Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

AA few years after The Legend of Zelda, on Link's sixteenth birthday, a crest appears on the back of his hand. Impa takes him to North Castle, where a Princess Zelda from long ago lies asleep. Her brother, the new king, wanted the Triforce of Courage that their father had hidden. When she would not tell him where it was, a magician cast her into an endless sleep.

The old king left a spell so that a worthy young man would one day bear the crest. To reach the Triforce of Courage in the Great Palace, Link must set six crystals in six palaces around Hyrule. Ganon's followers, still at large after his defeat, hunt Link because his blood could bring their master back.

The game's legend gives one explanation for the series' name: the sleeping princess's brother, in his regret, decreed that every girl born to the royal family be named Zelda. Several of its towns, among them Rauru, Ruto, Saria, Nabooru and Darunia, share their names with the Sages of Ocarina of Time. It is the last game in the fallen hero branch.