Disclaimer: I don't own the Rights to Harvest Moon. The honor belongs to Natsume Inc. But hopefully someday, I can bust out my own original characters on some character and show off their personalities on some video game. For now, I can only dream, draw, and write about them…
Right. Also, Milanor and Yggdra, and the rest of the folks in the "dream" are properties of Sting. That's right... this be a crossover. :D
One starry night, at Forget-Me-Not Valley's Centurio Farm, a shadowy thief is on the prowl, prepared to ransack the rural household. After sneaking about, the young thief used his reflexes to get himself onto the roof of the farmer's home.
A stray ray of moonlight shone on the figure to reveal his full form. He was a handsome, albeit seedy young man with neck length silver hair, and calculating black eyes. He wore a black and white cow print blazer with his bare chest exposed, and a pair of violet pants.
In this romantic splendor of vast darkness coupled with countless shining stars, the young thief could not help but be mesmerized by the view.
"Wow… this is probably one of the best nights I've been treated to while on the job!" the thief said to himself. "It's almost a shame that I didn't decide to take a break today, but this is just something I gotta do."
Despite his initial attempt to move on with the job, the thief's mind remained lost in thought.
"So… just how many times have I tried hitting this place already? Ha, it must be too many to count by now! Still, I just have to believe that farmer girl will have the perfect recipe down any day now! But I guess I shouldn't be complaining. That sweet angel face I'm treated to all those nights is always a sight to behold. I never tire of it, really."
The silver-haired thief then clicked his tongue and gazed at the moon with sudden nostalgia.
"Funny… ever since my first job here… ever since laying eyes on Claire… I can never seem to shake this dream I keep having the night before coming here again. I have to admit, the girl that I keep seeing in that dream looks an awful lot like her…"
Harvest Moon DS "Cute":
Moonlight Fantasy
Somewhere in a desolate valley, three figures were racing throw the narrow passageways.
"Hey! Didn't we see the girl run this way?" A red-haired ruffian in fox furs cried out as his point towards an opening.
A masked woman in slimming clothing while armed with a crossbow and claw nodded.
"There's no mistake. The other way's a dead end." She confirmed.
Another woman stepped forward. She was clad in shining black armor adorned with red flame, and carried a red-bladed rapier. She appeared to be the group's commander.
"Good. Then there's no escape her." She smirked
The masked woman nodded.
"I'll go forward, then. Chances may be slim, but it's possible we could be lead into a trap." She caution. "I'll give you the signal when we can send out our men"
With that said, the masked woman rushed ahead.
The armored woman then turned towards a small band of ruthless axe men and archers behind her.
"Listen up, soldiers! We finally got her cornered! When we receive the signal, we ambush her and take her down! Make sure she's alive, though! We have a special purpose in mind for that life." The armored woman ordered.
The bloodthirsty band let out a vicious roar that echoed throughout the whole valley.
After a small waiting period, the masked scout urged the group onward, and so they advanced through the valley. However, what they came across wasn't a girl, but a fair-sized fort. The scout then returned to her commander's side.
"I have a strong feeling our target would be tired from our pursuit by now. So she should be hiding out in that fort." The masked woman explained.
The armored woman looked at her dubiously. "What if there are reinforcements in there?" she asked.
"None. I checked it out and there's no evidence of recent activity to show it's currently occupied. The only concern is finding our target in this place." The scout explained.
The commander fashioned a devious grin.
"Alright, then. Our option is rather obvious at this point. We'll just have to smoke her out." She said to herself.
She then turned to her company in attention once more.
"Torch the fort and smoke her out! Leave her in the agony of a flaming hell until she shows herself!" The commander ordered.
The group roared in approval as they lit a few torch sticks and gathered to the fort. Soon enough, they tossed in their torches and scorched the flammable fort.
The armored woman chuckled to herself with grim satisfaction.
"It's all a question of what's more painful… the ravaging flames, or the sharpness of my sword." She uttered coldly.
Suddenly, from an alternate path leading to the fort, a group of axe-wielding thieves clothed in grey wolf furs rushed forth to check out the flame.
One of the thieves with long blue hair and grey eyes looked on in horror.
"OUR FORT!!! IT'S BEING BURNT DOWN!" he shouted.
Another man took the lead in their race to reach the fort.
