Where Twilight Princess fits into the Timeline
Written by: The King of Hyrule

No one knows for sure where Twilight Princess fits into the timeline currently. And we probably will never get a straight answer from Nintendo. All of what follows is pretty much just a theory I am throwing out there. Tell me what you think.

My theory is that Twilight Princess fits into the series after Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but before The Great Flood and The Wind Waker. It is a good idea to read my article on Ocarina of Time's ending before reading this in order to fully understand this article.

When Link defeats Ganondorf in the end of Ocarina of Time, the Seven Sages send Ganondorf into the realm which he wanted so desperately to control. Zelda then sends Link back in time, so he can warn her younger self of the evil Ganondorf will cause. The sages gather in the younger Link's time and capture Ganondorf. They make plans to have hom executed using a ceremonial blade. But at his execution, Ganondorf breaks his bindings and begins to scream with rage. In the spur of the moment, the King of Hyrule uses the Mirror of Twilight to seal Ganondorf away into the Twilight Realm. So Ganondorf was sealed away in the same realm that the ancient Twili race was sealed in hundreds of years before.

After Link had returned from his trip to find Navi, which had proved to be unsuccessful, he had settled down in Hyrule Castle with the Royal Family. He lived a great life, what was left of it. He passed away in the peace of the Royal Family. A time of peace, rightfully called The Great Peace, followed Link's death. The races prospered and trade flourished between Hyrule and other surrounding lands. Huge renovations were made on the land of Hyrule, extending its borders, and redesigning everything. A hundred or so years passed by before evil would threaten the land again.

This is where Twilight Princess comes into play. The land of Hyrule became covered in Twilight, and the land was once again threatened by Ganon. Ganondorf used a puppet, called Zant, to lead him out of the Twilight Realm. The Hero of Hyrule, Link, defeated both the puppet and the puppet master before they could rule Hyrule, though. However, this time, when Link defeated Ganondorf, Ganondorf was not sealed away into anywhere, instead, he fled. Ganondorf went into hiding as he used his powers acquired in the Twilight Realm to build up an army. The worlds were separated; and the Mirror of Twilight smashed. The Master Sword was placed under the care of the King of Hyrule. It was placed in a special pedestal in Hyrule Castle.

The Hero of Hyrule that had defeated Ganon in Twilight Princess passed away. As the years passed, the memory of the Twilight in Hyrule became no more than a bedtime story. Ganondorf no longer threatened Hyrule, but still remained alive. And he actively searched for the Triforce which he so longed to posses.

Then, one day, Ganondorf managed to open a passage way between the real world and the Sacred Realm. He reached in and grasped the Triforce. Of course, the Triforce split into three pieces, with Ganondorf left with the Triforce of Power. The other two pieces of the Triforce went to the lines of the Royal Family and the Hylian Knights. Ganondorf used his newfound power to turn the Sacred Realm into a twisted, evil world, called the Dark World. Ganondorf built up his army in the Dark World, and, when the time was right, he marched them all upon Hyrule Castle.

This is where the Great Flood occurred. King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule commanded his army to defend Hyrule Castle while he evacuated all of the inhabitants. The people cried out to the gods for mercy in their despair. The King, in the midst of all of the chaos, fell into a deep trance, in which the goddesses appeared to him. They warned him of Ganondorf's power, and the damage he may cause. They instructed him to tell the people to flee to the mountain tops. They then told him to go to the lower floors of Hyrule Castle and draw the Master Sword when the rain began.

When King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule woke up, he found himself floating in water in the castle yard. It was pouring down rain. He could hear the shrill shrieks of the Army of Hyrule outside. He ran inside the walls and instructed the people to run to the mountain tops. To everyone's surprise, it began to rain harder and harder. The King reached the basement of the castle and pulled the Master Sword from its stone.

Everything froze. The gods came down and woke up the King and told him that when he had pulled the Master Sword, everything under the mountains had frozen in mid-step. They allowed the King to wake up, and they told him to place the Master Sword back in its place, for it would be the key keeping Hyrule frozen. They then instructed the King to find the next Hero, and set him free.

The rain continued to fall, and all of the old Hyrule was covered with a great sea. It would be near a thousand years before the next Hero would appear.

And thus begins The Wind Waker.