Author's note: Welcome to the first proper chapter of this Stardew Valley story! I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. By way of a content warning, it features an intersex heroine, large to massive breasts, oral sex, incestuous relationships, large cumshots, lots of exposition with a much smaller amount of sexual content, poorly translated conversations in French, and most importantly, a highly amateurish ability to write sexy scenes. These warnings will be updated per chapter as necessary. If any of these are of little interest to you, the reader, I offer my apologies.
I would also like to apologize profusely for using offensive terms to refer to intersex people in the prologue to this series. I have no wish to offend, disparage, or denigrate any part of this community, and I apologize for the egregious error.
Disclaimer: All characters engaging in sexual content are at least 18 years of age.
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Chapter 1: Welcome to the Valley
Spring 1, Year 1
Kaylia awoke early the next morning to birdsong and sunlight streaming through the window. Her sleep had been deeply restful, and as she got out of bed, threw on her new working clothes, and reapplied the red headband keeping her hair out of her eyes, she felt ready as ever to face the day and her new life.
Her eyes lit on a small package on the floor of the cottage; she must have missed it yesterday in her almost obscene haste to go to bed. She picked it up and set it on the small dining table, then went to inspect the tools the Mayor had mentioned. They were indeed old, but otherwise in excellent condition. The axe and scythe seemed to maintain something of an edge, and the mining pick and hoe also appeared serviceable, but everything could definitely use some sharpening. Her real reservations involved the watering can, of a size more suited to a small garden rather than a large-scale farming operation. Baby steps, Kay thought to herself as she turned back to the small package.
She opened the note addressed to her and attached to the top of the box. "Here's a little something to get you started! -Mayor Lewis" The mayor had signed it with a little smiley face. Kaylia smiled herself as she opened the box, pulling out packets of parsnip seeds. Lining them up on the table, she counted fifteen in total. Not bad, but we can do better. She knew she wanted to start small, but not that small. Looking through her wallet and counting the remnants of her discharge funds, Kay figured she had enough to expand her new parsnip patch a bit, but likely not enough to her taste. She'd have to see how much seeds cost first, at any rate.
"Well," she said, "time to tame the wilderness." Gathering her tools, she opened the door and stepped outside into the brisk spring air.
The first thing she noticed, now that the light was better and she wasn't completely exhausted, was the sheer scale of the property. The farm was nestled into a box canyon, and she vaguely remembered the Mayor mentioning on the drive over that the property lines ran right up to the canyon walls all around. The cabin was positioned on a small rise in the northeast corner of the farm, which afforded a fine view of the entire farm, at least as much as could be seen through the dense copse of trees and undergrowth. Over to her left was a large wooden bin with a lid, which Kay surmised was for outgoing shipments. Walking the length of the farm, she made note of a small cave set into the northern cliff face next to a path leading up into the mountains, and the ruins of a greenhouse near that. A small pond was immediately south of the house, and Kay found a larger pond on the southern edge of the property after pushing through a large tangle of tall grass and saplings. This is going to take some planning, she thought to herself as she returned to the cabin porch.
Deciding to clear out the space directly in front of the cabin, she grabbed the axe and pick and set to work. The trees came down surprisingly quickly, and the smaller rocks were simple affairs of pick-work. Work halted when Kay ran against an old growth stump, her axe unable to gain purchase on the harder wood. Until she could have her tools sharpened, it would remain, so it became a natural boundary for this first effort. Still, she was able to clear a surprising amount of space in a short while, and she went over the remaining grasses and small shrubs with the scythe. That done, Kay visualized a small patch of ground roughly 12 feet by twelve feet and started tilling with the hoe. As she worked, she calculated: four square feet of plot per packet of seeds should be about right. She figured that would need to be adjusted depending on the crop, but, again, baby steps.
The sun had risen in the sky perceptibly by the time she was done, and Kay stepped back to admire her handiwork. The smallish plot of tilled land was ready for seeding and watering. Splashing some water on her face from the nearby pond, she started to head east towards town, but stopped to consider. She was definitely feeling the burn, and she had plenty of time yet, so maybe it would be better to explore a bit. Grabbing her backpack, she turned north, to the mountains.
