Link couldn't have been more surprised when he entered Goron City. All the Gorons welcomed him and hugged him, still thankful to him for saving their lives in the Fire Temple. But Darunia knew Link had something important to talk about. He shooed the other Gorons away, and led Link to his chambers.

"Now, Link, tell me what the problem is."

"It's a fairly long story, Darunia-" Link was cut off.

"Oh, don't worry, Link! I can handle sitting through any story of any length. Now tell me-what has brought you here?"

"I'll start at the beginning. Just two nights ago, Zelda and I had prophetic nightmares. Zelda's was of a woman made of sapphires who was destroying the Graguns."

"The Graguns! Are you saying they're in danger?"

"I'm not finished yet. My dream was even worse. The same woman Zelda dreamed about was in mine-and that woman captured and destroyed all the Sages; and after freeing Ganon she married him and helped him to destroy Hyrule." Darunia sat down in his chair in shock.

"So you're saying we're all in danger?"

"Yes. But first, I have to find out who this woman is. The only people Zelda and I can think of are the Graguns, but I don't know how to get to their city."

"No problem, Brother. Come with me." He led Link up to the third floor, where the blacksmith's shop was. Medigoron was pleased with the company, but Darunia explained the situation. Medigoron crawled away from his resting spot-revealing a tunnel! "Take this tunnel, and you'll go straight into the bordering mountains. It should only take you a half-hour to reach their city, Draconiara-it basically circles Hyrule." Darunia handed Link a torch, but put a hand on Link's shoulder before he left. "By the way, I should warn you-the Graguns don't care for visitors very much, except if they have some relation to the Gorons. Do you still have the Goron Bracelet?" Link nodded. It was on his wrist, but the gauntlets that he wore covered it. "That'll be evidence enough that you know me. I only give those bracelets to men that I truly trust, and since I keep them with me, no one can steal them. So just show them the bracelet if you have any trouble with them." He patted Link's shoulder and smiled. "Good luck, Brother." Clasping Darunia's huge hand, Link went on in. The tunnel was roughly constructed, and Link often tripped on rocks. But he managed to find his way through, and he soon found the entrance. But as Darunia had expected, he was not welcomed as warmly by the Graguns as he had been by the Gorons. The instant Link came in through the entrance to Draconiara, he was grabbed by two enormous creatures. They lifted him up, held him against a wall and held their huge swords against his neck. The creatures looked like Dinolfos, only they had more meat on their bones and their tails dragged on the ground. They had features that looked very much human-arms, hands, and legs- but the rest of them was basically reptilian and covered with scales. In fact, they looked like dragons. These must be the Graguns, Link thought. Their chests and bellies were covered with reptilian breastplates, and they had armored skirts. They were also twelve feet tall, and Link didn't even have to look down to know that his feet couldn't touch the ground. Their eyes were a bright, burning yellow, with slits for pupils. One of them leaned forward a bit. "You're under arrest for trespassing," he said. This sounded more like raspy snarl, but he was able to distinguish what the Gragun said. Link took a deep breath.

"Under what grounds?" Link asked.

"We do not allow anyone from the outside into our city." The other said.

"You will be held prisoner until our leader has determined that you may be released." The first Gragun said. Link remained silent. He knew better than to try to pick a fight with these two. He wasn't even in a position to fight back. Plus, they didn't look like they trusted Link enough to let him show them the Goron Bracelet. He simply nodded in acknowledgement. The two Graguns lowered him to the ground, and promptly tied his hands behind his back. They then led him through the city. It was exquisite, even though buried underneath rock, and Link could see it was heavily populated. Little Graguns played in the streets, and adults conversed near their homes. Link felt a little edgy as they stared at him as he went past. The looks they had on their faces certainly weren't very comforting. Within minutes, he and his captors arrived at a prison. Surprisingly, it was empty-apparently no one tried to make trouble with the local authorities. His captors cut the ropes binding his hands, then they shoved him into a nearby cell. After locking him in, they simply glared at him and left. Link looked around. A small bed made of hay in the corner, with a barrel of water sitting in the opposite corner. "This is going to be fun," Link muttered. "I get thrown in jail the second I come into town. Reminds me of when I met the Gerudos." The Gerudos had behaved in the very same manner when Link had gone to their hideout.