He had wild, neck-length silver hair, and lively turquoise eyes. He wore a flowing blue cloak with matching gloves and boots, a white neck fur shawl and a beast-tooth necklace.
"The heck… our base was attacked?!" he exclaimed.
"Boss… do you think they could be with the guys that attacked us?" the blue-haired subordinate asked.
The head thief growled.
"I don't know, but I don't care! Flunky! Take some of the men at hit them at the side! I'll take the lead and meet them head on!" the leader ordered.
"You got it, boss!" the one called Flunky replied.
At that time, the leader's group went on ahead while Flunky's group parted ways.
Back at the burning fort, the mystery group's scout observed the charge of the advancing thieves.
"Commander! Incoming assailants! They might be the owners of the fort!" she warned.
The armor clad woman looked towards the charging thieves curiously.
"Really? They look like a bunch of measly thieves to me. As tough as they think they are, I doubt they stand any really chance. Such arrogance. What could a bunch of petty thieves do, really?" she scoffed.
She then turned towards her army with a serious glare.
"Alright, soldiers! It seems that the band that has made this fort has come for our blood! Forego the girl for now and meet our foes head on and eliminate them for their impudence!" The commander cried.
The group roared in agreement before acting out their orders.
Soon enough, the 1st rank of both sides charged each other and met in a brutal battle.
The silver-haired thief took out a razor-sharp, crescent-shaped blade and started tearing through his enemies' ranks with quick reflexes and little effort; while the rest of his men managed to overpower the axe wielders.
"Second Rank, prepare crossbows!" The armored woman commanded.
A line of masked women then prepared their crossbows and aimed carefully at their foes.
After eyeing the action for a bit, the army's scout gave a nod to her commander.
"Now Fire!" The armored woman ordered.
Immediately, the army's line of ax men got out of the way while the second rank unleashed their crossbow bolts upon their unsuspecting foe. To the army's shock, most of the thieves were quick to dodge; however, a few of their men weakened in the struggle were sent to their graves.
Somewhere in the shadows, Flunky nearly bit his tongue while the rest of his company watched on nervously.
After a long, hard sigh, the lieutenant thief gathered his men.
"ALRIGHT! NOW! WHILE THEY'RE STILL RELOADING!" Flunky cried.
The second group of thieves then rushed out of hiding to ambush the occupied soldiers.
Back at the main front, the silver-haired thief managed to cut his way through to the opposing commander. The militant woman was only more than happy to greet the young man as she drew her rapier.
"So… this whole mess was your doing, wasn't it?!" the silver-haired thief shouted.
"I will not deny it. I am the commander of my troupe, and unfortunately for you, that fort that your men erected is standing in the of a very important task for us." The commander explained as she readied her weapon.
The thief smirked.
"Well now. You like the regular battle-hardened officer type. I bet you've been through a few struggles without a loss, eh? Well, a shame I'll have to cut your impeccable record short! C'mon! I'll show you a real fight!" he taunted.
"Heh. Such impertinence…" the commander scoffed as she got into a proper battle stance.
Immediately, the silver-haired thief launched himself at the armored woman at full force. The militant warrior responded with a parry of her sword; however, she had a hard time pushing him back.
"Damn! Such strength… but how? His weapon is an axe-based weapon! My flexible sword should have the advantage! How can he restrict my parry like this?" she thought.
Eventually, the commander managed to pull herself out of the deadlock and drew back. She tried to analyze any opening her opponent exposed, but he was quick to assume his offense and threw himself at her once again. This time, the armored woman dodged out of the way and tried to thrust her sword straight into the thief's side, but then he swung his blade in a sideways arc, easy deflecting the rapier and leaving her open. The thief swung in quick succession, aiming for a decapitation, but the armored woman ducked out of the way rolled to the side. Once more, the silver-haired thief readied his crescent blade, ready to continue the fight in earnest.
"Heh! How about that? Do you still think we're just a bunch of petty thieves?" the head thief taunted.
The commander's body quivered as she stared at her foe in disbelief.
"He's… he's actually good…" she admitted in her mind.
Suddenly, her conscious was brought to the attention of the screams of her soldiers as they were being cut down in a ruthless assault. After that, her scout seemed to appear right behind her in an instant with a grave expression.
