It was a few hours after noon when he had arrived. Though travel across the lands were easiest and the fastest for members of his race more so than any other, they were not immune to the effects of long distance travel. His body ached and his feathers were hot to the touch. A result of flying in the direct eye of the sun.
The sun. The sun today had glowed so radiantly, it was as if the goddess, Hylia, herself was descending from the heavens.
This was surely a good omen, he thought.
Looking at his surroundings, the weary traveller couldn't help but release hearty, joyful laugh. He amazed himself. Travel had become nearly extinct after the events of the Great Calamity. No one dared to leave the safety of villages and towns. Only few were brave enough, the calls of adventure and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered, luring them from their homes.
His colleagues called him foolish, but having arrived at his destination, he believes that they are truly the foolish ones. Kakariko Village was a Sheikah village. The traveller, had only read and seen drawings of the place within ancient texts, seeing the place with his own eyes was extraordinary. The houses, the atmosphere, the culture. It was all so different than Rito Village, the place of his birth.
This was why he wished to leave! How can one grow, learn and understand the world in which they live in without travelling? The elder, Kaneli, was wise to be sure. But the elder didn't know everything, the elder couldn't teach him about the things that he wanted to know.
He wanted to learn about music. More precisely, he wanted to learn how to play instruments. He wanted to be like those travelling hylians, moving their hands, twistings their fingers, blowing on stick-like objects.
The rito couldn't teach him. And the hylians, they couldn't spare the time. They did however, direct him to someone who could.
"You want to learn how to play ehhh?" The man holding a wooden instrument spoke. It was hollow inside, and several strings were attached, from the top to the bottom. A guitar. "Well, I'm sorry to let ya down. But we can't teach ya that kid."
"But why?" The young rito replied. Their performance amazed him. "If it's travel that you are concerned about, I could go with you! You can teach me how to play those instruments and maybe one day I could be part of your group!"
"Kid," A different man responded. He played an instrument which made a loud defining noise. It was called a trumpet. "Do you know how dangerous it is to travel around Hyrule? We wouldn't have left our homes if it weren't for that idiot Lalph over there convincing us that we'd make bank. The music, the travel and the rupees are great, but we can't risk our safety by take'n in a child."
"But… But…" The rito protested. Could they truly not teach him? Who else would if not them?
A movement surprise the rito and he took a step back. Surprised to find, the hylian named Lalph kneeling in front of him, his instrument strapped on to his back. A hollow cylindrical object, with water buffalo skin stretched over it, drums they were called. "You really want to learn do you?" His voice was calm, and knowledgeable. His red eyes were kind as they looked down on him. A small nod from the rito gave Lalph the signal to continue. "Far away from here, in a village called Kakariko, lives a man who knows all there is to know about music. Seek him out, and request for him to teach you the language of lyrics, the sound of music. Although it has been a long time, that man use to be the Royal Poet Laureate for the Royal Family of Hyrule. Today he is the only one with the knowledge that you seek. Surely learning from someone as esteemed as him would be better than learning from a group of rowdy travellers, no?"
It's been many years since he has last seen those travellers, but he has never forgotten their parting words. The drum player, Lalph, had never told him explicit instructions on the location of the old court poet, only that he resides in Kakariko, but the rito was untroubled. Though the village was big, it was also quite homey. He knew that everyone within the village knew each other, much like back home in Rito Village. Someone had to know the man which he seeks.
And so he began to stroll through the village. Admiring the unique architecture as well as the hustle of the marketplace as people began to shuffle in and out with errands to run and groceries to buy. Passing by a large house situated on an elevated part of town surrounded by a moat, the traveller found himself standing in front of a statue of the goddess Hylia. The statue was hard to miss, unlike the one back home, this one was stood near the all the shops with it's own little pond. It was impossible to miss. He stood there for some time, admiring the statue before hearing a quiet, "Excuse me sir." behind him.
As he turned, he was met with a little girl of around 8 years of age. Her white hair reached around her chin and her brown eyes were curious as they looked towards him.
"Oh! My apologies miss. Have you come to pay your respects as well? Forgive me for talking up all the space." The rito replied moving to make room for the little girl.
A quiet "Thank you sir," came from the little girl before before she moved to stand next to him. She was shy, the stranger could tell, but she was also curious for she often glanced at his direction before quickly refocusing her attention elsewhere. Wishing to ease her shyness and sate her curiosity, he attempted to lull her into conversation.
"Quite a beautiful village you have here isn't it?" He commented aloud. The girl's head snapped up, big eyes locked upon him, wary yet keen. "My name is Kass. I am a traveller from Rito Village located between Hebra and Tabantha. This is my first time here. Well, actually this is my first time anywhere but my home." He smiled. "And even though I'm only a fledgling in terms of travel experience, I am still amazed at all Hyrule has offered me so far."
The girl still did not speak, but she was visibly less shy around him. He pressed on. "I'm actually here on a little mission. I'm looking for a man said to know all that there is on the topic of music. He was the royal court poet in days long past, and I've been told that I can find him here."
Recognition lit up the girls face. "Mr. Alto! You are looking for Mr. Alto!" Her shyness was discarded as she excitedly began telling him about the said poet. The stranger she deemed was someone she could trust. He was friendly and kind. And he was looking for Mr. Alto, someone she knew.
"He lives in a big house right down that road. With a cherry blossom tree and wilted flowers on his front porch." He quoted the girl's directions out loud. "I see. Thank you, uhm, miss…"
"Paya! You can call me Paya!" She replied happily. A big toothy smile gracing her face.
