A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I was doing a little happy dance when I read them :D I sort of based Taylor in the last chapter off my own brother, who (for a little while) hated getting hugs, which naturally meant I gave him a hug at every possible opportunity 3:D

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon, if I did, my wallet wouldn't be so depressingly thin.

A few days later, the last of the pumpkin's were ready to be harvested and her foot had stopped hurting. Angela groaned as she forced the second crate of perfect pumpkins into the carriage. The fertilizer she bought from Marimba Farm really improved the quality of her crops, so getting enough high-quality pumpkins wasn't a problem. Worry bubbled up inside of her at the thought of going to the castle. What if she ran into him? Part of her was secretly hoping this would happen, but the rest of her firmly told that part that it was being stupid. She just needed to deliver crops. 'Leave the senseless flirting to Luna' She thought, trying to ignore the horrible feeling in her stomach at these thoughts. 'A Prince of all people!' She scolded herself suddenly. 'You couldn't fall for a farmer or fisherman or something normal because that wouldn't cause enough trouble! Nooo, it had to be your stepsister's future husband and what's more you can't go an entire week without bumping into him somehow!' With that inner rant out of her system, she went back into the farmhouse to find Luna.

Before she could take more than two steps inside the house, Candace ran into her, knocking them both to the ground. If that wasn't odd enough, she was grinning, not her usual shy smile, but a big, toothy grin. "This is the best day ever!" She squealed, picking herself up off the ground.

"How come?" Angela asked, though she already had an idea.

"Julius wants me to meet him at his house and then we're going to Flute Fields for a picnic!" The bluenette exclaimed, but a second after her face fell. "Oh, what will I wear? What if he's going to tell me he just wants to be friends? Should I make the food myself or will he? Oh, this is awful!"

The rancher chuckled as she stood back up and put a reassuring hand on her stepsister's shoulder. "You'll be fine, Cand. I'm sure everything will go great."

"Oh, I hope so," The shy woman said, hands clasped in front of her. "But I, um, better get to work on the food. I hope he likes it. I've been working, er, really hard on my cooking skills..."

"Don't worry about it. I bet you he'll love it!" With that, she left left the blue-haired woman to prepare for the picnic and worry over every little detail in the process.

"Luna?" Angela called, knocking on her younger stepsister's bedroom door. "I'm coming in."

She found Luna sitting in front of her vanity mirror, applying make-up. There were grey shadows under her eyes and she had a sickly colouring. In her deep, blue eyes there was a glimmer of worry instead of the usual confidence. The brunette looked at her sister in concern. Lately, the pinkette was becoming more and more stressed. Was she the cause? Guilt welled up inside her. What if, through her associating with the Prince, she was causing her stepsister's distress? Sure, she and Luna had never gotten along, but she still couldn't help but feel guilty. Luna had wanted to marry the Prince for so long, could she really rip that dream apart? 'No.' She thought with a heavy heart upon catching a glimpse at her reflection in the pinkette's mirror. 'And I probably won't even get the chance.'

"We should be heading off soon," She commented, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She just wanted to get this over and done with.

"One minute," Luna whined, carefully applying mascara to her left eye. "I have to look my best for Prince Gill."

She glanced up at Angela through the mirror, gladly noticing she was still wearing her dirty farming clothes and no make-up. She sighed in relief. She couldn't afford to be out-done by her stepsister. She still found it so hard to believe that kind, caring Angela could be so devious! How did she manage to get to the balls so quickly? And the clothes! How could she even afford the dress she wore to the first ball? If she wasn't her rival for Gill, she honestly would have been impressed. Yes, as astounded as she was at Angela's sneaky ways, she was determined not to let her win. If she didn't marry into royalty, what in Harvest King's name was she to do with her life? She had no real talents or skills and even her 'magnificent cuteness' would fade with time. Since she could walk, she had been taught to get what she wanted - no matter the cost. If that meant hurting others to get that, then it was a necessary evil, right? Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, this logic satisfied her.

Applying the last of her blush, she smiled. "Okay, we can go now."

