The Sound of the Accordion

by Daeli Winter

When Link meets Kass and Eryck for the first time, he hasn't slept in four days.

Link nocks the arrow and draws back the bowstring slowly, carefully aiming at his chosen target. The tight Sheikah Armor he's wearing masks the sounds of his movements. Three does are grazing upwind from him. The one he is aiming at twitches her right ear, but keeps grazing calmly with her sisters. They have no idea he's even there.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Relax. He knows the arrow will hit its mark. He has done this hundreds of times before, after all. He knows what he's...

Huh?

When...? When did he...

The sudden disorienting thought and the sharp headache that follows makes him close his eyes and hiss in pain. Unconsciously, he shifts his weight. A twig breaks under his foot, making a surprisingly loud 'snap' echo between the stone walls. The does' heads whips up from the ground, their eyes immediately searching for him, and when they see him crouching in the grass, they take off down the path like lightning before Link can get his bearings back.

Holding his aching head, Link swears softly as he watches his prey disappear from his view. He blinks hard, trying to will the headache to go away. Fortunately, this attack is a short one, the pain fading away almost as quickly as it had arrived.

So, apparently the armour only dampens his actual movements, and not the things he steps on. While this piece of information is good to know for the future, he still feels frustration welling up inside of him. He will never catch up with them on foot when they're spooked like that. He will just have to start the hunt over. Again. For the third time.

He takes in a deep breath, calming himself down, knowing that feeling frustrated won't help him one bit. Rising from his crouched position in the tall grass and slinging his bow on his back, he starts tracking the does. The rain has just stopped drizzling down, and when they fled the does left clear hoof prints in the muddy ground that are easy to follow, and he's not in a great hurry. He will catch up to them eventually. Hopefully, he'll get them this time.

The slow hunt gives him plenty time to think more deeply about his current predicament, something he hadn't really gotten the time for since... well, since the moment he woke up to sound of a woman's voice – this Zelda that he can't remember, but still feels likes he's known forever. These past few days, he's done nothing but solve puzzles in temples apparently only he can enter, fight monsters that seemed very keen on smashing his head in with their clubs, and travel to a destination given to him by a long-dead king.

In other words, he's been very busy.

But yesterday, he had finally arrived in Kakariko Village. He had talked to Impa – another woman he can't place in his memories, but still instinctively trusts – and she had given him further directions: to got to Hateno Village and show his Sheikah slate to the director of the lab that lies there. Hateno Village isn't terribly far away from Kakariko Village, so he imagines that this journey will be much easier. Or at least he hopes it will. At the very least he hopes that there are less monsters.

When he first went out hunting today, he'd been worried that he would have to keep an extra eye out for those... what did that man call them? Moblins? Boblins? Goblins? Something like that. Whatever they're called, they all seemed very keen on killing him, and no talking seemed to get through them. He should know, he'd tried.

Link frowns as he thinks back on his first kill. Or at least the first kill that he can remember. The monster was lurching about, waving its club at birds, grunting. Just acting stupid in general. He tried to sneak past it, but was still a little groggy from his long sleep, and managed to accidentally slip and stumble down the hill. The monster wasn't stupid enough to miss that.

He tried talking to it, to calm it down, saying he didn't want to hurt it. But it didn't listen to him, just kept growling and shrieking and bringing its club down on him, over and over again.

He remembers being hit in the shoulder and just snapping, grabbing hold of the club, ripping it out of the monster's hand and... the next thing he knew he was looking down at the monster's shattered skull before it disappeared in puff of black smoke.

He feels like he should have felt worse about killing it. Should have felt some kind of remorse for ending its miserable life, or at the very least felt nauseous at the sight of brain peeking out of the shattered skull. He hadn't, and that scares him a little.

After that, he didn't even try to talk to the monsters that attacked him, and left none of them alive. He didn't enjoy it, not one bit, but he did what he had to do to survive.

