Destined as he is to lead a life of adventure, Link may not spend too much time at home in the Zelda series, but he often has a pleasant abode to go back to all the same. There’s the cozy treehouse in Ocarina of Time’s Kokiri Forest, the welcoming warmth of Grandma’s house in The Wind Waker’s Outset Island, and the spacious dormitory of Skyward Sword’s Knight Academy, to name just a few.
In The Legend of Zelda TV series, Link’s living situation is even grander as he gets to live in a castle — though the price is a heavy burden.
The Triforce of Wisdom
That burden is introduced at the very beginning of the cartoon’s opening sequence, as Zelda presents Link the Triforce of Wisdom. This sacred artifact is kept on a pedestal in the center of Link’s room, and it is his responsibility to guard and protect it from evil. Ganon already has the Triforce of Power, after all, and should he acquire both Triforces (the Triforce of Courage does not exist within the cartoon’s lore), he could rule Hyrule forever. No pressure, hero.
Of course, keeping the Triforce in this tower is quite possibly the worst decision the Hyrule monarchy could have made, as Ganon hilariously manages to directly steal the Triforce from Link’s room three times: In “The Ringer,” he distracts Link and Zelda by summoning a dragon in North Castle’s courtyard; in “Cold Spells,” he climbed up Link’s tower using his Lowder, and in “Underworld Connections,” he sends Vires to fly through Link’s window.
The funny thing is, King Harkinian has no shortage of loyal workers, as seen in “Fairies in the Spring.” You’d think he could assign some of them to security roles rather than prioritize the construction of a water park — but then again, I guess I’m not a king. Besides, with the sheer amount of Underworld entrances seen popping up all over Hyrule over the course of the series, it could be argued that there is no truly safe place for the Triforce.
What a view
Setting aside the overwhelming responsibility of preventing an entire kingdom from falling into ruin, living in North Castle doesn’t seem like such a bad deal. Link doesn’t seem to share this sentiment, however, at least at the beginning of the first episode. “Another beautiful day in the magical kingdom of Hyrule,” he groans sarcastically, dragging himself out of bed. “Boring place! I used to roam the world, fighting monsters and sleeping in mud, a hero’s life. Now look at me, living in a castle, sleeping in a bed, aren’t I sweet? Yuck!”
Link questions if there are really any good reasons to live under these suffocatingly serene conditions, and quickly finds one as he opens a window. He has a perfect view of Zelda’s balcony, which he takes full advantage of when the princess is seen standing out in her nightgown — of course, his flirting skills are about as refined as his tidying skills, and she gives him a hard smack in the jaw for whistling at her. A portrait of Zelda can also be seen on Link’s wall, so he always has an opportunity to gaze at the object of his affection.
“Orderly ways do not make one brave, and neatness does not a kingdom save”
Going back to Link’s morning grumbling, it’s interesting that he briefly reminisces about his life before living in North Castle and the harsh conditions under which he lived. It certainly might explain the state of his room.
Rather than submit to the elegant lifestyle led by his royal housemates, Link seems to bring his rough ways and messy habits into the pristine walls of the castle. He regularly keeps a pile of dirty laundry on the floor that, when Princess Zelda has the misfortune of encountering it in “Cold Spells,” it almost compares to her in height. “What a pile of garbage,” she remarks. “A pig’s sty! Link’s corner is disgusting!”
Funnily enough, there are two occasions when this mountain of filthy rags actually comes in useful in our heroes’ efforts to defend the Triforce. Shortly after Zelda’s criticism of Link’s lack of orderliness, a Moby swoops into his window to attack her. She retaliates by shoving its nose into Link’s dirty clothes, and it is so disgusted by the smell that it flies away. In a later episode, “Stinging a Stinger,” Link and Zelda contend with a conman known as Sleezenose. After the duo defeat Ganon, Link realizes Sleezenose had left their sight and that the Triforce is left unguarded. He rushes back to the tower, and sure enough, the Triforce is no longer on its pedestal. Zelda then reveals, however, that Sleezenose stole a fake Triforce, as she hid the real one by burying it in Link’s laundry pile.
These aren’t the only times that Link’s clutter has helped him out of a jam, either. At the beginning of “The Moblins Are Revolting,” a group of Moblins and a group of Goriyas attempt to invade Link’s tower. Being as uncoordinated as they are, however, the two groups collide and stumble into each other and are defeated before Link can even get out of bed. One Moblin, for example, slips on an apple core left on Link’s floor, causing it to misfire an arrow and hit a fellow Goriya. The Triforce wasn’t kidding when it said “Neatness does not a kingdom save.”
Visitors
Unfortunately for Link, unwelcome visitors are a common occurrence, as Ganon and his minions simply can’t resist the draw of the Triforce of Wisdom. While we’ve already established that Link isn’t the most organized occupant, it’s not always his fault when his room is in ruins — fighting evil can be a messy affair, and each encounter usually results in smashed pots, overturned tables, and broken chairs.
Always ready for a new adventure
Of course, even when the inhabitants of the Underworld aren’t crashing the party, Link likes to stay active and uses his room to train in. After pretending to have a cold in order to avoid doing chores around the castle in “Cold Spells,” he is secretly in great shape when left alone, slashing his sword and leaping around his room energetically. He is also seen training at the beginning of “Doppelganger” as he whistles the Super Mario Bros. theme (a nice little Easter egg for Nintendo fans).
Even heroes need to kick back occasionally, though, and Link can be seen reading a magazine during the Moblin/Goriya raid scene. This is in the final episode of the series, and it’s nice to see that, at this point, Link seems to have adapted to life in the castle since his early complaints of boredom. The magazine is titled “Adventurer Monthly,” showing that, even when relaxing, he has adventure on his mind.
Everything a hero needs
Aside from having plenty of company, a beautiful view, and a sacred relic that embodies the essence of wisdom, what else does Link’s room have to offer? Try a luxurious, king-sized bed.
Seriously, look at the size of that bed. Are you still sure you want to go back to sleeping in the mud, Link?
He also has many other essentials for day-to-day hero life, such as a huge mirror which he no doubt uses to smarten up for the princess. He also has his own bathtub to keep clean, much to the delight of peeking fairy Spryte.
Link also keeps his weapons close by, with the Crissword often placed by his trunk and a bow hanging neatly on the wall. In “Underworld Connections,” while sleepwalking, Link unwittingly uses this bow and some rope to make his way into Princess Zelda’s room — unsurprisingly, his deep-sleep attempts to win the princess’s heart are no more successful than when he’s awake.
Link’s room is technically a very small fraction of the sprawling North Castle, and yet it manages to host a huge amount of the dialogue and action seen across The Legend of Zelda TV series. It’s the place to be to fight off Ganon’s forces, listen to the Triforce of Wisdom’s advice (through terrible rhymes, of course), and to plan the next adventure.
