Honestly they're sitting on a small gold mine of potential new Zelda games by having Null as the villain. We have two other timeline branches where Null could possibly still exist. I feel like they're a bit apprehensive about making a Zelda game that takes place within and right after the last game in each of the timeline branches. Like to them each of them has a definite storybook end. Especially the Adult timeline I understand because that one truly feels like it had a definitive end. However, they could make a new game in the Child Timeline because they sort of fucked themselves by making Four Swords Adventure the end of that timeline branch instead of Twilight Princess. There would be no pushback if they made a game that takes place after FSA. Imagine a new Null Zelda game in the Child timeline with an even more eldritch and macabre version of Null that we have to fight playing as an ancestor of Twilight Princess Zelda. Hell, even with what I said about the Adult timeline having a definitve end, they could still make a Null game in that one too. That's two whole potential Zelda games they could make. Just my random thoughts.
There are the three timelines, Downfall timeline, Child timeline and Adult/missing hero timeline.
For BoTW/ToTK, they have no confirmed place in the timeline (from what I know of). They have Rito which were evolved from Zora in the Adult timeline due to the great flood. The direct reason for the evolution was the flood. However there are ruins that fit the child timeline. It may be a consequence from that timeline being flooded and then drained in this case.
There is also monsters like lynels, that when I double checked just to be sure, comes from the downfall timeline.
Then there are tunics from multiple timelines and in the DLC there’s Ravio’s hood (something that is specifically from the downfall).
Also there’s Wolf link from TP, which is from the child timeline.
So maybe the reason as to why Nintendo haven’t placed BOTW and ToTK in the timeline (from what I know of) is because the timelines fused once again into one, and that’s its timeline.
(And yes this may be a popular idea, just my take on it :))
So if we use the “the timelines remerged to form BotW” (aka the “Nintendo timeline isn’t canon” timeline) I think it would be interesting to see the power dynamics between what has now become three Royal families, all of which have equally valid claims to the throne. I feel like they would each get a dynasty name and it took time for them to properly integrate.
First off is the dynasty from the Downfall Timeline, the Harkinians. They would have initially held power over the Central Hyrulean region from the Dueling Peaks to the Breach of Demise, and been the ones involved in the Sheikah and Yiga splitting—the Yiga combined with the Eyes of Ganon, while Impa and the loyal Sheikah stayed in Kakariko (the latest Impa in the timelines being the one from AoL).
The Great Sea dynasty, the Tetrans are basically the New Hyruleans and moved into the eastern areas, coming from the coasts. The Hateno and Akkala Tech labs were founded partially based on the knowledge from the Lokomo, and eventually integrated with the Sheikah. They also founded Lurelin and helped the Rito migrate to the newly merged Hyrule. The Koroks followed them as well.
The Zeldan dynasty is from the Child Timeline, and can boast the most uninterrupted family line, going back to before the era of the Hero of Time without Ganondorf taking over for seven years (or longer). They initially ruled over the Great Plateau, including the original Temple of Time. They were the ones who first established friendly relations with the Gerudo (who existed in FSA and thus came to the merged timeline through the Child Timeline) and the Zora.
(The Gorons maintained peaceful relations with all parties—they came from different timelines with different livelihoods but to Gorons, a brother is a brother. They accepted the Gorons moving back from Labrynna after the Downfall, the traders sailing in from the Great Sea, and the natives who remained in Death Mountain in the Twilit era, and even ones who claim to be from a strange land called Termina, with very little fuss)
Imagine the wars. The drama. The politics! The final uniting event was the Calamity’s first appearance, when all the branches finally had a common enemy. The Princess who appeared was effectively born a commoner, and while each dynasty raced to establish she belonged to them and they were therefore the “true” Royal family, it turned out she had ancestors from all three dynasties—distant cousins of the family heads, secret liaisons between the children of rivals, marriages for politics and marriages for love and some that weren’t even marriages. The people united behind her, and the dynasties influences’ faded. They still exist up until the second Calamity, mostly as factions and in-fighting.
