Linktober 2023

Day 15, Favorite character

Kass was a father, a son, and a husband. Kass was a poet, a bard, and a musician. Kass was a student. And most importantly to him, he was an onlooker to the greatest story in history.

Tags: Gen, Link & NPCs, Light Angst, Link uses sign language

Kass was a father, a son, and a husband. Kass was a poet, a bard, and a musician. Kass was a student. And most importantly to him, he was an onlooker to the greatest story in history.

When he first met Link in the middle of nowhere, and played him a song, he suspected nothing of it. Not until an hour later a shrine exploded from the ground. He started to wonder who this kid was.

Then the boy showed up all over the place. Wherever Kass went, the boy was there too, and wherever the boy went, strange things seemed to happen. Shrines appeared from the ground, just as the ancient songs said.

The boy, Kass learned after meeting him for the third time, was named Link. That was when Kass truly began to wonder if this boy was special. Important, even. He'd heard his teacher speak of a boy named Link, an excellent swordsman and kind soul, no older than seventeen. Despite never seeing the boy fight, Kass went everywhere. He heard stories. Everyone seemed to be talking about the boy, when he passed through this town or that deserted settlement, or talked to one merchant or another. He heard outrageous stories of Link taking out entire monster camps in minutes, or huge monsters in just an hour. Everywhere Kass went, Link had already been.

And every story was a good one, in the end. Link came through and wanted to help. That's why he stormed monster camps and hunted Hinoxes for sport. He hears things through the grapevine and takes care of it simply because he can. It was the kindness Kass's teacher spoke so highly of.

Months into Link's journey with seemingly no end, Kass had an actual conversation with him, instead of simply exchanging songs. He said he was an explorer, and sold his wares he finds for a living. He said he has a home in Hateno that he baught when he first went there. He either doesn't know or doesn't have a last name, a family, friends, or anyone anywhere. He's in one place one day and can be across the kingdom the next. Some say he's a mystic, or a spirit, or a lunatic.

Link is none of those things, Kass realizes after that day.

No, Kass thinks. Link is just lost.

Link told him he was looking for someone, although he never said who. He did talk about some of the things he's heard, and the people he's met.

"You've been met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" Kass wondered aloud. Link looked up at him, some mix of horror and odd recognition in his eyes.

After that day, it didn't take Kass long to be sure of his theory.

Looking at the picture his teacher entrusted him for the first time in years, Kass was positive.

Link was the Hero of old, and he was searching for his Princess.

The details of the long and dreadful tale were fuzzy from when his teacher told him so long ago, and how exactly Link survived was a mystery, but Kass didn't care. The next time Link came to Rito Village, he would tell him about his teacher, and about what he knew.

It didn't take long for Link to appear in tattered snowquil gear he bought when he first arrived to tame the Divine Beast Vah Medoh. He was red in the face and his shoulders still had a frost on them. Where had he been?

That evening, Kass told him all his teacher had said before he died. Link seemed very surprised Kass figured out his identity, yet asked many questions. Kass could hear in his voice, the desperation for any tether of that time in his life, any ounce of those memories he must've lost in the century of stasis, locked on the Great Plateau.

As an attempt to soothe the ache, Kass took out the picture his teacher entrusted him, crumpled and creased and faded from years and years of sunlight and handling. He gave it to Link, the one person that should have such a picture, a souvenir of him and his friends he lost so long ago. When Link looked up to thank him, he had tears in his eyes. He had to thank him in sign, since his voice seemed to be lost to him at the moment.

It was five years of peace after that. Kass met the Princess when Link saved her, after the sky turned red across the kingdom when Link awakened the beast.

Nobody knew exactly what went on between the century old Princess and her knight. Some thought they only were close because they were all the other had. Some said they were engaged. Others said they got married. Kass never truly cared, so long as they were happy.

They were joined at the hip, however. Wherever Zelda went, Link went with her. He followed behind her while walking around, but yet shared the same table, and the same home. Kass saw it once, when they were staying at the same stable, that they only paid for one bed. Something was happening between them, and Kass couldn't have been happier for them.

And then the Upheaval struck.

Rito Village was doused in a blizzard like none of them had ever seen. They couldn't get their food supply in.

But who else would show up, but Link.

They said he'd gone missing. Him and the Princess both. Yet he showed up in – almost – perfect health. But his mind was something else to be spoken for.

He was reckless, spastic, scattered. He was without his Princess. And all Kass could do was watch as the Hero was thrust into yet another life-threatening quest to save the world and get his princess back. He didn't even know where she was this time.

Yet he went through and did all that was asked of him. He investigated the blizzard with Tulin. When that was complete and Tulin was named a Sage, he helped with their food supply; he rebuilt their bridge with the help of his friends from another town and Akkala, and he made sure everyone was happy before moving on.

This time around, Kass saw less of Link. He wished he could be of more help to the hero, scatter brained and single minded. But this time, everyone was in the dark. There weren't people like himself, and the Elder Impa, and the Zora that could help Link on his way or give him a bit of closure. Everyone was clueless as to where his girl was, or what was happening to the kingdom, or how to stop the Upheaval.

So Kass could only watch as Link devoted himself to finding her once again.  

GOD DAMN I miss Kass so much. Where is he?????