Our story actually begins many years ago, when a young teenage boy named Quentin Maxwell first caught sight of the equally young and very beautiful Lydia Flavio.
Lydia was shopping at a local grocery stand, and Quentin was instantly smitten. So smitten, in fact, that by the time he got his wits about him, she was gone.
Young Mr. Maxwell asked the grocery stand owner, as casually as he could, who that girl was. Agatha Crumplebottom smiled knowingly and said, “That’s Lydia Flavio. She’s visiting her Aunt and Uncle up on Olde Mill Hill. She’s quite pretty isn’t she?”
“Oh . . .um . . .well. . . I g . .g. . .guesso . . I mean . . . I . . .. just . . um . . . you know . . .she’s new here,” stammered Quentin.
Agatha responded, “Mmmmm . . .well, if you’re interested in people who are new here, that young gentleman over there is new in town. He’s a writer, here for the summer."
"And that couple over there - the ones who don’t realize how lucky they are I’m in the booth today and not my sister - they are here from San Myshuno on their honeymoon." She looked around. "Oh, and that little family, over there in the park area - they just moved in, right here in town," Agatha finished.
Quentin looked around nervously as Agatha smiled, and then he said, “Um, yeah, thanks, I gotta go.”
As he started to ride away on his bike, Agatha called out, “Wait a minute. Did you come to get something? Maybe something your mother needs?”
Quentin stopped, walked his bike back and sheepishly said, “Oh, yeah, right. Here’s the list.”
As he rode off with his groceries, Agatha briefly considered that maybe it was a little bit mean to enjoy making him uncomfortable. But it was just a tiny bit satisfying to see a Maxwell so flustered. The men in that family are always so self-assured. And why not, with the way girls, and women, chased after them. Agatha felt certain young Quentin would have a surprise in store for him with Lydia. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
For the next few days, Quentin rose early to finish his chores and get into town, where he hung out all day, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lydia. After three days, Agatha took pity on him and called him over. “Mr. Mason, you seem to have plenty of time on your hands today, and I have an errand that's just perfect for you."
Quentin had no desire to be sent off here, there, and yonder on some errand that would possibly make him miss his chance to see, and maybe even meet, Lydia Flavio. Still, one does not say no to Agatha Crumplebottom. “Sure . . .um. . . I mean . . . what is it?”
“I have this package for the Flavios up on Olde Mill Hill. I was wondering if you might be able to ride it up there on your bike.”
Quentin was surprised and quite pleased. But he said, as casually as he could, “Oh, well, yeah, ok. I mean, if you really need me to."
Agatha handed over the parcel and smiled as she watched Quentin pedal furiously off toward Olde Mill Hill.
When he finally made it all the way up the hill to the Flavio place, Lydia was nowhere in sight. So he did the only thing he could think of to do. He offered to help with the chores on the farm. He didn’t want to do more chores, but he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving without seeing her.
Lydia, of course, was completely unaware that she had an admirer. She had seen Quentin in town, but hadn’t paid him much attention. Oh, she noticed how attractive he was, but in her experience, young men that attractive generally thought way too much of themselves.
However, as she came across the yard after feeding the chickens and saw him there with her Uncle Dan, she had to admit he did take her breath away, just a little. Uncle Dan introduced them.
“Ah Lydia! This is Quentin Maxwell. His family lives just over the way. He’s come on an errand from Ms. Crumplebottom to bring us some of that fertilizer she was telling us about. And he’s offered to stay awhile and help with chores since we’re down a man.”
Quentin hadn't actually known that the Flavios were down a man and thought himself to be very lucky.
The Flavios normally had the help of a young man they’d hired as a teenager to work on their farm. Mason Cordova’s family were not farmers, but Mason had taken to the life like a duck to water. He was off in Windenburg right now to marry a young woman who had been vacationing in Henford-on-Bagley for many years. But he’d be back after the honeymoon.
Uncle Dan: “Why don’t you two go feed Sally and Joe.” Sally was the family llama, and Joe was the cow. Lydia smiled and said, “Sure. Come on. I’ll show you.”
And that was all it took. Young Quentin was over the moon. But Lydia didn’t fall quite as fast. Quentin came back every day to help with chores and slowly but surely, he whittled away at Lydia’s resolve and wormed his way into her heart.
