Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone is having a good start to their 2015 journey! I know I am cause guess what!

xxxXxxx I'M ENGAGED! xxxXxxx

That's right! Some crazy girl who, for reasons that I cannot fathom, apparently loves me enough to agree to spend the rest of her life with me actually said "YES!"

Don't ask me what she was thinking cause I have no friggin clue…must have been the TARDIS ring box I hid the bling in…

So yeah. That's my life. Anything exciting happening in yours?

Don't really have anything else to say that tops that so…READER RESPONSE!

To:

Noitaerc: Thanks! Yeah, I'm aware that Link has a few things he could use to kill Mira with, but he obviously doesn't want to do that. She's more powerful than him as a mage but if she was actually evil and he had to put her down permanently the outcome might be different…even if he doesn't have the Master Sword…

Proverbsrus: Haha I'm glad you liked it! I was hoping that would make a couple people smile! I hope you continue to enjoy it!

X10-Killbot: *Gasp* Who told you that?! What gives you that idea?! I confirm nor deny nothing!

Gravenimage: Thanks! Glad you like it! I didn't make a mistake though. Link has the symbol of the Triforce on his hand so technically all three triangles are there. Normally only the Triforce of Courage glows for him but because he no longer possesses that piece and instead now has a small gift from all three Goddesses, those other parts will glow when their respective gifts are being used such as when Link needed help understanding a basic principle. I hope that makes sense. On a side note, where did you find that picture of the Dragon's Crown Elf that you use for your profile pic? I like it but I can't find it anywhere.

Libby8980: Wow! Thanks for the support! Really appreciate it! Glad you like the story so far, unfortunately this chapter isn't as long as the last one…

Dragon Silhouette: Yeah. Chickens. The one weakness of the Hero of Time. Glad you like Spryte's attitude, I'm having a lot of fun with her! Hope you continue to enjoy my story!

Regis JN: Possibly…

Hedgehog of Time: Yup. It's inevitable. The pairing I'm going for will most definitely be LinkXErza with a little Mira fluff on the side. I love those two girls sooo much and neither of them really gets much loving. Plus I dislike Jellal, even after he has his whole-change-of-heart-redemption thing. So no JellalXErza for him.

MissMoe: Dun dun duuuuuuuuh! Yes they are coming! Run for your lives! Hahaha glad you liked it! Glad you appreciate the responses, some people have expressed desires to get rid of them but others like yourself seem to like them. Heh, I'm glad you like how I'm portraying Link and Spryte's characters. They're fun! Hahaha maybe not quite the Full Metal Alchemist but it's an interesting comparison. Honestly didn't even think about that at all. You're Fire Emblem game broke?! NOOOOO! Sad day…Hopefully you can get it replaced. Until then, I hope my story satisfies you. I'll start working on it again soon. Can't have you stuck in a mushroom corner after all. Get some sleep.

Wraith54: Thanks! Working on it.

Schniedragon88: Huzzah! I'm winning! Glad you liked the chapter and thanks for the support. Kinda wish it was possible to make money in such a way…oh well. Who's to say he's not going to bend them? He just hasn't gotten there yet. And I have thought about other incarnations and their magic, you'll just have to wait and see how things go. I quite like Spryte as well, she's a really fun side character that I can break rules with cause 'Hey, she's a freaking fairy!' Really glad you like my works and I hope the chapter in Whom She Found satisfied you! Although, based on your review of it, that's a fairly safe assumption. Hahaha!

TeninChwang: Hmmm thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind.

JohnTitor: No Dragon Slayer Magic will be learned by Link. I think it's pretty cliché in Fairy Tail crossovers to have someone else learn it. I mean it's cool and all but it's not the only magic out there. Yeah he's a bit different but still fairly similar.

The Chaos Writer: He just can't escape. Yes that would be interesting. Perhaps I've already considered that. Perhaps not. Who can say really?

Cromakai: Thanks! Really glad you like what you see! I hope you continue to read and enjoy it. Hopefully the things I have planned will keep you hooked.

Soren180: Thanks! I'll try!

Cj10f4: Murphy is one cruel sonufagun. That's for darn sure, unfortunately for Link. Of course Spryte is in tune with magic, she's a fairy! Hahaha which makes her character really fun to write cause I can break rules! As for the Phantom Lord cannon…have to see when we get there. As for Mira and Link…I will confirm nor deny nothing. It's a s'prise…teehee. Hope you like the WSF update as well! Thanks for your support against the idiot, he doesn't really bother me cause his argument is invalid but I really appreciate the words of encouragement!

.98096: Thanks! Glad you like it!

Demonfox2140: Hey! Nice to know it's growing on you! I'm glad you like how I'm showing how their presence affects things! Hopefully I can keep you hooked. Kagura would be a good sparring partner for Link, but not right now. She doesn't really start getting serious with magic until she meets up with Millianna after the Tower of Heaven Arc. She's about 3 years younger than Erza, so right now she's only about 11 and Simon is still alive. But maybe in the future. Yeah, the Cuccos are the true terror of Hyrule. Screw Ganondorf. You can kill Ganondorf (sort of). You should have seen me when I convinced my girlfriend's brother (who doesn't play much Zelda) to 'attack that random chicken' in Hyrule Warriors. His cries of terror made me laugh so hard I almost fell off the couch. Good times…

Timetracer: Yes indeed. Love that game.

