Chapter 12: Aboda Village

A few days had passed since Andre's defeat, but Link was still not content or relaxed in his new location. The troubled child's friend Niko had yet to recover from one of the pieces of roof that hit him square on the head. While the notorious pirate demon had vanquished from existence, Link was too busy worrying about his friend to even care. The enormous lump on his forehead didn't help either as it only stirred up Link's stress and worry for his friend even more. Ever since Alfonzo brought them to Aboda Village, Link had kept himself cooped up in Alfonzo's home, waiting for Niko to awake from his motionless state. The muscular figure had grown fully aware of the situation and it saddened his heart to see a small child in such an unhealthy state. He had tried to get Link out of the house, but the small child refused to leave. Alfonzo decided to check if the child had finally left the room, or stayed locked inside his room isolated from all the kids outside. Steadily, the large engineer opened the door and entered his bedroom, now filled with his two acquaintance's possessions. The poor child was still stressing himself to wait for Niko to awake.

"Kid, I know you're worried about your friend Niko but keeping yourself locked inside my bedroom isn't going to help him." Link just continued to stare at the blanket of Niko's temporarily bed.

"I can't leave. I won't leave until I know that Niko's ok. He's the only family I have." Link replied miserably. Alfonzo looked at the unconscious old man and quickly turned back to the stressed out child.

"I don't think that Niko here would be very pleased to know that you've spent the first days of your visit in Aboda in this room. What will he think of you worrying so much like this?" Immediately, Link felt a pang of guilt. What would Niko think of him locking himself inside like this? Link lowered his head in shame and utter regret. The tall engineer slowly strolled towards the distraught youth and gently placed his arm on Link's shoulder.

"Tell you what, how about you help me fix my locomotive while Niko recovers from the accident?" suggested Alfonzo. Link hesitantly nodded his head in agreement before answering.

"I would love to help out." Alfonzo smiled in accomplishment.

"Well what are we waiting for? The old vehicle isn't going to fix itself. Let's go!" cheered Alfonzo. Enthusiastically, Alfonzo marched out of the door while Link followed closely behind.

As they entered the main room of the house, Link picked up an unpleasant stench. "Eww, Gross! What is that horrible smell?!" Link frowned as his nose continued to be heckled by the nauseating stench.

"That my boy, is the smell of paint." informed Alfonzo. "I finished painting the room this morning with this beautiful shade of blue. Whoever came up this mesmerising colour should be very proud of themselves." Link just grunted as he breathed in more of the horrid smell.

"My nose says otherwise." muttered Link.

"That's the usual smell of paint I'm afraid." replied Alfonzo. "However, let's not get distracted by the smell and get to work." Reluctantly, Link tried to erase the stench from his mind and walked over to the excessively wrecked vehicle. The sight of the brutalised train immediately reminded him of the deadly pursuit that happened. His concern for his friend Niko began piling on top of him like a pile of rocks. Alfonzo instantly spotted the sad look on the troubled child's face. Oh crud, the train must be a reminder of what they had been through! "You don't have to help out if you don't want to kid." Link snapped out of his thoughts once he heard his huge hero.

"No I'm ok, really!" Link blurted out to hide his mild depression. "So where do we start?"

"Well…" began the uncertain engineer, "We've got to take of the damaged main parts of the train and replace them with new ones." Alfonzo strolled towards a set of engines, the front part of the train. He then grabbed one by the sides and began carefully pulling towards the distorted train. In no time, the train part was in front of the train. "Now, we separate the old engine from the train." Alfonzo then pulled forth a large box.

"What's in the box Alfonzo?" inquired Link.

"Tools to fix the broken train." explained the engineer. "But first, we must get rid of this withered up engine." Alfonzo then took a rusty screwdriver and proceeded to loosen some bolts connecting the engine to the shrivelled up locomotive.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked the curious youth.

"Not at the moment." answered Alfonzo. "But I would need you to pass me some tools in a minute." The muscular adult continued to separate the destroyed engine. Link examined Alfonzo's work closely. While the stench of wet paint tickled his nose, Link's attention was swiped by Alfonzo who was fixing the train. Link had always been interested in trains and Niko even brought him several books about them, which he gladly read. He then witnessed Alfonzo struggling to remove a nail from the engine. "This won't do! Link do you know what a hammer looks like?"