BotW Zelda’s mother was from the Zeldan faction, while King Rhoam was directly descended from the Princess in the first Calamity. While her mother had knowledge and ability to use the power of the Royal Family, Rhoam was the one with the claim to the throne. When Zelda didn’t manifest her sealing power, many began to whisper that the alleged “main” Royal Family was no longer the true rulers of Hyrule, their blood too diluted. The three dynasties began to rumble and vie for power, wanting to place one of their own on the throne when the “Heir to the Throne of Nothing” failed.
This turned into way more headcanoning than I thought but yeah. Timeline based factions.
Summary: An introduction to the story. Link spends a day in the army.
Words: 1259
Game: Child Timeline (between MM and TP)
Hello! This is actually the second revision of this post... the original dialogue wasn't very fluid, and I changed some things up to make it more understandable. It's not perfect, but I hope you enjoy, and as always, feel free to leave feedback! - Me
The ground squelches beneath hundreds of boots. Softened by rain, puddles dilute the fresh Hyrulean soil into a muddy soup. The field, once bright and beautiful from the perfect blue skies overhead and flourishing grass underfoot, is cast dark with chaos as a battle descends upon the land. Soldiers clad in silver and iron fight tooth and nail against an army of invaders.
"The Hero of Time", Link thought to himself, "what a joke." His sword swung through the air, landing a fatal blow. Hay sprayed through the air within the training grounds. Some landed in his now unkempt blond hair, uncut for many months. He turned to his training captain, Agus, green eyes landing upon the dark clouds in the distance rather than the man.
"I should be fighting." He says to the captain, still eyes diverted. The captain says nothing. A wave of despair washes through the kingdom almost daily; the shockwaves of the Civil War 19 years ago still rattling through the realm. Perhaps Link was the most prevalent of all those effects. Just looking at him gave an uneasy feeling; as if he had lived this life before. He was so young; but cocky and entrusted with a false sense of self-assurance, and tactical wisdom of those who've braved several adventures. Had he not been 19, he would've been a captain with these senses. But, alas, all the great King of Hyrule could do for the boy that warned of treason was let him freely enroll in the army per his choice.
The kingdom was in economic ruin; the worth of rupees declining so much they might as well be better as decoration. The kingdom at war, in turmoil, depression waving through the air more common than anything. Shining through this state of darkness, the boy, Link, dressed head to toe in a soldier's armor, that he barely fits, yearning to fight for a better tomorrow. A captain's favorite. He had hoped.
His captain, a short, bulky man, hair grey and worn by the years, was dressed still in his common clothes despite the time. The sun had risen towards noon, obscured partly by the ominous clouds. He ran a hand through his greasy hair, a burp belting from his barely shaven face. He takes a sip of coffee, clearly still cold, as he had likely made it hours ago and gone back to bed. Link had not moved his eyes from their attention to the clouds; despite currently holding conversation with his captain. He looked entranced, disturbed, maybe? Like he had seen these clouds before. Didn't like them.
Suddenly, just at the end of his statement, Link was swept back into attention to Agus's speech. "What say you?" The captain asked, Link unaware of the context. "I expect you understand, anyways."
"I... yes, I do." Link stated, but it sounded more like a question with his cadence. Perhaps the captain was allowing him to go out, to fight, like he had said earlier? "So may I go?- to fight, I mean- in the battle."
Agus looked at Link with a puzzled view. "What? No? Why would I ever let a child out to do that?? I said you can tend to the horses..."
A frown spread across Link's face, surprised and dismayed, as he muttered a response. "yes, of course. I'll.. do that."
