Chapter Text
Penny woke up just like every other day, a soft sigh escaping her as she sat up. Once upon a time she greeted the new day happily, welcoming any blessings or gifts the day had in store. That was years, and years ago. It was back when she still believed in fairy tales, still thought her life would be a dream if she just kept up hope. Back then, she used to read of princesses hidden away, or put into a deep sleep, or exiled. Just to find her amazing, strong knight, or a lovely prince, that would save her from all the evils of the world.
Now, however she had stopped such childish ideas. This town was very, very small. Many residents had known each other their whole lives, some had been dating for years now. But...not her. She was just quiet, even for this tiny town. Quiet, boring, plain little Penny. None wanted to properly be tied down with that forever. Many residents here wanted to leave the town at some point. But here she was. And of course, her mother. Her mother that was drunk nearly every day, who would spend her savings, and would belittle her every chance she had.
Who could ever want to put up with that? Who would choose that? Another soft sigh escaped Penny, and she got ready for the day. She had a duty here. No matter how heavy her heart felt. The woman had sworn to teach the children, and try to give them a future, all while also trying to keep her mother around, trying desperately to get her to see how unhealthy her lifestyle was. It had felt like a losing battle, at least with her mother. She would never in her life say the same about teaching the children. No, that was something that was a hopeful, bright spot in her life. And, as much as it saddened her, she had slowly felt like she'd never have any children of her own. That was one of many arguments her mother had with her. How she was still single, and childless while others in town were getting together. Of course, she had been biting her tongue more harshly as of late, not wanting to remind her mother just how young she had been when Penny was born.
Even that argument had run it's course, whenever she brought it up, she would expect the same things to be said. The same rambling of how she was wasting her life, how she thought she was better than her mother, how the world was cruel, and wicked. After years of the same abuse, she simply...shut her heart off when it happened. Her words were...automatic, numb, unfeeling. It was easier that way, as if she let it hurt her every single time, it would surely kill her. Or worse. She never wanted to fall into her mother's habits. While she hated alcohol, outright refusing even the tiniest sip of it, she can't help but wonder every now and then if it would make everything easier. The one other thing that made her pause, was that she saw how her mother had fallen so hard. Despite constantly promising to change, guilt tripping, or even crying miserably, Pam had never actually fully tried to change. And Penny had tried her best to stay positive, to hope her mother would change. But...It was so tiring.
Once she left her bedroom, she was greeted by her mother holding her head with a grimace. Her voice was tired, and slurred slightly. "Urgh...my head."
Penny frowned at the mess inside the trailer, and could easily smell the beer. With a firm look, she spoke up. "Mother, I'm off for the day. Try to rest up, ok? Drink some water. Should I get you anything from Jojamart while I'm-"
Pam's voice cut her off and she flicked her hand dismissively. "Bah! I'm fine! Go on, then. I can handle myself. I don't need you babyin' me."
She just nodded silently, gathering one of her favorite books, and leaving the trailer. While she walked, she heard a few conversations, all speaking about a new farmer. Apparently the old farm, Hestia farm, had finally been sold. That wasn't quite right, though. It had been given to the old farmer's granddaughter. Penny never really knew him, but still felt a distant happiness that his land wouldn't be sold off to Joja.
With a quiet hum to herself she sat at her usual spot, right near the river, under a large tree. As she opened her book, she let out a long, content sigh. It was always so easy to simply get lost in her books. She decided to once again, start at the beginning. While she read, she was distantly aware of people walking around, and past her. After a few hours of reading, she eventually sighed, and gently closed the book. She had chores to do back at the trailer by now, surely.
Once she stood, she gently smoothed her skirt, and held her book carefully. There it was, that odd feeling in her chest. A desperate, almost hopeless feeling. She dreaded returning home more often than not now. She wished she could pinpoint when that had gotten so constant. With a soft breath, she looked to the sky, readying herself for the trailer's smell, and the constant messy state it was in. Before she could start walking, she heard a soft throat clearing.
There was a voice, and it was entirely new, and unknown. This voice was slightly raspy, soft, almost shy, and was feminine. "Excuse me, madam. I'm sorry to bother you. But I saw you reading earlier, and did not want to distract you. Lewis told me I should introduce myself to people in this town. So..."
Penny looked to the person, and suddenly there was a push in her heart. It almost felt like getting the wind knocked out of her, or like taking a soccer ball to her chest. She blinked to the woman that stood there.
This woman wore all black. A black, long-sleeved shirt, a long, black skirt, along with a thick, black ribbon tied around her neck. The ribbon had tiny, sewn on roses all along it's length. There were also two noticeable scars, one that was a large, triangular, vertical slice that went from her jaw, just under her left eye. Along with that one, on her right cheek, there was a horizontal slice along her cheek. Both scars seemed to be faded, but still noticeable against her apricot colored skin. The scars were much paler, close to pale pink, or even white.
She had dark, chestnut colored hair that fell in tiny, silky looking waves, resting right beneath her ears. As she stared, Penny noticed her face was stoic, her posture firm, and rigid. It almost seemed like she was a soldier at attention, and not just a new resident introducing herself. The red haired woman blinked at her silently, as she saw her eyes.
