Leah grinned as she put down her paint brush and stared at her work in progress. The anniversary of her and the farmer’s wedding was coming up and so she was working on a nice painting for him. It was a depiction of the two of them on the Stardew Valley summit, looking out into the night sky, holding hands.

I hope he loves this, Leah thought, sitting down and stretching before glancing out the window. Oh, is it that late already? She could see the golden light of the late afternoon sun drifting through the window. I guess I should start preparing dinner then, she decided, getting up and covering her work with a tarp, better not spoil the surprise. He should hopefully be coming back soon.

He was out in the Skull Cavern today. When asked, the farmer mentioned something about wanting to reach floor one hundred, although for what reason she didn’t really know. But that was the farmer for you, always going off on his own grand adventures. Leah smiled as she started chopping the vegetables.

She didn’t think too much about the farmer when he’d first moved to Pelican Town. Sure, she was friendly towards him as he seemed like a nice enough fellow, but she’d never thought she’d marry him after only a year of knowing him. She made sure to give an extra helping of carrots in his bowl, those were his favorites.

She’d just finished preparing their salads when the door to the farmhouse opened. “Oh love, you’re back!” Leah greeted, coming from the kitchen, “how was your-” she gasped when she saw the farmer limping away from the door. “I take it you had a rough day?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” the farmer groaned, shutting the door behind him and placing his sword against the wall. “The serpents were relentless today, and I fell through several shafts, but at least I managed to do it, I got to floor one hundred.”

“So I take it no more Skull Cavern runs for you for a bit?” Leah asked.

“Exactly,” the farmer sighed.

The farmer looked and smelled like he’d just come from the skull caverns. His body was covered in scratches and bruises, he moved as if his muscles were made out of lead, and he smelled rancid. …