Children of the Triforce: Retold

Chapter 18 – Betrayal

Much time had passed since Link and Zelda departed from the family room, and still Kyla had yet to make a move. She was currently wallowing in her pity, feeling far too distraught to properly think. She still couldn't believe that her parents had never loved her. Never cared enough to save her life. It was possibly the most heartbreaking thing that she had ever heard.

And yet, she could sense the truthfulness in those words. All she had to do was think back on all of her miserable experiences throughout her childhood. Every time her parents confined her to bed or kept her indoors or told her that she was too weak to ever do anything fun. They must have hated Kyla. Surely, it was the only explanation.

All the while, the voice in the back of the young Princess's mind kept egging her on. Kept whispering to her in its soothing yet sinister tone, asking her to do what would be best for the both of them. Asking her to steal the Triforce of Courage from her brother.

Something shifted within her. Her thoughts grew dark and malicious. Her feelings of emptiness gave way to anger and frustration and hatred. Not only had she never been loved; she had been betrayed. Her parents weren't her allies, but rather her enemies. She could no longer trust them. No, perhaps she never could have trusted them to begin with. They were far too evil and cruel to a pitiable child such as herself!

Kyla had held her reservations up to this point, but she soon let them go. She no longer feared what needed to be done, but rather embraced it. Yes, she would steal the other pieces of the Triforce and become Queen of Hyrule. She would do it out of spite if she had to. Anything to make her family regret the way she had been treated throughout the years. Things would be different now. The voice was the only one she could trust. The Triforce was the only thing she could rely on. Nothing else mattered.

With a devious grin, Kyla glanced at Cecil. Naturally, he was staring into the fire that blazed under the mantle. He wasn't paying attention at all. It would be a trivial matter to knock him unconscious.

Do it, the voice urged her. Take the Triforce for yourself, and become this Kingdom's rightful Queen!

Kyla nodded as she slowly extended her hand. The faint mark of the Triforce appeared as she called upon its power…

Bam! The door to the family room suddenly burst open. Kyla quickly retracted her hand while everyone else froze. They then watched as Link and Zelda filed in.

"Kyla," Zelda spoke in a strict tone. "Step outside. We need to talk to you."

The girl clenched her teeth, cursing herself for missing such a perfect opportunity. Now she wouldn't have a chance to steal the Triforce from her brother!

Leave it for now, the voice advised her. Another opportunity is sure to present itself later.

Kyla didn't like the sound of that, but she begrudgingly accepted this course of action. She fully trusted the voice, after all.

"What is it, mommy?" she finally responded, trying to sound innocent.

Zelda's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "No time for questions, young lady. Come with us. Now."

Kyla frowned at her mother's tone but soon shrugged and rose to her feet. As she walked over to the doorway, both Cecil and Harkinian looked confused.

"Um…what's going on?" Cecil asked.

"We'll explain later," Link said. "You two just stay here for now."

And with that, Zelda grabbed Kyla by the hand while Link grabbed her by the shoulder, and they promptly escorted her out the door.

A short while later, the three of them arrived in Kyla's bedroom, where Link was quick to shut the door behind them. Kyla casually waltzed into her chambers and took a seat on the bed, almost as if she didn't have a care in the world. After discovering how here parents truly felt about her, she certainly didn't care to show them any respect.

Naturally, Link and Zelda weren't in the mood for such behavior. They got straight to the point.

"All right, Kyla," Link said in a stern, fatherly tone. "Out with it already. Tell us what you did."

"What do you mean, daddy?" she asked, still playing the innocent act.

"Cut the crap. You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?"

"Are you talking about the Triforce?" she asked with wide eyes. "I already told you that Kristin must have been the one who stole it."

"Kristin doesn't know anything," Zelda interjected sharply. "And she claims that she never tried to study it either, which would mean that what you told us is a lie."

Kyla frowned. Her parents' conclusion irritated her. "So you've decided to blame me now?"

"We just want to get to the bottom of this," Link said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Now answer us honestly, Kyla. You stole the Triforce from the vault and used its power to heal yourself, didn't you?"

Kyla couldn't help but grin. She should have been terrified to have her secret revealed like this, but her father's words filled her with a sense of pride instead. She no longer felt afraid. If anything, she was feeling more confident than ever before.

