Children of the Triforce: Retold
Chapter 17 – Corruption
It didn't take long before a guard returned to the family room with an announcement. "Sir, Princess Kristin has been located and escorted to her bedroom as per your request."
Link nodded. "Thanks."
Zelda was quick to rise to her feet and join him. "Come on, Link. Let's go see what we can discover."
"You're not going to talk to her here?" Cecil asked.
"No, we think it would be better to keep the three of you separated for now," Link explained. "At least until we have a better understanding of what's going on."
"Father, stay here and keep an eye on these two, would you?" Zelda asked.
Harkinian simply nodded. "Of course, dear." He then released a long, heavy sigh. "Though I wish that it didn't have to be this way…"
"We'll try to come back with some answers soon," Link promised him. "Just sit tight for now. Let's go, Zelda."
"Right."
And with that, the two of them departed, leaving Harkinian, Cecil, and Kyla alone in the small family room. A silence fell over each of them as they mulled over their thoughts and feelings on the situation at hand. Naturally, Kyla's thoughts were a bit more nerve-wracking than the others'.
This could be bad, she realized. Once they start questioning Kristin, it might not take long for them to realize that she doesn't know anything and is innocent in all of this.
Not necessarily, the voice replied. It almost sounded amused, as if this whole situation were an interesting game of chess. If anything, it will be her word against yours. And you've already steered your parents in a direction against your sister, so they may be less likely to trust her.
I'm not so sure about that. My parents never side with me, Kyla thought bitterly.
Hmm…you may have a point, the voice agreed. Perhaps we should make our move now, before our time is up.
Kyla furrowed her brow. Our move?
I'm referring to stealing the Triforce of Courage, of course.
Kyla's eyes went wide, and she inhaled deeply through her nostrils. You want me to steal it from Cecil? Right here and now?
If your parents are only going to turn against you, then it would be better to do it when they are not around. There's no doubt that they are formidable opponents, and would easily force you to give up your piece of the Triforce if given the chance.
Kyla scowled. That certainly seemed to track. But they won't be able to stop me if I have two pieces of the Triforce?
It will certainly help, the voice replied. At the very least, you will only be one piece away from completing the Triforce. And once you accomplish that, nobody will have the power to stop you. You'll be invincible.
Kyla subconsciously nodded in agreement. She couldn't deny that the ultimate power of the Triforce was sounding more tempting by the minute. To be healthy and strong and know that nobody could stand above her or tell her what to do. It was the ultimate dream. The perfect ending for what had otherwise been a miserable existence.
Kyla soon focused, feeling her determination rising. Okay, so how do I steal it?
It is quite simple. You must use the power of your own piece of the Triforce to draw it out while your brother is in a weakened state.
Kyla frowned. This didn't sound simple at all. And how am I to do that? I don't know how to use the powers of the Triforce. And even if I did, Cecil is strong and fit. How am I supposed to weaken him?
Relax, my darling, the voice encouraged her. It truly is rather simple, and I will gladly help you through it. All you must do is call upon the power of the Triforce and command it to carry out your will. You can even use it to attack others. Why, I'm sure you could summon a magical blast powerful enough to knock your brother unconscious.
Kyla gulped as she stared down at her hand. Up until now, she had only been relying on the Triforce to keep her healthy. She never imagined that it could be such a powerful weapon as well. And to think that she only held a third of it!
Naturally, the voice continued to whisper in the back of her mind, egging her towards action. Your brother won't even have time to react if you do it quickly enough. Just blast him with magic and he'll be out cold. And your grandfather is so old and pathetic, it will be a trivial matter to take him out a moment later. And then the Triforce of Courage will be yours for the taking.
Again, Kyla gulped, but this time it was out of fear rather than awe. She had to admit, she held some reservations about this strategy. While it was true that her family had always annoyed her, she never felt the desire to attack one of them before. It was almost out of the question.
Um…if I do that…it won't hurt them, will it?
No, my dear, the voice replied in a soothing tone. Don't worry your pretty little head about that. It will simply be as if they have fallen asleep. And of course, I'm sure you understand that your brother will survive without his piece of the Triforce. He doesn't need it to live. Not like you do.
Kyla couldn't help but nod in agreement. The voice was right. She did need the Triforce. It was her sole source of hope. The only desire which she clung to. If she couldn't complete the Triforce, then what hope did she have? A lowly existence as a weak and forgotten Princess?
And yet, in spite of her aspirations, Kyla continued to hesitate. But…even if do steal it now, then what? Will I need to attack my sister next? Potentially fight my parents too?
Perhaps, the voice mused. And what if you did? Would that really be so bad? Would you be unable to fight for what you believe in?
