Princess Zelda’s presence and role in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been a mystery since the first trailers dropped. Seeing her and Link separated during the first few minutes of gameplay, they explore the depths of Hyrule Castle independently from each other. How they're separated and whether Zelda is reunited with Link has been the subject of many theories, but now with the release of Tears of the Kingdom, players can finally know what happens to Zelda in the sequel to Breath of the Wild.
Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s main plot and ending.As the game unfolds, so too does information on Zelda's whereabouts and what happened to her after the events inside Hyrule Castle. While Link is still the game’s main character, she plays an integral role in the plot, even more so than in Breath of the Wild. What happens to Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom is linked to the game’s main story, directly influencing how it develops, all the way up until Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s ending.
Zelda Is Sent To The Past In Tears Of The Kingdom
During the opening scene of Tears of the Kingdom, Ganondorf's resurrection begins beneath Hyrule Castle, severing the continent, creating the Sky Islands, and separating Zelda and Link. While Link uses the Master Sword to hold off the incoming corruption that strikes them, Zelda slips and falls into an abyss. While she is falling, however, she is teleported into the past, to the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule. This is “where” Zelda will be during the majority of Tears of the Kingdom; witnessing the events that led to Ganondorf’s first sealing.
Tears Of The Kingdom Sees Zelda Transformed Into A Dragon
In this ancient past, Zelda sees the efforts and sacrifices the people of Hyrule made to defeat Ganondorf and ensure he was sealed away. She also knows from the present that he does reawaken and that the Master Sword is the key to defeating him. With Link’s signature weapon broken in the current day, Zelda comes up with a plan to help him recover a repaired version of the Master Sword in order to defeat the reincarnated Demon King once more in the game’s main timeline. With that comes Zelda’s role in Tears of the Kingdom.
In order to help Link recover the Master Sword, Zelda makes a huge sacrifice, swallowing a stone that enables her to transform into a mindless white dragon. As a dragon she then roams Hyrule watching over the Master Sword until she can reunite with Link and restore it in order to defeat Ganondorf once and for all. In performing the rite and swallowing the stone, however, Zelda learns she'll both lose her consciousness and be stuck as a dragon forever. It is the ultimate sacrifice, made in order to guarantee that Link succeeds in his fight against Ganondorf and protects the Kingdom of Hyrule and all of its inhabitants.
Zelda’s Irreversible Curse Is Lifted In Tears Of The Kingdom
When reunited in Link's timeline in Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda is able to help Link recover the sword and even aids the hero in his fight against Ganondorf’s Demon Dragon form during a mid-air fight. After Link defeats Ganondorf, having fulfilled the dragon's ultimate purpose, Zelda's strength begins to fail. But Link uses energy concentrated in his arm to heal her and when trying, both Rauru and Hylia appear granting him the extra powers he needs to save Zelda. Together, the Gods and Link succeed in healing Zelda, with Link's arm returning to normal, and the princess returns to her original form.
After the arena disintegrates, Zelda and Link plummet from the skies into a lake, and Link carries Zelda out to the ground. She then awakens, realizing that Ganondorf was actually, finally defeated and that her destiny had been fulfilled. Zelda briefly mentions her time travel and in the final cutscene in the game and the conclusion of both Zelda’s arc and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, she says to Link that she has much to tell him.