Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
It had been fifteen years since the fall of the Cetra rule and every day that had gone by had been a painful reminder. People were miserable on the streets Nibelheim and the rest of the eastern continent. Every single day had been a struggle to survive. Many people had resorted to the life and styles of scam artists. That included the young, Cloud Strife and his best friend, Zack Fair. The two men were good at what they did, and didn't let mere sense of right and wrong stand in their way.
After the report that had stated that the Princess Aeris had gone missing, Cloud devoted his life to learning everything about the Cetras from the time each one of them woke up to what they wore on the holidays. He had been sincerely interested in knowing about the diseased family line. Unfortunately for Cloud, he never had a chance to put that knowledge to good use that was, until, he realized that if he found the perfect girl to pass off as Aeris, then he would be filthy, stinking rich once he convinced the empress.
Of course, Cloud had to include Zack into his plan, being best friends and what not. At first, Zack had been unsure about this plan and whether or not they would be able to pull it off. However, when the cash had been mentioned, Zack had been convinced to try it out with his best buddy.
"All we need is the perfect girl to play the part of Princess Aeris." Cloud stated.
"Are you sure we should be doing this, Cloud? Just wanting to fool the empress and all." Zack questioned.
"What do we care? This is for the money. Besides, if the empress buys it, think about how happy she will be to be reunited with her long lost grand daughter. Trust me, Zack, we'll be doing her a world of good, and we deserve a reward." Cloud explained.
"Good point," the raven-haired man nodded in agreement. "So, when do we start searching for Princess Aeris?"
Cloud shrugged, "Now?"
"Sure," Zack replied.
The two best friends walked into the streets of Nibelheim, hunting for their royal dutchess.
Meanwhile, the twenty- three year old, orphan Aery wore the clothes of a peasant. She walked out of the orphanage where she had been staying since she was eight- years old. She wore a yellow hat on the top of head while one of the workers of the orphanage led her to a large, black gate. The girl waved to all of her younger friends. Over the years, she had seen many of the kids come and go, but every each one of them always seemed to warm up to Aery quickly. There was just a familiarity that they all adored about, except for Scarlet, this.
Scarlet was always like the evil stepmother in Cinderella that Aery never wanted to have. In ways, Scarlet had always frightened the young children that stayed at the orphanage. There few children that
she was hardly ever nice to. But, so long as you did chores day and night around the two-story house, Scarlet liked you. Although, Aery did her fair share of the work that had to be done, she strongly believed that Scarlet shouldn't have been allowed to treat those kids like slaves; therefore, she never worked day and night just to please the easily-annoyed blond. Often that would get Aery into a whole lot of trouble, but she never backed down from what she strongly she believed to right. Yet, nothing sickened Scarlet more, when Aery would just smile at her, even when Scarlet did her very worst to the young girl. And, Aery knew that, which is why she secretly took great satisfaction in seeing Scarlet be afraid.
"Bye, everybody! Bye!" Aery shouted, still waving, hearing the shouts of the younger voices. "See ya!"
Scarlet rolled her eyes, shivering with her inner hatred for the girl. "Well, Aery, I can't say it's been great knowing you, but I'll be sad to see you go."
"Really?" Aery questioned, suspiciously.
"No," Scarlet giggled deviously, "but didn't you like hearing it, anyway? It's just one less mouth to feed."
"I'm sure there's a heart somewhere deep down." The brunette smirked, trudging through the snow.
"How nice of you, child, but you're still a pain in my rump. Now, you do know how to get to Gongaga, don't you? I wouldn't want you to get lost in the snow and die." Scarlet said.
"Yes, I do. Thank you for the concern, I think." Aery replied, fingering her necklace.
"Always in Midgar, right?" Scarlet questioned, reaching for the metal. "Only royalty can survive on Midgar, sweetie, and you… Hate to burst your bubble kid, but you aint no royalty. "I think you stole this necklace."
"Scarlet, that isn't any of your business, so keep your greedy paws off." Aery said, jerking away. "Goodbye!" Aery exclaimed, walking away from this mistress. She sighed in relief, knowing that was the last time she would ever have to deal with that woman's selfishness and her mind games. Aery couldn't be happier. "I'm free! Woo-hoo!"
After walking for a few hours in the snow, Aery began to wonder what working what a fish market would be like. She had never particularly liked how the smelled at any time. The very thought of her hands having to always have that kind of scent made her sick to her stomach, and Aery came to the assumption that she was going to loathe the rest of her life. After all, she had always wondered what or who was in Midgar waiting for her. As much as she loved her friends at the orphanage, she hadn't really every considered them to be her real family.
For once in her life, Aery wanted to find a home waiting for her. In that home, there would always be somebody waiting to greet her with open arms and a warm smile. It wouldn't even matter if there wasn't any gil to help them survive, just as long as there was plenty of love to spare. All of it sounded
sickeningly sweet to the young girl, but she knew that it was better to dream of the impossible, than to become a Scarlet, which was just as worse; that Aery was sure of.
Aery stopped walking for a moment, looking at a sign. It was either Gongaga or Nibelheim; it was either Nibelheim or Gongaga. Quite frankly, Aery didn't feel the need to have her hands stink day after day, at the expense of three gil a week. No. But, if she want to Nibelheim, she could easily find a train to take her Midgar, where there was something waiting for her. Still, that was a big risk to take, even if she found a home. Gongaga was clearly the safer choice, but was that a good enough reason to skip out on all her hopes and dreams?
Aery sat on a rock and pondered this a little more. She had absolutely had no clue what could be possibly waiting for her, but the necklace must mean something. But, on other hand, Gongaga had been a fairly friendly, little town. However, if Aery was honest herself, she would never truly discover herself or who she had been before she put into that orphanage, but at least she would be safe somewhere. Midgar couldn't offer that, unless she knew for certain what she was getting herself into. What a decision.
If only Aery had a sign to what she should do…
And, like magic, a small, red puppy came running out of nowhere, taking Aery's hat off of her head. He wagged his tail, as if he was telling her to follow him.
"H-hey!" Aery called, getting up. "I'm a little busy right now. I'm waiting for a…" Aery smiled down at the dog, realizing he was on the right side of the road, in which let to Nibelheim. "Oh, I see." Aery took the hat from his mouth, and placed it back on her head. "I can take a hint."
She sighed, letting all her fear overcome her for just a slight second. Yes, this was a big risk. Yes, there was a chance that she would learn that she would nothing. Yes, she could live to regret it. No, she wouldn't let her fears get the better of her. She wouldn't let all her hopes and dreams disappear without at least giving them a chance to be real. So, Aery gathered up all her nerve and her courage, and started walking.
Only for a brief second, she stopped. Aery turned her head to look at the dog behind her. She nodded and jerked her head slightly, motioning for him to come along if he wanted to. He responded with an excited bark, and ran to catch up with her. And so, the two friends began their journey to the past together.
This journey hasn't started out so badly. I've already made a new friend, Aery giggled to herself.