Chapter 3

"You're such a frigid bitch!" Rufus spat.

Cloud stood up and shouted, "How dare you!" She turned and stormed off. They had been arguing since lunch over the wedding details, onto which tradition of ceremony they would use.

Zack raised his head from his quiet conversation with Aerith to see the princess walk off. Aerith gave a worried look and was about to stand up but paused as Zack held her arm. "Wait." He said softly and watched as Sephiroth walk past them, going after Cloud. "Let him take care of her."

Aerith gave a soft smile and sat back down. "You're right."

Tseng stood up and turned to Rufus. "That was uncalled for. You need to control your mouth or else you might just as well bring war down on us." He gestured to the guards standing outside the car door between two cars. "Not only they're guarding the princess, they also are watching your every move and with one word from the princess, they will kill you."

Rufus scowled and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I can't help if she so upright and frigid! She needs to loosen up."

Aerith frowned and opened her mouth but Zack shook his head. She huffed and turned back to the commander.

Tseng narrowed his eyes at the young prince and gave a pointed glare to the two other Turks who seemed to shrink back. "When she comes back, apologize and do your best to mend things between the two of you. The alliance depends on the two of you."

Rufus stood up and sneered at the commander, "I don't need to put up with this shit." He stalked past them and disappeared into his private car.

Sephiroth searched for Cloud and could not find her anywhere. The minute she left the car, she ran off. The train was twenty cars long and there were only four cars left to the end of the train. He passed the kitchen car and searched. "Did the princess pass by?" He asked one of the servants.

"Yes, sir, she went back there." The servant gestured to the door at the end of the car. "There's nothing but storage in the last two cars."

"Thank you," Sephiroth said and continued on. He called out as he entered the luggage storage room, "Cloud? Where are you?"

He moved toward the last car and entered. It was dark and boxes rattled as the train swayed. He searched around in the dark and heard a soft crying. He sighed and went toward the sound. "Cloud?" He found her huddled down in the corner, her head on her arms. He knelt down and laid a hand on her head. "Cloud."

She looked up, her eyes were red and wet. "Do I have to marry him?"

"I am afraid so." He told her, settling to sit beside her and pulling her close to hold her. She sniffled and rested her head on his shoulder. "He was actually starting to have a better deposition and looking forward to seeing you again about a year ago."

Her blue eyes met his green ones. "What happened then?"

He shook his head. "I am not sure. He turned for the worst one day and has not been showing any sign of being better. Perhaps, you could discuss with King ShinRa to see if there are alternative to the wedding for the alliance."

"Sephiroth." She softly said, "No one knows this but I trust you," She turned to him. She wrung her hands in nervousness and said, "My mother is concerned that Rufus may not be the prince of the prophecy."

Sephiroth frowned. This is the second time he has heard of the mention about Rufus not being the rightful prince. He stood up and helped her to stand. He asked, "What makes your mother think that?"

She looked up to him and played with the strand of her long golden hair. "The Oracles kept saying I would find the prince. But it's just it, Rufus is there. Why would I need to find the prince?"

Sephiroth nodded as he thought. He recalled the young woman he had captured the other day in the city after the bombing. "This is not the first time I heard in reference to the ShinRa not being the royal family."

Cloud nodded. "My mother told me before I left that I have to find him before the wedding." She looked up at him, "I am scared. The wedding is a few days away."

Sephiroth nodded, "I am inclined to agree and I will help you in any way I can."

Suddenly, the train rocked with explosion and Sephiroth grabbed Cloud instinctively, shielding her as he looked back. Cloud gasped and gripped him tightly. The train rocked violently, the boxes scattered and fell around them as they swayed.

"What's happening?" Cloud asked, her voice strung and panicked.

"Stay with me." He told her and she gripped onto his jacket as he led her toward the door. He threw it open and hurried across the gangway into the next car. The baggage was strewn across the car and they hurried through the bags, clothes, and boxes. He struggled to pull the door open, feeling the heat on the latch. He finally threw it open and stared in surprise.

The gangway has been blown, separating the last two cars from the rest of the train. Zack was standing in the doorway on the other end.

