Questline: The Power of One

Chapter 12.

Hide and Seek Kardia style

It was a three day journey on horse back to reach Kardia and the trip was uneventful with no monster attacks. We were about ten minutes away from Kardia according to Tabatha. Cabba rode with Tabatha today and I had Caulifla and Cecilia and Link had Holo. Shade had been behaving really well on this trip. Tabatha then slowed down a bit to let me catch up so she could talk for a moment.

"Now Aleks, I know you have never been to Kardia before so I just wanted to give you fair warning about something." Tabatha says.

"Fair warning on what Tabatha?" I asked her.

"Most of the town already knows about you. You and Link might not be their town heroes or anything like that, but after the last time you came to Hyrule, I had mail from everyone in town asking me if I knew the the two heroes of Hyrule, Aleks and Link. You two are well known to say the least." Tabatha proudly adds.

"So are you trying to tell me we might get swarmed or cornered by a mob of fans or something?" I asked her.

"Oh my! We might Aleks. I didn't even think about that." She says as she gasps in sarcasm.

"All joking aside though, I think it would be worth your guys's time and energy to walk north and look for a posting board when we get into town." Tabatha says.

"A posting board? You mean some kind of bulletin board right? Like a board for notes, memos, and requests right?" I ask her.

"Yes Aleks. I'm sure that once people realize who you two are, there will be alot of notes left for you two specifically." Tabatha said.

"And if your that concerned about getting swarmed by fans then you migh be in luck. I don't think they actually know what you and link look like yet. So you might be safe for about a half a day I would say. Again, I'm joking Aleks." She said as she laughed.

We were just about there. We could see the town entrance where people were casualy walking. It wasn't more than a minute later when we hear a girls voice shout, "Tabatha! Over here!"

We all made our way the girl who was waving at us. Once we got to her she she smiled and after Tabatha got off her horse, the girl came running up to Tabatha and gave her a hug.

Tabatha looked at her and said, "Mist, It's so good to see you again after all this time."

"Tabatha, who are these friends of yours? Will they be staying a while?" Mist asked.

"Oh most certainly Mist. Infact I was about to take them over to Lady Ann's Inn." Tabatha told Mist.

"Ann's Inn has been really busy lately Tabatha. I'm not even sure if there's an available room left." Mist says.

"I'll take the blonde one in if it's a place they all need." Another girls voice behind us says.

Tabatha turns around and goes running over to the girl and hugs her saying, "Miss Bianca. It's so good to see you. I missed you so much."

"So Tabatha, are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Bianca asks.

Tabatha and Bianca come walking up to us and Tabatha points to Cabba and says, " This young man right here is whats known as a saiyan and his name is Cabba. That girl over there with the tail and ears is Holo. She's an actual Deity. She doesn't age and lives forever. You know little miss Cecilia already. The girl with the odd clothes and long spiky hair is called Caulifla. Caulifla and Cabba are both saiyans."

"And what about those two boys over there by the horses. The blonde one and the other that looks alittle like Raguna only with brown eyes and slightly shorter hair." Bianca asks.

"Oh those two are the most well known of our group. Coming here is kind of there idea and they are on a journey." Tabatha says.

"The most well known you say? Tabatha are you evading my question?" Bianca asked.

"No Miss Bianca. I'm just buying them some time to get away before I tell the town who they are." Tabatha says as she giggles.

Link and I started to walk away. After Link and I make it into the town, Bianca then looks back to Tabatha and says, " Okay since their gone now, would you mind telling me what's so special about two young men who look like they don't even own a home?"

"Now, now Miss Bianca. Those two deserve a lot more respect than what your giving them. Those two are two heroes of Hyrule, Link and Aleks." Tabatha says with a smile.

"Tabatha! I would have loved to meet them and had a chance to talk to them. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bianca asked.

"My apologies Miss Bianca. Aleks told me to wait until they got a head start into town. He isn't the sort of person to care about how many fans he has. All he cares about is saving the world. And please don't mistake his lack of attention to the fans as him simply not caring. He loves meeting new people and making new friends. He's actually a very friendly and helpful person but A dear friend of his just died right infront of him and he wants to stop the one who murdered his friend." Tabatha explained.

"He sounds like a very good and honorable person Tabatha. He's the cute blonde one right?" Bianca asked.

