Love's Weight in Rupees
by Queenie Z

Part 2

After the restoration of the Triforce, Queen Hilda's first priority was to rebuild the village to the west of Lorule Castle from the ground up. Although part of the measures she took included officially renaming the town "New Lorule Village" after its original name had been lost to the pages of history, it was still colloquially known as the Thieves' Town - and not without good reason. Crime was significantly lower than it was five years ago, but it still was not a safe place to live by any means; unrepentant bandits went into hiding, reemerging at night to take advantage of the common folk who simply wanted to rebuild their broken lives, and a shady underground night market specializing in questionably acquired goods sprang up within the remains of the Thieves' Hideout. It would take years, possibly decades of vigilance and hard work on the part of the people and their queen for the city to become a safer, more honest place to live.

Although Ravio had been supporting these reformation efforts as a servant of the crown from the beginning, that long-term goal had nothing to do with his and Sheerow's current mission. As he wandered the half-restored stone streets of town, Ravio nervously pulled his cloak tighter around him. He knew that he would have a better chance of keeping his rupees and his head if he could stay as inconspicuous as he could - seemingly an impossible task given the floppy rabbit ears attached to his hood. However, ironically, his trademark motif allowed him to blend in with the local cultists, who still donned the likeness of animals out of fear despite the lack of monsters in the area. As long he uttered a few "mumbo jumbo"s here and there, he could have a good portion of the town fooled into leaving him alone.

The entrance to the Underground Market was always left relatively unguarded, and upon first glance it was nothing out of the ordinary - start-up merchants selling handmade goods at competitive prices - but as Ravio went deeper into the heart of the old dungeon, he found himself walking among a much less wholesome crowd who peddled products that he wasn't entirely sure were even legal. In addition, big, burly bodyguards that were easily twice his size lined the halls of the seedy market, serving as a warning to anyone who even thought about stealing or snitching on their watch. The unfriendly atmosphere caused Ravio's heart to begin racing in his chest, and he swallowed nervously as he adjusted his hold on his money bag.

"O-Okay, Ravio," he muttered under his breath, "you can do this. Just play it cool, play it smooth, don't make eye contact - "

A soft, concerned chirp sounded from beneath his scarf, and Sheerow poked his head out to check on his master's well being. In response, Ravio relaxed slightly and give his pal a small, sheepish grin.

"Don't worry, buddy," he said, "I'll be fine! I just have to remember what Link would do in this situation, that's all." He began to glance around the room nervously once more. "O-Of course, Link knew how to use a sword... and how to defend himself if things got nasty... a-and how to merge into the wall where a bunch of thugs wouldn't be able to - "

Suddenly, he felt himself walk into something large and thick, and he and Sheerow both screeched in surprise. After struggling to keep his balance, Ravio looked up, and he felt his breath catch in his throat when he found himself face to face with two intimidating looking goons. One had pale skin and a face filled with freckles and scars, and the other had a darker complexion and hair that could be described as a very thin line of black fuzz; both, however, looked as though they could effortlessly snap the young man in half with one hand.

"Hey Bunny Man," said the second man in a gruff voice, "watch where you're goin'."

"S-S-S-Sorry!" said Ravio, tensing up and stepping away from the guards, "I-I'll pay better attention next time, I swear!"

The freckled man cocked and eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You don't look like the type that would come around here very often," he said with a hint of suspicion. "Somethin' you're lookin' for in particular, chump?"

"I... er, I..." Ravio inhaled sharply, then put on the most courageous face he could muster (which honestly didn't look all that courageous, but it was the effort that counted, right?). "...I'm looking for Boss Waga. I have some... uh... business with him."

The two men glanced at each other for a moment. Then, the fuzzy-headed one let out a condescending snort.

"Boss Waga only sees customers with deep pockets, if you catch my drift." He placed his hands on his hips. "All you've got is a sack of potatoes. So unless you plan on bartering with some damn good mashed potatoes and gravy, I suggest you move along, Bunny Man."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, gentlemen!" said Ravio with feigned confidence as he removed the sack from his shoulder, fished around inside, and pulled out a single silver rupee, offering it to the fuzzy-headed man. "I can assure you that my pockets are quite deep."

