Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon, as it is the property of Natsume. Remember this.
Harvest Moon
An Epic Little Fairy Tale
Summer has come again. A familiar white ferry sped towards the harbor of Fair Mineral Town, seemingly as eager to reach fond ground as the passengers itself.
One such passenger is a little girl with a healthy tan complexion, full and fluffy black hair, and bright onyx eyes. She wore a creamy white one-peace dress, a straw hat, and a pair of wooden sandals.
"Daddy! Daddy! Do you have the story ready, yet?!"
"Yep! Just got it done, sweetheart!" a masculine voice replied.
A cheerful, yet somewhat roguish young man with a similar coloring slowly walked up towards the young girl with a book in hand. He wore a brown leather short-sleeved jacket over a white t-shirt, along with a pair of khaki shorts and brown hiking boots. His head was also entirely covered by a purple bandana.
"I wanna hear! I wanna hear!" the little girl cried.
The young man smirked.
"Always so enthusiastic, little Kanna. Don't you worry, Daddy can't wait to get this story started, too." He replied.
The happy father took a seat on a wooden benching right by the girl he called Kanna, and invited her on his lap. He then opened up the book, revealing a mass of words with a few blank pages in it.
"Daddy, what happened to the pictures? Did somebody erase them?" Kanna asked with concern.
"Actually, little Kanna, this is the fun part: you see, after you hear this little tale of mine, I want you to draw some key scenes of the story on your own! It'd be a big shame to keep a talented artist like you out of this project, don't you think?" the father said with a wink.
"Really Daddy! Oh, wow! Now I really can't wait!" Kanna cried.
The purple bandana man chuckled in amusement before eyeing the initial words.
"I'm glad you love the idea. Now, prepare for a tale of action, adventure, and a little bit of romance. This new tale has everything."
"Romance?" Kanna cried in anticipation.
"Yep. This one's got even more than your usual story, because it has more than one hero in it, you see."
"Oh, wow! But... but is there still a princess in it?"
"But of course! And the princess plays a really big part here."
"Oooohhh…." Kanna uttered in awe.
With the story set up, the earnest storyteller cleared his throat before he began his tale of magic and love.
Once upon a time, there was a humble valley full of magic, mystical creatures, and aspiring heroes.
--
One of these heroes is an earnest young man who underwent important training on the Valley's farm to build up his body to prepare him for adventure. For days on end, he worked, and worked, and worked, until finally his land bore fruit and vegetables that he could sell for the valley's prosperity. Having finally fulfilled his training, the young man set off to meet an old friend to gain a quest worthy enough to test his newfound strength.
This old friend happened to be the local witch of the valley. Although mischievous as most witches, this particular witch was a kind and considerate soul at heart, even if she's reluctant to admit it.
The young hero met with this witch and shared his desire with her, hoping that she may know of any dire quests that can aid the valley. At first, the witch was dumbfounded, certain that the valley was entirely at peace, with nothing that can trouble its delicate balance. But eventually, she recalled a terrible tale that happened long ago:
A Thousand years ago, the Valley was in a turbulent war between two opposing forces- the Witch Clan, who represented the forces of chaos and freedom, and the Faerie Clan, who represented the force of order and obedience. For a long time, these two forces fought for control over their homeland with hopes of regaining the delicate balance of nature; however, both were unaware that what was truly needed was for the two sides to find peace and harmony with each other. This war quickly lead to the near-destruction of both, and forced the clans to take drastic measures to preserve their legacies.
The Witch clan, with a greater concern for their lives, had the last of their head family flee the land until they were finally safe of their hostile rivals.
At the same time, the Faerie Clan, who desire their claim over the land above all, sealed their princess away in an Underground labyrinth, and placed a preservation spell on her to keep her asleep until they could finally rid the valley of their adversaries.
And so, the battle waged on until both sides were completely exterminated. The only ones to remain were the royal heirs, both whom were completely unaware of the tragic outcome for the longest time.
The witch went on to explain that with the fading influence of the Faerie's seals, monstrous shadows began seeking shelter in the underground labyrinth, and have since then kept anyone from reaching the sealed princess. She expressed a desire to aid this princess herself, but as the last of the Faerie Clan's rivals, her very existence was repelled by their stubborn seal.
