Fall

If possible, the farmer became even more of a recluse. Things remained… complicated, in regards to him. He left his land and the forests only occasionally, and then usually just to forage or speak with the townspeople in his good graces: the children, Linus, Rasmodius, Evelyn, Willie, on occasion others out of idle curiosity. Elliott foremost of those, but that was more caution than anything else. It was difficult to tell what he thought of the secluded writer. Some would say he regarded Elliott with wary suspicion, others that he regarded Elliott as a threat. Elliott was oblivious say for when he happened to cross the farmer in the woods and began to get a very, very unsettling feeling. Like he was being scrutinized. He usually left those woods shortly after when that happened.

They had tried for the first few days of fall to understand where the farmer had been and where he'd gone. He gave them no satisfying answer, only said he'd been 'away'. Where and why he would not explain, and soon they gave up. For the most part people gave the farmer his space, and the farmer gave them theirs. Since the incident with Harvey and the appearance of the elfin king at the beach, by nightfall most of the villagers were all home. No one went into the forest after dark, no one even tried to. At least not until Sam.

Sam had slipped out one night, determined to find out whether or not there was anything to fear in those woods. Elliott had mentioned, more than once, that Cindersnap was safe, whenever he heard people whispering about how the forest had become too dangerous a place. Sam personally liked those woods, and he didn't want them to be ruined for people, so he'd decided to take a chance...

When he returned, he told of a figure he'd caught glimpses of in the dark. A figure who'd seemed always to watch, but never acted antagonistically. A figure who in fact might have saved him from the creatures in the forest...

For his recklessness Sam had been torn into mercilessly by his family and Sebastian and Abigail and Penny, but it had been worth it. No longer was Cindersnap Forest as much a cause for fear to any of them anymore, as one by one they became brave themselves and ventured in and found no reason to be scared.

But the Secret Woods they avoided like a plague…

The farmer had taken it upon himself again, to help the townsfolk when he could with the various requests pinned to the town billboard or sent to him via letter. His good standing with the likes of Evelyn, Jas, Vincent, Willie, and Linus evidently served to elevate him in the eyes of others as well, mostly immediate family and friends. Whether it was to his advantage or detriment was yet to be seen, but he had treated it, thus far, as an asset, more than anything else. Given Elliott was one of the few who knew what he really was, the writer suspected there was a bigger plan at play and had been… wary, putting it mildly, of the 'farmer'. Not all, though, were of like mind…

Stardew

Penny watched, mystified, as the farmer knelt in front of the children and taught them many things not even she had known. She was learning as much as they, if not more. She sat enraptured and amazed. The man was highly intelligent, incredibly well-spoken, incredibly well-read, amazingly patient, excellent at explaining confusing points to little Vincent and Jas, and admittedly more than a little easy on the eyes. A lot like Elliott, actually, though perish forbid you make that comparison to the writer's face. He balked at the idea even though Penny was pretty sure he was all too aware of the similarities. In short, she had become intrigued by this farmer who had come into the valley as herald to the elven king—at least she had suspected that was the reason they'd appeared around the same time, though by this point her theory had changed—and now knelt in Cindersnap Forest teaching little children about things she hadn't even thought about teaching them but should have probably been in the basics.

"Miss Penny is teaching me to write cursive. She has such pretty handwriting," Jas remarked to the farmer.

"Ah, a dying art. It is well she teach you it," the farmer answered. "Now I am afraid I have taken up too much of your lesson time as it is, little ones. I believe it is time I returned you to your tutor."

"Aww. Okay," Vincent replied.

"I'm offended, Vincent," Penny gently teased, smiling.

"I'm sorry Miss Penny!" Vincent exclaimed, looking mortified.

Penny giggled. "It's alright," she assured. She looked over at the farmer. "Maybe he would like to join us? I have to admit I was enjoying learning so much too."

"Perhaps another time. Perhaps later this day. Now, however, there are duties I must attend to," he answered.

"For yourself, or for… for him?" Penny asked. She didn't need to say who she was referencing.

He smiled ever so slightly, eyes unreadable. "For us both," he answered.

Penny nodded then turned to Vince and Jas. "You two go on. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay Miss Penny," they said together before scrambling away.

When they were out of earshot, Penny turned to the farmer. "The elven king… what's he like?" she asked.

"What do you believe, lady?" he answered.

"I… I don't know… I think he's maybe gotten a worse rep than he deserves," she replied.

"That was not my question," he answered.

