A/N: I own nothing, so please don't sue me, Nintendo!

CHAPTER 4

The next day, Aveil showed up on horseback while Malon was caring for the horses and Link was looking after the cheese production. She had with her two young Gerudo girls, who looked to be about 10 years old. Link left the dairy barn, just as the trio walked past the house.

"What do we have here? Can I help you fine ladies with something?" Link greeted.

"These two girls have just come of age, and would like their first horses," Aveil explained.

"Excellent! We're expecting three new foals next week, so we can definitely help you out in the here and now. Though I must say, pickings are rather...slim...all we have right now for sale is a couple of mares...no stallions. Is that ok?" Link smiled.

"That's ok with me," the girl in green said.

"Me too. I wanted a mare, anyways," said the girl in purple, with a huge grin.

"Alright, then, let's go into the barn," Link suggested, opening the door ahead of the Gerudo.

"I like that one!" The girl dressed in purple pointed at a brown horse with black spots all over.

"And I like this one!" The girl in green ran to a chestnut horse with a gold mane.

Link went over to the girl in green and squatted down. "Are you sure? This is Epona's daughter. She's the second fastest horse we have, only to her mother,"

The girl in green smiled, and her eyes got really big. "That's PERFECT!" she squealed.

"Alright, then, let's get you two set up with some tack," Link stated, going into the tack room.

'Hmm, not much of a selection here, either...going to have to put some more orders in for saddle sets after this. With all the wedding stuff going on, I'm really slipping here. Well, we've got this evergreen with brass, and this mahogany with brass...we've got this yellow blanket and this purple one...that should do it.'

"Alright ladies! For you, we've got a nice evergreen saddle and tack with a yellow saddle blanket, and for you we've got a nice mahogany saddle and tack with a purple saddle blanket. What do you think?"

"Do you have a purple saddle?" The girl in purple asked.

"Sorry, no. It was just luck that I had an evergreen one. I don't keep colors in stock very often. They aren't big sellers. Mostly I keep mahogany, black, tan, merlot, and the like," Link explained, then turned to the girl in green, "Tell you what. I've had that evergreen set for a while. How about I take ten rupees off the price? So, horse and tack, that comes to 140 rupees. And for YOU, that'll be 150 rupees even," Link said, as he turned to the girl in purple.

"Ok, thank you very much Sir Link!" The two girls exclaimed in unison as Aveil handed over 290 rupees.

"Thank you for your business!" Link cheerfully proclaimed.

"Sir Link, thank you so much. A Gerudo's first horse is a big step in becoming a true warrior. We are honored that your ranch has come through for us time and time again," Aveil bowed.

"Hey, that's what we're here for. Aveil I hate to burden you, but, do you think you could take these invitations and pass them out among all the Gerudo for me?" Link hesitantly asked, handing Aveil a stack of wedding invites.

Aveil smiled, and placed the invitations in her saddle bag. "Of course, Link. I would be happy to!"

"Great! Thank you so much! That's one less errand I have to run today. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Link gratefully replied.

"I will keep that in mind. C'mon girls! Get on your horses, and ride with me! HYAH!" Aveil and the girls were out of the ranch in seconds.

"Malon! I have to go to Castle Town! We need more tack!" Link called out.

Malon waved from the corral, acknowledging that she heard him. Link pulled out his ocarina, played Epona's Song, and hitched her up to the wagon. Link filled a sack with purple rupees, tossed it in the wagon, and headed out to Hyrule Field.

Once in Castle Town, Link went to the saddle shop in the back alley. Unfortunately, they weren't open yet, so Link had to wait five whole minutes. Finally the saddle maker, Nigel, showed up.

"Hallo, Sir Link! Come to stock up on supplies, there? Heh heh, alright, come on in!" Nigel unlocked the door and opened it, letting Link pass through ahead of him.

"I need about 20 riding kits. Saddles, girths, harnesses, the whole bit. Stirrups, reins..."

"Yes, yes, I understand. You'll also want some saddle pad blankets as well, right? Well, I know how you like unusual stock, so you'll be pleased to hear I've got some unusual leathers in...and turned those into riding kits," Nigel said, going into the back.

