Chapter 3

Midnight Rendezvous

(Vincent)

My father's reaction to seeing me dance with the Urielian princess had been exactly what I expected. I knew he had been hoping that one of the Desdemonian maidens would catch my eye rather than the Urielian Princess. His frustration and disappointment was written all over his face and even though I felt I should apologize just to clear the air between us, I knew it wouldn't make a difference because I wasn't sorry in the least.

The rest of the evening, including the flight home, was understandably silent. I applauded my father on his unusual amount of self-control, honestly surprised that he hadn't started bellowing at me as soon as I rejoined him on our balcony.

This is just the calm before the storm, I reminded myself. Be prepared.

The resulting explosion that erupted from my father's mouth once we were behind closed doors was of a magnitude I had never seen before. He had gotten angry plenty of times while I was growing up, but this was a completely different kind of rage. I did nothing but stand before him and accept it though. I knew what I had been getting myself into from the first time I followed Tifa outside and there was no use denying it.

"Just what in the name of all things holy were you doing?" he exclaimed, pacing furiously back and forth in front of me.

"Dancing with a beautiful woman. Wasn't that obvious?" I asked, staring straight ahead of me.

"Who also happens to be engaged to President Shinra's youngest son," he shot back. "When I told you to find a girl I didn't mean the Princess of Uriel! Don't you know why I invited all those young women tonight? Didn't you find any of them attractive?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed in resignation. "Father, I can't even remember their names. I appreciate that you're trying to help me, but none of those girls are royalty."

My father ceased his pacing and turned toward me, his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "And I'm assuming that because your little Urielian witch is, you think she's the better choice?"

I clenched my hands into tight fists at his insult. "Don't call her that," I growled, glaring at him.

His face suddenly became as red as my eyes and he advanced on me until our faces were only centimeters apart. "Vincent, even if she was the last woman left in the entire world I still wouldn't allow it! She's a Urielian and you are a Desdemonian! Now I don't care how you do it, but forget about her!" he yelled, storming out of my room and slamming the door shut behind him.

I remained still and silent, just staring at the wall for what seemed like hours. The last thing I wanted to do was forget about Tifa. I would never be able to erase her glowing face and dazzling smile from my mind even if I tried. I hated disappointing my father, but that was the only thing I refused to do.

I sighed as I removed the black ribbon from my hair, allowing the long ebony strands to spread out around my shoulders. I unbuttoned my jacket as I trudged toward my closet, exhaustion beginning to set in. I was eager to fall into bed and happily dream about my dance with Princess Tifa, but I was much too restless. I needed someone to talk to and my black Gryphon, Skandranon, was the only individual I could think of who would actually be willing to listen to my love struck rambling.

I hung my dress jacket on a hanger and straightened the black button up I wore underneath then quickly ran a brush through my hair to get rid of the tangles. I went to leave my room, but stopped short, my hand resting on the door knob. If I walked out the front door I ran the risk of being seen by servants, guards, and even my father, the latter being the most hazardous of the three. So instead I walked out onto my balcony and jumped off the railing, flying to the stables. After landing inside a grove of tall spruces, I called out to Skan and leaned against the trunk of one of the trees to wait for him.

I heard him approaching less than a minute later. "I'll have you know I was in the middle of a rather pleasant dream. I certainly hope this is important," he projected, attempting to pretend that he was annoyed.

I couldn't help but grin. He had always been able to cheer me up no matter what. "I came to tell you what happened at the ball to make my father so angry since I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk on our flight back home."

"Ah," he replied, one corner of his beak curling up in an animalistic grin. "It's about time. The suspense has been absolutely unbearable."

"I'm sure it has," I said, pushing away from the tree and pacing back and forth in front of him to collect my thoughts. After a few silent moments I took a deep breath and stopped beside him, burying my fingers in the feathers lining his neck to scratch a spot he couldn't quite reach. "I met someone."

The black Gryphon whipped his head in my direction, his blue eyes wide with shock. "Really? Is that why your father looked like he was chewing on a mouthful of dirt?"

