Children of the Triforce: Retold

Chapter 13 – Salvation

It didn't take long for Link to summon his children and father-in-law into the family den. Kristin, who was the last to arrive, flashed her father a curious look as she went to sit down.

"You wanted to see us, daddy?"

"Yes," Link said with a solemn nod. He currently stood near the mantle of the fireplace, and for some reason, he had a hard time facing his family members head-on when he spoke. "I'm afraid that I have some terrible news."

Harkinian's expression turned grave as he glanced up at his son-in-law. "Is this about Kyla?" he asked softly. He may have been gaining in years, but he was still rather perceptive at times. It didn't take long for him to notice which family members were specifically missing from this meeting.

"Yes, Sire," Link said slowly. He then paused, choking on his words. Zelda may have insisted that he would be better at this, but that certainly didn't mean that he found it easy. "This is…rather difficult to share…"

Cecil frowned, his own expression turning grave. "What is it, dad? Is Kyla okay?"

"No," Link said, trying to stay strong and courageous as he found his voice. "Kyla is terribly sick. Earlier today, the physician diagnosed her with a…a terminal illness. It's very unlikely that she'll live to see her fourteenth birthday."

The room experienced one large collective gasp followed by deafening silence. No one could believe what they had just heard. As for Link, he kept his head down, staring at the crackling flames within the fireplace. He couldn't bear to see their reactions.

"Are you serious?" Cecil asked quietly.

Link slowly nodded. Once again, his words had abandoned him.

Kristin soon began to cry. Her face wrinkled up as she placed a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe this awful news. None of them could.

Cecil watched his sister for a while before turning back to his father. "Isn't there anything that can be done for her?" he asked. "Anything at all?"

Link shook his head. "The physician claimed that he will do everything in his power to treat her, but…he wasn't very optimistic about her chances of survival."

"That's just awful," Harkinian cursed as he stared at the floor. He had always feared that he might outlive his youngest granddaughter. It was a terrible thought to have. He knew that it wasn't fair, for such an innocent girl to be robbed of her life when she was still so young.

"Kyla…is not taking this very well," Link added quietly. "Cecil, Kristin, I want you to be there for her as she comes to terms with this. To love her and support her."

"Of course, dad," Cecil replied.

"Yes, daddy," said Kristin.

Link nodded again to show that he had heard them, and then he stared longingly into the fire. As he did, he felt like something inside of him snapped, and a few tears streamed down his cheeks. He suddenly felt no desire to be here anymore. The news had been shared, and now he felt like he needed to go.

With a single swipe of his hand, he brushed his tears away. He then walked towards the doorway, pausing only briefly in order to excuse himself. "I'm…going outside to do some exercises…After that, I'll be with your sister."

And with that, he was gone.

Kristin took a moment to wipe her own tears away. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen her father act like this before. "He's heartbroken," she murmured.

"Well, of course he is," Cecil replied with a frown. "This news isn't easy to hear…or pass along, I imagine."

"It really is a tragedy," Harkinian said as he shook his head. "I'm sure you know this, but your sister has always had complications. Even before she was born, in fact. Your mother had a difficult pregnancy with her, and she arrived prematurely. That's why she's always been rather weak and sick."

Cecil nodded as he looked to the floor. He could still remember the night when his youngest sister had been born. He recalled his mother's screams of pain, as well as his father sending him to get the physician. He also remembered the excessive blood which covered the sheets and the blankets. He'd only been a young five-year-old boy, but even after thirteen years, he still couldn't forget that night.

"Is there anything we can do?" Kristin asked quietly.

"Follow your father's advice," Harkinian advised them. "Be there for your sister as much as you can. And be there for your parents too. The Goddesses only know that they must be having trouble coming to terms with this, just as the rest of us are."

Cecil and Kristin soon turned to each other and gave a small nod each.

"I'm going to Kyla's room," said Kristin.

"I'll go talk to Dad," said Cecil.

Kristin made her way to her younger sister's room, and politely knocked on the closed door. "Kyla?" she asked softly.

The response was immediate. "Go away!" Kyla snapped.

Kristin took a deep breath which ended in a sigh. Blowing upward, her bangs fluttered a bit. She truly felt sorry for her sister, but there were times where she could honestly be rather irritable. Kyla had always been a bitter girl; someone who whined and complained because she wasn't able to do the same things that the other girls her age did. Kristin understood that she had lived a difficult life, of course, but what she didn't understand was the girl's constant need to get angry and push her loved ones away from her. Especially when they were just trying to help.

