Link & Master Sword

Link & Master Sword is the cargo ship between Link and the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda fandom.

Ocarina of Time
As Princess Zelda is suspicious of Ganondorf's true intentions and meets with the prophesied child named Link who has the Kokiri Emerald, she entrusts him with the task of getting the remaining Spiritual Stones so they can access the Triforce to defeat Ganondorf. After Link gets all the Spiritual Stones from all three tribes and the Ocarina of Time from Princess Zelda, who teaches him the Song of Time to open the Door of Time. After doing so, Link will come across the Master Sword and proceeds to pull it. However, Link is a child and is too young to be the hero worthy of using it and is instead sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years while Ganondorf gains the Triforce, though only the Triforce of Power as the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom went to Link and Zelda respectively. Link will be aged up to an adult where he is given his destiny by the Sage of Light, Rauru. After Link clears the Forest Temple, he is free to return the Master Sword to its pedestal to revert to his child form. During the battle against Ganon, the Master Sword is struck away from him and it's not until Link downs it temporarily that the flaming walls around him dissipate for Zelda to let him know to get it back before Ganon recovers. After the second round, Zelda uses her power to hold it down while Link delivers the final blow. After Ganondorf is sealed, Zelda returns Link to his time where he returns the Master Sword.

The Wind Waker
The King of Red Lions has Link undergoes tasks before he can rescue his kidnapped sister, Aryll from Ganondorf as he went to the Forsaken Fortress unprepared for what he's actually dealing with. After clearing the Tower of the Gods, they are brought below the surface where they enter the submerged gray kingdom of Hyrule and Link solves a puzzle leading to the basement where the Master Sword rests. Link pulls it up as instructed and life and color return to the kingdom while also restoring life to the monsters within. After defeating them all, Link is able to return to the Forsaken Fortress for another chance at saving his sister. After defeating the Helmaroc King, Link tries to fight Ganondorf, but learns the hard way from the King of Evil that the Master Sword is not at its full power to defeat him before Tetra arrives but is overpowered herself before they are saved by Quill and Komali. After Tetra becomes Princess Zelda, the King of Red Lions suspects that something happened to the sages who pray in the Earth Temple and the Wind Temple, which is revealed that both Laruto and Fado were killed by Ganondorf's minions to deprive the Master Sword of its power. As Link defeats the monsters that killed the original sages in order to let their successors take their place, the sword's power is restored and later manages to fight and defeat Ganondorf where both him and the King of Evil were left down as Hyrule floods completely as Link and Zelda escape.

Twilight Princess
After Link is cursed to remain a wolf permanently and Midna is severely harmed by Zant, they inquire Princess Zelda's help on what they need to do, and Zelda sacrifices herself to heal Midna while they head to the Sacred Grove with Hyrule Castle sealed by a barrier. After Link gets pass the Skull Kid and solves the puzzle with the statues, he reaches the Master Sword which removes the curse of the Shadow Crystal, allowing him to be returned to normal and pulls the Master Sword from the pedestal. This, along with the Shadow Crystal, allows Link to switch between human and wolf form at will. When inside the Twilight Realm much later on, the Master Sword will be given the power of the Sols by the gods of the Twilight Realm, notifying Link that they are on his side. After Link defeats Ganondorf by shoving it through his chest, it was later returned to the pedestal.

Skyward Sword
When Link is entrusted the Master Sword by Fi after Zelda falls to the Surface, it wasn't really the Master Sword at the time as it was in its infancy. It won't be until after Link defeats the Imprisoned for the first time that he is given the mission of gathering the Sacred Flames that would cause the Goddess Sword to undergo evolution over the course of his journey. As Link clears the Ancient Cistern, he reaches the Flame of Courage where it upgrades the Goddess Sword into the Goddess Longsword and upon clearing the Sandship, he accesses the Flame of Wisdom where it is updated to the Goddess White Sword, and clearing the Fire Sanctuary allowed it to become the Master Sword which would allow Link to access the Gate of Time to meet with Zelda and Impa. Zelda enhances the Master Sword to the True Master Sword before she goes into a crystalized slumber to keep Demise's seal intact. After Link defeats Demise for good, he returns it to its pedestal.

