In the final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom we found out that Princess Zelda didn’t die from her fall down the ravine, but instead she’s lost, desperately proclaiming at the end of the trailer “Link, you must find me!”. This begs the question where is Princess Zelda, or perhaps another way of asking the question is WHEN is Princess Zelda. Today I want to look into this theory that Zelda has somehow made her way to the past, why she has an unbroken Master Sword, who she’s working with, plus how she might be communicating with Link in the upcoming Legend of Zela Tears of the Kingdom.

Before we get into it today, let me know what you think about Princess Zelda. Where has she gone? How did she get there, plus why are there no sky islands in that final shot?

Way back in that first trailer we saw Princess Zelda and Link exploring under Hyrule Castle, and they come across the zombie body of Ganondorf, looking very dehydrated and pumping out Malice like a factory. Something happens, there’s an earthquake and Princess Zelda falls down a hole, and she wasn’t to be seen again… until we saw the final trailer only a few days ago.

We had seen a few shots of this Malice attack on Link and Zelda by the evil Ganondorf. These shots have mainly focused on Link getting attacked by Malice, but we’ve also seen Link jumping down after Princess Zelda, arm and hand outstretched trying to save her. Link has been injured in this attack, arm and hand burnt up to his shoulder, beyond recognition. We did get a couple of new details related to this sequence in the latest trailer. We see Link reaching, and missing, with Princess Zelda falling backwards, and we had assumed this to be fatal. However, there’s another new addtion in the latest trailer, we see something glowing in her left hand, and on her body.

The shot is then cut at this point, but I think she’s glowing because at this point she’s transported to another location, and that glowing energy is taking her there, almost like she’s teleporting. Later on we see Princess Zelda, dress in different clothes, holding what we can only assume to be one of the Tears of the Kingdom. Given some of the glow is emminating from her left hand, I think she’s holding this tear in that hand, and given she’s in mortal danger, somehow this has activated and transported her somewhere else. But where has she gone? Or when?

We see Princess Zelda once again later in the trailer, standing in front of what looks to be an altar, with another mysterious voice describing Link as the last line of defence against Ganondorf. Princess Zelda is then standing with this character, who towers above her. She’s dressed in different clothes, which could be of Zonai origin. She’s also wearing the yellow Tear around her neck, which is engraved with the same symbol as Link’s new Recall ability. Her earrings resemble the bulbs found in the Zonai architecture sites, plus the distinctive ‘tear’ facepaint, the band on her forehead and the bracelet around her wrist.

I believe Princess Zelda some how survived the fall and was transported to the distant past, in a time when the Zonai are still alive and well. The Zonai dissapeared long ago, and perhaps Princess Zelda is helping them battle against one of the first calamities to engulf an Ancient Hyrule. The Zonai are known as powerful magic users, and perhaps they prevented Zelda’s death by transporting her to the past, and all this is somehow connected to the tear she’s now wearing around her neck.

There are a few reasons I believe Princess Zelda is in the past. First of all she has a version of the Master Sword, but it’s not corroded like the Master Sword we see Link holding in the Sky Islands. The Master Sword she’s holding is in tact, complete and ready to be wielded by a hero. The Master Sword Link is seen with has been corroded, broken, busted by the Malice attack from Ganondorf, which we pressume is a sequence early in the game.

Princess Zelda is also seen at the end of the trailer, pleading for Link to find her. If you look up into the sky during this scene, there are no Sky Islands to be seen. Therefore I believe this scene is before the Sky Islands fall towards Hyrule, or appear from where they came from.

The platform Zelda is standing on here also looks very familiar. It looks like the platform Link stands on from the delay trailer back in 2022, where we see Link laying the broken Master Sword in front of some yellow energy. I believe Link is somehow speaking to Princess Zelda here, and she’s using the yellow energy to commune with Link from the past.

This opens up the exciting prospect of multiple timelines in Tears of the Kingdom. I believe we’ll take on the role of Link in the present, battling side-by-side with the descendents of Champions, and taking the battle directly to Ganondorf himself. Meanwhile, Zelda has been transported to the past through Zonai Magic, and Zelda is working with the ancient Sages or Champions of Hyrule’s past, battling the first Calamity. We see a shot of a mysterious new character in the trailer, and I think this is the same character standing in front of Zelda, hand on her shoulder saying “Zelda, we rely on your knight and that legendary sword he carries. Our last line of defence will be Link”.

It’s highly likely Princess Zelda will be able to pass messages to Link from the past, into the present where he can pick them up and use these messages, or abilities in their fight against Ganondorf. The yellow tear Princess Zelda is cupping in her hands has the same symbol engraved on it as Link’s Recall ability, therefore Zelda likely buries or hides the tear in the past, for Link to pick it up later and boost his abilities… Recall being the first.

Back in the Offcial Trailer 2 we hear Princess Zelda say “Link, I’m not sure you’ll be able to stop him”, before we see a ghostly figure hold out their hand to Link. This figure appears to be wearing the same clothes as Princess Zelda in the most recent trailer, and I think this is Link encountering a vision of Princess Zelda.

Finally today, I wanted to ask the question to all of you. How is Link going to save Princess Zelda this time? Time travel has been a mechanic in previous Zelda games, which has included using the Temple of Time in Ocarina of Time, the Door of Time in Twilight Princess and the Gate of Time in Skyward Sword. The Temple of Time does exist in Bretah of the Wild, however, it’s delapidated, broken and in disrepair. Perhaps on our quest to find the Tears of the Kingdom, he can combine their power and somehow manipulate time, or the Zonai could return Princess Zelda to the present, assuming their magical abilities could transport her to the past. I don’t know the answer to this question, but it’s one we’re likely to explore in Tears of the Kingdom.

Let me know what you think of the theory that Zelda is lost in time and we’re potentially battling on two fronts in the present and the past, I’d love to hear what you think.