Link sighed, and sat down on his bed of hay. He laid down, and started to sleep. For the next few days he stayed in his cell, with the two guards standing across from the door. They did give him some bread for his meals, but Link was still pretty hungry. But he never complained. He had to remain civilized. One day, while Link was snoozing, he heard the sound of a door opening. The guards left their posts to greet the visitor, and Link could hear them conversing. Suddenly he heard huge, pounding footsteps, along with slightly softer ones. Link sat up abruptly. Within seconds his two captors appeared-and so did an even bigger form. He was even more muscular than the two guards, and had to be sixteen feet tall. He looked like Ganondorf's lizard counterpart. Link gulped. This was most definitely the leader of the Graguns, as he held his head up high and his shoulders back. Suddenly the bigger Gragun spoke. "What is your name, intruder?" Link stood up.

"I am Link of Hyrule."

"We Graguns do not allow anyone from there past our borders unless they are Gorons."

"I know that, sir. But I was sent here by Princess Zelda."

"Princess Zelda, hmm? Well, her orders do not matter here unless they have to do with problems in my kingdom-and I doubt she would know anything about them. Now, how were you able to get into our city?"

"Well, sir, Big Brother Darunia let me through."

"Oh, did he?" The big creature laughed. "You'll have to do more than tell me that for me to believe it."

"Well, sir, that's why I have this." Link took off his gauntlet, revealing the Goron Bracelet. The big Gragun gasped.

"The Goron Bracelet...you do know Darunia!"

"Yes, sir. He actually made me his Sworn Brother after I saved his people several years ago."

"Wait a minute...now I remember! You're that young man Darunia told me so much about! The one who not only cleared out Dodongo's Cavern, but also killed Volvagia in the Fire Temple!"

"That would be me, yes."

"Well, then, I do apologize for this inconvenience! Guards, let him out."

"Yes sir." The door opened, and Link came out. The big Gragun towered over him, but he was smiling.

"Again, I must apologize. But with a kingdom so large we must not take any risks with intruders. Not to mention we have been having some problems lately."

"It's no problem, sir. This wasn't the first time I was thrown in jail because I trespassed."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, sir. I went to Gerudo Valley and, of course, they jailed me. But I managed to get out and gain their respect."

"Hmm. Must have taken a lot of hard work. But anyway, I'm Quogar, King of the Graguns." He extended his hand. Link bowed in respect, and shook his hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"Oh, and don't bother with all that 'sir' stuff. Just call me Quogar."

"Certainly."

"Now, why don't we head over to my castle? We'll talk there." With that, he led Link out of the jail. Sitting there in the street was a carriage-and hitched up to the carriage were two black dragons! They weren't very big, though-only about twenty feet long from the tips of their noses to the tips of their tails. But they certainly were muscular, and Link could tell by the smoke coming from their nostrils that they could breathe fire. Quogar noticed Link staring at the creatures, and chuckled. "I know, you weren't expecting to see a dragon-drawn carriage. But they can move quickly, and are an easy mode of transportation." Indeed, Link now noticed that next to many houses were stalls containing dragons of different shapes, sizes, and colors.

"Where do you get them?"

"They're all around us, living in caverns deep inside the mountains. They don't usually venture toward my kingdom, but sometimes they'll either show up in the mines or even come right out into the streets. It's not easy to catch them, but it's worth it later on, especially after they've been tamed."

"How big do they get?"

"They can get very big indeed. The biggest one I've seen so far had to be sixty or so feet long."

"You use them like you would horses?" Link asked.

"You could say that. Some of us ride them for pleasure, some use them for work."

"Wow. I'd like to have one."

"Well, you'd be accepting a major responsibility. Dragons are by far harder to care for than horses. They can be hot-tempered sometimes, and you're lucky if you can find one that isn't. But those that easy to handle are usually used for work."

