A New Year in Valsa

Welcome!

This is the second book in a story about Jev and his friends, a story inspired by farming sim games like Harvest Moon, Sun Haven, and Stardew Valley. If you're new here, don't worry—I've tried to write this in a way so that you can dive right in and enjoy. And for returning readers, thank you so much for coming along on this adventure again.

N.B.: There was supposed to be a standalone Hallowe'en story which was to be published in the spooky season. I was a little late in getting it done for Halloween, but I've since written this chapter while waiting for it to clear its pending status, so keep an eye out for that to go live at some point, too.

-RBG

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Jev stood at the southern end of his field, looking back towards the house over the plot of beans that were growing happily. It was overcast and cool today, a pleasant change from the scorching heat of the past few days. Summer had come in like a lion, and he'd had to be extra diligent to ensure the beating sun didn't fry the young plants. He'd taken out a loan shortly after his trip home to Garnaca and had used it to upgrade the farm with an irrigation system which drew from the creek. The temperature had spiked shortly afterwards, which made Jev extremely happy for having made the investment.

The beans themselves seemed to be thriving. The plants grew quickly and strongly under the influence of Dione, the dryad who lived within the grand oak tree at the far end of the field, near the house. Small purple-white flowers were starting to appear on some of the largest plants and clinging vines were reaching up from the plants to the highest strings of twine he'd planted for them to grow. He'd made a habit of starting each day with a walk down the field, just to see how things had changed from the day before. He'd been sceptical at first of taking over the farm. Even with one field with one crop, it seemed overwhelming, especially since he was a cubicle jockey from big-city Balisport, hardly an obvious candidate for farm work. Had it not been for the passing of his grandfather, and his inheritance of this farm, he probably wouldn't be here.

"Well, I may not be the best farmer,"

Jev thought,

"but I am out standing in my field."

He smiled at his little joke, disappointed that he had no one to share it with.

This was something that soon changed, as four feminine figures exited the house shortly afterwards, walking almost in lockstep towards him. He watched them approach, curious. It was uncommon that all four of his girlfriends were around the house at the same time, much less coming to visit him in the field. Their unhurried pace suggested it wasn't an emergency, and if there needed to be "A Talk", then this would usually happen before or after he started work. They seemed to be talking and laughing between themselves casually, so it didn't seem like there were any tensions, either. Jev walked towards them, eager to find out what the excitement was about.

Jev met them halfway down the field, the gentle whisper of the breeze through the crops replaced by the sounds of conversation and laughter. Cyd was the first to address him, her golden eyes glinting.

"Out surveying your domain?" With her shoulder-length hair dyed a vibrant purple and her tall, muscular frame, she was the mischievous, energetic core of the group, and looked the part, which reflected in the fierce, quick grin of her human form.

He wasn't able to answer before Dione jumped up on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him and meeting his lips with hers in a sweet kiss. He smiled at her, lowering her to the ground as he replied. With her long, flowing green hair and mossy green eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the sunlight, Dione's beauty felt natural and effortless, and she had a playful and gentle spirit that always seemed to centre him.

"Something like that. My subjects are looking a little green at having to share my attentions, though. What's up?"

Sam was the one to reply, mischief flickering in her green, catlike eyes. Her silver hair flowed in impeccable waves down to the purple skin of her shoulders, and there was a confidence in her stance that always seemed to draw the eye and promise anything you could want.

"Well, it's almost the New Year Festival, and we've decided to grant you a great honour."

His eyebrow rose, and he pulled off his blue Severna Catapults hat to scratch his scalp.

"Seems to me you four do that just by hanging around."

Riva stepped forward, holding her tail in her hands, the green of her scales brilliant in the outdoor light. Her tongue flicked out nervously to clear one of her warm, amber-coloured eyes, and she looked back at the others for confirmation before speaking. "We decided that since you've never had a chance to take part of New Year festivities here, you should get to be king of the Ember Hunt this year."

He looked between the four women, amused. "So, what does that mean?"

Dione took his hand, her touch gentle and warm. "It means we will give you our embers—little trinkets that we've made special for the hunt—and you have to hide them. And then, we have to find them before the new year."

