Author's Note: I've had this idea for a week or so now. I heard a commercial on the radio advertising golden roses and then I thought of the Golden Roses in Animal Crossing, then I thought "why can't you have golden roses in Harvest Moon?" and then it kinda switched to Rune Factory cause I thought it fit better and then- voila! Golden Roses is born!
This was actually supposed to be a Valentine's Day gift to all of my readers, but I couldn't quite get all of the ideas straightened out into something I loved until this morning...at 3 A.M. when I finished this. So please, forgive me if if there are any mistakes- I tried revising it before I posted it up but I'm almost positive I missed something. But enjoy it all the same!
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Love was such a frivolous affair.
Only a foolhardy person would believe in something as burdening as marriage. All marriage is is the combination of two people attempting to support each other just to scrounge up enough money to pay for their commitment to each other. Why would someone with everything they could ever ask for need something so excessive? Not me. Bianca de Sainte Coquille has no need for true love.
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"Miss Bianca," a gentle voice echoed down the hall, "do you have a moment?" Bianca sighed and closed her novel. She did not care too much for it, but she was filled with an overwhelming sense of boredom so she had borrowed a book from her neighbor, a farmer boy by the name of Raguna. The two were close, and though she would never admit it, there was an obvious attraction between the two.
The book had discussed various flowers- mythical plants that bloomed in the most exotic of locations and only on the rarest occurrences. She studied the mystical Blue Mist Flower said to grow in the Luna continent to the north, the miraculous Godbloom- a flower said to cure any illness without fail and the mysterious Upseed which could magically make any product of nature radiate a golden light. But what intrigued her most were the lovely Golden Roses. They were believed to grow in the arid deserts of Hatari on a continent far away from here and even there only once a year.
The mistress arose from her throne and pranced down the hallway to the kitchen to find the voice's owner, a tall slender woman with bronzed skin and indigo hair the color of a stormy night sky. She was garbed in a simple maid uniform with a fluffy white bonnet that kept her hair in place. "Yes, Tabatha, what is it?"
"Miss Bianca, tomorrow is the Flower Festival." The maid answered with a soft smile. She was washing the fine china plates used for their daily meals, wiping the water away calmly with a rag.
"Ah, yes. The Festival de Saint Valentine. What of it?" She replied matter-of-factly. She cocked a violet eyebrow that accented her curly lavender hair that she tossed back out of her face after speaking.
"Are you giving any flowers away to the townsfolk?" she asked hopefully, the anticipation glittering in her clouded gray eyes.
"No, not to anyone in particular. Who do you ask?" she responded, still unknowing to her servant's intentions.
"Well, I was considering distributing a few of the Moondrop Flowers I grow in the garden, but that is not what I was getting at. Miss Bianca, as we both know, you are still single. Are you not hoping for a man to give you a flower, or for you to give one to him?" She questioned, a smirk replacing the once careful grin.
"Such a thing doesn't interest me," she stated coldly. "Did you have someone in mind that you had wanted to give a special blossom to?"
"No, no. Not at all! I was just curious as to whether or not you had been thinking of someone special you might desire to spend the rest of your life with. Don't you want a man by your side? Someone to comfort you and care for you when times are rough?" the maid pried eagerly. She knew it was most likely hopeless, but if she could get as much as a sliver out of her mistress then maybe-
"No." she responded quickly. "I have no need for a man. I have you to comfort me- you are my friend, are you not? And you both cook and clean for me, so why bother having a man attempt to support me? Not to mention, I am rich and therefore things will never get rough. Troubles are for the peasants."
"Miss Bianca, such harsh words. You can not truly mean them. I know you too well for that. Has Raguna hurt you in some manner?" a concerned frown spread across her face, wrinkling her forehead.
"What would make you believe I have any interest in Raguna?" she asked, a stern stare replacing her formerly expressionless gaze.
At this, Tabatha giggled. "Oh, Miss Bianca, you cannot fool me. I see the sparkle in your eyes when you are with him. The way you open up with him is the same as the way you share secrets with me. I know you share some sort of mutual attraction, do you not?"
The lavender haired youth sighed. "Tabatha, I swear there is nothing going on between me and that raggedy rancher. Now if you do not mind, I am going to continue to read in the library." The girl turned on her heels and trotted briskly out of the room and through the corridor to the study.
"Oh no, I believe that. I know nothing is going on between you...yet." Tabatha chuckled as she continued scrubbing away at the plates to prepare for the day's brunch.
---
A ray of golden sunlight stretching across the brunette's exhausted face alerted him it was time to awake. He lazily crawled out from under his bedspread and stretched, yawning obnoxiously. He stole a glance out of the window- another sunny morning meant a good harvest for his crops. And today, he needed more than an ordinary harvest for his special surprise.
He leaped down the stairway of his farmhouse and slipped over to his refrigerator for a quick breakfast. As the boy was finishing his toast, a knock resounded from the door. Swallowing the last piece whole, he walked casually over to the door and opened it, greeting the visitor. "Mornin', Anette."