But luckily the monsters seems to keep clear of the area surrounding Kakariko Village as he's yet to run into any. Probably because the Great Fairy lives so close to the village. Link might have felt a little bit uncomfortably because the way she kept looking at him, but he's thankful that her presence has given him the peace and quiet he's been consciously yearning for these past few days.

Which brings him back to his predicament.

His mind and his body keeps getting mixed up. His mind remembers nothing from the time before he woke up in the Resurrection Chamber, but it's becoming abundantly clear that his body does.

Talking, fighting, hunting, riding – his body does it without his mind needing to even think twice about it, like he's done these things hundreds of times before. But whenever he tries to connect his mind to the actions - tries to remember why he could ride a horse the very first time he tried it, why he prefers one-handed weapons over two-handed weapons, why he feels such childish glee well up from deep inside him whenever he encounters a Korok- it just gives him a massive headache. Feeling so disconnected with his own mind is not something he's been enjoying.

He hasn't been sleeping, either. Four days since he woke up in that strange pod and not a wink, no matter how much he tried. At first he thought it was because he was trying to sleep outside and the threat of getting attacked by monsters was keeping him awake, but after spending the night in Kakariko's inn twisting and turning in the soft beds, he knows that can't be it. He just can't sleep.

The worst part isn't even the exhaustion he can feel building up in the back of his skull, or that his movements are getting increasingly sloppy as he keeps on being awake. No, the worst part is that he can't determine whether his inability to sleep is because he slept for so long and his body is just getting back to the rhythm of things, or if he always had that kind of sleeping problem. He can't remember. And the not-knowing whether this insomnia is a one time thing or if it's something he has to learn to live with it is slowly driving him insane.

He rubs his itching eyes as he keeps following the hoof prints. He's tired, damp, high-strung, and can already feel another headache coming on. Why is he even out here?

Oh, right. Koko. The little girl with the big smile and the sad eyes.

He promised Koko that he would get her some meat for her dish. Something about her talking about her mother had hit a cord within him, and before he knew it he was helping her cook. Missing memories, divine beasts and creeping exhaustion looms on the horizon, yet he still made the decision to help her without hesitating for a second.

Why?

In all honesty, because he had felt like it. That's all. She just looked so happy when he gave her the ingredients she needed, and he'd liked that.

He wonders if helping sad little girls is something he used to do a hundred years ago, or if this is a new trait in his personality that didn't exist before he took his long nap. What did it mean to be a hero a hundred years ago? How much of the Link from then had emerged from the pod? Is he even Link anymore? Who was he then... and who is he now?

The path in front of him suddenly widens, making him look up and the view in front of him brings him out of this disturbing trail of thought. He pulls down the face-mask and takes in a deep breath of the refreshing air, before fully taking in the view in front of him. This place is... beautiful.

It's a peaceful meadow that stretches out in front of him, the wet grass swaying gently in the calm breeze. It climbs up a hill and seems to end by a large tree that looks out over the area. To the right of him he can see a looming rock wall, along with a pool of shallow water and some rock formations. He looks to the left and sees a small, thriving forest. His ears twitches as he hears the trickling of water coming from beyond the trees. Birds are twittering.

It's peaceful. Serene. And there are no monsters to be seen. Link smiles to himself.

This is a perfect place for deer and thus a perfect place for hunting. How he knows this is once again a mystery, but he doesn't linger on that thought for long when he sees smoke rising up from the small woods. He feels a spark of curiosity, and makes his way towards the source of the smoke. Smoke either means monsters or a person, and this meadow is still very close to the village. It's probably a person. He really hopes it's a person.

His hopes are fulfilled when it turns out to be a blonde male Hylian sitting by a fireside. His head whips around and he swings a sword in Link's direction when he steps up to the fire – because of course Link forgot that he's wearing the Sheikah Armour like an idiot, and thank the Goddess the man isn't carrying a bow – but visibly relax once he sees his face. "Oh, a Hylian. Thank the Goddess for that," he says in relief as he put down his sword and leans against a tree. "I almost thought that the Bokoblins and Lizalfos had climbed all the way up to here."