Kyla didn't know what to say. To be honest, the thought of fighting her parents left her with a terrible, nauseating feeling of guilt. Despite how controlling and dismissive the two of them had been throughout Kyla's life, she still believed that they loved her. Cherished her. Wanted her to live a long and happy life. After all, they had spent so much time taking care of her, and had even saved her life on multiple occasions. Surely they loved her. They had to.
You are mistaken, child, the voice suddenly interjected. This time, it spoke in a deep, menacing growl. Your parents never loved you.
Kyla frowned, feeling taken aback. She wanted to trust this voice. It had always been so helpful and seemed to have her best interests in mind. However, she suddenly felt torn. She almost couldn't believe what it was telling her.
What do you mean? she asked cautiously, fearing the answer.
I mean exactly what I say, girl, the voice responded, sounding as bitter as Kyla sometimes felt. I know it can't be easy to hear, but it's true. Think about it. If your parents truly loved you, they would have made a wish on the Triforce to heal you. They knew where it was and how to use it, but they never did. No, even after all of this time, they were perfectly happy to just let you die from a terminal illness…
Kyla's eyes went wide. She had never considered this before. She had been so obsessed in trying to get her own hands on the Triforce, she had never questioned why her parents hadn't tried to do the same. After all, wouldn't they have wanted to save the life of their precious daughter? The daughter who was weak and sick and on the verge of dying?
Your parents don't care about you, the voice continued. Its sound was so palpable, it almost felt like it was whispering directly into Kyla's ear. They never cared about you. I'm sure you've noticed it over the years. They are only proud of their two oldest children because they resemble themselves. Cecil, a brave knight like his father, and Kristen, a wise lady like her mother. But what do they see you as? Nothing but a nuisance…
No… Kyla thought, ever so slightly shaking her head. No, that can't be true…
Oh, but it is, my child. And the sooner you accept this, the better off you'll be. Not only have your parents never loved you; they even despise you. Why, I'm sure you've never heard the terrible things that they said before you were born…Back when your mother had such a difficult pregnancy, and began to resent you for it…
Kyla froze. It was true; she had never heard any mention of this before. Wh-What are you talking about?
Poor child, the voice replied sympathetically. You had no way of knowing, but I could see it all from my place within the vault. This castle kept no secrets from me. Now look upon the memory of your mother, when she learned how difficult you were making her life…
Kyla's vision suddenly faded as a blurry, distorted image appeared before her. She wasn't quite sure what was happening. She had never experienced something like this before. Still, she watched as the image began to focus, and Kyla could soon see a younger Zelda resting in her bed, with a hand on her flat stomach. And, most notable of all, the expression on her face. The young Princess was openly weeping.
"It's too much," Zelda's voice echoed in Kyla's head. "It's been so painful and terrifying."
Suddenly, there was a rush of wind, and the scene shifted ahead a bit. The tears were now freely flowing down her cheeks. "Maybe it would be better if I did lose the baby, and then everything could go back to normal…" Link was there too, and he soon began to rub his wife's shoulder before the wind came rushing in again, and the image faded away.
Kyla sat there in stunned silence for a moment. She couldn't believe what she had witnessed. That wasn't a mirage; those had been her real parents from the past. And the things they had said seemed to imply that they never wanted her to be born. No, they claimed that their lives would actually be better if she wasn't born!
Kyla's lip quivered. She almost started to cry, and perhaps she would have, if she had been alone. But somehow, the presence of her brother and grandfather in the room helped keep her together. She didn't want to alert them to what was going through her head at this moment. To alert them that she was experiencing a huge, earth-shattering revelation.
They…They never loved me, she thought, as if everything suddenly made sense. The controlling nature. Always confining Kyla to her bed. Treating the older siblings better than they treated her. Never trusting her. Always reprimanding her. Not even caring when she was on death's door!
The revelation wasn't freeing though. If anything, it left the young Princess feeling hollow. Brokenhearted. She couldn't believe it. If her life hadn't been miserable enough, it had just gotten worse.
Her parents, the people whom she should have been able to trust the most, never loved her.
Everything she knew suddenly felt like a lie. Like an illusion. She honestly couldn't believe this turn of events. She felt completely lost.
Wh-What am I to do now? she whimpered in her mind.
Child, the voice said in a surprisingly endearing tone. You know exactly what you must do…
Link and Zelda arrived at Kristin's bedroom, where a soldier stood guard outside her door. He gladly let the parents pass, and they stepped into the room before shutting the door behind them. There, they found Kristin sitting on her bed, looking confused.
"Mom, dad," she said. "What's going on? The soldiers said I needed to come back to the castle immediately-"
Link held up a hand, silencing his daughter. "Kristin, we're in the middle of a dire situation. We'll explain everything in a minute, but first we need to ask you some questions."