"Yes." Link bluntly replied.

"Could you get one from the tool box?"

"Sure thing." Link quickly scurried over to the tool box and grabbed a hammer. He then handed it to his newfound role model. "Alfonzo, can I ask you something."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can I become a train engineer like you?" Alfonzo froze at the question, stopped what he was doing and pondered an answer.

"…you can be an engineer… when you're an adult like me." Link groaned in disappointment.

"But why?!" complained the unsatisfied youth.

"I'm sorry Link, but you need to be 20 or over to legally drive a train. Plus you need to be educated on this sort thing, riding a train isn't that simple."

"But I've been reading lots and LOTS of books about trains! And some of them where nursery rhythms too!" Alfonzo just shook his head.

"Even if you have read some books that explain the responsibilities of driving a train, you still have a long time to wait. Additionally, you have to be taught and supervised by an experienced mentor…"

"Then can you be my mentor?" asked Link. Alfonzo's eyes widened with surprise.

"You want me to teach you how to become a train engineer?" asked Alfonzo.

"Of course!" cried Link. "I want you to teach me everything you know about becoming an engineer. I promise I won't be slacker or question you!" Alfonzo began thinking as hard as a stonewall. Link's puppy eyes didn't help either as he thought about this decision, in fact they came of as mildly annoying. Finally, Alfonzo made his decision.

"Fine." exhaled Alfonzo. "But you got to live up to your promise or I won't teach you." Link cheered as he rushed towards Alfonzo and hugged him by the leg. "Ok, can you please let go?" Link immediately realised what he was doing and released Alfonzo's leg from his grip. His cheeks blushed crimson red with embarrassment.

"Sorry boss." stuttered Link, whose cheeks resembled two small tomatoes.

"You still have to wait until your 20, crimson cheeks." chuckled Alfonzo.

"Yeah…" whispered Link, trying to mask his frustration. Alfonzo just smiled and turned back to the tarnished train.

"In any case let's get back to work… WHAT THE?!" Suddenly, the blue walls and floor near the door had purple paint splatted on them. Standing out the door was small child about 3 years old carrying a can filled with purple paint in his hands.

"Nice train you got there fatso, NOT!" laughed the obnoxious boy as he sprinted out the room.

"Grrrr, that little brat! Joe, come back here!" barked Alfonzo. Frightened, Link backed up against the still wet walls and ended up getting the back of his shirt, trousers and head painted! "Link, we should fix the train some other time. Right now, I'm going to let that kid's parents know the trouble this kid has caused!" Alfonzo didn't even turn around to face Link. He stormed out of the door, shutting it with mild force. Hearing Alfonzo's footsteps cease, Link allowed himself to breath while taking in the foul scent of paint. Oh no! The back of his clothes and head were covered in paint! What if Alfonzo sees him like this?! Wait, he got it. What if I tried fixing the train all by myself? Link immediately grabbed the tool box and began to work. Link used the tools to disconnect the useless engine and pushed it away from train and next to the other engines. He then pushed the new engine onto the tracks which were in a small gap below where the brutalised train was. It was really hard to push, but he had the strength to handle it. Suddenly, he heard a humongous thud almost as scary as Alfonzo's booming voice. He accidently rammed the engine into the train. A few more pieces of the damaged roof of the train landed on to the train floor. This is going to be a lot harder I thought Link thought to himself.

A few hours later, a grumpy Alfonzo lumbered back to his house. Not only did he have to tell of Joe's parents for the 8th time in a week, he had to deliver some packages to New Hyrule Castle on foot. I wonder what that kid is up to. Alfonzo thought to himself. As soon as he opened the door, the first thing he saw was Link fixing an almost repaired train! Was this a hallucination? Alfonzo rushed towards the startled child. "Did you fix this train by yourself?" stuttered Alfonzo, nearly tripping over his own words.

