Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Harvest Moon.
AN: The idea for this story sort of came to me, when I remembered something that Regis said in Island of Happiness. And I decided to take this approach! I want to thank Awesome Rapidash for all of his help and support!
James and Dominic are from Island of Happiness. I made up Lucas and Harry.
It was dark, damp and somewhat chilly deep in the mine, yet this dark forbidding place was where the miners toiled away each and every day. Backbreaking hard work for little pay! Grumbles could be heard from several of the men. How Regis barely stepped into the mine, and how little he paid them for their work. Everyone was tired of the atrocious conditions!
But thinking this was very different from actually taking some sort of action. Even though the miners would moan and groan, they would never complain to Regis' face. Not only would their complaints fall on deaf ears, he might make the conditions even worse, and no one wanted that. It was best to just grit their teeth and bare it. However, that didn't mean there were those who didn't want to even the score!
James stuck his pickaxe into the wall, and what came out was a piece of junk ore. He actually didn't mind finding them, but he knew someone who would not be pleased with this. He placed the ore on the rocky ground and began to dust off his red pants. Just the thought of Regis and what he had been doing made his blood start to boil.
"If only there was a way that I can get back at Regis…"
"Maybe there is a way," said the voice of another miner behind the man. He turned around and noticed Lucas, a miner that appeared on the island last spring. "Who says we have to work like this?"
"Yeah, we don't have to put up with this!" Dominic agreed, coming up beside the two. He felt like he had been dragging his feet back to the inn every night for quite some time.
"But what can we do about it?" A young man stepped up, and from the look of things, he was having a hard time. Thing was, everyone who became part of the mining company always had it rough, and it never got any easier for them. From the look on his face, it might take him a long time to even get used to something like this.
All of the men wore shirts, pants and hard hats, just that the colors differed for each one. Currently, they were covered with dust and dirt. Looks were exchanged among the four miners, as they ignored the others, who were still working. Not wanting to be overheard, they headed further into the mine.
Once they were sure they couldn't be heard, Lucas spoke to the others, "It's obvious that no one here likes the treatment here. But no one is brave enough to go against him. But, who says that we have to go against him directly?"
"What are you getting at?" Dominic questioned, tilting his head. He placed his hand on his black hard hat, just to keep it in place.
"Well, what is the one thing that Regis cares about the most?" Lucas inquired.
There was a brief pause among the three, as they tried to find the answer to their fellow miner's question. After thinking about it for a moment, James snapped his fingers, and his eyes lit up. "Of course, the one thing he cared about above all else is his daughter, Sabrina!"
Dominic nodded his head and crossed his arms. "That's true. Aside from his company, that is the only thing he ever seems to care about."
The newest miner rubbed his chin. "I think I understand," he murmured. "But, how are we going to do it? It's not like we can just…"
"Don't worry about it, Harry," Lucas told the young man. "I'm sure we can think of something if we put our heads together. So how about we do just that?"
Chelsea looked up toward the sky, smiling at seeing the puffy clouds that dotted the sky. A breeze blew softly, gently swaying the rancher's long brown hair. It was such a nice day that she didn't want it to go to waste. As a plan formed in her mind, she reminded herself that she needed to finish her work first.
She watered her eggplants and carrots, and even planted some yam seeds into the soil. The brunette had to admit that she was worried about it, because she had never grown yams before. But she knew she had to try in order to learn. After making sure her crops were okay, she went to tend to her animals.
As Chelsea went to the barn to take care of her cows and sheep, her thoughts turned toward Sabrina. She cared very deeply for her, and was a very close friend. But she didn't get out very much. She did go to the beach on clear days, and even loved to paint, but Chelsea felt that she could do something special for her. And she was sure she had just the thing.
After giving her cows and sheep a good brushing, and making sure that they were properly fed, she made her way back to her house. Her chicken coop was currently empty, because she didn't even buy one chicken yet. Still, the smile never left her face as she walked into her house and took out a picnic basket and a blanket.
Chelsea gathered as many goodies as she could, and even made some of her own, including some tofu and sushi. After making sure she had everything, she placed them all into the basket and placed it on her arm. A little relaxation was just what her friend needed.
The young woman made her way to the eastern side of the island. She looked to the side and saw Pierre who called her name and waved at her. Chelsea returned the smile and the gesture. She stopped directly in front of the mansion and knocked on the door.
A familiar voice was heard on the other side. "I'll get it, Father!" The door opened, and a black haired girl wearing a purple dress and a pink sweater appeared in the doorway. Her face lit up when she saw the visitor. "Hello Chelsea!"
"Hello Sabrina. I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic with me at the beach." The rancher lifted her arm, showing the basket that she had been carrying.
Sabrina looked shocked at the offer, but then she managed to smile. "I'd love to. But I haven't finished the bookkeeping yet… actually, I'm having some problems with it…"
"Then you should relax," Chelsea suggested. "The bookkeeping will still be here when you get back. Besides, maybe being able to relax will help you!"
