Link’s house in Hateno Village is no more. Zelda has taken up residence since the events of Breath of the Wild and claimed the abode as her own. I like to think the couple are living together, since the place is certainly decorated to accommodate two people while the conversation must have been had that the house was available and Zelda could move in if she wanted to. So many questions with answers that only feed my fanfiction-addled mind.
I didn’t even realise the house was still there until my second visit to Hateno Village, and I stumbled across the well beside it first. Zelda uses the underground shelter beneath as an office of sorts where she can focus without interruption. The mixture of humid warmth and water appears to relax her after days of helping build new local schools and slowly restoring Hyrule with a sense of happiness and order. It is an exquisite component of world building.
Tears of the Kingdom is filled with flourishes like this. Nintendo clearly understands that the majority of players will be jumping into the sequel with an ingrained knowledge of Hyrule, an intimate recollection of where things are and who calls these places home, and so it serves it to shake things up on a foundational level while still maintaining an aura of familiarity. Minute changes like mushrooms now decorating the village after embracing a fashion-laden means of gentrification, or an election pitting the modern world against deeply held tradition, even a village as humble as this one has evolved so much, but at its core it still feels so welcoming.
I felt slightly giddy upon my first visit. A house which the player was free to customise with their personal collection of accolades and assemble with a helping hand from local builders gained a new identity after the Calamity. Link offered Zelda a sanctuary away from the political hustle and bustle of Hyrule Castle where her actions can make a difference that appears in the moment, instead of affecting the wider picture in ways I can see becoming depressingly disconnected. A young girl awaits across the bridge every day, saying to Link that she is waiting for Princess Zelda to return, worried that it’s been days since she visited a house she used to frequent so much.
Her presence has become routine for the people of Hateno, a soft demeanour tearing away daunting layers of royalty to unveil a person who just wants to help. Zelda did just that, and her cabin is covered in small touches that make a house a home. Framed pictures of horses and friends, including an adorable portrait featuring herself, Link, and champions of centuries past. An open diary on the table expresses equal parts joy and hardship and shelves all carefully stacked with family heirlooms and memories still being made help this adorable cabin feel alive.
Players also noticed that the bed is a tiny bit larger than the one featured in Breath of the Wild, so perhaps this was a place Link and Zelda called home in the brief calm between the storms. The domestic bliss is so valuable and understated, and a worthy piece of character development. My fondness for this location only increased when I jumped down the garden well.
The office space that sits inside the well is framed as a means of escape, somewhere our Princess can alleviate the pressures of her life and focus without interruption. It’s also full of heart, evidenced by pictures on a notice board drawn by the local children and a collection of different trinkets belonging to her friends or inevitably destined to benefit them. Zelda has been raised to serve others and seldom think about herself, which is both heartwarming and tragic. She’s also been thinking about Link a bunch. A second diary down here talks about how Link’s unwavering loyalty has instilled a sense of guilt in Zelda, and how fighting for and protecting his charge has resulted in a uniform that is in dire need of replacement.
So she’s had a new Champion’s Tunic made and hidden in Hyrule Castle as a surprise. It is adorable, and you can feel the excitement in Zelda’s voice as she tries to predict how Link is going to react and how dashing he’ll look in a new tunic, one tailored for his growing range of skills and loyalty to the Princess. It is clear Zelda has so much weight still unfairly resting on her shoulders even after the Calamity is banished, and wants to give back even a little bit to those in her life who gave so much to keep her and the kingdom she watches over alive.
Most of her dialogue and screen time is sadly confined to cutscenes, so to feel her presence in this form with so much character and nuance is a delight, almost as if she’s standing next to us while Link mourns a person in his life he can no longer protect. She also did the same for him, and without a word spoken you can understand how much their bond really means.