"…yes sir." Link replied in a nervous voice. Alfonzo didn't show any sign of being convinced. Instead a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Are you sure you didn't get someone to help you fix it just so you can get permission to drive a train?" mocked Alfonzo. Link understood why Alfonzo would think that, however he TRULY DID fix the train all by himself!

"Yes! I'm NOT trying to trick you Alfonzo! Honest!" Alfonzo then bore a serious look, written all over his face.

"Kid, tell the truth. Did you or did you not find someone to repair my locomotive. Kids are NOT capable of mending a broken train." Link's frustration began boiling like a kettle as Alfonzo refused to believe him.

"HOW would I have gotten someone to help me?! I don't think I could have found anyone to help me fix the train!" The muscular man just simply rose his eyebrow.

"Ok then, prove it." Alfonzo simply stated. Link's nervousness came back, knocking out his anger and rage.

"…prove it?" repeated Link. Alfonzo's smug smile returned with the addition of bright teeth.

"Yeah. You think you're so clever, aye? Well congratulations boy, you're now officially my apprentice!" Link's heart skipped a beat.

"Really?"

"Of course." laughed Alfonzo. "Starting from today, you're getting exam after exam, lesson after lesson and lots and lots of revision on trains! I'm sticking to you like glue until you can prove that you truly did fix this train by yourself."

Exams? Link began to feel intimidated. Niko once told him that during his younger days, he once wanted to drive his own train but he did so poorly in the exams that they refused to let him. What was an exam anyhow? "…sounds great." Cheered Link, desperately trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"Heck, why wait?! Since you single handily fixed the train, how about we give you an exam NOW?" Link's jaw practically fell off as he feared the consequence of failing the exam.

"Ok!" squealed Link. Alfonzo handed Link a pencil and a piece of paper, covered with questions on train parts. So this is the exam. Alfonzo pointed directly towards a table and are chair for Link to sit on. Quickly, Link zoomed towards the table like a lightning bolt and began tearing answers into the paper. Gathering up the information he absorbed from the books he read, Link found himself filling every blank space with an answer. In a speck of time, the terrible toilsome test was completed. Not a gap was left blank. "I'm finished!" Link hollered to his strict mentor. Alfonzo's eyes widened with shock. It's only been a minute and this kids already finished?

"Ok… hand it over." Link slowly approached his mentor and passed the finished exam. As soon as Alfonzo's eyes met the exam paper, they grew as large as plates. Almost all the questions were answered thoroughly and correctly! "Dear Spirits…"

"Is there something wrong, boss?" Link asked with mild concern.

"Y-you passed boy!" cried Alfonzo. "You PASSED!" WHAT! Link felt like he was riding a rainbow. Was this all a dream?

"Are you serious?!" A humongous smile arrived on Link's face.

"Yes! You truly did pass!" Ok, this kid is officially starting to scare me! thought Alfonzo as he ticked the enormous load of correct answers while crossing a few mistakes. The kid managed to pass a HIGHER test! "Link, I need to give you some more of these tests! This is almost perfect! Just wait until Niko finds out abo…" Alfonzo quickly cut himself of right there once he saw a glimmer of sadness in Link's eyes. "Cheer up laddie, how about I take you on a trip to Castle Town?" Castle Town? The Centre of Hyrule? Link visibly began to cheer up as he grew found of the idea.

"Great, I'd love to." Alfonzo smiled and walked towards the fixed train.

"I still need to repair this vehicle, so why don't you go outside and explore your new home?" Link nodded and sprinted out the door. "I'll signal you when I'm ready!" called Alfonzo. Link quickly turned to the door with triumph, almost forgetting about the pain on his back. Alfonzo quickly saw this and stopped Link in place with his loud voice. "Link, did you go near the painted walls?" Link's spine nearly froze as he slowly rotated himself to face his mentor.

"I'm very sorry sir."

"Now you have to put on a new set of cloths Link." Alfonzo walked towards the draw and took out a light blue t-shirt and white trousers. After Link received his cloths, he scurried of to the other room to change.