Bokoblins! That's what they were called! ...Kind of a stupid name for monsters. Link has no idea what Lizalfos are, but he has a feeling that he's going to find out sooner or later.

"Sorry if I scared you," Link says sheepishly. "I saw the smoke and I kinda forgot that I had this armor on and -"

The man waves away Link's apology, grinning happily. "Don't sweat it. Always nice to see a friendly face when you're traveling." He reaches out a hand. "I'm Eryck."

Link grabs hold of it and they shake hands. "I'm Link."

"Glad to met you, Link," Eryck says jovially, letting go of Link's hand and gesturing to the fire. Link takes that as a sign that it's okay for him to take a seat and meets no argument when he does. "So what brings you out here on the fields?" Eryck asks.

Memories. Divine Beasts. Fate. "Meat," Link says. "I'm getting some meat for a girl in Kakariko Village."

Eryck's smile turns slightly teasing. "A girl, huh?"

Link rolls his eyes in good humor, because of course he would take it that way. "A little girl," he clarifies. "Her name is Koko. She's trying out different recipes to cook for her sister. One of them requires meat, but she forgot to get it. I figured I could get the meat for her."

Eryck quirks an eyebrows at Link's words and says, "Well, that's awfully good of you, Link. You a Sheikah?"

Link shakes his head. "No. Just a traveler."

"So... you're a traveler who helps out little girls. Ain't that something." He throws another log onto the fire with a wry smile on his lips. Link can't really tell if he's being made fun of or not.

"Well," Eryck suddenly throws out his hand in a grand gesture, "This here is the Rabia Plains. If you need meat, there's no better place to get it. Plenty of deer and goats around, and the monsters keep clear from here. I figure you'll be back to your girl in no time."

Link smiles and opens his mouth to say – something. Whatever he was about to say gets blown away by the massive headache that comes out of nowhere and slams into him full force. This one's worse than the one before, and it's not until several minutes pass that the headache finally starts to dissipate. Link takes a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes. The sunlight doesn't stab at his eyes, which he's grateful for. That means that the pain won't do a second pass around and he should be fine until the next one.

That's when Link notices that there's a hand on his shoulder, and for a heart-stopping second he almost reaches for his dagger before he remembers that he isn't being attacked by a monster. No, it's just Eryck. Eryck, who's just seen Link practically black out for several minutes. Link can already feel his ears turning red.

"Hey, are you all right?" Eryck asks, concerned. His face is very close and when Link looks up at him, his eyes gets wide and he winces. "Whoa. You look like haven't slept in days. How are you still standing up?"

Link tries to smile reassuringly, but judging by the look on Eryck's face, it probably comes out as a grimace instead. "I've had some bad nights. Nothing serious."

"I don't think you should be hunting in this condition," Eryck says and points back to a sleeping mat that's lying beside the fire. "You could have a rest here if you want. I'll stand guard."

Wow, he has to look really bad. Link glances longingly at the spot Eryck has offered. Sleep sounds wonderful...

And yet he knows deep inside that he won't find any rest here, no matter how nice Eryck seems to be. He shakes his head and says, "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine. I'll get some rest at the inn when I'm done here."

Eryck looks at him closely, but apparently Link is good enough of a liar to trick a stranger at least, because after a moment he gives Link another one of his friendly grins, removes his hand and moves back to his spot. "If you say so, buddy. The offer's still there if you change your mind, though."

Link nods, grateful for the understanding. He feels a little bad for rejecting the offer, but it is what it is. And it's not like he's totally lying. He'll be fine... eventually. Probably. He has to be able to sleep sometime.

Unless he gets killed by a monster before that, and isn't that just a lovely thought?

Link's ears perks up as he suddenly hears a peculiar sound among the crackle of the fire and the porling of water. Is that...? It sounds like...

"Music?" he whispers.

