My parents came from two small villages that were on opposite sides of a small, craggy mountain known as Moondrop Mountain. Although the mountain was not terribly high as mountains go, the terrain was too rough for most vehicles, so people there either walked or rode to get from one town to the other. A trip over the mountains took a few hours even on horseback, so it wasn't something the villagers did very often, other than the mailman. Long ago, a tunnel had been dug through the mountain, making travel between the two towns much safer, easier, and faster. But according to local legend, the rivalry between the two towns reached such an extreme that the local deity became angered by the constant bickering and, as punishment, she caused the tunnel to collapse. That didn't end the feud between the villages, but it did diminish it.

Konohana was the village on the south-eastern side of the mountain, and due to its climate and the fertile lowlands around it, the farmers there raised a wide variety of excellent crops. Nearly everyone in the village had a little garden plot or a few fruit trees. My mother's parents had a large farm just outside the town, with huge fields of crops and a large orchard. She was an only child, so they expected her to marry a local boy and take over the family farm someday.

My father, on the other hand, came from the rival village, Bluebell, on the north-western slopes of the mountain. Because the soil there was poorer and rockier, it wasn't as suitable for raising crops. But it was suitable for grazing, so Bluebell's residents favored raising livestock over growing crops. My father's parents had a big ranch just outside Bluebell with plenty of space for their livestock and poultry. They kept bees and raised flowers, too. Sheep and alpacas did especially well there, and their farm was well known for the quality of its wool. And same as my mother's parents, my dad's parents assumed he'd marry a local girl and take over their ranch one day.

Contact between the two villages was pretty limited due to the difficulty of traveling, but the rivalry between the towns continued in the guise of cooking competitions. Each season, the residents of Konohana and Bluebell met at the peak of Moondrop Mountain, halfway between the two villages, for a series of competitions. Naturally, each town attempted to outdo the other in order to prove their superiority. That was how my parents met—through these contests. My mom was the prettiest young woman and the best cook in Konohana, and my dad was the handsomest and strongest young man in Bluebell. So it's not surprising that they noticed each other, but due to the fierce rivalry between the towns, I don't think anyone expected them to fall in love with each other. But they did.

They arranged to meet in secrecy on the mountaintop as often as possible, using the excuse of foraging for wild mushrooms and berries or fishing as an excuse to get away. It was pretty romantic, really, but of course they were eventually discovered. At that time, the rivalry between the towns was at its very worst, and both families had fits, demanding that they put an immediate end to their romance. But instead, they ran away together, choosing to forsake their families and homes rather than each other.

My grandparents were livid, each family blaming the other for their losses. But eventually, as time passed and they grew older, they began to regret their words and actions. They missed their children, and while still upset with them for leaving as they did, they also regretted the pride that had cost them so dearly. They hadn't seen their children in years and had never seen me at all. They wouldn't even have known of my birth, except that the cooking festival judge, Armand Gourmet of the renowned Gourmet family, ran into my parents in a restaurant not long after my birth. He recognized them and stopped to chat, then carried the news back to the villagers at the next competition.

Both families were relieved to hear their children were doing well and pleased to hear they had a child, but they were also offended at being so entirely excluded as to not even be informed of my birth. Afterwards they all altered their wills, leaving their farms to me, rather than to my parents. By a strange coincidence, both of my grandfathers died within a year of each other, and both grandmothers died on the same day a few years later, when I was in my very early twenties.

By that time, my parents had a large, successful farm of their own to manage, so they didn't resent being passed over in that manner. After we were informed of the terms of the will, we all sat down and discussed it. It was decided that I'd take on the old family farms back in their hometowns, as they had been willed to me, and my younger brother would stay on and eventually take over their farm. I think they were relieved that I had land of my own, rather than having to split the family farm between my brother and me. So I packed a trunk with my belongings, and along with my surefooted mountain pony, Lady, I headed off to inspect my new farms and decide which one would be my new home. I would have to choose between them, since it wasn't feasible to work both, at least not at that time, with travel being so slow.

