took off all his clothes except for the form fitting black compression gear Purah had the decency to lend him.

He glanced over at Mipha to see she was covering her eyes with her hands, her face almost as red as the scales covering the rest of her body. Revali smirked as he placed his clothes down and gently pulled her hands away.

"You know, this was your idea, and I can't swim without the help of my teacher, right?" He teased, Mipha realizing he was flirting with her. He always knew how to get her all flustered, and while she had seen him shirtless before, she hadn't been able to see every muscle as they were covered by his feathers. Now, she could see all of it and didn't realize how strong he actually could look, stronger than Link even. He was incredibly attractive, a thought Mipha had been trying to push down. He didn't enjoy being like this, so why would she?

"Just please get in the water, Revali." She muttered, Revali trying to stifle a laugh at Mipha's pouty face as he slipped into the water. It was cold, something Revali was experienced with, but no longer protected from as he was now wearing next to nothing. He flailed his arms and legs around as he realized his Hylian body was not enough to stay above the water. He let loose a string of curses in between sputtering water as he accidentally swallowed it.

Mipha jumped in after him to steady him as he tried to stay afloat. She felt him relax as she held him up, her legs kicking with enough force to keep them both up. Revali envied how easily the Zora could swim in water, even water as deep as this. A small part of him wished Purah would have transformed into a Zora instead, they had it all: Could swim, could fight, were quite attractive, have lips that he could just kiss...

"Wait a minute. Kiss? I've never thought about that, how would I even-"

Revali was suddenly very aware that he had lips, not a beak. Of course he knew that, but now was the first time it was really sinking in. So he could-

"Revali!"

He was brought back to reality as Mipha strained to keep him afloat.

"I know you're having trouble with swimming but you can't be a dead weight or you'll bring us both underwater!" Mipha said, Revali beginning to kick his legs in an attempt to ease the burden on her. He was beginning to feel more confident about swimming now, mainly because he was in his love's literal lifesaving embrace. But now his eyes couldn't stay away from her lips for very long. How convenient he was beginning to think of this now that he actually had the physical capabilities to kiss her. And they were in a relationship, a romantic one, so it wouldn't be out of the question to kiss her. So why was he so nervous?

"Get it together, now's not the time." He scolded himself, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand, though the thought never left the back of his mind.

Not when they had left the lake and he had lain down in the sun in an attempt to dry off in the sun before putting back on his clothes, Mipha beside him on the rocky shore. Not when they had trudged back to the lab only for Purah to turn them away with a "You two lovebirds still have something to 'discuss." accompanied by a wink. Not even when they had found a conveniently located spot that was illuminated by blue nightshade and silent princesses as the sun began to set (though Revali suspected Purah had set this up).

He felt embarrassed for being so nervous about something that was completely normal to do with one's significant other. They had been together for some time now, surely now that the opportunity had presented itself they should take it, right? Or was he rushing into things? Though little did he know that his own internal monologue mirrored Mipha's own, as she could feel her own embarrassment and shame from that day well up inside her.

The place they had found themselves was incredibly beautiful, almost suspiciously so. The moonlight was just enough to see by but not too harsh, there were beautiful flowers everywhere, and the ground was relatively flat and the grass more manicured. Mipha wondered if Purah turning Revali Hylian was all a ploy for some romantic drama, or just a few laughs with Robbie at their expense. Or had she noticed the awkward "kisses" between the two and decided to lend them a hand in having a proper kiss? If anything, that made her even more embarrassed.

"Mipha? Are you okay?"

She glanced to see a concerned look upon Revali's face, causing her to wave her hands in a panic to ease his concern.

"I'm fine, do not worry. This place is beautiful, I wonder how come we've never come across it before?"

The reason for that was that Robbie and Purah had set it up earlier that day as a way to keep Revali and Mipha in one place so they could effectively spy on them. Things had been boring in the lab recently and they wanted some entertainment, knowing Revali would be too embarrassed to rat them out to Zelda, or at least they hoped. If she found out, they would be in a world of trouble, and their funds would most certainly be taken away.

Revali had a hunch Robbie and Purah had something to do with this, but left it alone. It was the perfect place to broach the question that had been on his mind for some time.

"This feels oddly familiar. Moonlight, wonderful scenery, a beautiful Zora." He said with a smirk, Mipha giggling at the compliment. Leave it to Revali to somehow manage to sneak in some flirting even while a Hylian. What she didn't expect was a hand extended towards her, Revali's expression having softened into a warm smile.

"Will you dance with me?"

Well, he had said certainly become more confident since the last time he had asked for a dance. A wonderful possibility for more dances to come as Mipha took ahold of his hand with her own and placed her other hand on his shoulder. It had been a while since she had danced, but they didn't need to be so formal right now, not when there was no one else around.

"Robbie! Get over here!" Purah hissed as she peered through a pair of binoculars, her lab partner taking his place beside her not a moment too soon. From the distance, Mipha and Revali had begun to slow dance around the clearing they had prepared just hours before, without a care in the world or the knowledge they were being watched. Purah thanked Hylia that Revali didn't retain his vision as a Rito or they would've been caught easily.

"Are you sure we should be spying on something like this? We've already messed up enough, if we get caught we're dead meat." Robbie said nervously, not that it stopped him from staying put.

"Oh relax, those two lovebirds have had it coming for too long, we've both seen their awkward displays of affection, I just felt sorry for them." She said, already sensing the grin emerging onto Robbie's face.

"My my, I never would've thought the great Doctor Purah would have a heart as big as this. It seems us turning a Rito into a Hylian wasn't the only miracle to happen today." He teased, his smile never wavering even when Purah shot him a dirty look.