I chuckled. His wit really knew no bounds. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Hmm," he huffed, leaning back into my hand. "I can't imagine why. He's almost desperate to get you married off."

"Well, about that," I began, clearing my throat. "The girl I met is the Princess of Uriel."

Skan's body went so rigid it almost seemed like he had spontaneously morphed into a statue. "Oh," he finally replied after half a minute of silence. "No wonder."

"And now I find myself conflicted," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I want to please my father, but in order to accomplish that I must marry a woman he approves of. He would never allow me to carry on a relationship with a Urielian."

"Hmm," Skan hummed, his chest rumbling. "Why don't you tell me more about her? I've never met a Urielian before."

I took a deep breath, slowly expelling the air from my lungs, and swept my hand through my hair. "I…I've never met anyone more beautiful. She's absolutely radiant, Skan, and unbelievably kind. I wish you could have met her," I said, feeling my heart start to pound against the inside of my ribcage when her perfect face flashed in my mind's eye.

"Well, it seems as though she's captured more than just your attention," he said, chuckling to himself. "You have yet to tell me her name."

"Tifa," I replied, the ghost of a smile spreading across my lips as I spoke her name.

"So how were the two of you able to talk? I'm sure you were smart enough to stay out of sight, yes?" he asked, narrowing his bright eyes at me knowingly.

"Yes, except for the dance we shared at the end of the night," I answered, knowing full well it was impossible to lie to him. I had tried and failed many times in the past.

"Ah, I see. You didn't mention that before. Seeing the both of you in such close contact is probably the main reason why he looked so angry. Poor Noctus was grinding his beak the entire flight." He paused and continued to look at me with the same narrow eyed stare, clicking his beak rhythmically in thought. "I sense there's another reason why you came to speak with me, Prince."

I fought the smile that wanted to spread across my face, not surprised that he was so intuitive. He did, after all, have a direct connection to my mind. He would have picked up on it sooner or later. "You're correct," I responded. "I want to see her again, and I'd fly to Uriel right now to do that." I turned my head in the direction of the City of Light and sighed heavily, wishing with all my being that I could act on that impulse.

Skan didn't say anything and the silence between us stretched on for close to a minute before I felt the edge of his wing brush against my shoulder. I frowned when I saw him circling me, a look of intense concentration on his face. "I may be able to help with that."

My frown deepened when he lifted his beak to my shirt and began sniffing it. "What do you mean?" I asked as he continued to circle me and smell my clothes.

"If the perfume I'm smelling is hers, I think I might be able to help you find her," he projected, stopping in front of me and sitting back on his haunches.

"That's brilliant, Skan!" I replied, feeling my heart lurch with excitement. "Let's go now." The anticipation I was suddenly feeling nearly made me take to the sky before Skan could say anything else.

"Hold on," he instructed calmly. "Are you sure you want to follow through with this? How confident are you that she feels the same way?"

His question made any trace of adrenaline disappear completely from my bloodstream. I hadn't even thought to consider something like that, but I quickly decided that I didn't care. If she didn't feel the same as I did then I would accept it and attempt to move on.

But what if she reciprocates? the voice in the back of my mind whispered.

Then that would change everything.

"I don't, but I'm still going to try," I answered. "I need to know."

A mischievous glint appeared in his intelligent gaze and I knew he approved. "Before we go, you know that we have Iron Claw practice tomorrow afternoon, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, I know. I'll try to get as much rest as I can once we return," I replied, beginning to feel my anticipation return.

Along with my duties as Prince of Desdemona, I was also the Captain of the Iron Claw Gryphon Riders, the city's aerial fighting force. If we ever went to war I would be leading the initial charge with Skan and the other riders.

I just hope what I'm about to do doesn't bring that about.

"I suggest we get going then," Skan said, standing so I could get on his back. "Now I shall try my hardest to locate her, but forgive me if I can't. I've never tried this before."

"I have faith in you, old friend," I assured him, climbing onto his back and scooting up behind his wing joints. "Your willingness to help is enough."