Link looked around the shop, waiting for Nigel to return. "Hey, these are my Churn Wheels!" Link exclaimed, looking into a barrel full of wood disks with holes in the center.

"What, you mean to say YOU invented those? Man, I tell you, those things sell like hotcakes! Heh, you must be making a fortune in royalties!" Nigel called out, as one box after another flew out of the storeroom.

"I...guess?" Link wasn't entirely sure how much he was making off of Churn Wheels.

"Ah, no need to be modest. Stoodey showed me the carriage he built for you. That must have cost a fortune and a half. I know you ain't exactly broke," Nigel said, throwing three more boxes out of the storeroom.

"Alright, let's see what we've got here..." Nigel said, leaving the storeroom. He picked up a box and put it on the counter, then repeated the action four more times.

"Wine with brass, mahogany with bronze, black with brass, crimson with wrought iron, and four blankets: navy, purple, green, and sky blue," Link said as he opened each box and examined the contents before stacking them up next to the door.

Nigel put five more boxes on the counter. Link again opened each one. Again he was pleased with the contents. In fact, he was happy with all except the last box.

"You know, Nigel, green is a really tough sell. Can I exchange this one for pewter?" Link asked.

"Oh...of course, Sir Link. I have one pewter kit left, with wrought iron hardware. Quite the attractive combination, if I do say so myself. Would look great on a black horse with a gold blanket," Nigel said as he took the box back to the storeroom and brought out another box. Link checked it, and smiled.

"Perfect. How much do I owe you?" Link asked.

"Well, let's see...nineteen saddles at twenty five rupees each, and one saddle at fifty rupees...that would be the black saddle with tan stitching and silver hardware...and twenty blankets at five rupees each...that's...um...100...525...that comes to 625 rupees total," Nigel calculated.

"Got change for six fifty?" Link asked, putting thirteen purple rupees on the counter.

"One red and a blue, yup, here ya go!" Nigel smiled, opening the cash register and giving Link his change while putting the purples in.

"Thanks, Nigel. Always a pleasure!" Link said as he opened the door and tossed the boxes into the wagon.

"Aye, no problem! I'll be here when you need me!" Nigel replied.

Link got on Epona. "C'mon girl, let's go to the castle. I have some business with the magistrate," he said as he steered Epona and the wagon towards Hyrule Castle.

"HALT! Who goes there?" The guard asked once Link got to the gate.

"Oh, hello, I don't believe I recognize you," Link said.

"I am Castle Guard Gwaihan. Who are you, peasant?" the guard snapped.

"Sir Link," Link replied.

"Nice try. I think I'll arrest you for impersonating a Hyrule Knight,"

Link laughed, "Are you stupid? I AM Sir Link of Link Lon Ranch. I have business with the magistrate,"

"Yeah, there's no way Sir Link dresses like a poor commoner. You're coming with me. Leave the horse and cart here," Gwaihan said, as he pulled Link off Epona and handcuffed him. Gwaihan brought Link to the castle, and led him down some stairs off the main hall. He opened a door, and pushed Link inside before walking in behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Castle Guard Jarvis asked.

Gwaihan saluted his superior officer. "SIR! This man claims to be Sir Link. I arrested him for impersonating a Knight of Hyrule in accordance with Statute 719.14 Article 2a,"

"Hi, Jarvis," Link smiled.

Jarvis' face went red. "YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL! THIS IS SIR LINK, KNIGHT OF HYRULE! RELEASE HIM AT ONCE!"

Gwaihan turned white as a sheet, and fumbled clumsily with his keys trying desperately to release Link from the handcuffs. "Oh my Goddesses...please forgive me, Sir Link..."

"Hey, I'm not the one who's going to terminate your employment. Don't apologize to me!" Link sneered.

"I'm sorry, Link. If I had known you were coming I would have taken gate duty myself!" Jarvis said.

"No worries, Jarvis. I'll just be heading back out now to bring Epona to the castle. Is that ok?" Link asked.

