Chapter 1

In which Link Shoots a Dragon in the Face

"Link…."

"Open your eyes."

"Open your eyes."

"Wake up, Link."

I snapped suddenly awake, eyes wide open, but there wasn't much to see. The room around me was darker than the dream realm I had left. I stilled my breathing, becoming silent. The voice I had heard sounded so close by, as if someone had been whispering in my ear. If someone was in here with me, I didn't want to be caught unawares.

The voice…? I tried to clear my brain of the fog of sleep. A woman's voice. Rich and earthy, as if she were the voice of Hyrule itself.

There had been a woman in the dream, speaking to me. I tried to catch all the details before they fell away. A woman, backlit by golden rays that obscured her face. Lilies sprouted up from the ground around her feet as she walked towards me, filling the air with a delicate scent. She had grasped my hand, speaking urgently, but it was as if she was speaking from a long way away. I couldn't make out any of the words. The golden light burned my hand where her fingers had gripped me. Then she told me to wake up.

Here I was, in the dark, with no sound but the steady drip drip drip from the cracked roof and crumbling walls. I'd made camp at the foot of an enormous Hylia statue in a long-forgotten temple at the bag end of Tanagar Canyon. Understandable that I would dream of some ethereal woman, sleeping here. The silence was so deafening, I was probably going a little mad. Maybe it was madness that led me here in the first place.

Fortunately I had some flint and tinder at hand, as well as a few remaining logs of last night's fire. I got the fire going and stepped off to a corner to empty my bladder, hoping the Goddess wouldn't smite me for it. I whispered a prayer of contrition when I got back to the fire. I washed my face and hands, and scarfed down the leftovers of a buttery salmon filet the Rito had given me when I left the village yesterday afternoon.

I was supposed to be up on the canyon rim, waiting on a dragon. But in the process of scouting out a good launch point, I had spied the beautiful, decayed arches of the temple. Something about it drew me in. I had floated down to the bottom of the canyon on the paraglider (another Rito souvenir, even if it was only on loan) and started to explore. Strong drafts of wind blew up from cracks in the temple floor. I used them to float up and examine the odd statues lining the temple walls. They looked like some sort of strange bell, or maybe an armored squid with a single, piercing eye. I was reminded of some of the artifacts the Sheikah researchers had dug up in the months before I left the castle. What were they? Were they connected to the Goddess? The Sheikah seemed to think they were some kind of weapon. I didn't know, and honestly didn't really care. I pushed on. The things filled me with unease.

By the time I made it into the final room with the gargantuan statue, the light filtering into the temple from the late afternoon sun was all but gone. It was a waxing moon, but cloudy, and I realized I wouldn't be able to find my way out again. The paraglider was a marvel, but I couldn't manage it and a torch at the same time. Nothing to do but bed down for the night.

By now, though, the light was beginning to turn a soft gray and I could get back out to the canyon to finish my task. I didn't want the Rito to think I'd run off with the paraglider. One of their best archers really had it out for me and I wasn't going to give him any excuse to shoot me. Like he even needed one. He'd shoot me for the fun of it. But still, better that I keep my nose clean.

I pulled my boots on, packed up my bedroll, and smothered the fire. I had a long climb up the canyon, and another night to spend waiting for Dinraal.

…..

It was a long, hot, and sweaty climb, but I made it up to the canyon rim just as the sun slipped under the horizon. Sleep would have been welcome, but I didn't unpack or make a fire. I wanted to be ready to leap into the abyss when the dragon appeared. I leaned back against a rock and snoozed fitfully for several hours.

Suddenly, the wind was whipping around me and I shot up. There was a low, primeval grumble that I felt in my very bones. This was it! I stepped to the canyon's edge, ready to jump. Dinraal was gliding before me, a vision of fiery power. Fireballs and hot wind streamed behind her as she soared through the night sky. My mouth felt dry and my knees felt weak. Sure, it sounds like a great idea to glide up to a dragon (on a flammable paraglider) and shoot it in the face with a bow and arrow (made of wood). But when it really comes down to it? What was I thinking, to accept such a wager? Madness. I cursed myself for not buying some of those black-winged moths the traders had brought from Death Mountain.

I took a deep breath. If I wanted to keep this paraglider, I had to win the bet. And if I wanted to win the bet, I had to fly up to the dragon on my wings of wood and parchment and shoot it in the face. Easy. Long breath in. Long breath out. I jumped.

The hot air blowing off of Dinraal bore me aloft and, fortunately, out of the way of the fireballs. I banked the paraglider to move closer to the head of the dragon.

I'd spent the last few months learning with the Rito archers. They were so quick on the draw, it was almost like they could slow down time itself. My father had always criticized me for spending time on archery. "Bows are for foot soldiers and common men. Concern yourself with sword and shield and lance, as is befitting of your station." I did concern myself with those – other boys may have teased me for my small build, but I learned from a young age how to use my speed and agility to overcome much larger opponents. They can only get slammed into the dirt so many times before they stop laughing. And I had spent too much time with Mipha not to have at least some skill with a spear. But I still spent my summers in the Highlands, shooting down apples from the trees with a rough-spun wooden bow (an illicit gift from my favorite uncle). When I was older and joined the Academy, I would sneak into the shooting range on full moon nights. Now, I was free. I could pursue whatever I wanted, openly, and I wanted to shoot like the Rito. And, with one exception, they had welcomed me with open… wings.

Now was the moment. I simultaneously yanked down on the paraglider to pull it behind me while pulling out the bow. I drew in a long breath of dry, hot air and nocked an arrow. I felt it – the deep focus I needed. Everything around me slowed and blurred while I focused on the head of the magnificent beast. I loosed, and the arrow arced down towards the dragon's horns. It made contact with a shimmering crack, and a piece of her horn flew out to land on a nearby ledge. I pulled the glider back out, breathing hard. Dinraal roared, and her powerful gust pushed me up again. I aimed for the ledge to claim my trophy.

The fragment of horn was hot, smoldering like a charcoal on a dying fire. I wrapped it in thick leather and stowed it in my pack. I could make it to the Tabantha Great Bridge Inn by daybreak if I hurried.

I couldn't wait to see the look on that smug bastard Revali's face.