Airi took a deep breath. She felt prepared. She checked herself once more in the makeshift mirror the pond provided. Her long hair was tightened into a single long braid, expertly dyed to match the pitch black style demanded by the Yiga Clan. Her orange jerkin and long pants were spotless, and the hooded maroon cloak was clasped at her neck with a silver sphere that she could snap off at second's notice if she found herself in battle. Master Kohga's advice went through her mind again; "Stay on top of things and look good doing it!" She smiled, and took a moment to stretch her arms. Then she checked her weapons again.

Airi held up her bow first, and was satisfied to see that the wood was clean and unblemished. She did not have to check the quiver on her back. She knew each arrow was of truest quality, courtesy of Kanan the fletcher. The sword at her side was a short kodachi, with fresh silk strings wrapping the hilt and a blade sharpened to perfection.

This was the Great Plateau, the central spot of, and the supposed origin of, the fallen Kingdom of Hyrule. It had been quite a chore to get up the steep slopes that separated the plateau from the rest of the land, but she had her ways.

The grass was a soft green, and the mountains stretched to the azure sky. But Airi did not care much for nature. She had come here on a mission. This was the area that contained the Temple of Time, and as rumor had it, the Shrine of Resurrection.

So there she was, dressed as a traveler, as was tradition with Yiga raiders. After years of training, she had proudly accepted her place as one of the new generation of soldiers that would defeat the Hylian Champion, Link. Just thinking of the name stole the smile from her face and replaced it with a baleful glare. Though there were no tapestries in her hands, she could not shake away the images that decorated the Yiga Temple built below the Wasteland hideout.

A sinister figure with a long beard, dressed in dark blue rags, carrying a bloody sword in one hand and the Sheikah Slate in the other. His position was the same whatever the individual tapestry, facing off against the savior of life, Ganon. He had to be stopped, and if he could be found anywhere, it would likely be the Temple or the Shrine.

She stood a little straighter. She did not have partners; each Yiga raider worked autonomously in the field. But she believed in herself. She was prepared to hunt for the one bearing the Sheikah Slate, and to put an end to him. She swore, as she did every day, on the honor of the Yiga Clan that she would execute this miscreant if she ever had the opportunity.

And if she did, everything over the past years would be validated. Training had not been easy, but she had managed.

Airi tipped back a bit upon her heels, reminicing on her first lessons. She had held a wooden training sword in both hands, carrying out clumsy swings against the training dummies and the practice weapons of her sparring partners, most of which were also six years old. Each wooden sword was designed to be three times the weight of the real weapon. Airi's lean musculature attested to the regimen's effectiveness.

She learned how to use a live sword soon enough, learning to mold the steel into an extension of her arm as she sliced through each target placed before her. Her group had been taught to throw their swords as well, and no one launched their blade with more range or with more power than Airi. She had mastered every other skill demanded by the clan as well; shooting with bow, making use of the Orbs to teleport, even how to identify each fruit, vegetable, and grain the countryside had to offer. Sustenance was a top priority when traveling alone, particularly if said sustenance was a Mighty Banana. Even with all her training, and even if she considered as many scenarios as possible, there was always a margin of error.

"Luck is skill, preparation, and being in the right place at the right time." That was something Master Sooga had often told her.

Airi took a deep breath of the cool spring air. Today was her first day as a true member of the Yiga Clan. She was in the field now, ready to take on whatever challenges the dead kingdom would throw her way, and the Hero of Hyrule was at the top of the list. She promised herself that she would uphold the Yiga mission with all her might...

And then she doubled over in pain. An arrow had passed straight through the calf of her leg. She dropped to one knee, hissing in abject pain, her fingers feeling the blood as she grabbed at the skin around the protruding shaft. She barely registered the deer running in front of her, bounding away from an unseen danger. She heard a quivering screech, and forced herself to look around at what had intruded upon her space.

