- "Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon. Hurry... The four who are there... Bring them here..."
- — Tael
Tael (トレイル Toreiru?, 
) is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. He is a fairy, and the brother of Tatl.
In japanese version, his name translated into Trail.
Biography[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Once, during a rainstorm, Tael and his sister Tatl befriended the abandoned Skull Kid. The three got along very well, even though the Skull Kid's mischievous side would at times surface. Tael appeared to pay no heed to the Skull Kid's increasing menace, even when he stole Majora's Mask from the Happy Mask Salesman.
However, when the three encounter Link in the Lost Woods, Tael is separated from his sister, and, being in the company of the changed Skull Kid, finally understands his true motives. When Tatl and Link confront the Skull Kid at the top of the Clock Tower on the Final Day, he tells them about the Four Giants, the only ones with the power to stop the Moon from destroying Termina, although he is knocked back by the Skull Kid, causing Tatl to tell him off and become even more determined to stop him.
When Link calls the Four Giants, Tael is reunited with Tatl. However, here, it is evident that he has become stronger, as he calms Tatl down when she is afraid, mirroring Tatl's behavior during the rainstorm. In addition, he attempts to explain to Tatl that Majora's Mask drove the Skull Kid to commit his evil deeds. Tatl does not believe him until Majora's Mask speaks and reveals that it had been using the Skull Kid as its puppet. If Link resets the three day cycle after this point and again summons the Four Giants, Tatl will already understand what Tael is about to say, much to his surprise. When Tatl initially refuses to accompany Link up to the Moon, Tael bravely offers to go in her place, telling his sister that perhaps if he had been stronger, the Skull Kid would not have done the things he did. It is this that convinces Tatl to go with Link.
At the end of the game, Tael presumably comforts his sister as Tatl watches Link depart on Epona.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Behind the scenes[]
Many glitches and bugs were discovered by the game creators in early builds of Majora's Mask, some of which were changed for future versions of the Japanese release, along with the North American and PAL versions. One of these changes was changing Tael from white to purple to avoid confusion between Tael and Tatl.
Etymology[]
Tael and his sister Tatl's names appear to be a play on "tattle-tale", due to their childlike mischief. In Japanese, Tael's name is a phonetic rendering of the English word "trail", which as a verb means to follow or be drawn behind, or to move slowly, both of which are relevant to Tael's timid personality.
Other appearances[]
Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.
Hyrule Warriors[]
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Tatl & Tael appearing alongside Skull Kid as part of Young Link's Focus Spirit Attack in Hyrule Warriors
Tael makes a cameo appearance in Hyrule Warriors along with his sister and Majora/Skull Kid during Young Link's Focus Spirit Attack, where Skull Kid and the fairy siblings appear briefly before Skull Kid summons the Moon which the Fierce Deity cuts in half with his Fierce Deity Sword. The Fairy of Darkness used to dispel Dark Barriers also shares Tael's coloration.
Hyrule Warriors Legends[]
Tael & his sister Tatl appear as part of Skull Kid's Ocarina moveset, they fly alongside Skull Kid who can use his stolen Ocarina to command Tatl and Tael to attack enemies. As a result, he fights in tandem with his sister and Majora/Skull Kid. One combo involves Tatl & Tael flying around to create a cyclone that pulls in nearby enemies then the two dive towards the ground like a meteor creating a huge crater. Due to their central role as part of his moveset both Tatl & Tael appear on weapon icons for each Ocarina weapon level. Interestingly their appearances changes slightly with each weapon level (Fairy Ocarina, Lunar Ocarina, and Majora's Ocarina), likely to signify the increase in power. In Skull Kid's victory cutscene, Tatl & Tael fight amongst themselves while Skull Kid plays a note on his Ocarina and laughs like he did when he stole the Ocarina of Time from Link in Majora's Mask. Eventually throws the Ocarina to Tatl & Tael who catch it while Skull Kid flies off. Still holding the Ocarina Tatl & Tael follow after Skull Kid as the cutscene ends. They also appear in Hyrule Warriors when Skull Kid is unlocked via the download code that comes with Hyrule Warriors Legends.
Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.
Gallery[]
.png "Hyrule Warriors 8-bit Sprites 8-Bit Tael (Adventure Mode Sprite).png (244 bytes)"){kind=icon}
.png "Hyrule Warriors Tatl & Tael Majora's Ocarina (Victory Cutscene).png (596 KB)")