After that, they were together nearly every day from early morning to well into the evening. All through the rest of the summer.
Aunt Lucy warned her to be careful with him. The Maxwells were not known for their tolerance for folks who weren’t like them. In fact, Quentin’s great great grandfather had been instrumental in running off all the spellcasters in the area about 150 years ago. Four spellcasters who refused to leave were found dead, although the local constable ruled all those deaths accidental. Not long after, a vampire clan came to visit. But they didn't stay long. Word has it that they left with one less clan member than they came with and that the loss was limited to one only because they vowed to leave and never return.
But that was 150 years ago, and Quentin was not his great great grandfather. Nevertheless, Lydia decided to keep quiet about her heritage.
As the time neared for Lydia to go back home, they began talking about the future. Their future together, to be exact.
They would both finish high school soon, and neither really wanted to go to college. They talked about traveling the world together and then eventually buying a farm in Henford-on-Bagley and settling down to have a family of their own. It was all so romantic.
Lydia went back to Willow Creek, and Quentin went back to high school in Henford-on-Bagley. They wrote to each other almost every day.
They told each other about little things going on in their towns, they shared tidbits about school, and they wrote longingly about the future when they would always be together. But even as they wrote about it, Lydia knew that their future could be in jeopardy when she finally told Quentin about the two secrets she was keeping from him. Would he love her enough to forgive her for not telling him sooner? Would he still want to be with her forever once he knew? Lydia was both afraid and eager to know the answer. But she wouldn’t write about it. She needed to tell him these things in person.
So she asked her Aunt and Uncle if she could spend the next summer with them and she saved up her money from babysitting and her part-time job to make the trip. In her last letter to Quentin before summer, she told him to meet her at their special place, and gave him the date and time.
When summer rolled around, Lydia packed her bags, and headed back to Henford-on-Bagley, this time with a little traveling companion. Her Aunt and Uncle welcomed her with open arms, and were absolutely delighted with the toddler she brought with her.
The following day, she packed a picnic and went out to the small pond they’d called “our little corner of the world”. As she came close, she saw that Quentin was already there, waiting for her. As soon as he saw her, he came running to her, nearly knocking her over, but grabbing her in a huge hug before she could fall. He was so happy to see her!
Then he pulled back and handed her a beautiful red rose. Lydia’s fear melted away. Surely he loved her enough that nothing she told him now could change things.
As they ate their picnic lunch, they talked and laughed, and it was almost as if they’d never been apart. Except for those two little secrets that never quite left Lydia’s mind. After they’d cleared up the remains of their picnic, Lydia said quietly, “Quentin, I need to tell you something. A couple of somethings actually.”
Quentin could see the seriousness in her eyes and he waited, thinking surely she was not going to break up with him.
She pulled out a photo and showed it to him. “This is Josette. Our daughter.”
“Daughter? What?!?” He cried. “I don’t have a daughter. What are you talking about?”
Lydia was taken aback by the anger in his voice, but she pressed on. “I didn’t want to tell you in a letter. But actually you do. We do. Have a daughter.”
Quentin: “A daughter? No, this can't be true! I’m too young to have a daughter. You’re too young to have a daughter. We have plans. About our life. Our life together . . . you and me. Anyway, how do you know it’s mine?”
Then Lydia became angry. “She’s a person, not an it. And her name is Josette. And I know she is yours because I haven’t been with anyone else.”
Quentin had never seen Lydia angry and her sharp response shook him just enough to make him think before speaking again. “Ok, look, I’m sorry. It’s just that this is such a shock. I wasn’t saying that you . . . I didn’t mean . . . I mean . . . . I’m sorry.”
Lydia softened a bit and said, “I know. It’s a lot to take in.”
"Yes," Quentin replied and then, with a slight bit of sarcasm, "And there’s more?”
Lydia: “More?”
Quentin: “You said you had a couple of things to tell me.”
Lydia: “Oh, yes, well. Maybe I should show you.”
Quentin’s eyes opened wide and he burst out, “You’re a Spellcaster!?” The anger was back, stronger now. He looked at Lydia and said, accusingly, “You’re a Spellcaster. And you didn’t think you needed to tell me that?!”
Lydia, tears rising in her eyes. “Does it really matter that much?”
