Children of the Triforce: Retold

Chapter 19 – Destruction

Kyla spent a few hours poring through the magic tome, attempting to learn how to control her new powers. Fortunately, it came easy to her, likely because she was Zelda's daughter and the elder Princess had always held a strong proficiency with magic. It also helped that the voice was constantly in her head, giving her advice and instructions on how to use her power more effectively.

Once she was satisfied, she grinned as she tossed the heavy tome aside. She then took a moment to appreciate how easily she had managed such a thing. That tome was so hefty that her previously frail and sick self wouldn't have even been able to lift it, let alone chuck it. It was yet another reason to be grateful for the Triforce of Power.

Kyla strolled back into the room where she had first arrived. Now that she took some time to look it over, it seemed to be a throne room, although it was an old and dusty one. The carpet on the floor was ragged and faded, and the throne itself seemed small and unnoteworthy. Naturally, Kyla's first order of business would be to change all of that.

Raising her fist, she called upon the Triforce's power as the symbol began to glow. It was such a strong, overwhelming energy. It honestly might have frightened her if she weren't so enamored with it. Wasting no time, she waved her hand through the air, commanding the scenery to change before her. The potent magic immediately went into effect, and the room began to transform.

The carpet repaired itself and took on a blood-red color. Banners of a similar hue soon unfurled from the ceiling, proudly hanging over head. The old gray stone turned several shades darker, appearing almost black. The once small throne grew larger in size, as well as more ornate. A number of jagged, almost spike-like protrusions emerged from its top, giving it a menacing aura. Last but not least, a number of torches which lined the room suddenly flared to life, now glowing with bright purple flames.

Kyla grinned once more as she admired her work. "Ah, now this is more like it. A chamber truly fit for a Queen."

Wonderful work, child, the voice complimented her. Now you can see the power that you wield at your fingertips. The very landscape bends to your will.

"As it should," Kyla said proudly. "Now that we have a proper throne, it's time to create some loyal subjects."

Kyla made her way over to one of the halls where several suits of armor stood motionless from one end to the other. They had no doubt been abandoned here in an age long past, but Kyla was about to provide them with a new purpose. Calling upon the power of the Triforce once more, she unleashed a dark spell that the voice had shared with her. A black mist appeared from her palm before drifting out to the empty suits of armor. It then seeped inside of the metallic husks, and a second later, they all began to rattle to life.

Kyla watched as each suit of armor rose and turned to her before kneeling. She then laughed, almost wickedly. She had just succeeded in creating a small army of Iron Knuckles: soldiers that would serve her well and follow her every word.

"Hear me, knights," she said in a strong, commanding voice. "I am your Queen, and you will serve me until the end of time."

Several deep voices echoed out in response. "Yes, Queen Kyla!"

"Good," she said with a twisted grin. "Now do your duty and defend this castle. You will keep your Queen safe."

"Yes, Queen Kyla!" they agreed. They then marched off, moving into a nearby armory where they could find swords, shields, and spears to fight with.

Feeling both proud and strong, Kyla strode back to her throne room where she took her proper seat. Her fingers gently curved around the armrests as she basked in this moment. It felt so good to sit in a seat of power like this. To have a castle and subjects entirely under her command. She already felt so different from that sick little girl who had always been locked away in her bedroom.

Kyla suddenly paused for a second as her smile faltered. As much as she didn't want to think about it, she couldn't help but wonder what her family was up to at this moment. Her departure from the castle had been rather chaotic, and she imagined that they must be quite surprised by her actions.

Frowning a bit, Kyla soon raised her hand as her curiosity got the best of her. By this point, she didn't even need a spell to accomplish what she wished. The Triforce's power came to her naturally, as if it knew exactly what she desired.

An image soon appeared in the air before her. Kyla recognized the location at once. It was her parents' bedroom, currently bathed in the orange glow of the evening sunlight streaming through their windows. On the bed, Zelda lay curled up with her face buried in her pillow. Kyla couldn't hear anything from the image, but it was obvious that her mother was weeping. Before long, her father entered the room and took a seat next to Zelda. She soon rose up and fell into his arms while he attempted to console her. As he did, a few tears of his own began to stream down his cheeks.