"Commander… the thieves…a spare rank ambushed our assassins! They're just too strong! Our numbers are falling drastically! We can't allow this go on like this!" the scout reported with a trembling voice.
The armored woman shot a frustrated look at the foe before her as she clenched her teeth furiously. After a few more dreaded screams, she decided to withdraw her rapier and stood in solemn attention.
"Accursed thief…" she muttered bitterly.
She then raised her head in the air and took in a big breath.
"Withdraw the troops! We're pulling back for now!" she announced.
The scout nodded in acknowledgement.
"At once." She replied with a salute.
With the word of the commander's orders spread, the army made a sound retreat; but not before a few more losses with thanks to a few turned backs.
Eventually, the entire army was out of sight, and the silver-haired thief sighed in relief.
The band of thieves cried in declaration of their victory, but not without a few remorseful words for the fallen.
The silver-haired thief let out a heavy sigh.
"Alright! Gather 'round, men! We can celebrate later!" he ordered.
His followers promptly did as ordered.
"I'd have to say, despite the mess, this was a good battle for us, eh?" Flunky exclaimed.
"Yeah, but that wasn't just a typical battle for us. Those guys were well-trained. They knew what they were doing, and we ended up loosing a few men in the struggle." The silver-haired thief mentioned.
Flunky gazed out at the battlefield to see the few dead bodies of his comrades.
"In that case…. Boss, how about we give our lost guys a proper burial in their honor?" he requested.
The silver-haired thief clicked his tongue and turned his back in disgust.
"I'm afraid we don't have the time. We forced those guys to retreat for now, but who knows when they'll be back? Heck, they might have reinforcements ready to continue their little hunt!" the head thief explained. "Anyway…"
He then turned his head towards the burning fort.
"Alright! I know you're hiding in there! It's safe to come out!" he shouted.
Suddenly, a nervous girl clad in silver chest plate armor came out of hiding from an secret underground shelter near the fort. She had long, flowing golden blonde hair, and bright sapphire eyes filled with purity. In her grasp was a huge golden sword that sparkled like sunlight.
The young girl continued approaching the head thief silently and reluctantly.
Eventually, the two met within talking distance.
"Hmm… you're a pretty. What are you doing around this kind of place?" the silver-haired thief grinned.
Flunky eyed the girl carefully.
"Wait a minute. Isn't she a survivor from Castle Paltina? She has the armor of one of their Valkyre soldiers." Flunky mentioned.
The leader twitched.
"Wh-what?! So… those guys we fought earlier… they were from Bronquia?!" he exclaimed.
"Please! Help me!" the girl suddenly begged. "I have nowhere else to run! I need aid to defeat the Bronquian Empire!"
The head thief flashed a curious smirk.
"OUR help, eh? Well, unfortunately it won't come cheap." He informed his guest.
His eyes were then fixed on the girl's sword.
"I'll consider it if you give me that sword of yours. It looks like it's worth the sum." He proposed.
The girl took her sword and firmly held it in her grasp.
"…No! This sword is very precious to me! I will not part with it!" she shouted. "But… any thing else you may want is fine."
The head thief's smile widened.
"Anything, huh? That's certainly a lot to offer." He said with anticipation.
The girl then placed her sword before her in and stood more confident.
"I am Princess Yggdra Yuril Artwaltz of Fantasinia. If you aid me, I promise you have my word as royalty: you may have any prize that you wish." She proclaimed.
The head thief nodded.
"Alright. How about your castle then, Princess? After what took place here, we could really use a new base." He asked.
The princess paused for a minute, then nodded reluctantly.
"Very well….. Although at this moment, it's being occupied by the Empire." Princess Yggdra confessed.
Despite the unfortunate news, the head thief was as determined as ever.
"Well, we'll just have to steal it back, won't we?" he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"It's not like we can stay here any longer… even if our fort was still standing."
" We already picked a fight with the Empire, after all." Flunky added.
Yggdra looked around at the now homeless thieves.
"I'm sorry for involving you all… for now, you people are all that I can depend on." She thought to herself.
She then turned her attention back to the head thief.
"Well then, er… Mr…"
"Milanor's the name." the thief interjected. "Looks like you've got yourself a deal, Princess."
With the new deal settled, and some allies at her side, the young Princess was filled with newfound hope.
"…Thank you." Yggdra said in deep gratitude.
