Children of the Triforce: Retold

Chapter 23 – Battle for the Triforce

Link, Cecil, and Kristin arrived at the North Castle just after sunset, and darkness soon surrounded them. They directed their horses into a forest off to the side, and it was here that they dismounted and attempted to scope out the situation.

"Hmm," Link mumbled, forcing his eyes to focus against the dimly lit landscape. "As expected, there's Iron Knuckles out front, but there's not as many as I expected."

"Maybe mom really did cause a distraction then," Cecil wondered.

Link nodded. He had been hoping to catch Zelda before she made it here, but they had spotted no sign of her. There was a good chance that she was already inside the castle.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kristin whispered. "I think mom might be in danger."

"If she's in there, then she's definitely not safe," Link agreed.

"So what should we do, daddy?"

"I say we storm the place," Cecil spoke up. "There's not that many of them, so let's just fight our way inside and find mom."

Link stared at his two children. "Are you up for it?"

They both nodded, looking resolute.

"Whatever it takes to rescue mom," Kristin said.

"And stop Kyla," Cecil agreed. "What about you, dad? Are you capable of this?"

Link couldn't help but smirk. It may have been nearly twenty years since he last fought the forces of evil conjured by Ganon, but he had never allowed his skills to grow rusty. He was one of Hyrule's greatest knights, and his proficiency with the sword was as fearsome as ever. "Who do you think you're talking to, son? I'm more than ready."

Cecil gave his father a confident grin back. "Then lead us into battle."

Link nodded and drew his sword. He was just about to turn and begin the charge when his daughter suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," she said. "We should avoid making a commotion if necessary. I have a better idea."

The two men stared at her with curious expressions, but she just pushed past them so that she was standing at the front of the line of trees. She then drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it in her bow. After taking careful aim at one of the Iron Knuckles, the golden glow of the Triforce emanated from the back of her hand. A second later, her arrow began to glow as well.

"A light arrow," Link murmured in awe.

Kristin released the arrow, striking the Iron Knuckle at the front of the castle. The soulless suit of armor immediately shattered to pieces in a golden flash of light. The light then shot out in multiple directions, targeting the other Iron Knuckles nearby. In an instant, they all collapsed as well, destroyed beyond recognition. The front gate of the castle was now completely unmanned.

Link whistled, feeling impressed. Cecil felt his jaw drop open as he stared at his sister.

"Whoa…how in the world did you do that?"

Kristin turned back with a shy smile. "I used the Triforce," she said humbly. "I could feel it telling me to use its power. It was just like daddy said. When I needed it most, it came to my aid."

"So cool," her brother whispered.

"Good work," Link agreed, clasping his daughter on the shoulder. "Now let's make the most of this opening and get inside before anyone finds out what happened."

"Right," the kids replied.

The family darted out from their place among the trees. It didn't take long before they reached the front gate and slipped inside the castle. They then slowed their pace and quieted their footsteps. From this point forward, it would be best to sneak in as far as they could and avoid any possible confrontations.

Fortunately, Link had visited this castle before, so he was familiar with the layout. He quickly led his children through the dark corridors, proceeding towards a single destination: the throne room. If Kyla was anywhere in this castle, it would likely be there.

It took some time, moving as carefully and quietly as they were. Occasionally, they spotted an Iron Knuckle patrolling the halls, but they always managed to slip away before they were discovered. They continued their journey deeper inside. As time went on, the situation only became all the more nerve-wracking. With each careful glance around a corner, the family tightened their hold on their weapons. Nobody knew what they would find in the heart of this lonely castle, and they were almost terrified to find out.

Eventually, they made it to the throne room, and each of them shuddered in fear. The room felt terribly ominous, with its blood-red decorations, dark stonework, and eerie purple lighting. However, the most frightening thing of all, was the small army of Iron Knuckles that had been stationed here. There was at least a dozen of them, and as soon as the family stepped into the room, they all turned and brandished their weapons.

"Oh no!" Kristin whispered.

"Stay calm, Sis," Cecil encouraged her. "We knew we'd have to fight at some point. Let's give them hell!"

"Well said!" Link agreed as he raised his blade. Cecil did the same and the battle commenced.

The men rushed forward, tackling the Iron Knuckles in a clash of steel. Kristin remained behind, firing light-tinted arrows from a safe distance. With their combined efforts, they managed to keep the horde of enemies at bay. Link made particularly quick work of one of them, disarming the suit of armor before severing its head. Cecil helped to destroy one as well, by stunning the enemy with his shield long enough for Kristin to pierce it with a light arrow. The armor soon collapsed, its magic dispelled.