“Does it matter?!” Quentin barked. “Of course it matters. We talked of marriage, Lydia! What do you think? I’m a Maxwell! Maxwells don’t marry filthy spellcasters. My father would never hear of it! I suppose that daughter of yours is a spellcaster too!”
Lydia: “MY DAUGHTER may or may not be a spellcaster. But make no mistake. She is MY daughter. You don’t need to worry about it one little bit. She doesn’t need you in her life, and I don’t need you in mine!”
And with that, Lydia turned and ran all the way back to the house at the top of Olde Mill Hill and started packing her things.
Her aunt came in asking “How was your picnic?” But one look at Lydia stopped her in the doorway. “That good, huh? I take it he wasn’t happy about Josette.”
Lydia looked up with fire in her eyes, and said, “No. And he was even less receptive to me being a Spellcaster.”
“Oh, you told him about that too, huh?" responded Aunt Lucy. "Well I guess I’m not that surprised. The Maxwell’s do tend to have a high opinion of themselves. In all the time we've lived here, your uncle has never shown that side of himself to anyone, but I suppose people will figure it out now.”
“Oh, no Aunt Lucy!" cried Lydia, realization setting in. "I’m so sorry! I didn’t think . . . I shouldn’t have . . . “
Aunt Lucy waved her concern away. “Don’t be silly girl. It was bound to come out eventually. And you needed to tell Quentin. A little bit because he needed to know. But mostly because you needed to know what you learned about him because of it.”
“But honey, don’t run off," coaxed Aunt Lucy. "You planned to spend the summer here. Stay. At least for a while. Let me love on Josette and you take some time to heal and decide what you want to do. You know, Mason and his wife Lily have a son about Josette’s age. They could have play dates. It’ll be good. You’ll see.”
So Lydia and Josette stayed. Mason built a sandbox for the little ones and brought Jaxson along with him sometimes to play with Josette. And Aunt Lucy was right. It was good.
It was good, right up until it wasn't, which was during the last week of summer.
There are no pictures of that fateful night, but late one evening, after Mason and Jax had gone home, three vehicles came up the long road to Olde Mill Hill. They stopped just before they could be seen from the house, and several men jumped out, all wearing hoods or masks. They were quiet, and went unnoticed at first. Then they lit torches and started running. Some ran toward the house, some toward the animal sheds and chicken coops, and others toward the crops. Uncle Dan caught sight of fire through a window and went to investigate, but he was too late. Everything went up in a blaze.
The animal sheds were burning and Sally and Joe were running around trying to find an escape. The chicken coop was alight and the roosters and hens were making quite a racket, with little chicks running here and there. Then the crops caught fire. Uncle Dan thought the house was still safe, but then he heard Lucy, Lydia and little Josette screaming. He turned and saw the smoke coming from the front of the house, and he ran upstairs to get his family out. He passed Lydia in the hall carrying Josette and yelled at her to get out to safety.
He ran to the Master Bedroom to find Lucy, but someone had apparently climbed a tree and thrown a burning torch into the bedroom. Lucy was trapped on the other side. Dan grabbed a blanket, soaked it in the hall shower, threw it over himself and ran toward his wife. He pulled her under the wet blanket and just as they started toward the door, the floor collapsed beneath them. They never made it out to see the huge sign in their front yard that said “Filthy Spellcasters GET OUT!”
Lydia ran with Josette all the way to Mason’s house. She didn’t know anywhere else to go. The local fire department came and put the fire out, but by then the farm was a total loss. Lydia was too heartbroken over the deaths of Uncle Dan and Aunt Lucy to care much about the house. Evidence of arson was clear, and several men were arrested. They all claimed innocence, but some were found guilty and went to jail. The ringleader was never identified, but Mason felt sure it was Alexander Maxwell, Quentin’s father. He suspected Quentin was there that night as well.
The burned-out farm was auctioned off, and Lydia didn't even want to know who bought it. The money was split between Lydia and her father, Uncle Dan’s brother, as dictated by the will. Once it was settled, Lydia hugged Dan, his wife Lily, and his son Jaxson, and left to make a life for herself and Josette in Oasis Springs. Where no one would ever know the truth about them.