"Come on! Jump over!" Zack called at them. The cars were rapidly losing speed and the distance was growing wider.

Sephiroth turned to Cloud to see her pale and shaking. "Cloud…"

"I can't jump that far!" She whispered. He knew she was right. He turned back and there was already fifteen feet in distance. He alone could make it but with Cloud, there was no way.

"Seph!" Zack shouted.

Sephiroth waved at his commander, shouting over the noise of the train's wheels. "We'll find another way off!"

Zack gripped the door frame as he watched the cars rock before his very eye. He knew Sephiroth was handy in any crisis but this was something else. This has to be a sabotage. Perhaps by the Avalanche, the rebels, that were against the wedding. But how would they know the princess be in the last car?

Tseng gripped Zack's shoulder as he looked on in concern. "What happened?"

Zack gestured to the charred gangway. "There was a bomb, a small one. Enough to separate the cars."

Tseng looked up to see Sephiroth in the other car and his eyes widened as he saw the princess looking over the general's shoulder with wide frightful eyes. "The princess!"

Zack pushed Tseng back, "She's safe for now with Sephiroth. How far out are we from Corel?"

"We're an hour away at normal speed. The conductor says we can't stop because we're going to be heading over the canyon bridge."

Zack cursed. "Shit." He frowned and turned, waving to the soldiers that filled in the car, waiting for commands. "Get ahead! Protect the prince!"

Sephiroth turned around and held Cloud. "We're going to have to find another way off." He gripped her as the train started to rock and speed up. He turned to see the track heading downhill, approaching faster and catching up with the train. "Maybe not. We might be able to jump on the train."

Cloud gasped and pointed out, "But won't the cars crash into the next train?"

Sephiroth turned and grabbed his phone out of the pocket and hit a button, speed-dialing. Zack answered the phone. "Zack, the cars will be speeding up and we're going to jump when we get closer. Have the conductor gun the speed so the cars won't crash."

"Right. Hold on." Zack replied and relayed the message to Tseng. Tseng turned to Reno and Rude, commanding them to get to the conductor and tell them of the plan. "We got it. Good luck!"

Sephiroth tucked the phone back into his pocket and pulled Cloud to stand beside him. "When I say 'go', we're going to jump." She could only nod, gripping his hand tight. The cars started to get closer to the train, increasing the speed.

Then, Sephiroth saw a shadow in the distance near the rail sign. It was so fast and immediately, the cars shifted and he realized whoever the shadow was had pulled the lever, adjusting the track, splitting the cars from the train and heading down a different track. He pulled Cloud back into the car and turned.

"What's happening? Why have we gone down the different track?"

He replied, "Whoever planted the bomb to separate the cars had redirected the track. We're not going to get close to the train anymore."

"Where are we going then?" Cloud asked as they reached into the back of the car and Sephiroth started to search through the rubbles.

He paused as he pulled out the rope and tested them for their strength. "The track we're on isn't finished. It's the North Corel coal track and it goes over a ravine. It is due to finish construction in a couple of years." He kept looking and found a metal claw and started to tie the rope to it.

Cloud paled. "What does that mean?"

He looked at her grimly, "It means things are not getting any better." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the far end of the car and jerked the door open. "That track end in the middle of the ravine, it's a dead end."

"We're going to crash?" She asked panic was evident in her voice.

"Not if I can help it." He pulled her tight to his side, "Hang on!" She grabbed hold onto his neck and yelped as he pulled her up and with another hand, whipped the rope which she realized had a grappling hook at the end. He threw the hook and it sailed in the air. She turned her head to see the first car crash past the barricade that was at the end of the track and sail in the air.

The scream died in her throat as they started left the cars, flying in the mid-air. The cars pitched over the dead end and sailed right into the ravine as they swung in the air toward the cliff wall. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to the gods as they flew in the air.

Sephiroth twisted and held Cloud tight as he saw the cars explode at the bottom of the ravine. He grunted as he impacted against the cliff wall and they swung like a pendulum, coming to a slow stop. He groaned slightly as his arm was burning from holding onto the rope and sighed in relief.