"Wow. They are beautiful; I'll give you that. But doesn't it seem weird to use them if you're half-dragon yourself?"

"The Zoras eat fish, don't they?" Quogar had a good point. The Zoras were half-human, half-fish. Link nodded.

"That is true. How fast can these dragons fly?"

"Let's find out." With that, they climbed into the carriage, and the driver flicked the reins. The dragons spread their wings and gently flapped them. The dragons and carriage lifted off the ground, and they flew off through the city. Link noticed that the city was set inside one huge cavern, and that this cavern stretched unusually far.

"How far does Draconiara extend?" Link asked.

"It circles your land of Hyrule. There's only one entrance into our city from your land, and that's through Goron City."

"How do you know the Gorons?"

"We're mining creatures as well. But we don't just dig up regular stones like the Gorons do. We don't even eat rocks. We dig up iron ore, along with precious gems and stones, like rubies and emeralds. See, look over there. That's one of our diamond mines. And over on that side there's a ruby mine. The stones come in separate parts of the mountains, so we have many mines to collect them."

"How many mines do you have?"

"Oh, around a hundred."

"A hundred?!"

"Yes. These mountains are heavily populated with gems, especially sapphires." Link's mind clicked for a moment when Quogar said that. But he snapped out of it when Quogar pointed in front of them. "There's my castle." A huge castle rested in front of them. It was set in the rock, and Link could tell it was well defended. A waterfall came down from one side, forming a river that became a moat. Not only that, many guards patrolled the towers and walkways.

"That's a nice castle," Link said.

"Wait 'til you see the inside." After the carriage had landed, Quogar led Link inside the huge structure. Link was astonished by what he saw. The Great Hall was nearly twice as big as Hyrule Castle's! There were huge marble columns, red carpets, and other rich items all over. Link also realized that the main floor was under them-he was standing on an upper floor that circled the main room like a balcony. On one end of the room stood a grand throne. Then Link noticed something else. A portcullis was built in one of the walls of the main floor. The space beyond it was pitch black, and Link couldn't help but wonder what was beyond it. This place was amazing.

"This...this is even grander than Hyrule Castle," Link said.

"This comes from trading, my boy. With all the stones we dig up, we have to find people who are willing to accept them in exchange for something else. Not too hard, as you can see. We also have a steady supply of mortar and iron that we sell to other countries, including the Gorons."

"The Gorons?"

"Yes. They need maintenance on the Fire Temple, and mortar and iron are good ways to keep it in shape."

"I can understand that. Um, Quogar, I need to ask you something. It has to do with why Princess Zelda sent me."

"Well, ask away." Quogar sat down in his throne.

"Well...um...do you know of a woman who is obsessed with sapphires?"

"Link, that's like asking me how many stars are in the sky. I know of many women who love sapphires."

"Well, specifically, one who seems to have fallen in love with Ganondorf." Quogar's eyes widened. They burned for a second.

"How did you know about that?"

"Well, Zelda and I have prophetic dreams, and last week I had one where a woman who seemed to have an affinity for sapphires was marrying Ganondorf. Zelda also had one where the same woman was trying to destroy your race. Now tell me-do you know who she is?" Quogar sighed and leaned back in chair. "I was hoping you weren't going to ask that. I had heard that Princess Zelda has prophetic dreams, and I feared that she would find out about us. But...it seems I can't keep a secret any longer. Yes, I know who that woman is. She is Queen Saphira, and she rules the land of Crastalyina." "Crastalyina? I've never heard of that place." "Well, it's a country to the west of these mountains. It's a fairly large country, maybe twice as big as Hyrule. The people there love crystals, which is why their home is called Crastalyina. But despite her large size, Crastalyina doesn't have many resources. She never has, and probably never will. Centuries ago, a king ruled there, and he was as dependable as your old king was. He made an alliance with us, promising to keep a steady trade link between us."

"But what do they have that you don't? You said they don't have many resources."