"So what if I did?" she challenged him.

Zelda gasped. "Kyla! You didn't!"

Link's eyes narrowed in disapproval. "So you really did do it…"

Kyla snickered before rolling her head back. It was honestly amusing, seeing her parents look so upset. "Yes, I'll admit it. I'm the one who separated the Triforce!"

Zelda shook her head. She had come into this room prepared to hear the truth, but it was still so hard to believe. "Kyla, how could you have done something like that?"

Meanwhile, Link could feel himself growing angry. No doubt that part of it was due to his daughter's flippant attitude. "Kyla, this is serious," he growled. "Do you understand what you've done? Our family is entrusted with keeping the Triforce safe and hidden, but now your reckless actions have put it in danger!"

"Is that all you care about?" Kyla scoffed. "The Triforce is fine. The other pieces went to Cecil and Kristin, didn't they?"

"That doesn't matter," Link argued back. "The fact is that you went behind our backs and disobeyed us!"

"So? Who cares?" Kyla snapped. "I did what I had to do. If I hadn't taken the Triforce, then I would have died!"

The room immediately fell silent as Kyla's final word echoed around the corners of her ceiling. A moment later, Zelda took a shaky breath.

"Kyla," she said softly. "Do you even realize what you've done?"

Kyla glared at her mother. As if she had any right to lecture the young Princess after how badly she had been mistreated! "I did what I should have done a long time ago, mother," she said confidently. "All my life, I've been nothing but a poor, weak, sick little Princess. But it's time for that to come to an end. Now that I have the Triforce in my possession, I'm strong. I'm healthy. I'll actually live to see my fourteenth birthday, and all of my birthdays beyond that!"

"Kyla," Zelda gasped, hardly believing her daughter's words. They sounded so cold, and it honestly broke Zelda's heart. It truly didn't help that the girl referred to her as "mother", a purely formal title as opposed to the warm "mommy" that she was accustomed to.

Link ended up sighing. Naturally, he felt some sympathy for the young child who had been sick all her life. "Look, Kyla, we know it's been hard, but this doesn't excuse what you've done."

"No, you don't understand!" the girl snapped. She soon rose to her feet as she let her frustration flow through her. "You never understood! How could you!? You all got to lead perfectly normal lives! None of you had to suffer like I did!"

"Sweetheart, that doesn't mean that we don't understand," Zelda said quietly. "We've been with you since the day you were born. We've been by your side through every pain and every struggle. We always knew how much you were hurting."

"Then why didn't you ever do anything about it!?" the girl cried. "You had access to the Triforce! You could have used it to heal me a long time ago, but you never did!"

Both parents fell silent, seemingly taken aback by this. They had never realized that thoughts like this were running through the girl's head.

"Kyla," Zelda whispered, "the Triforce is not something that belongs to us. It is not meant to do our bidding and grant our wishes. It is an ancient, sacred relic, and it should only ever be used with the utmost caution."

"Then it might as well be useless!" Kyla shouted in frustration. "I needed it to survive, so I stole it for myself. And I don't regret what I did."

Link frowned again. While he still felt sorry for his daughter, her disrespectful attitude was getting on his nerves again. "Yes, well be that as it may, it's time for you to hand the Triforce of Power over to us. We're going to collect all three pieces and put them back in the vault."

Kyla quickly scowled. "Oh, I don't think so," she said in a menacing tone.

"Kyla, I'm serious," Link said as he clenched his teeth. "You're not old enough or responsible enough to handle the Triforce, so you're giving it up. End of discussion."

"Make me," she growled.

That was the last straw. Link immediately stepped forward and reached out to seize his daughter by the wrist. However, what happened next left him stunned. In fact, it stunned everyone, including Kyla herself.

It was surprising how natural it felt. It was as if she were simply following her instincts. The way she mindlessly raised her hand, summoned the Triforce's power, and blasted her father with a golden ball of light.

Link grunted as the magic nailed him in the chest. He was immediately sent flying across the room before slamming into the stone wall. A second later, he collapsed to his knees.

Zelda nearly shrieked in surprise. "Link!" She soon turned to her daughter, looking appalled. "Kyla, you just attacked your father! How could you?"

