When Link returned to Hyrule after his Terminian adventure, many many years had past. Whether due to the interdimensional passage or his constant manipulation of time in Termina, hundreds of years had expired since he had first come face to face with Skull Kid. Link's first thoughts were for Navi, whose fairy spirit made her invulnerable to aging. How lonely she must have been throughout the years! Next, Link struggled with the idea that so much time had passed. The story of how he overthrew Ganon had become a well-loved legend, and there had been many songs written about the Hero of Time. Link was pleased that he had been remembered so fondly, but he was worried that the citizens of Hyrule had forgotten that the threat of Ganon was real. He slowly became comfortable with the collective consciousness of the modern Hyrule, and he settled down in the house of his great-great-great-great uncle for some well-deserved rest. Link spent his days exercising and studying, but there soon came a time of great disasters in Hyrule: fires, floods, pestilence and famine. A wandering wizard named Agahnim used his powers to end the troubles, and thus was named counsellor to the king. Agahnim played the role of trusted advisor for a time but soon seized power for himself. He imprisoned the seven descendants of the Seven Sages, as well as the king's young daughter, Princess Zelda. This beautiful girl possessed the very same beauty which was exhibited by her legendary ancestor. As she was taken, Zelda used the powers of her mind to send out a call for help. Her desperate call was answered by Link, who instantly recognized the royal qualities of the telepathic signal. Link had saved this young girl's ancestor from certain death, and he vowed to the same for this troubled princess. Unmindful of the danger, Link gathered three Mystic Pendants and used them to free the Master Sword, the legendary blade which he had wielded once before and met with great success. With the comforting weight of the Master Sword in his palm, Link was able to cut a swath through Agahnim's magical defences, only to discover that the sorcerer was merely the puppet of his ancient adversary Ganon! Agahnim had somehow found a way to breach the barrier between the Light and the Dark World where Ganon had been imprisoned for hundreds of long years. The only thing standing in their way was Link, whom Ganon had built up quite a resentment for over the years. Using such legendary weapons as the Hookshot, Pegasus Shoes and the Magic Mirror, Link journeyed between the Light World and Dark World, freeing the seven captives and gathering the Magic Crystals which unlocked Ganon's Dark Tower. In the end, Link defeated Ganon in an epic battle high atop the King of Evil's shadowy citadel. Ganon was once again imprisoned in his dark cell, but Link began to question the strength of the Seven Sages' seals on the Dark World. After imprisoning Ganon to the Dark World for the second time, Link was finally able to settle down for an extended period of time. He had earned great fame throughout Hyrule, and when the citizens of Hyrule compared Link to the Hero of Time, they had little idea of exactly how accurate their comparison was! Link met with Princess Zelda occasionally, but generally he spent his days wandering throughout Hyrule and enjoying a simple life. As the years passed, Link slowly grew up -- this time naturally. Hyrule was gradually recovering from the effects of Ganon's dark power, and Link enjoyed watching as his beloved homeland regained its confidence and beauty. Link also found great interest in the cultural changes which had taken place during his extended stay in Termina. During the hundreds of years he was away, the relationships between the many races of Hyrule had changed greatly. The Zora people had become bitter toward humans, presumably because many Hylians chose to settle too close to their lakes and rivers. Many Zoras would actually throw rocks at Link has he walked by, which caused him to laugh quietly to himself. If these Zoras knew that he had once been a personal friend to the great King Zora, they'd certainly be more considerate! Link was concerned that he hadn't encountered any Gorons since his return to Hyrule, but he guessed that that ancient race had burrowed deep into the mountains which were so prominent in northern Hyrule. Link always kept an eye out for his faithful fairy friend Navi, and even though he encountered many other friendly fairies, he was never reunited with his old companion. Whether relaxing at home or exploring the twists and turns of the Lost Woods, Link forever had thoughts of Ganon in the back of his mind. Would the power of the Seven Sages' seals be strong enough to keep Ganon locked away in the Dark World? It was when Link least expected it -- on a bright, sunny day -- that his worst fears came true. Link had been exploring the central region of Hyrule when he came across an elderly woman feebly trying to fend off a gang of Moblin warriors. Link's first thought was that Ganon had returned. The King of Evil was widely known to employ rag-tag bands of Moblins to carry out his evil plans. His second thought was for the safety of the woman. Link made quick work of the Moblin gang, which was a great relief to the old woman. Immediately, Link realized that the woman he saved was Impa, royal servant to Princess Zelda! Link remembered the bravery of Impa's ancestor in his very first adventure, and he had actually met this woman briefly while visiting Zelda. Impa delivered the news which Link was hoping not to hear: Ganon had returned to Hyrule, and had sought out Princess Zelda to steal the Triforce of Wisdom. Before Ganon could reach Zelda, the wise princess shattered the Triforce of Wisdom and scattered the eight pieces throughout Hyrule. Soon afterward, Princess Zelda was once again taken hostage by Ganon. Link braved countless dangers to recover the fragments of the Triforce, which he had come to harbour a great respect for throughout his adventures. Link battled his way to Death Mountain to confront Ganon, and used the legendary Silver Arrow to pierce the King of Evil's black heart. Instead of returning to his prison in the Dark World, Ganon appeared to be utterly destroyed by the power of the Silver Arrow. His body disappeared, but the Seven Sages stated that they had not returned the evil sorcerer to the Dark World. Link knew better than to think that he had eliminated Ganon once and for all, but he felt confident that hehad banished the beast to a nether-region with seals more powerful than what had held Ganon in the Dark World. Nevertheless, the threat of Ganon's return was never far from Link's mind. After Ganon's defeat, a new golden age blossomed in Hyrule. There was no want, and there were happiness and prosperity in great abundance. Link was reminded of the happy times he enjoyed as a kid in Kokiri Forest, but the young hero was troubled by signs of lurking danger. His worst fears were realized when Princess Zelda was stricken by a terrifying enchantment. A mysterious sorcerer, unable to wrest the secrets of the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda, cast upon her a spell of endless, dreamless sleep. Link could not believe it. Why did this beautiful young woman have to endure such hardships? He vowed to assist her once again, and promised to himself that if he were able to save her, he would never allow something like this to reoccur.