The events that happened five years ago would forever be burned inside Tifa's retinas forever. Since witnessing Cissnei's rape and murder, Tifa have stayed on top of everything. She refuses to let that happen to her. Although Vincent promised her he wouldn't let things get too far, she couldn't depend on him. She feels that one day, he would carry out his father's cruel wishes, due to finally caving in. For five long, scary years, Tifa have followed every demand from both Vincent and Grimoire to a T. She refuses to have her life cut short by such cruelty.
During the years, she noticed the level of violence has increased. Grimoire would hold ceremonies with people being hung as a main event. The people would cheer and chant at the scene, while she stood next to her future king in disgust. Katherine would cheer just as loud as Grimoire during events, but would easily change her ways behind closed doors. Since Cissnei's death, Grimoire has had a few share of concubines, but Shelke is his favorite. He would parade around ballroom dinners and events with her, disregarding the glares Katherine would shoot at the pair. Katherine is all talk, but in reality, she is just as scared of Grimoire like any ordinary person. The queen is no fool. Grimoire could easily dispose of her in the same manner Cissnei was disposed.
Vincent is still Vincent, though Tifa senses he has been weary the past year. There were times she would see Vincent clutching his chest and hanging on to a nearby window pane or wall for support. Whenever she asked what was wrong, he would disregard her and tell her not to worry. If he fell asleep before her, she would cast Cura on him. Her magic has improved quite a bit since she was a child, but she still has a long way to go. She practices with Ramuh as much as she could whenever she got a chance.
As strained and awkward her marriage to Vincent is, she has to admit the prince has kept his word on keeping her safe from the atrocities Grimoire have committed. She feels safe enough with Vincent to keep her away from being hurt, not killed. As she got older, she noticed that Grimoire would make advances towards her, and though Vincent would intervene, he didn't dare push his father. In the end, Vincent may give up on Tifa to save himself should the scenario ever arise, which she couldn't blame Vincent. He is kind of enough to look after her all this time.
This is why she practiced as much as she could in secrecy. In the end, she have only herself to protect her, despite what Ramuh and Sephiroth may say about Vincent protecting her and staying by his side. She shoots a Fira spell at the metal dummy before doing a backwards somersault into a Thundara spell and slamming her feet onto the stone floor. Ramuh claps happily as she adjusts her posture. She focuses heavily on the dummy and begins to perform front kicks on the dummy. After the third kick, she flips backwards and cast Blizzara in two directions, hitting both the metal dummies. When she finishes her move, she smashes her fists together and did a small respectful bow.
"Excellent work, Princess Tifa." Ramuh is happy that she's able to combine combos in such a short amount of time.
"This is all your teachings, Ramuh." Tifa breathes heavily as she walks from the dummies and grabs a towel on the wooden table.
"I'm glad you were able to grasp the material. You may be ready for the more advanced spells sooner than I expected." Ramuh is very impressed by the young princess. Though she's fifteen years old, she fights as if she's in her early twenties.
"One set of spells at a time, remember?"
Ramuh grins. "That's right. I've taught you well."
"Yes sir you have." Tifa glances at the clock that's on the center of the back wall and notices she only has forty minutes to get ready for the breakfast meeting. She quickly drinks her glass of water and rushes out of the chambers.
"I'll try to come back later on!" She calls out to Ramuh as she cast Dispell on the wall and running through the library to get to her chambers that she shares with Vincent. During the five years she shared chambers with her husband, they've only started to share a bed together last year. To prevent Grimoire from doing anything drastic, Tifa insisted that she and Vincent got rid of the second bed to make it look like they are sleeping together. Technically they are, but there's nothing sexual about them. She's still a virgin, and though they've never talked about sex, she senses that Vincent isn't a virgin, which doesn't bother her. She would rather him have a concubine to fulfill that itch instead of her. For that, she would happily give Vincent praise; he didn't take away her virginity.
She finally makes it to her chambers and burst through the heavy double doors in a bit of a rush and closes them behind her. She swiftly goes to the bathroom while unbuckling her fighting attire. Vincent stands at his sink brushing his teeth with a towel wrapped around his waist. He sees Tifa's foggy reflection from the mirror.
"How was practice?" He asks as he spits a mouthful of toothpaste into the sink.
"It was fine, my Lord." She finish unbuckling the buckles and starts to unzip the rest of the clothing. When everything is undone, she glances at Vincent, who is still brushing his teeth.
"I'm not looking. Do what you have to do."
She thanks him, gets undressed, and rushes into the shower. As soon as the glass door to the shower is closed, Vincent rinses his mouth and walks away from the sink and to the sleeping area of the chambers. He walks to the bed to put on his attire for the morning. There's a knock on the doors, and Vincent invites the person in.
"Good morning, Vincent." Sephiroth says as he hands some parchment over to Vincent.