Minaly22: Yup, I agree. I love that game. It was a fan dream come true. You'll have to wait and see how that inspiration plays out.

Guest: Perhaps, but really we haven't gotten around to anything crazy yet. He's still adjusting to the world and I hate how some people throw in a new character in a crossover and have them power up the minute they get there. Link is very strong but he's entering a world where people can unintentionally destroy entire towns while fighting. As good as he is he just doesn't have that kind of power right now, especially as a kid in his early teens. Trust me, he'll get there and when he does, he's gonna be awesome.

Lord Sigfry: Apparently they don't. Who knew?

Darklink1011: Hahaha yeah, I chuckled too. I'm not going to skip it per se but you find out what happens through a recap, not during the actual event.

Duncan0Idaho: I'm glad you think my story is interesting and I do hope you will grow to like it more. I was dissatisfied by the lack of good Zelda/Fairy Tail crossovers and thought I'd give it a go. As for your concerns, if you think about it, Link already uses a form of Requip with the hammerspace he uses to pull out all those weapons and gear he uses. I think Requip magic suits him well and I'm just expanding on that. I am fully aware of how awesome OoT and MM Link is and what he can do. Read my Fire Emblem crossover if you doubt me. I've been a Zelda fan my entire life and I put a lot of thought and consideration into this stuff. Incarnations of Link have used a wide variety of magic and magical items throughout their journeys as supplements to their abilities but they've always gotten them in unorthodox ways and were never formally schooled in magic. Technically only a few of the Links were ever formally trained in swordsmanship for that matter. There's nothing to say he CAN'T be a magic user and honestly, as the ever adapting and seasoned warrior that he is, I can't see him passing up the opportunity to become stronger when he has the time to do so.

Erza herself really doesn't use much magic either if you think about it. She Requips weapons and armour that increase her physical abilities and then uses skill to beat her opponents down. Just like Link. True she can use telekinesis and some elemental magic depending on the weapons and armour she wears, but for the most part she takes things down with her physical abilities which, at the moment surpass Link's. Reflexes honed to inhuman degrees are only considered inhuman when no one else has them. Magic raises a person's abilities even passively far above a normal person.

As for the battles I think they're fine. Link may have more skill and experience but he's been thrown into a world where the average mage is easily capable of impressive amounts of destruction. Also keep in mind that he's a young teen. He's not as physically strong as he was as an adult in Ocarina of Time. Yes he's beaten crazy things in Termina, but honestly Erza could have done the same. S-class mages are incredibly powerful and she canonically achieved that rank at 15, so even a couple years younger would still make her very powerful despite the experience gap.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they were SPARRING. You do not go all out in spars. They aren't trying to kill each other, merely train and test their skills against one another. That mindset changes things completely. In a death match, Link would definitely have the advantage and could probably pull out a win on both girls by going all out. But he's not doing that. He's adjusting to a new world, learning new things, and making new friends. He's too young to use the Silver/Gold Gauntlets and honestly the Goron Bracelet doesn't really increase his strength terribly high. In OoT it let him rip bushes out of the ground. Impressive, true, especially if you've tried it in real life but still nothing spectacular. Natsu tried building a house out of boulders bigger than he was as a kid and Erza is even physically stronger than him. Link needed Silver Gauntlets as an adult to do something similar (and yes I'm aware that those boulders were several times adult Link's size so they're technically way heavier than the ones kid Natsu threw around). So, unfortunately, when it comes to a spar, Link is weaker than the Mira and Erza, especially after both of them learned to NEVER underestimate him, they have to take their spars with him absolutely seriously. You can agree or disagree. It's not gonna change my opinion. Just know that he will end up stronger than both of them soon enough. I hope that satisfies you, if it doesn't well I guess you can always write your own story that does. I'm having fun with Spryte though, I'm gonna be flushing her out more as the story goes.

Jahm: I'm gonna reply to all three of your reviews at once. I'm gonna try and keep both of these fics going, especially since WSF is finally picking up in the canon story line. We'll see how it goes. I know I have issues with some spelling and grammar and I do my best to catch them, but some of them still slip by even after several proofreads. It doesn't help that I suck at proper punctuation. I think some pairings are overdone and often move too quickly in some fics but I also think they can add a charm to the story that's fun and fulfilling. Heck, pairings are half the reason some people right these things. This story won't focus on them entirely but they will be there, Link is stuck in this world after all. I'm glad you like the fights, even if you dislike the outcomes. Keep in mind that those fights were all spars and not death matches. Link really doesn't care about winning or losing right now, just in improving himself. If he wanted to actually kill them it might end differently but that's not the case. He will get much more powerful though. Also there's the fact that both Mira and Erza see him as a worthy opponent and thus train extra hard to stay ahead of him. As for the gifts, I'm sorry if you feel like they're doing all the work because that isn't really the case. He couldn't take the Triforce with him simply because it belongs in Hyrule. The cycle is going to continue even if Link isn't there and balance needs to be maintained with the three pieces. He didn't lose it because he couldn't take it, more like he shouldn't take it. Also the gifts aren't really what you think they are, I'm going to expand more on them later but they really aren't that crazy. For now, they're mostly meant to give him a foundation in this new world. They gave him the ability to learn magic, speak and read the language, guide him to one or two magics to start with, and helped him get a basic grasp on the principals of magic. Yes that seems like a lot, but just think of it as an accelerator that's helping him get to a level he might be at if he were born in Earth Land. Everything else he has to do on his own. Like an accelerated cram school to prepare an adopted teen for junior high. I really hope that you stick around, but I would totally understand if you still don't want to read this. I really appreciate the reviews and the words of encouragement!

