This must be a joke...
Claire glared down at the cursive script scribbled across the paper, trying her best to keep her brow from twitching noticeably. Of course, it had to be a massive joke. What exactly were these people running out here?
It'd been at least three weeks since Claire first moved out to Forget-Me-Not Valley to take over her father's rundown farm. Work was hard, the land was tragic, and it had been impossible for the blonde to make a living out here. Nothing she hadn't already vented to the Witch Princess on her daily visits.
She liked the Witch Princess, after all. She'd been the one to offer an explanation to the madness that had gone on unbeknownst to Claire in her sleep. Apparently, her mother up above begged the Harvest Goddess to help her child follow in her father's footsteps and become a successful farmer. This challenge proved difficult, as the farm had fallen into disarray, and the blonde, only ever knowing public speaking and entrepreneurship, struggled to keep up. So, for whatever reason, the Harvest Goddess was punished for Claire's lack of work ethic and now it was up to her to bring her – along with the Harvest Sprites – back.
Her head still reeled from all this newfound information of gods and goddesses and her ability to see them. The blonde was convinced it'd been a vivid fever dream and only until she found the Witch Princess' hut and spoke with her again the next day had she come to grips with this new reality.
And that's how Claire ended up in the middle of Romana's foyer, pulled into a huddle with Sebastian by Lumina. She was headed up the hill to visit the Witch Princess' hut when Lumina had spotted her and dragged her into the mansion without letting the farmer get a single word in.
The rich girl of the valley began rambling on and on about a thief coming to steal from her and the note he'd left warning her of the attack. Claire thought this was some sort of prank; Perhaps an initiation by the villagers before she could officially become part of the valley.
A thief? Leaving a note before he strikes? Claire's brows scrunched up at the note as she tried to make sense of it. Is he an idiot? Does he not know the police could trace him through this note? Normally in the city, thieves never left warnings ahead of time; they simply struck whenever they felt like, and usually threatened to kill if anyone happened to be home. Claire nearly shuddered at the thought.
"Well? What do you say we do, Claire?" Lumina's eyes watched the farmer with a glint, waiting hopefully as if the blonde held the solution to all her problems.
"I... think it might be a prank, Lumina. I mean, what kind of thief leaves a notice before they strike?" She handed the note back to Lumina, trying her best to project a warm smile, but it came more as a grimace.
"It's not!" The brunette retorted, snatching the note from the farmer's hand and furrowing her brows as her eyes scanned the letter once more. "I've heard all the rumors about him! He ran rampant through Mineral Town last year, leaving notes and stealing from right under their noses! He drove Harris so insane, he nearly went to Doctor Trent for therapy sessions!"
Does she know I have no clue what she's talking about? Who are these people? The blonde let out an exasperated sigh, not very convinced. She placed a hand on Lumina's shoulder, hoping her touch would help calm her nerves. "Ok, how about this. I'll come over tonight and help wait out the thief with you. If he shows, we catch him. If he doesn't, which he won't, we go home, and we sleep. How does that sound?"
Lumina's face lit up and a wide grin formed upon her lips. "Oh, really Claire? You'll come and stake out with us? Oh, thank you!" Without hesitation, the brunette threw her arms around the farmer and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I was so worried! With Grandma Romana away for the night and all, I didn't want to have to face that thief all alone! I mean, Sebastian is here, but he can only do so much!"
The farmer stumbled back, startled by Lumina's sudden affection. She cautiously reached around Lumina's back and curled her hands on her shoulders, half as reciprocation for the hug and half to pry the brunette off her. Lumina soon let go of the blonde and Claire stepped back, laughing half-heartedly. "Yeah, well... You don't have to worry. He won't be able to slip past us." If he were real, Claire wanted so badly to add.
"Well, I should let you head on back to the farm then, huh?" Lumina signaled Sebastian to open the door for the farmer with her head, and Sebastian obliged, hurrying over to the large wooden doors and pulling one open.
"Yeah." Claire nodded, relieved that she was able to calm Lumina's nerves and be on her way. "See you tonight, Lumina."
"See you tonight!"
x
Claire knew everyone in the valley and they'd known her since she was three feet tall. Granted, there were a lot of new faces, but the older adults and elders of the valley were well familiarized with the blonde. After all, she'd made it a habit to come out a least one month out of the summer to spend time with her father on the ranch.
Claire didn't hold too many memories of her parents when they were together. After all, they had decided to divorce around her third birthday. Her mother moved back to the city and her father stayed in his hometown, Forget-Me-Not Valley. Her parents had always loved each other, and she knew that, but their inability to compromise was the nail in the coffin. Claire grew up in the city with her mother, spending every summer up until she was fifteen with her father.
The farmer looked up towards the vast dark sky above her. Variances of bright and dull stars were littered sporadically across the black canvas of the night, and the moon shined full over the valley. She'd forgotten how beautiful a clear night sky looked, as it was masked by gray and dark orange filters back home from the light pollution.
Back in the city. She reminded herself. This was home now.
Claire made her way up the slate stone path that led up to Romana's mansion. Large cherry blossom trees lined the path symmetrically, leaving space in between for golden lamp posts. The warm light bathed parts of the path in a faint golden glow, as well as the leaves closest to the lamps. Up ahead, Claire could see the wrought iron gates grow closer, and the sound of the fountain water gushing from the spigot grew louder. The estate was lit up by two more lamp posts in front of the home, and light spilled onto the ground from the windows of illuminated rooms. A calm feeling washed over the farmer and she stood, closing her eyes and enjoying the sound of the rushing water and the leaves rustling from the gentle spring wind.