X.X.X

Candace waved goodbye to her sisters as they left for the castle. An amused smile graced her lips as she noted how unhappy Luna seemed at having to sit outside the carriage, complaining it would 'ruin' her hair. Glancing at her watch, she realised it was time to start heading towards Julius'. Her heart soared with happiness and yet also wrenched with worry. Running inside to get the lunch she had prepared, she glanced in the mirror, hoping she didn't look utterly hideous, and said goodbye to her Mother.

"Bye Mother, I've, um got to go!"

"Candace wait! Now be sure to smile and laugh at all his jokes and don't mumble! You know how I feel about the mumbling!"*

"Uh-huh, yes, of course, certainly." Candace answered automatically every few seconds as her mother continued to rant, but in her mind she was rummaging through her 'Julius Fantasies' box. "Well, I, er, must be off." She sighed in relief when she finished.

The bluenette practically sprinted through Flute Fields, her basket in danger of opening or falling out of her grasp as she rushed along the dirt path. When she reached the jeweller's house, she paused to catch her breath and fix her hair, noticing happily what a beautiful day it was. The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky; the trees were in their autumn glory, their red, orange and gold leaves twirling and dancing gracefully through the breeze. Smiling, she knocked on the front door.

"Just a second!" Came Julius' panicked reply and the sounds of several loud crashes. "OUCH!"

"Julius, is everything alright?" She called through the door in worry. What was going on? Was he hurt? She put down her basket carefully. Hesitantly, she called again while opening the door. "I'm, um, coming in..."

Stepping inside, she gasped in shock. This house was destroyed! Everything was turned over, drawers were ripped from their slots and thrown onto the floor, papers and clothes were strewn across the upturned couch and chairs.

"Where is it? Where is it?" She heard Julius say frantically from his room and more loud crashes followed. "Don't tell me I lost it!"

Slightly frightened, the bluenette knocked on his bedroom door. "Julius, is something wrong?"

Her sapphire eyes widened when she saw him. The fabulous jeweller was crouched by his bed (which, like everything else was turned on its side), in the middle of lifting up the mattress. "Eh, heh, I can explain..." He said sheepishly, smiling. He seemed incredibly nervous, very uncharacteristic for him. "I was just looking for something... It's around here somewhere!"

"Oh, would you like some help?"

"NO!" He shouted suddenly, waving his arms madly. "I mean, er, no thanks. In fact-" He took by the hands and led her outside, stopping just outside the front door. "It would be a great help if you just waited here - right here! - for a minute or two." With that, he dashed back inside to continue his searching.

'I must have done something to make him mad and now he's using this as excuse to get out of our date.' Candace thought sadly, hanging her head.

X.X.X

Angela and Luna sat in an awkward silence for the majority of the trip. If either happened to find something to say, the other could think of no response. They simply had no common interests.

"My hair had better not be all icky after this!" The pinkette would whine every so often.

"Don't worry. We're not going fast enough for that." And so the conversation would die. The rancher didn't mind the silence, she was happy being quiet for periods of time. She glanced over at her stepsister. Luna was far more a people-person (providing those people were willing to compliment her) and was tapping her fingers impatiently on the wood of the carriage.

The slowed down as the crossed over the bridge, giving Angela enough time to spot Luke attempting to 'woo' the exotic dancer, Selena, on the quay. He had clearly taken her advice from the market to heart.

"Okay so how about this one?" Angela heard Luke ask in his usual loud manner. "Two muffins were baking in an oven and one said 'Man, it's hot in here!' and the other one said 'AAH a talking muffin!'. Geddit? Geddit?" She heard a slight giggle from the dancer, but it was quickly covered by a cough. The rancher found herself laughing slightly at the joke and (ignoring Luna's glares) stopped Amber.

Cupping her hand to the side of her mouth, she yelled. "Hey Luke! What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor?"

"What?" He answered back, taking this opportunity to stand closer to his crush. 'Good work, Luke,' Angela thought, impressed.

"He said, 'Where's me tractor?'" The two then burst out laughing at the horrific attempt at humour. Tugging at the reins, she waved to the carpenter. "See ya!"