CocoMint: If only he knew…hahaha!

OniHelix: I'm honestly getting a lot of flack for this lol. My response is that these fights are spars where neither is trying to kill each other. Link beat Majora, true, but it's technically not meant to be an easy fight and he needed to use the other masks to do it. He hasn't done either with Mira. Also keep in mind that the average mage of the Fairy Tail universe is far more powerful than those in the Zelda universe. Link is the ultimate badass in Hyrule but he's not nearly the ultimate badass in Earth Land. Yet. Also, most of Link's big victories are against things physically larger than him. Mira is very powerful as well as the same size and that changes things a bit. She may be a demon, something that Link fights a lot in his world, but demons in Earth Land are a bit different, not to mention that as of The Grand Magic Games Arc (which is as far as I've gotten thus far), Mira's strength is largely ambiguous. There's never really been a point where you can say that's the limit of her power, the only fight so far that she's technically lost was against Azuma and that was while she was panicking over Lisanna's predicament. Everybody else she has stomped a complete mudhole through. If that doesn't satisfy you, then don't worry about it too much cause Link is gonna pull ahead in the next couple of chapters.

SSAFunbar: Yes. Yes he is. Thank you so much! Glad you like this!

Nightfrightpony: Will do!

Inheritance1990: Yeah, you're one of the few apparently. He's gonna get a lot stronger though.

Pokemon-35055: Thanks! Working on it!

Well that was a surprisingly long reader response. Some of you had quite a bit to say. Hopefully my words have satisfied your concerns. Now without further ado:

The Legend of Fair Tail

Chapter 5:

The Twins

xxx

"…"

"Not a word."

"Hck…*Snort*"

"You hear me Spryte?! Not. One. Word."

"Pfft…tee hee…hee."

"I mean it!"

The little fairy tried to hold it in. She really did. But alas she could not suppress the force that was dying to get out.

"BAHAHAHAHA!"

And there it was. Link glared harshly at her and thrust his hands into his pocket as he trudged forward with a miserable expression on his face. Spryte was barely managing to float alongside him as she laughed, clutching the stitches in her sides.

"Oh come on!" Link shouted. "It's not that funny!"

"Maybe hahahah…for you!" Spryte replied between laughs. "But that was…*choke*…the funniest…pffft…thing…haha...I've ever seen!"

"Hmph!" Link pouted and crossed his arms angrily. "It's a curse. I swear it's a curse."

Spryte's response to that was to break out again in new peals of laughter. The source of her mirth could be derived from the events that unfolded during their last job. They had gone through their entire stack successfully and had decided to deal with the livestock request on the way back from Balsam. Whatever Link had been expecting, it hadn't been to discover that 'chicken' was the Earth Land word for 'cucco.'

The young Hylian had been horrified to discover the existence of the domestic birds and that their owner had the strange inclination to raise them like typical herd animals rather than in a coop. To top it off there were hundreds, if not thousands, of them. With this fact in mind and knowing his past experiences with these birds, one might understand the trepidation that Link held towards this job. But the chicken rancher assured him that the birds were gentle and used to the routine. All Link had to do was help get them all into a large barn at the end of the day.

At first things had gone quite smoothly. The chickens did their own thing for most of the day and responded well enough to the end of the day herding. There were a few that would take off sporadically and need to be hunted down but for the most part things went surprisingly well.

Until Link tripped over one.

One could suppose that this event was inevitable. Chickens were not the best herd animals by nature and with so many of them around, they were bound to get under one's feet eventually. The rancher himself had laughed over recounting hundreds of such instances happening to him and his family. It had never been a big deal at all.

Until Link did it.

What happened next could not easily be described without witnessing it first hand. The moment Link stumbled and that bird squawked in alarm, all movement in the area froze. Cold. Not one in a thousand birds ruffled so much as a feather for a full second. Then, in complete synchrony, they all turned towards the lone Hylian with unmistakable malice in their eyes. How it was even possible for chickens to look menacing is a mystery best left unsolved. It's safer not to think about it too much and the young Hylian had more important things to worry about at the moment.

Link stared in abject horror at the threat before him, his body frozen in place. The two sides stayed motionless for several eternal seconds before one chicken let out a loud cry and the entire flock charged forward. The high pitched shriek of terror that escaped Link's throat might normally have been considered slightly effeminate, but under the circumstances it was a justifiable reaction to the situation.

Both Spryte and the rancher watched in fascination as every single chicken on the premises bore down on the unfortunate mage like a pack of starving wolves after a lame turkey. They chased him all across the field and only stopped when the rancher finally got his wits together enough to open the barn door fully and allow Link to dash into the building before diving out a window at the far end. The flock of murderous birds all followed him into the barn but Link was able to slam the window shutters closed and the rancher shut the main doors once the last bird had entered.

Somehow Link had managed to survive with minimal injuries, a few scratches here and there, but the trauma of the attack would probably never fully heal. Their client had gotten a good laugh at Link's expense, claiming to have never seen anything like that before in his entire life. Ironically enough, instead of failing the mission, Link set a new record for the fastest and most efficient herd time ever. He had even been paid extra for a job well done and asked if they could come back and help again, to which Link politely refused much to Spryte's amusement.