As soon as Link walked outside, Link felt a lovely sensation produced by the sun. The fresh air was almost on par with Papuchia Village and the scenery was so beautiful. While it looked small and simplistic, it still looked big enough to explore and meet new friends. What was he missing? He spotted a few kids a bit younger than him playing a weird game, they were chasing and tapping each other on the shoulders. The wonderful sound of laughter filled the atmosphere as Link watched the playful children. Soon, the children spotted their new acquaintance and warmly approached him. The tallest of the bunch spoke up.

"Hi, you must be the new kid! My name is Lucy, pleased to meet you!" The kind girl offered a handshake which Link gladly accepted.

"My name is Link!" greeted Link with a bright smile. "What was that game you were playing?"

"We were playing tag." Explained a shorter child. "I'm Ethan and I'm really good at playing games."

"Cool!" replied Link. "How do you play tag?" Ethan spoke up.

"It's very easy. Once you tag someone, they're 'it'. That person must catch someone and tap them on the shoulder so that someone would be 'it'." Link quickly raised his hand for permission to ask a question.

"What does it mean if someone is 'it'?" Link bluntly inquired.

"It means that you have to chase after someone until you tap them on the shoulder." answered Lucy.

"Sounds fun!"

"Great, now you're it!" teased Wendy as the kids began playfully evading Link. Link quickly hot-footed towards his new friends to tap them on the shoulder. However, he didn't know which person to catch. His vision suddenly pin pointed Ethan sprinting behind a cottage. Link followed him and dashed behind the cottage… only to come face to face with a scarecrow. Link hawked in horror at the sight of the realistic looking scarecrow and landed square on his back. Ouch! Theother kids saw Link's misfortune and ran to his aid.

"Are you ok Link?" cried one of the children.

"Yeah, I'm fine." replied the said mentioned child.

"Do you want to continue the game or play something else?" asked Wendy sincerely.

"Nah, I'm ok." reassured Link. "Let's continue!" The children forgot about the minor incident and continued to play with their new friend. Link was ready to catch one of his friends, but he was careful not to run into anymore obstacles like scarecrows.

Eventually, the game was finished. Everyone was out of breath but still laughing with joy. While Link remained 'it' for the longest time, he still had a blast.

"Does anybody want to play 'Hide and Seek'?" breathed the exhausted yet fun-craving Ethan.

"I don't know." replied Link. "I'm just too tired do anything right now."

"Too tired to visit Castle Town?" joked a familiar bass voice. All the other kids cheered as soon as they saw the legendary warrior that was Alfonzo. Link quickly rose to his feet.

"Not at all Alfonzo that was just… an exaggeration." chuckled Link nervously.

Grounded in his house, the insufferable Joe peered the window glaring knifes at Alfonzo. "What's so good about that overstuffed turkey of an engineer, he can't even take a joke!" growled the immature child. So what if he spread paint all over the walls? It was just a harmless prank!

"It's time to take all you kids home, come back next time." stated Alfonzo. The young groaned in disappointment.

"Yeah groan! Looks like your hero isn't so good at all." spat Joe. Then he saw a bright white piece of paper in his hands. Now what can that be?

"Hey Mr Alfonzo, what's that paper you got in your hand?" asked one of the children.

"Oh this?" responded Alfonzo as he looked proudly at the phenomenal test. "This is just an A* graded test completed by a certain kid." Link blushed in embarrassment as Alfonzo pointed towards him, making the other child aware of Link's progress.

"Link, you really did that good?!" applaud Wendy. As soon as Link nodded, the little kids hailed and cheered for him. So what if he passed a stinking test? I can do that in my sleep! Joe thought bitterly.

"What was the test about Link?" asked Ethan.

"I'll tell ya what it's about," smiled Alfonzo. "Riding a train!" The children were awestruck. Link was truly a genius! WHAT?! Joe scream inside his head with shock and frustration. How the heck did HE score so good on a train engineer test? Alfonzo told him that you can't take exams about trains until you're at least 15! He was convinced. Link is a nerd. He desperately wanted to march out and give everybody a piece of his mind, but his parents had him barricaded away from all those losers. I can't let that egg head be glorified! "Now it's time to arrive home kids, you coming Link?"

"Of course!" hollered Link. "I wouldn't miss going to Hyrule Castle for the world!"