"No, Aleks is the one that you said looks like Raguna. Link is a more quiet and less talkative person than Aleks. They both have good hearts though and are very friendly." Tabatha says.

"Would you like for me to assist you in hunting them down Miss Bianca? I said I would give them a head start. I never said I wouldn't help others find them. Besides, I know where they might be headed since I suggested they go there." Tabatha said as she smiled.

"Tabatha, that's so evil of you, but I like it." Bianca says as she smiles back.

Meanwhile, back in town. Link and I decided to split up to draw less attention to ourselves.

I continue to explore the streets and after a few minutes go by, I bump into Caulifla. Caulifla smiles as she says, " Aleks, this place is so different from my town. It's amazing how different the culture is. And the fgood is great here."

"Where are you headed anyways?" She asks.

"Well I was heading north to the plaza, but I decided to explore and look around first. By the way, I suggest you don't fly Caulifla. People here would freak out if they saw somebody flying." I told her.

"You got it Aleks. I'll be sure to let Cabba know when I see him." she says .

Next thing I know, I feel these little hands grab my wrist and start pulling me to follow. I look down and see Cecilia pulling me to follow her. "Come on Aleks. Tabatha is looking for you. You need to hide. Follow me. I know a place you can hide." Cecilia says.

It's a rare to hear Cecilia talk this much so I smile to her and begin following her. We walk for about five minutes until we come to a beach house. Cecilia opens the door and waves at me to follow her.

"Oh my, if it isn't little Cecilia herself. Oh, And I see you came with a friend. I'll go get Nicholas and you two can go play." A blue haired woman who was sitting down in a chair says.

"Sabrina, we need to hide Aleks from Tabatha! She wants him to stay with that Bianca lady and I won't let that happen." Cecilia says.

"What? Tabatha is in town as well? This is a suprise." Sabrina says.

"And Cecilia said your names Aleks? Are you the same Aleks the whole town has been talking about for the few years?" Sabrina asks.

"Crap! Busted!" I thought to myself.

"Well , Uh, Guilty as charged ma'am. But please don't go telling anyone? I'm trying to keep a low profile for atleast one day, If I can manage even that." I ask her.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. But If Tabatha really is in town then I'm going to have to verify it with her, whether or not you really are the Aleks you claim to be. Can't be to careful. After all, a lot of people would happily use that name to get some attention." She says.

"You can't. Not Until that Bianca Lady leaves!" Cecilia demands.

"Look Cecilia, if it really bugs you that much, then you have my promise that I won't stay with that Bianca lady. Thats a promise." I tell her.

"Okay Aleks. I'm trusting you." Cecilia says.

"Well Sabrina. Do you want to come with us to confirm that I really am Aleks? Bring your son Nicholas along. We can all go." I said as I looked to her.

"Well ofcourse. If you really are Aleks, then this would be an honor. That and I would love to see Tabatha again. It's been too long." She said.

As we walk out of the house, Cecilia runs up and grabs my hand. Nicholas is who was a blue haired, five year old boy, came running up and smiling as he grabbed Cecilia's other hand. To my suprise, Sabrina came up and grabbed Nicholas's other hand. It seemed as though that this is how we are going to walk through town. I found it a little embarrassing, but I didn't let that show in my expression. We walked through town for about seven minutes until we saw Tabatha in the town plaza. That Bianca girl was still with her. They seemed to be enjoying a nice conversation when we continued walking up to them.

"Hey Tabatha, look who I found." I said as I smiled and waved Cecilia's hand around.

Tabatha and Bianca both turned to look at us and Tabatha didn't say anything but instead just smiled and waved at us.

Once we reached them, Bianca came up to me and said, "So Tabatha tells me that your the hero of Hyrule Aleks. What an honor it is to meet you. If there's anything I can help with then please don't hesitate to ask."

BIanca dressed like she was royalty and had the manners to match it. I looked to her. "Thank you Bianca, but I'm not here to intrude or impose on anyone. To be honest, I came here chasing some really bad men. If you come across any information you think may be useful then leave a note on that board over there and I will come as fast as I can." I said as I point over to the Bulletin board Tabatha mentioned earlier today.

"So you weren't lying after all it seems. You really are Aleks." Sabrina looks to me and says.