Now they were headed back to the guild to report on their success and Spryte was having a hard time containing herself.

"The great..hahahaha…Hero of Time…*snort**hck*…bested by a flock of…heheh…chickens! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Says the fairy I saved from a Skulltula web."

Spryte shrugged uncaringly and continued to laugh. "I'm not the first and I won't be the last. Skulltula's eat fairies; it's a fact of life. What's your excuse?"

Link grumbled some more but didn't refute the point. Honestly he was just glad Spryte was getting her laughs out now before they reached the guild. He didn't dare think about the consequences of letting the others know what happened. If Natsu, Wakaba, Erza, or (heaven forbid) Mira, were to ever find out they'd never let him live it down! Best to let Spryte get the giggles out of her system now while it was still safe. But as they got closer to the guild, Spryte showed no signs of slowing down.

"Come on Spryte!" Link begged piteously as he dismounted from Epona outside of the guild doors.

"Alright, alright, fine," Spryte sighed and took several deep breathes to calm herself. "Ok, I'm good."

"You sure?" Link raised a sceptic eyebrow.

"Yeah I'm…*snort* good."

"You don't sound like it…"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm good."

Link sighed heavily and nodded. "Aright then, let's go report in."

He opened the doors to the guild and they both stepped inside. No sooner had they done so when Spryte darted in and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Hey everyone! Guess what Link is afraid of!"

"DAMMIT SPRYTE!"

xxx

Erza Scarlet, newest S-class mage of Fairy Tail and youngest person to ever achieve said rank in the guild, sat by herself, her arms wrapped around her legs with her knees tucked up towards her chin, on one of the bluffs by the ocean, staring out into the distance. Normally one would expect someone to have done such a thing to be celebrating their success. After all, S-class was a title that many mages only dreamed of earning and which opened up a whole new set of doors to their magical career. The average mage spent most of their entire lives in the shadows of their S-class comrades and yearned to be like them. The fact that Erza had achieved that prestigious rank at 14, far sooner than anyone would have believed possible, was only an added testament to her power and potential.

But this was not the case for her now.

For today marked THAT day.

The day her entire world was thrown on its end.

The greatest and most tragic day of her life.

The day she had escaped the Tower of Heaven.

Memories of those times - the pain, the suffering, the betrayal, the loss, were a constant torment that plagued her thoughts during the day and her dreams at night. Joining Fairy Tail had been the best thing possible for her at the time. The only time she was free of them was when she was distracted by a job, training, or surrounded by her friends. She honestly doubted she could have made it without their unknowing support.

Especially Link and Mira.

One look at Mira and Erza's relationship would immediately give the impression that they hated each other's guts, when in truth; it was actually a much more complicated relationship. They were rivals through and through. They fought and bickered constantly, always trying to one up the other, but they respected each other's strength and pushed each other beyond their limits. Quite reminiscent of the rivalry between Natsu and Gray; the only real difference between the two was that Natsu and Gray had someone that was significantly stronger than them around to break up their fights and even redirect their aggression.

Mirajane and Erza's rivalry did not have that same factor - until Link arrived.

His presence had a profound impact on the guild and with the two girls in particular. Their constant sparring with each other had pushed all three of them to new levels of power. Erza had no doubt in her mind that Link would easily become stronger than both of them one day. Already he had made incredible leaps in magical ability and it had been a long time since his routine spars with either of them had not ended in draws. Then again, those results were based on fights where neither side was actually trying to kill the other. She had no idea what the results would be if either she or Mira ever fought Link in a death match, but she knew they would not be the same.

Either way, their three way rivalry had, unknowingly by the other two, become a powerful support for the red haired young woman and she was very grateful for it.

But nothing could ever stop the flow of memories and pain that came on this day. It was inescapable for her and she could not tell anyone about it. This burden she bore alone.

"Rupee for your thoughts?" a voice from behind startled her and she turned her head in surprise to see Link settle down beside her.

"Something on your mind, Erza?"

"Oh, Link, your back," the red head replied evenly.

"Yeah, not too long ago actually," Link nodded. "Noticed you weren't around so I thought I'd come find you."

"Oh?" Erza quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "Were you worried about me?"

Link shrugged. "I don't think I need to worry too much over the well-being of our newest S-class wizard. Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks," Erza smiled and nodded towards him. "It would have been nice to have you as my partner."

"Maybe," Link leaned back on his hands. "But both you and Mira were going at the same time and it wouldn't have been fair."

"I suppose that's true," Erza tilted her head to the side and turned back to the ocean view. "It's too bad she ran into Gildarts. I would have liked to fight her during the exam."

"Bad luck," Link agreed.

Gildarts was an absolute monster; far and away the strongest person in the guild next to the master himself. Link didn't envy anyone that had to go up against him, although he did want the opportunity to try at some point in his life. Just not right now.

"So why are you out here all by yourself?"

"I…" Erza debated telling him. She really did. It would be so nice to finally confide in someone. Even Master Makarov didn't know the full details about what had happened to her. Link was probably her closest friend within the guild and his support would be immensely helpful. But as she opened her mouth to speak, a face flashed through her memory. A single image revealing a terrifying and evil visage with a twisted smile that haunted her dreams, tore at her heart, and filled her final memory of that hellhole. Her resolve shattered like crystalline glass. "was just thinking…"

She couldn't do it.

