Children of the Triforce: Retold

Chapter 9 – Kyla's Youth

The years passed by, but not without their own share of troubles. Princess Kyla grew to be a pretty little girl, but she was still frequently plagued with medical issues. Despite her growth, she retained a frail constitution. This meant that she was always prone to illness, and tended to tire easily.

When she was two, she contracted a serious illness that plagued her for weeks and even threatened to take her life. Her parents and siblings had been terribly worried about her, praying that she would survive. Fortunately, she did, but it had not been easy or painless.

As predicted, Kyla also continued to experience asthma attacks from time to time. Whenever this happened, Link and Zelda would have to quickly force a bottle of medicine down her throat to help open her airways. Kyla soon grew to hate the substance. It looked gross and tasted disgusting. Still, her parents always insisted on giving it to her, doing their best to keep her safe and healthy.

Situations such as this quickly began to wear on Kyla's psyche as she grew older. By the time she turned five, she could already tell that there was something wrong with her. To realize this, all she had to do was look at her older siblings. Cecil and Kristin never had to do any of the stuff that the youngest child had to do. They never had to stay inside or take yucky medicine. In fact, they were granted far more freedom than she was allowed. Cecil had even started taking lessons with the sword, while Kristin had started learning how to use a bow. Meanwhile, Kyla had received nothing of the sort. All she ever received were frequent trips to the infirmary whenever she came down with a fever.

The discrepancy between siblings became painfully apparent one day when the three children were walking with their mother through one of the castle halls. As always, Kyla had to hold her mother's hand. Zelda never wanted the girl to be far from sight, in case of a sudden asthma attack.

At one point, Zelda ran into one of the ladies of the court and stopped to have a friendly discussion with her. As she did, her kids just milled around the hallway, waiting for her to finish. Kyla frowned as she watched them, for she was locked to her mother's side through their joined hands.

Eventually, Cecil glanced through a window to see the sunny weather outside. With a bright smile, he turned back to his mother. "Hey mom, can I go outside?" he asked excitedly.

Zelda paused her conversation as she considered it. She soon smiled. "Very well. But make sure to stay where the guards can see you, all right?"

"Sure!" the boy said before dashing off. Running outside would be way better than being stuck in these dreary castle halls.

"Mommy, can I go too?" Kristin asked, an excited smile planted on her face.

Zelda nodded. "Sure. Just stay close to your brother, okay?"

"I will," she promised. She soon ran down the hall as well.

Kyla just continued to frown as she watched them go. It always felt like they were leaving her behind. Going off to have fun without her. Furrowing her brow, Kyla soon reached over and tugged at her mother's dress. "Mommy?" she called. "Mommy."

Zelda halted her conversation once more, glancing down at her youngest. "Yes, sweetie, what is it?"

"Can I go outside too?" she asked in her young, high-pitched tone.

Zelda quickly frowned before shaking her head. "Oh, I'm afraid not."

"But I want to play with Cecil and Kristin!" she whined, pulling on her mother's hand a bit.

Zelda frowned some more, but she remained resolute. "I'm sorry, Kyla, but you can't. If you go outside, you'll get too tired. And besides, you're still recovering from your cold, remember?"

"But mommy!" Kyla whined again. She didn't fully understand. Why was it okay for her siblings to go out and play whenever they wanted? Why was Kyla the only one who was sick and stuck in bed all the time?

Zelda just gave her a soft smile before shaking her head again. "If anything, you need to take a bath. Staying clean will help keep the germs away."

Kyla froze in horror. "But I don't want a bath!"

"It's for your own good," Zelda assured her. She then turned to the court lady she had been talking to, and politely dismissed herself.

Kyla tried to pull away, tugging on her mother's hand some more, but Zelda just scooped her up in her arms, carrying her all the way back to the bedroom. Kyla tried to keep squirming, but she stopped once she felt herself growing weary. She knew that any more struggling would just leave her exhausted.

Zelda ran a warm bath for her daughter before gently placing her inside. She then sat down to help wash her, making sure that she was properly cleaned from head to toe.