"Oh, be quiet," the girl snapped before grinning. She couldn't help but admire the glowing Triforce on the back of her hand, still warm from the magic that it had unleashed. She was so powerful now. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep my piece of the Triforce," she announced confidently. "Even if I have to fight you."

Once again, Zelda appeared frightened by what her youngest child was saying to her. "Kyla, we don't want to fight you. We love you."

Kyla shook her head. She wasn't going to fall for such empty lies. Not anymore. "I don't need you," she said in a tone that was full of disgust. "I'll complete the Triforce on my own and then I'll become the Queen of Hyrule! And you'll never be able to stop me!"

Zelda shook her head in return, looking utterly horrified. However, before she had the chance to respond to her daughter, the door to the bedchamber suddenly slammed open as another person joined the chaos.

"I heard a loud noise, what's going on?" Kristin asked as she wandered into the room. Naturally, it didn't take long before she noticed her father hunched over on the floor next to her, and she soon shrieked just as her mother had. "Daddy! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Link huffed as he forced himself to his feet. The attack had caught him by surprise, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. He stretched his neck and shoulders a bit before turning his gaze back on his youngest child. "Just stay back, Kristin. We're in the middle of a bad situation."

Kristin glanced over at her sister, who held a menacing smile on her lips, as well as a golden mark on her hand. It didn't take long for her to put together what was happening. "Goodness…she really did steal the Triforce, didn't she?"

Link didn't bother to respond. Now wasn't the time for discussions. He had to focus on subduing Kyla before she did anything foolish.

"Kristin!" Kyla called out in a disturbingly playful voice. "Hand your piece of the Triforce over to me! Then I'll become really powerful!"

"I can't believe you," Kristin whispered back. "Kyla, what's happened to you? Why are you doing this?"

"Stay back, Kristin," Link reiterated. "Your mother and I will handle this." He soon turned to his wife, seeking her approval.

Zelda still looked very distraught, but she understood what needed to be done. With a somber nod, her own hands started to glow as she summoned her magic. "Right."

Kyla scoffed. "Oh, so you're going to fight me after all? Of course, just get rid of me so I'm not a problem anymore."

"We're not getting rid of you," Link said with a glare. "We're just taking the Triforce back. Now don't make this difficult."

Kyla clenched her teeth. "Try me…"

"I'm serious, Kyla," Link said as he walked forward. "This is your last chance."

Kyla was about to spit out another provocative response, but the voice in her mind immediately called out to her, insisting that she stop at once. The girl scowled as she listened to its instructions.

I hate to say it, but this is looking grim. Your parents might be powerful enough to subdue you, and if your sister joins in, then you certainly won't stand a chance. This is not a battle that you can win. If anything, we need to avoid this confrontation!

Then what should I do? Kyla asked, awaiting its advice.

The answer is simple. Flee, child! Use the Triforce's powers to teleport out of here!

I can do that?

Yes, just concentrate. We'll get out of here and live to fight another day!

"Kyla, let's just end this," Link said, taking another step closer to her.

Zelda also took a step forward, even though it pained her to do so. "Please, baby, stop this…"

Kyla merely grinned. Her parents were so naïve if they honestly believed that she would give up. "I'll never stop," she whispered coldly. "And you'll never make me."

Then, before anyone had a chance to react, Kyla raised her hand into the air and summoned the Triforce's power. There was brief flash of golden light, and then the girl was gone. Link rushed forward to the spot where she had stood before clenching his teeth and cursing.

"She got away," he said quietly.

Zelda lowered her hands and released her magic. She then stood there for a moment before the tears came to her eyes. She turned to Link, feeling completely lost.

Link sighed, letting his frustration go. He soon walked over and pulled his wife into a hug as she began to sob.

"Link, she's only a little girl," Zelda choked. "I can't believe this happened."

He nodded solemnly. "I know."

"I…I should have seen this coming. I should have kept a closer eye on her."

"You had no way of knowing. Neither of us did."

Link was trying his best to comfort his wife, but Zelda knew that he was wrong. She had known that this day was coming. She had seen it in her dreams. She knew that someone would eventually come along and try to steal the Triforce. And yet, she had not been prepared for this. Of all people, why did it have to be her daughter? Why did it have to be Kyla?