Kristin blinked, a bit surprised at the seriousness of her father's tone. "Okay, daddy."
Zelda turned to Link. "First things first, we need to see if she has it."
Link nodded. "Right."
"Kristin, give me your hand," Zelda said as she approached her daughter. Kristin still seemed confused and a little hesitant, but she did as she was told, offering her hand for her mother to take. Once it was in her grasp, Zelda called upon her magic in order to draw out the Triforce's power. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the young girl's hand began to glow with a radiant golden light.
"By the gods," Zelda whispered with wide eyes.
Link appeared equally surprised. "So it's true…"
However, the person who seemed the most stunned by this revelation was Kristin herself. "Oh! Wh-What is this? What's happening?" She lifted up her hand, trying to get a better look at the softly glowing triangle.
Meanwhile, Link skeptically eyed his daughter. "You mean you don't know?"
"N-No, should I?" Kristin asked in a slightly shaky voice. Between the seriousness of her parents and the sudden appearance of this strange light, she felt a little nervous. Still, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes in curiosity as she continued to inspect her hand. "This symbol…"
"Do you recognize it?" Zelda asked.
Kristin slowly nodded. "Of course I do. I've seen it in many history tomes as well as on some banners around the castle. It's the Triforce, isn't it?"
"Yes, but it's more than just a symbol," Zelda explained. "It's a piece of the Triforce itself. Specifically, the Triforce of Wisdom."
"I-It is?" Kristin squeaked in surprise. She was having a hard time processing all of this information. "But…why do I have it? Shouldn't the Triforce be safely hidden somewhere?"
"That's what we want to know," Link said as he crossed his arms. "Tell us, Kristin, what do you know about this?"
"Nothing," she answered honestly. "This is the first I've seen it."
"Did you ever go to the vault?"
"What vault?"
Link frowned. Her answer was the same as Cecil's. The answer of someone who sounded completely clueless. "You really don't know anything about it?" Link pressed her.
Kristin shook her head. "No, daddy. If anything, I'm terribly confused…"
Zelda frowned too as she turned to her husband. This answer had only complicated things. Now that they knew their three children each bore a piece of the Triforce, they realized that the thief had to be one of those same three children. It was a hard truth, and it put Link and Zelda in a horrible position. They didn't want to distrust their own children, let alone accuse them of such a serious crime, but based on the evidence, they knew that one of them simply had to be lying.
"Um…can you tell me what's happened?" Kristin asked in a shaky voice as she looked back and forth between her mother and father. She still didn't have a grasp on the situation at hand, or why her parents seemed to be interrogating her.
Link sighed. "Kristin, someone has attempted to steal the Triforce. Because of this, it has been separated into three pieces, and you now hold one of the shards."
Kristin gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. "Seriously? But…how?"
"We don't know and we're trying to get to the bottom of this. Now, answer me honestly. You are absolutely sure that you have never been to the vault where the Triforce is kept?"
"No, I don't even know what you're talking about," Kristin said with a shake of her head. Her expression then softened as she realized something. "Daddy, you…you don't think that I tried to steal the Triforce, do you?"
Link gave his daughter a stern look. "I don't want to believe that, but unfortunately you are a prime suspect."
Kristin appeared lost, and almost betrayed. She had rarely been accused of doing something wrong before. And to think that it was such a heinous crime too. "But I didn't do it!" she insisted. "I would never do such a thing. Mom, tell him-"
Zelda just gave a firm shake of her head. She too looked wary of her daughter. "I'm sorry, Kristin, but we have to be cautious. We're still trying to figure out what happened."
Kristin lowered her face, looking positively distraught. It honestly hurt to hear her parents speak to her like that. "How could you even think such a thing?"
"Well, we do have some evidence," Link explained patiently. "First off, you possess a piece of the Triforce. Second, we heard that you were attempting to study the Triforce in secret."
"What?" Kristin whimpered. "I did no such thing!"
"Did you ever go looking for the Triforce's hiding place?"
Once again, Kristin looked betrayed. "Mom, dad…do you really trust me so little?"
"Kristin," Zelda said in a sharp voice. "Please answer your father's questions. Did you ever go looking for the Triforce?"
Kristin winced at her mother's tone. "N-No."
"Have you ever had a dream about the Triforce?" Link asked.
"No, daddy."
"Have you ever tried to study the Triforce?"
"Yes, but I only ever used history books, and I only did it because I was curious."
"So you've never seen the Triforce in person?"
"No."
"And you've never seen the mark on the back of your hand?"
"No…"
"Kristin," Link said, giving his daughter the sternest look yet, "did you ever attempt to steal the Triforce?"
"N-No, daddy," she choked. At this point, her eyes welled up with tears and she looked away. She was obviously stressed from having all of these accusations piled upon her. She soon began to weep.