The hero pondered the tale over and over, until he agreed to accept this quest. With new resolve in hand, he was ready to set free the fabled princess, but the hero was given a warning by the witch. The monsters are vicious and numerous, as they have gathered there over the many centuries. Should he exceed, he would require the aid of comrades. And so the hero did as the witch suggested and gathered allies for the perilous journey.
His first companion was a noble lady both fair and fierce. She was a talented minstrel as well as a loyal partner who had aided the hero many a time in the past.
His second companion was a fearsome travel who had faced the dangers of the outside world. Though the sea was his calling, he was also a formidable warrior on land.
After the gathering, the three then headed deep into the great labyrinth to do battle with the evil monsters that safeguard the Faerie Princess. The deeper they went, the stronger their foes became, but the three proved resilient and fought back all that stood in their way. Their resolve served them well, as they were right on their way to the sleeping chamber, but then a shadowy dragon stood in their way near the final floor.
The battle was long and hard, and tested the trio's limits, wearing them down considerably. But with the last of their strength, the three united once more, and together struck down the savage beast.
With the last threat vanquished, the hero and his companions finally reached the chamber of the sleeping princess. But alas, there was one final trial to overcome. The stubborn Faerie Clan's seal required that the Suns of the Four Seasons to be present to finally undo the spell. The hero, unaware of these suns, felt that he was at a loss not knowing where to get a hold of these treasures, until the traveler revealed that he had found those very treasures during his travels in a stunning twist of fate.
Without further delay, the traveler revealed the treasured Suns and placed them on a pedestal near the slumbering princess' bed. Immediately, the Suns shone brightly and released their magic, allowing the fair princess to awaken from 1,000 years of sleep.
The newly-aroused princess, unaware of the passage of time, was informed of the turn of events that occurred during her slumber. She was saddened to hear the fate of her clan, yet was touched by the final sacrifice they provided. She was also relived to find out that their violent war had finally ended long ago, and that she partially owed her salvation to the descendent of her formal rivals.
With peace finally achieved for her homeland, the princess yearned to return to the outside world and see for herself the many changes over the millennium. The adventurers granted her request, and returned her to the surface to show her the peaceful valley she was denied in the past. At first, the princess was pleased, but then her curiosity grew a thousand full. Though the valley had changed, it was the one land she was confined to her entire life. She wished to see the world in its entirety, and the new technologies presented to her made it a possibility.
The princess insisted her new saviors join her on this voyage, but the hero declined, insisting that he remain in his current realm as its champion and defender.
The noble lady declined as well, wishing to stay by the hero's side.
With no one else to turn to, the princess sought the traveler's companionship, and he agreed wholeheartedly, for it was only he who could grant her request, and it was he who wanted to grant her wishes the most.
Thus, with a heavy heart, the group was forced to part.
The hero and lady remained in the valley, where they eventually joined in matrimony and started their own family.
Whereas the traveler and the princess begun their journey around the world to explore many new and exciting places together. They both found it to be a vast and varied place, but through all their travels, they would still recall the place they know as home, and return to meet old friends and family.
--
"And so, the hero, the minstrel, the traveler, and his fair princess all lived happily ever after. The End." The father finished proudly as he closed the book.
The little girl applauded and cheered wildly for her father's stunning narration as he bowed his head with a playful grin.
"Yay! That was great, Daddy! And really long, too!" Kanna cheered.
"Good. I was starting to get worried it might be too long, but I saw it held your attention the whole time." The father admitted.
"Oh no, not at all! This was a good, long one, Daddy! You know what they say: "The Longer, The Better", right?"
"Well now, I don't know if I've heard that saying before, but if that's what you believe, I'll be more than welcome to find some good, long stories to read to you in the future." The father happily replied.
"Yay!"
"So… you think you got a good idea of the sort of pictures this little story needs?"
Kanna nodded attentively.
"I really wanna draw the three heroes together! And the witch! And the dragon! But I really really wanna the princess!" she cried.
"I see. What about the whole war between the two clans from long ago?" he suggested.
The little artist-to-be pondered with mixed expressions on her face.
"I…don't…know. If it's a magic battle, I'd draw lots of sparkles and lasers and stuff, but I don't feel comfortable drawing a messy, violent war…" she answered uneasily.
"Alright then," the father shrugged, "No "messy war" picture for the story then. But that's okay, it should be all about vanquishing the evil monsters, not about two sides fighting each other who weren't evil, right?"
"Right!"
"Good girl."
The tiny artisan then gave her father a big hug as thanks for the story.
"You know what?" Kanna suddenly spoke up.