Link walked off, his sandals softly padding against the comfortable ground. Lightning struck in the distance, in the battle, and he stopped for a moment. He continued on to the stables. Link, for 3 months now, ever since he turned 19, has been stationed in Lon Lon Ranch- a improvised training camp & military base since the second Civil War started- tending to the horses and trying to woo Agus into letting him fight. He yearned to be revered as the Hero of Time he was, the Hero no one knew of. A great swordsman, a perfect archer, the savior of Hyrule. But to everyone else, especially Agus, he was just the kid tending to the horses.
It had reminded him of his childhood, really. The boy without the fairy. Of course, it had been so long since he had left the forest, he doubted any of the children would even remember him by now. He remembered all of them. He remembered everything. The anxiety of leaving the forest. The Great Deku Tree. Mido. Saria. The forest temple. Ganon's reign. Rauru. Navi. The redeads. What lay beneath the well of his home. Skull Kid.
Snap!
Suddenly he awoke- he had been sitting by Epona's pen for Goddess knows how long. He looked to the window, wondering the time. The sun was halfway through the afternoon, the soft solar light casting a glow upon his face. He hadn't even noticed by now the cause of his awakening sound, too distracted by the thoughts of his memories of his childhood.
Malon yelled, sneaking up on Link threw the barn. Her creeping caused the snap, stepping on a weak floorboard in the aged building.
Link leapt in shock, reaching to his side to unsheathe a sword that was no longer there, the one he had left in the training grounds. Malon took little notice to his reach for defense.
"Fairy Boy! They've got you in the stables again?" She cheerfully asks, jabbing playfully at Link's side.
"Well.. yeah.." Link responds, his moody tone noticeable.
"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing something was off.
"The battle. I should be out there!" Link erupts, his passion for this slipping out after his first sentence.
Malon laughs, "Agus still won't let you out?", her hands finding their ways to her hips as she leans down to reach Link's height. Only a few inches taller, but she still finds a way to emphasize it.
Link pushes her back playfully, but with a repressed sense of annoyance. "It's so weird! They let 18, 19, anything past 20 on the battlefield all the time! But never me? Agus has got to hate me or something, there's no other way."
"You know how these captains are.. they get attached. They're bound to. With all the kids signing up so young-" Malon is swiftly cut off by Link's rebuttal.
"Kids? They're the same age as us."
"You know what I meant."
Link goes silent.
Malon goes quieter than before. "...You're still a kid. No matter what you've gone through."
Link, whose emerald eyes are now diverted to the floor, has his head down. "I think I should get back to work."
Malon steps back, having been upright a minute or so now, recognizing the mood of the situation. She figures it's better to leave than push back. "I'll go.. As well. Sorry, Link."
"Mhm." Link nods, reaching for a nearby pail of water to refill the many pen's troughs of water. Malon leaves just as fast and stealthy as she arrived; but it doesn't matter, as by now Link is deep in thought.
"Fairy boy." Link thinks to himself. The water sloshes through the container as it is dumped in, supplying the horses of the camp with fair hydration. He cleans the stable and horses, along with feeding them, for about 2 hours, before finding his duties to be done. He heads to his tent, in what was once a central plain of grass inside the horse track before this ranch became a military base. Taking off his armor, which he had worn all day, prepared for battle with no real promise of it, he crawls into his bed.
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[IMAGE ID: A black and white pen and brush ink page of a Legend of Zelda comic set at the end of Ocarina of Time about the series’ split-timeline. Foreground: The hero, Link, stands upon rocky ground and stares at three panels split diagonally, his back to the viewer. Top panel: Hyrule castle is beneath the waves of the ocean and surrounded by fish. This represents the Wind Waker timeline. Center Panel: This panel depicts Link laying upon the ground, his dead face with half-lidded glassy eyes staring at the viewer and Navi floating forlornly above him. This represents the Timeline of Defeat, which leads into A Link to the Past and the Classic games. Bottom Panel: The foreground, living Link is standing upon rocky ground with the shadow of Ganon wielding twin swords in the background, approaching him. / END IMAGE ID.]
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