It was a pair of Bokoblins. And they were not even high-level ones, but the typical red gremlins that served as the species' cannon fodder. Of course it was a couple of those damned Bokoblins that dotted the landscapes and refused to differentiate between Hylian, Sheikah, Yiga, or anything else. They had been trying to hit the deer, and their wayward aim had thrown Airi's safety to the wayside. The monsters turned their gaze towards her, their greenish eyes expanding as they chuckled and shook with manic glee. The one that held the bow nocked another arrow, while the other gave his hatchet a twirl.

"Luck is skill, preparation, and being in the right place at the right time."

One moment of relaxation, and Airi had found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, panic raced through Airi's heart. She was too far away to interrupt the archer, even if she was in perfect condition. If the second arrow did not kill her, it would surely keep her paralyzed and give the other Bokoblin more than enough time to come over and take her head. And everything of the past twelve years would have been for nothing…

And then she saw something else.

Something had landed between the two Bokoblins. It shimmered blue, and then the two monsters looked down in confusion.

Then, with an ear-shattering boom, the object exploded, sending the Bokoblins flying into the distance. Airi winced, feeling the impact even from afar. She looked down at herself.

She hissed again, staring at the ugly wound in her leg as the pain forced it's way through her brain again. Dropping her bow, she impulsively grabbed at the shaft of the arrow.

"Don't pull it!" Airi looked up.

A stranger was approaching her, and he was likely the one who had thrown the mysterious object. He was a young Hylian man, perhaps eighteen years old. He wore a patched white shirt over a pair of tan leggings, and a yellow shawl was wrapped around his neck. His blonde hair was parted elegantly, and his face was sculpted and without blemish. His eyes were blue like the sky too, and seemed to shine as he looked….

"Don't pull the arrow!"

Immediately Airi felt like slapping herself. Of course it was a bad idea to yank out a sharp object imbedded in oneself. It would surely rupture what was in it's path. The damage done by the blood flow could be fatal.

The stranger extended a hand. Airi suspected nothing, reaching out with her own hand and grimacing as she started to pull herself up. Nonetheless, she faltered again. She felt both of the stranger's arms around her, and then she found herself hoisted into the air. She blacked out.

She did not notice that her savior was carrying a small black square on his hip, the one she had been told over and over was the tool if the Hylian Champion...

Airi drifted in and out of consciousness.

She grabbed at whatever memories she could. The stranger taking her into a hut, a blanket being pulled over her...a spoon had been put into her mouth...there was the voice of a stranger, albeit a much older one, remarking that it was lucky that she had been taken in time...that the Bokoblins used poison for their arrows...the younger stranger assuring her that she had been given an antidote...

Once, she found herself alone in the hut, feeling cold despite the brazier nearby. She forced herself to reorient her thoughts, starting with the motto of the Yiga Clan.

"Hail the One, Hail Ganon." She repeated the words so softly on her tongue. That phrase was the central tenet of what the Yiga Clan stood for, and the thing that had kept her going no matter what situation she found herself in.

There were good times and bad times in Hylian history. There were good times, such as when the Sheikah clan was united, working in the service of the nobler past iteration of the Royal Family. Bad times included when the King betrayed the Sheikah, stealing their technology and not even having the decency to use it. Hotspots of evil would have to be destroyed so that better civilizations could rise in their place. And that was the role of Ganon, the rejuvenator, the redeemer, the firm hand guiding all intelligent life to stay on the better path.

It was in his name that the Yiga lived by the same creed their ancestors did thousands of years ago: "Be vigilant. Be vicious. Be victorious."

And a single arrow would not easily deter Airi's ambition to become the greatest warrior in Yiga history.

Here's my first try at a Breath of the Wild story. I'm planning it as an AU, with elements from both the original game and Age of Calamity. Throughout the fic, I plan to explore Link's relationship with Zelda in the past as well as his relationship with Airi in the present. This is a starter chapter, but I plan to introduce mature themes later.