A/N: Hey Loyal readers, yes believe it or this is the one and only Angel, after more than a year I have no real excuse as to why this fanfiction has been put onto the back burner but I do hope that you will forgive me for the long wait and still enjoy the next piece to this. To make up I have two submissions (yes I know TWO whole submissions) crazy right?

I hope that you enjoy them and that they will help ease the anger that you may have towards me at this point and time. Thank you and R&R.

Note: Sadly Harvest Moon does not belong to me and is copyrighted to Natsume. Hanna is the only character who is mine and hopefully she is not reminiscent in any way to any character in Harvest Moon as she is not intended to be.


Chapter 7: Princess Chelsea

She brushed Evening Light's sparkling white mane softly as she smiled up at the mare and giggled. She spoke with her horse softly her eyes sparkling sapphire blue in the sunlight. Each day she grew more shining, more beautiful as if her magic was glowing from inside of her.

"I'm glad that we decided it was best to let her leave the castle grounds. Already spending time in the sunlight has made her more radiant." Felicia said more to herself than to anyone else.

"She is…well, after all..." Sir Nathan replied from his position next to her. He still seemed rather unnerved by the whole idea and had been ever since Felicia had brought Chelsea home.

Nathan was a rather port man with a round face and a cheerful smile. At least that was how Felicia remembered him even from the time of her own childhood. Now from all the stress of King Elias death the man had begun to grey and though he was still round there was a gauntness to his face around the eyes she had never noticed. Though she knew him to be quite her senior he never looked it. He had told her the Goddess kept him young so he could spread her word.

"All she needed was some fresh air and open sky." He finally said easing a smile onto his face, although it seemed strained.

"You're worried that she isn't the one your daughter spoke of…" she said it as a statement of fact and Nathan turned to face the water once more.

They stood at the Goddess Lake outside the church at the top of the plot of land the castle watching Chelsea through 'the eyes of the Goddess.' It was ancient magic that one could enact through an offering to the Goddess.

"Are we sure, Sir Nathan? That she is the prophesied one?" she asked this time, needing the reassurance then as Chelsea saddled Evening Light. "I would hate to think we're doing this and it turns out she is truly just a girl who has lost everything… it's so very difficult without the added pressure."

Sir Nathan didn't say anything for a moment his dark eyes focused steadily on the small, frail girl as she stepped up onto the fencing to mount Evening Light. "We have waited many years since that prophecy was first spoken my lady. Thirteen years… of waiting. I can only say that if she is the prophesied one… we have waited and if she is not… fresh air and open sky will see be good for her."

Felicia turned her eyes to the waters once more guilt weighing heavily on her heart. She hoped he was right.

Chelsea stood at the top of the fence. Eve was tied securely to the post and watched her mildly as she grazed calmly from the trough. They were becoming close quickly and Eve had a great propensity for watching mildly as Chelsea got herself into issues. Chelsea had learned to groom her and to feed her the proper amount of nutrition and to saddle her. And yet for all her riding lessons (it had been almost two whole weeks!)
Chelsea had yet to actually ride.

"But today, Eve I'm going to get into the saddle at least." She said, Eve just kept eating looking slightly amused.

"What in the name of the Goddess, are you doin'?" Master Vaughn looked less than amused as he hauled bale of hay out of the barn.

The corral was partitioned off today and most of the stables horses were quartered in different sections. Princess Natalie and Prince Elliot's horses were, of course, absent having been picked up quite early for their respective masters. Vaughn had been working hard all morning clearing out the horses, mucking out stalls and repairing the barn.

Chelsea sat down on the fence and huffed out a breath so that her bangs flopped down over her face. Pushing them aside she sniffed. "I'm just doing your job and teaching myself to ride since you obviously don't have time. After all, as entertaining as it is to sit around for hours on end watching you work so hard I am here to learn to ride."

Vaughn frowned. "And as I told you, Princess Chelsea, my job is to tend to the animals of the royal stable." He hefted the bale of hay over his shoulder and trudged it out to one of the makeshift troughs he had set out. "And unless I'm mistaken becoming my student has not transformed you into an animal."

She watched as he turned and went about his work. He'd pulled off his dark vest and was down to his peasant shirt whose sleeves he'd rolled up and which was quite sheer in places from perspiration. She'd never noticed how muscular his arms were but as she sat and watched she noticed them now. They lifted hay with ease and flexed as he mucked out the closest stall.

A slight blush began to steal up her cheeks but she refused to admit and kept looking. Despite the long hours of waiting around she had come to understand two things about Master Vaughn. He was much more comfortable with his animals and he worked hard. Very, very hard. She wasn't sure if he even had a first gear.

He pulled a white handkerchief out of his pant pocket and wiped at the sweat pooling there. "Take it you're sick of sitting around then?"

She looked across at him as he pulled his cap off his head and ran his fingers through the long silver strands of his hair. She felt the blush deepen and jumping down she turned her attention to untying Eve's leads from the post.

"Well, princess?"

She hated when he called her princess. She wasn't even a princess as he surely knew since the castle servants were the worst gossipers she knew. Of course, that was most likely why he called her that. He had a knack for irritating her in the worst ways.

"Yes, Master Vaughn, I am sick of waiting around for you." She finally replied as she turned back and found herself face-to-chest. Looking up she saw that he was quite close and had a small smirk on his lips.

"Well, put it that way, princess, then I have the perfect job for you."

Miss Hannah made her way gingerly down the hill towards the stables. Lessons for the last two weeks and not a broken bone to be found, thank the goddess. She could remember back to when Elliot and Natalie were first learning to ride. Natalie, who was much like Chelsea in her impatience, had broken her arm within the first week. Elliot had even gotten bruised.

But so far none of that had happened. So far Chelsea had only returned feeling down and saying she had learned so much but she still hadn't ridden. It was silly of her, but Hannah was relieved. She was getting a bit old to be dealing with broken bones and tears.

Still she knew that Chelsea wanted to ride more than anything else.

The stable came into view as she came to the top of the hill and she saw that Master Vaughn was herding the royal horses back into the stables. His hat was on one of the post and his vest lay next to it. "Good evening, Master Vaughn." She hailed him leaving the path and walking the side gate.

"Miss Hannah…" Vaughn looked almost shocked to see her. An uncharacteristic red seemed to steal up his neck.

"I'm here to pick up my charge. I trust that she has not been too much trouble." She looked behind him, expecting to see Chelsea sitting on the fencing with Evening Light looking sullen as was her habit. But there was no Chelsea in sight.

"I'll go… uh… locate her." He said and grabbed his hat off the post and plopping it onto his head before turning on his heel and entering the barn.

Hannah frowned. Vaughn was short and curt but he was never anything but polite to her. Not only was his behavior verging on rude it was also uncharacteristic and as a lady maid of royalty she had long ago learned tell-tale signs of deceit.

Walking to the other side of the corral she lifted the latch and pushed open the corral making sure to securely close and lock it behind her before walking gingerly across the corral and into the stables.

Inside she would never have suspected what she would come across. Chelsea, never the tidiest of her charges, looked positively the dirtiest she had ever seen her. There was straw in her hair and dark smudges across her face, which she could only hope was mud. Her riding habit dress was pulled up and tied securely to her belt to keep it from dragging in the mud and her boots were stained with mud and more straw.