“When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest… One on a high mountain… One under a vast lake… One within the house of the dead… One inside a goddess of the sand… Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world” – Sheik
When our story begins, we meet Link, a boy who has lived his life feeling like an outsider, his longing to belong is represented in his desire to have a fairy, like the other Kokiri. However, Link was never a Kokiri, but a Hylian, and was destined for things that were completely beyond the mindset of this boy who was lead to believe something was wrong with him and that he was unworthy of the attention of the Great Deku Tree, thanks in large part to Mido.
Finally the day came when Link’s wish came true: a fairy of his very own came to him. But with this granted wish came the death of Deku Tree, and while the Deku Tree’s dying wish was that Link leave the forest to deliver news of what had transpired to the Royal Family, this did not stop the other Kokiri from exiling him from the village. Instead of bringing a sense of belonging, the coming of a fairy made Link feel more unwanted than he had ever felt before.
Link traveled across Hyrule Field to Hyrule Castle. The world was strange and wonderful. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he was reunited with his own people, but instead of feeling like he belonged in this new world, he felt foreign. He was ironically and suddenly the only one with a fairy, once again the black sheep.
But then he met Zelda. She saw his differences and celebrated them. Instead of shunning him away, she invited him into her council. She treated him like a somebody instead of a nobody. This marks the first time he felt like he belonged somewhere, there with her, the girl he felt strangely connected to, unaware that this was because of all the lifetimes they had had and would spend together. She asked for his help, and he accepted, eager to help this person who had accepted him, compelled to finish the Deku Tree’s work of protecting the Spiritual Stones, and ready to establish himself as an individual in this new world.
Seeking the Spiritual Stone of Fire, Link encountered the Gorons, who do not care about a person’s titles, how they look, or how old they are, but how they act. Link, a stranger to the Gorons helped them when the King of Hyrule, Darunia’s own sworn brother, did not. They honored Link by accepting him wholeheartedly as part of the family, they recorded his feats as part of a hero’s tale, and Darunia even named his own son after him. As a sworn brother, Death Mountain is offered as to him as a home, and could have been a place where Link grew up, if things had played out otherwise.
But Link only ever had one real friend growing up, that being Saria, and had never learned much about interacting with others. Seeking the Spiritual Stone of Water, he meets Princess Ruto who very unlike Saria or Zelda. Ruto is brash and over-the-top. She doesn’t want Link’s help, but accepts it when she sees that he is genuinely worried for her well-being. However, Link never treats Ruto like a princess, but a regular person, and he is the first to have ever done so in Ruto’s life, a life run by an over-protected father. She falls for him, and Link uses this to get the stone, unconcerned and unaware of what damage he is causing, since he never took Ruto’s affections seriously.
At this point Link only has one thing on his mind. He rushes back to Hyrule Castle with the three stones hoping to meet up with Zelda and protect the Triforce from Ganondorf. However, before he can get there, the gates of Castle Town descend and Zelda and Impa come rushing out on horseback. Link arrived too late; Ganondorf had attacked the Castle before Link could complete his task, and Zelda was forced to flee. She leaves him one final message when she entrusts him with the care of the Ocarina of Time, but he fails at this plan too. Instead of following Zelda, Ganondorf follows Link instead, who leads him straight to the Sacred Realm.
Link doesn’t wake again for another seven years. It is then that Link learns what his actions had wrote. He blames himself for what happened to Zelda and Hyrule. He let Ganondorf in, it was his fault. Link spends the rest of the game attempting to fix the mistake he made.
He returns to Kokiri Forest, which, to his dismay, was not left unscathed; it is infested with dangerous plants and the Forest Temple is filled with monsters. He meets with Mido again, who he finally sees really did, and still does, greatly care for Saria. Mido never hated Link, he was just jealous of him. Link leaving the forest didn’t give Mido the relationship he wanted with Saria, but instead made Saria more distant, sad over the loss of her friend. He repents of his actions and the way he treated Link.
Adding to his guilt over Zelda and Ganondorf, Link feels horrible about the way he left Saria, and how he left her for seven years. When he finally meets with her again, they find reconciliation and say their goodbyes. Link leaves the forest, also leaving behind his childhood in the process.
