"ANOTHER!! ANOTHER!!"

The cry of the children could be heard from quite a distance. If one would investigate the source of the encore, they would find that near the fountain in the courtyard, an old man was surrounded by children. His face was wrinkled as a result of time's toll on his body, and his grey beard and mustache conveyed the same idea. He wore a blue robe, and a tall blue hat. His cheeks were rosy red, and his eyes still very full of shine and vitality.

"Alright, alright... One more." His old voice creaked.<img src="http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2 ... ikashi.png" align=right>

The children cheered and celebrated before quickly quieting for the beginning of the story. They sat in a huddled bunch near the fountain, eagerly awaiting the man's words. He cleared his throat, and sat down once more on the fountain's edge.

"Once upon a time...", he began. "There lived a race of forest dwelling folk who lived alongside fairies as their lifelong partners..."

The children's eyes widened with wonder.

"They lived happily under the branches of their guardian tree, and what's more... They never aged... They remained children forever..."

The old man's cheeks rose, a smile evident from under his grey facial hair.

"These children of the forest swore an oath never to leave the tree's reaches, for they would lose their lives upon doing so... These children became known as the spirits of the forest, and none but those who shared kinship with them were allowed to enter their forest."

By this point in the story, a couple of grown adults had stopped to lend an ear. People had taken a seat on their carts, or simply stood staring at the old man has he rambled on.

"They dressed in green outfits, and wore silly green hats, like this!" The old man removed his blue hat, and swiftly replaced it with a green sock cap. He made a silly face at the children. Their laughter made him smile warmly, and he decided to leave his cap the way it was.

"However, legend tells of a great illness that befell the guardian tree..."

The mood changed around the fountain as more people gathered to listen.

"As the legend goes, one of the children among them showed extraordinary courage in the face of this illness, and ventured within the guardian tree to kill whatever was causing the tree such great pain..."

"DID HE WIN?!?!?" One of the children cried out anxiously. The pudgy child was then knocked on the head by the surrounding children, all of whom hushed him so that the story may continue.

"The courageous child fought through many spiders to reach the center of the tree, where he found himself fighting a spider as big as that house!!" The old man pointed to a house not far away from the courtyard. The children shrieked with terror at the visual in their head.

"Did the kid get out okay?" The source of the question was a hefty man who'd stopped with his fruit cart to hear the tale.

The old man then looked around, realizing he'd drawn a crowd. His heart filled with joy, he continued the story.

"The child fought valiantly, armed with naught but a wooden shield, a sword, and slingshot. He triumphed over the great spider with his courage and cleverness. By shooting the beast in its only eye with his trusty slingshot, he blinded the monster long enough to deliver the final blow!"

Silent cheers, and a couple applause filled the air around the man.

"He emerged victorious over the beast, and although he'd killed the sickness, the tree..." He looked around at the smiling faces of the children, and second guessed his next words.

"The tree was still sick for a days to come, but... But it made a full recovery! The point of the story is that any of you could have done the same..." He pointed his old bony finger at the kids, and panned it around until he'd made contact with each of them. "All it takes is the courage. It's what separates men from boys... The courage that the great hero brandished when he put the Blade of Evil's Bane between Ganon's evil eyes..."

The children seemed empowered by the speech, and each felt like they were ready to take on the world.

"And legend has it... That the great tree still exists somewhere to this very day..."

"AND THE FOREST CHILDREN?!?"
The pudgy kid was again knocked in the head by the children that surrounded him.

The old man thought for several seconds before turning woeful eyes towards the ground. He closed his eyes and reflected on the question before looking up at the children with a smile.

"I'm certain they're somewhere still... Playing, frolicking, and remaining forever young, just as they did all those years ago..."

Claps emerged from all those around him, applause, and cheers. His old heart was filled with such joy that he wished the moment would never end. So many people stopping to listen to an old man's story... it meant more to him than anyone could know.

"ANOTHER!! ANOTHER!!" cried the children once more.

The old man smiled, his rosy cheeks still lifted happily.

"Alright then... I suppose one more..."