Prologue:
Friends till the end
The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo, and Fairy Tail is owned by Funimation.
"Talking"
"Thoughts"
"Demon/deity speech"
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Deep in the woods of Ordan, there are many things that have been hidden from mortal eyes for centuries; one of which, is the Skull Kids. They are imps formed by children that have lost their way in the woods. It does not happen often, but when it does, the child gains a suit and hat of leaves, and, unfortunately, loses its face, leaving only beady yellow orbs for eyes, and orange, beak-like lips. Having been formed of children, they all love to just play around (more like screw with people) and have fun in the forest. That is, all but one.
This one skull kid is different from the rest. Oh sure, he laughed and played like all the rest, but he had a fascination with masks. He had been fond of wearing them for as long as he could remember. Skull masks, Keaton masks, Frog masks, you name it, and he wore it. Bu this fascination would get him in trouble one day, for one day, he "found" a mask with a great and terrible power sealed inside it. Naturally, he put it on, and was then enslaved by the power he found. He would have destroyed an entire realm too, were it not for a brave young boy who managed to stop him.
This young boy endured a hellish cycle of pain and loss in order to put a stop to the skull kid's mistake. And in the end, when the evil was defeated, the two became friends. However, the boy was on a journey, and could not stay for long, but he promised that they would meet again. And they did.
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It was years later; the boy, Link, had grown into a young man, and had yet to complete his quest. He was once again riding, with a cloak and hood on as winter was coming around, into the Lost Woods with his trusty steed, Epona, to find Navi, the young fairy that he grew so close during his quest to save Hyrule from Gannondorf. He had been systematically searching the woods since he was twelve years old, and still had found no signs of his dear old friend.
"Maybe" he thought "I should just give up on searching for Navi. It has been ten years after all… I should just go back to Lon Lon Ranch. Heh, If I hurry I can get back in time for Malon's grilled Cucco and a Deku Berry shake, and perhaps a little something else to end the night".
While deep in thought about his girlfriend, he failed to notice a rustling in the trees above him.
"Are you sure about this guys?"
"Of course we're sure".
"Yeah sis. It'll be fun".
"I don't know…There is something awfully familiar about that guy on the horse. The horse looks familiar too…Guys…? And you already left…"
As Link was riding along, he and his mare were both struck in the head by a couple of deku nuts. Now, ordinarily, this would not be a problem, but the nuts hit them with so much force that they exploded with a large flash of light. Epona reared back and Link, disoriented, was flung off and thrown into a tree.
"WOOOAAAHH-"
*THUD*
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Did you him fly Tatl, Tael? HOOOHOHOOHOHO! That's what you get for riding in the Lost Woods all alone stupid. HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Ungh, my hea- wait…Tatl…Tael…! Skull kid, Tatl, Tael, is that you guys?"
While it was surprising to the three that the man did not run away screaming in fear, as that is what most did after they heard a Skull kids high pitched laughter ring though the trees, they were stunned that the man seemed to recognize the name of the fairies.
"Umm. Wh-wh-what do you mean 'is that you?'" Tatl shakily shouted.
"Well that's because" Link then took off his hood to reveal a mop of blonde hair and piercing blue eyes "It's me, Link ".
At this Skull kid and the fairies, one white and one dark purple, jumped down to the ground. Skull kid began sniffing the air, and he did find a familiar scent of trees and magic, but these were the Lost Woods, it always smelled like that.
"I see you need some convincing, all right…" Link then began to rummage in the satchel around his waist. Skull kid tensed and was about to flee until the man took out a weird looking green…thing…and placed it on his head. He the gestured to himself "Now do I look familiar?"
The white fairy then flew at breakneck speed into Link's chest "LINK!" she cried. "It is you! After all, who else would wear such a stupid hat!"
"Well I told you before, I happen to like this hat….It's good to see you again Tatl". He smiled warmly. He then turned to Skull kid and Tael, still frozen in place "And you too, Tael, Skull kid".
Skull kid just continued to stare at Link's face, and then proceeded to hurl rocks at said person.
"Ow, ow, ow, hey, Skull kid -ow- what in Din's name?"
"YOU PROMISED!" He yelled out, stopping his assault. He then looked to the ground, tears falling down. Link stood up and made his way towards the crying Skull kid. "*Sniff* Y-y-you said we would me-me-meet again, but you di-di-didn't. *HIC* We stayed at that tree stump for months and you never showed! I-I-I thought you forgot about us…" Skull kid was full on sobbing by this point. Tatl and Tael were not doing any better either.
Link was then washed over with a sense of guilt. He DID promise that they would all meet again, but he never kept that promise. "Well" he thought "Time to amend that".
"Skull kid…"
"…Y-yes?"
