Name: Mary

Age: 21+

Personal Journal: N/A

Email / AIM / MSN / Plurk:  https://www.plurk.com/delatour

Current Character(s):  N/A

Character Information

Character Name: Princess Zelda of Hyrule

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Character History:

Although she was born in the last days of the Hyrulean Civil War, Zelda spent the first decade of her life in a kingdom at peace. When she was ten years old, however, she began to dream of dark clouds falling over Hyrule and of a light from the forest which would drive it away. Zelda began to believe her dreams were prophetic, and she suspected she knew who the clouds represented: Ganondorf, the King of the western Gerudo tribe, who had come to pledge loyalty to her father. But the king would not listen to her warnings; only Impa, the young princess’ attendant and bodyguard, would take the girl seriously.

Then a young boy and his fairy companion broke into the castle on a mission to see her. The boy, Link, had been raised in the Lost Woods and had been sent to her by the forest’s dying guardian spirit. Zelda, who had been spying on a meeting between her father and Ganondorf, believed that Link was the other figure in her vision and told him of her suspicions regarding Ganondorf. It was Zelda’s belief that Ganondorf was looking for the Triforce, a sacred relic which would grant its holder immeasurable power.

The Triforce was locked in a parallel reality known as the Sacred Realm, but there were four keys to its entrance: three gems known as the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time, a treasure of the royal family. The children planned to keep these out of Ganondorf’s hands: Link would gather the stones, while Zelda would protect the Ocarina and keep an eye on what Ganondorf was doing. But while Link was away, Ganondorf launched a coup: he murdered the king and many of the castle’s inhabitants, and Zelda and Impa barely managed to escape alive with Ganondorf following hot on their heels.

As she fled on horseback, Zelda caught sight of Link, who had been returning to Hyrule Castle. Desperately she tossed him the Ocarina of Time, hoping that Ganondorf would chase her and Link would be able to reach the Triforce. The plan half-worked: Link managed to open the Door of Time but fell into an enchanted sleep. Ganondorf, who had doubled back to follow Link instead, walked into the Sacred Realm and touched the Triforce. But he did not obtain all of it- the Triforce had three components, and only that of Power resonated both his soul. The Triforce of Courage was drawn to the sleeping Link, while Zelda became the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

The insight of the Triforce enhanced Zelda’s understanding and mental abilities, but she could not match Ganondorf on her own. She needed the help of the Sages of Hyrule, five of whom were unawakened, and she needed Link, who was sleeping until he was old enough to take on the title of Hero of Time. So for the next seven years, Zelda focused on surviving in a kingdom poisoned by Ganondorf's power. With Impa’s help and guidance, she crafted an alternate identity which would allow her to move freely through Hyrule and try to mitigate some of the damage Ganondorf's caused. It was in the guise of Sheik, a Sheikah minstrel, that Zelda would greet Link for the first time in seven years.

Using the Sheik persona, Zelda guided Link in his quest to awaken the Sages. She met him as he attempted to reach the Sages’ temples, giving what advice she could and teaching him magical songs which would help him in his quest. Zelda is taken from before she has seen the quest through; specifically, she has recently met with Link in Kakariko Village, where they witnessed the escape of the shadow spirit Bongo Bongo from the bottom of the town well.

Character Personality:

From a young age, Zelda showed signs of unusual intelligence and perceptiveness which went beyond the magical gifts she inherited. While her visions alerted her to a threat to Hyrule, she was the one to realize that Ganondorf was that danger- something which completely bypassed older and more experienced people such as her father. Zelda also proved herself spirited and determined, planning another way to safeguard the Triforce when she realized that her father could not see the danger in front of him.

All of these traits played right into her enemy’s hands. Zelda was clever and Link was brave, but they were also children and they unwittingly made Ganondorf’s path to the Triforce easier rather than harder. From behind the wrappings of her Sheikah disguise, Zelda has watched the consequences of that miscalculation play out to the detriment of the people of Hyrule. Her feelings of guilt and perceived culpability in their fates have led her to take a harsh and unsparing view of her own flaws and miscalculations. This tendency, when out of control, is more likely to hinder her decision-making than to help it, as is eventually shown by her attempt to make recompense to Link- not only does her attempt to repay Link for the suffering she has caused him eventually damage his life, it also throws multiple time streams into chaos.

