A look of shock appeared on the Harvest Goddess's face. As her eyebrows shot up, wrinkles formed on her forehead. Her jaw dropped and her aqua eyes widened. And what was the object that made her so surprised, you ask? A blue feather. Even the Harvest Goddess, despite being an almighty lord, knew that down in the human world a blue feather was a declaration of love. Or more specifically a request for marriage. The Harvest Goddess eyed the person offering her the blue feather up and down. His smoldering red eyes were looking at her expectantly. His long fiery hair was braided and floating around his head gracefully. It was none other than the Harvest King.
"Well…?" He asked her. Confidence was riddled in his words. He was a King after all.
The Goddess took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. After the cool oxygen spread throughout her body she was ready to face her suitor. She placed a soothing hand on the Harvest King's arm and shot him a warm smile.
"Why do you want to marry me, tell me."
So she wanted to have a bit of fun with him first, was that so bad? What girl doesn't love attention?
The Harvest King chose his words carefully. "I'm a God, you're a Goddess. Don't we belong together?" He directed a charming smile on his handsome face at her. "Will you be my queen?"
The Harvest Goddess almost snickered in his face. What a line!
"…I'm so sorry, but I don't think so." She told him regretfully.
The look of utter disbelief on his face was a bit amusing to the Goddess, but when it was replaced by disappointment she felt guilty.
"You…won't…be… my queen?" There was bitterness in his words and it made the Harvest Goddess uneasy.
With a sad smile she apologized again.
Abruptly the Harvest King threw the feather to the ground. "You're mistaken! You'll regret this, I promise you! You're rejecting me?! You'll pay."
A bright light flashed before the Goddess' eyes. It was so bright that it made her squint. When the light was gone, it seemed the Harvest King had disappeared along with it. It's for the best. The Goddess thought. The Harvest Queen, though? That doesn't sound half bad. She wondered if she should be worried, but decided against it. All the threats the Harvest King made were full of hot air, she was sure of it. He was like a child. One day they are uncontrollably furious with you, the next and they're ready to play. He was just like a child.
Bump…bump, bump…bump.
Ivy was being thrown around in the back of a wagon like a doll. Sure there was hay to soften the blows, but it still made the girl cringe with pain every time her body connected with the hard wood.
"Oh hey…Er, what was your name again?" A gruff yet kind voice called out from in front of her. It was the man steering the horse, who was lugging the wagon along the dirt road.
"Ivy's the name, farming's the game." She said with a grin even though the man could not see her.
"Ah, that's right… Ivy… I'm Cain, the owner of Horn Ranch. Nice to meet you!"
"Pleasure to meet ya too, but how long do you reckon before I get to my fancy livins'. I feel like I've been tossed around like a beach ball halfway across the world. You know what I'm saying? Hard on the knees."
Cain let out an awkward chuckle; he wasn't sure how to respond. Finally the girl's words wrapped around his head and he figured out what she was asking.
"It's only a little longer to your house." He informed Ivy as he absentmindedly steered the wiry brown horse in front of him.
Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. She started to admire the scenery around her. The grass that covered the rolling hills was a beautiful green, the sky was a light blue with puffy white clouds looking down at her, and the air smelled fresh, like rain.
"Would you mind if I asked a few questions about yourself until we get there? It's just that it's so unusual for young people to want to start up a ranch these days…" Cain said with a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Well, let me start this. What is your favorite food?"
"Hm…that's a toughie. Most things are pretty finger-lickin' good. Guess I'm gonna have to say nature's children, nature's bounty. Fruits and veggies can sit in my belly for a lifetime, ya know. I ain't no princess, not picky." Ivy's mouth watered when she thought of food, then she remembered that she forgot to eat breakfast this morning. What a shame.
"I see…And when's your birthday?"
"Middle of winter…the sixteenth to be exact." Ivy wondered if it got snowy here. There was always snow falling on her birthday.
Cain nodded his head while she talked. "Gotcha… Anyway, like I was saying, there aren't a lot of ranchers now…I don't see why though, it's pretty nice here."
After this Cain fell silent and the only sound in the air was the horse's hooves stomping along the dirt road. A few minutes later they arrived at a rundown ranch. And when I say rundown, I mean rundown. The white paint was chipping from her farmhouse and the roof didn't even look finished. The coop and barn were on their last legs and the small field was overrun by weeds. Ivy hopped out of the parked wagon and stretched her aching muscles.
"Well, looks like we're here. Good luck!" After affectionately ruffling Ivy's hair, Cain quickly hopped back onto the wagon and rode away. Ivy inspected her new home with a sense of pride. So what if it was a pile of garbage, so what if it would need thousands of dollars in repairs, so what if it was in shambles. It was hers. Everything would turn out just fine.