"What, Kanna?" the father replied.
"I really really like the traveler!" she exclaimed, "I'm glad the princess gets to travel with a cool guy like that! Usually the princess stays with the prince and gets stuck in their castle, but this way, she gets to have her own adventure! She must have a lot of fun!"
The cheerful father chuckled.
"I bet she is. Otherwise, it wouldn't be much of a "happily ever after", now would it?"
"Um…Kai, honey?" a soft voice spoke up.
Suddenly, the father and child turned towards the new speaker.
Both laid eyes upon a wispy beauty with a peachy complexion. She had long, flowing dark hair and brilliant onyx eyes. She wore a long, flowery yellow dress that went down right to her ankles, along with a pair of white sandals.
"Mommy!" Kanna cried.
"Little Kanna…" the woman answered with a gentle voice. "So, how was Daddy's story?"
"It was great! Really exciting! And it had two romantic pairs going! But I really like the ending for the princess!" she squealed.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah! Because the Princess gets to travel the world with this really nice man! Daddy chose a really good story this time!" Kanna explained.
"See, Dear? I told you she'd like it." The woman teased her bandana-wearing husband.
"Hey, you're never sure when you deviate from the usual winning formula. the man called Kai defended.
"Oh! Mommy! Daddy! Look! Land!" Kanna suddenly cried.
Sure enough, the pair looked up to see a big lump of land off in the horizon.
"Ah, so it is! Good spotting, Kanna!" the father praised.
Kanna replied with a wink and a thumbs up.
"It's good to finally see this place again! A shame I haven't caught up with my friends in the past few years, but I think our special surprise should be more than enough to make up for the absence." said Kai. "They'll probably be thrown for an even greater loop than the last one I brought over."
The woman nodded back.
"No kidding. The whole town was in enough of an uproar to find out you actually had a woman traveling with you, but once they found out who I was… I'm just glad Popuri took it really well and found someone for herself. Though I actually think she was the most ecstatic to meet me." She expressed.
"That's what I always liked about that girl: she's always enthusiastic about life, and doesn't let things get her down easily. And I'm relieved to know the one she's with will take real good care of her; that Mitchel is a pretty fun guy." Kai replied. "But hey, it was nice to see Link and Lumina again. To think that they had a child around the same time we had Kanna! Neat coincidence, huh?"
"Forget-Me-Not Valley is still as nice and peaceful as I remember it. But now it has a welcome addition thanks to our two dearest friends. I think Guy is going to grow just as big and strong as his father! He already looks quite active for a boy his age!"
"Not to mention that he's a pretty good match for our litte Kanna! We haven't met any boy that could outrun our girl until then!" Kai cried.
"I think she gets it from you. You're always so lively." The woman replied.
"Then she clearly got her beauty from you, and if that's the case, she's just going to keep getting more and more beautiful, until she grows up to be a splendid princess like you, Keira." Kai grinned.
The dark-haired beauty's face flushed deeply.
"K-Kai…I'm not a Princess… not anymore…" she argued rather meekly.
"True… but that's only because you're my Queen now." He answered smoothly.
As Kanna's eyes were distracted by the sight of the incoming harbor, her Mommy and Daddy shared a sweet kiss under the bright, sunny sky.
Author's Notes: Okay, this piece has gone towards the fluffy side. Probably more so towards the end, where I feel it was actually done better, but that's how it ended up.
I know that's what Kaira doesn't wear in the game, but she's been up and about in the world, and I figured out of anyone, she would actually change to get with the current times. That, and I thought a flowery yellow dress would just look nice on her in general.
Um… yeah, I apologize I couldn't write make the Fairy Tale portion more lively like I do with most random fantasy bits I insert in fic, but I felt I'd end up dawdling too much in the writing and wanted to make it straight to the point. I felt I wrote up more of a summary of what Kai might have actually read to his daughter, but if you think that's feasible enough to read to child as it is, then thank you.
I'd especially like to thank a certain fanfiction writer for this amazing Kai x Popuri he/she wrote that helped inspire this piece. That, too, used a story within a story of sorts, but Kai used awesome puppets in his storytelling. For some reason, I can't help but think of Shigeru Miyamoto when recalling it. I'm sorry for forgetting the penname and story name, awesome fanfic writer, but if you know who you are, I once again thank you.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed the fluff and the cheese, because you might not see so much of the fluff from me in the future. Enjoy it when it comes.