Once I was settled onto his back, he took off bounding through the trees and lifted into the sky when he reached a clearing. It wouldn't take more than twenty minutes for us to reach Uriel, which I always thought was strange. If our two societies disliked each other so much then why were our cities so close together? There had to have been a time when Desdemonians and Urielians got along because it didn't make sense otherwise. I had never agreed with my father's opinions about our white feathered neighbors. If anything, we might be able to learn from each other.

I concentrated on the shimmering lights of Uriel, knowing that wanting to pursue a potential relationship with the princess purely for diplomatic reasons was the wrong thing to do. That's what she had to deal with concerning Cloud and I didn't want to trap her like that. I wanted to offer her an escape, not stuff her into another cage.

(Tifa)

My mother and father gave me the silent treatment for the rest of our time in Midgar, including the flight home. I hadn't been expecting anything less so their disapproval didn't come close to spoiling my good mood. The memory of my dance with the Desdemonian prince kept replaying over and over in my head. My cheerful expression as I remembered what it felt like to be in his arms probably wasn't making my parents' attitudes any better.

Once we landed in the palace grounds I passed Fenrir's reigns off to a stable hand then quickly went inside the castle. I knew my father's temper would soon be reaching a boiling point and I wasn't about to stand around and wait for him to erupt. He would come find me when he could no longer contain his anger. Until then, I would act like nothing was wrong.

My lady-in-waiting, Aeris, was waiting for me at the top of the stair case. A frown marred her perfectly formed eyebrows and confusion was swirling through her emerald eyes when she saw what I was wearing. Even though my mother had insisted on helping me dress for the ball, Aeris had seen my ball gown earlier this morning. I knew she had been looking forward to seeing me in it so I was hoping she wouldn't be too upset with me for leaving it in Midgar.

"Where's your ball gown?" she asked when I stopped and embraced her. More than anything I needed a hug from someone that didn't know what had happened yet.

"I'm sorry, it's in my room in the Presidential Palace. That corset was unbearable. I had to get it off," I answered, backing away from her.

She narrowed her eyes at me, feigning disappointment. "I forgive you, I guess. So tell me," she began, looping her arm through mine as we began walking toward my room, "what went on this year?"

"Well, compared to last year, it was remarkably uneventful. Except for the part when I danced with the Prince of Desdemona," I replied, holding my breath as I waited for her reaction.

Aeris froze mid-step, turning her shocked face toward me. "What?" she said, unsure if she had heard me correctly. "Did you really?"

I nodded and tightened my grip on her arm, continuing down the corridor. "Yes, I did. It was magnificent."

"You need to tell me everything!" she replied, pushing my bedroom door open and ushering me inside.

After a short shower, I was dressed in my nightgown and seated in front of my vanity, recounting the entire evening to Aeris while she played with my hair. The whole time I had been expecting my father to come barging into my room, demanding to know what I had been doing with a Desdemonian, but as time passed I was beginning to wonder if I was going to hear anything else from him or my mother for the rest of the night.

"I wish I could have come with you, Tifa," she said, slowly dragging a brush through my damp hair. "I would have loved to see you dance with the prince. How did the waltz you danced with Cloud compare?"

I stopped myself from laughing. "It didn't. Cloud's technique is a mess compared to Vincent's." I sighed, suddenly wishing I could be in his arms again.

"From what you've told me, I think the prince fancies you."

Aeris grinned at me in the mirror and I smiled weakly back at her. "I'm actually really hoping he does. In all the years that I've known Cloud, he's never made me feel like Vincent did tonight. I don't quite know how to explain it. If what I'm feeling is wrong, then what's right?" I said, staring at my reflection. "Should I just forget about him and marry Cloud?"

Aeris sighed and laid her hands on my shoulders, squeezing them softly. "That decision is only for you to make," she advised, smiling at me reassuringly. "You may be princess, but it's still your life. I'll support you no matter what."

"Thank you," I replied, placing my hand on top of hers. "You have no idea how much I appreciate that."