"That I did. But one thing they do have is wood. Crastalyina may not sound like it, but it's mostly forests. So they trade us their wood for our gems and mortar."

"Sounds like a good trade."

"Indeed it is. The alliance was strong for the next few hundred years. But ten years ago, Saphira became queen. She held up her kingdom's promise to us for a while, but after she met Ganondorf she started to neglect us. I held my faith in her for a while, and even visited her castle several times to remind her of our trade agreements. But each time I went to Crastalyina, she was off visiting Ganondorf. One day, I went to see her, and found out that she had gone into the Sacred Realm to visit Ganon. Of course, I was furious when I found out where she was. That was the last straw. So I broke the alliance, and hoped that that was the last I would hear of her."

"But it wasn't, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. That woman sent some of her minions to come into my kingdom and kidnap the kingdom's guardian."

"Your guardian?"

"Yes. She is very important to us. You could say she's like a goddess to us. She's the reason the dragons are so willing to serve us. That's how important she is."

"When was she taken away?"

"Just five days ago." Link gasped when he heard this.

"What is it?" Quogar asked.

"Quogar...your guardian was taken the day after Saphira killed my horse!"

"She killed your horse?"

"Yes. She shot her with this arrow," Link held it out to Quogar. "She knew Epona meant a lot to me, and killed her." Quogar took the arrow, and looked it over.

"This arrow...Son, this isn't just any ordinary arrow. She can telepathically tell it who to hit, and it will strike it without hitting anything else. She fires these all the way from her castle in Crastalyina and kills her enemies on the first shot. But one thing confuses me-why wouldn't she have killed you in the first place?"

"I'm the Hero of Time, Quogar. I helped Princess Zelda and the Sages banish Ganon to the Sacred Realm. So now she wants to slowly get her revenge on me, one step at a time. And that first step was my Epona."

"Well, I'm very sorry to hear that your horse died. And I'll tell you one thing-you'll be lucky if she doesn't send out another of these arrows. They 're some of her favorite weapons. But since you're here, and since you have had extensive fighting experience, I want to ask something of you."

"Sure, anything."

"It seems that Saphira has invaded the caverns near my kingdom. Remember how I told you that we get our dragons from those caverns? Well, she seeks to destroy them, then our mines, then Draconiara in its entirety-all with the aid of the monsters she has placed in our caverns. So I ask you-would you defeat the creatures who are disturbing the peace in our mountains?"

"Yes, of course. But one question-do you know what kind of creatures are in the caverns?"

"Our worst enemies-Lizalfos and Dinolfos, along with some Moriblins and Monblins." Link tried hard to keep from showing his displeasure. Lizalfos were okay as far as beating them went, Dinolfos were a maybe-they were fast and powerful, and never hesitated to try to slice Link into ribbons. But Moriblins and Monblins were the worst. Moriblins were goblins, and were almost twice as tall as Link. These guys carried huge spears, and would charge at Link if he crossed their line of vision. Link almost got killed once or twice just fighting them. But Monblins...Link nearly fainted at the thought of them. Monblins were twice as tall as the Moriblins, and held huge stone hammers that could mash anyone flat on the first swing. Link had fought one of these guys before, and he hadn't enjoyed it at all.

"Well, I'm sure I can take care of them." Link said. Quogar smiled with relief.

"Thank you, Link. If you could defeat the monsters in the Dodongo's Cavern and Fire Temple, I'm sure we can depend on you." Link nodded, and Quogar stood. "Now, let's go. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Follow me, then." Quogar took him through the castle, into the courtyards, and soon they were in the royal stables-and it was filled with dragons. Quogar went to one of the stalls, and led out a big red dragon. "This is Firona. She's my dragon, but I'll lend her to you for a while. She knows the way to the caverns, and will take you there as quick as lightning. And you don't have to worry about her abandoning you-she never leaves her rider behind, even if he falls off."

"Wow. Thanks, Quogar." Link said. He was actually going to ride a dragon! Quogar helped Link onto Firona's back, then put a bridle on her head and handed Link the reins.