Kyla frowned some more as she watched this. For some reason, seeing her parents appear so distraught made her feel uncomfortable. She knew that they had to be crying over her, of course, but she wasn't sure why. Didn't they hate her? Shouldn't they have been happy that Kyla was finally out of their lives? It didn't make any sense.

"Why are they crying?" she eventually asked aloud.

Naturally, the voice was quick to respond in its sinister, conniving tone. Isn't it obvious, my dear? It's because they think that you're a thief who has betrayed them. They don't understand that you needed the Triforce to survive. They're only trying to see it from their own selfish perspectives. Now that you're actually strong enough to resist their control, they're frightened and weeping over their miserable situation…It serves them right for trying to demonize you.

Kyla frowned again, but slowly nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. I should've known that this is how they'd react. I'm sure all they care about is getting their precious Triforce back…"

Kyla watched her parents weep for a while longer before she grew angry. "It really does serve them right," she muttered. "This is what they deserve after treating me so miserably for all those years. Mom always hated me because I gave her a difficult pregnancy, and neither of them enjoyed having to take care of me all the time. Well, guess what, dear mommy and daddy? I hate you too."

The girl nearly spit the words out as she finished. She quickly dismissed the image out of spite, no longer interested in watching it. She then crossed her arms as she leaned back in her throne. "Hmph, I honestly hate them all. That jerk Cecil and that slut Kristin and my idiotic grandfather. They can all go straight to hell and I wouldn't even miss them."

The voice hummed in her head, sounding as amused as it always did whenever she had a dark or unpleasant thought. No need to worry, my young Queen. As your powers continue to grow, theirs will begin to wane in comparison, as will their ancient Kingdom. Before long, you'll have a castle that rivals their own. An army that rivals their own. Even the new Kingdom created under your rule will overshadow this lowly country of theirs. It is only a matter of time before your meddlesome family is a thing of the past, and the Age of Queen Kyla will be ushered in their stead.

"The Age of Queen Kyla," the girl repeated. "That's got a nice ring to it. A very nice ring." She soon grinned as she unfolded her arms and began lightly drumming her fingers against her throne. A wonderful idea suddenly came to mind.

"Soldiers!" she shouted, and through magic, her voice was amplified loud enough to be heard throughout the entire castle. It wasn't long before her Iron Knuckles assembled in the room and kneeled before her.

"Yes, my Queen?" they all asked in unison.

Kyla grinned before rising to her feet. She proudly stood over them, enjoying the feeling of superiority. "As a new Queen in a new castle, I desire riches to enter my possession. Go out and fetch them for me."

One of the Iron Knuckles (the one who kneeled at the front of all the others) spoke up. "Where are we to search for such a thing, My Lady?"

"There's a town near here known as 'Rauru'. I insist that you march down there and take everything from the local treasury, and I mean everything. Gold, jewels, and anything else worthy of value. Collect it all and bring it back to me."

The Iron Knuckles dipped their helmeted heads in unison. "Your wish is our command," they said in their deep, echoing voices. They then rose, one by one, and marched out the door. The sound of their loud metallic footsteps reverberated throughout the halls before slowly fading away.

As they departed, Kyla laughed to herself once again. It felt so good to hold all this power at her fingertips! Meanwhile, the voice hummed in the back of her mind, clearly pleased with her decisions…

Link held his wife close as she continued to softly weep in his arms. He had wiped away his own tears after entering their room, but he still held a miserable expression on his face. He couldn't believe what all had taken place that day. How quickly things had spun out of control. Why, just that morning, he had happily been tousling his daughter's hair with a bright smile. It was pleasant. Peaceful, even. How could the day deteriorate into such an awful situation out of the blue like that?

"This is our fault," Zelda mumbled into his chest. "We're terrible parents. We never realized how badly Kyla was hurting. How far she was willing to go to save herself."

Link swallowed and stared at the floor. He didn't want to believe that this was their failure, but maybe Zelda was right. Maybe this entire mess could have been avoided if they had just paid more attention to their daughter. If they had only been more supportive and caring.