"We're all right." He said softly. She opened her eyes and looked down, yelping and turning her head to his chest. "I will need you to climb onto my back and hang on so I can climb up on the rope."

She nodded weakly and with Sephiroth's help, moved to his back and grasped around his neck. He started to climb up the rope.

"What happened?" She asked as they reached the top, breathing hard. Her eyes were wide as she looked over to the ravine. It was a long way down.

"I suspect the rebel group, Avalanche, planted the bomb on the train. To scare you and Prince Rufus from getting married." He grimly replied, watching the fiery remain of the cars at the bottom of the ravine.

She gave him a horrified expression, "What?"

He rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. "We have been having some attacks in the city. Avalanche is a rebel group that is rallying against King ShinRa and they are against the wedding. They have been blowing up some buildings in hope to stall or stop the wedding." He turned around, taking in the land. "The fork in the track is ten miles outside Corel. We should head that way. They will be in Corel, waiting for us."

Cloud nodded and reached down and picked up her floor-length gown and started to rip them at mid-thigh. She looked up to see Sephiroth giving her a raised eyebrow. "Well, if we're going to walk the distance, might as well make it easier."

He bowed his head and gestured to the direction they need to head. "Let's carry on, princess."

She rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. "It's Cloud to you." She smiled at him.

He shook his head in amusement and they started to follow the track.


They reached the fork in the track and it was already beginning to become hot. Sephiroth had chunked his shredded jacket and Cloud was sweating, her hair sticking in her face. The sun bore down on them with brazen heat.

"Is it always so hot here?" She asked as she drew her thick hair away from her neck, considering cutting it short for a brief moment but decided against it, she would end up with wild chocobo style.

Sephiroth pulled at his tank-top and began to flap them at the hem in hope to cool down his sweating chest. "This is the desert. It's always hot here. But when we get past Corel, there are woodlands and it becomes cooler. Asgard is a very big land with diverse landscapes."

"What else is here? In Niflheim, it's all mountain with snow and glacier. We do have some alpine forest."

"Sound very lovely right now.," He thought out loud and she laughed. He shielded his eyes from the sun to see the train post at the fork of the track. "Huh." He turned and gestured toward the track that was heading south-east. "This way…" He trailed off as a low droning noise filled his ear and he grabbed her, pulling her close, "that's an airship." He looked to the sky and saw an airship lowering toward them from high above. His eyes widened as he saw the symbol painted on the airship. "Shit. We got to hide!"

Cloud stumbled as he pulled her across the track and toward the rocky hills. "What? Wait!" She nearly tripped and yelped as her shoe strap broke and fell behind as her feet slipped out of it. They ducked into a rocky cave and waited. She panted as they peered at the airship. She whispered, "What is it? We could've been saved."

"Wutai," Sephiroth said. "This is unexpected."

"Why?" She asked. She knew there was another country south of Asgard, Wutai, chain of large islands in the Leviathan Sea. They were people that also opposed Asgard for a long time as Niflheim did. They had warriors instead of soldiers and were known to be very vicious.

Sephiroth shrugged as he watched the airship hover around the track. "If the Wutai are here, it's a possibility they have invaded the city. We've been getting intel for a while that they are building an army. But why now?"

Cloud turned to the airship and watched as it flew off toward Corel. She almost whimpered, "I really shouldn't have come. Asgard seems to be in a lot of trouble lately."

Sephiroth nodded his agreement. "I agree. You would have been safer in Nibelheim."

She gripped his hand. "At least I am with you. You'll always keep me safe?" She asked.

He looked down at her. For a moment, he was struck by her innocent and beauty under the dirt-smudged face and sweat-drenched hair. He felt his heart swell and he smiled. "Of course, on my life." She gave him a beautiful smile and he realized, he had never seen her smile such toward Rufus and swallowed.

