Hey, guys! Welcome to my newest story!! I thought of this idea while I was playing Tree of Tranquility a few days ago, and I wanted to make it into a story. Being new to this fandom, I'm a little worried about this story because it's most likely going to end up my longest one. I'm hoping that soon I can make my stories almost as good as the rest of the stories in this fandom. Readers, your constructive criticism is always welcome!!

Night Shadows

Chapter 1: Candace: The Beginning

It all started with the blue feather…

I smiled happily to myself. Of course it had! It was the 29th of Fall when he came, and it was raining. Luna was behind the sewing machine, and I was sketching a design for a new winter outfit. The rain was pouring down heavily and lightning was darting across the black sky. I knew that he didn't care, though. He was out every day; he was always taking care of the cows and chickens and checking to make sure that all his crops were watered. I stared at the clock, hoping that any minute would signal his arrival.

"Oh, Goddess no," I heard Luna mumble. My heart fluttered; that must mean that he was here. I knew that Luna loathed me because he loved me instead of her. Sure, he was nice to everyone, but I was positive that our relationship went deeper and our feelings for each other greater than the average couple.

"Be quiet, Luna." I smiled smugly as he came inside, drenched from the rain.

"Why, hello, Kevin," Shelly said politely. He smiled at her.

"Good morning," he replied. My heart jumped to my throat. Surely he must have a reason for coming to the store, right?

"Hi, Kevin!" Luna ran to his side. She adored him, but I knew that he didn't like her. Not in the slightest bit. He was so careful when it came to politeness, and I knew he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Kevin smiled and pushed her away slightly.

"Hey, Luna," he said. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. "C-can I talk to you…er…privately, Candace?"

"Sure," I replied. I wasn't startled, but I kept my fingers crossed for the moment when he would give me the feather; I hoped that it was now. I followed him into the back room, and waited patiently for him to speak. He smiled weakly.

"I've been meaning to say this for a while…" he looked nervous and somewhat scared. I kept my eyes glued to his hand, which was searching through his rucksack. "Candace, will you marry me?" He then pulled out the feather, and showed it to me. At that moment, I could've sworn that my heart burst. I was so happy.

"Yes!" I practically shouted. Kevin looked relieved.

"I was so worried that you would refuse," he murmured, "that I couldn't bring myself to propose earlier. But now…"

"…we'll be together forever," I finished. We both smiled as he opened my firmly clenched hands, and carefully placed the feather in one and closed my other hand on top. I felt like crying. Kevin and Candace...husband and wife…the thoughts echoed around in my head.

"Let's go tell Hamilton," Kevin said. "He can help us schedule the wedding." I nodded. We walked out of the back room and headed towards the pouring rain.

"Wait…Candace? Where are you going?" Shelly asked. I smiled at her but didn't reply. I didn't want her to know, at least, not yet. Kevin and I walked outside, and up to the town square. Gill and Elli stared at us as we came inside, drenched.

"Is Hamilton here?" Kevin asked. Gill shrugged.

"I'm right here." Hamilton walked briskly inside from the rain. "Is there something you need?" I smiled.

"We're…uh…getting married." Kevin said. Shocked faces turned to stare at us. Gradually, the mayor's look of surprise turned into a smile.

"You were always such a lovely couple," he said. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," I said breathlessly. I'm going to get married… The shock was now setting in.

"Now, when do you want the wedding to be?" Hamilton asked. He opened his calendar and scanned the dates. "We can do it…Winter 1st or Winter 28th. Which one will it be?"

"I think the 28th would be fine," Kevin said. "But that's for Candace to decide."

"Sure." I smiled. "That would be great."

"Alright." Hamilton looked from me to Kevin. "The 28th it is. Congratulations, again!" With that, the mayor turned and walked outside without another word. Gill and Elli stared at us.

"Listen, I have to go back to the farm," Kevin said. "But we'll be together soon." I nodded, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. The embrace only lasted for a second, but it felt like minutes.

"See you," I murmured when he began to leave. He smiled one last time, and then turned back to the outdoors. I hummed a happy tune as I trudged through the rain back to the tailor shop. When I got back, Luna and Shelly bombarded me with questions.