.

.

.

She was such a coward.

"Hmm…I see," Link shifted his position so that one leg was stretched out but the other was bent so he could rest one forearm on his knee while still leaning on the other arm. He sounded unconvinced but Erza knew that he wouldn't push the issue and she was grateful for that. Link always seemed to know the best ways to set people at ease. Maybe that was why so many people in the guild thought so highly of him.

The two of them sat in companiable silence for a while, neither feeling the need to initiate further conversation, and gazed at the view before them.

"Link?" Erza suddenly asked without turning to look at him. "Do you think I'm strong?"

The question surprised the Hylian and he blinked at her, though she didn't meet his gaze. He could sense there was far more to the question then what was easily revealed on the surface. Link didn't respond for a long while and Erza felt no need to push him.

"It depends what you mean," He said at last. "If you're asking are you a powerful mage, then I would say yes. You're promotion should tell you that much. But there are many different types of strength, aren't there?" It was more of a statement than a question but Erza didn't respond either way.

"Well either way, strength really isn't all that important," Link continued. "There's something far more important to have than strength."

"And what's that?" Erza asked curiously.

"Courage." He replied simply. "Courage without strength can still make a difference, but strength without courage is useless."

"I…see…" Erza spoke slowly, contemplatively, as if absorbing this new incite to its fullest.

Silence once again fell over them for a while. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was lighting up with the golden glow of twilight. Link sat up straight and raised his hands out in front of him. The tell-tale flash of Requip magic lit up the area around them for a second before dying away and revealing a large strawberry cake, complete with a fork, on a plate.

"Here," He offered the confection to the scarlet haired woman whose eyes lit up in response. "Spryte made this for you to celebrate passing the trials." Yet another one of the bubbly fairy's hidden talents: she was a marvel in the kitchen.

"Mmmm…" Erza smiled happily as she took a big bite of her most favourite dessert. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Link smiled and watched her devour the pastry. When she was about half done he stood up and stretched his arms out before turning away. "I'm not sure what kind of answer you're looking for but…I don't think you give yourself nearly enough credit, Erza. The most important thing for a warrior to have is courage, and you have that in spades."

Now it was Erza's turn to blink in surprise and she turned her head to watch him leave, her mouth still closed around the fork. She stayed that way for a few seconds longer before looking back down at the cake in her hands. A genuine smile crept across her face and she took another bite.

"Thank you, Link." She whispered.

xxx

"So this is Era?" Spryte looked around curiously as they entered the town.

"Yeah," Link nodded, giving Epona a gentle pat for making good time. "Home of the Magic Council."

"It's smaller than I thought it would be," the fairy mused. "Way smaller than Magnolia. Are you sure the place we're looking for is here?"

Link shrugged but kept going. "Erza said it was here. It may be smaller than Magnolia, but this town IS the center of magical authority in Fiore. There's bound to be a lot more magical shops here than anywhere else."

"I guess," Spryte sighed sceptically. "Do you think it'll be worth the trip?"

"Won't know till we find out, I guess."

They wandered the streets of Era, asking for directions when needed, until the finally arrived at their destination. It was a larger than average shop with a pair of big chimneys on either side of the roof. It was a fairly typical looking shop with large windows for displaying merchandise and a well-kept appearance. A painted sign over the entrance displayed the name 'TwinFire Forge'surrounded by flames for the world to see.

"This is it," Link grinned and pushed open the door. A chiming bell announced his entrance to the store and the Hylian took a moment to glance at his surroundings. There were weapons of every shape and size artfully displayed all over the place: mounted on the walls, hung on racks, sitting in display cases, you name it. Link let out a low whistle of appreciation and even Spryte looked impressed by the inventory.

"Ah welcome, young sir!"

A cheerfully boisterous voice called out to him from behind a counter. He and Spryte blinked in surprise as the man approached them with a broad smile on his face. The man was handsome in a rough sort of way, with dark brown hair, a strong jaw, and a bushy moustache. He had no shirt save for a sleeveless navy blue vest worn openly and a pair of simple, but clean, brown pants and work boots. One might have compared his appearance to Gildarts if not for one little detail. This man was big. Like really big.

Seriously, Link knew adult Gorons smaller than this guy. That alone would have made him intimidating, but what made his appearance even more disconcerting was the fact that he looked like a giant walking muscle. On steroids. If there was a single ounce of fat on him then Link would eat his hat. The big man stopped just short of the green clad mage and held out a massive hand to him. It really says something about a guy when he wants to shake hands with you and you have to look up.

To see the hand.

Link didn't even bother attempting to match his grip. He just held out a hand and braced himself for the inevitability of having it crushed. He was not disappointed.

"I'm Sanya and welcome to TwinFire Forge! How may I help you today?"

Link grimaced slightly and tried to conceal his attempts to revive his hand from the cheerful man but managed to respond with a smile of his own.

"I heard from a friend of mine that this place makes some really good magical weapons."

"That we do, sir!" Sanya beamed proudly. "Our weapons are forged by the two best smiths in all of Fiore, if I do say so myself! Their services are highly sought after throughout the kingdom, especially by the Heart Kruez Company."

"So I hear," Link nodded. "I take it that means you do custom work?"