That's when I heard the heavy footsteps quickly approaching and I knew my father had finally reached a breaking point. I sighed and resigned myself to my fate. Hoping that he wouldn't come looking for me had been wishful thinking on my part. I winced when my door burst open and my father entered the room. For a moment I was too frightened to meet his gaze, but I knew there was nothing I could do to avoid it.

"Miss Gainsborough, if you would excuse us. I need to have a word with my daughter," he said politely.

"Of course, Your Majesty," she replied, sending one last encouraging glance my way before walking out.

I sighed once more and prepared myself for a very long night.

So to summarize the nearly three hour conversation where my father did more yelling than talking, I was told I had become an embarrassment to him as well as the entire Urielian community and if I ever came into contact with Vincent again the consequences would be severe. I knew from firsthand experience that he wasn't making empty threats, but never seeing Vincent again wasn't an option. In my opinion, the pros outweighed the cons.

Before leaving, my father dropped a bomb on me. In the morning I would be going to live in Midgar so I could spend more time with my husband to be and forget about the Desdemonian prince. After hearing that it felt as though the sky had come crashing down around me. I had no idea how I was going to see Vincent again to begin with, but now it would be practically impossible. It took all of my will power to keep from collapsing to the floor in defeat. The level of emotional and mental stress I was under – paired with my physical exhaustion – made me wish I could bury myself inside my blankets and refuse to come out.

I doused the oil lamps that were stationed around my room, the glow of the moon outside and the candle burning on my bedside table the only sources of illumination. I then gladly collapsed into bed, but began to sob into one of my pillows and wished there was something I could do to change my father's mind. None of this was fair. My parents had decided what path my life would take without even asking what I wanted and now that I had actually found someone that made the catastrophic forward momentum of my impending future come to a screeching halt, I was forbidden to see him.

The last thing I wanted to do was give up before even trying, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it would more than likely be a worthless endeavor.

Right before I dozed off, I heard muffled voices out on my balcony. I froze, the icy hand of fear closing around my heart as I began to wonder who or what was outside. The palace guards that patrolled the grounds at night never came onto my balcony unless there was a threat and, if that was the case, Aeris would have already come to get me. I carefully crept out of my bed, keeping to the shadows so I wouldn't be seen, and began to slowly tip-toe toward my bedroom door. I squinted my eyes, trying to see what was going on, but the inky blackness made it impossible to make anything out.

When a dark shadow passed in front of the balcony door, I held myself back from screaming and nearly ran out of my room, but then a familiar crimson gaze materialized on the other side of the glass. I gasped and rushed to the balcony doors, throwing them open so violently they bounced back on their hinges.

"Vincent!" I exclaimed, throwing myself into his arms. A relieved smile spread across my face when he tightly embraced me, but realized a second later that he was in danger of being seen. I glanced around to make sure no guards were around then pulled him inside. "What are you doing? How did you find me?"

"I wanted to see you again and I had a little help," he answered, looking in the direction of my bed.

I frowned and looked over my shoulder, coming very close to screaming again when I saw a full grown black Gryphon lounging on my mattress like some kind of oversized dog. I promptly slapped my hand over my mouth to prevent that from happening. Vincent laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Tifa, I'd like to introduce you to Skandranon. He's my closest friend and flying companion. He's the one that helped me find you," he explained.

I stared at the creature with wide eyes, unsure of how to properly respond. "I-It's a pleasure to um…meet you," I stammered.

"The pleasure is all mine, Princess."

When I heard his voice in my head it was all I could do to retain my composure and keep from gaping. All my life I had been under the impression that Desdemonian Gryphons were no smarter than a Pegasus. To find out that was definitely not the case left me dumbfounded.

"If you don't mind me asking how exactly were you able to find me?" I asked, addressing the large Gryphon directly since he had proved himself to be sentient.

One corner of his mouth curled up. "Your perfume," he answered simply.

My eyes widened as I glanced back at Vincent. The animal's sense of smell was either extremely good or the perfume I had been wearing was more potent than I thought. "How is that possible?" I asked, glancing back and forth between both of them.

