Hey, everybody! So this is the first fanfiction that I'm releasing that I've written (I've actually made a few, as well as some short stories of my own) and I hope that you'll enjoy it. It takes place between Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley from the Harvest Moon series, and may even include other places, though I haven't decided yet...We'll see how it goes.
I figured that I would post the first chapter and see the reaction that it got from the community before continuing to post the rest of the fanfic.
So sit, back, relax, and enjoy this little w.i.p. Feel free to review with your thoughts, feelings, and even criticism, as long as it's constructive. I'd love to hear what you think!
Yours,
Arrow
Disclaimer: Harvest Moon, along with all other names, characters, places, etc. associated with the franchise that you may or may not find throughout this fanfiction are not of my creation. The only thing that I can take credit for is my own interpretation of the characters' individual personalities as well as the development of an original character based upon the Player Character.
Pairing: GrayxPlayerCharacter(aka Addyson)
An Introduction...
Not far from Mineral Town, just beyond the looming shadow of Mother's Hill, sat a valley betwixt the mountains and the sea called "Forget-Me-Not Valley." The Valley, like the Town, was a small farming community nestled up against a cliff side, where a waterfall pooled into a small lake and stream that led out to sea. The Valley was more diversely populated than the town, with it's artists, athletes, and share of wealthy citizens calling the picturesque setting their home, environmental inspiration and the pursuit of perfect health motivating them to carry on with their lives. At the heart of this small settlement was a farm that had been passed down through the Bancroft family for centuries, since even before the Town had been built. For that time, it had served as an important producer. A ranch as well as a plantation, much of the Valley's animal products, manufactured or not, came from this farm, named for the family whom had kept possession over it as a dynasty over an empire: Bancroft Farm.
However, as time passed, technology began to take its toll even on the small Forget-Me-Not Valley and, gradually, its people moved East and North towards large cities where new, innovative careers and lifestyles called out to civilization. The Bancrofts did their best to keep the tradition of farming in the family, but even the mightiest empires must some day fall, and with the growing lack of interest in agriculture, only the aging Dean and Stephanie Bancroft were left to tend the land until one day, they were claimed by that which they had maintained for so long, as generations had before them.
Without the Bancroft Farm, The Valley's very life began to fail. Their economy struggled, citizens now being forced to make the long journey down Mother's Hill to Mineral Town where a similar farm by a different name operated; where they would be able to purchase what they had whilst the Bancrofts had lived in their own town. Even though Mineral Town was reasonably close, it did not change the fact that the farm was necessary to uphold the small community in the Valley. Thomas, the acting mayor of Mineral Town decided to make an attempt at contacting Dean and Stephanie's preferred heir, a girl in her early twenties named Addyson, or Addie for short. The girl had barely begun her adult life, recently finishing her education and searching for an apartment in the city. Addie had only met her late great aunt and uncle once in her life, but by the way they had requested that she inherit their farm, she assumed that none of her cousins had been much closer. She agreed to go to The Valley, if only just to see what her options were.
Addyson ended up taking up the offer shortly after viewing her new land. Within a week, the small bed inside of the cozy farm cottage was her own, and she would soon need to begin gathering supplies for the upcoming year. It had only been a day or so, however, when she received her first visitor.
"Well, Good Morning to you, Miss!" The little old Mayor of Mineral Town was short, plump, and wore a thin, red top hat to match his suit which also contained pieces of green and yellow cloth. He introduced himself as Mayor Thomas, and told Addie that if she ever had any questions, then she could feel free to ask him personally, as his purpose was only to serve those in need. Thomas spent the remainder of the day teaching Addie what it was to run a farm, how to do it, and what the townsfolk would expect of her.
"It's still Winter, and nothing can grow this season due to the snow," Thomas told her, gesturing at the frosty ground as he spoke, "but Spring starts officially within the next week, and the townspeople will be expecting you to have the first of your harvest planted by the end of the second day of the season."
"Okay…I think I get it. And I should start with Turnips, right? Because they're the easiest to grow." Addie confessed that she has begun to read some of the books and journals that the family had accumulated and stored in a bookshelf, "The only thing that confuses me," she started, "is how I'm supposed to do all of this work. I can't find any tools anywhere in the house; I've already torn apart the storage closets and found absolutely nothing." The Mayor began to walk towards the cart that he had brought along with him, beaconing Addie to follow.