Lydia got a job and went about quietly raising her daughter. She gave no sign to anyone ever that she was a spellcaster. And she watched her daughter like a hawk, checking for any sign that Josette had inherited any extra ‘talents”. She knew that any powers Josette might have wouldn’t manifest until she was a teen, but still, she watched.
Lydia and Josette stayed mostly to themselves, but Josette grew, as children do, and before long, it was time to start school. Josette begged to go to the park before the end of summer, and Lydia relented.
Josette seemed especially keen to play with one little boy. His curly dark hair, green eyes and easy smile had a hint of familiarity, but Lydia was sure she hadn't seen him in their neighborhood. But when he called out to her daughter, "Hey Josie, let's go swing" she knew exactly who he was. There was only one very small person who ever called her daughter "Josie". And she had called him "Jaxxie". But what was he doing in Oasis Springs?
When Lydia called Josette to leave, Jaxson followed her over. "Hi!" he said cheerfully. "I'm Jax."
"Hello, Jax," said Lydia, with a smile. "Do you live here in Oasis Springs?"
A sad look came over his face as he said, "No, I live over in Windenburg. Me and my mom moved in with my grandma because she's sick and my dad died."
Lydia fought back the sudden tears and pushed as much of the emotion from her voice as she could. "Oh, Jax, I'm so sorry to hear that," she said.
"Yeah, I know," he said slowly. He stared at the ground for a few seconds, and then he looked up, brightening, and said, "But hey, I made a new friend today. My mom always says when you feel sad, think of one good thing and just focus on that. Josie's my one good thing today!"
Lydia smiled, still fighting tears, and said, "Well it's very good to meet you Jax. I hope we'll see you again."
It took a little effort, but Lydia was finally able to make contact with Lily, and they enjoyed renewing their friendship. Which meant Jaxson and Josette got to spend time together too. The women talked about the fire once, and then never brought it up again. Lily shared only basic information about Dan's death from cancer. And they never talked about those things in front of the children.
As Josette approached her teen years, Lydia was torn about whether she should tell her daughter about her heritage. If she told her, Josette might start trying to manifest some sort of power. Or she might tell others about her family background. But if she didn’t tell her, and Josette did start manifesting power, she would be so surprised and confused. Lydia truly didn’t know what to do. Day by day, she decided to think about it tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Jaxson and Josette remained the best of friends, always together and never having so much as a squabble. Jaxson was slightly older than Josette, so he aged to teen first, with Josette aging up a few days later. At Josette’s birthday party, Lydia glanced outside and what she saw brought back a painful memory.
Lydia pushed away the memory before it could make her feel sad. Or worse yet, angry. And then smiled as she watched her daughter have her first kiss.
And then she saw it . . . just a few tiny sparks from her daughter’s hand. She didn’t think Josette even noticed, she was so focused on Jaxson. But Lydia knew it was time for them to talk.
So after Jaxson left, Lydia sat down with Josette and told her about their family background. Josette had a lot of questions, and Lydia answered them all carefully. She didn’t want magic to sound too attractive. She needed Josette to see it for the danger it held. She explained what happened to Uncle Dan and Aunt Lucy, and repeated again and again how important it was that no one ever learn that they were descended from spellcasters. She didn’t mention the faint sparks she’d seen fly out from Josette’s fingertips.
But Lydia did tell Josette about their days on the farm and showed her pictures of Josette and Jaxson playing together as toddlers. That helped take Josette’s mind off of magic as she couldn’t wait to show the pictures to Jaxson. Of course Josette told Jaxson everything her mother had said. Jaxson had heard about the fire from his father, but Mason had never acknowledged that anyone in the Flavio family really was a spellcaster. Jaxson vowed never to tell anyone what Josette had told him, and Josette knew that she could trust him.
The news that they had played together as toddlers only increased their certainty that they were meant to be together. After that, Jaxson and Josette were inseparable. They spent as much time together as they possibly could.
They went to Mt. Komorebi for some fun in the snow.
They sang Karaoke in San Myshuno.
And they danced their way through Windenburg.
Josette was eager to explore her spellcaster abilities, but she didn’t want to upset her mother. So it would have to wait until she and Jax graduated from high school and got their own place together, away from Lydia’s watchful eye.
Watcher Note: This backstory takes place in a separate file, with versions of the Cordova founders that were aged down. None of this is actually part of the Dynasty save file.
