The little girl was lucky to live. Her parents were not.

"This is your first time meeting Uncle Robbie!" Her father had beamed.

"And don't forget about Aunt Purah!" Her mother had added.

And so they set forth from Kakariko Village, alongside a horse that carried a cartful of all the supplies they needed.

Both of her parents were capable outdoorspeople. Her father set up the tent in the woods, and her mother dug out a small hole, filling it with gathered wood before setting the fire.

She was young, and did not care for hard work, but the daughter wanted to contribute. She wanted to be helpful.

They had a bag of dried fruits and smoked fish in the cart, alongside several waterskins. But the little girl insisted on being able to do something. Her father, a tall and broad-shouldered man, scratched at his bearded chin in mock display of deep contemplation.

"There should be a pond not too far from here."

She took the long pole, and her mother helped her fix a wooden bucket on either end. The woman helped her daughter position the pole across her shoulderblades, and gave her a pat on the back. The smile looked radiant on her oval face, across which a few strands of her braided hair fluttered.

"I will boil the water when you return, my sweet."

The daughter grinned. "No problem, Mama! I'll be back before you know it!"

It was awkward to weave between the trees, but the little girl found the pool perhaps half a mile from the campsite. She filled each bucket, put them back on the pole, and started to walk back. The weight of the water made the return trip was even more strenuous, and she almost hit one of the buckets against a tree, but she managed to get back to the campsite.

All of her mirth vanished in an instant.

Her parents were nowhere in sight. The horse had disappeared, too.

"Mama? Papa?"

Nothing.

She had taken a few steps forward, still holding up the water buckets.

"Papa? Mama?"

She stepped on something. She looked down to see what it was.

The hand was rough and calloused, dotted with a few specks of red. The wrist had taken a clean slash, and blood stained the green grass. There was still a ring on the hand's index finger, and the small amber stone shone in the sun.

It was her father's hand.

The scream pierced the air.

The little girl did not know how long she huddled in the tent. All she knew were the dawns and the dusks, the blankets, the occasional snatch of the food and water from the sacks when she was hungry or thirsty, and her tears.

Eventually, there was nothing left in the sacks. She had to get outside for water, at least.

She pushed herself out of the tent, doing her best to ignore the swarms of flies that flew above where the hand had been.

She forced her feet forward, step by step, until she found the clearing where the pond was.

And there was another surprise for her. There was a stranger sitting on a large rock near the water.

He was bald, with thin black eyebrows hanging over his half-lidded eyes. His face was weatherbeaten, with deep lines in his forehead. There was a black shawl wrapped around his neck, and beneath that there was a long red overcoat. Most strikingly, his eyes were unusual. One was large and black, like her own. The other was milky, with the discolored pupil staring off to the side. When he blinked, she could more clearly see the scar over the ruined eye.

"Hello, there." His voice was low and gruff.

She did not know what to say at first.

"Umm...Mister? Who are you?"

"I am Master Sooga. Are you lost? How can I help you, child?"

She tried her best to fight back her tears again, but failed.

"M-my name's Airi..."

Airi shut her eyes, and then reopened them. She sighed. She could not let herself drown in the muck of terrible memories. She was older now. The past was the past, as she kept telling herself.

She gripped Link a little tighter. She truly wanted to believe that she could say that out loud and with conviction, some day.

"You sure you're okay?" Link's voice was a little strained, but he still held on to the handles of the paraglider.

Airi blinked, but clicked her tongue in confirmation. She was still holding on to Link from behind as he sailed through the air towards the green earth of the plateau. She had to admit, the experience was an intriguing one. She almost knew what it was like to be a bird. Drifting through the sky, letting the breezes hit from every angle...to her, every tree was a mushroom, and the far-off mountains looked like anthills. The pair drifted past a hunk of rock sitting in a patch of grassless earth, probably a fortress that been lost to time. The brickmaking and mortar mixing meant nothing to nature.

Alas, the experience was coming to an end. What's more, for all of the wonders she could still see from above, she could not ignore what remained of Hyrule Castle in the distance.

She knew it did not truly matter if the castle was overrun by weeds or crumbling as badly as the lump of sorry stone from before. It still was the former stronghold of the Royal Family, the greatest bane of Ganon short of the Hylian Champion himself.

Still, Airi knew she had to put on something of a happy face. She and Link were getting steadily closer to the soft grass below. The air voyage was almost over.

"You see that castle, all the way over there?" She began. "I can't imagine the work put into making it stand upright. I wonder if there's anyone still there...if it's still livable, I mean."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up." Link looked down as he steered the paraglider. It would not be long before his feet hit the ground.

"If there's something time won't kill, I don't know what it is."