The men's eyes grew wide at his unexpected offer. Then, the second man eagerly took the rupee with a grin, while the first simply pouted and growled at his partner.

"No, no, don't worry, my friend, there's plenty more where that came from!" Ravio pulled out another silver rupee and handed it to the freckled man. "...I trust that this token of good will can get me in to see the Boss, yes?"

The freckled man grinned from ear to ear as he took his portion of the bribe. "...I think we can make an arrangement," he said. They both turned and motioned to Ravio. "Follow us."

With a sigh of relief, Ravio flashed a triumphant smirk to Sheerow; then, slinging the bag of rupees back over his shoulder, he followed the two men deeper into the old compound.

Boss Waga ran his business from the deepest part of the former hideout, where prisoners were once unlawfully held for daring to even remotely offend the thieves that once ran the town. It was now something of a vault for various treasures - precious stones and ancient artifacts, priceless paintings from a less troubled age in Lorule's history, vintage wine, and, of course, jewelry of all kinds. Surely, thought Ravio, he would be able to find something suitable for Hilda among this trove of riches!

The two guards led him to a large table, where a man with fat hands and squinted eyes that seemed to be perpetually laughing at everyone he looked at was sitting with a pile of uncounted rupees. When they stopped, they reached over and shoved Ravio forward, causing him to stumble a little under the weight of his money bag.

"Bunny Man here wants to talk business, Boss," said the fuzzy-headed man.

Waga raised an eyebrow at his new customer, then shooed away the guards with a wave of his hand. Once they had taken their spot near the entrance of the room, he rested his elbows on the table, drumming his large, bejeweled fingers together with a slight grin.

"Well, well," he said smugly, "aren't you a strange sight?" He glanced at the ears adorning Ravio's hood. "...Unfortunately, my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, and I can't quite see your face - if you could do me the favor of taking off that ridiculous hood, son, I'd be much obliged."

Ravio tensed slightly, looking down at Sheerow for a short moment. Then, hesitantly, he removed his hood, causing Waga to lean in and examine him more closely. Suddenly, the older man's face turned into an expression of moderate surprise, and he stopped drumming his fingers for a moment.

"...Well I'll be damned," he muttered with a curt laugh. "If it isn't that lap dog Queen Hilda's always leading around!"

Ravio flinched at the words "lap dog" - not that he wasn't used to such accusations and name-calling by those who were less than pleased with Lorule's royal family, but it was still a small blow to his ego regardless.

"So what's a vassal of the crown doing in a lawless place such as this, anyway?" asked Waga in an interrogative fashion. "Interested in eschewing the life of a servant and going into a more profitable business?"

"I'd rather gnaw my own leg off," said Ravio, his face twitching slightly in annoyance. "And my business here has nothing to do with the castle - it's entirely personal."

"And by 'personal', you mean...?"

Ravio puffed his chest out in an attempt to summon more courage. "I need an engagement ring," he said, "the best one you have."

Waga's grin returned to his face; then, he burst into hysterical laughter. "Wahaha! You don't waste any time, son! I like that!" He stood up and took a jewelry box from a nearby shelf, then sat it down on the table. "...Of course, since you're asking for the best, I'm going to assume that 'potato sack' of yours will have plenty of cash to pay up front? I don't do payment plans, you see - far too risky in these troubled times!"

With a slight gulp, Ravio nodded. "Of course."

"Then, let's see..." Waga opened the tiny top drawer of the jewelry box, taking each of his rings out and inspecting it closely to make sure it was the one he was looking for. When he finally found it, he let out a hearty "A-ha!" and showed it to his customer.

"Take a look at this beauty," he said, "one big, stinkin' diamond, as real as they get - and that leafy pattern is a nice touch, too, don't you think?"