The airship slowly left and the sky became quiet. The sun began to dip toward the west and they emerged from their hiding spot. Sephiroth held her hand and they silently followed the track toward Corel. His mind was filled with many questions and he had no answer for any of them. The invasion of Wutai was completely unexpected and the bombing on the train was somewhat to be expected but he cursed his luck to be on the wrong part of the train. But in all, he looked down to his side, Cloud was safe and walking beside him with a smile on her face despite looking for worse to wear.


"What the hell happened?" Rufus demanded as Zack came back to his car. Soldiers of Niflheim and Asgard were surrounded in the car with him along with the Turks.

"There was a bomb in the gangway between the second and third to last cars. We lost our cargo cars." Zack started and grew grim. "Princess Cloud and General Sephiroth were on the last car when the bomb went off and they got separated from us."

Rufus paled. "Where are they?"

Tseng spoke, "The cars were diverted to a different track, toward North Corel."

"But…" Rufus sputtered, "That track, is it complete?"

"No."

"Fuck." Rufus sat down in shock.

"Let's not assume they're gone yet," Zack said. "I trust Sephiroth will save himself and Princess Cloud. Tseng?" He turned to the Turk Commander. "Has the conductor been informed?"

Tseng nods his reply, "Yes. We're going to stop in Corel. There's an airship in Corel that we can use to search for them."

Zack clapped his hands, "Good. That's the plan. You, you and," He waved his hand toward the soldiers, "youse are going to stay with Prince Rufus and guard him. Reno, Rude, you both." They replied with 'yes, sir!'. He turned to the Niflheim soldiers, there were only four of them and standing with Aerith. "I suppose you guys are coming with us when we search for them."

Aerith nodded, looking worried and pale. The soldiers stood straight and serious, clacking their guns to their armors in reply. Zack shook his head, wondering if they ever utter a word, let alone a real human being underneath the armors. He turned to Tseng. "You staying or coming?"

"I'm coming."

The train horn blew and they turned their heads to the front and noticed the train was slowing down.

Aerith asked, "What's happening? Why are we slowing down?"

Zack frowned and noticed they have not reached Corel from the scenery outside the window. "I'm going to check." He grabbed hold of the overhead rail as the train jerked to a full stop. He hurried to the car and stepped out onto the gangway and unlocked the door. Tseng stood behind him, curiously watching on.

The door swung open and Zack stared with wide eyes as several Wutaian warriors stood outside the train with guns pointed to them. The other door behind them opened and they turned to see several more warriors stepping onto the train.

"Crap." Zack muttered, "We're surrounded by Wutaians."

Tseng frowned and turned to see more coming in from the other car, approaching them and a man in front leading the soldier was tall with black hair, red bandanna and red cloak covering most of his face. "Zack?" He gestured to the leader of the warriors.

Zack turned and swallowed, "Well, fuck."

The leader approached them. "You are all under arrest. Surrender peacefully and no one will get hurt." The leader said, his crimson eyes glinted.

Zack had already done a mental count and there was no way his soldiers and Niflheim soldiers would be able to fight their way out. There were at least fifty warriors surrounding the train. He turned to see more of them surrounding Prince Rufus and the others. He held his hands up, "We surrender."

"Good." The leader said and waved his arm to single the warriors to take over. "We will continue with the trip to Neo Midgar. I trust you and your comrades will not give us trouble."

Zack turned to the leader and asked, "Are you sure you want to invade the city? You will be ambushed. If we don't arrive on time and with all of the cars intact, they'll know immediately."

The leader laughed. "I have already sacked the city." Zack and Tseng's eyes widened. "Where is the Princess?"

"She was in the last car when the bomb blew." Tseng tersely said.

The leader frowned. "What bomb?"

Zack glanced at Tseng, they both had the same thought and he asked, "You didn't put the bomb on the train?"

The leader shook his head. "No. The plan was to stop the train and take you all, including the Princess. Hm." The leader stepped up to Zack and inspected his suit, fingering the badge that decorated the jacket. "You're not the General?"

Zack shook his head. "No. I'm Commander Zachary Fair. The General was also with the princess when the train blew. So if you guys didn't plant the bomb, then who did?"