The mountain path was lined with evergreens, and the sound of birds and wildlife filled the air. Wild horseradish and leeks seemed plentiful in the hills, and Kay started gathering what she could for future use. She opened her senses to the world around her and was amazed at how bright and vibrant everything felt. The telltale signs of civilization were completely absent here; the air was fresh and clean, the trees and foliage were bright shades of green, what animals she saw were healthy and well-fed. It was a far cry from the drab, downtrodden, utter greyness of the Empire. She understood immediately why Daniel loved it here.
As she let her senses wander, she became aware of a pulse of... something underneath everything, just as vibrant as everything else. It swirled around her, seemingly just out of her perception. Kay wondered if this was the earth magic the wizards in the Capitol raved about incessantly. Supposedly, it permeated the Republic only, especially in places like this, and they suspected it was a factor in the superior quality of crops and animals compared to Imperial counterparts. Indeed, they also thought it sped the growth and maturity of same, though they couldn't prove it, and that was patently ridiculous, anyway. Still, seeing it in person, Kaylia had to wonder. She wondered why she couldn't pin it down with her own magical senses, but chalked it up to her Imperial origins.
Kay eventually reached signs of life, a large log cabin appearing as she walked around a bend in the path. Further along, she saw an older man tending a fire in front of a yellow tent. As she got closer, he appeared to be wearing a coat of treated leaves, and his white hair and impressive beard grew wild and unkempt. He eventually noticed her passing by, and Kay definitely got the impression that he was wary of her, as he likely was of all strangers. She waved as she continued along the path towards a large lake and behind what must have been Robin's house.
Reaching the lake, Kay noted the to small islands in the middle, along with the clamor of a mining crew working to clear a landslide. She thought she could make out another cabin to the northeast, but wasn't sure. She turned south and continued following the path as it switched back and downward past the front of Robin's home, a large, multi-level log affair that had clearly been a great labor of love and craft. A number of weather-monitoring instruments festooned the roof, and she noticed a telescope on the second-floor balcony. She could hear multiple distinct voices from within through open windows, though not clearly enough to make out words. She made a note to return and talk to Robin about her services in detail, and maybe meet the rest of her family.
Turning south, Kay finally reached Pelican Town proper. She could make out what were likely the general store, medical clinic, and pub in the center of town, with a number of houses and a trailer home scattered around to the south. Beyond them, the town's beach and pier were obscured by the treeline, with the Gem Sea beyond them. The telltale sounds of a generator came from the east, the local smithy, no doubt, and Kay turned to see both it and the town's library.
With a start, she suddenly became aware of a... gap in the vibrancy of the town, for lack of better terms. North of the smithy was a large warehouse-styled building, a nearby sign proclaiming it the local JojaMart. She shouldn't have been surprised by the encroachment of big business to this otherwise sleepy town, but the corporate slogans prominently displayed ("Life's better with Joja!" "Join us. Thrive.") rubbed her the wrong way. No surprise that Lewis forgot to mention this particular feature, as it seemed completely at odds with the rest of town. Kay was disgusted with how cold it seemed. Impersonal. Imperial.
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A tiny bell rang as Kay entered Pierre's General Store. She briefly looked over the shelves stocked with products, noting a wide array of products. It had a very homey, retro vibe, with several older posters (at least 30 years old, in some cases) describing wonderful brands and products that likely no longer existed. There were a few people browsing the aisles, and a woman with striking green braided hair in a shop apron restocking some of them. Behind the counter, a large sign proclaimed "If we don't got it, we can get it!"
Also behind the counter stood the proprietor, or so Kay assumed. Pierre was a man in maybe his late 30s, with brown hair parted down the middle and swept back, glasses, and a worn leather shop coat. He smiled brightly as he at last noticed Kay enter. "Welcome! Welcome!" he greeted her, waving her over enthusiastically.
This being her first time meeting someone un-escorted, Kaylia pondered how best to proceed. Obviously, she wanted to make a good first impression. Equally obviously, she was the recently-AWOL commander-in-chief of Gotoro military forces and one of the mythical Bladesisters, so a modicum of restraint might be called for. Lewis had already warned her that the town was eager to meet her, which meant deciding on a general response plan now. Time slowed around her as she reviewed her options, and eventually she settled on what seemed like it would be the most fun: enthusiastic eccentricity. She approached the counter and joyfully greeted the man.