"Hello! Helloooo!"
Turning to the side, Ivy saw a short and chubby man jogging towards her. His bright blue suit made him look like some kind of blueberry.
"Hello! You must be Ivy! Welcome to Harmonica Town! I'm Mayor Hamilton!" He explained, while waving his arms and bobbing slightly.
Ivy gave him a toothy grin and an eloquent bow. "Good morning your highness. Shall I invite you in for some tea, or perhaps a dead rat?"
Hamilton gasped and looked confused for a minute, then busted out laughing. "What a card, but I don't think that will be necessary. What is necessary is that you know the basics about your ranch. Would you like me to explain them to you?"
Ivy motioned for him to continue. "Preach it, Hammy."
"Alright." Hamilton leaned against the ranch, using his arm as a prop before removing it. His hand was covered in filth and grime, which he wiped on his immaculate suit with disgust. "It may look a bit rusty but with just a little care; it'll look fabulous in no time! Behind you is your plot! I swear Ivy; you could not have picked a better place to start a farm! The land here is perfect for growing crops and business is really booming!" An impossibly big smile was plastered on his face the whole time he was talking. "Oh, I nearly forgot! You can make the 5000G payment for your new land at Town Hall! There's no due date! You can pay it any time!"
Ivy's head hung in disappointment. "I gotta pay for it all? Just when I thought I was home free…a big boulder thrown at me. Knocks me back a couple of feet, man."
Hamilton paid no mind to her ramblings though. "Oh, and I have this for you! It's a map of the surrounding land! I'm sure it will be helpful to get you situated!" he reached into his quite deep pockets and pulled out a slightly crumpled rolled up map.
After Ivy pocketed the map, Hamilton continued.
"And I have this for you too. You'll need this to start a ranch." In his outstretched hands a quite large present, complete with a bow.
Quickly grabbing the present, Ivy began violently shaking it around. Her ear was close to the box and she listened to the objects bang around inside it. "Ah, you didn't have to all this, skippo! But since ya did, my sincerest thanks. So, can I take a whack at what's in this little magic box?"
Soon wrapping paper littered the ground and it was blowing around with the wind. As Hamilton took off as fast as his squat legs could go in pursuit of the strips of colored paper, Ivy was admiring the new tools she had been given. A brand spanking new hoe and watering can were tightly packed in the cardboard box.
"I think I got them all." Hamilton gasped and in his chubby hand was a big wad of paper.
Ivy smiled guiltily. "Sorry 'bout that, milky. Haven't gotten a jack in the box in a long time. Almost forgot the rush you get. Boy does it warm your soul, though."
"Excuse me?"
A confused look appeared on the mayor's face, but Ivy waved him away with her hand.
"Don't pay no mind; I don't talk right most of the time. Maybe I should've paid more attention in grammar class. It was just difficult, ya know? Like getting stung by a bee, hurts at first, and hurts a whole lot after. Anyways, making up words is my way; but if you listen like a bat you can just hear my meaning."
The mayor stared at the girl for a couple of long seconds before breaking out into a hearty chuckle. "You know what? I like you, you've got a funny way of talking but you seem like you have a good heart. Welcome to the town!"
Ivy simultaneously patted her head and rubbed her stomach while Hamilton gave her a brief tour of the vast area. "You'll find Flute Fields over there. There's a farm and a ranch, so they can help you if you have questions. Also… opposite Flute Fields is Harmonica Town. Head this way to get to Garmon Mines."
Once the duo returned to the doorway of the farmhouse, the mayor began to wrap up his visit. "I've also left some helpful books in your bookshelf! If you're not sure about something, take a look! It's likely in a book! Well, I'll be heading back to Town Hall. Once you're ready, stop by the town!"
With a rushed bow and a wave, the pudgy man started jogging back towards Harmonica Town. Soon Ivy was standing in her farm alone, without a soul in sight. First things first. Ivy thought as she tackled the mess of weeds in her field. Without a gloves or a sickle of some kind, it proved to be tough and painful work. Slowly but surely though, the land began clearing and Ivy could see the rich soil poking through. A trickle of sweat ran down her face as she yanked the last weed out of the ground. Smiling with satisfaction, the girl decided to call it quits. She had an awful stitch in her side and was covered dirt and sweat. Maybe even a bit of blood from her hands. After entering her house and washing her hands, Ivy started to look around. It was a cozy place, with patterned wall paper and wooden floors. The twin bed looked comfortable and Ivy found out after bouncing on it a couple times, it was also quite springy. Ivy closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted from place to place, never dawdling on one thing for very long. Mostly she thought of food. But she also thought of her farm, the people she met, and her family back home. When sleep finally came to her she was already conked out, anxiously waiting for the next new day to begin.