But in spite of their progress, the family couldn't hold out forever. The sheer number of foes soon began to overwhelm them, and what had once been a strong charge forward now became a careful defensive stand. It was all Link and Cecil could do to fight the Iron Knuckles off with both sword and shield. Even Kristin was unable to find any clean openings, and most of her arrows bounced harmlessly off of their armor.

It was at this point that Cecil paused, suddenly sensing a warm energy radiating from his left hand. He soon glanced down, noticing the golden mark of the Triforce there. It was just as Kristin had said. In this moment, he could feel the Triforce of Courage calling out to him. He suddenly knew what he had to do.

"Dad, get back!" he cried as he raised his sword high into the air.

Link glanced at his son in confusion, but quickly obeyed, backflipping out of the reach of the Iron Knuckle he had been grappling with.

Cecil now stood alone before the Iron Knuckle army, but he wasn't afraid. No, if anything, he was filled with overwhelming courage. He soon felt the energy of the Triforce flow into his sword, and it began to emit the same golden glow as the back of his hand. He now wielded a sword of light.

Using all his strength, Cecil swung the sword downward towards the nearest Iron Knuckle. The golden blade passed effortlessly through the armor as if it were no more than butter, and instantly bisected the creature. A second later, a wave of golden energy flowed out of the sword, cleaving its way through the remainder of the Iron Knuckles beyond. In an instant, they all exploded and scattered into a mess of metallic greaves, gauntlets, and chest plates.

The room then fell silent. The Iron Knuckles were no more.

Cecil stood there, breathing heavily as he raised his sword. He was honestly in awe of the power he wielded. He soon glanced back to find his father and sister joining him.

"Good work, son," Link said proudly.

"That was amazing," Kristin agreed.

Cecil nodded bashfully before sheathing his sword and shield. The danger seemed to have passed for now, but everyone was still very much alert. They knew that there would surely be more battles to come.

Just then, a quiet voice called out amidst the darkness. "Link…?"

Everyone froze before glancing off to the side. There, they found Zelda, chained up and loosely hanging from the walls.

"Zelda!" Link cried, immediately rushing to her side. "We're here, Zelda. What happened?"

The Princess weakly glanced up at him, feeling both sad and ashamed. "It was Kyla…"

"She did this to you?" Kristin said with a gasp.

Link swallowed. It seemed that things were as bad as he feared. Kyla was spiraling down a dark path, and it was faster than he ever could have imagined. How could that girl have done this to her own mother?

"Don't worry, Zelda," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll get you out of here."

"Dad!" Cecil called out from across the room. "I found some keys."

Link glanced back to find his son standing near a dark and sinister looking throne, but he paid it no mind. "Good work. Toss them here."

He did, and Link soon had the shackles around Zelda's ankles and wrists opened. She fell into his arms, and he gently held her close. He clenched his teeth when he saw the thick red marks around her wrists where the manacles had bound her.

"Oh, Link," she said, as she buried her face in his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but Kyla…she's so powerful now. Please be careful…"

"Well, isn't this sweet?" a new voice suddenly called out.

The family immediately tensed up before glancing behind them. There, at the entrance to the throne room, Kyla strode in, decked out in her fancy dress and luxurious riches. A fresh army of Iron Knuckles marched in behind her.

"I felt a disturbance at the front gate, so I went to inspect it," the girl said, using a menacing and icy tone. "Lo and behold, I found nothing but scraps of metal there. I figured that you all must be up to something, so I hurried back here. And what do I find but a couple of traitors releasing my prisoner?"

Link nearly shivered as he gazed upon the girl. This was not his daughter. There was a resemblance, of course, but this was a far cry from the lovely little girl he used to know. Her green eyes were sunken and cold. There was anger in them. A terrifying maliciousness. It seemed that the Triforce of Power had truly transformed her into something she wasn't. It had turned her into a monster.

"Your mother isn't a prisoner, Kyla," he tried to say bravely. "How could you possibly do this to her?"

"I treated her the same way that she treated me," Kyla said with a huff. "I was her prisoner for all those years. Now she is mine. And I can't have you taking her away from here. Not until she agrees to give me the throne of Hyrule."

Link glared at this wicked child, hardly believing what she was saying. "Is that what this is all about?" he whispered harshly. "Is that why you killed your own grandfather?"

"I didn't kill him," Kyla said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Mother had the same misconception. He simply died of a heart attack while I was trying to convince him to sign the Kingdom over to me. I offered to help him if he complied, but he refused until the bitter end, and thus died like a fool."

"What?" Kristin whimpered, her eyes threatening to well up with tears. "Kyla, why didn't you help him?"