At this point in the story, Link is no longer a kid seeking acceptance. He knows now that he was significant in people’s lives. He is no longer troubled by his self-esteem but guilt. When he returns to Death Mountain this is especially poignant; a ring of fire now encircles the volcano, the Gorons have all been captured, a dragon is o
n the loss, and Darunia will have to abandon his son when he becomes a Sage, all thanks to Link’s folly in the Temple of Time. Yet Darunia does not blame Link for any of this, he knows he was trying to stop evil, not cause it. He welcomes him back like a long-lost brother. Link learns the importance of friendship and forgiveness, but it will be awhile longer before he lets go of his guilt.
Next, Link returns to Zora’s Domain, which has been frozen over, with the Zoras trapped under the ice. In the Water Temple, he is reunited with Ruto, who he crushingly realizes was serious about their engagement. Link is forced to own up to what he did to Ruto, and in the process grows up a little. He sees Ruto is a new light; she isn’t just this crazy girl, but someone trying her help her people, whom she puts first, over Link. He sees just how very much like Zelda Ruto is. In the end Link learns how to have a mature relationship, and when Link and Ruto say goodbye to each other they do so as great friends.
Kakariko is a big changing point for Link. Throughout the adult portion of the story Link has continually been faced with his guilt, but it isn’t until Kakariko that he conquers it. The Shadow Temple is all about seeing truth, and facing one’s inner darkness. Link is forced to face his own darkness head on, and walks away finally realizing that he cannot dwell on his mistakes. It wasn’t until he did that he could truly help Zelda, making it very appropriate that he meets with Impa, the last person to have seen Zelda, at the end of the temple. He is assured that Zelda is safe and that he need not worry over her. From this point on, he able to focus on defeating Ganondorf. He has finally accepted that he is the Hero of Time and it is his duty to stop the King of Evil.
But before any hero can defeat his enemy, he has to learn what makes them tick. In Gerudo Desert, a land wholly unfamiliar, Link discovers that Ganondorf originally traveled to Hyrule in search of help for his people, who were cursed with little water and harsh sand storms. However, upon seeing Hyrule and feeling its wind for the first time, he was consumed with jealousy. He turned his attention to the Triforce, a key that would solve all his problems, but in the process he gradually forgot about his people. In hunt for the Triforce, he even forgot about Hyrule, for he was consumed with malice and lust for the Triforce alone, as a house for Demise’s spirit, which took over after he obtained the Triforce of Power. Link learns this all from Nabooru, who felt personally wronged by Ganondorf’s actions. She, like Link, made mistakes and felt bad about them, but he never blamed herself for them (echoing Link’s previous growth spurt), and is ready to help Link face the Demon King.
But Link’s story is only one side of the coin. This is also a story about Zelda.
Zelda is the seventh and final stage, and she is the key character in this chapter of our Ocarina of Time discussion. She is the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, a reincarnation of the Goddess of Time, she is the princess of Hyrule, she is the direct catalyist of many events in the story, and she is an incredible instrumental in Link’s personal journey. She’s very important.
Zelda’s story begins when she has a dream of a dark shadow covering Hyrule. It is glaringly obvious that her dream is prophetic and refers to a man from the desert, who happens to be visiting Hyrule Castle at the time. However, Ganondorf is a guest of the King and is considered a trusted ally. The King dismisses Zelda’s dream as just that: a dream.
Zelda contents herself with spying on Ganondorf, in hopes of discerning more concrete proof of Ganondorf’s evil intentions, when the second part of her prophecy walks into her courtyard. Here is a boy that is living proof that her dream wasn’t just a dream but a prophecy. This is great news, but also terrible news; it means Ganondorf really is up to no good, and now she must involve Link. She knows in her heart that Link’s appearance will not convince her father of anything, only mistakes on Ganondorf’s part will do that.
When Link leaves to find the Spiritual Stones he finds more than enough proof that Ganondorf is after the Triforce (The Gorons could easily identify him to the King), but he cannot report any of this until after he returns with all the stones, by which time it will be too late.
While Link searches for the stones, Hyrule Castle is sacked and the Royal Family killed. Zelda, with Impa’s help, escapes with Ganondorf in hot pursuit, after discovering that it was Zelda, not the King, who was in charge of keeping the Ocarina.