Milanor gave a wink to his new companion, and then faced his fellow thieves.
"Let's move out, everyone! We can't stay here much longer with Bronquia after our heads!" he announced.
And so, the Princess and the band of thieves head off to find more allies in their fight against invading Empire of Bronquia…
After recalling the dream once more, Steiner shook his head and chuckled.
"Such a crazy dream… and it ALWAYS ends with Milanor making that deal with that Princess Yggdra girl." He uttered in disappointment.
"Yet, it's making me so curious what happens next… something tells me I might get more of the story once I finally meet that look-a-like farmer in a direct conversation. Whatever the dream's about, it can't be some crazy coincidence at this rate. My folks always kept bragging about the exploits of our ancestor, old Milanor "the Silver Wolf", and that legendary weapon of his can't be denied. I still keep that "family treasure" stashed away in my hideout for safekeeping."
For a little while, he continued pondering that vivid dream of his, but then he remembered that he still had a job to do.
"Fine… I'll just leave it for now. It won't do me good hanging around a roof for the rest of the night." He finally concluded.
With his resolve restored, Steiner crept up to the chimney and looked down in amusement.
"You better watch out, folks! Cause "Steiner Clause" is coming to town!" he quipped.
He then leapt into the chimney and landed inside the fireplace with feet planted firmly with little problem. After that, he snuck towards the kitchen and stealthily searched all the cupboards for a decent foundation curry recipe. Despite his thorough job, he met with no success.
"Fine! If there's nothing in here that'll tell me how to make a curry, how about a few ingredients for experimentation, instead?" he thought.
The slick thief then checked out the refrigerator, only to be surprised that it was completely bare.
"What?! Then how does this girl get her fill these days? Don't tell me she lives off of that stuff at the Inner Inn! Unless she just prefers to eat her food raw? Whatever's going on, she's really lost it. I've swiped plenty of her goods her, and I must say, despite the lack of curry, my taste buds always approved!" he insisted in his head.
Steiner closed the refrigerator door and shook his head in shame.
"Another bust! How long will it be before I will finally see some results?!" he wondered.
Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the bed area.
"N-no… she's awake? And now of all times?!" he panicked.
The worried thief rushed to the bed, only to see a girl tossing and turning on it. Soon enough, it was the dead ringer of the Princess herself, the farmer he called Claire, struggling in her sleep.
"N-no…. stop… mmmmn…." She muttered and moaned.
In his relief, the sneaky thief calmly approached the sleeping farmer with an eerily familiar smirk.
"Come to think of it, Milanor managed to make a deal for a whole castle from that damsel in distress. I don't know if he got anything else in return, but I think I should start aiming higher than old "Silver Wolf" himself…" he thought.
The curious knelt down and observed Claire's sleeping face. It was even as pure as Yggdra's herself.
"I think what I have here is a prize far more valuable than that curry recipe, or a whole Castle." Steiner mused.
He then leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips.
"Sorry for the break in. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got other things to do. Later for now, Princess" He whispered in her ear.
In an instant, the shifty thief seemingly disappeared from sight. Unfortunately, his hasty retreat kept him from seeing the soft smile fair Claire formed after his "going away present".
"…Thank you." She murmured in a familiar tone of gratitude.
Author's Notes: If you've been paying attention to the disclaimer, then guess what? There's a way for you to get the rest of the story on that dream! As I said before, there's a game out called Yggdra Union. If you're lucky, it should still be at stock somewhere! It's got a great story and game play, although you might get confused at first.
Anyway, I wrote this story because I saw a lot of interesting parallels between "Princess Yggdra with Milanor", and "Claire with Steiner". Although Milanor isn't exactly a slick ladies' man, there's a lot about him that reminds me of Steiner. Or maybe it's just the "Aura" they exude. Yggdra, however, really is a dead ringer for Claire! They both have the same eyes and everything! The only big difference is their clothes, and Yggdra's established personality.
Unfortunately for you readers, I think it would be a little unfair to novelize the entire "Yggdra Union" story in the Harvest Moon section, but if it got you thinking about it, then I'm glad. Who knows, maybe once you run into a certain character named "Rosary", you just might start making parallels between her and the infamous Witch Princess.
Whoops, I think I might've said too much now. Hope you enjoyed the story. ;)