Naturally, this reaction was enough to break Zelda. "Okay, Link, that's enough," she said. She soon sat on the bed next to her daughter and pulled her into her arms.
"I didn't do it," Kristin bawled. "Honestly, I didn't do it…"
"Shh, I know, sweetie," Zelda said as she stroked her hair.
Link sighed as he watched them. He hated having to put his daughter through this, but it had to be done. She was the leading suspect, what with all of the evidence stacked against her. If she truly claimed to be innocent, he had to make sure that she wasn't deceiving them. But this created a problem in and of itself. If Kristin wasn't to blame, then who was?
"I…I would never want to steal the Triforce or put it in danger," Kristin continued to bawl into her mother's chest. "Wh-Why would you even think such a thing?"
Zelda sighed. "We're sorry, sweetie, but Kyla said that you had always been interested in researching it. That you even wanted to find it in person."
"What?" Kristin asked as she shook her head. "No, I would never…"
"So it isn't true?" Zelda asked with a troubled frown. "But then, why would Kyla-"
She paused, suddenly realizing something. Not only did Kyla's testimony conflict with Kristin's own, but something about this entire situation just didn't add up. She soon turned to her husband with a nervous look.
"Link…when the Triforce splits apart, where do the pieces go?"
Link seemed confused by the sudden query, but he answered his wife anyway. "One remains with the user while the other two go to someone who best represents their qualities."
"Right," Zelda said with a nod. "So assuming that Kristin here stole the Triforce-"
"I didn't!" the girl wailed.
"Shh, I know, sweetie. But let's theoretically say that you did. Now tell me, Link, where would the shards of Courage and Power go?"
Link crossed his arms. "Well, they would go to someone who best represents courage and power, respectively."
"Exactly," Zelda said. "So in this case, the Triforce of Courage went to Cecil, a young, brave knight who is training to help defend his Kingdom. Makes sense, right?"
"Sure."
"But…what about Kyla? What about her makes it seem like she would be a suitable host for the Triforce of Power?"
Link immediately froze. He didn't know what to say. "I…hadn't thought of that."
"Neither did I," Zelda said with a shake of her head. "But it doesn't add up, does it? If the Triforce was split, why would the shard of Power have gone to her of all people? Surely there would have been better candidates in Hyrule for representing strength?"
"You have a point," Link agreed. "Kyla has always been a weak, sickly little thing. She's really about as far from powerful as you can get."
Zelda blinked at this, suddenly realizing another awful truth. She released Kristin in order to clamp her hands over her own mouth in horror. "Oh, Goddesses, no…How could I not have seen this?"
Kristin gave her mother a confused look, and Link appeared equally alarmed. "Zelda, what is it?"
"Kyla," she breathed. "A month ago, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, remember? But then, after that one week, it all just slowly faded away until she was completely healthy again. The physician claimed that it had been a miracle. Almost as if it was too good to be true…"
Link gasped, suddenly realizing what she was implying. "Zelda, you don't think that…"
"I do," she said, looking terribly nauseous as she did so. "It seems very probable that Kyla stole the Triforce and used its powers to heal herself."
Link gawked as he tried to process all of this. Kyla, a sick girl who was on the verge of dying, and someone who knew exactly where the Triforce was located, must have touched it in order to heal herself. Naturally, the Triforce split apart, leaving the girl with the shard of Power, and it seemed that this alone must have been enough to overcome her terminal illness. Somehow, it was all starting to make sense.
"She had the knowledge, and the motive," Link whispered to himself. "But still, would she have had the means? I thought she couldn't climb to the top of that tower?"
"She must have found a way," Zelda said with a troubled frown. "I hate to say it, but there's almost too much evidence for it. Kyla was most likely the thief."
"And then she tried to blame it on me?" Kristin asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why?"
"Because she didn't want to be discovered," Link said through clenched teeth. He suddenly had an awful feeling in his stomach.
Zelda nodded, feeling the same. "This doesn't bode well. Come on, Link. We need to go and confront Kyla about this immediately, before things get any more out of hand."
"Right," Link said with a nod. "Kristin, you stay here. That way you'll be safe."
"Safe?" the girl repeated weakly. "I don't understand. Am I in danger?"
Link gulped before turning to his wife. She held an equally grave look on her face. Neither of them wanted to believe it, but the potential was there.
"You might be," Link finally whispered back. And then, before Kristin had a chance to ask any further questions, he disappeared through the door with Zelda right behind him.
More dramaaaaaa! We're really getting into the fun stuff now. Next time, look forward to the confrontation between parents and child!
Also, from this point forward, I'm going to strive for weekly updates. I won't make any promises, but I'm certainly going to try my best!