Even if tonight ended up being a total waste of time, there was something about the night-time that soothed her. With so many villagers and Harvest royalty and sprites counting on her, it felt relieving to have a moment of meditation.
"Hello, beautiful. Walking alone at night?"
Claire's eyes flew open and she jumped, startled by both the voice and how close the owner of said voice was. Her eyes fell up and down upon him, trying to remember if he was a villager she'd met years ago. He stood tall, with grown out silver hair swept off to the side. Fair skin and a chiseled face. Every feature of his face balanced out perfectly, complimenting each other.
Wait, did he just call me beautiful?
"I-I'm sorry?" The blonde stumbled on her own words and her face began to glow pink. She couldn't put a name to the face and came to the conclusion they'd never met before. I would've definitely remembered seeing someone this pretty when I was a teenager.
"It's not safe for a pretty girl such as yourself to be wandering alone at night, you know." The stranger looked up at Claire, revealing bright blue-green eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard, trying not to gape at the man.
His comment and it's subliminal meaning sent chills throughout her body and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to smooth out the goosebumps that were rising on her skin. She took a cautious step back and attempted to harden her expression. "Y-Yeah? What's it to you?" She gripped at her arms. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before."
He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair in an arrogant manner. "You've probably heard of me since I'm quite the ladies' man and a prince of the stars." He gestured towards the sky with his eyes, smirking.
"Prince of the..." The blonde trailed off. Who on earth is this guy? Forget-Me-Not Valley had quite the cast of characters, but never anyone like this. He was attractive and through his body language and his way of speaking, it seemed like he knew it as well.
The man let out another throaty chuckle at Claire's apparent bewilderment. This was what he lived for, after all. Leaving women flustered was second nature to him.
A loud slam startled them, causing them to look over at the direction of the sound.
A familiar female voice screams from the other side of the fountain. "Hey! It's you! The famous thief!" Footsteps clicked against the brick pavement hurriedly, and from around the fountain appeared a short haired brunette with a yellow ribbon in her hair.
"Lumina?"
"Sorry," The silver-haired man begins to make his way around Claire, shooting her a wink as he does. "but I'm a bit pressed for time. I'm about to jet out."
Thief. He's the thief! "Hey, wait a minute! You're not going anywhere!" Claire quickly attempted to reach for his arm, but he was already out of arms-reach, and her fingertips brushed against him. "Who are you?"
"Call me Phantom Skye. I have a feeling we'll meet again, it's in the stars." He shot another wink at Claire before quickening his pace down the hill.
The blonde went to make a start for him but was cut off by Lumina, who was already running down the hill for him. "Wait right there!" Lumina screamed, reaching out to grab him by the shoulder.
In one swift motion, Skye spun around, clasping Lumina's hand in his own. She leaned back, stunned by his agility. She looked up at the thief with wide eyes, as that now-familiar smirk began to curl upon his lips. "Hold up beautiful. Don't let such raw anger steal away your beauty."
The brunette's breath hitched, and her face flushed. She let her hand fall from him as he turned around and started down the hill again. She watched him admiringly as he shrunk farther away from the hilltop.
Claire had witnessed the entire ordeal, her mouth gaping. She'd never, ever known thieves to charm their victims before they take off back in the city, and she'd especially never seen someone fall right into their trap.
"L-Lumina!" She snapped, breaking the smaller girl out of her trance. "What are you doing?! Go after him!" Without waiting for a response, Claire darted after him, shifting her body weight backward as she tried not to trip and fall forward down the incline.
The farmer was too slow. Between her short interaction with Lumina, he'd managed to escape her sight, and once she made it to the foot of the hill, she couldn't see him anywhere. No way. There's no way he's that fast. Claire looked around but to no avail. She could see as far out as Vesta's farm but was met with the stillness of the night.
Lumina was just seconds behind, her shoes slapping against the slate as she made her way over to Claire. "He… got away." She huffed, pressing her hand against her chest and attempting to catch her breath.
"Yeah…" Claire was panting as well, although not as heavily as Lumina. "He did." Her eyes continued to scan the area, hoping to spot a trembling branch or bush where the thief might be hiding.
"That thief…" Lumina stood up straight, regaining her composure. "…Was pretty cool, wasn't he?"
Author's Note: Hi! I'm still alive, I promise! This is my brand new Skye x Claire story that I've been brainstorming for the past year. I know it feels like a revised version of Stolen Heart, but I promise, it's going to be so much better. I just finished the outline for this story and there will be lots of drama and huge twists, all while tying into Skye's main storyline. I will take some ideas here and there from Stolen Heart but for the most part, this story will be different. I'm really excited about this one.
Originally, Witch Princess was supposed to be Claire's best friend in GLAT, but it seemed like it would be a hassle to make WP Claire's best friend when her best friend can't interact with her love interest or the rest of the townies. After reading The Air by InvaderSunshine, I realized WP would be a much better fit for a Skye/Claire fic.
As for Stolen Heart, I might just upload the original final chapters and finally put it to rest, haha. I feel too bad deleting it even though I don't like it anymore, but I feel even worse if I just leave it without an ending. Ah, decisions.
Anyways, please leave a review if you enjoyed!