"Now hold on tight, Link. Grab the spikes on her back, and keep a tight grip-otherwise, she'll fly right out from under you. I know from experience." Quogar grinned, and Link smiled at the thought. He gripped Firona's spikes tightly, and Quogar patted her shoulder. "All right, girl. Take him there." With that, she turned, spread her wings, and took off. Link nearly fell off, but pressed his legs tightly against her sides to steady himself. She was very fast indeed, probably even faster than the running man in Hyrule. They flew through the city, and before Link could try to guess how far they were from the caverns Firona slowed down to land. He saw a huge cave opening in front of them, and a sign next to it. It read: "Dragon Caverns-Do Not Enter." Firona snorted, and raised her head with interest. Link remembered that she had come from this place.

"Sorry, girl. You can't go in with me. You have to stay here and wait for me to come back. I'll be back in a while." Firona nodded in understanding. With that, Link entered the mouth of the cave. It was dark for a moment, but after taking a few steps forward a red-orange light slowly illuminated the tunnels. Link could hear lava bubbling and fire crackling. Must be a dragon's paradise in here, Link thought. He slowly walked forward until he reached the inside of the caverns. Link expected to be bombarded by enemies and vicious dragons, but instead was shocked when he saw that the place was deserted. "What the hell...?" Link whispered. No dragons or enemies were in sight. Then Link took a good look around. The layout of this place was similar to that of Goron City, only with many more tunnels and caves. Link realized he was standing in the heart of the caverns. A huge pool of lava lay in the center, and flames spouted from it every few seconds.

Suddenly, Link heard something. It sounded like a roar, but it somewhat like a scream as well. Then Link heard something else. A creature was roaring back at whatever creature had roared first. The sounds were coming from a tunnel on the left. Link entered it, and went through it until he found what he had heard. A small cave lay at the end of this tunnel, and inside was a Moriblin and a dragon! The dragon, a big green creature that was about Firona's size, was pinned to the floor by chains, and the Moriblin was poking it with his spear. Link bristled at how cruel the goblin was toward the dragon. He drew his Biggoron Sword, and with a cry he leapt out to attack. The Moriblin turned, and he charged. Link dodged the attack, and he counterattacked with a slash from his sword. The Moriblin hollered, then turned to try to skewer Link with the spear. With another slash, Link chopped the spear in two. As the Moriblin stopped to look at his broken weapon, Link stabbed the monster with his sword. The goblin died instantly, and disappeared in a flare of green flames. Link turned to the dragon, who was staring at Link in awe. Link went over, and knelt next to the creature. "Are you all right?" The dragon nodded. Link looked at the chains, and stood up. "Okay. I need you to hold still, all right?" The dragon nodded again, and Link raised the sword over his head. He brought it down on the chains, which broke in two. The dragon was free. As the dragon stood, Link put his hand on its shoulder. "Wait a minute. I have to ask you something. Are the caves in here homes for dragons?" The dragon nodded a third time. "Okay. Now, I need you to stay here, just for a while. There are probably monsters in all of the other caves, so I need you to stay here and out of sight." The dragon then slinked over to a corner of the room and hid in the shadows. Link left the room, and went to the next cave. A slightly smaller dragon was chained to the ground, and a pair of Lizalfos were circling it. Link walked in, and cleared his throat. The two lizards looked up, and Link charged at them. Within seconds, the Lizalfos were dead and the dragon freed. Over the next few hours, Link fought Moriblins and Lizalfos, and freed seventy or so dragons. However, he didn't fight any Dinolfos or Monblins. He looked in each of the rooms he had entered, looking for signs of them, but couldn't find anything. He knew there was something amiss here, but he couldn't figure out what. Suddenly, he felt something touch his arm. It was Firona!