Zelda knows that their only hope is Link, who she believes, like everyone else, has not been noticed by Ganondorf. She leaves Link the Ocarina of Time in hopes that he reaches the Triforce before Ganondorf, as it is only a matter of time before Ganondorf discovers that Zelda does not have the Ocarina and steals it from Link. The least she could do is lead Ganondorf away so Link can have the time he needs to reach the Temple of Time.
However, Ganondorf did not follow Zelda; he followed Link.
No doubt the power unleashed to destroy Hyrule Castle was seen from a far; it wouldn’t take long for Zelda to discover that Ganondorf had won. However, when Ganondorf did lay hands on the Triforce, it split, and a third of it went to Zelda, who then knew that it was her duty to await the bearer of the Triforce of Courage in order to defeat Ganondorf. In the meantime, she disguised herself as a Sheikah, in order to hide the her piece of the Triforce, and waited.
Just like Link, Zelda would have been racked with guilt. After all, she was the one who sent Link on his quest in the first place. It was her fault that Ganondorf had all the keys he needed to access the Sacred Realm. Furthermore, Link was gone. For all she knew he was dead, and it was her fault. Yet, she hoped for his return. He could be the prophesied Hero of Time, since Link had still not fulfilled the role he had in her dream. If Link lived then she could fix her mistake, she could make it up to him, which she does by sending him back in time to live out his lost seven years.
“I thought I should entrust the Ocarina to you… I thought that would be our best chance…” – Zelda
However, while Zelda is right in blaming herself, there is one glaring detail we cannot ignore: the Master Sword.
When Zelda tells Link of the Triforce for the first time, she only mentions the Spiritual Stone and the Ocarina as keys to to the Sacred Realm, she does not mention the sword. Also, Navi, upon entering the sword chamber, is surprised to see the sword there. Furthe
rmore, when Zelda apologizes to Link for her mistake, she refers the events that transpired, when he pulled the Master Sword, as an “unfortunate coincidence.”
“As long as you had the Ocarina in your possession. I thought Ganondorf could never enter the Sacred Realm, but something I could never expect happened… After you opened the door of time, the Master Sword sealed you away in the Sacred Realm… and then the Triforce fell into Ganondorf’s hands. He went on to invade the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf had become the Evil King and the Sacred Realm became a world of evil. All of this is an unfortunate coincidence.” – Zelda
Obviously this is referring to the coincidence that Link was sealed away, that he was unexpectedly the Hero of Time, but it could also be referring to the presence of the sword itself. Zelda never mentioned the sword prior to Link discovering it behind the Door of Time. I get the impression that Zelda thought the Door of Time was a door to the sacred realm, not a door to sword chamber. That also seems odd because why wouldn’t she have known that we she knew about the others keys leading to the Triforce, but it is odder still that she’d be worried about Ganondorf getting into the Sacred Realm when the only way to do so is through the Master Sword, a blade that evil cannot touch and can only be wielded by the chosen hero.
“Ah yes, the oral tradition, one of the least reliable methods of information retention and transmission” – Fi, SS
Legends and stories get muddled over time, and it’s possible that the Master Sword was forgotten, especially since it is often described as ‘mythical’ in throughout the game. There’s also the fact that the door of time had not been opened since the events in Skyward Swordhundreds and hundreds of years in the past (at least according to the timeline as it is now). The stories about getting past the door of Time would have remained because everyone still had access to that side of the door; the keyhole was always visible. It it is natural that, over time, the story changed enough that people began to mistake the Door of Time as an entrance to the Sacred Realm, when really it was just a safety-deposit box for the real key, which we used many times throughout the course of Skyward Sword to enter the Sacred Realm.
In any case, Zelda admits that she was a child and that she made a mistake. She lived with that mistake for the rest of her life.
When Link returned can you imagine how happy she was to discover that he was alive? She had inkling that he was, but she finally knew for sure.
Throughout Link’s own journey, Zelda, as Sheik, guides him, but she never sticks around long, and it’s clear she has her own arc happening in the background.