Kyla ended up teleporting to a place that she didn't recognize. It appeared to be a large, stone structure. One which was fully furnished but seemingly abandoned. She glanced around, inspecting the dark and dusty corridors.

Where are we? she eventually asked.

This is the North Castle. A place that used to belong to your family, but it has been abandoned for quite some time.

"Ah, I've heard of this," Kyla spoke aloud. Now that she was alone, there was no need to hide her discussions with the voice in her head. "This is where my Auntie Zelda I was sleeping for a long time. No wonder it looks so uncared for."

Does it not suit your tastes? the voice asked, almost sounding amused.

Kyla shook her head. "No, if anything, this will be the perfect place to begin my reign. Although it could certainly use a good cleaning and some redecorating."

All of which can easily be accomplished using your Triforce, if you know how to use it properly, the voice said enticingly. Would you care to make your power stronger, my dear? I fear that it will only be a matter of time before you have enemies knocking on your door.

"Of course," the girl agreed. "If my parents come here to fight me, I need to be ready to fight back. Tell me how to get stronger."

That's the spirit, girl. Fortunately, you're in luck. This castle has a library with plenty of magic tomes to teach you how to better use your power. Take some time to study hard, and you will soon see some extraordinary results.

"Say no more," Kyla replied confidently. She soon walked off, following the voice's directions as it guided her to the castle's library. A part of her wondered how the voice seemed to be so knowledgeable about everything, but she didn't bother to question it. The voice had never steered her wrong before, and she now had the utmost faith in it.

Before long, Kyla arrived at the long-abandoned library, where she found numerous tomes covered in dust. She also noticed some old paintings adorning the walls, and they quickly captured her attention. Specifically, it was the individuals depicted in the portraits that caught her eye.

She immediately recognized the first couple as an ancient Link and Zelda. They were her ancestors, the ones who had specifically been credited with defeating Ganon all those ages ago. Next to their portrait was a painting of another Link and Zelda, these two having fought a wizard named Agahnim. It seemed that every few centuries, a Link and Zelda were reborn and married, and now the pattern had apparently continued with her own parents.

As she pondered this, Kyla began to feel a little guilty under the watchful gaze of her ancestors. She might have been imagining it, but they almost seemed to be casting disapproving stares in her direction. As if they could see the girl that stood beyond the realm of their portraits. Kyla simply frowned at them in return.

"It's not my fault that your however-many-great-grandchildren didn't treat me right," she spat. "They never let me do anything. They loved my brother and sister more than me. That's not right! They basically forced me to take matters into my own hands!"

Naturally, the paintings stood unfazed in response to her outburst. Kyla just glared at them before walking away. She didn't need to explain herself to some old people who had long since been buried in the dirt. The voice didn't comment on this, choosing instead to direct her to a tome that focused on dark magic. Once it was in hand, the girl gladly opened it and began to read.

"I'll learn how to use my piece of the Triforce better than anyone else," she declared confidently. "And once I'm powerful enough, I'll conquer all of Hyrule and make myself its Queen. Cecil and Kristin won't get the chance to ascend to the throne after mother. No, not even mother will get her chance to be Queen!"

The voice in her head chuckled, almost in a wicked way. And what if they come after you? It's been said that the bearers of the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom will always come to stop the bearer of Power.

Kyla's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "Let them come," she said as a smirk settled on her lips. "If my siblings come for me, then I will gladly take the shards from them by force!"

Back at Hyrule Castle, the family had reassembled in the family room to discuss what had taken place. Needless to say, they found it difficult to come to terms with.

"I can't believe this," Cecil said as he rose to his feet. "Kyla really did all of that? She stole the Triforce and attacked you, dad?"

Link silently nodded. He didn't know what to say.

Kristin crossed her arms. "And then she even tried to blame everything on me."

Harkinian slowly shook his head. "To think that young child would be capable of all this…"

"I don't think she knows what she's doing," Link murmured while staring into the fireplace. "Kyla has always been tenacious. Now that she's got her hands on the Triforce, it's allowed her to throw a powerful temper tantrum. It's like she doesn't fully understand the consequences of her actions."

Kristin frowned. "But she went so far as to attack you, daddy!"

