Ever since she was a young girl, Muffy Carmines had believed in fairy tales and fantasies, of secret loves and of heroic rescues. Her father had always used to read her stories of princesses and castles, of dungeons and dragons, of good versus evil.

But that seemed ages ago.

Her mother had died of scarlet fever when she was nine and her brother Casey had just gone off to fight in the battle of land: war. Muffy detested that word. It made her think of sorrow and mourning for the lost and departed, like how she had mourned for her mother. The day she died, her father had become hard and stern, like wood. Muffy and her father lived together in a small valley in England.

Life was ever so slow in the valley, like a winter day spent by the fire. Muffy's father was the bar tender at the local bar, which was also their home, and to keep it, Muffy worked by her father as the waitress, as she was sometimes referred to. Along with being stern, her father had also become very over protective of his only daughter. Then again with her working at a bar mostly occupied by men, what father wouldn't be?

Griffin had to watch Muffy extra carefully though, for she was by far the most beautiful young woman in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Griffin would always catch men staring after his daughter with their hungry eyes and eager hands…wanting her for themselves. He would stare them down and crack his knuckles and they were gone as fast as they had come. Especially with Muffy working at the bar, the men never stopped coming on to her and soon Griffin feared he wouldn't be able to fend them off. What was a father to do?

Muffy had just finished cleaning up the table from the last group of people when she heard a clang of silverware hit the floor. She looked up and saw that two big ugly brutes had both dropped their forks on the ground. They wore smug smiles on their faces and motioned to their misplaced utensils.

Muffy sighed, waltzed over and picked them up as quickly as possible. She set them on the table, gave a quick smile, and started to walk away when she felt a smack on her ass. That was the fourth time today that some drunken bastard had felt it was okay to do such a vile thing. Instead of taking it like she normally did, she pivoted on her heel and slapped him hard across the face.

He looked shocked and confused and turned to his friend. "I thought whores liked that…"

That was it. She pulled off her apron and marched to the home portion of the bar, slamming the door to her room.

Her father had seen the small episode and kicked the two thugs out onto the cobblestone streets. "And STAY OUT! Learn to respect a lady and maybe become gentlemen YOURSELVES!" Griffin slammed the door and walked through the more home like part of the bar and knocked on his daughter's door.

"Muffy? Are you alright?" Griffin waited for a response, but received nothing. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Get back to work…we have customers to think of. I know you have to put up with this shit but I need your help out here."

Muffy hugged her pillow while sitting on her bed, thinking of all the times she put up with men and their smacks and cracks at her. "Hey baby, come here often?" or how about "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" or even "Hey baby, can I get some fries with that shake?" Muffy was sick and tired of the same old lines and the same old losers and the same old life… Why couldn't she leave? Her father needed her help… Why couldn't she find a respectable man to love? Because there weren't any…

After arguing with herself about her life and why she even bothers, Muffy got up, retrieved her apron, and continued mixing drinks. She heard her father come up behind her and give her a pat on the back. "That's my girl."

After work, she went out to her favorite spot in the woods. It was very well hidden with all of the thick-branched trees and bushes. In fact, Muffy wouldn't have ever found it if it hadn't been for her blindly running out of the bar one night after another sexual harassment and continuously running until she found herself in her sanctuary…

She spread herself out on the grass carpeted meadow floor and stared up at the stars. They were so calm and peaceful sitting up there looking down at the world. All she wanted was to settle down with a man that cared about more than her looks…a man who treated her like a lady, not some prostitute looking for money…if only… She was hoping a shooting star would pass by and let her make a wish. It was childish but she always hoped that fairy tales could come true…would come true…

No shooting stars shot by that night. Muffy let out a sigh and started her trek back to the bar…to the real world.

At that very moment…

"Come on Colin! Come on! Get in the car boy!" Jack called to his dog from across the airport. His dog was in the middle of sniffing a lone sock that must have fallen out of someone's suitcase. Hearing his master's voice, Colin's ears rose and he bounded across the airport and into the car, his tail wagged furiously as if to say "Let's go already! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Jack hopped into the cab and told the driver to take them to Mineral Town's outskirts. The driver looked puzzled and asked them why they were looking to go near the deep forest. "We're actually traveling from the dirt road into Forget-Me-Not Valley. Me and Colin here are starting a new life there. I heard you can't drive into the valley…is that true?"

"Yeah…", the driver started, obviously confused and a little concerned, "but why would you want to live there? It's so…isolated and old fashioned…but I'm not you and I don't know your reasons so don't pay any attention to me…to the forest it is, sir." Jack gave Colin a nervous glance. He had heard from his uncle that it was a nice place to live…hopefully this man had no idea what he was talking about…he hoped…

Jack looked out the window. He watched all of the buildings as he passed by. A few women looked in the window at him; they looked at each other, and then started smiling and whispering. Some waved in his direction and others walked right by. He smiled and then stared straight ahead.

Jack Bernhardt had always been attractive. He was a decently handsome guy with a great personality and nice, yet disheveled brown hair. Women always seemed to fall for him…it was almost a given. They were nice traits to have, sure…but he didn't feel they should fall for his looks. He wasn't even a cocky guy! If they knew him a little better, they would fall for him…not his looks.

But people are people…plain and simple. If they see what they like, they want it without question. He sometimes found himself feeling that way when he saw a beautiful woman…he would shake it off and give her a polite smile or a nod of recognition. He hadn't found the right girl yet, though. There were plenty of really great ones out there…just not the one for Jack. Sure he had dated plenty of women in his lifetime but he was waiting for the right woman to settle down with…to start a family. Even though he was only twenty-three, he was ready for a serious relationship and marriage, even children…and he was hoping that he could find what he was looking for in his new home, Forget-Me-Not Valley.

Jack was awakened from his thoughts when the cab driver pulled to a stop in the middle of a thickly grown forest. The road had become rocky and gravelly and the sky seemed to disappear from the world…as if the trees had become the sky, with their tall rising branches that seemed to go on forever.

Colin bounded out of the car and onto the forest floor, anxiously sniffing everything in sight. Jack got out of the car and helped the driver with his two bags of necessities, from the clothing right down to the toothbrush, and the driver pointed them in the direction they had to travel. Jack thanked him, tipped him, and the driver drove off toward civilization, leaving Jack and his dog in the forest alone. Colin barked and bounded off down the path, with Jack right at his side.

After fifteen minutes worth of walking, they came to the peak of the mountain. Colin stood at the top, barking and yipping, his tail going a hundred miles and hour as Jack came beside him, slightly out of breath, and dropped his bags beside him.

Jack looked up to find himself staring out at the hidden valley, the ocean farther out, and he even spotted the farm that he was inheriting and going to live in for the rest of his life…supposedly. "Colin, it's beautiful isn't it? We're going to have a great life here. It's small enough to walk everywhere, but spacious enough for everyone to live comfortably…and it seems nice and peaceful. Come on, lets go!"

Jack grabbed his bags and, with Colin leading the way, they headed down towards their new home.