"Firona! I told you to wait for me!" Link hissed. But the dragon gently took his sleeve in her teeth and tugged. "Firona, I can't play right now, if that's what you want." But she kept pulling, and Link realized she was trying to lead him somewhere. He followed, and she stopped at a huge boulder sitting in the main room against the wall. She went over to it, and pushed with all her might. It rolled out of the way to reveal a tunnel. Now Link could hear noises. "Those Dinolfos and Monblins must be guarding even more dragons in there.Okay, Firona, I need you to do me a favor. Go to each of the rooms, and tell the dragons that it's almost safe again, okay?" The dragon flew off, and Link entered the tunnel. He had barely taken three steps when he heard a shrill, raspy scream that made his skin crawl. He moved on, wondering what it was that made that sound. He soon entered a new extension to the caverns, and what he saw stunned him. Dozens of cages lined the room, each of them holding a huge dragon inside. These dragons had to be between thirty and forty feet long, and Link knew they were powerful creatures. Another tunnel lay on the other end of the room, but Link didn't move because he saw that this room had guards-Dinolfos. He counted them, and found that there were ten of them. He wouldn't be able to survive ten swordfights with these guys, Link knew. He looked around, and saw a boulder sitting off to the side. He carefully tiptoed over to it, and hid behind it. He took out his bow, and took an arrow out of the quiver. Link had very good sniping skills, and knew he'd be able to do away with five or six of these guys before they realized he was there. He aimed carefully, and hit one of the targets in the chest. The other Dinolfos looked around, wondering what had killed their comrade. Link took that opportunity to kill off two more in quick succession. The other seven were getting anxious now, and Link felt pretty lucky. He killed two more, and the remaining five suddenly decided to start looking. Link knew he would have to be quick. He killed three more, one by one, until only two were left. Finally, he put away his bow, and took out his sword. He leaped out from his hiding place, and the two remaining Dinolfos looked up in surprise- then tried to slash at him. Link barely managed to keep from getting a slash in the ribs, but was successful in making off with his adversaries in a few seconds. After that, he went to the cages, and carefully freed the dragons. After that was done, he proceeded to the tunnel. He heard the eerie scream again, but kept going.

Soon, he found what had been screaming in the next room. It was a huge serpent-like dragon, probably sixty or so feet long. Instead of spikes and horns along her head and spine, she had a huge mane of fire streaming from her forehead to the tip of her tail. Her wings were also very exquisite- instead of reptilian wings like those of the other dragons, she had wings like those of an eagle. The feathers were brown and cream colored, and her scales were emerald-green. Her eyes were yellow,with round red irises. But what troubled Link was that she was in a worse state than the other dragons had been in. She was chained to the ground, but a pair of Monblins stood on either side of her, hammers and whips in hand. The Monblins didn't use the hammers, but they continuously lashed her with their whips. She was bleeding from several wounds, despite all the scales that covered her, and Link knew that she was in terrible pain. He took out his sword, and walked in. The big goblins turned around, and bellowed in rage at the sight of Link. They raised their whips, and Link readied his sword. As the lashes came down, Link slashed his sword so that the whips were cut in half. This angered the Monblins even more, and they took out their hammers. Link knew he would have to be quick on his feet. He started running, and at the same time he took out his bow. As he dodged the shockwaves caused by the hammers, he notched an arrow in his bow and fired. His aim was true, and it severely wounded one of the Monblins-but it wasn't enough to kill him. Link continued this until he had gotten rid of both Monblins, then approached the huge serpent. "Boy, you sure are pretty. Let' s get you out of this mess." He used his sword to break the chains, and stepped back. The dragon looked at him, as though she wanted something. "Go on, dragon," Link said. "You're free." The serpent stared at him for a bit longer, then went off. Suddenly, Link heard something coming from a nearby tunnel. He focused his hearing, and a chill went up his spine as he realized what it was-a horde of Dinolfos. He ran toward another tunnel just as they came into the room, and tried to keep from tripping. He felt like he had been running forever, and the lizards were closing in. He saw a dim light up ahead, and thought he was home free. But he didn't notice the huge pit in front of him, and he fell in. He screamed as he saw the huge spikes down at the bottom. But just as he would've landed on the spikes, something went under him and he landed on it. The thing swooped up, and Link held on so he wouldn't fall back down. He saw the Dinolfos standing at the edge of the pit, waving their spears in anger. Then Link realized that the thing was taking him through the tunnel.and that the thing was the dragon he had just rescued! He managed to hang on for the ride, and soon they were back in the main room. Firona was waiting there, and she roared. All the other dragons came out and roared in reply. Link got down from the serpent, and faced her. "Thanks for saving me," Link said. He patted her on the neck, then went over to Firona. He got on, and Firona took him back to the castle, where Quogar was waiting. He was elated to see him back alive, and even happier to hear that the caverns were safe.



