Life in Zora's Domain - Part Two

Chapter 20 - Astra meets Kass

Summary: Astra joins Zelda at Hyrule Castle to meet with Rito Elder Kass. Later, Zelda gives Astra something useful.

"Ah, Rohga! You return with good news, I hope!" said Yiga Clan leader Kohga, as he rubbed his hands together and welcomed his chief of staff Rohga back to their hideout. "The ambush went well, I assume?"

"I'm afraid not, Master Kohga," said Rohga as he shook his head. "Our ambush failed."

"What!? With six of our best warriors!? We didn't lose anyone, I hope."

"No, we didn't lose anyone," said Rohga. "But the ambush never happened. Purah and her companion didn't travel past Trilby Valley, where we set our trap, but journeyed from Akkala back to Hateno Village by sea."

"By sea!? What, are they, Zoras now?" exclaimed Kohga.

"The one posing as Purah's assistant is apparently skilled at sailing on the open sea," said Rohga. "That took me by surprise, and I regret I never considered that possibility."

"Those two are going to give me nightmares!" said Kohga. "What were they doing in Akkala, anyway?"

"Meeting with Jerrin, the widow of that meddler Robbie, and their son Grantè," said Rohga. "Jerrin took over the research lab when her husband died and maintains a device there capable of producing special armor and weapons. Jerrin is a talented scientist, having first studied as Purah's assistant."

"Purah again! I'm so sick of hearing that name!" exclaimed Kohga. "But you've only told me who they met with, not why. Why are the two of them traveling all over Hyrule? What is the purpose of their trips?"

"We do not know yet," said Rohga. "Purah was never a frequent traveler, so their journeys must be because of her companion. I believe the key is to learn more about who her companion is. But people are wary of strangers these days, and so far, we could learn nothing from those who may have met Purah's companion. For that matter, those who met her companion may know little themselves. This person seems to have sprung out of nowhere."

"So, in any case, they're back in Hateno Village now?"

"No, we lost track of them when they traveled by sea. By the time they were next spotted, it was by one of our spies in Kakariko Village. The two of them were on their way to Hyrule Castle and should be there by now."

"So, what do we do next? We don't seem to be making much progress."

"All we can do is watch and wait for another opportunity," said Rohga. "This person posing as Purah's assistant is much more resourceful than I expected."

Meanwhile, Zelda, Astra, and Purah were meeting at midday with Rito Elder Kass at Hyrule Castle, Kass having flown directly there that morning.

"I'm sure you must be tired of hearing it, Astra, but you bring back some memories for me from a quarter-century ago. You remind me so much of your father, Link," said Kass.

"I gather you knew my father well?"

"Reasonably well. At least we spoke many times," said Kass. "Back then, I was a young traveling minstrel wandering around Hyrule. I wanted to fulfill a promise to my late teacher that I would sing about the ancient legends at each location I visited. I shared a song with Link whenever we ran into each other, which was more often than I expected. Link was quite a skilled traveler using a Rito-made paraglider to reach many hard to reach places. Anyway, Link would listen to my song, and he was smarter than me at uncovering the meanings hidden in the lyrics. They helped him discover some secret shrines. I also shared some songs with him I wrote about the late Champions, and he was very grateful, happy to learn more about each of them, especially Zora Champion, Mipha."