Kyla just sat there, feeling upset and miserable. She still didn't understand why she was in this situation.

"Mommy, why am I sick all the time?" she finally asked.

Zelda just gave her a sad smile. She knew that it was only natural for her to have questions. "Because you were born that way, sweetie."

"Why?" she demanded.

"I don't know," Zelda said with a shake of her head. "That's just how things happened."

Kyla grumpily frowned. "Why don't Cecil and Kristin ever get sick? This isn't fair!"

Zelda smiled some more before pouring some water over the girl's head. She then combed her fingers through her hair. She could understand the girl's frustration. "I know it's not easy, Kyla, but just be patient. Once you're completely over your cold, I'll let you go outside and play with your siblings."

Kyla blinked. "You will?"

"Yes, but only once you're better," Zelda promised.

Kyla smiled a bit more. "Mommy, can I learn how to fight too?"

Zelda quickly frowned. "Fight?"

"Yeah! I want to swordfight like Cecil and shoot arrows like Kristin."

Zelda frowned some more. "I don't know, sweetie. I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What? But why not?" Kyla demanded.

Zelda just sighed. Her youngest child was bright, but she could honestly be a bit difficult at times. "Because," she explained patiently, "doing such things would just tire you out."

Kyla shook her head. "Would not! Mommy, I want to try it too! It looks fun!"

"Maybe once you're older and healthier," Zelda tried to offer. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to satisfy the young girl.

"No, I want to try it now!" she whined some more. "Please, mommy!"

It was around this point that Link suddenly appeared, sticking his head in the door to see what was going on. He soon smiled as he stared at the scene before him. "Ah, looks like it's bath time," he noted.

"I don't want a bath!" Kyla continued her tantrum. "I want to go outside! I want to play!"

Link just blinked before turning to his wife. It only took one glance to tell that her patience was wearing thin in this encounter. "What's going on?"

Zelda sighed. "Kyla wants to learn how to use a sword and a bow, like her siblings."

Link soon frowned. He could quickly see what the issue was here. "Oh…"

"Please, daddy!" Kyla continued her pleading. "Let me learn too! I wanna!"

Link rubbed his neck a bit. "I don't know, Kyla. Doing that would probably just wear you out."

Kyla's lip started to quiver as her eyes welled up with tears. "You're just like mommy!" she shouted. "It's not fair! It's not!" She then forced her eyes shut as she started to bawl.

Link and Zelda just gave each other a concerned look. Zelda then reached over and grabbed her daughter by the shoulder. "Kyla, you need to calm down."

"I don't want to," she cried. "I don't…I…" Her voice trailed off, as her breathing became shaky.

"Kyla?" Zelda asked softly, staring at her daughter with worry.

Kyla suddenly began to cough, hunching over a bit as she felt her throat constrict. She was having trouble breathing.

Zelda's eyes widened in alarm. She immediately knew what was happening. "Link, go get the concoction!"

Link didn't need to be told twice. He dashed back into the bedroom only to reappear with a small brown bottle in his hand. He immediately knelt by his daughter's side.

"Kyla, open up and drink this."

Kyla just eyed the bottle warily as she continued to choke. "No!" she said with a few coughs. "That stuff…is yucky….I don't want it!"

Link just gave her a stern look. He wasn't taking no for an answer. He titled her head back before slowly easing the contents of the bottle into her throat. The girl just choked some more, struggling to keep the liquid from going down the wrong pipe. Eventually, she managed to swallow it. A moment later, her breathing became stable again, but she continued to cry.

Link and Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. Yet another disaster had been avoided. They didn't know what they would do if they didn't have this medicine on hand.

"Come here," Link said, scooping his daughter up out of the bath. Zelda soon wrapped her in a towel, making sure to dry her off before she got too cold. She didn't want to risk the girl contracting any more illnesses if she could avoid it.

Kyla just continued to weep as her mother took her into her arms. Her crying as well as her asthma attack had left her feeling exhausted. It wasn't long before she began to drift off to sleep, too tired to even keep her eyes open.