"Oh, shut up," the girl snapped defensively. "You're just like mother. I'm so sick of all of you judging me. I didn't even do anything wrong!"

This time, Cecil was the one to snap. "What about the people of Rauru?" he demanded angrily. "You attacked them! Killed them even!"

"It was their own fault for getting in my way," she said coldly.

"How can you say that without any remorse?" Cecil asked, looking horrified. "I don't feel like I even know you anymore! You're not the sister I used to love!"

Kyla shrugged indifferently. "It figures you'd say that, Cecil. You always did love Kristin more than me. You all did. I was the unwanted sister. The unwanted daughter."

"Kyla, that's not true," Kristin said with a shake of her head. "We all loved you dearly. You were our precious little sister."

"If that's true, then why didn't any of you help me?" Kyla asked bitterly. "All my life, I was sick and weak and dying!"

"I didn't know how," Kristin said quietly. "No one did. But I still tried to be a good sister to you…"

Kyla frowned before extending a hand out before her. "Oh, well if you're such a perfect sister, then give me the Triforce of Wisdom. I need it more than you do. This will finally be your chance to make things right!"

"I can't do that," Kristin replied with a shake of her head. "The Triforce will never be safe in your hands. The Kingdom won't be safe either. I'm sorry, Kyla, but you need to give up the Triforce of Power, it's the only way…"

"Get bent!" Kyla retorted, using the most un-Princess-like vocabulary any of them had ever heard. "If you won't give it to me, then I'll take it by force. Iron knuckles, kill them!"

The Iron Knuckles brandished their weapons as they began pouring into the room. Link and Cecil drew their own swords and prepared to fight, but paused when a large gust of wind ripped through the chamber, splitting the sea of enemies in two. They glanced back to find Zelda standing tall, arms outstretched and glowing with magic.

"Zelda, are you okay?" Link asked, almost breathless.

She nodded. "I am now that I'm free of those cursed chains. And I won't let these soulless ghouls hurt my children."

Link smiled before nodding back. "Cecil, Kristin, get the Triforce from your sister! We'll hold off the Iron Knuckles!"

"Right!" the kids agreed. They immediately dashed through the opening created by Zelda's magic, charging straight for Kyla.

"Tch," the self-proclaimed Queen scoffed. She soon raised her hand, as the mark of the Triforce flashed bright and strong. "Come at me, will you? Fine! I'll just scorch you to death and take the Triforce from your corpses!"

Sure enough, bright purple flames erupted from her palms, engulfing everything in their path including some of her own Iron Knuckles. Cecil skidded to a halt, raising his Hylian shield in order to block the flames and their overwhelming heat. Meanwhile, Kristin used the power of her own Triforce to summon a blue, diamond-shaped veil around her. It acted as a magical shield and kept her safe from harm.

Kyla laughed, loud and wickedly. So what if they had a few tricks up their sleeves? She was not about to let them get away with such a simple defense. She called upon the power of the Triforce once more, intending to completely surround them with a fire so hot that it would melt their shield and break their barriers. This would be over in a matter of seconds.

However, what ended up happening was the exact opposite. Instead of conjuring bigger and brighter flames, the ones she was emitting slowly began to peter out. What had once been an intimidating inferno was now nothing more than a meager blast of fire and smoke. One that bounced harmlessly off of her sister's defenses.

"What the-" Kyla cursed, looking confused. She soon glanced down at her hand, only to notice that the golden mark of the Triforce was flashing in and out of appearance. "What is going on?" she demanded.

You foolish girl! the voice in her mind suddenly berated her. Didn't I warn you that you were relying on the Triforce too much? Its power has begun to weaken!

Kyla simply scowled. But that's impossible. The power of the Triforce is supposed to be eternal. Unstoppable!

Yes, but even it needs time to recharge its boundless energy, you dolt! You've nearly sucked it dry with all your spells the last few days!

Kyla cursed again before clenching her teeth. Never before had the voice spoken so rudely to her, but she didn't have time to worry about that now. Cecil had quickly recovered and was running straight towards her once more. She had no choice but to stop him. Despite the flickering Triforce, she managed to summon a ball of lightning in her hand.

Ping! An arrow sliced through the air, piercing her magic orb and shattering it into a shower of sparkling light. Kyla gasped as she looked past her brother to see Kristin wielding a bow. She had just dispelled her magic!

"Kristin, you stupid wh-!" she began to scream, but her cry was cut short as Cecil leapt at her. His sword was glowing with a radiant golden light, no doubt due to the Triforce. Kyla attempted to summon her own magic shield, just as Kristin had seconds ago, but it merely shattered under the swing of his mighty blade.

