Zelda (Twilight Princess)

* Zelda
* Sheik

**Princess Zelda** is the tritagonist in the game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. She is the princess of Hyrule, who was supposed to be coordinated to be the Queen when on that same day, Zant and the Shadow Beasts invaded Hyrule and following her surrender, most of Hyrule succumbs to twilight.

## History

Princess Zelda was the young matriarch of Hyrule until it is invaded by Zant, the Twilight King, under the orders of Ganondorf, to whom she surrendered to prevent the deaths of herself and her people. This happened only a few days before her coronation to become Queen. Afterward, she is imprisoned inside a tower in Hyrule Castle. Fortunately, she is spared from becoming a spirit thanks to the powers of the Triforce of Wisdom. Due to her surrender and the fate of many of her subjects becoming spirits, or those that paid the ultimate price protecting her before Zant gave her his ultimatum to spare the rest of Hyrule's population at large, Zelda cloaked herself in a black robe and royal purple scarf with gold stripes to hide her identity as she mourned the fate of her kingdom.

The only time she removes the hood to reveal her face is when she meets Link while in his wolf form. However, she is forced to cut her conversation with him and Midna short due to how it was getting close to when the guard Zant assigned to check on Zelda would be making his rounds, and she urged them to flee before being caught. They barely escape before the guard catches them when Midna spots him opening the door to come up the tower steps and has Link flee out a nearby window. In the meantime, Zelda put her hood back on and pulled her scarf back up to conceal her face once more. She is back to this appearance when Link returns to her after lifting the twilight covering Hyrule but cursed to his wolf form indefinitely with a fatally wounded Midna after an encounter with Zant in Lanayru's spirit spring. She can't reverse the effects of Link's curse with her Triforce of Wisdom and suggests trying the Sacred Grove where the Temple of Time ruins were, home of the Master Sword. However, when Midna asks about the Mirror of Twilight, Zelda is caught off-guard by the mention of this. Realizing who Midna truly is, she sacrifices her soul to revive Midna, allowing Midna to exist in Hyrule's normal sunlight that would normally be lethal to her, but causing Zelda to lose her physical being in the process and thus seemingly killing her as she fades away, despite Midna's frantic pleas not to go through with it. However, somehow, Zelda's physical body, despite fading away after giving up her soul to save Midna, was recovered, minus her black cloak and royal purple scarf she was wearing when she first vanished and hung up in the throne room of Hyrule Castle in the center of the large Triforce statue that hung over the throne, but without her soul, Zelda's body remained lifeless.

During the climax, Ganondorf takes control of the lifeless Zelda, transforming her into an evil incarnation of her dubbed Puppet Zelda. Link defeats this evil form of the Princess, and Midna, with the help of the Fused Shadows, restores Princess Zelda to normal, purging her body of Ganondorf's possession. After Midna and Link defeat Ganondorf's Dark Beast form of Ganon, Zelda's soul transfers from Midna back to own body, reviving her at long last. Unfortunately, Zelda doesn't have time to celebrate with Midna and Link, as Ganon burns away to become Ganondorf in his god-like flaming head form he appeared to Zant as, intending to kill Zelda, Link, and Midna right there. Midna teleports Link and Zelda to safety in Hyrule Field while she attempts to fight Ganondorf in her Fused Shadow form, but her efforts are in vain, as Ganondorf soon appears to Zelda and Link on horseback, still very much alive, and clutching the piece of the Fused Shadow Midna wore as a helmet, before mercilessly crushing it to pieces in his bare hand before charging them on his steed with his phantom riders.

Ganondorf makes another attempt on killing Zelda, but he is foiled by the fact that Zelda is protected by the Light Spirits of Hyrule who in turn grant her the Light Arrows to assist Link in the horseback part of his final battle. However, when Ganondorf challenges Link to a final swordfight, Zelda is barred from helping as she and Epona are blocked by a barrier Ganondorf summons for his final confrontation with Link, which startles Epona, but Zelda manages to calm her as she takes Epona's reigns and stays mounted on her, only able to watch as Link and Ganondorf have their final fight, which ends once Link plunges the Master Sword into Ganondorf's scar from his attempted execution by the Sages so long ago. Ganondorf dies standing up, and as Link and Zelda look on, she can only lower her head and put a hand to her chest, hoping that Ganondorf is at peace now. She is last seen alongside Link saying good-bye to Midna at the Mirror of Twilight, destroying the connections between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm in the process.

## Trivia

* This incarnation of Zelda is 20 years old, making her the oldest known Zelda in the franchise.
* Unlike other incarnations, Princess Zelda very rarely smiles.