Riva looked up at him, smiling. "If we find our embers, then we give them back to you with the new year to wish that the relationship lasts another year. And if it does, then you keep the ember to give to whoever's picked as new year's royalty next year."

Sam took over, leaning forward enticingly to show off her cleavage as she spoke, "And, of course, we're encouraged to bribe the king for clues."

Jev dutifully appreciated the view before, nodding sombrely.

"I see. Truly, a cultural tradition worth revering and keeping sacred." He grinned. "So, just what kind of bribes are up on offer?"

Cyd grinned back, a wolfish smile spreading across her face. "I guess that depends on just how desperate we are to get our clues."

"In that case, I'll have to make sure I hide 'em extra good. Make you work for it."

Cyd's grin deepened. "We'd be disappointed if you didn't."

All four of the women drew out their embers, entrusting them to his care. Cyd had made a small metal pawprint hanging on a silver chain. Dione's was a cross-section of a branch from her tree, marked on one side with a burned letter "D", and sanded to a silky smooth finish that reminded him of her skin. Sam removed a ring which she handed to him, a simple gold band with a ruby inset. And finally, Riva's was a simple river stone, polished smooth, with the silhouette of a lizard etched into its surface and then painted. Each woman handed their trinket over with a kiss, and when all four were safely in his hands, they turned and walked away, telling Jev he had to now hurry up and hide them.

He looked at the trinkets in his hand. He hefted them slightly, feeling their weight. It felt strangely meaningful, little personalised tokens, each representing a woman who'd come to mean the world to him. The tradition was fun but also felt more significant than he'd expected. A smile crossed his face at the idea of the four running around the farm in a frantic search.

He closed his hand over the embers. It was going to be a fun hunt.

***

Later that day, he showed up at Cyd's house. Two embers remained in his pocket. She was working on a project, but the welding wand was stowed, and instead, the werewolf had several large sheets of paper laid out on a workpiece and was mapping out a design with a Magno-Mark. The beautiful woman didn't have a tail in her human form, but if she had, he was fairly sure it would have been wagging.

"So, got everything hidden yet?"

He shook his head. "Two left. That's why I'm here. I wanted to hide something in your house, if you're not opposed to it."

Her eyes widened. "You're even taking things off the farm? You

are

making it tricky."

He grinned. "You have no idea."

She rested her elbows on the work table, chin in hands, grinning expectantly. "So... Mine hidden yet?"

Jev shrugged. "Dunno!"

Cyd stood up at that, confused, and maybe just a little alarmed. "How do you not know?!"

Another noncommittal shrug. "I figured you've got the werewolf senses. Maybe you sneak a little perfume or something you can track onto the ember, or maybe onto me when you hand it over. So, I sealed it inside something, as airtight as I could get it, and had someone else hide it where I told them to, so you don't have a scent trail to it."

Cyd pressed a hand to her chest in mock indignation. "You think that I... I would do such a thing?"

He looked at her, nonplussed. "To get your ember before Sam? Yes."

She smiled guiltily. "I mean, if a little bit of metal polish happened to stay on the piece, I can hardly be blamed for that, now can I? I was in a hurry to get it ready!"

Jev gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. He turned, making his way into the house, to Cyd's guest room. Cyd had volunteered to take some of the boxes that he didn't have room for in his place. However, they were blocking the hiding space he had in mind. Cyd followed him to the doorway, leaning against it.

"So, will you give me even a teeny hint about where mine is?"

Jev grunted, relocating a box to a different pile. "Nope. You get to wait until hiding is done. Just like everyone else."

"Not even for a..." She mimed holding a dick entering her mouth, poking the inside of her cheek and bulging it out with her tongue to sell the effect.

He grumbled, lifting another box. "You're worse than a kid on Wintersnight!"

She laughed. "I hope you're not doing

that

to kids on Wintersnight!"

He sighed as he moved another box. "Look, you want a clue? Tell me what this tradition is all about, and I'll give you a teeny hint."

