Star was worried. She had never been daring, but taking out an ad to be a wife seemed foolhardy. What if they hurt her? Come on, Star, a voice said, Don't be such a wimp. You need this, remember? Or do you want to stay with your parents? She shuddered slightly. She'd take her chances on being a wife to some farmer than staying at that house.

Her musings were cut short as she narrowly avoided a fox.

"Whoa!" She shouted to calm her white stallion named Light. Light rolled his eyes and gave her a reproachful look, as if to say Watch where you're going, dummy!

"Sorry, Light. I didn't mean to do that to you, boy." She patted his head to calm him down. As she came to the top of the mountain, she saw two people at a crossroads. It was a man and a woman. The man was old and had a cane and a dusty blue jacket. The woman had dark hair and wore a red kimono. She would've looked pretty if it weren't for her fierce scowl. As Star came up to them, she dismounted off of Light. The man and woman looked at her with curiosity.

"I don't suppose you could be young Star who was going to marry Ash?" the man inquired. Star flushed at the reminder of why she was here but nodded.

"It's only a year, sir." she murmured. The man looked satisfied.

"Ho, ho, I knew it!" he said triumphantly. "I am Rutger, the mayor of Bluebell. Ash will be waiting for you. Let's get you to Bluebell." The woman scowled and pointed her finger at Rutger.

"Not so fast, Rutger. If this young girl's going anywhere, it'll be Konohana." She turned to Star.

"What Rutger kindly forgot to tell you is that there's another town: Konohana. I am Ina, the mayor. Now, come along. I'm sure Konohana would suit you better." She smiled kindly. Rutger glared at her.

"Who do you think you are!? Konohana! Better than my lovely village of Bluebell? Preposterous!" The two then glared at each other. Star looked at them nervously. She didn't want to cause a fuss.

"Um...I'm sorry, Ina." Star said apologetically. "But I think I should live in Bluebell." Rutger looked at Ina smugly.

"Of course, of course! Farming means livestock! It was an obvious choice!" Ina looked furious.

"Grrr...of all the...Now what's not to love about Konohana?! You're the second person to pick Bluebell!" Ina stormed away angrily. Star looked at her disappearing figure, confused. Second person? But she didn't have time to wonder about that statement.

"Well now, Star. It's time to go to Bluebell! But before we go, you need to change out of those clothes. They aren't right for Bluebell." Star looked down at her clothes. They seemed fine to her.

Rutger handed her a neatly folded outfit. "This is a Bluebell outfit." He said. "Go ahead and put it on." Star looked at him, shocked. He didn't expect her to strip in front of him, did he? Rutger seemed to realize what he was asking. He turned around.

"Don't worry, I won't look at you." He said.

"Okay." She said timidly. Not convinced, she hid behind Light while she changed her clothes. The clothes were a perfect fit. She quite liked the bandanna. Rutger beamed at her.

"It looks good on you! Starting today, you are a resident of Bluebell!" And so Star, riding on Light, followed Rutger to Bluebell. When they arrived at the entrance, Star couldn't stop herself from staring. The countryside was much more beautiful than her old suburbs. As they entered the town, she noticed an old tunnel. It seemed to be blocked. But before she could ask about it, they stopped in front of a house with a bright red roof.

"Well, here we are, dear. This is Ash's house." Rutger said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you here." Rutger shook her hand and then left. Star dismounted from Light, staring at the house. It suddenly looked formidable to her. Go on, the voice chided her, Or are you afraid?

Hands shaking and stomach churning, Star knocked on the door.