The sandy blonde on the opposite side of the doorway beamed at him and replied, "Good morning to you too, Raguna. The weather sure is nice today! Oh, hang on a second. I have something for you," she proceeded to reach into her bag and withdraw a cobalt trimmed envelope. "Looks like you got mail- no surprise there. Something from Tabatha, I assume?"
Snatching the letter and placing it in his pocket, he answered, "Looks like it. Tomorrow is the Flower Festival after all. What do you think we've been planning anyways- a tea party?"
Anette laughed heartily. "Ha! Nah, I knew there was something going on between you and Bianca all along! I'm the mail girl- I know everything."
Raguna smirked. "Oh really? Well then, little miss know it all, what exactly are Tabatha and I planning, hm?" He folded his arms across his chest and stared, waiting for a reply.
Instantly, the blonde's eyes widened and she attempted to form a sentence. "Well, I... uh, I mean you guys have to...you know, I have deliveries to make and you're holding me up! I'll see you later, Raguna! Good luck with you know who!" She gave the brunette a final wink and scurried off towards Mist's House.
Taking out the message once more, he read it silently to himself and grinned,
Master Raguna,
Our plan has finally succeeded. I managed to break her down the tiniest bit- just enough for tomorrow to work. Mission Accomplished.
Sincerely,
Tabatha
P.S. I wish you all the luck in the world. God bless you.
Smiling wistfully to himself, his heart began to race and he could feel it- the pressure's on. You've got one shot at this, Raguna- don't mess it up.
Only one day remains...
---
Spring 28th had come and gone and now the morning of Spring 29th had come- Valentine's Day had arrived.
Bianca awoke with a quiet yawn, cautiously opening one eye, peeking to see if the morning was truly upon her. She hadn't slept well- all night she had continued to have a strange dream replay over and over in her mind.
A gallant knight on a white steed had sped down a pathway to meet the young miss where she stood. He was beautiful, flowing ebony hair, striking green eyes and an amazing body. Not to mention, he was obviously rich- no normal citizen could afford such a strikingly beautiful mare. But when he offered her his hand to join him, she couldn't bring herself to say yes. She told him she would be "leaving him behind."
Needless to say, her night had been restless and she felt no longing to release her body from her mass of blankets and pillows. But she knew that if she attempted to sleep in today of all days, Tabatha would force her to wake up. The entire previous day she had bothered her with thoughts of some suitor hoping to impress her with a dazzling rose. She had paid it no mind, choosing to ignore her friend's fantasies. Though after the night she had endured, she was beginning to believe she may have been paying closer attention than she thought.
The princess crept groggily out of her bed and dragged herself into the kitchen for breakfast. She seated herself at the table, too dazed to notice anything strange about the seating arrangement. "Tabatha, what have you prepared for breakfast?"
"Why don't you ask, Raguna? He's the one who cooked it, after all." Tabatha countered with an impish grin settling across her tanned face.
Bianca's head immediately shot up to notice the farmer's face directly in front of hers, his body leaned casually across the breakfast table. "Hi there!"
"Gah!" the maiden squealed and nearly lost her balance in her seat. Regaining her composure, she suddenly realized- she hadn't changed out out of her nightgown! Her cheeks burning a deep shade of crimson she rapidly excused herself for a moment and bolted back to her bedroom to change, leaving behind Tabatha and Raguna in a giggle fit.
As she returned, her usual icy demeanor had replaced the out of character embarrassed persona from earlier. "Thank you so much for that startle, Raguna. It certainly woke me up."
"That's what I was aiming for!" he chirped in response, slinging his arm around her shoulder as she seated herself once more. Her served her a rather plain dish, or so it seemed. They appeared to be apple pancakes, sprinkled with some sort of dark brown spice. On the side was a helping of sunny side up eggs and two slices of toast. What was he trying to do- embarrass himself?
"Raguna, why serve me something so ordinary? You know how high my standards are, especially when it comes to cuisine." She remarked icily.
"Oh, come on! At least try it! I know you'll love it!" He prodded and poked her with the silver fork.
She sighed heavily and grabbed the fork from his grasp. "Very well, I will take a bite of your cooking. But if it does not please me..." she was soon silenced as she took a forkful of the pancakes and swallowed it. It was...
"Delicious," she muttered flabbergasted. "Raguna, how did you make these ordinary apple pancakes taste so exquisite? They are superb- and even my father, a gourmet, would agree!"
Raguna beamed, revealing his pearly white teeth. "I grew the apples myself and Tabatha showed me how to spice it up- no pun intended- by adding just a hint of cinnamon to the top. That way, they become almost like cinnamon apple pancakes! The eggs are fresh from the farm and the toast is homemade as well. Go on, dig in."
The trio ate greedily, their stomachs filing quickly with the feast before them. After the meal, Tabatha collected their dishes and silverware and set off to clean.
Before Bianca could say anything, the brunette gripped her palm and whispered, "Come with me." Together, they sped out of the room, but not before the rancher and maid exchanged a quick glance. Tabatha merely chuckled as they left and muttered under her breath, "Oh, dear. It seems as though there will be two people to care for now...or perhaps even three someday, heehee."