Link clenched his teeth. "I know," was all he said.

It was around this point that Zelda broke her silence and began to cry again. She brought her gloved hands up and cupped them over her face, her tears now falling freely. Link merely sighed before comforting his wife in the only way he knew how: by pulling her into a hug.

"Link, where did we go wrong with her?" she sobbed. "I…I had dreams that something terrible might happen, but…I never thought that it would involve Kyla. I always believed that we had taught her right from wrong."

Link ran his hands through Zelda's hair and softly shushed her. While he appeared calm on the outside, he couldn't deny that an awful feeling had settled in his stomach. He recalled when they had first learned that Zelda was pregnant with Kyla, and all the night terrors she had suffered after the fact…

The hero sighed, trying to push such thoughts away. He needed to focus of comforting his wife in this moment. "I think we did our best, Zelda, but this situation is out of our hands. The truth of the matter is that it is simply unwise for Kyla to hold the Triforce of Power. She's not mature enough to know how to handle it responsibly."

Zelda lowered her hands as she sniffed a bit. "I know, Link, but I-" She then paused, her eyes going wide as she suddenly recalled something. "Oh no, the Triforce of Power…"

The rest of the family glanced at her with concerned expressions. "What is it?" Link asked.

"Link, don't you remember?" Zelda whispered. "When we rescued the Triforce of Power from Ganon all those years ago, I could still feel his presence coming from it. The shard itself has the potential to corrupt whoever wields it…"

Link blinked before his expression turned grave. "I thought you said that the corruption would fade away over time," he said, just as quiet.

"Yes, but we never knew how long it would take. What if his presence still remains inside of it to this day? If…If Kyla has that shard now, it could very well be corrupting her. Forcing her to do these things…"

Link bit his lip. This situation was only growing worse by the second. If it was true that the Triforce of Power had the potential to corrupt its user, then he feared that Kyla had surely succumbed to such a thing. She was likely too young and weak-willed to resist it. And not only that, but if she truly was turning evil, then who could say what else she was capable of? Stealing the Triforce and attacking her father could be the least of her sins…

The rest of the family remained silent for a while as this newest piece of information sunk in. Eventually, Cecil was the only one brave enough to ask what was likely on everyone's minds.

"Um…if Kristin and I are the bearers of the remaining pieces of the Triforce, then are we going to have to fight our own sister?"

Link gave his son a solemn look. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "It…It depends on what Kyla does next."

Zelda heavily frowned as she took a step back, forcing herself out of Link's arms. She then started bawling even harder as she looked at each person in turn. "I…I don't want anything to happen to my little girl," she choked. "Please, Cecil and Kristin, don't hurt your sister. We need to try talking to her. Maybe we can teach her to use the Triforce for good rather than evil."

"Is that even possible?" Kristin asked quietly. "Earlier, she claimed that she wanted to steal my piece of the Triforce too. I know she's our sister, but if it's true that the Triforce can corrupt her, then she might already be evil…"

Zelda was aghast. "She is not evil, Kristin! How could you say that?"

"But you just said-"

"I know what I said!" Zelda snapped as her tears continued to flow. She soon sobbed as well. "Kyla is not evil. She's just a scared and sick little girl. The only thing she ever wanted was to be healthy."

Link sighed once more. He could tell that his wife was struggling with this, and for good reason too. "Zelda, honey, we have to face the facts," he said softly. "No matter the reasoning, Kyla still stole the Triforce and she potentially represents a great threat to Hyrule. Now that she's as powerful as she is, she is capable of great evil and a lot of innocent people could be in danger."

"Kyla would never do that!" Zelda insisted.

"But Zelda," Link continued, dropping his voice down to nothing more than a whisper. "You foresaw this in your dreams, didn't you? That things might turn out like this…"

For Zelda, this was the final straw. She broke down into a fresh batch of tears as she ran for the doorway. "I don't have to listen to this!" she cried. "I don't want to hear anything about my baby dying! She's suffered enough as it is. We shouldn't just give up on her. To fight her would be to betray her, and…and we only need to convince her to turn good. That's all!"

Link could sense the desperation in his wife's tone. Even she didn't believe everything that she was saying, but it was the only hope that she could cling to. He raised a palm to her. "Zelda-"

She cut him off with a stern shake of her head before she disappeared through the doorway. She was likely running to her room so she could weep in private.