"Oh hush, and just watch."

Mipha leaned into Revali, his warm embrace feeling just as comforting as before. It almost felt as if nothing had changed, and while barely anything had, there was still a question on her mind. So she looked up into his eyes, those warm, inviting eyes of his that still served to make her heart flutter.

"Revali?"

The way she said it made his expression drop into one of concern as he waited intently for her to continue.

"I have a confession."

Oh no, here it comes. The moment where she begs him to stay a Hylian, where she says that while she loves him as a Rito, she'd much prefer him to be a Hylian. He only wished it had come sooner, not when he was so confident things were going so well, but the words never came. Not those words, anyway.

"I know that we've done this before, and I know that we are involved romantically so it should be okay for me to ask this, but..."

"Yes?"

Was she about to speak about what had been on his mind the entire day? Was she about to grant his deepest wish?

"May I kiss you?"

Revali was speechless. She had never asked so directly before, she had just leaned in slowly enough so he'd have enough time to back away, but this was different. She wanted to kiss him on the lips, an option that he couldn't even entertain until today. But he wanted to, and now nothing was stopping them.

"Please."

Mipha was in shock but she didn't have much time to process before Revali leaned in, slowly so as to give her time to back out. She was nervous, she was panicking, but not even that could make her want to back away. Their lips connected, and it felt almost magical, the way it happened. How as soon as they made contact they were suddenly starved for the other's touch, Revali holding Mipha so close that she was lifted off the ground and her clinging onto his neck. It felt almost unreal, almost like a fairy tale.

"Yes! Oh, finally!" Purah shouted in glee, bouncing around the lab as Robbie watched in mild amusement and worry, though he didn't try to stop her. If his goggles weren't covering his eyes, he wouldn't have been able to mask the loving look he was making when seeing her excitement.

Finally, Purah settled down enough to where she sat back down beside Robbie, still eager all the same.

"Oh, I'm so happy for them! See, I told you it was worth it, look how happy they are!" She said, Robbie averting his eyes away from the couple as he tried to zoom out his goggles. He didn't want to see them so closely like this, but Purah had no sense of shame, not until she saw Robbie very adamantly face away from the window.

"Thank you for helping me with this, I know how...against this you were, so it means a lot to me." She said bashfully, Robbie sighing as he slumped back against the wall.

"It was nothing, just don't do this to anyone else, we don't need any more catastrophes." He said, Purah nodding as she glanced over at him to see a hint of red upon his cheeks.

"Are you blushing?"

"No!"

"You're lying!"

Robbie could barely make eye contact with her as he extended his hand towards her nervously, Purah now the one to blush as she laced her fingers with his and leaned against his shoulder. She figured Mipha and Revali could have their night now that she had seen what she had wanted to see, and definitely not because she was holding her lab partner's hand.

It was some time before Revali finally pulled away, despite how much it pained him. Now he could see why Hylians were always so anxious for this ritual, it was amazing.

"Perhaps we got a bit carried away." He mumbled, Mipha giggling as she kissed his cheek, a hint of lipstick now smudged upon his cheek. Mipha was almost frightened to see what his lips would look like when they went back to the lab.

"It was certainly...different." She said with a laugh, Revali smiling. He almost wished this didn't have to end, he wanted to be able to have this with Mipha, but it wasn't possible. Not unless he stayed like this. His expression saddened as he held Mipha's hand against his cheek, her expression changing into one of worry.

"Revali?"

"If I could stay like this, would you want me to be like this?"

The question shocked Mipha. Of course she had thought Revali's Hylian form was handsome and that kissing him was wonderful, but never would she want that over him being a Rito. He was proud of his culture, his heritage, his entire being, she would never take that away from him, ever.

"No, no, I would never want that. Why would you think I would?" She asked worriedly, Revali's eyes holding so much sorrow as he stared into hers.

"You were in love with a Hylian once, who's to say you wouldn't love the Hylian me more than the real me, when I can offer so much more to you like this than I ever could as a Rito?" He said sadly, as Mipha's heart began to sink. She brought this onto him, she made him feel insecure, all because of a past love she had in the past.

"Revali, I didn't fall in love with you in the hopes of one day you'd become a Hylian so I could trap you as one forever. I fell in love with you as a Rito, one who was headstrong, one who was charismatic, one who was so reckless he dove face first into danger. I fell in love with you. The real you, not whatever Purah and Robbie turned you into. I would never want you to be unhappy, especially with yourself." She said, Revali sighing as he ran his thumb over her cheek.

"I'd be willing to do anything for you to be happy, because I-I love you." He whispered, Mipha pulling him into a hug as she ran her hand over his back in an attempt to comfort him.

"I love you too. Tonight was wonderful, but I wouldn't trade your happiness for anything. I want you to be you again." She said, placing a soft kiss on his cheek as he held her close.

"I'm really going to miss this."

"It'll be okay. I'm here, Revali."

After a short while, the two separated. Mipha laced her fingers through Revali's as she gently led him back to the lab. He felt reassured that Mipha wanted him back, the real him, but when they stood before a very flustered Purah and Robbie back at the lab, when they had started the process to change him back, he pulled her into one last embrace, one last kiss. Her fingers ran through his hair as he held her close before she eventually had to pull away. She felt disappointed, but only for a moment as her familiar blue Rito returned, any trace of his Hylian appearance now gone.

"Miss me?" He asked, his beak curled into his trademark smirk as Mipha jumped into his arms.

"So, so much."