"I'm glad that you asked," Thomas said, "You can use these tools. They actually are the ones that belonged to this farm. I've been storing them in Mineral Town for safe-keeping." with a grin, Thomas hauled the chest on his cart forward. He lifted its heavy lid to reveal a set of basic iron tools, all of which were coated in dry, caked mud and clay from years of faithful use. Sticking out in odd placed, and most likely scattered along the bottom of the chest as well, were woven satchels and paper packages filled with seeds that had probably been intended for the spring's crop. Tentatively, and a bit reluctant to dirty her soft, clean hands, Addyson reached out and grabbed hold of the wooden haft. She hoisted the heavy tool towards herself and gripped it firmly, inspecting the flaws in its handle.
"Why not give it a try?" He asked, "See if you can handle it." Addie nodded,
"Okay…" she focused and walked a few paces towards a stray branch on the field. She braced herself and pulled the axe back, but, to her surprise, as it struck the wood, the blade began to crumble and crack. Dismayed, she quickly tried to recoil, bring the axe back to it's starting position. A yelp of concern escaped her as the axe's head broke right off of the tool as she did so. Thomas clucked his tongue in thought,
"Hmm…That doesn't look too good." Addie rolled her eyes, still not moving her gaze from the lone haft in her hand. With a sigh, she returned it to the chest, causing a wooden clash to ensue between the other tools that she had disturbed. The two were silent for a while before Thomas coughed to get her attention, "The best idea would be to pay a visit to the Blacksmith in Mineral Town. He's the nearest one, and he'll be able to fix all of your tools before you have the same bad luck as the axe. Here…" Thomas heaved the chest back onto his cart, "I'll bring them to Saibara and you stop bye his shop sometime tomorrow to discuss the pricing. The shop is in Mineral Town, so you'll have to hike down the mountain to get there." He explained, lifting the chest back onto his cart. There was a long pause before Thomas clapped his hands to break the silence, "So, I'll be leaving now! I hope to see you again soon, Addyson. Good luck!" and with that, he was off in the direction of Mother's Hill. She watched him for a while before Addie went back into her house to prepare her dinner and supplies for the following day.
Addyson rose early the next morning and wasted no time in showering quickly and eating a light breakfast before setting off for the Town. She figure that it would take her a few hours to reach her destination and wanted to leave as much time for herself to get lost as possible. It was a beautiful day outside and although the grass around her was still covered in frozen dew, Spring's warm breezes could already be felt caressing her cheeks and blowing through her hair. She pulled her jacket a bit tighter and adjusted the rucksack over her shoulder, continuing to admire the surroundings as she shuffled down the dusty mountain path beneath her. She reflected briefly upon how the decision to buy sneakers built for hiking had been a good investment, as she was sure that she would be paying the price abut now for continuing to wear the flats that she usually was found sporting.
She continued the trek through the silence of a late Winter morning, taking in every bush, tree, and patch of wildflowers along the way until she came to the bridge that led into Mineral Town. She paused for a moment, taking time to read the map on her side of the bridge which had the stores and unlabeled residential houses marked on it. She located her position and realized that Blacksmith Saibara would be located just around the corner from the bridge. "Right…" she said to herself, and began to trace the path that she should be taking with her index finger "Cross the bride, make a left…the shop should be across from this Poultry Farm. Sounds easy enough." She repeated the directions to herself a few times as she stood up, adjusted herself and her rucksack and crossed the sturdy wooden bridge into Town, where the path immediately changed to reddish brick.
Before long, Addie found herself standing outside of the small forge, inspecting the sign stuck into the ground near the street. It read: "Blacksmith Saibara," confirming the name of the establishment, while also listing the store hours and events when the store was closed, "Every Thursday and Holidays…" Addie said softly, reading this portion out loud. Today was Tuesday. She straightened up and proceeded to enter the shop, the tingling of its doorbell drowned out by a burst of furious shouting,
"What!? Explain to me what's wrong with it! Come on!" The speaker was a young man, probably only a year or so older than Addie, if that much. He was wearing khaki-colored workclothes that were stained by smears of black in some places and atop his gingery hair sat a blue baseball cap. He was deliberately banging his fist onto the counter as he spoke, hunched over the surface aggressively, leaning towards the old, bearded man on the other side. Just as angrily, the older man retorted,
"What's wrong with it!? The answer is inside of you!" Volume reduced to a grave whisper, he added," You have much to learn!" He shook his head and waved his hands in the air towards the boy vivaciously. The younger just snorted in reply , clenching his fists tighter before beginning to turn,
"Yeah, whatever!" he spun around, stopping himself just in time to avoid trampling Addie in his rage. His face turned a bright red, probably in anger and embarrassment before he retreated, "What're you looking at!?" he demanded. Addie opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off before she could even start, "If you have nothing to…"
"Gray! How dare you talk to a customer like that!" The old man, whom Addie assumed was Saibara, stopped the boy called Gray before he could finish, his face now resembling a bearded tomato, "Now, apologize!"