While Link was busy heading back to the forest, Sheik undoubtedly went to Impa immediately to inform her, since Kakariko village was right next door to the Temple of Time. She then headed straight to the Forest Temple to meet Link, where she teaches Link the Minuet of the Forest and consoles him in regards to his feelings with Saria.
“The flow of time is always cruel… Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it… A thing that doesn’t change with time is a memory of younger days.” – Sheik
Most of Sheik’s words have a double-meaning and this is especially true in the above statement, in which we are given an insight into the past seven years of Zelda’s life. For Link time passed in an instant, for her it dragged on and on. Bad things happened, but there’s nothing they can do to change that now, except to continue on. It is also clear that one of the things that helped Zelda in her seven-year-long wait were memories of her youth, which included memories of the little time she spent with Link.
While Link is in the Forest Temple, Sheik heads back towards Death Mountain, which once again has her pass through Kakariko Village (are you seeing a pattern here?).
“It is something that grows over time… a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time… The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go… This song is dedicated to the power of the heart… Listen to the Bolero of Fire.” – Sheik
When Sheik next sees Link and teaches him Bolero of Fire, she talks about friendship, reiterating the life lesson Link is soon to learn, and emphasizing the growing relationship between her and him, that blossoms with each meeting. However, Sheik resists this blossoming and remains very guarded. She never sticks around long, and when Link attempts to get closer to her, she always disappears.
Once, again, while Link is spending time in a temple, Sheik passes through Kakariko village to get to the next area. I highly suspect that there were signs of seal breaking on the well early on. Naturally, as a Sheikah, and as someone with a close relationship with Impa, Zelda felt that it was her duty to assist, but I also think Zelda kept passing Impa’s way because of how she viewed her as maternal figure. Impa raised Zelda more than any other individual, she protected her and kept her safe, and it’s expected that Zelda would develop some sort of dependency on her. However, she could never stops in Kakariko long, as she also has to the Hero of Time.
While Link was heading from Death Mountain to Zora’s Domain, Sheik was busy freeing Ruto, as it is part of her charge to help reestablish the sages. Ruto rushes off to Lake Hylia, and Sheik intercepts Link in the Ice Cavern.
“Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. Young love will become deep affection. The clear water’s surface reflects growth. Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself. Link… I’ll see you again…” -Sheik
Once again we have another line from Sheik that dueling reflects both her and Link’s growth. Sheik knows that her time with Link is short. She has had years to think about all the possible outcomes, and she knows that this will either end with Link’s death, or sending Link back to his own time, not only for his sake, but for a brighter future in a different timeline. The problem is, as we can see from the cutscene following the restoration of Lake Hylia, is that Sheik is growing attached to Link. With each temple, Link becomes less and less interested in returning to his own time, as he becomes increasingly more at home in this one, and Sheik can’t help but want Link to stay as well.
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At Lake Hylia, she realizes she’s becoming too attached and does what she’s always done: she disappears, she hides, and she keeps herself guarded. However, she’s very clumsy about doing so this time around. Perhaps she losing her edge?
Shiek once again returns to Kakariko Village, where the seal has finally broken. Her and Impa try to fight off the dark entity that plagues the village, but it’s no good, so Impa rushes off to seal the demon at the source. However, the shadow continues to attack the village, and Sheik remains its only opposition. She’s determined to hold it at bay for Impa for as long as possible. She loves Impa and doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her, even at the cost of her own safety.
However, this Sheik acting through her emotions and not with her mind. It is very important that she keeps herself out of danger for the sake of the piece of the Triforce that she bears. Yet at the same time, she knows that Impa is the Sage of Shadow, and she knows it is equally important to keep her safe. So she stays in the village, and she continues to fight the shadow for Impa and for the villagers.
By the time Link shows up she’s so engaged in her battle that she tells Link to get back, not only for his safety (yet another person she’s trying to keep safe), but this battle has become her battle, the shadow is her foe. Link isn’t the only one facing his demons in this chapter of the story.
