Prologue

The air is cold, and my breath hangs in the air as a cloud of condensation. The full moon hangs above the two of us and I feel invigorated by all of it. The wind whistles carelessly in the trees behind us and I shiver involuntarily.

My partner in crime feels it through our multitude of layers and turns his head towards me. "You okay?" he whispers softly as if it's taboo to do otherwise.

I nod my head a little too quickly but snuggle against him as a precaution anyway. The blanket beneath us has long since turned into what feels like a sheet of ice causing me to pull my knees up against my chest.

He lets out a low laugh that I can feel through his clothes and I'm glad that I'm not alone on a night like tonight. He wraps an arm around my thin shoulders and pulls me even closer.

"Do you know why we celebrate the moon?" he asks in a whisper.

A noise that comes out as a strangled no escapes my lips. For the umpteemth time that night, I'm grateful that he can't see the blush rising to color my cheeks- even if it does warm me.

I see the light reflect off of his face and he smiles a soft smile, "Well I shall tell you," he whispers dramatically.

I stifle a giggle, and wait expectantly.

"Long ago, there was a princess," he begins.

I breath in sharply because these are my favorite kind of stories and before I can stop myself I ask, "Was she pretty?" My voice echoes over the silver fields that lie seemingly forever in front of us and it feels like I've broken some sort of spell.

However, he doesn't seem perturbed. "Oh, she was gorgeous. White hair, like that of the snow and ice, rolled in waves down her back and her eyes were as sharp as ice and a wondrous shade of gray with flecks of blue. Porcelain skin that was unmarked by pox caught the attention of many a suitor. She was after all, to be queen when her parents passed on."

I nod completely enthralled, my eyes trained on his lips as the story falls out like a river over a waterfall.

"However, with that amount of beauty, power, and wealth comes great sacrifice. Her parents needed something to seal their newfound, if rocky relationship with a neighboring kingdom. The names of the kingdoms have long since been lost in translation."

Where did the princess play into this? Where was her true love? were the thoughts that echoed through my mind.

"In the following spring she was to be married to the prince of the neighboring kingdom. A rather pompous pansy, in her words- not mine," his smile made her feel warm inside as did their soft laugh they shared.

"What did he look like?" I breathed.

"The prince had hair as dark as night and eyes the color of rich brown velvet. Even with his good looks, he kept to his books and thought little of those beneath him. Much unlike the benevolent princess who had been christened Amara at birth," he pauses and for a split second I imagine myself as the princess. "The princess, was in love with someone else, a lowly merchant who only had his wits and affection to offer."

I draw in another sharp breath because I love the idea of true love. "What did he look like? How'd they meet? How much did he love her?" I ask all in the next breath.

His lips shine in the moonlight and I see them curl up in a smile. "Oh he was handsome in his own right. A flop of silver hair adorned his head as well as mismatched pair of eyes. While most thought of him as a freak, she thought of him as an unique individual. He loved her for all that she was and she loved him for all that he was."

I stared at his hair, silver that shone a ghostly white and thought of how his eyes slightly differed in color. Is he trying to place himself in the story? I thought to myself, before inwardly laughing because that was ridiculous.

"They met when the princess was young, on the night of her fifteenth birthday she snuck out of the castle. Celebration filled the streets as much as it filled the castle halls. It wasn't too hard to slip out, especially when half the guests were inebriated. With the help of a maid by the name of Elena, the princess slipped into clothes that were meant for those well below her stature. With only her wits and a knife from the kitchen for protection, she made her way to a quaint tavern. The owner had long-since kicked out the customers that had grown rowdy. Sitting by the fireplace she sipped a glass of tea and reveled in the fact that she was free for the rest of the night. That's where she met her true love, a man by the name of Hale. She impressed him with her esprit and she was impressed with the fact that he wasn't fazed when she informed him of her royal status. They continued to meet after that night in secret."

I started to feel tired, it was comfortable here lying next to his body with his arm around me.

"The problem only came up when she was to be engaged to the prince. She blatantly told her parents that she was engaged to someone else, as they had gotten engaged the year she turned seventeen, and wouldn't have anything to do with Mr. Prince Pompous. Outraged at her lack of discipline they condemned her to marry the prince and sentenced the poor merchant to death. His only crime- falling in love with the princess."

My breath caught in my throat as this story felt familiar somehow.

"Neither could stand the idea of their sentence. The princess managed to convince her maid Elena to help her one last time. The two of them stole into the dungeon and managed to elude the guards before breaking Hale free. Hugging Elena goodbye, for it was to be the last time they saw each other, the young lovers ran to where they hoped they could find refuge."

At this the story started losing it's familiarity and I shrugged off the deja vu feeling and continued to listen intently.

"At the Harvest Goddess' spring they asked for her help. She granted the young lovers wish as best she could. You see, their wish was to live together forever without the pressures of society. So the Harvest Goddess placed the princess in the moon and the merchant throughout the stars. That way when the moon is at it's fullest you may know that the princess is outright defying her parents in the name of love."

He finishes with a flourish and I sigh contentedly against him.

He turns to face me and whispers, "You're not falling asleep are you?"

I blush fiercely and reply through a yawn, "No, never."

He smiles cheekily and leans in close as if to kiss me before he stops. Taking his right arm, the one not around me, he touches the silver chain that hangs around my neck. Following it to where it rests he finds the silver, black, and white pendant that hangs on it. "Magic," he breathes hoarsely.

Suddenly I know what he's talking about, the Harvest Goddess hangs in my mind and I see the local witch adding her embellishment as well.

"Magic," he says again louder before grabbing the heart-shaped key and ripping it from my neck.

My neck feels oh so cold as if the necklace had provided some type of internal heat. So does the rest of my body. The silver light of the moon is gone, as is the moon, and the stars. Now only darkness remains and I'm falling fast into nothingness because the ground has given way to abyss.


Author's Note: So this is going to be a long story and I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm going to be upfront on this, it's a GillxMolly story- Angela will have a short cameo but she won't be as important as she is in my Challenge... This scene is supposed to be vague, so I hope that's how it came off. It's also a dream sequence that just sets the stage for the story :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon

As always Reviews are appreciated. Constructive criticism and glowing reviews are beyond welcome. In the mood for flaming? Good luck- this is on your computer screen ;)