Link's shoulders sagged as he glanced at the rest of his family. They all looked as lost as he felt on the inside. Still, he was the head of the family, and he needed to be strong for their sake.

"Whatever happens, our first priority should be to find Kyla," he said, almost talking to himself as much as to them. "After we do that, we can worry about trying to get that piece of the Triforce back from her."

"I agree," Harkinian said quietly. He had been mostly silent throughout this discussion, but that was only because he was having trouble processing these events himself. He wasn't sure what he could possibly say to help such a terrible situation. Still, as the King of Hyrule, he knew that any threat to his Kingdom must be dealt with, no matter how personal it was. "You said that she teleported away, yes? Is there a way for us to discover her location?"

"If anyone can, it would be Cecil and Kristin," Link said as he faced his children. "Since you guys are holders of the Triforce yourselves, you might be able to use its power to seek out her location. Would you be willing to ride out into Hyrule and see if you can find anything?"

"Of course, dad," Cecil said.

"Yes daddy," Kristin agreed.

Link bowed his head, grateful for their cooperation. Unlike Kyla, they were responsible enough to handle the power that had been gifted to them. "Thank you."

There was another uncomfortable silence before Cecil spoke up again. "Um…what about mom? Will she be okay with us doing this?"

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her," Link assured him. He then let his eyes fall to the floor as the awful feeling settled in his stomach once again. "I…I understand how she feels. I don't want to believe that a child of mine has turned evil. And if I knew of any surefire way to save her, then believe me, I would do it. This is just…so hard to come to terms with."

"We know, daddy," Kristin told him. It wasn't long before her own eyes started to shine with tears. "It's because we love her that we can't let her spread any evil. I…I love my little sister."

"Me too," Cecil agreed with a solemn nod.

Link gave his kids another look of gratitude before closing his eyes. "Don't take anything your mother says personally. She's had her own share of difficulties. I never told you this, but her pregnancy with Kyla had a lot of complications, and by the end of it she was no longer able to have children as a result. There were several times where she almost lost the baby, and at one point she even made a comment about how she might be better off if she did lose it. She honestly never meant it, but she's always regretted saying those words and still feels guilty about it, even now."

Cecil and Kristin were dead silent. They were both surprised to hear their father share this much information with them. It was clear that he had been bottling things up for a long time, and now no one was quite sure how to process it.

"Anyway, I should probably go see her now," Link said as he turned to leave.

"Dad, wait," Cecil said as he quickly stood up. Link paused and glanced back at him. "You used to be a bearer of the Triforce too, right? Well, before we set off, can you at least tell us how to use these things?" He gestured to his hand where the symbol of Triforce typically appeared.

Link sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid that there's no training for such a thing. You just need to trust your instincts and do what you think is best. And then, when it matters most, the Triforce will come to your aid."

Cecil frowned, clearly dissatisfied with this answer. "As cryptic as always."

"Sorry I can't be more help," Link apologized.

"No, you've helped us plenty, daddy. Thank you," Kristin said as she rose to stand by her brother. "We'll do what we can to find Kyla."

"Thank you, both of you," Link said sincerely. He then turned to leave again, but it seemed like Cecil had one last question for the man.

"Dad…um, what should we do if we end up in a confrontation with Kyla?"

Link froze on the spot. He then took a deep breath before casting a half-glance behind him. "If it comes down to that, take the Triforce away from her. No matter how painful it is."

And with that, Link turned away and marched out the door without another sound. Cecil and Kristin glanced at each other with worried expressions. Just as their father had turned to leave, they were certain that they could see tears streaming down his cheeks.

This news isn't easy for anyone to accept. I feel especially bad for Zelda. Kyla was always her "precious baby" and now she might be their greatest enemy :(

Something interesting to note: I believe in the original "Children of the Triforce", Kyla teleported to one of the palaces found in Zelda II The Adventure of Link, and made that her new home. But for this story, I changed it to the North Castle which is also referenced in that game. I thought it just made more sense if she occupied a second castle which fell into disuse over the years. And of course, it makes more sense for important portraits and a grand library to be there as opposed to being in a dangerous dungeon haha :)