Where the forest dragon splays its jaws,
A shrine sleeps with noble cause
It was the ancient song of Pagos Woods, taught to Kass long ago by his Sheikah mentor in the hopes that it would one day aid the Champion of Hyrule. Deep within the forests of Faron Kass lifted his bandoneon and prepared to sing to himself. Sure, he had detailed notes on this ancient tune as well as many others spread about the land. But his teacher would tell him that knowing the words to a song was not enough. A good bard must play and sing a piece with the passion it had when it was first written. It was always good practice to visit each spot and sing the way the songwriter intended. And maybe the fauna surrounding him would appreciate the show. One slight squeeze later and a series of chords were sent sprawling into the Faron air.
Kass loved his instrument. It was a special kind of concertina, not unlike the accordions the court poets would sway back and forth in the castle theater, and nearly identical to the one his master held while he fell in love with the Princess of Hyrule. Music, and his bandoneon, were Kass's way to connect with his native element. Most Rito saw air as the medium for flight. Legendary warriors like Revali harnessed its power to create massive gusts and used its tactical advantage in combat. Kass, on the other hand, cared more for delicate and precise flow rather than the powerful blasts employed by his species' fighters. The winds were the first musicians, his mentor taught him. They sang and whispered long before Kass was alive, before his Rito and Zora ancestors, before the Hylians, Gerudo, and even predated the Gorons as old as the rocks themselves. The winds were Goddess breath, and they were beautiful.
It was not uncommon for Kass to think this way, of civilizations and Goddesses past. Kass collected ancient songs; reminiscing was part of the job. Here he was in the ruins of the Zonai, a people whose pillars and artifacts persisted beyond their time, singing a song about their mysterious forest dragon and the shrine that lay at its head. Nearly all of his songs were cryptic, small puzzles that Kass was meant to relay to the fabled Hero of the Wild. He had pledged to his teacher to sing their knowledge for the champion, the champion that was currently emerging from the woods.
Where the forest dragon splays its jaws,
A shrine sleeps with noble cause
"You're Kass," said the champion.
That was interesting. The Hero knew who he was.
"And you are?"
"Link."
Link. That all but confirmed it. Kass had his suspicions when he saw the blue tunic and the sword, but the name was what made him certain that this was the Hylian Champion.
"I think I know where the shrine is," Link continued. "Would you like to join me?"
…
Kass had many burning questions, but he would be remiss to break the rhythm already present between him and Link. The champion had smartly deduced that the forest dragon was not a physical creature, but rather the shape formed by Dracozu Lake and the river flowing from it. Link demonstrated his reasoning using that slate on his hip, mumbling something about being grateful he stopped by the Lake Tower, and slashing away at the shrubbery with his sword—the master sword—Kass reminded himself.
He wanted to ask about life before the Calamity, what the champions and princess were like in person, and, of course, who his court poet teacher really was. If he was to honor and cement their legacies in song, he ought to get some semblance of who they really were beyond the hearsay and legends passed down. Kass knew that Revali was a brilliant archer, yes, and that Princess Mipha's hands could heal wounds with their touch, Daruk was loud, proud, and friendly as all Gorons were, and Lady Urbosa could summon lightning with the snap of a finger. He had gathered that much from the records each tribe held tight, and could probably write a decent tribute to each with that little information alone. But Kass didn't want a song that anybody could write.
More of the Zonai remnants appeared as Link and Kass pushed forward through the woods. They came across carved pillars with dragon heads and runic symbols engraved into the stone walls and floors. It was too bad Kass wasn't writing music about the Zonai, with how many artifacts they left behind for him to study and learn from. They ran into a couple bands of monsters along the way, simple bokoblins who thought the ruins would make a good campsite. Link dispatched with them gracefully, and Kass never felt in danger on their trek. Finally, as the sun began to set, they arrived.
Where the forest dragon splays its jaws,
A shrine sleeps with noble cause
There was no shrine at the head of the river, but rather a small pool of water, remarkably clean, and an elegant statue of the Goddess Hylia that must have been twice Kass's height.
"The Spring of Courage," Kass recognized aloud.
Link may or may not have heard him, for the boy's eyes were glassy and locked onto the Goddess before them. Delicately, he took a glowing yellow scale from his back and stepped with it into the water. Kass slammed his eyes shut at the brilliant light that erupted from the scale as soon as it touched the pool, and only dared peek out again when he heard grinding stone open a passage behind the spring. There was the shrine.
Link looked back at the Rito, eyes gently asking for permission.
"Go ahead. I'll be fine right here," Kass said, granting the unspoken request.
Thus the champion stepped forward and descended into the shrine, leaving Kass alone with his questions. Thankfully, those thoughts did not fester long, as Link returned by the time Kass had set up camp for the night. He supposed now was as good a time as ever to ask.
"You are the Hylian Champion, no?"
Link let out a deep breath. They both already knew the answer; this was just a formality. After a moment, he nodded.
"I'm a musician… a bard, a minstrel, whatever you'd like to call me," Kass stumbled with his words. "I was taught by a Sheikah court poet who spent time in Hyrule Castle, and I collect and preserve ancient songs. I hoped that you would be able to tell me a little bit about the champions and my master."
Link didn't answer immediately. Instead, he paced around the room containing the spring and only stopped to lay out his sleeping bag once he had inspected every corner of their little alcove in Faron. Next the boy started a fire, the silence of the chamber replaced with scraping flint. Eventually the flames sprung to life, and the spring was bathed in an orange glow to replace the rapidly dwindling sunlight. Link sat down next to Kass with a piece of deep blue cloth in his hands with shiny metal adornments decorating its arms and chest.
"Zora Armor," Link explained.
Finally, Link spoke, his voice freer than it had ever sounded but with a somber and nostalgic edge that evoked the empty feeling of loss. Kass just listened.
Mipha's healing felt like the breeze in Zora's Domain. She loved playing with children, including Link when visited as a youngster and her baby brother who had grown up to be Prince Sidon. Revali was cocky and unbearable at times, yes, but he held such a fierce and unyielding desire to protect his home and his loved ones that earned him great respect from Link. Daruk was fearless with everything but dogs—one time the princess fed a Castle Town stray a fireproof elixir and brought it to Death Mountain just to see the panicked look on the Goron's face. Link could not produce any words about Urbosa.
"Did you not meet Lady Urbosa at the ceremony for the champions?" Kass inquired.
"I'm sure it happened." Link shook his head as though he was talking about events that happened to someone else.
The boy clutched the left side of his torso and his eyes watered.
"You lost your memories when you fell." Kass put the mystery together.
Link looked back at the statue of Hylia.
"I don't remember your teacher… I'm sorry."
"It is quite alright," Kass soothed.
"I get bits and pieces back sometimes, always about the princess or other other champions. I don't know my birthday. I don't know where I grew up. I don't remember what my mother's face looked like."
Link let out another deep breath and then stared directly at Kass.
"You have the knowledge. You have helped me enough. You should go back to Rito Village."
Kass knew that Link was right. Sharp pangs of guilt and longing pressed on his heart. How long had it been this time? He hadn't set a foot in Tabantha since well before the towers rose.
"I will," he replied. "As long as you come visit once you have finished your quest."
Link and Kass left it at that.