"Of course!" The giant of a man beamed. "You can tell me what it is you'd like and I can forward the order to them if you want a standard piece of equipment. However, you'll have to talk to them personally if you want anything particularly complicated. I should warn you though; they can be a bit fussy about the clientele who come in here with such requests."

Link nodded. "That's fine, are they here now?"

"Mmhmm," Sanya made his way back towards the counter. "I'll call them for you." He pulled on a tasselled rope behind the till and a few minutes later a back door opened up and a figure stepped out.

"Do you need something, Sanya?"

The new individual made Link blink in surprise again. It was a woman. And she was gorgeous.

She was fairly tall and slender with lightly tanned skin, an ample chest and well-proportioned hips. Her dark green hair was done up in a tight ponytail with a blue and white bandana wrapped around her head. She wore a dirtied apron over her clothes, which she removed to hang on a peg as she stepped out of the workshop. Underneath the protective garment she wore simple a shirt and pants that hugged her figure but were not so tight as to be uncomfortable. She obviously had chosen to wear clothing that she didn't care about getting dirty while she worked and Link could see a healthy amount of scuffs and soot smudges from just that. Oddly enough the clothes and stains did more to emphasize her beauty than detract from it, even the smudge on her cheek somehow seemed to make her more attractive and drew attention to her most unusual feature: her eyes. They were different colors. One of them seemed to be shifting mix of blue, green, and silver while the other appeared to be the same but with red, purple, and gold. They were almost hypnotizing. The new woman was very beautiful and couldn't have been more than one or two years over twenty, if that.

"Yes, ma'am," Sanya replied with a brilliant smile. "This young man here is interested in a custom order."

"Hmmm," the woman gazed at Link appraisingly. "I see." Her gaze soon fell on the mark on his arm and she raised a single eyebrow. "You're from Fairy Tail?"

"I am," Link nodded. "I'm Link and this is Spryte."

"Hi!" Spryte greeted cheerily and flitted towards the woman. "Nice to meetcha!"

The woman blinked and her mouth opened in surprise. "Are you…are you…a fairy?"

"Yup!" Spryte grinned. "I get that a lot cause apparently in this world no one has ever seen one before, but I am!"

"Well, I'll be," The woman breathed in wonder. "It seems like you're already several notches above the usual riff raff that comes in here looking for the ultimate weapon."

She put a hand on her hip and smiled at the two of them. "My name is Ena and I'm one of the smiths that make the weapons here."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ena."

"Likewise," Ena nodded. "But before I take an order from you, tell me, what do you think of the weapons you see here?" She gestured to the multitude of arms around the shop.

"I think you have a really impressive selection," Link replied honestly.

"Thank you," the smith smiled lightly. "It is our pride and joy to make high quality magic weapons and armour. But let's pretend for a moment that you aren't interested in a custom job and came in here to buy one of these already made ones. What would you take?"

Link cocked his head to the side curiously. "Why do you want to know?"

"No two weapons are the same," Ena replied. "Even ones that are mass produced with a caste will have minor differences between them. Making the perfect weapon for someone is an art and many things need to be taken into consideration. Your choice will give me an idea of your character and that could go a long way in shaping whatever weapon we make for you."

"I see," Link nodded. "Makes sense. Alright…let me see…"

He began wandering around the shape, looking at the various items around him, with Spryte flitting about to form her own opinions. The store truly had some very impressive pieces of work. Some of them he noticed were overly gaudy and were obviously made to appeal to anyone who thought a fancy weapon was a visual representation of their skill. He ignored those completely after he lifted a bejewelled sword from its stand and discovered its poor balance.

He walked over to a rack of swords and removed one from its place. This one was far simpler in design and had much better balance, but the hilt felt a little off in his hand. He put it back and tried another, this one being a bit too light. He shook his head and tried another.

And so he went, wandering about the shop and testing out various weapons of all types, because he was more than just a swordsman, while constantly being observed by Ena's analytical gaze. Whenever he found one that met his expectations he placed it on the counter before returning to his search.

Finally, after several long minutes, Link had completed his browsing and leaned a spear against the counter before crossing his arms and waiting for Ena's judgement. The beautiful blacksmith looked at the array with a raised eyebrow before turning her attention to Link.

"Why did you pick these?"

Link shrugged and picked up the first sword he had put down. It was a simple long sword, with no fancy decorations other than a couple of lacrima embedded in the hilt and a vine like pattern etched at the base of the blade. He held the sword in an obviously expert hand and gave it a practiced swing. "This sword has the best balance out of all the others of its type and its weight ensures good striking power without sacrificing too much speed. The lacrima, I believe, is meant to produce fire magic and that would make this a good all round blade for most situations."

"Hmmm," Ena nodded approvingly. "And the others?"

Link replaced the sword and picked up a large war hammer. "A bit heavy but has a good grip to compensate and it feels like the magic implanted is meant to make the head larger in order to increase striking power."

He continued on, giving a similar explanation for each of the weapons he had chosen. When he had finished, Link once again stood back to await Ena's verdict. A long pause settled between them before Ena began chuckling and shaking her head.

"I don't believe it…" She laughed before turning to the door to the workshop and opening it. "Hey Eithna! Come up here! You're not gonna believe this!" A few seconds later another woman stepped in to the room while scratching her cheek. Link was surprised yet again as he saw her. This woman, Eithna, looked EXACTLY like Ena. The only real difference he could see between them was that Eithna wore a white and red bandana and her heterochromic were opposite Ena's.