"It's not fair," she mumbled. "It's not…"

Life continued like this for two years. Kyla went on to experience illness after illness, which only made her parents feel hesitant to let her go outside or do anything that would wear her out. They just wanted what was best for her, but Kyla was too young to understand or see it that way. As far as she was concerned, they were just treating her unfairly like they always had.

The situation eventually reached a climax on a cool autumn day. The now seven-year-old Princess Kyla was stuck in bed, trying to get over her most recent cold. She sniffed a bit as she sat there, her nose completely stuffed up. She was getting better, but like always, it seemed to be taking forever.

Kyla soon glanced over at the door that led to her parents' bedroom. Their rooms were conjoined due to all of Kyla's medical issues. If something ever went wrong in the middle of the night, Link and Zelda were able to be by her side immediately. Kyla hated this arrangement though. It meant that she had almost no time away from her suffocating parents. Sometimes, she wished that they would just leave her alone.

Suddenly, Kyla heard the sound of laughter coming from the hall. She recognized the voices immediately. It was Cecil and Kristin, no doubt having a good time, just as they always did.

Before long, there was a knock at her door, and her two siblings came in. Cecil was now a handsome twelve-year-old boy, who took after his father and had a love for adventure. Kristin had become a smart but quiet girl, taking after her mother. She considered herself a proper Princess, but she wasn't above scrapping with her brother from time to time.

The two of them smiled at their youngest sibling. "Hey Kyla, what's up?" Cecil greeted casually.

Kristin took a more formal approach to things. "We wanted to stop by and see how you're doing."

Kyla just sighed. "The same as usual," she mumbled, feeling sad and miserable.

Kristin gave her a sympathetic smile. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really," she replied bluntly. "This stupid cold is taking forever to go away."

Cecil grinned before plopping himself down on his sister's bed. "Just be patient," he encouraged her. "You're bound to get better sooner or later."

"Hmph," Kyla grunted as she looked away. She had a hard time believing that. She had been through this sort of thing far too often to know how it would eventually end. Even if she did recover, Kyla would probably just end up with another cold by the next month. And so it would go, over and over again.

"What are you guys doing today?" Kyla asked, hoping to turn the attention away from herself.

"We're about to go outside and practice with dad," Cecil told her.

Kyla slowly nodded. She knew what he meant. The two of them would get to practice using their swords and bows, and Link would be the one personally training them. "It sounds like fun," the young girl said longingly. "I wish I could do it too."

Cecil and Kristin just gave each other blank looks. The boy then tried to offer Kyla another encouraging smile. "I'm sure you will, someday."

"Yeah," Kyla agreed quietly. She then paused as she glanced down. She couldn't take this anymore. Even she didn't believe these words. Within seconds, she began to cry.

Cecil and Kristin immediately became alarmed.

"Kyla?" her brother said, sitting up.

Kristin just sat next to her sister and gave her a hug. "Oh, Kyla, what's the matter?"

"It's not fair!" Kyla cried. "Why do you guys get to go out and play while I'm always stuck in here? Why do I have to be the one that gets sick all the time?"

Kristin frowned. She was wise for her age, but she wasn't quite sure what to say to this. "Well…I'm sure you'll get better soon."

"What do you know?" Kyla snapped before pushing her sister off of her. "Just go away!" She then buried her face into her knees as she continued to cry.

Kristin frowned some more, feeling sympathetic for her frail sister. She soon turned to her brother, who looked like he was at a complete loss for words. Clearly, he didn't know what to say or do in this situation either.

Fortunately, an idea soon came to Kristin's mind. She smiled a bit. "I know. Why don't we take her outside with us? I'm sure it would be okay if she sat off to the side and watched for a bit."

Kyla quickly ceased her crying, raising her head to look at her sister with tear-stained eyes. "C-Can I…?"

Kristin smiled some more as she rubbed Kyla's shoulder affectionately. "We'll find out. Cecil, go ask daddy or mommy."

"Ask me what?" Link suddenly stepped into the room, glancing around at each of his children. They all went silent, but as soon as Kristin gave her brother a sharp look, Cecil spoke up.

"Um, dad, Kyla is really lonely, and we were wondering if she could come outside while we practiced. You know, just to sit and watch."