"I take pride in being honest as often as I can." I said to Sabrina.

"Oh by the way Aleks, I could help but notice you and Link both need places to stay. If you want, I could ask around and see if theres a place you can stay." Bianca offered.

"That's very kind of you Bianca. I really appreciate you generosity, but I don't want to intrude on anyone." I said.

"A hero like you could never be concidered intruding. Your more than welcome to stay at our place for as long as you need to." A mans voice said from behind us.

I turned around to see an older middle aged man with long, blonde hair that went just a little past his shoulders. Standing next to him was a pretty but weak looking girl who had long brown hair that reached her back. She had beautiful dark green eyes but her skin looked a little pale.

"Really sir, I don't want to be a bother." I told him.

"I insist son. Besides we have a few things that we could use some help with around the house and if you want to help, we would very much appreciate it more than you know." He said.

"So he just wants me for the labor work? Well I guess if that's the case, then it really isn't intruding." I thought to myself.

"Alright sir, you win. If it's help you need, then I'm more than happy to answer the call." I told him.

"Why did I just give in to his offer so easily?" I asked myself. "Oh well, I guess I can't just sleep outside." I added.

"Is it okay that I steal Aleks from your care Tabatha?" The man asked.

"Ofcourse Mayor Godwin. Is the help your asking for about the certain situation I heard about?" Tabatha asked.

"Indeed. I'd do it myself, but I'm going to be out of town for a week and with the condition being what it is. I'm sure Aleks here is more than suitable for the job." Mayor Godwin said.

"Don't worry Aleks. Mayor Godwin is a great man and you can trust him." Tabatha said.

"Well Aleks. You would really be helping an old man and his daughter out. Come with us to our house and I can fill you in on what I need your help with." He said.

I started walking with them and as we took off, his daughter extended her arm and wanted to shake my hand as she said, "I really apreciate what you would be doing. My names Felicity. It's really nice to get to meet you Aleks."

"So what is it that you need my help with anyways?" I asked them both.

"It's something I'd prefer to discuss once we are inside." Godwin said.

We didn't have to travel far before we reached their house. It was only a three minute walk from the plaza. Once inside, they both sat down at the kitchen table. I joined them and right after I sat down Godwin said, "I'm sure you heard me say I had to leave town for a week correct? Well to be honest, A week would be getting this job I have, done quick. There's a strong possibility it could take two or even three weeks. It all depends on the people I'm working with." He explained.

"Wait, your not asking me to babysit a house are you?" I asked.

"No, I wanted you to stick around and protect Felicity while I'm gone. I have no doubt that by now that you've notice her condition right?" He asked.

"She's sick and I can't take her with me while she's in this condition. She been Sick for a few years now and I'm really worried that if nobody is here and something happens... well I'm worried that I might lose her just like I lost my wife."

I tilted my head down and didn't say anything right after he mentioned loosing his wife.

The room was quiet after he said that and he then looked down And remained quiet himself.

"It's okay Aleks. Nobodies forcing you to do this." Felicity said quietly and after a cough.

"No, I will stay and help out." I said.

"Honestly Godwin, I'd be worried as well if I were you. I know just how it feels to loose someone you care about and I'd do anything to keep that from ever happening again." I told him.

"Thank you Aleks. You really are a hero." Godwin said.

"So when is this trip of yours starting?" I asked him.

"Father leaves the day after tomorrow." Felicity said.

"Well that gives me some time then." I told her.

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked.

"I need to go somewhere tonight. But I'll be back tomorrow." I told her.

"Your leaving town?" She asked.

"No, I'm not leaving the town. I'm leaving this world. It's a bit difficult to explain, but to make a long storie short, I discovered a way to go to different worlds in no time flat, as crazy as it sounds." I told them.

"Aleks, who is that behind you?" Godwin asked.

I turned around and saw Alexis standing behind me looking at me with a smile on her face.

"Well Aleks? Are you ready to go?" She asked me.

"This is Alexis. she's my transport to the other world." I said.

"Is she your sister or a girlfriend?" Felicity asked.

"I'm neither. I'm his friend. I promise to have him back to you by tomorrow." Alexis said.

"Okay then, We will be seeing you around tomorrow Aleks." Felicity said.

And with that, Alexis places her hand on my shoulder and we vanish.