"Of course, Link. You should know by now you are free to move about the castle grounds as you please," Jarvis smiled.

Link grinned. "Thanks Jarvis," Link pushed Gwaihan aside and walked out the door and up the stairs.

"Oh...Link...what were you doing in the dungeon?" Impa asked, as she passed by the stairway.

"Your new guard arrested me for impersonating myself. No biggie," Link replied with a smile.

Impa gasped, and ran down the stairs. Link continued out the castle, walked to the unattended gate, and led Epona through with the wagon. Back in the castle, he headed up to the magistrate's office.

"AND FURTHERMORE..." Link heard as he opened the magistrate's door.

"Oh! Hello Sir Link! I've been expecting you!" The magistrate said as he closed the lid on the DUNGEON horn. "Yes, I heard the whole thing. Heh, heh. Gwaihan thinks he's such a hotshot because his uncle is the magistrate. Yes, that's my nephew. I knew that good-for-nothing wouldn't survive as a guard. Kids these days, you know? Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I'd like a report on my royalty payments regarding my Churn Wheel patent," Link explained.

"Very well. Let me look at your file...let's see...where...AH! Yes, there it is!" the magistrate found Link's file in the filing cabinet that took up the entire wall. "Now then...yes, Talon had agreed to direct deposit into an account he created just for you...and...oh wow..." the magistrate paused.

"What? I have ANOTHER account?" Link asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes, quite...a rather large one at that..." the magistrate flipped through several pages.

"So...what are we talking, here? Hundreds? Thousands?" Link asked, not expecting the answer he was about to receive.

"No less than 80,000 rupees," The magistrate replied. "Congratulations. Now, we can move that into a Super Saver account, which would gather 5% interest every year..."

"Yeah, do that. That's a good idea," Link agreed.

"Right then. Let me prepare the paperwork...right! Ok, so...just fill out this form, and sign at the bottom," The magistrate took a paper out of his desk and handed it to Link.

"Date of birth? Umm...I don't..."

"Just the year is fine, Link. Your mother's maiden name was Serengard, and you can put rancher as your profession. As for monthly income, well...heh heh...10,000 should be fine,"

Link filled out the paperwork, as coached, and handed it back to the magistrate who signed it.

"Perfect! You're all set! Have a great rest of your day. Don't let my idiot nephew bother you on your way out," The magistrate stamped a receipt and handed it to Link.

Link smiled and left. He got on Epona and headed out the gate, off to the ranch to put away his new stock.

"Jarvis? What happened to Gwaihan?" Link asked the gate guard.

"That brat was put on dungeon duty. He can't screw THAT up," Jarvis smiled.

"Glad he wasn't fired," Link said. "His heart is in the right place,"

"Yeah, well, he's got a lot to learn before he makes it in the Guard. Have a good day, Sir Link!"

"You too, Jarvis!" Link replied before taking off.

Back at the ranch, Link was putting away his new purchases, when Malon opened the barn door and walked into the tack room.

"Let's see the new tack, then...wait, blue?" Malon was surprised to see a set of blue tack.

"Yeah, the Gerudo girls like colors, so I got some crimson and blue pieces," Link explained.

"But Link...the last time you got green, it didn't sell..."

"For three months. I know. But the green did sell, and even after a ten rupee discount, we still claimed a 15 rupee profit," Link interrupted.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense...but no more green. Red does okay...not sure how long it will take to sell this blue kit, though," Malon wondered aloud.

Link hugged her from behind. "Hey. It'll be fine. We can sell this black one over here for 100 rupees to make up for the loss of profit from the blue one. It'll work out," Link whispered.

Malon turned from his embrace to face him. "I suppose you're right. It's not like we need the money,"

"Nope. Especially with how well the Churn Wheels are selling," Link explained, taking his receipt out of his tunic and showing it to her.

"Link! Oh my Hylia! 80,000, with 5% interest!?" Malon smiled and hugged Link with all her strength.

"Can't...breathe..." Link squeaked. Malon released him.

"Let's go inside and I'll fix you a nice dinner," Malon cheerfully suggested, dragging Link back to the house by his arm.