Child Timeline

The Child Timeline is one of three branches of the series continuity, following the Child Ending of Ocarina of Time. The games in this timeline include Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventures.

The Era of the Hero of Time (Child Era)

This Era includes the very end of Ocarina of Time and the events of Majora's Mask.

The Child Timeline comes from a split during the events of Ocarina of Time. After finishing the game, Princess Zelda sends Link back in time, creating a split in the timeline. The Child Timeline is the timeline which Zelda sends Link back to, so that he could relive his childhood. Once Link arrives in the Child Timeline, he warns Zelda about Ganondorf. Zelda gives Link the Ocarina of Time and sends him far away from Ganondorf, so that the passage to the Sacred Realm is never opened to Ganondorf.

Link sets off and searches for his fairy, Navi, from Ocarina of Time. On his travels, he comes across a pathway of sorts to a parallel world called Termina. Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time and leads Link to this pathway. In Termina, Skull Kid is possessed by a mask called Majora's Mask, and is causing the moon to fall on Termina. Link plays the Song of Time continually to return to the first day so that the moon doesn't fall, and in the end he defeats Majora and saves Termina. Link then left Termina, and the events directly following this are unknown.

Now that Zelda knew Ganondorf's intentions, he was sentenced to execution by the Ancient Sages in the Arbiter's Grounds. When the sages attempted to kill Ganondorf, they could not, as he held the Triforce of Power. Left with nothing else to do, the sages banished Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm, and were told by the gods to protect the mirror which led to the realm.

Games

Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask takes place months after Ocarina of Time when Link is searching for a friend in the Lost Woods. He ends up in Termina and finds out that in three days a giant Moon that was summoned by a Majora possessed Skull Kid to destroy Termina. Link has to find the Four Giants and defeat Majora, but Link can't do it in three days. So Link uses the Ocarina of Time restart the three days.

Twilight Princess

Many years after Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess takes place. With Ganondorf in the Twilight Realm, the people of Hyrule build and form civilization anew. Keeping his promise, however, Ganondorf returns to haunt Link and Zelda's descendants. He forms a pact with Zant, breaking free from the Twilight Realm after an unsuccessful sealing in the Mirror of Twilight by the Ancient Sages. Using Zant, he takes over Hyrule, imprisoning Zelda and covering the land in Twilight. Link successfully defeats him at the end of the game.