This is a work of fan appreciation; I don't own Rune Factory.

Find a husband, Tabatha. A human husband. If we're ever going to bridge the gap between elves and humans, it's got to start with marriage.

That's what she was ordered to do, why she was in Kardia. The little city seemed an odd place to send her to find a man to marry; wouldn't it be much easier to find a husband in a big city? No, her father explained; he couldn't be just any man. He needed to be in tune to the earth, a gentle soul who cared for man and beast alike. She'd be more likely to find such a man in a farming village.

And what about love?

Tabatha's heart sank when her father frowned at her hard, and informed her that love wasn't necessary. They just needed to break the ice between the two races; that was all. A child born in wedlock was all that mattered. As long as both she and her husband loved the child, love was unnecessary between them. All they needed was an example to point out that the elves' world hadn't blown apart because an Elf and a human got married and had a child. That was it.

Not that he discouraged her marrying for love, he amended quickly.

It was with that caveat that Tabatha ventured to the little farming town. She almost didn't make it; much to her dismay, there were monsters all over the path she was to take. The young elf woman used her empathy to turn as many of them away from her as she could, but eventually the glove that allowed her to communicate her feelings of love and compassion to the monsters simply would not work anymore; she had to run.

How she actually arrived at the village, she didn't know. She remembered very little after realizing that the monsters pursuing her would not listen to her, very little except pain. There was pain now, as she opened her eyes. She lay in a very soft bed, one that she may have found comfortable if she wasn't accustomed to firmer mattresses, and even sleeping on the ground. Tabatha attempted to sit up, a light groan escaping her lips as her back protested violently to her motion. "You're awake?" a soft, delicate voice said, from somewhere in the room.

Before the elf girl could attempt to move again, her companion laid a slender, porcelain hand on her chest. This girl was about her age, in human years; her hair was done up in well-kept tresses and she wore a luxurious, silken dress that looked to be more expensive than any of the elven houses in the woods. Tabatha looked up at her in confusion as the girl said, "Don't try to move. You're lucky you're alive now, Elf. If Camus hadn't heard your screams and went out to find you, the monsters would have killed you."

"C-Camus?"

"Yes. He runs a farm on the outskirts of town." The girl straightened, smoothing her dress. "I'm going to go get Doctor Edward and let him know you're awake. I'll let Daddy come in to watch you. Is that okay?" Without waiting for Tabatha's answer, the girl walked away, her step almost a flounce.

In only a few seconds, she was replaced by a rather large man with a rather large grin. "Good to see you with us again!" he said, his voice booming in the room; the pain in Tabatha's head surged after only a few loud syllable, and she grimaced. The man took no notice as he pulled a chair up next to the bed and settled his girth into to. "I am Jasper," he said kindly, "and my daughter's name is Bianca. She's barely left your side since you were found."

"Wh-where am I?"

"You're in my clinic," came another voice, smoother than Jasper's. In a moment, another man stood over her, a thick moustache on his upper lip and hair longer than usual for a human male. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a horde of monsters got me," Tabatha replied softly, squeezing her eyes shut.

The new man laughed; she assumed him to be the Doctor Edward Bianca went to get. "Then you're pretty much on-par," he said kindly. "What's your name?"

"Tabatha."

"Beautiful." Edward looked at Jasper, and said, "She's probably still exhausted. Those monsters did a real number on her. Would you mind leaving so she could get some rest?"

"Absolutely," Jasper said immediately. "Sleep well, Tabatha. When you wake up again I'll bring you some delicious food, okay? Gotta get your strength back up!"

Edward herded the hefty man towards the door. "Perfect. Just make an attempt to make that delicious food healthy as well." As much as Tabatha wanted to, she couldn't make out the man's reply; darkness was closing in on her again, quickly.

Tabatha waited at the ready, for any need her employers could have. Jasper had been kind enough to immediately offer her a job caring for his home and needs, and while Bianca took some time to get used to it, she warmed up to the elf girl being in her house pretty quickly. They became friends; in fact, Tabatha became friends with everyone in the little town. They were a group of beautiful people who knew each other well and cared for one another. Her father had chosen well when he told her to come here.

She knew that there was a new person in the town, by Bianca's ramblings as she fixed lunch for the three of them. Bianca hadn't been impressed with the young man's quarters, something that she couldn't exactly fault him for: "After all, if Mist actually took care of her property, it wouldn't be as run down as it is now," she sniffed. "I almost feel sorry for the poor boy, having to live in that little hovel… There isn't even a functioning kitchen in there!"

"That sounds terrible," Tabatha agreed. Mist didn't keep the farm up because she couldn't afford to hire help and when Tabatha came to Kardia, she wasn't suited for farm work. Mist needed a boarder, and that's what this young man turned out to be. Of course, Tabatha didn't contradict Bianca. She understood that Bianca's ramblings weren't meant to be hurtful.

"It is, Tabatha!" Bianca whined. "Well, I hope he gets that land up to scratch. It's a terrible eye-sore, you know?"

"I know," Tabatha acknowledged, and set a plate in front of the other girl. "Grilled cheese today, Miss Bianca."

Bianca eyed the Elf, picking up her sandwich. "You're not trying to get Daddy's weight under control again, are you?"

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Tabatha replied with a grin.

Bianca just grinned back, and ate her sandwich. This would end exactly as all Tabatha's previous attempts to get her father healthy had ended: with Tabatha giving up.

The day continued as usual, but Tabatha couldn't help but be curious about this newcomer. She wished she'd been finished with her morning chores in time to join Jasper and Bianca, and now it was midday- if this new young man was to get that farmland back in shape, he had a long, hard job ahead of him, and he'd probably be working. Tabatha didn't want to interrupt him; perhaps closer to the end of the day, she'd go visit him.

It turned out to be unnecessary; as she polished some of the crystal wine glasses, a soft, unsure knock sounded at the door, so quiet Tabatha's sensitive ears almost didn't pick it up. Must be the new man, Tabatha thought. Everyone else in the village would just let themselves in. Well, she wasn't getting the door; he had to learn how things worked around here, and learning to let yourself in if the door was open was easy enough. "It's open," she called, her voice firm but gentle.

As the door opened, Tabatha set the now-polished glass she was working on down, and picked up another, her gaze rising as her hand did. As her gaze fell on the newcomer, she set the glass back down gently, almost reflexively. He was about her height, probably just barely over the age of adulthood for humans, with a shy, wistful smile and kind brown eyes that seemed wise beyond his short human years. "Hello," he said, his voice quiet. "I'm Raguna. Kinda new here."

He extended a hand to her. It took her a moment to remember this particular human ritual, that humans shook hands when meeting for the first time. "I'm Tabatha," she answered, not taking her eyes off his as she reached for his hand.

His grip was firm, warm, and somehow comforting. Tabatha couldn't help but notice, at that moment, that the way their hands joined looked something like a bridge.