Restoring her patience, Kristin knocked again. "Kyla, I just want to talk…"

"Leave me alone!"

Kristin soon scowled. She had a feeling that her sister was just being stubborn like always. Gathering her resolve, she chose to ignore her sister and open the door anyway. There, she found the young girl lying in bed, being cradled by their mother as she wept.

However, it didn't take long for Kyla to raise her head, as well as her voice. "Are you deaf, Kristin?" she snapped. "I said to go away! Maybe when I'm dead, then you can all finally leave me alone!"

Zelda nearly gasped when she heard this. "Kyla, don't say things like that," she chided her. "Kristin loves you and is here for you."

Kyla just frowned. She didn't care for any company right now. She didn't want their sympathy or comfort. What she wanted was to be healthy. To be able to live.

"I…I just want to be left alone right now, please," she said, asking politely.

As expected, this demeanor appealed to her mother, and Zelda's expression quickly softened. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

Zelda nodded before pulling her daughter close and cradling her in her arms once again. She still remembered the day when she had first held her. When she was no more than a tiny infant. The girl had done so much growing since then, and yet she still had so much growing to do. It truly wasn't right; this pitiable end to a cursed life.

"I understand," Zelda said softly. She then turned to her elder daughter. "Kristin, your sister wants to be alone right now."

Kristin nodded, not bothering to argue. "All right, mother." She then took her leave, but not before taking one last, longing glance at Kyla.

Once the mother and daughter were alone, Zelda released Kyla from her grasp, and slowly backed away. She then took a moment to eye the girl, wondering if she would truly be all right.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" she suggested. "You might feel better afterwards."

"Maybe," Kyla said with a sad shrug.

Zelda reached over and went to wipe away some of the girl's tears. As she did, she tried to produce a comforting smile. "I'm going to the temple to pray for a while. If you need me, have one of the servants come fetch me, okay?"

"Okay, mom," Kyla replied quietly.

"I love you," Zelda said before gently leaning in and pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. She then placed one hand against her cheek, savoring the tender touch, before finally getting up and taking her leave.

Cecil walked through the castle halls while nervously running his hands through his sandy brown hair. He had a lot of thoughts on his mind; almost too many to process. But he knew that he would have to confront them eventually.

He soon reached one of the courtyards, where he found his father standing alone. Link held his sword in one hand, swinging it almost savagely around him. Cecil just gave him a sad stare. He could tell that his father was angry. Frustrated. Lost. Cecil pitied his father, because honestly, he felt the exact same way.

"Dad?" he said, announcing his presence.

Link lowered his sword, and upon seeing his son, put it back in its sheath. He then stood there, panting for air. Even at thirty-six, Link still looked rather young and in-shape, but in recent years, his age had started to catch up with him. With each passing day, it was becoming more obvious that he was not the young and dashing hero that he once was.

Cecil only felt his sadness deepen as he approached. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Link said, although his tone suggested otherwise. "I'm just…trying to come to terms with this."

"Me too," Cecil agreed quietly.

Link was silent for a while, content to do nothing more than stare down at the grass beneath his boots. Eventually, he spoke up again. "We were hoping that she'd overcome her illnesses. That it would only be temporary. That even if she had a rough childhood, she would at least grow up into a healthy young woman…But now, that poor girl has to deal with this. She's always been frustrated by her situation, and I understand. Sometimes she acts angry, but I know that she doesn't hold it against any of us. She's just upset that she couldn't live a normal life."

Link paused, and a few tears began to run down his cheeks. "It's really not fair. It…It breaks my heart…"

As Cecil listened, he could feel his own tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. He didn't know what to say, so he decided to do the only thing that seemed right to him.

He gave Link a hug.

Link hugged his son back, holding him close. Sharing in their sorrow. Neither one of them wished for this. Neither one of them wanted to lose the youngest member of their family.

But what was there to be done?

Kyla lay in her bed, staring up at her ceiling with a blank expression. She was too distraught to sleep. Her mind was racing; thoughts of her inevitable doom plaguing her mind. She couldn't believe this turn of events. For all of her parent's control, they couldn't control this. For all of the physician's treatment, he couldn't treat this. These were the people that she had relied on throughout her entire life, and now they were unable to do a thing.

She was going to die.