A Link Between Worlds
After Link gains all three pendants of Courage, Power, and Wisdom he accesses the Lost Woods where he passes through the tricky Poes' tests and managed to gain it. This allows Link to break through Yuga's barrier that prevents entry and exit of Hyrule Castle and after defeating Yuga, he fails to save Princess Zelda from becoming a portrait against her will. Link can search for various Master Ores and have the Blacksmith enhance its strength two times. The first upgrade will turn the Master Sword red, and the second upgrade will turn it gold. Once Link defeats Yuga Ganon and save Princess Zelda, they help restore Lorule's Triforce, saving it from its untimely doom.

Breath of the Wild
Link has already had the Master Sword, but the heavy responsibility he now bears with all eyes on him gave him a drastic change in personality as he went from being talkative and expressive, to being stoic and silent. Various people he knew were proud of him, though Mipha notices that she is not looking at the Link she once knew and when asked what was wrong, Link brushed away her concerns. Link's accomplishments and owning the Master Sword as well as his silence ended up being the cause of tension between two other people he met in his life, Revali and even Zelda herself. Link takes it wherever he goes and practices his fighting skills regularly. After he was wounded during a fight with corrupted Guardians, he had to be taken to the Shrine of Resurrection to recover as Princess Zelda puts the Master Sword in the pedestal for the Great Deku Tree to watch over.

Link would have to gain at least thirteen hearts in order to safely pull the Master Sword as trying to pull it out when he is below that will kill him if he did not relent. Once he successfully pulls it out, it will permanently be in Link's inventory as he will not drop it or lose it and he cannot put it on the weapon mount in his house if he bought it. Unlike other weapons, the Master Sword does not break but instead temporarily loses power and takes ten minutes for it to fully recharge and become usable again. Link will do major damage to bosses that he comes across, making them significantly easier. After Link defeats Calamity Ganon, he keeps the Master Sword in his possession.

Age of Calamity
Link starts with a standard knight's sword during the first three chapters and during the Freeing Korok Forest Scenario, it was the mission for the Champions to head there and find it. Astor and his Hollows attempted to impede their progress by blocking the path to the clearing. After defeating the Hollows, they head inside where they find Astor waiting for them and summons the Hollows to attack them. Link's sword is broken while Zelda is at the mercy of the Hollows until the Master Sword glows bright enough to dispel the Hollows. This allows Link to attack Malice afflicted foes and it becomes his main weapon that he uses throughout the game.

Tears of the Kingdom
During their expedition in the caverns below Hyrule Castle, they reach the area where they find a mummy, who awakens and burns Link's arm with Gloom and shatters the Master Sword and as the Upheaval begins, Zelda disappears, and Link is saved by Rauru. After Link wakes up, he finds the ghost of the first king, Rauru who helps him gain control of his power through his new arm that he uses to solve puzzles and build things to get around. Near the end of his trials, Link finds a ball of light and is told to put the Master Sword into it. As he did it vanishes and sent far back in time to where Zelda is actually found, and she is surprised that it made it back there. She resolves to heal it with her sacred power and after having everything set up, she swallows her Secret Stone to become the Light Dragon, taking the Master Sword with her as it completes. After Link saves Korok Forest and finds all the Light Dragon's Tears in the Geoglyphs, the Light Dragon will start flying at a much lower altitude to where Link can reach her. Link must have two full Stamina Wheels to be able to pull it from the Light Dragon's head as she will flail in pain when Link tries to, but she will calm down as it loosens from her fur allowing Link to pull it completely, and the Master Sword is completely healed and is able to better withstand Gloom. If Link does not have the Master Sword when he confronts Ganondorf in his Demon Dragon form, the Light Dragon will arrive, and Link will pull the Master Sword without as much a struggle. Link and the Light Dragon defeat the Demon Dragon for good and Rauru and Sonia restore Zelda to her human form and returns Link's arm to its original state.

Fanon
Link & Master Sword is often the most famous cargo pairing in the Zelda community, especially when the sword is prominent when dealing with an ancient evil being, most notably Ganon. The sword is the most recurring weapon in the franchise, and it often involves Link getting three magical items like pendants, flames, pearls, or Spiritual Stones in order to be able to gain access to the sword's resting place, while The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the first game were gathering three items in the first three dungeons has nothing to do with getting the Master Sword and more with having to help Midna regain the power of the Fused Shadows to defeat Zant. The Breath of the Wild series is the first time that going through the first three dungeons isn't required to get the Master Sword but having to get enough hearts (BotW) or stamina (TotK).

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