Keeping track of time on the plateau was a hard, if not impossible task. In his spectral form, King Rhoam didn't exactly have a calendar or watch. Nonetheless, he could definitely feel the date approaching. Maybe it was his status as a spirit, or perhaps his royal bloodline, that allowed Rhoam to sense the magic acting upon the hoisted rock he currently called home—but the details didn't matter—his gut instinct told him that his daughter's knight was coming.
Thus began the Old Man's slow trek from his cabin to the Shrine of Resurrection. After one hundred years of waiting Rhoam was finding it hard to refrain from checking the shrine daily; it was only this day in early spring when he saw the door's lights change from a faint orange to a radiant blue. And, after a quick gasp of elated surprise, the old king scrambled back down the hill to start a welcoming fire. With a smile hidden beneath his great beard, the Old Man picked some fruit from the nearby tree. One of the boy's favorite baked apples would surely be the perfect way to introduce him back to Hyrule, would it not?
Only a few moments passed until the door to the shrine opened with the distinct sound of creaking stone. Out of the door stepped a boy that didn't appear to be a day over seventeen. He was clad in a dirty, tan shirt along with some equally filthy, brown trousers. But in spite of the state of his clothes, the boy looked impossibly clean. As he stepped to the edge of the cliff and overlooked the lush lands of Hyrule, the king felt a lump rise in his throat. For what seemed like hours the Old Man stared at the boy looking out over the plateau. Suddenly, it became clear to King Rhoam. This boy, who was wearing shoddy clothing terribly unfit for a knight, who had just woken up from a century long slumber, was still Hyrule's greatest hope for a future without Calamity. Regardless of how little he remembered, and despite the fact he was missing the sword that used to never leave his back, this boy would defeat Ganon. The Old Man knew in that instant that Link would save his daughter.
…
Four shrines passed and the Old Man knew his time was fading. In the most simplest way, he was deathly afraid. Rhoam had the utmost trust in his former knight, but he was hesitant to tell Link the full truth about the history they shared. Truthfully, he was ashamed. He was ashamed of the malice that crawled in the castle and ashamed of the red beast that slithered through its halls. Most of all, he was ashamed of his own mistakes. Why was he so cruel to his only child in those last few months? What might have changed if he hadn't cast Zelda away on fruitless journeys to Hyrule's springs?
As he stood atop his perch on the Temple of Time, Rhoam watched as Link quietly stepped through the doors. Within a moment, the two stood together in the steeple. Link's face was neutral, but his eyes showed hints of curiosity.
One hundred years ago, Link might have kneeled in deference to his king. But there were no royal guardsmen to scold the Champion now. Link stood tall and looked Rhoam in the eye. They were equals—equals who had fallen in battle to protect their shared Hyrule. Rhoam didn't know exactly what Link had done to save the princess, but he was grateful beyond measure regardless. He decided then. He owed Link the full story.
"Now then...The time has come to show you who I truly am."
And the Old Man told his story to Link. He told Link of his position as King of Hyrule, the prophecy of Calamity Ganon, and how this Calamity struck one century prior. He recounted the story of the Goddess-blooded princess with a holy power and her appointed knight wielding the legendary master sword. He explained the excavation of the divine beasts and the appointed champions of each of Hyrule's major races. And he described the betrayal of the guardians, the destruction of Hyrule Castle and the surrounding towns, the fall of the princess's appointed knight, and his subsequent resurrection.
"That knight was none other than you, Link," the king revealed, though he had a feeling the boy already knew.
Finally, Rhoam told Link of his trapped daughter, imprisoned in Hyrule castle and doomed to battle Ganon for over one hundred years.
To the king's great relief, Link did not seem to falter when he was finally asked to begin his journey and defeat the Calamity. Link had lost his memories during his slumber, but it looked to Rhoam that his sense of duty and responsibility had remained.
In a final gesture before he dissolved into ghostly, green embers, the Old Man lifted his arm and pointed toward Kakariko.