"That's the Spirit!" complemented Alfonzo as he led the parade of kids into the heavily fixed train, leaving Joe with bitter thoughts buzzing around his head.

As soon as they arrived to Castle Town, Link's expectations were exceeded beyond compare. The atmosphere was magical, the music from the captain guards was astonishing, the people were neighbourly and the castle was HUGE! He desperately wanted to go inside and explore, but Alfonzo said otherwise.

"Please Alfonzo!" begged the nearly desperate child. "Just one glimpse inside and I'm done!"

"Sorry Link, however nobody but Royal Guards and Engineers are even allowed to step foot inside.

"Then why can't you enter and take me with you?!" pleaded Link.

"Because I'm not allowed to take in a guest." Alfonzo answered, rather irritated. "Simple as that." Link was tempted to drop to his knees and beg.

"But I fixed a train!" Alfonzo just scoffed and denied the information.

"Even though you completed the test, I still don't believe you."

"Come on man!" moaned Link.

"Look, once you gain your certificate as an engineer, you will be able to visit the castle." Link gained a huge wave of determination and competiveness.

"I'll mop the train floor with my hair if I have to!" Alfonzo had a fit of laughter over Link's ridiculous comeback. "I'm serious! I'll do anything to get into that castle… and not get in trouble for it!" Alfonzo just cocked a mischievous smile.

"Remember boy, you still have to wait until you're an adult to receive your certificate and become a train engineer." Link just shook his head in disapproval.

"I reckon I'll get my certificate WAY before that!" Yeah right! thought Alfonzo.

"Yeah, keep dreaming kid. You'll be lucky to get your certificate at the age of 15."

"It's on master! Bring the heat!" The deal was on. Link was going to prove that he had just as much right to drive a train (and enter the castle) as Alfonzo had. From that moment on, Link was going to give it his all and push his limits. Alfonzo was secretly impressed by Link's determination. While this was normal for a kid to strive for what they want, there was a certain spark that made him stand out. This kid just won't quit… he's… he's just like me.

"Ok, buddy boy. But our first step is back at Aboda Village." Link nodded with determination locked firmly in his eyes.

As soon as they reached Aboda Village, Link was greeted with a brilliant sight. Niko was alive and outside of the house! While he still bore that lump on his head, he was alive and well. He appeared have finished talking to one of his new neighbours. Link darted towards him, leaving no frame behind. "NIKO!" As soon as the old heard the familiar youthful voice, his head turned around to face the lovely child he raised.

"Link! Where have you been mister?!" Link through himself into Niko's arms and hugged him firmly, almost forgetting about Niko's advancing age.

"Niko, I helped fix a train and I passed a test on the subjects of trains!" Niko's eyes widened to their fullest.

"Wait, what?" The tall muscular man warmly approached the duo with a huge smile on his face.

"I'm a bit iffy on the former, but he did extremely well on this test." Alfonzo handed the evidence over to Niko. The old man scanned every inch of the test and had to re-read it several times to make sure it was true.

"Link… you did this?" whispered Niko.

"…yeah." replied Link who looked a bit worried. Niko didn't seem that impressed, but the tides quickly turned round when Niko laughed with absolute glee.

"Swabbie… Link, I'm so proud of you!" cheered Niko as he hugged his best friend. "I may not have done well on this test back in the day but I have a huge feeling you'll do much better!" The two hugged warmly, until Link pulled away slightly.

"Niko, I'm really sorry for accusing you of kidnapping me. I should have known better than that. I may not ever now my real parents but I have you." Tears of happiness ran down Niko's wrinkled cheeks.

"That's what I like to here Link." Alfonzo was confused.

"Wait, did he say something about you kidnappi…"

"No it's nothing like that." interrupted Link. "It was a big misunderstanding."

"Yeah, besides," began Niko. "We got to start our new lives over in this place." The two pals (and the suspicious engineer) began pondering what the future would hold. But whatever happens, Link was optimistic that even the worst days would have a positive outcome.

This was the whole Fanfiction. Review me and let me know what you think. Joe is also the little kid at the beginning of the game who gets Link into the misfortune of being chased by bees. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!