Sabrina fixed the glasses on her face, looking thoughtful for a few seconds. It wasn't long until she nodded her head, and looked over her shoulder, calling out. "I'm going to go out for a bit, Father!"
Regis' voice called back to her, "I suppose that is fine, but don't come back too late!"
"I won't!" Sabrina promised as she stepped outside. She took in a deep breath, allowing the cool autumn air into her lungs.
"You're looking relaxed already," Chelsea commented, looking happily at her friend. "I'm glad that you agreed to this. I also packed some tofu and sushi for you, since I know you like it so much!"
"T… thank you Chelsea," Sabrina replied, smiling even more.
"You're welcome," the blue eyed girl said. "You could use some time to relax, and some good food will help!"
They talked to each other while they walked, and the rancher couldn't help but think to herself how much Sabrina had opened up. She remembered the first time they met that she had been shy. She was still a little bit, but she was still very nice company.
When they finally made it to the beach, Chelsea set down the basket, and then got everything prepared, smoothing the blanket on the sand, and setting up the food. It looked like the only person that was there was Denny, and he did greet them when they arrived but not much else.
Other villagers also came and gone. But the girls did not know that they were being watched by four men that were dressed as miners! They stood at the edge of the beach, and looked at only them.
Harry wasn't used to most things on the island, so he looked really curious. "Hey… I thought you guys said that she doesn't get out much."
"Trust me, this is not the norm for her," Lucas told the young man in the blue hard hat. "But, I don't think we can wait much longer to put our plan into action!"
"Yeah," Dominic agreed, nodding his head. "But what about the other girl with her?"
"She'll just have to come as well!" Lucas exclaimed.
A look of uncertainty crossed Harry's face. He started to rub the back of his neck, looking very uncomfortable. "I don't know about this. I mean, I know we're after Sabrina. But it's not like this other girl…"
"We can't just leave her," James interrupted. His gaze turned toward Chelsea, and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "I happen to know this girl. Her name is Chelsea and she owns the ranch here. However, she is also very close to Sabrina, and it is very likely that she is with Regis as well. She would rat on us if she is given the chance!"
"I agree, we don't have a choice here! So, let's do this!" Lucas gazed at his fellow miners. "We'll wait for them to leave. James and I will grab Sabrina. Dominic, you and Harry will grab the other girl. Then we get back to the mine and stash them just like we planned! Does anyone have any questions?"
"Nope!" Dominic remarked.
"Got it!" James said, around the same time.
Harry was very unsure about nabbing Chelsea. The others didn't seem to have a problem with it, but he did. She was just an innocent bystander in this whole thing. However, he knew he couldn't back out now. He agreed with the plan earlier to kidnap Sabrina. From the look of it especially with what James said, leaving the rancher wasn't an option.
"I understand," he told Lucas, swallowing the words he was going to say earlier.
"Good. Then let's get into position and wait!" At Lucas' command, the four miners walked on the path that led away from the beach.
James, Lucas and Dominic looked very determined about the plan. Even though there was now an added problem, they just accepted that kidnapping Chelsea was the only option. Even though it didn't sit well with Harry, there was one thing that he did agree with.
He blamed Regis for what they have been through, and not only that, he blamed Sabrina as well. He could not work under the harsh conditions placed on the miners, and he was going to make them pay! He kept his thoughts on Chelsea to himself.
By the time the girls started coming up the path the sun had already set over the horizon. This couldn't have been any better for them, because this would provide the perfect cover for them. They made sure they were out of sight and ready to strike as soon as they got close.
Sabrina sighed softly, running her fingers through her hair. "Thank you Chelsea, I really appreciate what you did for me. But… father said not to be out late so…"
Chelsea placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be okay. I'll go with you if you want. After all if he gets angry, it was sort of my fault anyway."
"Y… you don't have to do that," Sabrina murmured.
"That's true, but I want to," Chelsea told the girl. "That is what friends are for after all!"
"T… thank you very much," the other girl replied politely.
Just then, a voice on Sabrina's right shouted, "Now, get them!" The young women had no time to react as four figures leapt out and grabbed them!
Sabrina screamed in fear, while Chelsea called out to her friend. The rancher struggled against Dominic and Harry for a moment, and then looked toward Sabrina's captors. A gasp escaped her lips, as she recognized the uniforms. "Y… you are…"
She didn't get to finish what she was saying as a cloth was forced over her mouth and was tied securely behind her head. Sabrina's screams were also muffled by a similar gag. Sabrina's eyes were filled with fright! Chelsea wanted to help, but just couldn't break free!
After making sure their hands were tied behind their backs and that their legs were bound, the girls were quickly blindfolded. In order to get the cloth over Sabrina's eyes, James reached out and grabbed her glasses. They didn't know if she could see without them, so they didn't want to take any chances. Even though Chelsea put up a fight, they knew they had already won. Just before they left James dropped Sabrina's glasses in the grass along the pathway not wanting to carry them any longer.
With their captives subdued, the four miners dragged them away into the darkness of the night.