The leader lets go of the badge and shrugged, singling for the warriors outside the track to go. "Search for them!" He turned to the others in the other car. "Get the train going now." He finally turned back to the two, "Move on back." He gestured to the car behind them. "We'll talk."

Zack and Tseng held their hands up and turned to return to the car and sat down. Rufus looked miffed as two of the warriors was training their guns really close to his head. Zack assumed Rufus had attempted to fight off but failed, he had a black eye blooming on his face.

The leader gathered his cloak and sat down. He was covered in black outfit underneath the cloak and his leather pants squeaked slightly as he sat. He looked very intimidating and towered over most of the men at six foot five. Zack surmised that he would come toe to toe and head to head with Sephiroth.

The train horn blew and they could hear the roar of the airship taking off. The wheel clacked and chugged and they jerked as the train started to move.

The leader of the Wutaian warriors glanced around to the others. His eyes stopped at Rufus and he chuckled. "Prince Rufus. I figured you would be on the train with the Princess when I found you missing from the palace."

Rufus sneered. "What did you do to my father?"

The leader scoffed and waved his leather covered hand. "He's fine for now. Well, suffering a little bit." He turned to Zack. "I assume you are next in command of the Imperial army after the General?"

"Yes," Zack replied. "Why have you invaded Asgard?"

"That's for me to know. Now, what I need is the Princess and everything will go smoothly." The leader replied.

"What about the General?" Tseng asked and saw a questioning look in the man's crimson gaze. "Commander Tseng of the Palace guards."

The leader shrugged as he was satisfied with the introduction. "It's entirely up to him. If he cooperates, that's good. If he doesn't," he waved his hand as if dismissing the idea. "He's disposable."

Rufus shot forward and the warriors cocked their guns. He glared at the leader. "What do you want with us?"

The leader turned to Rufus with a hard gaze. "With the Princess, the rightful Prince will be placed on the throne. You are not."

Rufus snarled and bounded forward to grab the leader. He yelped as a hard crack in the head caused his world to go black. Zack watched with wide eyes as Rufus fell to the floor, knocked out. The warriors picked him up and shoved his unconscious body unceremoniously onto the seat and trained their guns on him once again. He looked up to see Aerith biting her lips, tears streaming down her face. He gave her assuring nod and turned to the leader. "What do you mean by that? Rufus is the prince."

"No, he isn't." The leader said and left it at that when he stood up. "I expect you all to behave. You know what will happen." He gestured to Rufus. "Now. I will be back shortly." He turned and left with a couple of warriors following him.

Tseng whispered under his breath, "What did he mean?"

Zack shook his head and slowly gestured for Aerith to come and sit by him. He watched the warriors track Aerith's movement as she moved to sit with him. He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her arm. He could feel her shaking. He quietly told her, "It's all right. You're safe with me." She began to calm down and rested her head on his shoulder. He turned his head to Tseng. "Lately there has been talk that Rufus isn't the true prince."

"What?" The smaller man asked, his eyes wide.

"Later. I am trying to figure this out." Zack muttered and Tseng fell silent.


The leader of the Wutaian warriors stared straight ahead. A couple of his warriors had taken control of the train and was at the helm. The conductor and his assistant were tied up and gagged, sitting with other soldiers in one of the cars.

A warrior approached him and reported, "We just got an information from the airship."

"Yes?" The leader replied.

"They found the remains of the cars that was missing. It's at the bottom of the ravine."

The leader turned to the warrior. "So, the Princess is dead?"

The warrior shook his head. "They searched the debris. There are no remains of their bodies. Both the Princess and the General are missing."

The leader nodded. "Very well. Dispatch the warriors to search for them. They must be found at all cost!"

"Yes, sir!" The warrior smacked his fist to his chest and bowed before turning on his heel.

The leader turned and waved for the driver, singling him to speed up. "Increase speed. We need to return to the city."

"Yes, sir!"


Note:

I started another story and both stories are going to be posted each week, depending when I find time. This one has already been written out almost to the end and the other one has not been written out and it's more of a personal one because it reflects a lot of my experiences and I am winging it with each chapter. But please do enjoy both!

Thank you for reading!