Her eyes were deep, dark brown. The slightly cloudy sky parted slightly, letting a few sunbeams spread over the tiny spot she sat at. There was another odd feeling in Penny's chest as she got a closer look at the woman's eyes in the sunlight, suddenly. With the sunlight shining down, Penny swore that in this woman's brown eyes there were the tiniest flakes of a topaz-like color.
Penny just blinked silently at her for a few seconds, before she noticed the woman narrow her eyes ever so slightly. A tiny sound escaped her as she realized the woman had been holding out her hand silently, waiting for a handshake. As the teacher gently took her hand, she noticed thin calluses, oddly only on her thumb, ring, middle, and index fingers. She supposed the thicker, larger farm calluses she saw on Marnie's, or little Jas' hands needed more time. "Oh...hello! I'm Penny..." Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she mentally scolded herself for being so distracted.
The woman just give the tiniest nod of her head, firmly shaking Penny's hand. "Sam. My name is Sam. Pleasure to meet you." As she let her hand go, Penny saw her fold her hands at her waist, staring silently again.
Penny took a quick breath. "Hello! The uhm...weather is interesting today, don't you think? Ah...sorry..." When Sam simply flicked her eyes up, she simply let out a tiny 'Hm.'
After a pause, Penny swallowed heavily, and held her book tightly to her chest. "I uhm...I really should go...I..."
Sam's eyes flicked back to her, and she blinked, speaking again. "Do you read here often?"
In response, Penny shyly looked down, and traced the edge of the book's cover. "Yes. I...rather enjoy getting lost in a book, you know?"
Another soft hum escapes the other woman, and Penny took a tiny step back. "Not many read classics like that. That is 'Rapunzel' by the Brothers Grimm. Yes?"
Now, Penny felt her cheeks warm even more. "Yes...it is...a favorite of mine. Childish as it may be...well, I do enjoy some more modern retellings as well. I always find fairy tale romances so...comforting."
The other woman nodded again. "I am a fan of...tragedies. 'Le fantôme de l'opéra' is a favorite of mine...Gaston Leroux. The book is enjoyable, though I will admit, that the musical adaptations of the book are...lovely as well. Quite so, if I may say so. Music is my one true love."
Penny lifted her head at that, her eyes widening just slightly. "Oh...wow. What a book to choose. I simply can't handle stories like that. So...sad. But...it is nice to know that somebody else may...ah...appreciate reading, and the worlds it creates. Do you speak French, then? If you...like that book so much, I mean. Or is that...odd to ask? I know there are English translations, plenty of them. But I ah...I'm just going to stop rambling now. S-sorry."
A tiny, barely noticeable twitch at the corner of the farmer woman's mouth appeared for a second. "Hm. Surely there must be at least one other person here with taste. There must be, since you seem to take such interest. Rather rare."
Her eyes narrowed again, and Penny felt an odd, uneasy feeling in her stomach. "Ah...well...there's Elliot, I suppose. But he seems to take an interest in writing, and poetry. I'm sure he may...like to know of your reading choices?"
She glanced up shyly, and Sam just gave a small nod, before bowing to her slightly. "I see. Well, I wouldn't want to keep you. I have a lot to do, as well. Bonne journée, mademoiselle."
Once the farmer had walked off, Penny's brain finally caught up to her, and she ran back to the trailer, suddenly feeling too exposed out in the open air. As she started washing the dishes that had seemed to magically pile up, her mind was running in frantic circles.
She had scrubbed at the same plate for nearly ten minutes before she sighed, and she it aside. Her hands had wrinkled, and she quickly dried them. With a long sigh, she rubbed her face, whispering to herself. "What's gotten into me...? I must be out of my mind."
Despite saying that, there was a very tiny, very bright spark in her chest. It felt like she had come across something rare, and special. There was an odd sense of healing in her very soul. Now if only she could put a name to it.
The shy bookworm simply stayed in the trailer for most of the day, suddenly far to nervous to go out into town.
.
.
.
Sam had gotten back to the cabin, closing the door firmly, and pressing her back against it. She let out a long groan as she slumped to the floor, tugging at her hair harshly. Her voice was sharp. "What in the world was that? Oh, 'Bonne journée, mademoiselle.' that's...great just..."
Another groan escaped her, and she let her head thump against the wood of the door. "Nonsense..."
After a few seconds her inner voice, a second part of her soul, but her own voice all the same, a darker part floated to the surface of her mind. 'Ridiculous. What were you thinking? What, the first sight of a pretty girl is all it takes for us, now? How sad!'
While she simply sat on the floor, she idly scratched at the scarring on her face. A dark, swirling pit of snakes bubbled in her chest. Her stupid thoughts continued. 'Come on. You know the truth. You're destined to be alone. How many times are you going to have to learn this lesson, you idiot?'
A soft hiss escaped her, her fingers tracing the ribbon, before she shot to her feet. Today was not the day she was going to let her demons get to her. She had a whole new life to start on. A new farm, a new day. She had a legacy to uphold. She had to honor her dearly departed grandfather. He deserved so much more than she could ever have done.
