The boy and his horse rode out into Hyrule Field. He brought the horse to a halt near the road, finding a grassy knoll to hide her by. The horse, used to this, calmly settled down where the boy instructed her to, chewing thoughtfully on whatever grass was within reach. Unsheathing the belt knife, the boy began to whittle a stick as he waited for someone to ride past, patting the other knives up his sleeves for reassurance.
Hours passed. Thankfully, the boy was patient. He had learned that valuable skill years ago. Finally, he was rewarded by the sight of a wagon in the distance. The wagon approached, the driver cursing a pair of oxen that seemed to want to do anything other than pull a wagon. The boy waited until they were close enough to touch, then walked out from behind the hill. "Ho, travelers!" he called.
The wagon stopped, the driver staring at the boy quizzically. Loosening the throwing knives up his sleeves, the boy ambled up to the wagon, plastering a cheery grin on his face. "You wouldn't happen to know how to get to Lake Hylia from here, would you?" he asked.
The driver shrugged. "Ask the guy in the back," he said. "I'm just the driver. He tells me where to go."
The boy found it somewhat odd that a driver would not know directions, but thought nothing of it. He was going to rob the people in the cab anyway. He approached the cab of the wagon, idly rotating a hand. "Hey," he said, approaching the curtained window. "The driver told me to-"
He was cut off as the curtain was flung open, the man inside leaning out. The boy gulped as he found himself staring at a hunting arrow, pulled to full draw, aimed right between his eyes. "Throw me your wallet and I'll tell you," the man with the bow growled.
The boy blinked in disbelief. Here he was, attempting to rob someone, and now he was getting robbed himself! Irritated, he grunted, flicking his wrist. A small knife sped from his hand, cutting through the bowstring and shearing off a lock of the bowman's hair, burying itself in the wooden planks of the roof. The boy twisted his hands, a pair of wicked ten-inch knives appearing in them.
"Robbing me would be a bad idea," he snarled.
The man's eyes narrowed, and he slowly began to get out of the wagon. The boy tensed his muscles, knowing he would try something. With a wild cry, the man grabbed a broadsword from somewhere in the wagon, charging at the boy while swinging it wildly. The boy calmly ducked under his swing, dodging past his side. As he went, his left knife flashed out, cutting the man's purse, then disappeared inside his sleeve. He smiled in satisfaction as Rupees poured into his palm. He quickly stowed them in his pocket, redrawing the knife.
All this happened in roughly a second. The man turned, swinging again, not noticing his purse had been cut. Link dodged back from the blow, trying to find a chance to withdraw. The man wouldn't give him one. He swung his sword again, catching the boy off guard and opening a shallow gash on his forearm. The man, seeing his prey wounded, went in for the kill. Desperate, the boy flung both his knives at the man, who abruptly stopped.
One knife buried itself in the man's throat, the other in his right eye. Both penetrated far enough to be fatal. The man choked, swayed, and collapsed, blood pooling beneath him. The boy walked forward, retrieving his blades and wiping them clean on the dead man's cloak. He was not proud of his death, but there was no other option. He took comfort in the fact that this man was also a robber, and not an innocent victim.
Although he was a road bandit, the boy possessed a strict moral code. He always tried to avoid fatalities whenever possible, generally cutting the victim's purse and escaping, seeming to flee. It would only be later that the victims would notice their loss. Rupees could be replaced, but not lives.
He was certainly much more refined than many bandits, who simply pincushioned a wagon with arrows, then searched the corpses. The boy always tried to keep a low-to-nonexistent body count. He generally succeeded. There was always the odd person who tried to do something stupid, who couldn't be easily dissuaded. They usually ended up dead.
Sighing, the boy walked over to the driver, who was visibly shaking. He nervously eyed the boy's knives, relaxing once he sheathed them. The boy gestured toward the dead man lying by the road. "It would seem you need a new partner," he said, mounting Epona. "I advise one with planning skills."
With that, he rode off toward Castle Town. On the way, he decided to check on his take. Upon seeing the loot, his eyes widened. Clearly, this thief was well-off. Most of the Rupees were red or purple. Three orange ones even winked at him from the pile. The boy estimated the total at just under one thousand Rupees.
He decided to spend the night in style. He could certainly afford it, now. He walked the horse into Castle Town, passing the reins to a stableboy. After giving him some instruction on how to treat the horse, he pressed a blue Rupee into his hand. That done, he entered the bank, depositing all but three hundred Rupees. The teller gave him a voucher that Link carefully placed in his wallet, to join several others. The voucher would allow him to withdraw the funds at any bank in Hyrule. Not that there were many banks. However, the vouchers were as good as cash to many stores, seeing as nobody was able to forge them.
He treated himself to a hearty meal, spending the rest of the day taking in the sights and sounds of Hyrule's capital. Flipping a green Rupee toward a street performer, he idly noticed that the service personnel were beginning to light torches. He glanced up, noting the late hour, and decided to find somewhere to spend the night. He rented a room in the snobbiest hotel in Castle Town.
Wonder if keeping their noses so high gives them back problems… the boy mused while sipping a glass of fine wine. He sighed, stretching, and sinking back into the overstuffed chair in the lounge. I could get used to this… he thought, drifting off.
He was just about to fall asleep when one of the bellhops cleared his throat. Link looked up. It was clear that the staff were suspicious of him, because of his rough, practical clothing, but the jingling of Rupees in his pocket soon quieted them. "Pardon me sir," the bellhop droned. "But your room is ready."
The boy followed the bellhop to his room, tipping him smartly. Just before the boy entered his room, the bellhop bowed slightly, handing him the room key. "Enjoy your stay, Master Link."