This story begins with a young woman sailing on a ship towards her future. The wind blew through her straight blonde hair as she leaned against the railing. Even though she was going towards a new beginning, she couldn't help but think about the circumstances that lead her to this exact moment in time.
Her family was never too well off, but that never seemed to bother her. It upset her parents greatly; they wished that they could give her a better life. It was this that was the driving force behind their decision when he came to them. He had promised them that he would be able to give their daughter the life that they never could. He could give her a life full of riches and luxury if…. she became his wife.
The idea of an arranged marriage disgusted her. Many women marry for things other than love, you know dear…her mother tried to convince her, but she would hear nothing of it. To her, the idea of marrying someone you didn't love was one of the worst things you could do to yourself. Her parents left her to make her decision, but knew she would "make the right one" in the end.
She had spent many days depressed over her situation. She knew he parents were going to pressure her into accepting the man's marriage proposal, but she knew in her heart that she just couldn't do that to herself. One day she was mulling through the newspaper trying to keep her mind off everything that had happened. Her eyes had fallen on an advertisement that stated:
Would you like to enjoy a peaceful and refreshing farm life?
She imagined herself settling down on a beautiful farm, surrounded by healthy animals and prosperous plants. Just herself, there would be nobody to tell her how to run her life and certainly nobody to tell her who to marry and when.
Her parents were angry when they found out that she wanted to move away and live on a farm. That was not the life that they had envisioned her having. They wanted her to be financially stable. Before she was able to tell the man that she was refusing his proposal, her parents intervened, afraid she was going to throw away this once in a lifetime chance. Together with the man, they decided to give her 2 years to figure out what she really wanted. If she was able to settle down and be successful in those two years on her own then the man would leave her alone forever. If not, she was to marry him. He could only give her two years; he was aging and wanted to start a family as soon as possible. She shuddered at the thought of him having children.
So there she was, watching as Mineral Village came closer and closer towards her. She could see the dock now. This was it. It was going to be her chance to prove to her parents that she could be successful and happy and that she could do it without having to marry a man she didn't love. It was her new beginning.