Ravio's eyes widened as he gazed upon the ring, which, indeed, had a big, stinkin' diamond attached to a silver band with an ornate leaf pattern. It was evocative of a flower, just like the ones Hilda admired as symbols of their kingdom's rebirth... Yes, he knew straight away that this ring was the one he would propose to her with; the one that would look the finest on his Queen's beautiful, elegant finger.

"...I'll take it," he said, sitting down at the table and laying his money sack in his lap. "How much do you want for it?"

Waga's grin grew even wider as he took his seat once more. "Normally, I'd tell you, but..." He turned the ring in his fingers. "I'll be honest, son; I'm not entirely sure what goes through the mind of a man when he's buying for his beloved, and I'm curious to find out. I want you to tell me how much you think this ring is worth, and I'll decide if it's an offer worth taking. Understood?"

Ravio's face fell at his request - he should have known that this weasel would try to play mind games with him! However, he quickly regained his composure and reached into his bag. "All right," he said, counting out three golden rupees and laying them on the table, "we'll start with nine hundred."

With a loud snort, Waga erupted in laughter once again. "Son, I pick my teeth with that kind of money!" He waved the ring around slightly for emphasis. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that."

"Fine," said Ravio, taking out two more golden rupees. "Fifteen hundred, then."

Waga "tsk"ed. "You're rolling too low, my friend! I can assure you this ring is worth much more than that."

Growing more agitated by the moment, Ravio slammed a handful of silver and golden rupees on the table. "Two thousand," he said through gritted teeth.

"Still too low!"

"Twenty-five hundred!"

"Higher, boy, higher!"

"Three thousand...!"

Waga burst into a third round of belly laughter. "Wahaha, you're a piece of work!" He leaned forward and sneered at the young man. "This is the love of your life we're talking about! What kind of a man are you, thinking you can afford to be so cheap with her, huh!?"

At that, Ravio's face turned bright red, and he scowled at the greedy man with the snide smile before him. "...I know exactly what kind of a man I am," he said, standing up and setting the entire rest of his savings on the table, "I'm a man in love with a very, very fat wallet, and I am not leaving this room until that ring is in my pocket!"

Waga blinked at the sight of the bag; however, before he could speak, Ravio continued on his rant.

"There's over seven thousand rupees in that bag - that's five years of hard work and savings, and I'm willing to let go of all of it if it means getting to marry the woman I've loved my entire life!" He slammed his palms on the table. "Do we have a deal!?"

At that, Waga opened the bag himself, only to be left slack jawed at the impressive amount of rupees that were still inside. Then, he shut his eyes and furrowed his brow in thought, causing Ravio to instantly regret his little outburst and brace himself for something unpleasant.

"...Heheheh..." chuckled Waga, closing the bag and returning his attention to Ravio. "All right, son, you win! I'll take those seven thousand rupees of yours." He placed the ring in a fancy little ring box, then handed it to his customer. "Even a money-grubbing son of a snap dragon like me can see you're going to make a certain someone very, very happy."

Ravio's mouth dropped open in surprise at his sudden good humor. "R...Really?" he asked, "You'll take it!?"

"Did I stutter, boy?" He dropped the ring on the table as Ravio scrambled to catch it. "Make sure that ring gets to your lady love in one piece! I don't do refunds or repairs, you hear me? Now off with you!"

"Y, yes sir!" said Ravio with another nervous gulp as he placed his hood back on his head. "I-It was a pleasure doing business with you!"

"Cut it out with the brown-nosing and get out of my store!" said Waga, walking over to Ravio and taking him by the shoulders before shoving him towards the door. "I've got other customers waiting besides you, you know! Now scram!"

Though his tone seemed to be more amused than angry, Ravio decided that he wasn't going to risk sticking around longer than he had to. "All right, I'm going, I'm going," he said, stuffing the ring in his pocket and hurrying away, past the two burly guards and through the seedy black market stalls - but not before shooting one last sad, longing glance at the bag of rupees had had sacrificed in the name of true love.