The heat was nearly unbearable. While the current location was an active volcano, the special, magical tunic given to him by the Gorons should have reduced the strain with its woven-in spells and special fabric.

Complaining wouldn't help him in any way though. The Gorons were in danger due to the monster that was said to be lurking in here, and he most certainly wouldn't allow it to eat the whole population. That would have been more than unfortunate, partially because he would need to find this region's sage. But mainly because they would suffer. Yes, mainly because of this. He was already discussing battle tactics with Navi, predicting who his enemy could be, when he started unlocking the final door. He prepared his sword, shield, and the hammer he found in here.

He was, however, not prepared for what he found. In the now opened cave, a lake of magma surrounded a small island in the middle. The whole cave was lit in a warm, yet somehow eerie glow. He slowly went in the direction of the island, taking in the sights around him. While the scenario might have struck a viewer as unsettling with missing safety preparations, it had an odd beauty to it. This beauty, however, was a danger in itself as he almost fell into one of multiple holes that opened on the floor of the island. He shook a little and cleared his mind. Then he drew his sword, put his shield on his arm and cried out to draw the monster's attention.

He didn't have to wait long.

The ground shook. He heard a roar. The room heated up even more, and sweat poured out even more than before from his pores. He instinctively jumped back as he felt that the center of the tremors lay in the hole he almost tumbled into. And what came out made his mouth open as he let out a choke that sounded strangled.

In front of him was a huge, eastern-looking dragon. Its long, scaled body was coloured in yellow on the belly and red on the sides, back, arms, and face. Its three-fingered hands were tipped with razor-sharp talons, looking like they could easily carve metal by lightly touching it. Its maw bore more of a resemblance to a beak, containing no teeth but being made of a boned structure like a bird. The horns on its head were pitch black and curved as the dragon shook its head in another menacing roar. Its head was enveloped in flames, ablaze so much that it looked more like a crown. The flames also continued crawling down along its spine.

The most striking feature, at least to the shaking man, however, was the eyes. They were clouded and not clear as usual and according to the muscle movement around these dead eyes, there was no sign of recognition, anger, or any other emotion. After eliminating the impossible, the remaining option was clear to anyone: Mind control.

The man tried to hide his face, but it was not possible. Tears that had started to fill his eyes now dripped down and stained his clothes before drying in the intense heat. He whispered but one word.

"Volvagia…"

It had been seven long years since he bought and freed the baby dragon. He was tiny, but stubborn, proud, annoying beyond belief, but also grateful. And when they got closer, they started playing a little. They would run around on the plains, sinking into the grass and counting clouds; they would take a bath in the river and splash each other; they did have fun. The days the spent together might have been few, but they were filled with laughter, warmness, and joy. They were precious.

And then the young man couldn't ignore his mission anymore and had to proceed in fulfilling it. He ordered the hatchling to wait for him just outside of the city. And then worse came to worst as the princess disappeared along with the ocarina, the vizier fled the city, and the boy was sealed in the cathedral for seven years, awaking as a man to an apocalyptic sight.

What had gone wrong?

Everything.

But how could he do anything to remind this overgrown lizard of his identity, of their adventures, of their friendship? It readied itself for a fight, and the man sighed in defeat. A fight it would get. If the man could just knock it unconscious, it maybe could be talked to. Restricted and bound, if necessary.

He panted heavily as he blocked a strike from the wickedly sharp claw with his sword, deflecting it and sending it off as he dove and swung his hammer onto the beast's tail. It screamed in pain as it fell unable to stay airborne while its opponent used the temporary weakness to bring his hammer down upon its forepaws. He was shaking violently.

"Remember me! I'm your friend, remember?"

There was no reaction in the monster's eyes.

After he was pleaded by the Gorons to take care of the reptile, he asked how he may kill it if there was no way to just chase it off. It had been a moment of weakness after all the killing, blood splatter and exhaustion. The Gorons merely shook their heads as they told him that the beast was way too ferocious to be calmed down. After the memory faded away, Link looked at his opponent who was still writhing in agony. Before forcing himself to chop its head off, he took out the Ocarina of Time – to give his final regards while mumbling "I don't know why I'm doing this, but… Sleep, Volvagia. I'll make it quick."

As he blew the instrument and filled the cave with an old melody, the creature before him stiffened and flashed its eyes open. It bore its teeth, but not for growling; instead, it started to hum along with its broken, but still beautiful, deep, rich voice, its eyes steadily looking clearer. After the final tune, a sob shook the form of the grounded life form as the man's pupils widened. The lying one directed its tear-filled gaze towards the menacing one, whispering one word.