Eryck puts another log onto the fire, unmoved by the sound. "Oh, that's Kass. He's a minstrel. He travels all around Hyrule, playing that accordion of his." He points up the hill, where a faint shape can be seen standing on a big rock formation near the big tree. "That place up there's a favorite spot of his. Says that the view is inspiring."

Link looks up at the figure again. The sound is faint, but the music he can hear is beautiful. Upbeat and solemn at the same time, he feels like he could listen to it forever.

When he looks back to Eryck, the man says, "Why don't you go have a chat with him? He always enjoy it when people compliment his music, and from the look in your eyes, I reckn he's got a new fan already."

Link blinks tiredly, not sure if he heard that right. "You mean... just go up and talk to him?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that a little... rude?" Link asks. "I mean, he probably doesn't want to be disturbed..."

Eryck chuckles. "Nah, Kass is one of the friendliest guys there is. Go on. Say hello. You're both travelers so you'd probably have run into him sooner or later. And it's always good to have friends on the road." Link is still unsure, which must show, because Eryck goes on to say, "He really has been everywhere, you know. He might know how to help with your sleeping problem. I know music have always helped me sleep."

Link frowns slightly, still feeling a little unsure, but he really had nothing to lose, so why not? "Okay, I will," he says while getting up on his feet. For a moment his head spin and he feels nauseous, but he swallows it down, forcing whatever tried crawling up his throat down to his stomach again. How long has it been since he last ate? He can't remember. Everything's so fuzzy...

Eryck is probably right about the hunting. On this condition, Link is more likely to shot himself in the foot than he is of bringing down a deer. He'll just have to do it later. Hopefully, Koko will understand.

He blinks hard and despite feeling slightly nauseous, he forces a smile on his lips. "Thank you, Eryck. I appreciate all your help."

"Good luck, Link."

And with one last wave of farewell, Link leaves his new friend behind and starts climbing the hill.

As Link keeps climbing up the hill, he starts seeing the musician – Kass – more clearly. He seems to be wrapped in some sort of bright green-blue cloth that Link hasn't seen before. A part of him wonders why the minstrel is wearing such brightly coloured clothes out here in the wilderness. Those colours don't blend in with the environment at all. And that headdress he's wearing is so big and pointy that it must be impossible to hide in the grass while wearing it. And he seems to be really tall as well. He's pretty much asking for monsters to notice him.

And yet Eryck had said that this Kass has been traveling all over Hyrule. He must have a secret for traveling unseen. Or maybe he's a warrior as well as a minstrel. Link can't really imagine how you would travel through Hyrule without being able to fight.

When he finally reaches the top of the hill, his legs are tired and he's panting. He really shouldn't be. Maybe his body is finally winding down. Maybe he'll even be able to sleep soon. Or maybe his body is just entering a new stage of sleeplessness that will make him feel even more miserable than he already does. Shaking off the disturbing thought, he looks up at the minstrel, noticing that he's been playing with his back to Link this entire time and hasn't seemed to notice that he's no longer alone.

"Excuse me?" Link says, half not wanting to interrupt the beautiful melody. The man stops playing, making a sound of surprise, before turning around to face Link.

What Link sees then causes him take a step back in shock and his mind to go completely blank. Because this? This is a sight that he had not expected to see. Ever.

A black beak. Big, golden eyes. Fingers covered in feathers, clutching a strange instrument – an accordion, something whispers far back in his numb mind. Eryck called it an accordion. Razor-sharp claws clicking against hard rock.

A bird.

Kass is a giant bird.

Once again, the world has itself turned upside down in Links head.

Because it was so easy to hear, wasn't it? That there are four other races than Hylians living in Hyrule. Of course they wouldn't look the same And yet, for some reason, he had imagined them to look... at least somewhat like Hylians. Now there's a blank space in his mind that he doesn't know how to fill, because Kass doesn't look like a Hylian at all, and if he doesn't, none of the others probably will, and what could they possibly look like?

All of this is making his head throb.

