Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or Link, just Max.
Chapter One
"Wake up, Link!"
"C'mon, five more minutes..."
"Lazy head, wake up!"
The boy called Link groaned, swung his legs out of bed and stood up. His lengthy, blonde hair was messy and his bright blue eyes were still half-closed. "Happy now, Max?"
The girl, Max, smirked. "Very."
Link and Max had lived in the Korkiri Forest all ten years of their lives. The children who lived in the forest were taken care of by the Great Deku Tree, and they never aged. None of the children could ever imagine what it would be like to be a grown up, but they knew that whatever it was like, it couldn't be as great as being a child forever. All of the forest children wore green clothes, white tights and brown, boots; and all of the forest children had their own fairy to guide them. Link and Max had only just got their fairies the day before, so they finally fit in with everyone else. Before that, they were outcast from the other forest children, which is why they had become best friends. Only one other forest child had befriended them.
Max ran her fingers through her long, sandy hair to try and straighten it out, and then said to Link, "Saria is outside and she said she wanted to talk to you. So hurry up and see what she wants." Although she and Link were friends with Saria, Max couldn't help but sometimes feel jealous. She always thought that Saria had a crush on Link, and it wasn't easy to see if Link felt the same way. He tended to hide his emotions and act like the tough guy in the forest. It wasn't that Max liked Link as more than a friend; it was just that she didn't want him to get a girlfriend, or he wouldn't pay attention to her anymore and their bond wouldn't be as strong.
Just then, Link's fairy called Navi came flying through the doorway. "Link, the Great Deku Tree wants to see you. He says it's really important!" The tiny fairy was surrounded by a bright blue glow, so she looked like a blue puff ball with wings. Navi was shortly followed by Max's pink fairy, Jazz.
"We should get going!" Jazz squeaked.
Max followed Link out the doorway and down the ladder of their house to come face to face with Saria.
"Hey Link," she smiled warmly, "I heard that you were asked to talk to the Great Deku Tree. That's a huge honor!"
"Yeah."
"Hi, Max." Saria greeted. Kin only nodded in response, and stared Saria down, from her shoulder length, flipped out, green hair, to her green mini skirt, to her quaint-looking boots. Then Max looked at herself; her plain, sandy hair, her regular green tunic, her worn-in boots... There was no way she could compare to the neatness of Saria, or any of the other girls in the forest. They all looked very pretty. But Max, on the other hand, was more like one of the boys.
Navi interrupted the ongoing conversation between Link and Saria with a quick "Okay, we really have to get going." Max chased after Link, passed two wooden homes carved from tree trunks and the simple forest shop, to the isolated path leading directly to where the Deku Tree resided. It wasn't until the anxious children reached the clearing to the path that they noticed a small, red-haired boy guarding the entrance.
"Hey Link," he said bossily. "Where do you think you're going?"
"The Great Deku Tree summoned me, Mido. Let me through!" Link narrowed his blue eyes and glared straight into Mido's dark brown ones.
"No. I've been told not to let anyone through who doesn't have a sword and shield. Things get dangerous the deeper you get into the forest." With the tone of finality in his voice, Link could tell the conversation was over.
"Where can I find a sword and shield?" he asked Max, hoping for an intelligent answer.
Fortunately he was in luck, because she didn't hesitate before responding. "You can buy two shields at the shop."
"Two shields? Wouldn't I only need one?"
"Don't be silly; I'm coming with you!"
A concerned look graced his features as he headed in the direction of the Korkiri shop accompanied only by Navi.
Suddenly Jazz perked up. "Max, follow me!" Without any warning, she flew off toward a small cave. In ran after her fairy, the wind blowing in her long, sandy ponytail.
"Where are we going?" demanded Max, holding onto her pointed green hat so it wouldn't get swept off her head.
Jazz flew out of the safe clearing where the Korkiri children dwelled and began to dart through the trees of the forest. Max didn't have a great deal of trouble keeping up with her agile partner, but with no idea where they were going, her fear and anxiety made it hard for her to keep her feet moving. At once, the pink fairy stopped midflight, forcing Max to come to a halt. It wasn't until they stopped moving that Max realized just how thick the trees and vines were, growing around them. In front of the pair lay a wooden chest the size of the small girl it sat before. She didn't need Jazz's instruction to know what she had to do.
"Open it, Maxine!"
She grasped the heavy wooden lid and threw it open, then lifted herself eagerly over the chest's edge to remove whatever was inside. The sight of two small swords did not catch her off guard at all. Both silvery blades looked identical, save for the handles – one was blue; the other bore a handle of a shade of violet. Favouring the violet sword, she swung its fabric casing onto her back and decided to carry the blue-handled sword back to Link. Only one question lingered.
"How did you know these were here?"
The tiny fairy bounced up and down in the air. "I've been in this forest for a long time. I found these years ago, but I didn't tell anyone about them. I felt they would be needed for something important..." her voice drifted off and she fluttered slowly in the direction of home. Max had a subconscious feeling that whatever it was the Great Deku Tree wanted Link for was much more serious than either of them had considered.
Only moments later, Max and Jazz had arrived in front of the small Korkiri shop where Link sat on the dirt path holding a small Deku shield. He had already slung the other one on his back.
"Look Link!" Max said, rushing up t o him. "Look what Jazz found us!" She brandished his blade and then carefully handed it to him as he stood from his seat.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He held the sword in his left hand strongly. "Let's go see the Deku Tree!"
The walk to meet Mido for the second time was much more confident than the first. Link and Max followed the dirt path to the familiar setting. At the sight of the two children striding toward him, Mido's typically-Korkirian pointed ears twitched. As soon as they approached him, he began to get defensive. "Why are you back? I told you..." That was the moment Mido noticed the blade in Link's hand. His eyes trailed to the shield and Max's identical attire. Embarrassed and with a lack of response, the small red-haired boy moved out of the way, allowing them to pass.
The two friends didn't get far into the forest before they slowed their pace down and grew closer to one another. Even the glow emitting from Navi and Jazz, despite how rapidly their glow seemed to be shrinking, did not comfort them. A sudden snapping sound caused both of them to whip their heads in the opposite direction. Max grasped Link's hand firmly. "Look," she pointed her sword to the path in front of them. "It looks like a clearing."
A booming voice verified her speculation. "Thank you, Navi." Upon entering the clearing, all four of them became tiny visions to the Great Deku Tree. "Link... and Max... I have some very important information to bestow upon thou. Shall thou listen?" They barely nodded, still in awe. "Our world was created by the three goddesses: Din created the physical geography of our land, Nayru created the laws and justice to keep the land peaceful, and Farore created the races to uphold the laws." The group before him sat and paid complete attention to his story, so he continued without pausing. "Once these goddesses departed our world, they left behind three golden triangles containing their power, called the Triforce. Unfortunately, if the power is in the wrong hands, our world could collapse... Lord Ganondorf, an evil Gerudo King, is attempting to gain control of the Triforce and rule over Hyrule."
"What are you asking of the children?" Jazz asked the Great Deku Tree, trying to be as respectful as possible.
His strong voice echoed through the clearing once more. "I believe one of Ganondorf's monsters is trying to get something from me... Will thou rescue this artifact and possibly the life that protects it?"
Suddenly, a crack in the Tree opened, just big enough for a small child to squeeze through. "He wants us to go in there?" Max asked reluctantly.
Link beamed at the Great Deku Tree then tugged his friend by the elbow. "This is a big honour, Max! We can do it together." Max smiled weakly in response and allowed Link to lead her into the Great Deku Tree.