"Well Miss Paya, I must thank you for helping me find him! I hope to be staying in this village for sometime. Because of that we are sure to meet again and next time I shall tell you stories about my village if you'd like."
Paya lived in the large, elevated house near the goddess statue. Kass was surprised to find out that her grandmother happened to be the village's elder. As he left to find Mr. Alto, he made a note to visit there sometime and introduce himself.
Paya's directions did not fail him, her description however, did. One of the things Kass noticed about Kakariko, was how lively it was. The marketplace bustled, the children were out and about, and even the guards near the elder's house weren't content to simply stand. They too were moving, practicing their combat skills as they guarded. This liveliness, had extended to their surroundings as well. The village was filled with greenery. Apples trees and colorful flowers around every corner.
In contrast, this man's house and its surroundings were… dead. The flowers that grew throughout Kakariko had to have obviously been tended to with great care. If not, the entire village would have the appearance and atmosphere of this man's house. The cherry blossom tree was spared. Thankfully, trees didn't require the attention that flowers needed. Kass stood speechless. The music. The music those hylians produced brought so much joy and energy wherever they went, he knew. Ever since then, more and more of his fellow rito would perch high upon the mountains and sing. How could the home of a musician, an esteem one as they said he'd be, be so lifeless?
As he approached the door, he failed to ignore the splinters scattered throughout the face and the cobwebs hanging from the sides.
Goodness! Did the man ever leave the house?
The rito approached the door cautiously and knocked on the door with one of his wings.
…
He was greeted with nothing but silence. He knocked again, this time with more conviction.
Nothing.
Perhaps no one actually lived here like he assumed. Perhaps the travellers were lying. Perhaps the man had already died. If he were still alive, he would surely be at least a century. He had heard that the rito, too, are capable of living to such an age, but more commonly they live to be around 80. The oldest rito Kass has ever met was 90 years of age before passing.
Dejected, he was about to leave, before freezing in his tracks at a sound of a man's voice coming from within the old house.
"Paya! Tell your grandmother that I do not need any assistance. Both my mental and physical health are fine! Now leave me be!"
"It's not, erm…" Kass coughed. The man did not sound too happy, and the words had gotten stuck within his throat. "It's not uh…" -cough,- "It is not Miss. Paya sir."
The silence that came after felt like an eternity. Kass had nearly thought the man was going to ignore him, before hearing some shuffling on the other side of the door. Slowly, the door opened. Creaking as it went, and Kass was soon met with a man who was nearly was old as the house he inhabited.
Mr. Alto (he presumed), was perhaps one of the oldest humans he had ever met. Though his knowledge on the Hylian and Sheikah races were small, he had assumed that they shared many characteristics, including lifespan. This, he learnt today, was false. The man standing before him was easily over a hundred years of age. His pointed ears drooped from the sides and his face was lined with wrinkles. His ungroomed facial hair, which was riddled with tangles, stretched nearly the length of his body.
Shocked, Kass stood there speechless.
"State your business, I don't have all day to stand here! Gah! Why is the sun so damn bright today?" The old sheikah then proceeded to release his anger by smacking his cane at the ground. Angry at him or the sun? Kass did not know. This did however, shake him from his stupor.
"Ahh! Ahem!" Kass coughed. "Hello there! My name is Kass, a rito from Rito Village. Are you Mr. Alto, if I may ask?"
For a while there was only silence, as they both stared each other down. Then, slowly, the man answered. "Yes… I am. Once again, what business do you have with me?"
At last! Kass's heart jumped with this news! After all these years, his dream was finally coming within reach. "Sir! I have heard about your vast knowledge and skills in the musical arts. I've flown here to Kakariko, to ask you to allow me to become your student."
At these words Alto frowned. "Sorry bird, I'm not interested in teaching anybody. Go find someone else. They'll teach you better than I can." He harshly replied before turning around to head back into the house.
"NO! Wait!" Kass's spirits had instantly dropped. He was desperate, for his dream was soon slipping away nearly as soon as it was within reach. "But why? There's no one else that knows music as well as you! Weren't you the court poet for the Royal Family of Hyr-!"
The sudden stillness from the Sheikah stopped him from finishing his words. The atmosphere around Mr. Alto had changed. While he was irritated and grumpy before, now he was tense, the veins from his hand popped as he tightly gripped the cane. Kass could see various emotions the man was experiencing, even as his back was turned. Anger, fear, and... sadness?
"I was." He finally spoke. "I was the court poet. But those days are long gone! I will not be taking any students!" The sound of his cane thundered as it hit the ground. "And that is final."
Hello! I hope you enjoyed this read! I first started writing this way back in January 2018. The whole thing with Kass and his teacher is one of the most interesting things about the story of BOTW, and unfortunately we didn't really get that much info. Because of that, I started writing this story. I stopped due to college, and a year later, I've decided to come back to it now that I'm free for summer. I pretty much have the entire story planned out in my head, but writing it will probably take a while. I've never written a multi-chapter fic before, but I do hope to complete this story!
If you enjoyed this, I'm glad! I love reading, but writing I'm not too sure about. Regardless, any favs, follows and reviews will be welcomed!
As I continue this story, I do hope I write all the characters correctly. The court poet (Alto) is pretty much my idea of him since we don't have any information other than the fact that he was in love with Zelda. The story will mostly be revolved around him, Kass, and will feature flashback scenes/chapters. Basically, I'm trying to fill in the gaps of Kass's story and how he got to where he is and his role in helping Link in BOTW.