"So…Sorry…" Gray's cheeks, again, had flushed a bright red from embarrassment, and he looked down to try to shield his eyes with the brim of his cap.
"Could've fooled me." his eyes snapped shut at Saibara's comment, but he composed himself quickly.
"I'm…Sorry. Really…" He looked up at Addie, his face's coloring normal again. She smiled softly, and gave his a pat on the shoulder,
"That's alright; I forgive you." Gray's lips curled slightly as he straightened up and moved to another part of the building to resume his work. Saibara, meanwhile, was extending a hand towards Addie,
"Welcome," he said, "And who are you?" Addie walked past Gray and up to the counter. She shook Saibara's hand, "My name's Addyson Bancroft. I'm the new owner of the Ranch in the Valley. Thomas said that he'd sent my tools over to you yesterday." Saibara nodded in realization,
"Ah, so you are. Yes, Thomas explained your situation. I'd be glad to help you, Miss Bancroft. I'll do my best to negotiate a fair price for the restoration of your tools."
"You can just call me Addie," she gave Saibara a pleasant smile before taking a seat on a nearby stool.
Addie left the shop a while later feeling accomplished; Saibara had agreed to repair her basic tools for only 600 gold, which was considerably cheaper than they were probably worth. He had told her that she could expect Gray to deliver them within the next few days as projects with simple materials were finished quickly. On her way around the corner, she spotted Gray heading back to the forge with a bag slung over his shoulder. Saibara had sent him into the mine just outside of town to collect the ore that would be necessary for the project. He looked to be lost in thought, eyes focused on the brick road before him. Addie stopped walking to called out to him when she was closer, and he looked up in alarm at his name. He slowed to a stop to meet her,
"Oh…Addyson, right? How are you doing?"
"I'm alright, and…Addie, please."
"Addie, right…" he smiled and a light blush flooded into his cheeks, "Anyway, I'm sorry about earlier. It wasn't right to yell at you like that; I mean, I don't even know you!" he laughed nervously before continuing, "I really didn't mean to be rude… My grandfather was giving me a hard time. He never approves of any of my work. I'm ready to quit. I feel stupid, you know?" Gray shrugged and looked away. Addie noticed that his blue eyes had lost their luster, and he was most likely recalling the event. They were both quiet for a while before Addie spoke up,
"Well…you know, it is called 'training' for a reason, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
"I mean…if your grandpa didn't push you hard, then you would never really improve. I think that he just wants you to become the best you can, but at the same time, to learn the craft by yourself." Gray looked astonished at these words but then shook his head, laughing in disbelief,
"…You're so right. I'm such a wimp. Sorry for complaining so much…" He cringed, embarrassed this time for not being able to see as clearly as Addie had. She responded with a dismissive shake of the head and a shrug,
"Don't worry about it, Gray. And you'll do fine." Gray gave her a wide grin in response,
"Thanks, Addie. I don't totally get what my grandfather is saying now, but I think you're right; the time will come. Just keep trying." He laughed nervously again and held out his hand to shake, "Gotta go back." He informed her as they shook. Addie thought that she felt him linger before letting go completely, "I'll see you around, Addie," Gray said, "Oh, and welcome to the boonies," with that he turned on his heel and gave a final wave to Addyson over his shoulder as he walked the remainder of the path and disappeared inside of the forge. Addie smiled after him and turned to return home as well. She rubbed her hand absent-mindedly as she walked, trying to recall how it had felt to hold Gray's calloused hands against her own and felt her lips curl into a smirk at the thought. She suddenly realized that her tools would be in need of many repairs.
[End of Chapter One.]