Kyla frowned before sitting up in bed and drawing her knees to her chest. She then sat there for a while, trying to brainstorm ideas for how to fix her situation. Anything that would prevent her death from taking place. And of course, in the end, there was really only one solution that came to mind.

The Triforce…

Kyla scowled a bit as the legendary name echoed in her thoughts. Of course, she still thought of that magnificent golden triangle. Even after all these years, it still frequented her dreams. Tempting her. Teasing her. Encouraging her to go out and use it for her own desires. For a time, she had loathed seeing it appear in her dreams. After all, it only served as a harsh reminder that she was unable to obtain it. That she had failed all those years ago and might never get the chance to chase it again.

But now, things were different. Kyla was desperate. She was dying. That powerful golden Triforce might be the only thing left that could save her…

Feeling determined, Kyla suddenly stepped out of bed. She knew that her parents would never allow something like this, so she was taking matters into her own hands. At this point, she had nothing left to lose. Either she would be taking the Triforce today, or she would die trying.

Kyla tiptoed over to the door which joined her parents' room with her own and slowly opened it. She then snuck inside, silently moving towards her mother's jewelry box. She stared at it for a second before opening it.

She had seen all of this before in her dreams. Over a dozen times, in fact. Along with visions of the Triforce came specific hints on how to reach it. As it turned out, she didn't just have to climb that long winding staircase to claim her prize. No, the dreams had shown her much more than that. It had shown her things that she had never even seen before. A large vault at the top of the tower. The key that was required to open it. The jewelry box where Zelda kept it hidden…

It only took a few seconds of rummaging before Kyla had the tiny key in her hand. She quickly pocketed it before shutting the jewelry box and tiptoeing back to her room. She then took a deep breath before moving towards the hallway. There, she stuck her head out to find that the coast was clear.

The timing was perfect. Her mother had gone to the temple, and no one else was around. Not to mention, everyone would probably assume that she was sleeping. There was nothing stopping her from sneaking off to that tower.

And so she did. Kyla moved swiftly and quietly, making sure to avoid any guards patrolling the halls. The last thing she would want is for any of them to question her, or even worse, mention her odd behavior to her parents. If they found out what she was planning, they would never let her get away with it.

Kyla eventually reached the base of the tower, as well as the menacing staircase that spiraled to the top. After her failure all those years ago, she almost felt discouraged at the sight of them. But she did not stop for long. She soon set off, taking the stairs just a few at a time. She wanted to be careful. Practical. Now that she was older and wiser, Kyla could understand why she had failed to ascend the stairs on the previous occasion. She had been rushing too fast, and that inevitably tired her out and triggered her asthma attack. But this time, things would be different. If she could limit herself and have some patience, then she knew that she could eventually reach the top.

Besides, she wasn't afraid to die. If she ended up suffering another asthma attack on these steps, then so be it. She figured it would be better to get her death over with now rather than live in any more pain and misery for the next few months.

And so she climbed. She traversed the steps in sets and made sure to take plenty of breaks to catch her breath. Admittedly, this was still rather tiring for a girl who was so weak and fragile. Even though she had grown in the last three years, not much had changed.

But she would not be dissuaded. Even now, she could still see the golden glint of the Triforce in the back of her mind. That powerful glow that she knew would heal her. If she could only get her hands on it, then all would be well. And it is with this encouraging thought that she continued pushing onwards.

An hour passed before Kyla finally succeeded in making it to the top of the stairs. Once she arrived, she took an extra-long rest. She was truly tired now. She could barely stop panting and her chest was hurting. She honestly wouldn't have been surprised if an asthma attack took place right then and there, but it never came, and eventually, she managed to catch her breath.

As her heartbeat began to slow, Kyla pushed her golden hair out of her eyes and glanced around her. There, she saw another sight that she had only ever seen in her dreams. A giant, metal vault.

The girl nearly grinned as she looked the door up and down. She could hardly believe it. The vault was real! The Triforce was here! And yet, she had never doubted it. Her dreams had led her to this spot, and now she fully intended to make those dreams a reality. This is what she had been waiting years for. No, on second thought, she had been waiting her entire life for this.

With shaky hands, Kyla grabbed the key, and put it into the tiny lock. She turned it until she heard a small click, only to watch the vault door open on its own. It swung inward, creaking ever so slightly as it moved. But Kyla paid it no mind, for there, behind that wall of metal, was the most beautiful sight that she had ever seen in her life.

