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Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Timeline Problems and Solutions

Prologue to the Berube Timeline

by Justin Berube - February 26, 2014, 9:18 am EST

The back-story to, what I feel is, a more coherent Zelda timeline.

After Hyrule Historia was released, I tried to make sense of Nintendo’s timeline and couldn’t. That led me to develop my own timeline based on Hyrule Historia information that I will refer to as the Berube Timeline. For more information on how I came up with this version of the timeline, please refer to my older editorial on the subject.

This section of the Feature will take an in-depth look at how I view the Zelda story before I place A Link Between Worlds on it. Again, in order to save time this will only focus on the branch that A Link Between Worlds will eventually be placed on. For reference please use the branch Berube Timeline below.

Berube Timeline (Before ALBW Placement):

OoT (Child Era) -> MM -> TP -> FSA -> ALttP -> OoS/OoA -> LA -> LoZ -> TAoL

After the events of Ocarina of Time, Link is sent back in time, and to another dimension, to relive his lost youth. It’s at this time that Link’s fairy, Navi, leaves him. Additionally, in this timeline Ganondorf is still plotting to gain access to the Sacred Realm in order to obtain the Triforce. However, knowing Ganondorf’s plans, Link warns the young Princess Zelda of what is to happen. Zelda entrusts Link with the Ocarina of Time and instructs Link to run away with it so Ganondorf can’t break into the Sacred Realm. During this time the events of Majora’s Mask take place in Termina.

Back in Hyrule, years go by before Ganondorf is to be executed for his crimes. During his planned execution, Ganondorf was chosen by the Triforce of Power and managed to kill one of the Sages who was about kill him. While in a panic, the remaining Sages sent Ganondorf into the Mirror of Twilight, trapping the Prince of Thieves in the Twilight Realm.

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Several years later, the events of Twilight Princess then unfold. During this adventure the old Hero of Time, in an undead skeletal form, even instructs the new hero in some advanced sword fighting techniques. At the end of this quest Ganondorf was killed by this era’s Link.

Hundreds of years later Four Swords Adventures take place and a new Ganondorf is born in Gerudo Village. The new Prince of Thieves steals a legendary Trident and is successful in resurrecting Vaati. When it’s all said and done, Link, with the power of the Four Sword, was able to destroy Vaati and then seal Ganon into the Four Sword.

It’s from this point on the timeline continues as I mentioned in the Nintendo Timeline starting with the Imprisoning War story. The only thing that doesn’t make too much sense on my timeline, as of right now, is how Ganon escaped from the seal of the Four Sword and made it into the Sacred Realm to start the chain of events in A Link to the Past. Again, I will get back to this later, but I also discuss it a bit more in my older Editorial.

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Talkback

Bman87301February 26, 2014

To me, the idea that Link warns Zelda about Ganondorf when after returning to the past is so flawed, I cringe every time I read it. Zelda already had a premonition about Ganondorf, warned her father, and he didn't believe her. So her going to her father again after being told by Link what she already knew, doesn't make a lick of sense. In addition, Link clearly returned to the exact point when he drew the Master Sword  (the Door of Time is open and the three Spiritial Stones are present), which happened AFTER Ganondorf attacked and Impa ran off with Zelda. Not to mention, that there would be two Links present at once if he were sent back earlier. The scene at the end of the credits was simply replaying the moment where Link meets Zelda for the first time, it wasn't showing new events. I understand how easy it is to misinterpret that scene, but the other facts clearly make that the only valid interpretation. So when Link returns the Master Sword to the pedistal (which closes the seal), Ganondorf is already in the Sacred Realm, thus creating the history for A Link to the Past where Ganon has the full Triforce but is unable to return to the Light World.

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterFebruary 26, 2014

Quote from: pokepal148

The ending of OOT as I think of it also makes little sense. Link's goal is to prevent ganondorf from entering the sacred realm and acquiring the triforce so let's break down the three endings

Hero falls: Link dies and ganon is sealed in the sacred realm with the triforce of power.

Future timeline: Ganon shows up again and hyrule gets flooded, again he has the triforce of power.

Link's childhood: link returns and somehow convinces the king not to trust Ganondorf when his daughter, who apparently has some gift of prophecy that people know about is unable to do so herself.

Later on the sages try to execute ganondorf and learn that he has somehow gained the triforce of power because... I dunno,
http://thereadist.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/tiomey-wimey.gif?w=640

Either way he failed all three times, way to go hero.

It only makes sense if link is telling her not to open the sacred realm and to instead hide the ocarina so ganon can't reach it, even then

Bman87301March 01, 2014

Quote from: pokepal148]

No, that doesn't make any sense either since all of that already happened BEFORE the point in time that Link returned to. Now, you could argue that Link told Zelda (after enough time had passed with nothing else happening so Impa would have brought her back out of hiding) that he had sealed Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, after which, the King sent the Sages into the Sacred Realm after him, and that's where the whole execution took place... The only problem there is that Hyrule Hystoria specifically says he never entered the Sacred Realm.

JLRTENJACMarch 22, 2014

There are a lot of ways to look at OOT's ending. I typically look at it as that Link tells Zelda of his quest, and they convince the King to come to the Temple of Time. When there, the King learns of Ganondorf's true motives and together with Link his army manages to capture Ganondorf (Perhaps because Ganondorf hasn't quite learned how to control the Power of the Gods yet, I mean, if Ganondorf were powerful enough by himself to take on the full might of Hyrule, then he would have done that instead of pretending to be loyal) and is thus taken to the arbiter's grounds to be executed (And, most likely, the Hyrule army wiped out the Gerudo while they were at it in order to quell any uprising - hence the fact that they do not exist in Twilight Princess.) However, by the time they get him to the Mirror of Twilight for his execution, he is figuring out this new power of his, and thus he is able to use the Triforce of Power against the sages.

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