King Harkinian

"My boy, this peace is what all true warriors strive for."

- King Harkinian

King Harkinian is the father of Princess Zelda and the king of Hyrule. He first appeared in The Legend of Zelda cartoon and a comic series based on the show. He later appears in the cutscenes of the Philips CD-i titles Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and is best known for his appearances in both games, whose cutscenes and his quotes are a frequent source of material, despite his limited screen time in the games themselves.

In the cartoon and Valiant Comics series, King Harkinian has white hair and a white goatee, and is wearing a blue robe. In the Philips CD-i games, his hair color was changed to brown, his robe was recolored to orange, and his headband was changed. However, King Harkinian retains his white hair in his gameplay sprite from Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, which only appears after Zelda defeats Ganon.

Link: The Faces of Evil
King Harkinian has a very minor role in Link: The Faces of Evil. He only appears in the first opening cutscene where, after Link complains of boredom, he reminds Link that warriors fight for peace. Seconds later, when Gwonam arrives, he reveals that Ganon has invaded Koridai. King Harkinian offers to help, only for Gwonam to tell him of a prophecy stating that only Link can defeat Ganon.

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
King Harkinian plays a larger role in Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. In the opening, King Harkinian plans on traveling to Gamelon to assist its ruler, Duke Onkled, in fighting Ganon's forces. Zelda is concerned for his safety, but the King assures her the Triforce of Courage will help keep him safe. Harkinian instructs Zelda to send Link if he goes missing for a month.

After a month, Zelda hears no word from King Harkinian, so she sends Link to go find him. Another month passes, and Zelda hears nothing from either Harkinian or Link, so she goes on an adventure to find them. In Sakado, Zelda learns from Impa that Harkinian had been captured by Ganon, with Link getting involved in a "terrible" fight with an unclear outcome.

After Zelda defeats Hektan at Dodomai Palace, Lord Kiro reveals to her that Duke Onkled had betrayed the King. Later on, Zelda manages to defeat Ganon, and she walks into Harkinian's prison room. She is happy to see him. At the palace, Lord Kiro brings the treacherous Duke Onkled to the King, who begs for mercy. Harkinian orders Onkled to scrub all the floors in Hyrule, and denies the Duke's request for mercy until he has done so. Link is then freed from Lady Alma's mirror, who asks Zelda what had just happened. The Princess denies that anything had happened, and she and King Harkinian laugh, ending the game.

Link: The Faces of Evil

 * "Hmm... How can we help?"

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

 * "Zelda, Duke Onkled is under attack by the evil forces of Ganon. I'm going to Gamelon to aid him."
 * "I'll take the Triforce of Courage to protect me. If you don't hear from me in a month, send Link."
 * "Enough! My ship sails in the morning. I wonder what's for dinner."
 * "You've saved me!"
 * "After you've scrubbed all the floors in Hyrule, then we can talk about mercy! Take him away!"