Zelda sniffed loudly as she pressed her face against her husband. "She's just a little girl, lost and corrupted. Oh, it breaks my heart…Where do you think she's run off to?"

"I don't know," Link murmured. "I've told Cecil and Kristin to see if they can track her down."

Zelda immediately withdrew from Link's embrace and stared at him with horrified eyes. "Link, they're not going off to kill her, are they? Their own sister?"

"I just told them to find her for now," Link assured her. "That's the first step. Once we find Kyla, then we can form a plan to stop her. Ideally, we can talk to her and convince her to give up the Triforce willingly."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Then we'll have to think about taking it by force. It's too dangerous to leave it in her hands."

Tears started flowing from Zelda's eyes once again. She couldn't keep her composure while this horrible situation played out before her. "But Link…she relies on the Triforce to live. She was diagnosed with a terminal illness, remember? If we…" Zelda paused, choking on her words. "If we take it from her, the effects of the illness will likely come back stronger than before, and she'll almost certainly die."

Link solemnly nodded. He didn't know what else to say. He worried that this would be the consequence of taking the Triforce from Kyla in the first place. It's why he had shed a few tears when he told his elder children to retrieve the Triforce by any means necessary. He didn't want to have to kill his child. He didn't want his child to die at all! But if it was a choice between the life of his daughter and the lives of the citizens of Hyrule, then he knew that Kyla couldn't be spared. It was tragic, but the lives of countless innocents came before the life of the person threatening them.

He soon shook his head. He didn't care to dwell on such thoughts. Not at this moment anyway. "Let's wait for Cecil and Kristin to come back. We'll see if they find anything and then go from there."

Zelda weakly nodded before resting her head on her husband's shoulder. He gently wrapped an arm around her and held her close. In this moment, the only comfort they had was each other.

The sun was setting as Cecil finished saddling a horse. Kristin nervously rubbed her hands together as she watched the orange ball of light meet the horizon. "It'll be dark soon. Should we really be going now?"

Cecil shrugged. "I don't think we can afford to put it off. Who knows what Kyla might do if she's left on her own for too long?" He then paused as he glanced down at his hand. The symbol of the Triforce wasn't currently showing, but he could still feel its presence there. It had become a lot more noticeable since its first activation earlier in the day. "I feel like the Triforce is insisting that we go as soon as possible."

She sighed as she glanced at her own hand. "Me too."

"Then we should get on with it," Cecil said bravely. "Besides, if things get too dangerous, we'll come right back, okay?"

Kristin nodded. "Okay…I'm trusting you, brother." She then paused before giving him a wary glance. "I can still trust you, right?"

Cecil tried to give her a confident grin. "Of course, Sis. Just because Kyla might have gone bad doesn't mean that I have."

Kristin produced a small smile. Being the oldest sibling, Cecil had always done a good job of looking out for his younger sisters. He was both responsible and reliable, and she had no reason to doubt him.

Cecil soon strapped a sword and shield to his back before lifting himself onto the saddle. He then extended a hand to his sister. "Come on, we need to get a move on. We're burning what precious daylight we have left."

"Right," Kristin agreed as she took his hand. He pulled her up into the saddle and she wrapped her arms around his middle, holding on tight. Once they were both secure, Cecil snapped the reins and the horse galloped out of the castle and into the nearest field.

"Any idea where we should start looking?" Kristin asked above the sudden sound of wind rushing past them.

Cecil shook his head. "Dad said that we just need to let our pieces of the Triforce lead us to her."

"Yes, but we probably need somewhere to start. Some sort of clue."

"You figure it out then. You have the Triforce of Wisdom, right? That means you're the smart one."

Kristin scowled a bit. Her brother had always been brave, but also simple-minded. It wasn't surprising that he wanted to leave all of the thinking to his book smart sister. She sighed as she tried to think through the situation. "Kyla probably went somewhere secluded. Some place where she won't easily be found by mom and dad, or the citizens of Hyrule."

"Like a cave?" Cecil suggested.

"Possibly, but I imagine she would go somewhere more livable. Somewhere luxurious. Perhaps one of the palaces?"