"Link, Spryte, this is my twin sister, Eithna," Ena introduced with a smile. "In case you were wondering, both our names mean 'fire' hence the name of our shop."

"Nice to meet you, Eithna," Link nodded to her but he was cut off by Ena's excited gesture to the weapons on the counter.

"Look what he picked!"

Eithna blinked in surprise. "All of them?"

Ena nodded.

"Did you help him at all?"

"Nope."

"Sanya?"

"Not a word, ma'am," the big man grinned.

"Well I'll be…"

Link looked between them in mild confusion. "You want to explain something to the rest of us?"

At this the twins laughed.

"Ah, Link, we're sorry," Ena giggled lightly. "It's just that all of these weapons were planted specifically for this little test of ours."

"You see," Eithna continued. "We may be young but we come from a long line of famous blacksmiths and so our works are highly sought after throughout Fiore. We get countless would-be mages, fighters, and spoiled rich men that come in thinking they're really hot stuff and demanding the greatest weapons we can make for them."

"Most of them wouldn't know a good weapon if it came up and bashed them in the face," Ena sighed in frustration. "They're not worth our time, so we make some pieces like that big ornate sword you tried earlier for people like that. They work fine for those people that really don't know what they are doing and those that are never going to seriously use them in the first place. Other ones we have are not nearly as flashy looking but they are of good quality while still being affordable to the average level individual. Companies which we have contracts with, like Heart Kruez, often send for custom orders that we do our best to fulfill, but those pieces lack the personal touch that we can give from meeting the recipient face to face."

"Our best works come from private custom orders," Eithna spoke again. "But we only take requests like that from people who know what a good weapon is. We made these," she gestured at the weapons in front of her, "to be the highest quality works we have on display, but purposely made them to look relatively inconspicuous when compared to the others around them. Anyone who is able to pick one of these out and give a good reason for why they did so passes our test." She smirked. "You'd be very surprised by how many people fail."

"But you, Link," Ena smiled broadly. "Picked out every plant we had amongst their respective weapon types. No one has ever done that before."

"Tee hee," Spryte giggled. "Well Link, you really are a weapon nut!"

The Hylian only glared at the fairy, who continued to giggle, before turning back to the twin magic smiths. "So does that mean you'll forge some weapons for me?"

"Link," Ena smiled and raised a hand to him. "We would be happy to!"

Link returned her smile and reached out to shake her hand. Upon doing so, Ena gave sharp intake of breath before freezing solid, her gaze locked on Link's hand. Her sister, startled by the action, looked at her in concern.

"Ena? What's wrong?"

Ena didn't respond right away but slowly released her grip from Link's hand and staring at her own for a moment in a daze. Everyone in the room looked at her worriedly; Link was especially nervous and wondered if he had accidentally done something wrong. Then Ena looked at him again.

"Could…could I see your hand again?"

Link stared at her for a moment before tentatively reaching his hand out to her. She took it once more and stared unblinking at the appendage. "How is this…" She whispered to herself in wonder. Suddenly, she shot her other hand out and grabbed her sister's hand as well. "Eithna! Do you feel this?!"

Eithna blinked rapidly in surprise as her sister thrust Link's hand into her own. It didn't take long, however, before her look of surprise was replaced by one of shock. "Ena…" She turned her head slowly to her twin who looked back with knowing eyes. Without a word, Ena placed her hand on top of Link's once more and the two sisters interlocked their free hands together, forming an unbroken connection between the three of them. The twin's both closed their eyes for a moment before suddenly snapping them open. Spryte gasped in shock and Link had to force himself to remain where he was. Their eyes were glowing with a bright ethereal light that he could not look at directly. At the same time he felt something odd within his body. A strange presence, as if something was…looking…inside of him. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable but Link couldn't help but feel exposed to the two women.

Link couldn't say how long they stayed like that. It could have been minutes or seconds or even hours. He wasn't sure. But when the light in their eyes died down and they released his hand, both girls were looking at him with something akin to both awe and excitement.

"What did you see?" Sanya was the first to break the silence that had fallen.

"Something amazing," Ena breathed and Eithna nodded her agreement before addressing Link. "We're sorry if we startled you, but my sister and I have a unique ability that has helped us become the smiths that we are."

"One of the most fundamental aspects of magical smithing involves imbuing the object you're creating with magical power. This allows the holder to use the object as an amplifier that gives specific form to their magic."

"Right," Spryte said. "We already know how Caster and Holder magic works, but what does this have to do with Link?"

"Well," Eithna replied. "There are multiple ways of imbuing magic in an item. The most common of which involves using lacrima or runes. When you use lacrima in the forging process you often start with a basic crystal and then charge it with a magical source to change it into specific type. For example, if you want a fire lacrima you take a basic crystal and run a fire spell through it. This will permanently change its nature and any normal magic power that you run through it will produce fire."

"Alright," Link nodded and continued listening.

"Do you two know what the most potent form of magical energy is?" Ena asked.

"I could probably take a guess," Link shrugged. "But I'd rather just hear it from you."

"It's life," Eithna replied with a light smile. "Life energy is the ultimate form of magic. Why do you think so many dark rituals involve sacrifices or blood? It's to harness the life energy that exists within them."