"I knew you could do it!" Quogar said, patting Link's back. "Tonight, I'm going to hold a feast for the entire kingdom-and you're going to be my guest of honor."

"Thank you, Quogar. But do you suppose I could get cleaned up first?" Link was covered in dirt, and was bleeding from a few cuts.

"Why, certainly! I'll even give you a room for you to rest in before and after the party."



Later that evening, in the grand hall, Quogar held the party as promised. Link hadn't thought that the entire kingdom could fit inside the castle, but they could. The common folk were on the main floor, and the upper-class folk were on the balcony floor. Link sat next to Quogar, and he certainly felt honored. Soon, Quogar stood, and the room fell silent. "Friends," Quogar said. "We are here tonight to celebrate a courageous feat accomplished by this young man, Link." The crowd clapped, and Link blushed a bit. "This young man went into the dragon caverns to take on the enemies inside, and was not only successful in doing that, but also successful in rescuing our guardian." The crowd clapped and cheered, and Link wondered for a moment as to who the guardian was. He couldn't remember saving anything except dragons. "Now, I will present this courageous young man with a gift unlike any other." The crowd went silent again, and Quogar clapped his hands. Link heard a scraping-rumbling sound, and saw that the portcullis on the main floor was opening. The Graguns on the floor stepped back, so there was plenty of space. After a moment, a creature flew through the opening, and Link gasped. It was the serpent he had rescued! He turned to Quogar in amazement.

"You're giving her to me?!" Link asked.

"Meet Serpentina," Quogar said, nodding. "She's Draconiara's guardian, but she and I have agreed to make her yours."

"Quogar, are you sure about this? I mean, what if Saphira attacks again?"

"Well, actually, the dragons who live in the caverns have all decided to protect the kingdom. Serpentina helped arrange that." Link was astonished. He hadn't thought that after losing Epona he would actually be replacing her.

"I.I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Serpentina's the one you should thank. She's willing to carry you anywhere and everywhere, and will protect you by any means necessary." Suddenly, Serpentina spread her wings and flew upward so she was in front of Link. She brought her head forward a bit, and Link was amazed at what she did next-she spoke!

"Link, you rescued me and my kind back in those caverns. I don't know of anyone else who deserves as great a reward. I would be honored to serve you as I have for Draconiara," she said. Link stared at her for a moment, then at Quogar. He looked back at Serpentina, and smiled. He went up to her, and hugged her. The crowd cheered. Link pulled away, and he realized he had tears in his eyes. Quogar patted his shoulder, and smiled. After the party, Serpentina made herself comfortable on the floor of the main hall, and Link retreated to his room. He still couldn't believe that Serpentina was now his. Link closed his eyes and slept without dreaming. The next day, he went immediately to Quogar.

"Quogar, I really hate to say this, but." Link stopped as Quogar raised his hand.

"I know. You must go. I know you have much to tell Princess Zelda, and I think you should be ready for anything else that may happen in Hyrule."

"What do you mean?"

"Saphira finds out about things very quickly. In fact, one of her messengers came in after you'd gone to bed, and I sent him back with the message that we were all still alive and well-along with the dragons and Serpentina-and that the dragons are now the city's sworn protectors. I wouldn't be surprised if she found out about the dragon caverns this very minute. The point is, though, that you should go back home in case she makes another attack."

"Yes, sir. We'll keep in touch." Link shook his hand, then called for Serpentina.