What If: A Speculative Glance at a Sequel to Twilight Princess

In the aftermath of the Demon King Ganondorf’s death, Hyrule is plunged into tension and uncertainty with the reemergence of the long-thought-to-be-extinct Gerudo clan. Link, Polemarchos of the Knights of Hyrule, must fight to defend his kinsmen and his Queen from malevolent forces when an ancient evil is reawakened deep in the heart of Ikana.

This is the plot summary of Malevalentia, an ongoing speculative sequel to Nintendo’s overlooked title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I have been cultivating this story for the last two years in an on-again and off-again fan fiction process. To date, it is 50+ pages long!

The ending of Twilight Princess had always disappointed me. Where did Link ride off to? Did Zelda ever rebuild the kingdom of Hyrule, and had she lost any credibility?

Link considered himself a patient man, it was one of his greatest virtues. He was the epitome of a gargoyle, a vengeful wraith, and a champion of justice. In the three years since he vanquished, not one, but two tyrants, Link had known the folly of impertinence. The rules of war dictated that triumph could only be obtained by those who adhered to its tenets. As watchful and as silent as a Beamos, Link maintained his position as he waited for the perfect opportunity to ambush a convoy of Ikanian raiders. Link was an honorable man, for in rules of war, this was a commandment. Hytopia had been continuously besieged by Ikanian bandits, and Hytopia was now considered Hylian territory.

In this sequel, Link is a battle-hardened general of the Hylian Military; he is the epitome of command to Zelda’s army and oversees all its processes. I chose the term “Polemarchos” because it is the Ancient Greek term for “warlord.” Twilight Princess, like its forerunner, Ocarina of Time, is one of the darkest entries in the Legend of Zelda franchise; its gothic tones directly inspired the opening paragraph to Malevalentia.

Hyrule, meanwhile, has politically prospered and expanded to include Hytopia, the small kingdom featured in A Link Between Worlds, governed by Queen Styla.

He surveyed a vast canyon, the perfect staging grounds for a sneak attack, under the cover of darkness. In the shadows surrounding his perch overlooking the canyon below, was a small contingent of soldiers selected for this task. In the distance, there was a rumbling and soon the roars of wheels could be heard permeating the once silent night. Link made eye contact with Ashei, and she nodded before whistling sharply. As the convoy of Ikanians passed underneath them, his archers rained down flaming arrows. In the chaos, Link and Ashei descended on their prey like ravenous wolves. The two fought in unison, like seasoned dancing partners.

Ashei is Link’s second-in-command, and lacking a suitable term for this, I have chosen to call her his “tribune.” She has just as much authority over the Hylian army as Link does, so in my vision of a sequel, Link and Ashei were crowned knights of Hyrule for their extraordinarily valour during the events of Twilight Princess, a rare procedure in the annals of Hylian history.

The opening of Malevalentia is violent and introspective because it sets the tone of this universe — I have elected to borrow some ideas from Arthurian stories — before events are set into motion.

He reluctantly stepped back from Zelda’s embrace to witness the entrance of Sirs’ Tristan and Gawain. Behind them trailed an odd-looking man, vested in robes with a pointed hat. The two knights quickly bowed to Zelda, and saluted Link, “Your Highness, Polemarchos, we have someone here…” Sir Gawain pointed at the robed stranger inquisitively, “What was your name again?” The robed stranger sighed, seeming frustrated, “Merlin.” “Yes, of course, Merlin, has come here from a distant land. Kindly state your business to Her Highness, Merlin,” Sir Tristan announced. Merlin smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes and readjusted his pointed hat distastefully, muttering about clumsy buffoons.

However, in the spirit of the occasional lightheartedness to all Zelda titles, there are moments of levity to help juxtapose the serious tones from the humorous ones. The mumbling Merlin and his wisecracking comments harken to the old-bearded sages and wizards of heroic journeys.

Effectually, Malevalentia is an amalgamation of the Arthurian, the Shakespearean, the Greco-Roman, and the Legend of Zelda series. It is my attempt at brainstorming a sequel where Link rode off to join the army because he was craving the kind of excitement he could only have from adventures and military campaigns, and because it would be a waste of his goddess-given talents otherwise to resume his work as a rancher.

The plot of Malevolentia continues to develop to this day, and if anyone is curious as to the fullest details of the story-in-writing, I am happy to provide a draft of the story.

Bones snapped and crumbled into dust beneath his feet. He stalked forward cautiously, his hand gripped tight over the pommel of his sword. In the other hand, he brandished his lantern. Illuminated all around him were pictographs depicting ferocious wars and beings displaying frightening power. In the distance, there was a faint wail – a haunting intonation that set his being into its primitive fight or flight responses. His Triforce of Courage filled the vast necropolis with a bright light as trepidation dissolved and courage emerged. An addled and tortured mind was soon replaced by one resolute with conviction and confidence. Link straightened, rising to his full height. He moved with less caution now. The wail continued in escalated resonance, but Link was unaffected. The confusing labyrinth was overflowing with wandering ReDeads, creatures capable of paralyzing even the fearless Hero of Time once upon a time. A sudden gust of wind permeated the stale, dead air. Link hurried forward, believing he had discovered what he was looking for. Dead-end. The Hero rested a palm on the wall blocking his advancement.

I have categorized Malevalentia into parts, and the passage is the beginning of Part 4 of the narrative, Link is exploring an unknown location, but the twist here is that he is dreaming! Traditionally, and historically, Link is known to have disturbing and/or fateful dreams before a significant adventure. If this were to be a Zelda game, the events of the game’s adventure would be unfolding right around here; the details before this are business as usual.

Gerudo Desert was hot and desolate, and strangely devoid of Moblin activity. Link squinted at the bright horizon, shielding his eyes with his hand, as Epona trudged along obediently. He examined Auru’s map again, tracing a finger along the route he was currently on. In the vast distance, the ruins of the Arbiter’s Grounds jutted out like a bad omen and beyond it, the shattered remains of the Mirror of Twilight. His heart panged — still unable to fathom the loss of his closest confidant and eventually friend during his journey — as it was now impossible to reenter the Twilight Realm. Epona snorted, clearly feeling the stirrings of thirst and a desperate need for shade.

In the process of detailing my ideas for this speculative sequel to Twilight Princess, I have been inspired to continue writing Malevalentia, and I will keep readers updated in the future. The final length of Malevolentia is difficult to determine, but I will likely aim for about 150 pages.

In effect, as the plot progresses further, I would like to see these events unfold: Link will encounter a ghost or demon of an Ikanian shaman, because in this universe, the Ikanians worship Demise (who is implied to have reincarnated into Ganon in the canon) and they wish to resurrect him. To do so, I will draw inspiration from conventional methods of resurrection for evil beings, and will incorporate sacrifices — a life for a life. Link will, at some point, have to retrieve the Master Sword to combat this great evil; a subplot involving Gerudo retaliation for Ganondorf’s death will serve as a red herring. While the game does not indicate this, I have elected to make Telma and Auru both Gerudo because of their tanned features; thus, Auru in particular is an expert on Gerudo history, only rivalled by Shad.

So, what do you think? Is Malevalentia piquing your interest at all? Would you like to see a direct sequel to Twilight Princess, and if so, what would you like to see? Let me know in the comments below!

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