"You're on." She smiled, smugly, and began to tell the tale, as if reciting by rote a story she'd heard many times before. "The story goes that a long time ago, back before the Enchantments, there were a pair of lovers called Rhett and Tamisel. Tamisel's father was a minor lord of the land, and Rhett was just a hunter. Believing that a mere hunter wasn't good enough for his daughter, the father banned them from ever seeing each other. They couldn't even exchange gifts, for fear that her father would find them and fly into a rage."

Cyd was in full storytelling mode, enthusiastically reciting the tale as Jev moved boxes. "They snuck out to meet one evening, and Tamisel brought Rhett a candle, telling him to light it and keep it in the window, and she would see it and known that he was thinking of her. This worked great, until dad found out, of course, so he ordered Rhett off to fight in some distant war, and had his house and possessions burned so he had nothing to come back to. Thinking quickly, Rhett hid his lover's candle far from his home where it would be safe. He told Tamisel to look for it, and to keep it safe to give back to him when he returned."

Jev had paused, watching Cyd as she told the story. "So, did she find it?"

Cyd nodded. "She did, and every New Year, she would light it and keep it in the window to tell her love that she was thinking of him, waiting for the chance to give it back."

Jev grimaced. "That's a little sad. Did Rhett ever come back?"

She shrugged. "Depends on the version of the story you hear. Sometimes he comes back having earned a Lordship in war, demanding his right to marry Tamisel. Or the father dies while he's gone, leaving him free to marry. Sometimes, Tamisel dutifully lights the candle every year, and when the candle finally burns through, she dies of heartbreak. Because that's the kind of thing that people die of in old stories like this. Either way, the candle is the first 'ember' and that's what we celebrate."

Jev finally uncovered what he was looking for—a pair of heavy iron manacles bolted into the foundation of Cyd's house. He taped a small plastic baggie with the golden ring in it to the inside of the cuff, then started moving things back.

"So why don't they use candles anymore?"

Cyd shrugged. "No idea. Probably something to do with candles burning things down, but maybe just having a special token for yourself was appealing."

With the last of the boxes back in place, He could feel Cyd's gaze, watching him expectantly with a grin.

"So... Hint time?" She stood in the doorway with arms crossed, seemingly ready to keep him from leaving if he didn't drop some info.

He stretched, then crossed the room to caress her arms with exaggerated sweetness. The fact that this also put him too close for her to effectively swat him was entirely incidental.

"Alright, here's your hint: It's hidden somewhere between the farthest corner of the farm and the far side of Valsa."

She swatted at his shoulder, but he was somehow too close for her to put any force into it. "What kind of hint is that?"

He danced around her, exiting the room safely. "One that eliminates about 99.9999% of the surface area of the planet. You're welcome."

Hurriedly, he exited through the garage. Cyd yelled after him. "You're gonna regret that hint when I get my turn as Queen!"

Holding the remaining ember tightly, he exited the garage. One left.

***

When the final ember was hidden, he notified the four of them with a message in the group chat. All four showed as having read it immediately. They must all have been waiting impatiently by their phones for the signal. He expected they probably wouldn't immediately rush out to beg him for a hint. There seemed to be unspoken rules to the event that he wasn't entirely versed in, but he was happy to wait for them to come to him. For the majority of the afternoon, he got to enjoy the sight of the four women rushing around the farm, digging through the shed or the barn. Riva even jumped into the creek to check beneath the bridge—A hiding spot that he hadn't even considered.

With his daily tasks handled, Jev entered the house. It was still early to start supper, so he sat on the couch and started up the GāmBox to play something for an hour or so. A pair of warm hands gripped his shoulders tightly. The fact that he hadn't heard the unexpected masseuse enter the room paired with the broad, padded fingers told him without needing to see her that it was Riva. Gently her fingers began kneading into his muscles, the small woman's grip deceptively strong, the pads clinging to him with an unexpectedly soothing friction.

"Long day?" Her voice was light and musical, as she worked her way from his shoulders down to his shoulder blades, eliciting a quiet groan of satisfaction from him.

He left the game on the starting menu, the controller forgotten in his lap as he savoured Riva's touch. "Longer than I'd expected when I got up this morning, not that it's a bad thing. I can hardly complain about it now."

