Kass' Promise

Waking of Saturday, February 23, 2019

Kass’ Promise

I warped to Washa’s Bluff and just climbed up to Kass’s house, because I could now, with my enhanced Climber’s Gear and three full wheels of Stamina.

Kass was not there. But I read his journal. I thought I’d gotten all the shrines he mentioned....

He said he would return to his hometown once he’d learned all the ancient songs.... So I warped to Rito Village. But again, Kass was nowhere to be found. I did meet with Molli, and she told me one of her stories. And I saw Cree, Kotts, Notts, Kheel and Genli running around. They were going to sing on the landing by the shrine. They’re so cute.... But there was no sign of Kass.

So I sailed down to the stable.

Kass was there.

He asked and I allowed him to sing his song for me. Same as it ever was.

....I was missing something. And I thought I had a pretty good idea what it was....

I warped back to Kass’s house again, sailing in this time via Satori Mountain just for the thrill of it.

Combing through his diary again, I saw that I had gotten all of his shrines.... but not the treasure in Kitano Bay.

I had.... seen David get that one. On another occasion.

I guessed not all of Kass’s sidequests were shrines after all.

So I warped to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, visited with Purah.... and then paraglided down off the mountain, right down to the pillar in the sea where Kass stood playing his accordion.

I had Kass again sing the song of that region, and though the telltale shadow in the song did in fact point toward Eventide Island.... the solution was much closer than all that.

After the song, I sailed down to a spot along the more closely encompassing stones jutting from the surf, until I was in just the right position to spot something with my Sheikah Slate’s Magnesis.

It was a chest in the water, with 300 rupees inside. The Hero’s Cache.

I collected it.... and then blinked.

For all I knew.... I could have left this here for myself. o_o

I climbed back up the rockspire to report to Kass again and, the songquest now complete, I took my leave, on foot. Er, by swimming, then on foot.

I just jogged all the way back to Hateno. I don’t know, I just.... didn’t want to appear hasty.

I have a house in Hateno. But is it my home? Hmm.

Safely out of view, I warped to one of the shrines outside Totori Lake and Rito Village.

Baddies, yup.

I ran.

More baddies.

Land Octoroks, what a hassle....

Tabantha certainly was a very hairy environment.... But I made it to Rito Stable without taking a hit.

Kass was not around the stable any more.

He must be in the village, I thought.

It was early in the morning. I walked the bridges and entered the village and started up the spiral boardwalk.... and I saw Kass near the shrine! And I realized as I approached him that.... he was playing the Rito Village Dragonroost music on his accordion! 8D

Oh it sounded nice. ^_^

And Cree, Kotts, Notts, Kheel and Genli, the little singers, came running up in a happy little gaggle, Blue, Yellow, Red, Purple and Green (though they lined up Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow and Red, as they faced the master musician, as he saw them), AND THEY ALL STARTED SINGING TOGETHER WHILE KASS PLAYED, OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO CUTE.

I spoke to Kass then. I’d just been listening but now I wanted in.

“Oh! I’m just taking some time from my calling in order to enjoy some musical frivolity with my daughters,” he said, or some such words.

These are your daughters!

^_^

But, says he, he has a favor he wants to ask of me. Only he wants me to come back here after dark to talk about it.

I meandered around the village in the meantime. Amali was Kass’s wife. A pretty, green Rito. She was happy that I’d brought her husband back to her. How does she know it was me?

I looked at the children’s colors again, out on the landing. So their first child was blue, like Kass. But it wasn’t until their fifth that they got one looking like their Mom.

I did not really pass the time anywhere. I eventually just went back to the shrine landing, and listened to them sing and play for the rest of the day.

I love Rito Village.

When 9:00 struck, the girls all turned and ran excitedly back to their house.

Leaving me alone to speak with Kass.

When I approached him, he stilled his playing, and the night was quiet. Only crickets and nightbirds sounded in the chill pine air.

He said he had a song he needed me to hear. He said he wanted to tell me about his teacher. But that it would take a while.

I told him to go ahead.

He said his teacher was a Sheikah, and that he had been the court poet of the Hyrulean Royal Family before the Calamity. At that time, there was a beautiful princess in the royal family, and they were even around the same age, the teacher and the princess.

And even though he must have known it would be doomed to be unrequited, his teacher grew to be deeply, deeply in love with the princess.

But the princess only had eyes for her escort. The appointed knight who accompanied her. Her own knight attendant.

!

.... Did.... Did she now?

Kass’ teacher became quite jealous. He came to hate the princess’ knight. It stung him that the knight was neither nobility nor royalty....

But then the Calamity struck.

“...My teacher believed a hero would appear to beat back the Calamity. He poured that belief into a song. And that song is what I need you to hear,” said Kass.

And he raised his accordion again:

An ancient hero, a Calamity appears,

Now resurrected after 10,000 years.

Her appointed knight gives his life,

Shields her figure, and pays the price.

The princess’s love for her fallen knight awakens her power

And within the castle the Calamity is forced to cower.

But the knight survives!

In the Shrine of Resurrection he sleeps,

Until from his healing dream he leaps!

For fierce and deadly trials await.

To regain his strength. Fulfill his fate.

To become a hero once again!

To wrest the princess from evil’s den.

The hero, the princess—hand in hand—

Must bring the light back to this land.

The song ended and the night was quiet again. Kass spoke, “My teacher fled the Calamity and returned to his hometown of Kakariko Village. But on his way, he witnessed the knight sacrifice his life to protect the princess.”

I’d heard people talk about me before, talk about my past life before.... But this one hit so.... heavy.

What had happened to me?

“The elder of Kakariko Village, Impa, explained these circumstances to him, and his mind was made up. He would seek the songs of the hero who sealed the Calamity away in an age past... so they could be passed on to the knight once he returned. All so that the princess might be saved...”

Kass’ beautiful bird eyes were so low, somewhere far away. “Those were my teacher’s last words, passed on now through me,” he said.

Then he turned to face me.

“So... appointed knight. Will you accept this song from my departed teacher?”

I stood. “You know,” I said. And then.... “Yes.” My only option.

“Thank you so much!” Kass’ eyes cheered slightly in the dimness. “I knew you would. I was sure of it.”

Through a soft smile he reminisced further, “My teacher would often speak of the princess’s beauty. I would love to meet her and craft a song worthy of her...”

And with a final warm nod, he told me, “Thank you for spending this time with me.”

And the moment broke and slipped away like a cut ribbon.

....

“You knew.”

How did he know?

But somehow.... it didn’t surprise me. That it would be a musician. Someone who feels the pull of so many more strings through the world. Someone attuned to see the wondrous, unrevealed. And moreover he was well traveled. He’d seen me around....

And for whatever other poems came out lumpy or lopsided from the localization team.... this one was splendid. And I appreciated that.