"Life energy can also be used in making magical items. You don't need a lot of it, either; just enough to imprint the magic in the lacrima. In fact, many magical items are made using the remains of recently slain monsters."

"Which brings us back to you," Ena expression turned serious. "My sister and I have the ability to sense the life energy within things. This allows us to extract it more efficiently than others and also gives us an idea of how best to utilize the energy in the crafting process."

"Normally when someone passes our test, we channel a bit of their life energy. It sounds bad but it really isn't much different than casting a particularly draining spell; they'll be tired for a bit but the energy regenerates after a while. This helps us to not only make powerful weapons, but ensures that they are particularly suited to the individual who will use them."

Link nodded in understanding. It was a well-known fact that while a mage could potentially learn any kind of magic they wanted, they possessed a natural inclination towards a certain type that would manifest on its own if no real direction was taken. Erza's magic, for example, had initially manifested as the ability to manipulate weapons telepathically. It made sense that they could use a mage's life energy to make an item perfectly suited for them.

"But for some reason," Ena's expression turned curious. "Within you we can sense a lot of life energy that isn't originally yours."

Link blinked at that. "What? Not mine?"

"Yes," Eithna nodded. "And they are powerful."

"They?" Spryte gaped. "You mean more than one?"

"Indeed," the twins nodded together. "Quite a few different sources actually. They have blended with your own life energy almost seamlessly, but they are still distinct."

Link stared at the two in disbelief for a few moments before looking at his hands. Several powerful life energies within himself? Where did those come from? He couldn't think of any reason why he would have foreign life energies within himself. At least not yet. He hadn't gotten around to practicing with Take Over magic at the moment, but that wasn't too far off. So where had they come from?

His gaze turned to the mark on the back of his hand. Was this perhaps related to his gifts from the Goddesses? "Can you…" He asked slowly. "Can you tell what they are? Where they're from?"

"Possibly…" the twins held out their hands again. Link took them and once again the two women's eyes glowed as they delved into his life energy. It was a unique experience for them; never before had they met somebody with such energy in his body. It was bright, pure, and extremely potent. Perhaps the strongest source they had ever encountered. And that was just his own. These other sources swirling around within him were also very strong and only served to add their strength to his already incredible power. There was no way they would be able to distinguish all of them at once, the well of life energy within him was almost blinding to their senses. Instead they focused on one, a particularly strong energy that swirled more aggressively than the others. They followed its path as it mixed and mingled with the energy around it and watched it twist and turn violently, yet somehow harmoniously, with the others. They gently touched the energy and it writhed angrily in response.

"There's one…" the twins whispered together. "That's more erratic than the others…more…violent. It's strong…and moves like serpent."

They probed it further and a feeling of intense heat and rage filled their minds. They grit their teeth in response to the sensation and pushed further, trying to discover the original form of the energy. The heat and rage increased exponentially! As if a raging inferno had erupted around them!

"It's hot…" they gasped, trying desperately to maintain their connection. "And angry…It burns…"

It was too much. They wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. The fire within was enveloping them completely. Then, a shadow began to take form within the flames; a massive serpentine shape that rushed towards them with gaping jaws. The twins gasped in shock and released their grip on Link's hands, stumbling back against the wall. They were breathing hard and sweating heavily.

"A dragon…" Ena gasped in awe.

Link's head snapped towards her. A burning serpentine dragon? There was only one thing that he knew of that matched that description.

Volvagia, the ancient dragon of Death Mountain.

Suddenly it all made sense. Link had never questioned it before but now that he thought about it, every time he had slain a giant monster he had felt stronger afterwards; as if they had imparted some of their strength to him upon their death. There were even instances where it felt like slaying regular monsters had helped him recover some of his energy. Apparently it hadn't just been his imagination: he had unknowingly been absorbing the life energy of the monsters he had defeated this entire time.

"Link…is it possible?" Spryte asked in a low voice, having reached a similar conclusion on her own based on her knowledge of Link's feats.

"It…It would make sense," Link replied slowly. "I've never really noticed until now." He then turned back to the twins. "And you say you can extract these energies to make things?"

"Extract? No," Ena shook her head. "The energies have blended with your own far too well for that. They are a permanent part of you now."

"But we CAN syphon them," Eithna replied. "We don't need to extract the energies, just channel them through a proper lacrima enough to imprint them within, creating a self-sustaining copy if you will. It will be a draining process and will weaken you for a time but the energy will restore itself after a while."

"And you can do this? Make things using this energy?"

"Yes we can," the twins smiled at him broadly. "We don't know how you came to possess such power but if you will let us – we will make you the greatest weapons of our lives."

Link returned the smile.

"Let's do it then!"

xxx

A/N: Annnd that's that. A little shorter than the others but we have a couple more OC's introduced and Link is now on track to getting his own arsenal of magic weaponry. So what do you think of my theory for Link getting stronger after killing monsters? I've had that one floating around in my head for years. Can anybody guess what I'm gonna make out of Volvagia's life force? I'll give you a hint. It's in another Zelda game and the moment I saw it I thought "Oooooooh yeah...that's going in my story." Hero cookie to anyone who guesses it! Anyway that's all for now. Haven't decided which story I'm gonna update next but I'll try to have something done by the end of the month. Now I'm gonna go hang out with my fiancé!

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Man I still can't wrap my head around that…..