"Oh, so we're going now?" Luna asked sarcastically from beside her as the horse picked up its pace once more to a run. Had that idiot forgotten about her altogether? How could sharing some stupid 'joke' with the carpenter be more important than delivering her (and the crops) to Prince Gilly (and the palace)? "I'd like to be there today!" She complained loudly, the horse was going as fast as it could by now, but she wasn't satisfied. Scowling, she snatched the reins from her stepsister's hands. Not knowing or caring about what should be done, she pulled and shook madly on the reins.

"Luna stop it!" Angela warned, trying to take control again, they were going too fast for Luna to be messing around. Unfortunately, the pinkette took no notice and yanked sharply on the leather reins. The horse stopped suddenly and turned, causing the carriage to swerve wildly on the cobblestone path of the quay. The girls screamed and clutched desperately onto their wooden seat to stay on. The brunette winced as she heard the carriage door be flung open followed by a loud thump. As soon as this was over, she was going to utter a nice, long string of curses, she decided.

At last the carriage ground to a stop. Sighing deeply, Angela hopped off and inspected the carriage for any possible damage. Thankfully the door had not been broken when the crate fell out and was only slightly chipped. Glancing around, she noticed the crate was resting precariously on the edge of the quay, almost ready to fall into the dark blue waters of the sea. 'No, no, no!' She ran towards it before it had the chance to topple over. She bent over, her hands just about to take hold on the wooden crate, when-

Splash!

It was dark. Navy blue surrounded her, pushing and pulling her, forcing her down to bring her back up, swirling her in circles until she could no longer tell which way was up. It battered her ears and forced the air from her mouth. Icy fingers covered her, sending shivers down her spine. She spun recklessly through the cold waters, disorientated. The current pushed her once more, this time white shimmered above her. It was all over in a few seconds.

Angela gasped for air. Her limbs felt heavy from the remnants of terror, but she ignored the sensation. Kicking her legs continuously beneath her, she managed to stay above water. "Luna!" She screamed furiously, unable to think straight. The water pushed her back and forth, closer and further from the stone wall of the quay. "What in Harvest Goddess' name is wrong with you?"

Her answer came in the form of shrieks of laughter.

Letting the waves carry her, the brunette latched onto a rock jutting out of the wall, before the backwash could drag her back again. Swinging herself up, she managed to clamber back up, water dripping freely from her. Wringing the water out of her short, brown hair, she demanded, "Why did you push me in?"

"I couldn't resist!" Luna snorted, throwing her hands up in defence. A very annoyed Angela glared daggers at her. "Here look! To make up, I even pushed the crate away from the edge so that it wouldn't fall in. See?"

With a deadpan expression, the brunette looked to where her stepsister. Oh yes, the crate had in fact been moved. However, it had only been moved an inch or two. "Thanks," She mumbled dryly. She shivered as the autumnal breeze blew. This was going to be a long, long day. 'Hey,' She thought in a half-hearted attempt at optimism. 'At least it's sunny.'

X.X.X

"That snotty, ugly, vain, little b-"

"Do you want me ... to seal your mouth?" Wizard threatened. His companion could curse like a sailor at times, a trait that aggravated him to no end.

The grey-haired woman pouted. "No," She finally admitted. "Why does it matter, anyway?"

"No cursing in my home," He stated firmly, then added quietly. "Not that you'd even know it was mine..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Witch demanded, springing to her feet.

"You practically ... live here these days!" He retorted.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't like it! And besides," She grabbed his shoulders and forced him down to her eye-level. "How else am I supposed to know what's happening to Angie?" She smiled evilly.

X.X.X

"Ready!" Julius called, bounding out of his wrecked home with a grin. Noticing his girlfriend looking sadly down at the ground and fidgeting with her skirt, he asked. "Is everything alright, sister?"

"Oh, I, um, I'm fine," She responded hesitantly, picking up her basket. 'Maybe this means he doesn't hate me...?'

"Well then, let's go!" He grabbed her hand and the two headed to Moon Hill.