Not knowing that his very existence has rocked Link's world, the giant bird – Kass, his name is Kass - looks down at him curiously. "Oh! Hello. I didn't see you there."

"What are you?" The question comes out of his mouth before he can stop it, and Link feels his ears turn red with embarrassment. Because that's such a rude thing to say and why isn't his brain working right now?

What are you? That's certainly one way to make a first impression: an extremely bad one. All right, so his world has tilted a little. That's not Kass' fault. Get a grip, Link. Sleeplessness is no excuse for being rude to someone he's never met before.

He honestly expects the musician to get upset with him for the comment, yet Kass seems far more confused than insulted. "Huh? Can it be - ? Is this the first time you have ever seen a Rito?"

Rito...

Impa had mentioned that word. One of the four races in Hyrule. One of his fellow Champions had been a Rito. What was his name again? Riveli...? No... Revali...?

Suddenly he's assaulted with the brief flash of an image. Dark-blue feathers... A cocky grin on a yellow beak... Green eyes sparkling with derision...

As quickly as the image comes to him, it's gone, leaving behind another throbbing headache. He hisses in pain and clutches his head, waiting for the pain to stop.

Though intense, the pain passes quickly and Link takes a deep, calming breath as his head stops feeling like it's being ripped apart. He really should be used by the pain by now. He hesitantly looks up at the Rito, who's looking down at him with wide, concerned eyes.

"Are you... all right?" he asks tentatively, like he's expecting Link to break into pieces.

Great. First he unintentionally insults him, and then he just has to get a flash-back. He must think that Link's insane or something.

At this point he might as well just tell it like it is. It's not like the truth can make this situation any more awkward than it already is.

"I... I lost my memories recently, and some times I get these... memory flashes. I guess you reminded me of someone I used to know," he explains and gives the Rito a small, apologetic smile. "My apologies if I offended you before. Since I lost my memories, I have only met Hylians until just know." He bows his head in apology, hoping that the explanation will be enough.

He's doesn't mention the Koroks. Admitting that you're seeing strange plant-people that no one else can see is not a good way to convince people that you're not crazy.

A moment of silence passes before an amused chuckle is heard from the Rito. "I see. That would explain your reaction quite well. I remember the first time I saw a Hylian as a hatchling. The experience was... quite jarring, to say the least."

Link breathes out in relief. Thank the Goddess that Kass really seems to be as friendly as Eryck had described him. As Link straightens up, Kass asks, "You seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, my friend. Has it passed?"

"Yes it has, thank you." He would give the Rito his hand to shake, but the Rito is high up on one of the rocks, and Link doesn't feel like risking another headache by climbing up to him, so he simply gives him a nod and wave. "I'm Link, by the way. I'm a traveler."

Kass gives him a nod in return. "Greetings, Link. My name is Kass, the traveling minstrel."

"I know." Link gestures back towards the forest. "A man named Eryck told me who you are. He also told me that you wouldn't mind if I came and talked to you." He suddenly feels a small wave of embarrassment and scratches his head sheepishly, because while Eryck had said that and sounded so sure of himself, maybe he was wrong. "You... don't mind, do? It's just, your music is very beautiful and soothing."

Kass straightens up, his eyes glinting with pride, and Link can see his feathers ruffling. Huh. So it seems Ritos preen just like any other bird.

"Not at all, my friend. It is always gratifying to meet someone who appreciates my music." His eyes suddenly falls on the Sheikah slate hanging on Link's belt and his eyes widens in surprise before narrowing in thought. "Excuse me, Link, but, that there, on your hip... I could swear that I have seen that design before..."

Link covers the device protectively. It's been with him since he woke up, and is probably the best tool for regaining his memories and complete his quest, or at least that's what Impa told him. No one except the King and the Sheikahs had recognized the slate. How come Kass know about it?

He scrutinizes the Rito. Kass' body language is giving away nothing other than pure curiosity. For a short moment Link considers lying to the Rito, just to be on the safe side, but for some reason his instincts are telling him that Kass is 'safe'. And since he has no memories, his instincts are pretty much all he has at this point.