Floating in the middle of the room, resting above a pedestal, were three radiant, golden triangles, assembled into the shape of a pyramid.

This was the Triforce.

Kyla gawked at the sight. Her dreams hadn't done it justice. Each triangle shone with such a natural bright glow. It was just as brilliant as sunlight and yet it did not hurt her eyes. No, if anything, it pulled her gaze inward. Kyla admired its beautiful metallic sheen without relent. It might have been the shiniest treasure that she had ever come across.

And now, it was within arm's reach.

"I'm here," Kyla breathed, hardly believing that any of this was real. That this was more than some stupid dream or premonition. "I'm actually here…"

Kyla stepped closer, her eyes only growing wider as she did. Before long, she was close enough to touch it. She stood there for a few seconds. She had been waiting her whole life for this moment. And now, she was ready.

"Time to make my wish," Kyla said as she slowly raised her hand up. "Triforce, please, give me strength. Please, make me healthy!"

As her voice echoed out into the room around them, Kyla touched the base of the golden pyramid, only for a cascade of events to take place all at once. In an instant, the entire room was bathed in a light so bright that Kyla felt forced to look away. Then she felt a strong gust of wind rushing around her, threatening to tear her feet loose from the floor. The girl's hair billowed behind her as a powerful feeling of warmth encompassed her body. The energy she felt was so powerful, it felt like she was enduring a storm. She kept her eyes shut, still not sure what was happening. And then, just as she began hoping for this madness to come to an end, it did.

Kyla dared to open her eyes and blinked a bit, glancing around the room. To her surprise, the bright light was gone. The wind had died down too. But of course, the most surprising thing of all was that the Triforce had disappeared.

Feeling a bit panicked, Kyla whipped her head around, wondering what had happened. "Where'd it go?" she whispered. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

She then paused when she noticed a tiny sliver of golden light remained. But it was no longer coming from the pedestal where the Triforce had been resting. Instead, it came from her own hand.

With wide eyes, Kyla looked down and saw the faint image of the Triforce glowing on the back of her hand. The two bottom triangles were simply outlines, but the top one was filled in completely. It took her a few seconds to deduce what had happened.

"The Triforce split!" she said in shock. Her parents had warned their children about this. That if someone with an unbalanced heart touched the Triforce, it would split apart and only a piece would be left with the person who touched it.

"So that's what happened," Kyla whispered, still admiring her hand. "It split, and I got stuck with the Triforce of Power by the looks of it."

Admittedly, she was still rather shocked by this turn of events. She had never imagined that her heart might be "too unbalanced" to use the Triforce; whatever that meant. She had only been trying to save her life, so she figured that her wish would have easily been granted. But now, she wasn't so sure, and her shock was starting to give way to fear.

"What happened to my wish then?" she said, clenching her teeth a bit. "Am I still doomed to die? Do I need to track the other pieces down…?"

Just then, Kyla paused as she realized something. She didn't feel tired anymore. Her chest didn't hurt either. In fact, she actually felt stronger than she had in a long time. She couldn't even remember the last time that she had felt this good. Perhaps she never had.

"Oh yeah," Kyla breathed, staring at her hand in wonder once more. "Dad said that even a piece of the Triforce can make someone more powerful. This piece is giving me strength, and now I don't feel tired anymore. Or sick, for that matter."

With a small grin, Kyla suddenly realized what this meant. She didn't need the completed Triforce. She didn't need a wish. All she needed was this piece resting in her palm and it would likely be enough to save her. To give her the health she needed to become like everyone else. To be able to live a normal life.

After a few more seconds of staring, the golden symbol suddenly faded away, vanishing from sight. It now looked as if it had never appeared on her hand in the first place. But it wasn't gone. Kyla could still clearly feel its power coursing through her veins. The Triforce was directly feeding her its energy, and it gave her strength.

Kyla released a small, unrestrained laugh. She had never felt so giddy in her life. So happy. So relieved. So excited to see what her future held. She didn't care about the other two pieces of the Triforce. As long as she had this piece with her, then everything would turn out okay. No, everything would be better than ever before.

She was going to live.

Kyla grinned before laughing some more, all while a strong voice chanted in the back of her mind.

Long live Princess Kyla!

Dun dun duuuunnn! Coming up next, we have the twists and the secrets and the D-R-A-M-A ! Hope you're excited for it, because I am :)