Opening her basket, Candace spread the red-and-white chequered mat across the grass and started taking out the food.

"Candace, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about..." Julius began, scratching his purple hair. 'Oh no, here it comes!' She thought in worry. 'He's going to say he just wants to be friends. I know it!' "I-"

"I understand!" She shouted suddenly, louder than she had intended.

"You do?" Julius asked, turning his head to one side.

"Of course!" She nodded fervently, feeling her heart breaking. "I completely, er, understand."

"Well that's great!" He exclaimed, smiling. The bluenette felt tears sting her eyes as she looked down. Julius reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "I thought I'd lost it this morning. It was just in my shoe wardrobe."

The shy woman looked up for a moment. "What? B-b-b-but! You! I! I-it doesn't!" Her eyes widened and she stuttered and stumbled over the nonsense she was spewing. "I-I mean, we, er, b-but-"

"Aren't you going to give me an answer here?" The jeweller asked with a flirtatious wink. It was all too much for the poor girl. She gave a small nod, before the world around her turned to black.

Sighing in mirth, he caught the woman as she fainted and put her down gently on the mat. Sitting down beside her, he looked again at the object in his hand. Yes, he decided with a smile, he had made a good choice in searching for the blue feather.

X.X.X

The rest of the journey was spent in silence. Angela just needed time to stew in anger and self-pity. Luna sat quietly, trying to ignore the water running towards her along the seat. Soon enough they reached their destination. The brunette was still soaked; her long green top clung to her skin and her boots squelched awkwardly with each step as she carried the two crates out.

Struggling with the heavy weight on her arms, she took a good look at the castle. It's tall walls were made of grey stone. It was three storeys high and very long. The rancher involuntarily let out a whistle in amazement, not having the time during the first ball to truly appreciate the size of the building. She looked at the marble staircase leading up to the castle with sorrow. 'All those steps...' She thought miserably. Adjusting the weight of the wooden crate in her arms, she started towards it. 'I will look like a body-builder after the second crate!'

"Luna would you mind helping?" She grunted, halfway up the staircase. It was becoming too heavy for her to carry on her own. She looked down at her stepsister, who was sitting at the foot of the stairs, filing her nails to perfection.

The pinkette gave her a sour look and huffed. "Fine!" She stomped childishly up the steps and placed her hands daintily under the box, barely supporting it. 'Gee, thanks so much!' Angela thought sarcastically.

The two continued up the steps at a snail's pace. Upon reaching the top, they placed it down in the threshold, much to the brunette's relief. She shifted uncomfortably in her wet clothes, feeling like a fool. Where was the woman from the market? Servants scurried in and out of the hall, some carrying decorations and costumes, others with buckets of soapy water and sponges while complaining about the state of the hall. Two figures were leaned against the far wall talking in hushed tones about something that, judging by the looks on their faces, was of vital importance. The man had strawberry-blonde hair and was dressed in a black shirt with a wine-coloured apron. The woman wore a black maid's outfit and had bright orange pigtails. 'Aw!' Angela couldn't help but think at the couple.

"Well? Where is this woman?" Luna asked, stomping her foot. Angela shrugged, having no clue herself. "I'm going to go look for her." The pinkette declared, running down the steps into the castle.'And maybe Prince Gilly too!' She added in her mind gleefully.

The petite woman sped through the hall, nearly knocking over several poor maids trying to scrub the marble floor. Up ahead was an ornate archway, designs of Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess carved with great care and detail into the shining white stone, it seemed almost as if they would come alive any minute. She felt like a child once more compared to the massive height and width of the arch.

Upon stepping through it, she entered the Throne Room. Her blue eyes lit up as she pictured herself sitting in one of the thrones, her hands clasped around the dark mahogany arm rests, settling back into the velvet cushions, wearing a golden crown atop her perfectly styled hair and a long, silk gown. Yes, that would be heaven. 'No,' She corrected herself. 'That will be heaven.'

Frowning in concentration, she decided on her next path. Should she go up the stairs, through the far door or the one on her right? Half-way through a very serious 'eenie meanie minie mo', her problem was solved.