Zelda’s experiences during those seven years have affected her in other ways as well. While she is willing to risk her life to help Hyrule and aid Link, she is also terribly aware of the risks such acts pose. Caution and careful planning have been drilled into her by Impa, along with the skills she needs to survive- as the last surviving member of Hyrule’s royal family as well as the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda has been a target of Ganondorf’s for years. These circumstances have also led to her isolation; outside of Impa, trusting anyone with her true identity was impossible. Even Link, who she does trust, does not know who has really been aiding him until all the Sages have been awakened (which occurs beyond her current canon point).

Despite these traumas, Zelda has proven herself capable of rising to the challenges she has faced. She has become accustomed to hardships a princess would never expect to see, and has kept her cover well enough to both evade the scrutiny of her enemy and thwart some of his goals. But her resilience throughout her time on the run cannot only be measured in  physical or strategic thinking. Despite everything, Zelda retains the strength to hope for her country’s future and to believe in the strength of its people. While she can be melancholy, she is determined not to slip into bitterness or cynicism. Her regrets will haunt her for the rest of her life, but they do not poison her love for her people, or her belief that they will yet see a brighter day.

Powers and Abilities:

• Zelda has had prophetic visions from a young age, which usually manifest in her dreams. She is also telekinetic.

• She is a talented magic-user, with a particular affinity for magic involving light, mental abilities, time-travel, and music.

• She possesses the Triforce of Wisdom; the effects of this aren’t entirely clear, but it seems to enhance her foresight and her magical abilities.

• She is the Seventh Sage, leader of the Sages of Hyrule- she is never explicitly given an affinity (the other sages represent elements such as fire and water) but it is probable that in this capacity she is affiliated with Time.

• She has the ability to transform into “Sheik,” an apparently male Sheikah warrior and musician. There’s a lot of debate about exactly how the Sheik persona works, but I’m assuming that Zelda gained at least some physical and martial training from Impa and is primarily using magic to conceal her appearance and gender.

• If the above is assumed, then Zelda is also a fairly accomplished acrobat and proficient with light weaponry (judging from official art and her appearance in the Super Smash Brothers series, this is probably knives and throwing needles or darts.) As this isn’t strictly canon, I can strike it if that would be preferable.

Samples

Network: When I was young, my father employed two brothers-great musicians and magical scholars. I used to go listen to them when I was done with my lessons...and sometimes to avoid my lessons, to tell the truth. They never seemed to mind my presence, and their music was more interesting than the scales my own master kept having me repeat.

The Composer Brothers were well-traveled, and sometimes if I begged they would tell stories of the places they had studied music. I think the countries might be strange to your ears-Labrynna and Holodrum, Calatia...but they had gathered their songs and tales. When I asked, they’d play something for me and say, “To know a place you must learn its music. If you listen with an open heart, you will come to understand them as well.”

It’s a lesson I try to take to heart with my own music. Still… I find Nautilus difficult to capture.

The first time she had looked in a mirror in Nautilus, Zelda hadn’t recognized herself in the pale, blue-eyed woman staring back. That mirror-self could have stepped out of the ancestral portraits from her childhood-which shouldn’t have been surprising, as her diadem and pauldrons had likely appeared in those portraits as the regalia of one great aunt or another. But for years now, the face she had shown to the world had been weather-beaten and bronzed, with eyes as red as blood.

It felt strange to say so, but she missed Sheik. Missed the freedom of movement, the quiet and hard-won confidence in her skills, the ability to fade into the shadows. Sheik had been a lie, little more substantial than her linen face wraps, but the guise had been a promise of security and power when she had needed it the most.

(And besides, said a voice deep-down which she always tried to drown out, Sheik fought evil. Zelda had played into its hands.)

It would not do to dwell too long on the loss- or on that of her other magic, for that matter. Bending would come in time, people assured her, and she would believe them- what other choice did she have, after all? And until then, well… she would take precautions, but there would be a way to compensate. It had not really been Sheik, after all, whom Impa had taught and trained to survive. She could use those skills still, if she could find the right tools.

She would need to think and to plan but for now, at least, there was possibility. There was sunlight. And there was Zelda, the girl in the mirror, whom she had been and would be again and whom perhaps she could be now.

Oh, Goddesses, it has been too long.