Lord Ganon, thought Airi solemnly. But her voice was more chipper. "Just something to think about, is all."

Link clicked his tongue. The castle was certainly a towering testament to what people could put together when they put their hands and their minds to the task...

Suddenly, the young man felt a hard pit in his stomach. Link's brow furrowed. What was going on?

He felt something catch in his throat. Colors began to flash behind his eyes.

"It is clear to me that the goddess Hylia has yet again kept her eyes upon eyes." King Rhoam Bosphoramus stood upright, his voice gruff and authoritative. "And she has delivered a favor in the form of you, young man."

"T-think nothing of it, Your Majesty."

The young man was stationary, keeping his head bowed and letting his knee support his weight, but he could not still the tremble in his body. He felt ashamed that he was still dressed in his bloodstained green tunic, but that could not be helped. As soon as he had brought the young woman near the castle, a troop of Hylian soldiers had surrounded them. He had been ordered to hand over the short sword he had taken from the Bokoblins while his companion had explained what had happened.

"We are in your debt." Princess Zelda had a most radiant smile, which sent a tingle up Link's spine,

Who would have ever believed that he would be in such a situation like this? Kneeling in the middle of the throne room of Hyrule Castle, sharing the light of the stained glass windows with not just the great King, but the princess as well?

"And you, sir, should be proud of the apprentice who had the good fortune to find you."

Link fought down the burst of resentment that almost flooded his heart. It took all of his stength to not turn his head.

"I could never neglect my nephew, Your Majesty. And while lessons matter, it is up to the student to make the most of them."

Caryn, Link's uncle, had a low and gruff voice that never failed to get under Link's skin. He had just had his fortieth birthday the past month, but the short ashen hair and the wrinkles in his ruddy skin made him look at least a decade older. He was a head taller than his nephew, although that was made less apparent by the fact that he was also kneeling before the King.

Before the King could resume speaking, Princess Zelda took a step forward. One would have hardly believed that she was dragged into a Bokoblin den, given her expertly combed hair and the embroidered white gown she was dressed in.

"If there is any way we can thank you, please speak up."

The King stole a quick glance toward his daughter, clearly annoyed that she had disturbed his tempo, but he said nothing.

Link's heart leaped. His opportunity had come at last! He had always known in his gut that fate would smile on him like this some day!

The possibilities were endless! He could build a house in Hateno Village, or perhaps open an orchard somewhere...apples, bananas, whatever he wanted! Most of all, maybe he could take a trip back to Zora's Domain...

"My request is a simple one, Your Majesty." Caryn spoke up. "I only ask that you anoint my beloved nephew as a knight of this realm."

All the color left Link's face. Of course it had to be this way. Of course his uncle had to...

"Consider it a royal decree."

"Whoaaa!"

"Ack!"

Everything was a blur. Link felt the rush of air, and something hard hitting his back a split-second before he felt his lungs force all the air out. It took a while for solid shapes to form before him. When that happened, he suddenly realized that Airi was sitting right on his chest.

"You idiot!"

Link groaned as he felt the slap, and squirmed beside the broken paraglider as Airi got back off of him and stomped her foot.

"It's just luck we were just about to land when you let go of the glider! What's wrong with you!?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Argh! Well...whatever!" Airi stood still, closing her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. Neither Link's sudden fall nor her anger were of any use to her. She opened her eyes again to see Link struggling back up to his feet. He held a hand to his head, still clearly feeling groggy. Ignoring him, Airi turned her back to survey the path back to the Temple of Time. They would have to walk due east. The great mass of broken stone that she had assumed to have once been a fortress was in the way. She began walking towards it, and Link stumbled behind her.

There was an an enormous crack in the side of the stone, and Airi drew her kodachi as she approached it. Copying her, Link used his free hand to pull the Sheikah Slate from his jacket.

Airi could have expected a Bokoblin or two hiding out in the open space behind the broken wall, or perhaps a Moblin. But not the terror she beheld.

She froze in her tracks. There was a black cylinder jutting out of the earth, covered in dirt and moss. For a few fleeting seconds she prayed that the thing was inactive, that the tears of neglect had brought it to such a state of decay.

But it was not to be. The cylinder began to rotate, and a small circle set into the metal began to glow blue. A whirring sound, just barely louder to Airi than her own pounding heart, hit her ears.

"Link, get down!"

"What?" The youth stood slackjawed as the circle began to flash white as the whirring continued.

"I said get down!"

Airi dropped her kodachi and ran straight towards Link, knocking him to the ground. There was a flash of light, and the blue beam of energy sailed straight over their bodies.

This chapter marks the start of Airi's tragic story...