"Gilly!" She squealed in delight, rushing up and tackling the poor, unsuspecting Prince to the ground. She propped herself up on her elbows and grinned at him. "What are you doing here? Can you believe that we would run into each other? It must be fate!"

At that moment, Gill was cursing his luck. He wasn't safe anywhere from those girls! Scowling, he forced the pink-haired banshee off of him. What was her name again? Lola? Lilly? Luxie? Loonie? Luna? He stood up and brushed off his immaculate clothing. "Can I help you?" He asked dryly.

"Why, yes!" She chirped in reply, slinking her arm through his. "You can be my date for the next ball."

'Harvest Goddess help me!' The blonde begged sorrowfully, trying to think of a way out of this mess.

X.X.X

Meanwhile, Angela was just after bringing the second crate up to the top of the steps. She had stopped twice going up the steps so as not to drop it.

"Ah good. The pumpkins have arrived." The rancher smiled when she saw the woman from the fair walking towards her with two servants. "Thank you, Miss..."

"Angela Browne," She replied politely. "And yours?"

"Ms. Nancy Moon," The strict worker responded curtly, nodding, her tight, brown bun bobbing slightly. "Is there any reason you are wet, Miss Browne?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, noticing the puddle forming beneath the girl.

"Fell off the pier," Was the embarrassed reply. The woman's eye twitched and she sighed.

"Come to my office and we shall get you your pay." She spun on her polished black shoes and snapped her fingers, the two men lifted a crate each and despite their muscular physique, a strained look came onto their faces.

"Sorry," Angela mouthed back at them, following Nancy. Now Angela knew she should have been paying attention on where the fellow brunette was going, but she couldn't help but look around in awe. Everything was so decorated and intricate from the curtains to the ceiling that she couldn't help herself. "Wow," She exclaimed breathlessly, looking at the portrait of a former Queen. She had beautiful, platinum blonde hair and kind, sapphire eyes. It was so detailed, it was near lifelike. The brunette swung from side to side, giggling as the large, blue eyes followed her movements. Stopping, she stepped closer to the painting. 'She must have been nice,' She thought idly, her fingers gently tracing the outline of the woman's face.

"Admiring the picture?" A voice behind her asked. She froze, her fingers outstretched. Her eyes widened like a deer's when caught in headlights.

"I, uh... Yes?" She replied hesitantly, turning around slowly. She felt oddly similar to child found stealing cookies. She gasped in shock as she realised she had been caught by the King.

"A lovely painting, isn't it?" He asked cheerily, chuckling at her astonished face.

"She's beautiful," The brunette mumbled with red cheeks, eyes fixed on the expensive crimson carpet. It was so much easier talking to people with your face covered! "Looks kind too."

"Oh, yes!" The short King nodded. "Gilligan was heart-broken after she passed, he couldn't understand why she wasn't buried in the family graveyard, but this is what happens when one marries an innkeeper and not royalty," He shrugged, but his beady eyes showed sadness. "He would visit her so often, you know."

Angela nodded in painful understanding. Then a frown came onto her face. Something about that seemed ... familiar. She felt as if her mind was taunting her, holding some memory just out of her grasp. She shook her head in frustration to banish these annoying thoughts. "You wouldn't happen to know where Ms. Moon's office is, erm, your highness?" She asked, curtsying clumsily.

The plump man laughed heartily, waving off her pathetic attempt at decorum. "Of course! I'll show you the way!"

*Tangled reference :D

Also, I know there's a story about Gill's mother but I (sadly) can't read Japanese so I made up my own.

A/N: IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THIS LONG! The characters just love having more lines! Witch refuses to be left out in most chapters (which means Wizards tags along for the sake of it) and poor Candace is so sweet, I feel bad if I don't squeeze her in somewhere! Luna's added in to cause some conflict and so I end up with a chapter double the length it was supposed to be!

Well, at least we got a little insight as to Luna's … questionable behaviour, Candace got engaged and Angela got soaked, what more could you ask for? Don't answer that XD