"Link…"

And then, darkness enveloped its sight as its muscles relaxed. It had fallen unconscious.

Seven years ago, Volvagia was bought by a little brat dressed in a green tunic with a laughable green hat. Surprisingly, it wanted to free him, a mighty dragon! He might have only been a hatchling, imprisoned in a moment of surprise – otherwise, he would have reduced the much bigger, strong humans to a pile of ash, he would have told – but he still was a mighty beast, intelligent and graceful. And, of course, very dangerous as dragons grew up rather quickly in comparison to Hylians.

As the door to his cage was opened, the young one, stupid as the people was, poked in a finger to lure the mighty reptile out. How foolish! It almost lost the appendage as Volvagia clenched down his powerful jaw. He was shaken around by the hylian hatchling as a reaction and then left behind, the hylian screaming angrily. Volvagia, however, being the smart dragon he always was, followed the child. And his suspicions came to fruition when he suspected the stalked to be more intelligent than it was, catching fish in the river with a stick and thread. He acknowledged the other being's wits by immediately stealing its prey, making him the predated to the two-legged.

After some days, Volvagia witnessed the small creature being attacked by a skeleton. It looked like greenhood had troubled, so the dragon honoured it by spitting an enormous flame at the pile of bones. This seemed to surprise the pointed-ears who just stuttered "Y-You saved me?" Then it broke into a smile. You saved me! That means you somehow care about me, right? I'm Link!"

If Volvagia furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows, a behavior he adapted from the scaleless, as he tried to articulate the sounds. After some growling, he chirped "L-Link!" and felt content at his progress. He was just extremely smart.

"Hey, you said my name! Let's be friends!" Link exclaimed contently as he picked up Volvagia and danced around.

"Please, stay outside of the city until I'm back, okay? This shouldn't take too long."

Link bore his teeth which he called a "grin". Volvagia had to learn that this gesture was not meant to intimidate, but to show affection and reassurance. He didn't feel reassured, however, when Link went into the city. The boy – also something Volvagia had learned after telling the boy that there were no signs he could decipher as a dragon – got into trouble way too easily. He looked at the walls and deemed them as easily climbable. While he actually had to agree with Links reasons of forbidding the hatchling to enter the city (Capture, lances or scorching the citizens), it wasn't said that he could be spotted on the roofs. He proceeded to stalking the green-clothed figure.

After seeing a screaming female being carried away on a horse, a big, evil-looking male threatening Link and smashing his Ocarina – which Volvagia knew was precious to him – and being disrupted in his musing on how to take revenge for his hylian, he noticed Link running back into town, aiming for an enormous, white building with coloured glass panels. There was no avoiding it – he followed the small figure. The boy ignored the altar with the floating three gems and headed for an opening behind it, entering a small room that was entirely empty except for a sword that was stuck in the ground in the center of the floor. He headed over to it with determination while his fairy whispered something to him. Link nodded, his face hidden, while Volvagia waited in the doorway while trying not to be seen. The two-legged creature didn't realize his presence, however, as he took out another ocarina, this one being blue, and brought it to his lips. He then played a rather simple melody. It sounded nice, Volvagia thought.

After finishing the song, Link simply stepped forward and reached for the handle. Was he trying to pull out the sword? It may have looked beautiful… But it was almost as big as him! As the sound of metal against stone was – rather silently, how odd – filling the room, a pillar of light enveloped Link. Volvagia's mouth fell open. This looked bad! Volvagia didn't care anymore if he was seen by Link. Link was no longer visible and the light was blindingly bright. Volvagia jumped forward. He panted in fear. Then it was all over and where Link, his hylian, no, his friend was standing, was simply nothing. The floating blue ball that was the fairy was gone. The sword, once embedded in the stone, was gone. LINK WAS GONE.

Volvagia stumbled back. "Link…? Link? LINK?!" he screamed as he fell to the floor, crying at the loss of his friend.

Link looked behind him when he noticed something stirring. Volvagia stared at him, attempting to speak, but his voice was hoarse. He just pressed out a weak "L-Link…" as tears overflowed once more, evaporating on his searingly hot scales. Link relaxed at the sign of recognition, went over to his old friend and stroked his head affectionately. But he couldn't keep up his composure anymore as he hugged the blazing head and whispered:

"I'm sorry, it took longer than I had anticipated. But now your hylian is back."