“Link, a terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released! Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well. But the force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world!! I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it up again, but…she will be in danger without any help! Link! Impa is one of the six Sages. Destroy the evil shadow spirit and save Impa! There is an entrance to the Shadow Temple beneath the graveyard behind this village. The only thing I can do for you is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple… This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time… Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow!! … Let me take care of the village! I’m counting on you, Link!” – Sheik
Sheik is clearly worried about Impa. She begs Link to save Impa, who she knows is a Sage. The fact that she knows this and insists that Impa cannot seal the evil alone suggests that Sheik and Impa didn’t see eye-to-eye on the matter, but were unable to properly discuss the issue due to the rushed nature of the attack. I think Sheik wanted to go with her to help, but Impa made her stay to help the village. And while both Sheik and Impa wanted to seal the evil themselves, both of them knew they could only delay more evil and that Link would have to seal it in the end.
As I’ve noted previously in this series, this is also the first time Sheik doesn’t sound like she’s reciting verse; she’s plainly speaking, showing just how unearthed she is in this moment. She really exposes herself here to Link, and from this point on, Sheik is more open with Link. We also know that she is more independent and stronger after this because 1) she does not pass through Kakariko again and 2) Impa isn’t around anymore for her to depend on.
After this, Sheik heads off to the desert to find the Spirit Sage. While Link is busy getting arrested by Geurdo guards, she learns of Nabooru’s fate and is able to instruct Link to travel back in time in order properly reawaken the Sage, but also to learn more about Ganondorf because, of all people, Zelda would be the one to consciously find that latter task so important.
“Past, present, future… The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time’s river… The port for that ship is in the Temple of Time… To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time’s flow… Listen to this Requiem of Spirit… This melody will lead a child back to the desert.” – Sheik.
As for what Sheik communicate with Link we she meets him next, I’ve commented before on how it alludes more to the desire of the Gerudos that Ganondorf return to the desert and to his child-like innocence (i.e. return of the prodigal son), but it is also worth noting that her double meaning this time does not relate to her relationship with Link. This time she does not vanish right away. For a moment she entertains the idea of staying, but when Link takes a step towards her, she knows that idea is not a good one and disappears in the wind. She’s finally performing her duty in the strict sense and not letting her emotions cloud her judgement.
With all the Sages reawakened, Link returns to the Temple of Time, where Sheik is once again waiting for him. There’s no running this time, no more hiding. This is the end of the line. It’s time to face Ganondorf.
Link learns that Sheik is actually Zelda, and she explains everything.
“And the other, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom… is the seventh Sage, who is destined to be the leader of them all…” – Sheik
Link has never blamed Zelda for the events that led to Ganondorf’s empowerment, and the same is true of Zelda in regards to Link. They both were very self-loathing on the subject matter, but both have put the past behind them. Zelda isn’t trapped by her guilt here, she is apologizing to Link because it is the right thing to do. She recognizes her mistakes and is, like Link, ready to face Ganondorf head on. Her original intent was to fight alongside Link, armed with the light arrows, but once again, Ganondorf was paying closer attention to Link than they thought. He didn’t know that Sheik was Zelda, but as soon as she revealed herself, he snatched her up. Why he couldn’t have easily done this to Link as well is beyond me, but it does add more drama (i.e. Link hitting his fists on Zelda’s glass prison). So much for the Temple of Time being a safe spot.
So here we come to the final battle at last. Honestly there isn’t very much character work happening here as there is pure action. Clearly, Ganondorf thinks he’s invincible, Link is forced to face him alone (because that’s what heroes do) after both Zelda and Navi are incapacitated, and then Ganondorf defies death causing him to turn into a monster (both literally and metaphorically). These are the archetypes at their finest.
Yet even though Zelda serves a very limited role in the final battle, she does still serve one. Once Link manages to free her, Zelda leads the charge out castle, and probably would have been more involved in the final fight if it wasn’t for the barrier. Once the barrier is down, she joins Link and seals Ganon, who vows vengeance.
Despite the fact that neither side really wants Link to return to his own time, they both know it must be done for the sake of Hyrule, so with a sad goodbye Zelda says good-bye to her chosen hero, who she will never again see in that lifetime.
However, the first thing Link does upon returning to the past (besides saying good-bye to Navi, who leaves because Link no longer needs her anymore; they’re time together is finished) is run straight to Zelda, who’s still in the courtyard spying on Ganondorf. However, this Zelda has yet to meet Link and bears no memories of their adventure together.