Penny was quiet. "I believe he wants to… to protect us? If not us, then this valley at least. Look at the people whose lives have been touched by his existence. Before he arrived, Jas was so shut in and quiet and-and I don't know. Just… not like a child should be. And Vincent. You never would guess it at first glance, but he's been so sad since his father left, and lonely. Then this elf king comes into the picture and suddenly he starts to come back to his normal perky self. And Evelyn, dear old Evelyn. I see her holding the Fairy Roses he gifts her in her hands, smiling at them sometimes with tears misting her eyes. She sits out at night or settles them in her window like she's trying to catch a glimpse of something, and it's just so-so touching. To see her smile so much and look so content and like she has hope again and isn't so tired anymore and just going through the motions. I can't really tell what a difference he's made to the wizard, but I can tell what a difference he's made to Linus, the Wildman. Before him, Linus didn't trust anyone. Except maybe the wizard and Gus. He was reclusive, shut in. He still is, yeah, but now he has someone there at least. Someone he knows he can go to and count on, and it seems he feels so much safer and trusting now than I ever thought he would feel. Even if the erlking meant only to help the valley, he's also ended up helping the people he's showed interest in. I mean… I don't think Linus is the only one of them who feels safer than they did before…"

"You speak too highly of him, my lady, caught overmuch in the fantasy of it all. Think, now, of all the harm he has done and may yet do. One must see both bad and good to have a well-balanced viewpoint," the farmer remarked.

"You mean his terrifying all the other villagers? Making them feel unsafe in their own homes and unsafe walking the forests at night? He could change that if he tried," she answered, crossing her arms and frowning down at the ground.

"He cares not for the opinions of those who choose to despise him," the farmer answered.

"Shouldn't he care, though?" Penny asked.

"If that is a question you must truly ask, then despite all you have read and heard, you know nothing of the fae," he answered. Penny blushed, bowing her head a bit ashamedly. "Do not be ashamed. You simply think too much in human terms. Now think…" he began.

"Like Elliott?" she asked. "You know, like a writer. Outside the box. More… fantastically."

The farmer was quiet. "If that is how you best understand it," he finally answered.

She looked up at him. "How did you come to be under the Elven King?" she wondered.

He smirked slightly in amusement. "It would seem you have developed a fascination. Or a crush. Upon me or the elf king, I wonder?" he said flat out. She went beet red, blinked at him, then turned and awkwardly shuffled away. "In time you will find your answer," he called after her. She paused, glancing back curiously. "Until then, do not let the imaginings of your heart give you hope where there is none."

"Does he have no interest in love or romance or family?" she asked.

He tilted his head, reading her in silence. "You know me," he deduced after a moment. She stiffened, catching her breath. She'd suspected, was more accurate to say… Then been certain after the farmer's reappearance… "Why then did you ask how it was the farmer came to be under the king?"

She licked her lips nervously and glanced down. "Because… because I was curious… About the story you would spin…" she answered.

"Well played, mortal… Once upon a time he loved and was loved. Once upon a time there was an elven queen. Once upon a time there were children… Once upon a time ended long, long ago, and there was no happily ever after… I have grown weary of love. Now I only bide my time," he answered.

"For what?" she asked.

His smile became ever so slightly sad. "The day I will meet them again, should that day e'er come," he answered. She felt her heart sink. He turned his back on her and walked back into the forest… As he went she watched his clothing change like a mirage, and become a long flowing robe. She saw appear upon his head a crown of spring flowers woven around jagged wooden peaks, and she was left to wonder how much more of what he showed to them had been illusion…

Stardew

It was in the first week of fall that the farmer hired Robin to build him a stable. He refused the horse that came with it. Given the steed came free with the stable, rather was included in the cost of building it, Marnie determined to make sure he was certain he didn't want it… When she saw the elk that rested in it, large and majestic, she could only gawk in shock. The farmer came up from the river and saw her there, staring at his chosen mount. His eyes met hers. Neither of them spoke, and Marnie got the sudden feeling she was very unwelcome there. Turning, she shuffled quickly off…

The rumors began to fly once more…

Demetrius took his first look around the farm and couldn't believe a single thing he was seeing. He'd come to ask permission to use the cave on the property. He hadn't foreseen coming upon all of this. For a moment he forgot his purpose here, perusing the gardens and looking for something Robin might like to have. Then he heard hooves and looked quickly back. His mouth dropped as he saw the farmer riding tall and proud upon the back of an elk, coming in from the backwoods. The farmer reigned in his mount and stared, and Demetrius felt like he'd made a very, very big mistake. He hastily scrambled to explain away his presence. When all was said and done, the farmer agreed to turn the cave into a bat refuge—he grew enough mushrooms on his farm as it was, he claimed—and sent Demetrius on his way coldly with an allowance for him to take a single thing from the garden for his wife. Demetrius took it and hastily scrambled off.