The force of the impact knocked Kyla backwards, and the next thing she knew, Cecil had pounced and pinned her to the ground. The two of them wrestled for a bit, Kyla struggling to get up with Cecil desperately trying to keep her still.

"Let go of me!" Kyla demanded, her voice sounding harsh and frustrated and downright malicious.

But Cecil was resolute. Feeling the energy of the Triforce of Courage course through him, he finally pinned Kyla underneath him so that all she could do was squirm restlessly. "Your Triforce is no match for ours," he said quietly, realizing the truth of the situation himself. "Give this up, Kyla. Call off your armies."

"Never!" the girl spat.

"I mean it," Cecil whispered. He then hesitated for a moment before lifting his blade and pointing it at her throat. "Call them off, now."

"How can you do this to me?" Kyla asked, still fighting against his hold. "I'm your own sister."

Cecil stared at her. He felt overwhelmed by emotion in this moment: anger, courage, and a need to deliver justice, but the one sentiment that eclipsed them all was a great, tragic sadness. He didn't want to do this, and yet, he felt like he had no choice. A few tears glistened in his eyes.

"How could you do this, Kyla?" he demanded back. "How could you do this to our family? To Hyrule? I don't want to kill you, but I have an entire Kingdom resting on my shoulders, and if this is the only way to stop you, then I will see it through."

At this point, Kristin was running up to support her brother, but stopped short just a few feet away. "No, Cecil, look out!"

The warning came far too late. Kyla's Triforce flashed to life again and a dark, shadowy energy rushed out beneath her. As it did, the girl released a terrible, angry roar.

"NOOOO!"

Across the room, in the midst of fighting the army of Iron Knuckles, Link and Zelda both shivered. That voice was not the voice of their daughter. If anything, it almost sounded like the roar of Ganon himself…

Cecil was thrust away, slamming into a wall. Kristin managed to avoid the attack by jumping back, but she soon watched as Kyla rose to her feet, the waves of darkness still echoing out beneath her. Her expression was dark and upset, and her hands twitched at her sides. She soon turned to her brother, who had collapsed to the floor, and raised a hand towards him.

"No!" Kristin cried, leaping forth and throwing her arms around Kyla. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but her instincts had directed her forward. She locked her sister in her arms and held her in place.

Kyla growled as her magic began to flicker again. Something was off. Kristin's hold was preventing the use of her Triforce somehow. Perhaps it was the Triforce of Wisdom's interference. She soon reached up and began clawing at her sister's arms.

"Get your filthy hands off of me, Kristin!" she screamed.

But Kristin held tight, enduring the pain. She didn't let go even when her arms began to bleed from her sister's sharp nails. "No, I'm taking the Triforce from you," she insisted. And she soon began wrestling with the girl, trying to reach for her hand. The one that held the mark of the Triforce.

"Get off of me, you bitch!" Kyla screamed again. "I hate you! I hate all of you!"

Kristin winced. Her sister's nails hurt. Her words hurt even more. But she was not about to back down. After a few more seconds of wrestling, she finally managed to grasp Kyla's hand. In an instant, both of their Triforce marks began to glow.

"Cecil!" she cried.

"Coming!" he shouted back. He was already up and on the move. He soon placed his hand on theirs while Kristin kept Kyla secure. The next thing they knew, all three hands began to glow more radiantly than ever before. The energy coursing through them felt like lightning itself, and a tug-of-war ensued. Kyla saw this as her opportunity to steal their Triforce shards from them, but her siblings desired the opposite. They were doing everything in their power to remove the Triforce from her.

To an outsider, the three of them might have stood perfectly still, but inside the conflict was raging tumultuously. The forces pulling against each other were so strong, they could barely withstand it. They felt like their hands, heads, and hearts were about to burst from the sheer power coursing through them. But the results of said conflict soon became apparent. Kyla's power was no match for theirs, and after a few seconds of struggling, she could feel her piece of the Triforce start to slip away.

The voice in her head was screaming like a madman, and the next thing she knew, she was screaming too. She was the voice and it was her and they were both being torn apart. But there was nothing to be done. With one last, bloodcurdling shriek, the Triforce of Power ejected from her hand.

All three siblings immediately fell to the floor, their long-contained struggle over at last. They rested for a moment, each of them struggling to catch their breath. Cecil was the first to recover, and he soon glanced upwards. There, he spotted a single golden triangle, shining and floating in all of its glory.

They had done it. They had forced the Triforce out of Kyla.