The farmer led the violet haired girl all the way out of her manor's back door and into her vast garden. Flowers and plants of every shape and size blossomed, rejoicing underneath the sun of the Flower Festival.
As the two skid to a stop, the mistress asked, "Raguna, what is this all about? Why did you lead me all the way out here, hm?"
The youthful boy swallowed so hard, you could see it. His body was shaking ever so slightly and Bianca tried to piece together whether he was crying or perhaps nervous about something.
"Bianca, we're friends...right?" He asked after several moments of silence. The girl blinked- she was not quite expecting that.
"Of course, Raguna. Why would you doubt that?" She inquired cautiously. She was not quite sure what she was getting herself into.
"I never have doubted it myself but...I needed to hear it from you." Now, he turned to face her, eyes wide with seeming terror, fists closed tight and a worrisome frown cast over his normally cheerful appearance.
"Raguna...what is the meaning of all this?" She asked reluctantly. In the back of her mind, she was hoping he might be...no, she could not hope for that.
But sure enough, her wish came true. He kneeled down to the dew covered grass and with one flicker of his wrist retrieved a shining golden rose from behind his back. Instinctively, Bianca gasped and her gloved hand shot to her mouth. "Bianca, I love you. And now, I am wondering if you love me enough to marry me. Will you be my Valentine?"
"H-how did you get this?" She questioned, her soul wishing it was real and not a cheap knockoff.
"I combined a Red Rose and Golden Turnip in the Seed Maker and attempted to make it. It took a few tries, but it finally worked. This morning, it came into full bloom. I took it as a sign from God and acted on it. I'll ask once again, Bianca- will you marry me?"
Bianca stood there in utter shock for many moments. Thoughts raced through her mind, her heart thrashed against her chest with fury and vigor and her skull throbbed with uncertainty. But the one recurring thought- the one thing she was certain of- was that she truly did love Raguna.
"...yes." she answered at long last. "Yes, Raguna. I will marry you. I do not care if you are rich or not, I do not care if you smell like cologne or livestock- Raguna, I love you too."
Raguna stood to his feet shakily and embraced her tightly. She nestled her face into his shoulder and there the two stood in complete and utter contentment.
Out of the window, Tabatha spied them hugging and smiled her usual soft, gentle smile. "Bianca, you've realized your feelings at last. I'm proud of you, my sister. Now, I can finally begin my mission- to find the man I love." Tabatha murmured to herself as she sniffed a golden rose she hoped to give to a man as thoughtful and charming as Raguna.
---
The wedding was elegant and perfectly executed. The entire Sainte-Coquille mansion was bathed in golden light from the stain glass window hanging above the entryway. Raguna wore a simple ebony tuxedo and his shaggy hair was still held precisely in place. Marco served as the ringbearer, much to his chagrin, and Candy as the flower girl.
But Bianca had to be the most stunning of them all. Her hair was let down to just touch the floor and her wedding dress was pure white with the most expensive lace money could buy and a diamond studded tiara. She was the talk of the town for weeks to come.
After two years of wedded bliss, they decided to take a leap of faith in their marriage- they would attempt to have a baby. It took time, but on Autumn 7, they gave birth to an amethyst eyed baby with plum purple hair. She became known as Sophia Jalapeno de Sainte Coquille. Though she was equally as beautiful as her mother, she took all of her kind, outgoing personality from her father.
Tabatha was wed to a traveler named Ivan who she found taming a monster in the forest. He reminder her greatly of Raguna and they quickly grew close and were engaged within a year. After their wedding, they made their village of Trampoli a place where humans, elves and monsters could co-exist peacefully, and it remained that way.
Together, Bianca, Raguna and Sophia lived out their days in blissful peace. They had their highs and lows, their peaks and their valleys but the most important thing of all was that Bianca de Sainte Coquille had learned love from the one man that could ever melt her frozen heart.
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Author's Note: I actually included a lot of references in here- why? Because it still fit in and it worked well. Or at least I thought so. First off: the flowers Bianca read about. Obviously, the Blue Mist Flower is from the Harvest Moon series and the Luna continent references Harvest Moon. Moon equals Luna, get where I'm going? The Godbloom is the name I gave to the flower that could cure Lillia in Harvest Moon: (More) Friends of Mineral Town. The Upseed is from Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and raises any crops quality to "S" Rank. Finally, the Hatari desert is from the Fire Emblem series and home to some of my favorite characters- Volug and Nailah! Ivan is from Rune Factory (the original one) and is a traveling salesmen but if memory serves correctly, he actually befriends monsters or likes them or something like that. Or maybe not. Finally, Sophia is a character from Rune Factory 3- my personal favorite character out of the entire game, by the way. I was going to do Rosalind from Rune Factory 2 but she doesn't resemble Bianca or Raguna.
Thank you for reading my lengthiest oneshot yet and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved to write it. Please review and keep checking my profile to see when I post more Rune Factory stories- I already have one in mind. And it features...Tabatha! My third favorite character in Rune Factory Frontier (Anette is my first, Iris Blanche my second and Bianca my fourth) who I feel does not get enough love here- two measly stories? It makes me sick!
-DivineJudgment