Riva let out a small giggle, her grip moving around to the front, working at his pectoral muscles along the collarbone. Her progress was slow and deliberate. He got the sense of her systematically working through the muscle, leaving the knots no place to hide. Her broad fingers seemed especially well suited to this, each touch almost feeling like she could read the muscle beneath the skin.

"Well, hopefully this helps. I want to make sure the king is feeling his best, after all." There was a playful edge in Riva's voice that suggested she wanted something, but she wanted him to offer it up without her having to ask. She reached further down his chest to his stomach, letting her small, soft breasts press into the back of his neck as she did. The ploy was transparent but also wasn't meant to be subtle. He let her continue her work, rubbing his stomach and chest in long, pleasant strokes, before he finally capitulated.

"I suppose I should offer a reward to my dedicated subject... I want two things first, though."

Her arm wrapped around his shoulders from behind, and she rested her head beside his. "What are those?"

"First, I want you to come over here and give me a kiss."

She wasted no time walking around the couch. He put the controller aside to give her room to straddle his lap as she brought her lips to meet his. A playful gleam was in her eye as she asked, "Ok, what's the second thing?"

He grinned mischievously and cupped the soft butt that rested on his thighs. "The second thing is that when you come back and ask for another hint, you promise to come prepared to give a massage with no clothes on."

It took her a moment to process what he'd said, but then her cheeks started flushing a faint blue. She smiled back coyly. "Well if that's the case, maybe I'll ask for a hint, even if I find it."

He dug out the phone from his pocket, shifting Riva slightly to access it. He fiddled with it briefly, and then Riva's phone mooed out a notification sound. "I got Manica to help making poems for all of the clues. Hopefully this isn't too easy... or too tough."

Riva eagerly checked the message.

"Where open spaces breathe and grow,

Out in the vast, where breezes blow.

In the dance of earth and light,

My trinket lies just out of sight."

Riva's face folded into a frown. "O... Kay, I guess that's a hint." Her eyes narrowed as her smile returned. "You're really trying to make sure I come back for that next hint, aren't you?"

"Well, you've got to earn it, don't you?" He squeezed her butt, receiving a gentle, happy chirrup from her in response. "Besides, the hunt is half the fun!"

She leaned in, her lips meeting his again, then parting slightly so their tongues could caress. "I'll let you get back to your game. I've got an ember—and maybe some massage oil— to find."

***

Jev was about to start supper—just some prawn and vegetable skewers on the grill—when Dione entered the house. She looked at him as he dug through the refrigerator with her hands on her hips.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

He looked at the bag of frozen prawns, then at the onion in his other hand. "...Is this a trick question?"

She grinned. "What kind of king cooks his own meals, seriously? Put all that away, I've already got something planned."

He replaced the groceries in the fridge and the freezer, bowing away from the fridge to give Dione her space to work. She pulled an aubergine from the crisper, holding it suggestively in front of her face, extending her tongue as if to lick the tip of it, and then caught his expression and started giggling madly.

"Go on. Go back to play your game. I'll handle dinner. And then, you can decide if it's worthy of a hint."

Jev wasn't about to give Dione the chance to change her mind. He rushed back to the living room to the sounds of clattering and clanking as Dione dug out the cookware she needed. It wasn't long before the room started to fill with the scent of garlic and herbs frying off, the smell rich and homey. As he played, the smells from the kitchen changed and became fuller. Despite not being much for eating, Dione cooked well, and the smells of basil, oregano, and something roasting soon had his stomach growling.

Cyd and Sam filed in, summoned via text message by Dione, and joined Jev on the couch while the finishing touches were put on the meal. Sam watched the gameplay, while Cyd enjoyed trying to distract him, up until he reminded her that she hadn't gotten a real clue yet and if she kept it up, she wouldn't get one. Leading to Cyd playfully sulking and Sam laughing at her. Finally, Dione appeared at the top of the small staircase to the kitchen, shining with sweat from the heat of working over the potbelly stove, and she called everyone to eat.

From outside on the grill, she brought in a large casserole of something with a melted, cheesy topping. A pan of hot oil that had been on the stove was moved to a trivet on the counter. She gestured to everyone to plate up, including a bowl of salad and some bread she'd bought earlier in the day. Her eyes twinkled with pride at the spread.