Link is a good boy. Link has always been a good boy. He does kind deeds for others while asking for nothing in return, and will fight life and limb for a stranger he just met. This applies to every incarnation of the hero, but the example that always springs to my mind is Link from Twilight Princess. Now, I’ve already talked about Link throughout his journey as the chosen hero, but ever since the beginning, Link was always a very good boy.
It is evident that Link is trusted and beloved by everyone in Ordon Village. His ranch partner Fado calls on him, knowing that Link will aid him when the goats get a bit ornery; each adult can rely on him for specific tasks that they can not achieve on their own, and all the children adore him as he is kind and patient with them — as well as willing to give a few swordsmanship lessons.
Because everyone in the village holds Link in such high regard, Mayor Bo plans on appointing him as the next mayor of Ordon. Don’t believe me? Read the manual. Rusl even gives Link the important task of delivering a parcel to the royal family of Hyrule, acting as a representative of the village. This quest would not be given simply to any old Ordonian.
We can see that Link is an overall good guy from how much the villagers admire him, but what’s the difference between a good civilian and a hero in the making? Link takes action.
Monkeys have been a nuisance in the Ordon Village, so much so that Talo, a mere child, chases one that has wandered into town. All the other children aside from Colin (also a good boy, by the way) follow Talo into the woods that they are forbidden to enter. Link takes responsibility and chases after them, learning that Talo had wandered deep into the dangerous Faron Woods.
Link overcomes monsters and mazes as he pursues the missing boy. Only having a mere wooden sword to protect him, Link fights through each puzzle that blocks his path. Link could have found and asked Rusl, the most skilled swordsman in town, to do all the hard work. No. That’s not Link. He took action. In an emergency situation, he took matters into his own hands and rescued the misguided child.
The day after, a misunderstanding happens between Link and his childhood friend Ilia due to his pushing Epona a little harder in such a dire situation. She thinks he is being cruel to his noble steed, but once Colin explains the situation, she recognizes her false accusations and sees that Link’s actions were noble. Epona was not the only one walking out of that situation with a few scars.
One call to action leads to another as the King Bulblin claims the children of the village and Ilia and renders Link unconscious. Once awake, Link immediately searches for his friends, who are no longer in sight. He returns to the woods, assuming the monsters who resided there were once again to blame. Instead, this leads Link to a wall of Twilight and his true call to duty. His instincts tell him to keep searching, to save them, and ultimately, it leads him to become the hero he was always destined to be.
A good-hearted young man from a humble start would eventually rise up to become a hero of legend. While I am certain that many in the village have always expected greatness from Link, I don’t think any of them knew just how great his future would be.