"Skan's sense of smell is just as good as his eyesight. He can pick up on the slightest amount of movement over a mile away so only one drop of your perfume was sufficient enough for him to find you," Vincent explained, chuckling slightly. "That's why his species are such good hunters."

"That's amazing," I replied, smiling in Skan's direction. I scrunched my nose up in thought, unsure how to ask my next question. "So I'm not exactly sure how to word this, but how did the two of you…um…" I trailed off and covered my face in embarrassment, tempted to run into my bathroom and lock myself inside until I was certain I wouldn't make a fool out of myself.

Skan's laughter drifted through my mind, which only succeeded in making my blush deepen. "I think she's trying to ask how we met, Your Highness." I glanced at him through my fingers and saw a mixture of playfulness swirling through his intelligent blue eyes.

"Ah, of course," Vincent responded, placing his hand lightly on the small of my back and leading me over to the small two person table I drank tea at with Aeris every afternoon. "Let's sit and we can talk further."

Just as I was getting ready to sit down, Vincent gracefully stepped in front of me and pulled out my chair. The corners of my mouth twitched as I thanked him and sat down. It was a rare occasion when Cloud remembered the manners that he was being forced to learn so my astonishment over how polite Vincent was continued to grow. I knew then I would never cease to be amazed by him, even if these strange feelings I had for him led to something more. I attempted to regain control of my composure as he sat down across from me, smoothing his slacks in the process. Skan remained on the bed, but turned so he could engage in our conversation if he so chose.

"My city's army has an elite aerial fighting force called the Iron Claw Gryphon Riders that we are a part of. Skan and I were matched shortly after he hatched."

"Remarkable," I said, folding my hands delicately in my lap. I had never learned very much about Desdemonian culture and, since everything I thought I knew about their Gryphons had just been proven incorrect, I was thrilled to be hearing the truth straight from the source. "How does that work?"

"Once the baby Gryphons hatch, they're presented to a select number of Desdemonian children and imprint with one of them. All of the riders call their Gryphon companions Bond Mates since the telepathic link stays intact for the rest of their lifespan," Vincent answered, glancing over at Skan. "I happen to be the Captain of the Iron Claw Riders."

My eyebrows arched in interest. "Oh, I see. Special privilege?"

Vincent chuckled. "Hardly. Just more responsibility." He paused and met my gaze, a strange glimmer that I couldn't decipher passing through his crimson irises. "But I didn't come here to talk about my Princely duties."

My heart fluttered in my chest and I knew what he was implying without needing to ask what he meant. "Yes, I know." I sighed and swept my hair over one shoulder, slowly combing my fingers through the soft strands. "Let's get down to it then. In all honesty, ever since our dance ended I've been trying to find some kind of logic in what I'm feeling and I can't. None of it makes sense, but I know in my heart that we were supposed to meet. What happens next is something we both need to think long and hard about."

Once I was done speaking the silence hung in the air between us for many long moments and I carefully studied his face to see if I could figure out what was going through his mind. The intensity in his eyes though left me feeling out of breath and I was forced to look away from him so I could regulate my breathing. Even though it had only been a few hours since my departure from Midgar, the feeling that I wouldn't mind looking into those hauntingly beautiful eyes for many years to come was an intriguing prospect.

"I agree," he replied, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "If you don't mind me being very blunt, I don't think that Cloud is deserving of you. I can tell that outside appearances mean very much to him – to his whole family, in fact. You're a beautiful woman, Princess, and you deserve a beautiful life."

My cheeks flared bright red, which made me thankful for the minimal lighting in the room. No man, not even my father, had said such words to me. I breathed in deeply to calm myself before I continued. "So would being with you be included in that?" I asked, smiling coyly at him.

"Well, you are a princess, after all, and, without sounding condescending, I am a prince. If our cities were on better terms with one another we would make a rather smart match," he responded, smiling back at me.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, my next question swirling through my thoughts like an angry storm. Considering what he had just said, I was fairly certain I would get the answer I was looking for, but that didn't exactly mean I should ask it. This one question could change both of our lives and whether or not it would be for the better was yet to be determined.