Link frowned. To be honest, he didn't think it sounded like such a good idea. However, he soon glanced over at Kyla and noticed her tear-stained cheeks. Clearly, she was torn up about having to be in bed all the time. It was also obvious that her siblings were worried about her. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have asked in the first place.

Eventually, he decided to give in. "Okay, but we'll need to make sure that she's properly dressed. It's a little chilly out there."

The children's faces immediately lit up; Kyla's especially. She had never gotten the opportunity to watch her siblings practice before. She soon turned to each of them with a grateful smile.

Link spent the next few minutes dressing his daughter up in warm clothes. He even wrapped a thick blanket around her body.

"Do I have to wear this, daddy?" she eventually asked.

Link nodded. "Yes, this will help keep you warm, Kyla."

"But Cecil and Kristin don't have to wear this many clothes."

"They don't need to stay as warm as you do."

Kyla just frowned some more. Even when she finally had a chance to go outside, it still didn't feel like she was being treated fairly. Still, she wasn't about to argue. This was her chance to finally be free of her accursed bed for a change.

Once she was properly covered in the warm blanket, Link lifted her up into his arms. She ended up wrapping her arms around his neck for support. She could hardly believe that this was really happening.

"Thank you, daddy," she whispered.

Link just smiled before leaning down and kissing her on the nose. "No problem, kiddo."

Kyla giggled a bit. Maybe her parents weren't so bad after all. At least her father wasn't.

Link soon gestured to the door. "Come on," he told his other two children. He then led the way out into the hall, carefully carrying Kyla in his arms. The small girl grew excited as they made their way to the courtyard.

However, as they were walking through the halls, the family of four ended up running into Zelda. She just glanced at them, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh my, where are you all off to?"

"I'm going to practice with the kids in the courtyard," Link explained with a smile.

Zelda started to smile back, but her expression faltered when she noticed the bundle of blankets in Link's arms. "You're taking Kyla with you?"

Kyla immediately frowned. She had been worried about this. She feared that her mother would say no and send her straight back to bed. She never let Kyla do anything fun.

Link slowly nodded. "She was feeling lonely, so we thought it would be nice to let her sit outside and watch Cecil and Kristin for a bit."

Zelda frowned some more, and looked as if she were about to protest. However, Link soon gave his wife a look. It was a knowing look, as if to say, "she needs this". Zelda just ended up sighing. She had her reservations, but she understood the situation.

"Okay," she finally agreed. "Why don't you hand her to me then? You can work with the kids, and I'll sit with Kyla."

Kyla breathed a small sigh of relief. Her mother didn't say no! Before long, she was passed into the woman's arms, and the five of them continued their journey to the courtyard. Upon arriving, Link, Cecil, and Kristin began to set the equipment up on the lawn. Meanwhile, Zelda sat off to the side with Kyla in her lap. The mother wrapped the blankets around her daughter some more, making sure that they were snug and comfortable.

Before long, Cecil and Kristin took up wooden practice swords and began dueling one another. Link observed them from the side, giving advice and correcting their forms when they stepped out of place.

Kyla just watched them with a sad smile. She was happy to be outside for a change, but she still wished that she could be out on the lawn with her siblings. She wanted to take up a wooden sword and practice too! It really was unfair that her older siblings were allowed to do whatever they wanted. They didn't need to wear warm clothes and blankets in order to go outside. They didn't need to have their parents watch over them like hawks…

Starting to feel miserable again, Kyla placed her thumb in her mouth as she leaned back against her mother's chest. Sometimes she resorted to this in order to comfort herself. However, Zelda quickly spotted the action, and gave her daughter a disapproving frown.

"Kyla, take your thumb out," she chided her. "You're much too old for that."

Kyla glared up at her mother. Her parents practically treated her like a baby, and yet they didn't want her to act like one. Talk about hypocrisy. She soon did as she was told and removed her thumb, but she was still bitter about it.