The reaction to this was immediate. Every Iron Knuckle in the room collapsed, their lifeforce having been extinguished. Now they were nothing more than empty husks of armor. Link and Zelda went still as well, their desperate struggle having come to an end. They watched as the room began to transform. The pristine banners and carpet withered away only to leave old, dusty replacements in their wake. The dark stonework grew gray and dull, and the purple flames lighting the room dimmed away to nothingness. Fortunately, the glow of the Triforce of Power was bright enough to keep everything illuminated. The proud parents soon rushed over to join their children.

"It's over," Link breathed. "Praise the Goddesses, you guys did it."

Cecil weakly smiled, but it didn't last for long. Nobody felt like celebrating this victory. Not as they watched Kyla slowly and shakily try to rise to her feet.

"No…" she whimpered, her voice sounding much more timid and frail. "I…I need that…Please, give it back to me…"

But it was no use. The girl coughed—suddenly and violently—before her legs gave out and she plummeted to the floor.

"Kyla," Zelda breathed, immediately kneeling down next to her. She turned the girl onto her back and placed her head in her lap. She desperately began to examine her. "It's the terminal illness," she said quietly. "It's as we feared. It's coming back stronger than ever to claim her life…"

Kristin slowly rose to her feet, looking sad and afraid as she glanced down at her sister who was now struggling to breathe. "Is…Is there anything we can do?"

"The Triforce," Zelda said quickly. "Can you use it to heal her?"

"I don't know how," Kristin said uncertainly.

"Just try!"

And try they did. Cecil and Kristin both knelt down and laid palms on Kyla, and while their hands began to glow with the power of the Triforce, nothing changed. The frail girl continued to cough and choke.

"It's rejecting her…" Cecil realized with a frown.

"It doesn't want to heal her," Kristin said quietly. "It…It says that her heart is impure…"

Zelda looked completely lost, as if she didn't understand what they were telling her, but she didn't have time to argue about that now. Instead, she desperately grasped for her only other solution. "Link, do you have any medicine? Anything that can help?"

Link slowly shook his head. He hadn't been carrying any of Kyla's medicine with him for weeks; not since she had miraculously recovered from her illness. He had never even thought to bring any with him to this battle.

"But…But we have to do something!" Zelda insisted as her eyes welled up with tears.

"Mommy…Daddy…." the girl on the floor weakly croaked.

Zelda paused before turning to her. She grabbed one of Kyla's hands in her own. "I'm here, sweetie. I'm here."

"So am I," Link said, also crouching down and grasping her other hand.

Kyla winced as a terrible pain wracked her body. "I'm…so cold…and it hurts so much…"

Zelda glanced at Link with an expression of horror. She soon sobbed, and somewhere within that sob, she managed to come to terms with what was happening. She freely began to cry as she ran her fingers through Kyla's hair.

"I know, baby. I know it hurts. But it will all be over soon."

Link blinked a bit as he felt his own tears start to well up. He soon glanced at his elder children to see them with similar expressions. They all knew what was happening. They all knew that these next few moments would be Kyla's last.

"Mommy, Daddy…" the girl whimpered again. She paused as her own tears started to stream down her cheeks. "I…I'm so sorry…"

Zelda simply shushed her as she continued running her fingers through her hair. Link gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. "It's okay, sweetheart. We know."

Kyla gasped, the pain growing worse by the second. But amidst that pain, she managed to glance up into the faces of her parents. "You…" she said quietly, before stopping for a moment. "You both love me…don't you?"

Zelda nearly sobbed again, but managed to keep herself together. "Of course we do, baby."

"We've always loved you," Link assured her. "So, so much."

"We love you too, Kyla," Kristin added as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder.

Cecil did the same. "You'll always be our little sister."

Kyla's body began to tremble. She forced her eyes shut as the tears continued to leak out of them. She was so hurt, and so scared, but in spite of those terrible afflictions, she still managed to produce one final smile.

And then her body went limp.

Nobody moved for the longest time. But eventually Kristin buried her face in her hands. Cecil stood up and turned away. And Zelda just hugged her daughter close while Link held them both.

And the dam burst within them.


So sad. So heartbreaking. I'm not even really sure what else to say about the chapter. This was the incredibly tragic conclusion that we've been building towards all this time. I hope it lived up to any expectations you may have had.

Shoutout out to Alexandra Spears for the "Get bent" line in her original work. I don't know why, but it honestly makes me laugh. It's just so wild to imagine Link and Zelda's daughter saying that XD

Anyway, there's only two chapters left to go, and they serve as an epilogue of sorts. I'll give you all a proper warning now: I've given this story a slightly different ending than what the original Children of the Triforce had. Everything will actually end on a more uplifting note. I hope you all look forward to it :)