I traveled by train to the station nearest the mountain, bringing my pony and cart along with me. From there, it took a few hours for Lady to traverse the road that led to the mountain. This road approached from the southwest, then split, with one branch leading to each village. As rough as it was to travel between the villages over the mountain, it was actually even longer to go around the mountain, which had a wide and rocky base. It was most of a day's journey from the fork in the road to either village, but it took two days to travel between via the southern road. As I approached this fork, I loosened my hold on the reins, giving my pony the freedom to pick her route as I tried to decide which farm to visit first. Lost in thought, I barely noticed a fox chasing a rabbit across a clearing to the side of the path until suddenly the rabbit darted across the trail. The fox, in hot pursuit of its prey, dashed across right in the path of my pony, running practically under her nose. Startled, my pony reared up and bolted, careening over the uneven path. I flew from the cart and landed on the rocky ground, and everything went black.

The next thing I knew, I heard voices as from a distance, and I felt as though I was just waking from strange dreams. I was bruised and sore, but luckily no bones were broken. I found that the voices belonged to an older gentleman and a middle-aged woman. I couldn't quite make out their words, but when I opened my eyes, they stopped talking and moved closer.

"Are you all right, miss?" the man asked.

"Is anything broken? Do you think you can stand?" the woman added.

I sat up and felt around the back of my head gingerly, then replied, "I think I'm okay. I don't think anything is broken, just bruised. I'll try standing...." The gentleman held out his hand and helped me to my feet. I swayed a little, then my head cleared and I steadied myself. I looked around, but there was no sign of my pony or cart. "My pony! My cart! It had all my stuff in it!" I exclaimed in dismay.

"Not to worry, dear," the woman assured me. "We spotted your pony just up the path. She appears unharmed, though she should probably be checked out."

The man added, "As far as we can tell, nothing has been lost from the cart. At least, we didn't see anything strewn about. The cart itself looks in need of a few repairs, though."

I looked around and noticed that the sun was quite a bit lower in the sky than I last remembered. I wondered how long I'd been out. "Now why don't you tell us about yourself while you rest a bit?" the woman said, looking at me curiously.

"First things first," the man interrupted. "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Rutger, and I'm the mayor of the village of Bluebell."

"And I'm Ina, mayor of Konohana," the woman added.

"Oh, what luck!" I exclaimed. "I'm Alice Tremayne, and I've just inherited farms in both villages. I was coming to inspect them and to decide what to do with them."

The mayors looked at each other, and I thought I sensed a brief flare of hostility. "So you must be Paul and Anna's child. We'd heard that their parents had left everything to you," Rutger said.

"And that you'd be coming out to visit both farms and villages soon," Ina added. "Well, why don't you tell us which town you'd like to live in and we'll get you settled? Though of course, as a real farmer, you'd be most interested in Konohana. It's a traditional village styled after the homelands of our Asian and East European ancestors, and we have wonderful, fertile fields perfect for growing crops."

"Nonsense! As the scion of a long, proud line of ranchers, she'll want to focus on livestock as any good rancher would. And Bluebell has the best animals by far—we love animals in our village."

Both mayors glared at each other—there was no mistaking the hostility this time—and then turned to me, waiting expectantly for me to choose between them. Still feeling woozy and shaky from my accident, I wavered, uncertain which farm I should start off with. Finally, with a glance at Lady, I chose Bluebell. I figured if she had injured herself at all, I'd have a better chance of getting her treatment there. Besides, it was easier to move livestock than to move crops, and I wanted to try both farms eventually.

So I stood up straight, and said "I think I'll start out in Bluebell and see how it goes. Thank you both for your help."

Rutger looked triumphantly at his rival. Ina, evidently disappointed, replied, "If that's what you wish. But remember that you will always be welcome in Konohana whenever you change your mind." With that, she turned on her heel and strode over to her wiry brown pony and rode back along the path towards her village.

Rutger walked me to his fat little dappled grey pony, and insisting that I ride, he helped me up and then went to fetch my pony and cart. When he returned a few minutes later, I saw that Lady appeared slightly lame in one foot and that my cart had some minor damage. Rutger walked alongside me as I rode his pony, leading Lady as he walked and talked, telling me about his village and the people that lived there. My head was in such a state, though, that I didn't take in much of what he said.

He took me to my farm and helped me unload my few possessions. He set the bundles down and suggested I head straight to bed to rest and leave the cleaning and organizing for tomorrow. My head was throbbing by that point, so I was inclined to agree. He said he'd drop off my pony and cart at the pet shop, to have them looked over and tended to as needed. With that, he wished me a good night and left me to get settled into my new home.