"I did not meet with you guys during those ten years, and I can't even begin to apologize for that. However, perhaps we can make a new promise".
"W-*Sniff*-what?" Skull kid asked, the sobs beginning to subside.
"Yeah. My journey is over….I never found my old friend, and in the process I forgot about three new ones. So how about this, every other day, I'll come here and the four of us can play as long as you want. How does that sound?"
"That…sounds...terrific!" He yelled, jumping with joy. Tatl and Tael dancing in the air around both of them.
"Great. But first, we should probably calm down Epona."
"Oh…" Skull kid then remembered that had thrown a deku nut full force into the horse's face, "Sorry about that…" He sheepishly stated.
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Link kept this promise, meeting with Skull kid, Tael, and Tatl alternating days to play in the woods. To save trouble, he built himself a house at the edge of the woods so he and Epona wouldn't have to trek all the way to the ranch in order to rest. Link even introduced Malon to the trio one day. And aside from the awkward meeting where Skull kid tripped her on a vine, exposing her undergarments for the world to see, they all got along great. When Link and Malon eventually married, the three were mingling in the treetops during the ceremony, happy for their friends. When Link and Malon started to grow their family, Skull kid, Tatl and Tael were always there to entertain the kids. All was good…Until the war started.
Even though the sages sealed away Gannondorf, averting catastrophe, not all were happy. Koume and Kotake were furious that their aspirations would never come to pass, and began to raise an army of foul creatures to bring about the age of darkness they desired. When the kingdom announced that they were recruiting soldiers, Link was all too willing to take up the sword to once again defend his home.
The war was a long and sordid affair. By the time it was over, Link had more than done his duty, and yet, was not properly thanked. While he did not care for expensive gifts or excessive praise, he did want to be appreciated. He lost his right eye in a three-on-one battle against darknuts, protecting his squad while they rested, and was given a pat on the back and condolences for his lost organ. But, regardless of the experience, he returned home mostly whole, and his family and oldest friends celebrated his return.
Years passed, and Link grew into an old, wise, and ultimately tired man. His children had moved away to live their own lives, and Malon had passed away just a year ago in her sleep.
One day, Link packed up what little he still owned, sent it to his children via the newly set-up postal service, and hobbled into the forest. He found a nice tree to sit down under, sat down, and waited.
Eventually, Tael, who, along with Skull kid and Tatl, had been following Link, asked "What are you doing Link?"
"Waiting *Cough*".
"For what?"
"My time in this world to end".
"WHAT!" Tatl shrieked "Are you crazy! Do you know what will happen if you die here Link?! You will-"
"Become a-*Cough* *Cough*-stalfos?" He rasped out. "That is only if an adult gets lost in the woods Tatl, and I am exac-*Huff*-exactly where I want to be. With any luck, that will be enough" He was silent for a few moments. "My only regret *Cough*, is that I was unable to teach what-*Wheeze* I had learned to the next generation. Oh well," he wistfully smiled "You can't win them all…Skull kid, Tatl, Tael…".
"…Yeah Link…" Skull kid replied.
"…If, if I do turn,*Cough*descend into darkness, would you keep watch over the master sword and the temple of time? As I stalfos I doubt I can stand to be near such a holy place".
"…Yeah" The fairy siblings had tears streaming down their face, Skull kid's as well. "Yeah Link, we'll *Sniff* do that".
"…Thank…you…my…dear…friends…" And just like that, Link, the Hero of Time, died.
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All throughout the land that day, everything seemed to deflate. Lake Hylia lost its sparkle, Death Mountain's rumblings grew silent, the forest and life within darkened, it rained heavily for hours on end. No one, not even the Queen, Zelda, arguably the most powerful sorceress in the land, could find an answer as to why the entire world seemed to weep that day. To further the phenomena, small statues with large holes in them cropped up across the land, each one seeming to play a song. These "howling stones" (for the melodies they played sounded haunting to one's ears) were another mystery no one could explain. People would try to play the melodies they heard, thinking they were some ancient and powerful magic, but none could follow the tune. Some even reported sightings of a golden wolf with one gleaming red eye nearby, which would shake its head at them as if to say "You are not worthy". And indeed, for ages, no one of worth showed themselves, until a young boy, with the ferocity of a wolf, began his journey.
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There are many mysteries deep within Ordan woods that cannot be explained. One such mystery involves an imp with a trumpet and floating white and purple lights, playing and dancing around a skeleton wearing worn and moss covered bronze armor, with one glowing red eye, wearing what looks to be a smile on its face.
A/N: I know that there wasn't any mention of anything even remotely Fairy Tail this chapter, but I needed to set the stage. Next chapter starts the adventure in Fiore.