"It was with me when I woke up," he says as he removes it from his belt and shows it to Kass. "It's called a Sheikah Slate. I don't exactly know how it works, but it's been very useful so far."

With a graceful jump and a flap of his wings, Kass lands in front of Link. He leans closer and scrutinizes the device with a curious hum. Link keeps his guard up, just in case he can't trust his instincts as well as he thinks. He isn't stupid, after all.

But Kass makes no movement to reach for the device. Instead he just studies it closely as it lays in Link's hand. "What can it do?" he finally asks.

"Well... It has a map over Hyrule in it," Link says. He figures that it won't harm to tell him that. "And I can put markers on where I've been and where I'm going."

Kass hums under his breath, his eyes seemingly taking in every detail of the Sheikah Slate before leaning back up and shifting his eyes to Link. "I see... A most useful device for a traveler to possess. I think I've seen these symbols on some old music sheets. I believe they were Sheikan in nature, so that would make sense." He bows his head. "Forgive my curiosity. I thank you kindly for showing this device to me. To trust a stranger with something so important while having memory loss..."

Link shrugs. "It's nothing. I think I have a good instinct for people, and you don't seem like a bad person."

Kass chuckles and with a nod, a jump and another flap of his wings he's back at his spot, and without further ado he continues to play the same melody he did before.

Link feels the sound wash over him once again. The melody really is beautiful. Soothing and relaxing. He can feel his eyes drop slightly and stumbles. Kass immediately stops playing.

"Are you alright?"

"Just haven't slept in a while..." Link mutters tiredly. The wave of sleepiness had come over him so suddenly and strongly, and he's having trouble fighting it off. It feels different from the ones before, and his head is so foggy that he can't really think of why that is.

And that's when it hits him. There's no pain. There's just this feeling of sluggishness and warmth and absolutely no pain at all. It makes him not want to fight it. It makes him wants to sink down right where he stands and just...

"How many days has it been since you slept, my friend?" Kass asks gently.

"I think... three days, maybe?" Link mutters.

"Three days?!"

"Or... maybe four? I don't really remember..."

Kass is looking down on him, shocked. His eyes look like they're gonna pop out of his head. It looks kind of funny, and Link has to bite his cheek to avoid the exhausted giggle he can feel crawling up his throat.

Kass just stares at him for a minute before he starts playing again. Much to Link's surprise, it's a different song this time. Slower, less upbeat, but still very beautiful.

"What song is this?"

"It's an old Rito lullaby. My father used to play me this song when I was but a hatchling."

Link smiles to himself. "It's very nice. I like this one, too." Link feels another wave of exhaustion wash over him. This time he does nothing to stop it, and sinks down to sit at the base of the rock with a sigh. "Would you mind... if I just sat here and listened for a little while?" he mutters tiredly.

Kass smiles down at him, his eyes gentle and understanding. "Listen for as long as you wish, my friend."

"Thank you," Link murmurs before leaning back and taking a deep breath, the scent of flowers and damp grass wafting up to his nose. The music sways around him, enveloping him in a cocoon of warm calmness. His muscles finally relax after having forced themselves to move for so long, and he knows that he won't be getting up from this spot anytime soon..

But that's alright.

Koko. The Divine Beasts. The Champions. Hyrule Castle. Zelda. Everything feels foggy and unimportant. And it feels so good to let go. Even if he knows that it can only be for now. Because he knows that as soon as he wakes up, everything will be waiting for him. But for now, it can wait.

So when his eyelids finally lose the battle and close over his tired eyes, his only reaction to it is a content sigh and a sluggish attempt at making himself more comfortable against the rock. He's safe here. He can rest here. When he wakes up, he will tackle whatever the world throws at him. He will. Really.

Just for a little while. Just... for a little while...

And with that last thought and with the soothing sound of the accordion in his ears, Link finally falls asleep.