Author' Note/ Rant: Don't worry. KTS is not on hiatus, nor am I having a writer's block. I've been wanting to start a story like this for months now, before KTS: FV even came into being. I will still be writing it, along with my "baby"... My submissions were a little slow in the past few days because I've been on vacation, and the internet connection in this hotel sucks. Right now, I am typing this rant while my grandmother is watching The Matrix Reloaded (and loving the action). I'll shut up now...
It was a pleasure to walk in the night. Or at least for him it was.
It was not a still night. The river, coursing through the garden, eventually fell down with a thunderous, steady might. The wind was hardly gusty, but it was definitely more than a simple breeze. With each step, the grass made a crisp, crinkling sound that only the most skilled ear could here. Even the crescent moon did not seem at rest that night; it shone more brightly then usual. It fit his mood perfectly.
The light footsteps of another night visitor approached with haste. He turned and faced a woman, who ran towards him, holding up her dress. She stopped in front of him to catch her breathe, and crouched her weak body by the river bed.
"Why do you run?" he asked. "Have you not been ill?"
The woman slowly rose up and faced him. Her tiny yet regal stance made him take her seriously.
"I come with matters of state," she replied.
"Matters of state?" he asked sarcastically. "Surely, you do not really mean something else."
She sighed and smiled in submission.
"Alright. I come with matters of you."
He was satisfied.
"I thank you for your honesty. So… what is it about myself that troubles you?"
"You wish to venture there tomorrow, do you not?" she asked.
His eyes widened and then shrank back into sly, mischievous slits. His clever grin made her all the more nervous. She shivered as he put his hand on her shoulder but soon relaxed when his smile became sincere.
"I do wish," he said, "But I also must. You know that as well as I."
"They love us not!" she replied woefully. "What if you are discovered?"
"They cannot harm me. I do not care if I am exposed. In fact, it is inevitable that I will be seen…someday."
Her eyes became fierce and wild and terror. She dared to come closer and grasped tightly to his coat.
"And then what?!" she cried. "Do you realize the chaos that will ensue from your exposure?"
"I know it well… but never the less, I must go. I wish to go, and I will go. My mind is already made up."
The woman sighed and shook her head in resignation. She let go of his coat and gently laid her hand on his cheek.
"I cannot stop you?" she asked.
"No one can," he answered. "Not even myself."
The woman pouted and let her head fall.
"This will cause uproar!" she reminded. "You know this well."
"I have meditated the matter for years. But I am going. Besides, how can I resist such a beautiful girl?"
The woman nodded in solemn agreement.
"I am jealous of her," she declared. "You have watched her from afar, and you already adore her! I feel as if I'm losing you."
She stepped away and turned to the river behind him. At first, for a moment, she received no response, and the silence made her anxious. Suddenly, uncontrollable laughter erupted from behind. She turned and saw him stumbling towards the nearest tree. There, he leaned on it in amused agony. The woman was at a loss for words.
"So that is your true concern!" he finally replied. "By God, why are you never straightforward?"
She blushed in shame and scowled.
"That is not how it is at all!" she defended. "I would just be ashamed if my little brother went out and made a fool of himself!"
"I am four scores and seven years," he responded.
The woman stuck out her tongue. She turned up her nose and walked away from him in haste.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To my chambers," she replied curtly. "I will see you off tomorrow."
"That is a shame then."
"How so?"
"I was just leaving…"
The woman turned around to question him, but he already vanished from the garden.
"Typical," she muttered.
----------
Hours later and a great distance, another scene lay in motion. It was dusk in the country of Gelinde, when few people walked the streets and most were still fast asleep in their beds. Several merchants prepared to due business, like they always did, amidst chitchat and trivial conversation. After all, in reality, men gossip more than women. Among the few dozen, two merchants in particular were perpetrating the very act together.
"Have you heard the news, dear man?" asked Merchant One.
"That depends on what news you are speaking of," Merchant Two replied. "Many things occur everyday."
"Another suitor becomes before the court!"
"For certain?"
"Ay!"
Merchant Two spread out his jewelry onto the cloth covered table with meticulous care.
"That would be the fifth, am I right?" asked Merchant Two.
"Ay… not surprising though, is it. The princess is a beauty. None of her suitors care of her age either!"
"I would care not!"
"Good luck to you then," Merchant One replied sarcastically. "If his highness, the king, will let you get near her!"
"I was being facetious!"
The wife of Merchant One came with a load of goods in a sturdy cart. At a moderate distance, she saw her husband quarreling with young Merchant Two and shook her head in amusement.
----------
Deep in the center of Gelinde, the sun finally rose. On her opened balcony, Tifa stood, leaning forward on the rail, watching the early morning bustle of the palace. She sighed heavily, knowing that she would not have much time to herself for the next few weeks. Another man was coming to see her again.
"Princess!" a voice cried.
Tifa looked down and saw a girl waving cheerfully from below. She opened her mouth to speak back, but the girl was already running towards a tree, flanking the balcony.
"Yuffie, no!"
Yuffie paid no attention and began to climb up the tree.
"Why are you such a monkey?" Tifa teased.
"Not a monkey!"
Being the fast, skillful climber that she was, Yuffie was stepping onto the balcony before Tifa could protest any further.
"Going through the palace halls would be an annoyance," Yuffie defended. "You know that, do you not?"
Tifa rolled her eyes and went back into her suite, with Yuffie following close behind. As soon as they were deep enough in her chambers, Tifa swerved around and grasped Yuffie by the arms. She turned left and right to see if any maids or menservants were coming their way and breathed restlessly.
"Tifa…if you are about to ask favor of me, you know I will do it for you."
Tifa stared at her friend with wide eyes and smiled affectionately.
"I need for you to stall for me today," Tifa whispered.
"Stall…why?"
"I need more time to myself… I leave alone into the city of Royals within the hour."
"Away from the Prince of Kiel?" Yuffie asked. "Why hide? I hear that he has a handsome face…"
"And is a compulsive womanizer from what I also hear!" Tifa replied. "No dear, I will not. When he arrives, say I am not decent."
Yuffie sighed and breathed the bangs from her forehead.
"Alright… I will help you escape…for a while. Do not stay out too long, though. Your father has a nose for mischief."
Tifa laughed and kissed Yuffie on the forehead before running off into her room to retrieve her cape.
"I owe you, Yuffie! I will return before noon… I should not be long."
Yuffie shrugged her shoulders, found a lounge chair, and plopped herself down.
----------
Safe outside the palace walls, Tifa took the hood off of her head in the alley. With no tiara or make-up, with the help of not sticking around in the same areas, she would hopefully not attract attention.
"Maybe I will visit Elmyra at her bakery," Tifa thought.
Tifa held up a small, thick book in her hands and smiled childishly.
"And I want to lease this book out a little longer."
She left the alley with no further ado. Another shadow fell upon the walls as a man else watched her race towards her destinations. He did not immediately follow her, but neither was he uninterested. He decided to keep his distance until the time was right. With anticipation, he slowly licked his lips and chuckled.
Until next time...