Link

Link is a character in the Hyrule campaign setting of Realm of Shade. As a non-player character, he is portrayed by Ryan Gerbig.

History
Link grew up in the village of Linden, on the edge of the Great Forest of Hyrule in the Faron Province and was trained in the art of swordplay since he was young. He was knighted at the age of 19 and became the appointed knight of Princess Zelda soon after. During the time of Ganondorf Dragmire's betrayal, Link set out to find the Blade of Evil's Bane and used it to defeat the king of the gerudo in single combat. For this, Link was championed as the Hero of Hyrule.

Since becoming the country's hero, Link has traveled around Hyrule to assist where ever he's needed. At some point in this time, while he was in the Great Forest of Hyrule, he encountered creatures unknown creatures infected by Malice.

Role in Plot
At some point while the party was on Hateno Island, Jorulph Kardiger contacted him using a sending stone to watch over his caravan after they returned to Port Faron. He watched the S. S. Ciela arrive at the port while keeping his identity hidden under a cloak before departing himself. During the journey to Castle Town, he kept within several hundred feet from the caravan on his steed, Epona, so that he may arrive in a short amount of time should things go awry.

When the Darknut Malice Knight attacked the caravan, Jorulph immediately sent Link a message using the sending stone, which prompted Link to travel as fast as he could to join the fight before too much damage was done. He arrived at the scene too late, as Lynn Souchalte III dealt the final blow to the darknut after Hyle was killed. Upon arrival, Link immediately used a pink crystal to bring Hyle back to life before introducing himself. Leaving behind the remaining Hyrulean soldiers, Link guided the party to the nearby town of Whittleton, explaining to them lore of darknut, as well as Malice and his experiences with it. In Whittleton, he intended to find two paladins of the Sleeping God, Grim and Hela, to escort the party the remainder of the way to Castle Town.

Trivia

 * This version of Link is the oldest incarnation shown throughout The Legend of Zelda franchise. Most other variations of the character are believed to be 17 years old and younger.
 * Due to Link being an NPC that interacts with the party, he was given a voice and verbal personality, going against the series trend of Link almost never speaking during gameplay or cutscenes.