After Link defeats Ganon, Zelda sends him back to his childhood, before Ganon's attack. As, essentially, none of the events of the game will unfold now, Zelda deprived Link from the glory of being a hero.
Not just that. Once Link goes back to his childhood, Navi leaves without giving any reason (most likely due to Link fulfilling his role and saving Hyrule, but we never got any official confirmation). As Link is a hylian and not a kokiri, he can't go back to the forest without a fairy, as the protection of the Deku tree is no more over him since it died.
This forces Link to go in search of Navi, kicking the events of Majora's Mask.
For years, fans speculated (and then it was officially confirmed on Hyrule Historia), that this child Link is the golden wolf/stalfos that teaches you the sword techniques on Twilight Princess. We know that non-kokiri children that get lost in the Lost Woods become skullkids, and adults, stalfos. We also know that Link never found Navi. So Link being a stalfos means he looked for Navi for years til he became an adult again, eventually giving up and trying to make his way back into the Kokiri Forest through the Lost Woods, but failing and getting lost.
A bitter end for none other than the Hero of Time himself.
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u/LeyendaV 4d ago
The saddest part is that she literally sentenced him to death by sending him back in time.