A paper had expressed interest in the farmer's farm. When the article the papers had written on it went public, the people of the valley were shocked to see how plain it looked. Marnie, Robin, Demetrius, and Lewis all hastened there to check if it was really, suddenly, that ordinary, only to stumble upon the veritable paradise it had always been to their eyes. Bad picture, was his explanation. They all suspected it was a lie, and now they all suspected he had connections to the elf king—after all, how else could he accomplish all of this if he hadn't made a deal with the fae?—but they didn't call him on it. They weren't sure they dared to.

Stardew

"There is a darkness that lingers in the shadows, waiting to creep out on us."

"There always is."

"Is that darkness you, my lord Th…?"

"Perhaps. Or perhaps, Rasmodius, that darkness is tied to you."

"Me? I wish no sort of misfortune on Stardew Valley."

"No. I do not suspect you do… But what of the woman you once called wife?"

"The witch? Why do you bring her up now?"

"I bring her up now because I have heard her, not but a night ago, soaring above my land. Cackling. Her intent was malicious, of that there is no doubt. It is a question of whether her maliciousness was towards you, towards me, or towards the village itself and all its inhabitants."

"She knows nothing about you."

"Good. Then should she move against the inhabitants of Stardew Valley, in me you will have your weapon against her, should you alone prove not enough."

"What?"

"Many ages ago my kingdom was vast, my people many, and I their greatest living king… In that time, so long ago, I defended them with all I had and all I was… This is my realm now, these mortals my people. Should it come to it, I will do what I must."

"Even should they turn on you?"

"Let them do as they will. I have made this oath to myself, not to them, and my promises I will keep whatever the cost."

Stardew

The autumn came near to its end, the last festival of that season Spirit's Eve, where a young man gave to a young girl a promise ring after he had guided her through the maze and they had come to the end, secluded and intimate.

"Sebastian…" she breathed in shock, gazing at the simple band as if she couldn't believe it was there.

"One day maybe it'll be an engagement ring, but I don't know if you feel ready for that kind of step yet. Or me. I mean, we both still live with our parents, so there's that," he answered. Tears misted the young girl's eyes. "Abby, are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Yes. Yes! Of course I am, yes!" she replied, throwing her arms around his neck with a wide grin, hugging him tightly. He blushed about seven shades of red before carefully and gently wrapping his arms around her in turn. "Just don't hold off too long on an engagement, kay?" she whispered into his ear before nuzzling his neck and relishing his embrace.

The wizard gazed down at the scene from where he stood above it all, Linus at his side. "She's your daughter," Linus remarked.

"She… yes… I suspect she is, though to say I'm certain of it might be a tad a stretch," Rasmodius answered.

"She's her daddy's girl," Linus said. He glanced at his friend. "She looks like you. Acts like you too a lot, I notice." Rasmodius was quiet, simply watching. Suddenly a cackle was heard somewhere in the woods. Both men started and turned quickly. "What was that?" Linus asked.

Rasmodius tensed up, fear reflecting briefly in his eyes. "It's her… Quickly, you need to hide," he said to his companion. "Don't let her see you."

Linus, uneasy, quickly obeyed, moving into the shadows and getting behind a tree before peering out to watch his friend. It wasn't long before he saw a witch shuffle out of the woods with a sour expression, and approach the wizard. "Rasmodius," she growled darkly.

"My dear," Rasmodius replied flatly.

The witch growled then looked out over the festival. "So, this is the village you've called home. These are the people you've become so fond of," she soon remarked. Rasmodius remained quiet, jaw clenching slightly. He didn't speak, though. Speaking would only fuel her. She scanned them. "Ah, young love…" she said, eyes falling on Sebastian and Abigail who were still embracing, cuddled together in the maze. "How despicable." The wizard still refused to speak. "She looks like you," the witch darkly remarked. Rasmodius tensed up slightly, but still refused to reply. "Perhaps we should see if she screams like you too."

"Don't challenge me, my dear," Rasmodius warned. "We both know what that outcome would be. That's why you have yet to attack me here. Me or this village."

"It's only a matter of time," she answered. "They will suffer. This whole valley will suffer. She looked down at Sebastian and Abigail, who were getting lost in one another. "I will make you suffer," she added darkly.

"What's drawn you out after so long?" Rasmodius asked. The witch didn't answer, only smirking cruelly, and Rasmodius felt more than a little uneasy… Maybe even afraid… Cackling, the witch shuffled back into the forest and soon flew away on her broom. Linus came out shortly after, watching after the woman. The Wildman looked at Rasmodius inquisitively, though he didn't speak.

"For now we're safe," Rasmodius soon said.

"For how much longer?" Linus asked.

Rasmodius let out a soft sigh. "The elven king protects this land now… I will speak to him, when the time is right. It'll be… it'll be alright." Linus nodded. He hoped his friend was right. He watched in the direction the witch had flown once more.