"Where…have…you…been?" Luna demanded. "And what's going on?" I took a deep breath.

"Kevin and I are…getting married," I said. "The wedding is planned for the 28th of Winter." Luna gasped and Shelly smiled.

"Congratulations!" Shelly hugged me. I never knew my grandmother could give such strong hugs.

"You-You're getting married?!" Luna shrieked. "But…"

"What?" I asked innocently. "Aren't you happy for me?" Luna grimaced for a minute, but then smiled.

"I guess that's a good thing…that you're getting married," my sister stated. "You've become so much more outgoing since Kevin started talking to you." I was shocked by the truth in her words. I hadn't realized it until now, but I actually had been conversing more with Anissa and Selena since Kevin and begun talking to me. I was more social, and for me, that was a huge shocker.

…and then the wedding came…

"Oh, Candace! You look lovely!" Shelly exclaimed. I certainly didn't feel lovely. I had been poked and prodded all over. My hair had been put in a thousand stiles by Luna, who finally had decided on a nice look. My wedding dress was silk, with no sleeves and small straps, and it (like my veil) had a long train that dragged across the floor.

"Are you sure…?" I asked. I looked in the mirror, and turned in circles to view myself from every possible angle. I grimaced.

"You look beautiful!" Shelly smiled. "My granddaughter is finally growing up…"

"Oh, be quiet!" Luna poked Shelly in the arm. I knew she was a little upset that I was the one marrying Kevin, but I knew that she would get over it. She always did. "You look great, Candace."

"Thanks, Luna," I murmured. The wedding is so soon, I thought. I hadn't slept well last night due to my intense fear that I would trip while walking down the aisle. Luna had complained that I groaned and mumbled all last night, but I didn't care.

"Hey, Candace! Stop daydreaming!" Luna snapped her fingers in front of my face. I recoiled, startled.

"Oh…sorry...." I realized that I had been staring off into space for the last minute and a half. My face flushed red.

"We couldn't get a priest to come in, so it looks like Hamilton is doing the wedding," Shelly said. I grimaced. Yeah, that would make it feel real official.

"No worries." Luna smiled halfheartedly. "It's still a wedding, nevertheless."

"Uh huh." The wedding was so soon that I didn't really feel like saying anything right now.

"Candace…it's time." Shelly tossed me the bouquet. "We'll be in the front pew, so we can see it all." With that, my grandmother and sister walked from the room. Luna smiled at me before disappearing behind the hard wood doors. My pulse increased when I heard the wedding music. I started walking, feeling a surge of dread and longing at the same time. People stared at me as I walked slowly down the aisle. Kevin turned and smiled when he saw me coming. He held out his hand and helped me up the stairs. The music stopped.

"I, Hamilton, mayor of Waffle Island, will now start this honorable marriage ceremony." The mayor looked at Kevin. "Do you, Kevin, take Candace to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Kevin looked at me.

"I do." Hamilton turned to me.

"And do you, Candace, take Kevin to be your lawfully wedded husband?" I took a deep breath.

"I do." My face reddened.

"Then I now pronounce you man and wife." Hamilton smiled. "You may kiss the bride." I turned to Kevin, and leaned in for the kiss. When our lips met, the crowd of people clapped and cheered happily. When Kevin and I broke apart, we turned to the crowd.

"Thank you! Thank you all so much!" Kevin said. I just smiled and linked arms with him. I was too happy to do anything but wave as we walked down the aisle and out to our new life together.

…and last came the child and the Harvest Goddess.

A season later, in the rainy spring, I woke up one morning feeling ill. Kevin rushed me to the clinic where I was told that Kevin and I were about to become parents.

"Congratulations!" Jin exclaimed. "That's wonderful!" I was elated. A child! A baby; what a massive responsibility! I was lost for words. Kevin and I walked home through the Maple Lake District that night, talking about the new member of the family.

"So…a baby, huh." he said quietly. "Wow, I can't believe it..."

"Yeah." I stared at Ben's Tree. "That's huge!" He nodded.

"What should we choose for names?" Kevin smiled at me. "I mean…we don't know what gender the baby will be yet."