"I suppose there's only one question left then," I began, knowing there was no turning back. "Would a secret relationship be wise?"

Vincent's eyes briefly flicked in Skan's direction and I guessed that the black Gryphon had said something privately to him. "Wise? No," he answered and I couldn't help the disappointment that began to spread through me. "It's forbidden, we both know that, but after spending so much time with you this evening I could very well call myself a fool for not exploring this further. It doesn't matter what your wings look like."

I was struck speechless at Vincent's answer, especially since I hadn't liked how it started. The fact that I hadn't been rejected made it even more unbelievable. Of course, I had been happy to hear those words, but it only made the next thing I had to tell him that much harder.

"I have some bad news unfortunately," I said, reluctantly meeting his gaze.

His dark eyebrows twitched and confusion briefly flashed through his eyes. "What is it?" he asked, sounding concerned and slightly hesitant.

I breathed in deeply and swept my fingers through my hair, noticing that my hand was shaking. "In the morning my father is sending me to Midgar. He wants me to be around my…fiancé as much as possible until our wedding," I said, hardly able to identify Cloud as my future husband now that Vincent was in the picture.

I nervously chewed on my bottom lip as I watched him flex his hands into fists and fight to keep his face expressionless. I could tell by how many conflicting emotions that were flashing in and out of his eyes that he was having a difficult time accepting my news. I knew my leaving Uriel could pose a potential problem and it was looking like I was right so far. I crossed my fingers from where they were hidden under the table and hoped that Vincent wasn't going to completely reevaluate his answer just because of this.

My heartbeat involuntarily quickened when he took a breath to speak. "When exactly is the date set for?" he asked, his voice even more hesitant than before.

I sent him a reassuring smile. "Not until next spring."

He sighed heavily and I knew he was relieved. "The situation isn't as bad as I feared then. This is but a small stumbling block. I'm sure we can find a way around it."

I pursed my lips as I tried to figure out how that could be done. I had a feeling my father was going to assign a Urielian security detail to accompany me during my stay in Midgar so I knew that my alone time would be limited, especially if I would be expected to spend time with Cloud. That's when I remembered where I had taken Vincent just a few short hours ago and I knew the answer.

"The clearing," I mumbled, tempted to slap myself for not thinking of that sooner. "We can meet there whenever we want to see each other."

Vincent's eyes widened and I could tell he had forgotten that as well. "Of course! I should have thought of that earlier. Wonderful suggestion, Princess." The sincere smile that turned the corners of his mouth upwards made another blush color my cheeks.

"I hate to interrupt, but we really should be getting back to Desdemona, Prince Vincent," Skan projected to the both of us.

"Yes, you're right," he replied, rising from his seat and extending his hand out to me, which I gladly accepted. "Before I go I must say this. I formally request the honor of courting you, Tifa, Princess of Uriel."

Normally he would have to get my father's permission to make such a request, but this was not a normal situation. "I accept the privilege, Vincent, Prince of Desdemona," I answered without a second thought.

"Excellent. What time should we meet tomorrow?" he asked as we walked back to my balcony together.

"Not until late, like tonight," I answered. "You remember how to get there, right?"

Vincent smiled as he softly kissed the back of my hand. "I'm sure I can manage," he responded, reluctantly relinquishing my hand. "I shall see you tomorrow night, Princess."

"I look forward to it."

Vincent carefully opened the door and allowed Skan to precede him, turning back one last time to gingerly caress my cheek with the pads of his fingers. Skan looked back and winked at me as the prince climbed onto his back. I smiled and waved at him, sadly watching as they took to the sky. They disappeared into the darkness, leaving me wishing he could have stayed longer. The next time I saw him couldn't come soon enough.

A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers who have taken the time to read and review this story. All your kind words and encouragement is greatly appreciated. I hope that you'll continue to enjoy reading this and be patient as I stick to my rather long update schedule. It's regretably taken me a long time to regain my inspiration for this story, but I'm so excited to finish it now. Thank you again.