With a huff, she pulled open a drawer in her kitchen, lovingly unfolding the letter he had left her.
My Sam. My little warrior. My songbird. If you're reading this you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered the most in life...real connections with other people and nature. So, I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.
I've enclosed the deed to that place...my pride and joy: Hestia farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life. This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honor my name, my songbird.
Love Grandpa.
P.S. If Lewis is still alive, say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?
P.P.S. You just turned 17. Times have changed, things have absolutely become far darker than you should have ever experienced, and I am making an addition before I get my will notarized. Attached with this letter, you will find a court ordered restraining order. Those names listed will not be allowed on your new property without your express permission. And even then, they must come with armed guards of some kind. I will never allow them to find you, not without some kind of protection. I'll protect you as long as I can. It's been a year, and you're finally stable enough to come home. Nobody will ever hurt you like that again. Along with that, you will find a check signed for 12,000 gold. Now, don't you dare think this is too much. I have saved carefully, and want you to use it well. Use this wisely, my advice currently would be to help expand the old house. I know you love your space for music, and your cooking. I know so much more about what you need now, than I had ever wanted to. You're healing well. You're trying your best. I know you're going to recover, and rise again, songbird. Like a phoenix, I know it.
And I am so happy, and proud of you. I know you'll live the life you truly deserve at Hestia farm. So, smile for me, ok? Smile, and sing to the trees surrounding your new home.
Love, forever, and even after,
Grandpa
There was a tiny sniffle, she wiped at her face, tears spilling freely from her eyes. With shaking fingers, she folded the letter, putting it back where it had rested. That second voice in her head, the darker, constant, persistent demon who stayed with her now hadn't appeared at all while she read the letter. The hateful, angry voice that whispered about how she'll never deserve anything was silent now. A bitter chuckle escaped her. Seventeen, huh? That was an eternity ago...at least it felt like it. Of course, she was only 24 now so, maybe she's just being dramatic. Shocking.
When she looked out to the cleared patch of land, and the freshly raised soil, where a bunch of seeds sat, she hummed. The sun was a little lower than when she had gotten home, and she went to her kitchen. As she made herself some mint herbal tea, she watched a few birds peck around the grass.
A long yawn escaped her as she sipped at the tea, feeling oddly tired after all the introductions. Once the mug was empty, she set it in the sink, before turning towards her bedroom.
Before she could sit down, a flicker appeared in her mind. Emerald green eyes, a soft, timid voice, hair that looked like a sunset itself. Small, cute freckles, and a woman discussing fairy tale romances.
Her body twitched, and she shook her head. "No. No, no. Stop this. Need a distraction..."
Sam looked to a bow that rested near her bed, along with a quiver of arrows. With a determined huff, she stepped over the bow, lining the string up. As she properly strung it, she snatched up the arrows and went outside.
The farm really was beautiful. It was surrounded by thick forest, had small watering holes, and a pond. The trees provided a nice blend of shade, and sun. And with so many trees in this tiny forest, she was certain the dirt around here was incredibly fertile. As she kept watching the birds, she looked around for a tree that seemed empty. While she scanned, she sat on her porch steps, simply enjoying the air.
She looked to the bow, before standing. "Right...this is my home now. I don't need to ask permission...I'll set up some real targets some other time."
When she felt a breeze lifting her hair, she smiled softly. As she took an arrow, she aimed at a large, old pine that was surrounded by some old stumps.
The inner voice whispered to her, and she took in a deep, calming breath. 'See the target? See the kill point? Shoot. Shoot them down. Don't miss. You can't miss. If you do, you'll die. You won't get another chance.'
A determined narrowing of her eyes, and she let the arrow fly, the sound of the string vibrating helping to soothe that awful voice. She wasn't in danger. Not here. That voice can shut up about it now.
After a few silent seconds of staring at the arrow, satisfied at a metaphorically perfect shot, she went to pull it out.
There was another odd feeling in her body, and she stared at the arrow closely. When a pair of emerald eyes, and a face with cute freckles flickered in her mind, she dropped the arrow immediately.
Instead of anything cruel, or hateful, her second voice suddenly said something different. It didn't even sound the same, this time oddly surprised, and wistful. And it made her entire face go pink from a sudden bashfulness. Wow. Talk about cupid's arrow. Must be a master archer, that one.
The woman went back into the house, setting the arrow back in the quiver, and unstringing the bow. Her own eyes stared back at her as she looked into a small mirror near her dresser.
With a tiny sound, she shook her head. She was just tired. Today was exhausting.
As she nearly ran to her bathroom, she let the hot water run, filling her tub. She was just tired don't even worry. This meant nothing. She just needed a bath, and a good, deep sleep.
After all, love at first sight didn't exist, and life was no fairy tale.
Sam was certain that by morning these odd feelings would be gone, and she could go back to focusing on what to do in her new home.
These feelings were temporary. The odd sensation of being whole was surely just from exhaustion, and her life changing decision.
It can't be anything else, she was just being foolish.