The palaces were a set of ancient structures scattered across Hyrule that held magical secrets and relics. Their father had once journeyed to them in order to save their Auntie Zelda I from a sleeping curse. It was a story that they had heard often as children. Nowadays, the palaces themselves may not have been the most luxurious places to live, but they were well fortified, and not often visited by outsiders. They certainly would have been a good place to hide in secret.

"All right," Cecil agreed. "So where's the nearest palace? We'll check there first."

"That would be Parapa Palace," Kristin said as she recalled a map in her mind. "It's in the desert to the east."

"Great, then let's get moving!" Cecil snapped the horse's reins again, and the steed steered towards a path that led to the east. It would probably take some time to reach their destination, but they had little choice. With Kyla on the loose, every second counted.

As they journeyed across the fields, the sun finished setting, and a sea of stars blanketed the dark night sky. The path they were traveling on grew dark, but Cecil was an experienced rider and managed to navigate the trail without any trouble. However, the silent night didn't last for long, for Kristin suddenly froze as she felt a force of energy spring to life in her palm.

"The Triforce!" she exclaimed, glancing down at her hand. "It's activated."

"Whoa, mine too," Cecil said, staring down at his own glowing hand. The golden light was bright enough to illuminate his face. He soon pulled the horse to a stop. "What do you think this is about?"

Kristin stared at the golden symbol, losing herself in thought. She then closed her eyes as she felt a light, gentle sensation coming from her hand. It was almost as if the Triforce were attempting to communicate with her.

"I think it's trying to tell us something," she announced slowly. "It's…saying we should change direction."

Cecil blinked. "It doesn't want us to go to the palace?"

"No, I think it's saying to turn south instead." She couldn't fully explain how she deciphered this message from the relic. All she knew was that this is what it seemed to be implying. As if it was their correct course of action.

"South, huh?" Cecil mumbled as he glanced to their right. "What's down there?"

Kristin took a second to recall the map of Hyrule, as well as pinpoint their general location. "If I remember correctly, the town of Rauru should be in that direction."

"Why does it want us to go there?"

"I don't know. That's just what the Triforce is telling me."

Cecil frowned, but soon shrugged. "Well, dad said to trust the Triforce, didn't he? Maybe we'll find a clue to Kyla's whereabouts down there."

"I think you might be right," Kristin agreed. "Let's head over there as fast as we can."

Cecil nodded before directing the horse to the south and setting off. The marks of the Triforce soon stopped glowing, and the siblings were left with nothing but a dark, silent landscape before them. Once again, the path seemed treacherous without the sun to guide them, but Cecil navigated it masterfully. It wasn't long before the two ascended a hill and managed to spot the first lights of Rauru town to the south of them, although they immediately froze stiff when they noticed that something was amiss.

A bright fire was blazing in the middle of town.

The siblings turned to each other with wide eyes before glancing back at the flames. It was such an unexpected, disturbing sight.

"What's going on?" Kristin whispered. "Were they attacked?"

Cecil furrowed his brow. "I intend to find out," he muttered before directing his horse forward once again.

Kristin clung tightly to her brother as they descended the hill. She suddenly felt very frightened, and loathed the thought of what they were about to discover…

It only took a few minutes before they reached the front gate. Typically, there would have been guards standing there to greet them, but it seemed that tonight marked their absence. They continued further into the town, making their way to the street where the fire burned bright. When they finally arrived at the scene, Kristin gasped in horror.

An entire building had been engulfed in flames. Even from a distance, the heat was overwhelming, and a black river of smoke poured into the already dark sky. It seemed that all of the villagers had gathered here, passing large buckets of water as fast as they could to try and douse the flames. The building itself may have already been lost, but they needed to contain the fire before it spread anywhere else.

Kristin whimpered as she watched their desperate struggle. However, what truly frightened her were the bodies scattered around the building. Amidst the bright flames, she could clearly see that they were stained with blood.

Cecil gulped as he ushered his horse forward. He had a terrible feeling about this. He soon approached one of the town guards who appeared to be resting on a nearby crate. He cradled a bloodied and bandaged arm in his hand, clearly suffering from a fresh wound.

"What's happening here?" the boy asked as he pulled his horse to a stop.