"I personally like the name Alexis if it's a girl," I said slowly. I was thinking hard over this matter. Name choosing was hard...

"I love that name!" he exclaimed. I smiled broadly.

"Me, too. I also like the name Jasper…for a boy."

"Hmm…" Kevin frowned. "I don't know about that one…I like the name Andrew more."

"We don't have to choose now," I said. "Not yet."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the baby is," Kevin murmured. The setting sun was our cue to head on home. That night I dreamed of a baby boy. He had black hair and violet eyes. I tried to reach out to him, but he would just step back until he was out of view. I continued to have that dream for a while, but after a season my dreams became more and more confusing. Some were blank, and others were elaborate and haunting. I guess it just varied from time to time.

When the time came for the birth of the child, Kevin rushed me back to the clinic. There, Irene helped me give birth to healthy baby boy. An hour later, the child was in my arms, sleeping heavily. Kevin was kneeling by my side, smiling at the new member of our family. After a while, Irene knocked on the door and came inside.

"You'll need to stay here for a few days, Candace," she said, "to regain your strength."

"Of course," I murmured. I wasn't paying much attention to her; instead I kept looking at the baby boy. Irene smiled and left Kevin and me with the child. "W-what should we name him?"

"Jasper," Kevin said. I looked at him, surprised.

"Seriously?" I asked. "I mean, that's great, but didn't you want to name our son…Andrew?" Kevin's face was plastered with guilt. I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah…I did, but…I've taken a liking to the name Jasper," he said. "A-are you ok with that?" I nodded.

"Sure. Welcome to our world, baby Jasper…"

A few days later when I got home, things were different. Luna stopped by almost every day to see Jasper, and Kevin was out more and more every day. I could sense that something wasn't right between the two of us, but I was too afraid to bring it up. One day I decided to ask Luna if she noticed anything strange with Kevin and me.

"…Are you sure?" I asked impatiently. "He hasn't been acting different at all?"

"I told you, no." Luna sighed and rocked Jasper in her arms.. "Maybe you should go ask him." I grimaced.

"I…I don't think I have the guts to." Luna handed Jasper back to me.

"I think that this is your problem, Candace," Luna said. "I would help, if I could." With that, she stood up and left. That night after I put Jasper to bed, I decided to muster the courage to ask my husband what was wrong.

"Kevin?" I asked at dinner that night. He looked at me.

"Yeah?"

"Is something…wrong?" I flushed red. I felt so stupid. Kevin sighed.

"Yes. Something's wrong, Candace." I felt stunned. Something was wrong and he didn't tell me?

"What is it?" I tried to sound concerned, but inside I was aching to know why he wouldn't tell his own wife what was bugging him. He looked away.

"Candace…I never would want to keep something from you, but…"

"Yes?"

"The night before you had Jasper, I had a dream about the Harvest Goddess." Oh, the Harvest Goddess. Cool. Wait, what? The actual Harvest Goddess?

"Did she mention anything? Like...coming back to Waffle Island for instance?" I asked eagerly. It had been so long!

"N-no." Kevin stabbed his food with his fork. I stared at him.

"Well, what did she say?" He took a deep breath, and didn't say anything.

"Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?" I demanded. He looked down.

"If you really want to know..." he mumbled. "The Harvest Goddess is going to take our son." I gaped at him.

"Are you serious?" I shrieked. Did he even think something like that was funny? "Is this some type of joke?" Kevin looked up from his soup.

"I figured you would think that..." he murmured. "That's why I didn't say anything earlier. But, yes, it's true." I rubbed my temples.

"So...you had a dream that the Harvest Goddess came to you and said that she was going to take Jasper?" I asked. He nodded. I paled. Kevin looked so serious, it was scary. That must mean that...

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed. "No!"

"So now you understand," he said, "that sometime in our son's life, he is going to get taken away by the Harvest Goddess." I groped for the right words to say.

"W-when?" I croaked. My throat felt awfully dry. "When did she say?" Kevin frowned.

"On his seventh birthday." I looked at my husband. Reality was sinking in. This was a world where such things could happen, and that it was going to happen. To my son. "Candace?" I looked at Kevin once, and then fainted.