The girl then frowned some more as she continued to watch her siblings. She wished that she could be as healthy as they were. If she was, then maybe she would actually have a chance at leading a fulfilling life. But no, it seemed that she was simply doomed to get sick and be confined to her bed. To add insult to injury, she was the youngest of her siblings, and that meant that she would likely never have the chance to lead Hyrule or be anyone important. That right would go to Cecil, since he was the firstborn heir. As for Kyla, she would never amount to anything more than a sick, weak little girl.

Truth be told, Kyla honestly didn't mind the thought of becoming Hyrule's Queen someday. She even daydreamed about it from time to time. She imagined herself becoming a young, beautiful, healthy Queen who lived as she pleased, without any parents telling her what to do. Without any siblings to make her jealous. Without any illnesses to keep her in bed. For this hopeless young girl, it was a magical dream. One that always managed to make her feel better, even when she was at her most miserable.

Maybe one day, I'll find a way… she thought to herself longingly.

A few minutes later, Kyla ended up shivering a bit. In spite of the warm clothes and blankets, it seemed that she was still prone to the cold weather. Unfortunately, her mother immediately picked up on it.

"Kyla, are you doing okay, sweetheart?" Zelda asked as she rubbed her daughter's arm.

"I'm fine," she replied bluntly. She didn't want her mother to think that she was too cold to stay outside.

However, Zelda was far too wise to believe that. "Kyla, look at me for a second."

Kyla frowned but soon looked up at her mother. Zelda took a moment to study her face. She couldn't help but notice that it had lost some of its color. A second later, she pressed one of her hands to the girl's forehead, feeling her temperature.

Kyla soon began to protest by fidgeting in her lap. "Mommy, what are you doing?"

Zelda just sighed before calling out for her husband. "Link."

Link stepped away from his older children so he could see what his wife wanted. "What's up?"

"I'm going to take Kyla back to bed," she announced. "She doesn't look well, and her fever is starting to rise again."

Kyla gawked, looking as if she had been betrayed. "No, I want to stay here! I want to be outside!"

Zelda just patiently shook her head. "It's too cold for you out here."

"It is not!" she argued back. She soon turned to her father, the only reason that she had been allowed to come out here in the first place. "Tell her, daddy!"

Link gave his daughter a sad smile. He soon leaned down next to her. "I think your mother is right, sweetheart. We just don't want you to get sick again."

"But that's not fair!" the child protested. "You said that I could come outside! You said-"

Kyla suddenly paused as she began to cough a bit. It was so bad that she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"See?" Zelda told Link. "Her cold is getting worse again."

"You're right," Link agreed with a nod. "Take her back to bed so she can get some rest."

"No!" Kyla choked. "Don't…make me…"

"Sorry, sweetheart," Link apologized with another sad smile. "But this is what's best for you. Go get some rest, okay?"

He soon leaned in to kiss his daughter on the temple, but unlike the last time, she was far from amused with it. She just frowned some more as she began to cry, protesting their decision. Protesting everything in this life that seemed to be working against her.

Zelda carried the girl back to her bedroom. Kyla wanted to keep arguing; to keep fidgeting and squirming, but she quickly grew tired. She was just too weak to do anything about her situation. Completely powerless to fight back…

Zelda ended up tucking Kyla into bed, making sure that she was warm and comfortable between the blankets. "How does that feel?" she asked softly.

Kyla just coughed some more. "I…I want to go outside," she whined.

"I know, sweetie," Zelda said, before leaning down and giving her a kiss of her own. "But it's too cold out for you, and you're very tired. You need to go to sleep."

"N-No…" the girl choked out. She then felt her eyelids begin to close. They were just too heavy to keep them open any longer.

Zelda sadly smiled as she sat on her daughter's bed, making sure that she stayed put. She soon began humming a soft lullaby, the same one that she had sung for all of her children when they were no more than infants. She continued to hum this tune as she gently stroked Kyla's hair, watching her drift off into the land of dreams.

Zelda knew it wasn't easy, but she would always be there for her daughter. No matter what.

"All bed and no play makes Kyla a dull girl." – Kyla, probably.

I felt a little under the weather myself while writing this, so I can kind of sympathize with Kyla's situation. Being sick sucks :(