The guard glanced up at the pair of teens before his eyes widened in surprise. He naturally recognized them, for they had visited the town on more than one occasion. "Your Highnesses, Prince Cecil and Princess Kristin," he said before rising to his feet and offering a bow. "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that," Cecil snapped. "What's happened here? Were you attacked?"

The guard bowed his head again, almost in shame. "Yes, My Lord. Not even half an hour ago, they struck. They slaughtered some of the guards and looted the treasury, taking everything inside before lighting it up."

Cecil clenched his teeth. "Who did this?"

The man shook his head, looking utterly terrified. "It was these creatures of darkness. Walking suits of armor without souls. Over a dozen of them too. I believe they're referred to as 'Iron Knuckles'."

Cecil gasped and Kristin shuddered. Naturally, they both recognized these creatures from their father's stories. Iron Knuckles were said to be dangerous, hardy, and above all else, ruthless.

"Why did they come here?" Cecil asked.

"I don't know, My Lord. They only stole our riches before taking their leave. We tried to drive them off, of course, but we were no match for them. In the end, we focused on fighting the fire while they escaped to the northwest."

Cecil clenched his teeth again. This truly didn't sit well with him. He knew that Iron Knuckles didn't exist naturally. They had to have been summoned by someone, likely a magician. He soon turned to his sister with a grave look.

"Do you think that Kyla did this?" he whispered.

Kristin appeared horrified, but slowly nodded. "I think she might have. It's the only thing that makes sense. I have the feeling that they stole the riches from this town because Kyla desired them. She wants to be Queen of Hyrule, after all."

"But this…" Cecil paused, glaring at the fire. "This is unforgivable."

"I never thought that she would be capable of this either," Kristin mumbled. She shuddered again and glanced to the northwest: the direction in which the Iron Knuckles had apparently retreated.

"Do you know where they went?" Cecil asked her. "If Kyla created him, they probably returned to her hiding place."

Kristin nodded before the answer suddenly came to her. There was only one notable location that rested northwest of Rauru. "The North Castle," she whispered. "Where our Auntie slept for all those years. It's been abandoned for a long time. It would make the perfect hiding place for an aspiring Queen."

Cecil slowly nodded. "I think you may be right. I can feel it in my gut. Or maybe in my Triforce, but Kyla is there."

Kristin silently nodded in return. She could sense her own piece of the Triforce telling her that they were on the right track. If they wanted to retrieve the Triforce of Power, they would have to go there.

"Let's go right now," Cecil said, sending his horse into a light trot. "We'll make Kyla answer for these crimes."

"Wait a second," Kristin said, pulling on her brother's middle. "We can't fight her right now. She has a small army of Iron Knuckles working under her."

"So? I can handle them. Dad's taught me a lot."

Kristin sighed. "I know, Cecil, but it wouldn't be wise to just recklessly charge in there. With that many of them, you could get overwhelmed, and then Kyla would easily be able to steal your piece of the Triforce."

Cecil sighed in return. He wanted to avenge these innocent townspeople. He wanted to deliver justice to those that had wronged them, and he wanted to prove how courageous he was too! But he knew that his sister had a point. He soon slowed the horse back to a halt before hanging his head in sorrow.

Kristin softly rubbed his shoulder. "Let's go back to the castle. Now that we have Kyla's location, we can share it with mom and dad and decide on our next course of action."

Cecil took a deep breath, but soon nodded. "Okay…" he agreed.

The Prince redirected his horse to the side, so the two of them could take one final glance at the fire and destruction wreaked by the Iron Knuckles. As they did, Cecil clenched his teeth once more.

"Hey Kristin…"

"Yes?"

"Do you think the Triforce of Power has corrupted our sister? Do you truly think that she's become evil?"

Kristin nervously bit her lip as she looked to the ground. She certainly didn't want to believe it. But upon seeing all of the chaos that her sister's actions had wrought, it was hard to deny such claims. Perhaps Kyla truly was too far gone.

"I don't know," she mumbled as a single tear slid down her cheek. "I don't know…"

Kyla is out here making all kinds of enemies. She's certainly giving her family a lot of reasons to stand against her. Next chapter, she'll twist the knife a bit further…