Vincent takes the parchment away from his silver-haired mentor and reads the title. He glances away from the parchment to look at Sephiroth. The two men looks at each other for a few seconds before Vincent closes the parchment and throws it under the bed. "Good morning, Sephiroth. Have you seen the king and queen this morning?" Vincent wants to change the subject quickly before Tifa catches wind.
"Yes and they seem to be at odds. I saw Shelke coming out of the chambers with them."
Vincent sighs. "Father must be having both of them at the same time."
"My thoughts exactly. Watch yourself at breakfast this morning. Where's Tifa?"
Vincent points to the bathroom area before putting on his shirt. "She's in the shower. Her and Ramuh have been practicing a lot lately."
"You think Grimoire caught wind of her knowledge of magic?"
"If he did, she would be dead by now." Vincent finish putting on the last piece of his attire. He opts for his blue cape since his mother always complained about him wearing red most of the time. The young prince has to admit that he looks great in blue, but red is his all time favorite color. Red attire adorns nicely with him, especially his eyes.
"Good point, but still, make sure she's on her guard at all times."
"My Lord, could you hand me my dress from the other side of the bed please?" Tifa's request interrupts the two gentlemen. She pokes her head out from the bathroom to point to the dress in question. Ironically, she chooses a royal blue dress to wear to match Vincent's blue armor and attire. Vincent grabs the dress in question and hands it over to Tifa. She retreats back in the bathroom with Vincent closing the door behind him.
"She's getting more beautiful everyday." Sephiroth mutters.
Vincent frowns at the slender man. "What's your point?"
"My point is this, she's starting to develop as a woman. You're not going to be able to protect her from certain things much longer."
"We've been faking things this long, we'll continue to make it."
Sephiroth shakes his head. "And if Grimoire calls your bluff?"
Vincent is silent. He hates it when Sephiroth backs him into a corner of reality. So far, Vincent and Tifa have been covering their bases to keep Grimoire off their backs when it comes to Tifa being 'a perfect future queen for the future king' hence the reason why they share a bed. Around guests, Tifa makes sure to pay extra attention to Vincent, making sure his every need is met before mingling with guests that comes and goes to the ballroom. And to add an extra dose of oil to the fire, she would often give Vincent kisses on his cheek, and let him give her a small grope of her shoulder, which seems to please Grimoire, but Grimoire is no fool. He knows his son haven't fucked her and the king reminds him once a year about that short coming.
"Then we will play out the fantasy. It's crucial to our survival." Sephiroth and Vincent turn their heads towards Tifa, who now walks over to the two men. Vincent has to admit, she's growing into a beautiful woman. At fifteen, her breasts are beginning to grow develop, her hips are a little wider, and her brown, silky hair has grown longer.
"It's not just my survival on the line, my Lord's survival is on the line as well." Tifa turns to Vincent. "We will cross that bridge whenever the time comes."
"Yes." Vincent agrees. "Now, let's go to this breakfast meeting before Father becomes suspicious. Sephiroth, I'll see you later."
Sephiroth nods and Tifa and Vincent makes their way down the corridors towards the balcony area.
"I know it's been hard for you my Lord, but-"
"Not as hard as it been on you." Vincent interrupts. Tifa walks into him when he suddenly stopped walking. "I know you practice as much as you can so you can defend yourself not only from my parents, but from me as well." He whispers so no one could hear them.
Tifa is stunned. "My Lord, I-"
"You don't have to explain yourself. If I was in your shoes, I would be doing the same thing. I know you half believe in me and I know you think I will turn into my father."
Tifa sighs. She feels bad for Vincent. For five years, this man has gone through great lengths to make sure she doesn't suffer from Grimoire's wrath, while trying to keep his morals in tact.
"Do you think you will become your father?" She asks out of curiosity. She really needs to know.
Vincent pauses for a moment. "I can't promise you that." It's the Gaia honest truth. "I can only promise you what I promised you five years ago."
She looks down at her hands for a brief moment.
"Good morning you two." Katherine grumbles in a rather bitter voice as she approaches them from behind. "That lousy king of ours is waiting. Please don't keep him waiting." She whispered. She didn't dare say that out loud.
"Vincent," Tifa begins when she is sure Katherine is out of earshot, but she keeps her voice low so that she wouldn't be overheard by anyone. "if there's one thing I can say about you is that you were always honest, especially when it comes to me. In my eyes, that's no where near your father, and for that, I thank you."
She gives Vincent a quick peck on the cheek. Vincent's body become less tense. Her words moved him. He nods and motions for them to enter the balcony area to start the breakfast meeting.
"Morning to the both of you. I hope the two of you are having a better morning than I'm having." Grimoire spat as he looks at Katherine, who glares back at him.
"Good morning Mother and Father." Vincent says as he takes a seat next to Grimoire.
"Good morning King Grimoire and Queen Katherine." Tifa speaks as she takes a seat next to Katherine.
The royal members are instantly served their breakfast before anymore shots could be taken. For the first few minutes, they ate in silence. Occasionally, Katherine would shoot daggers at Grimoire, who in return do the same thing.
"Tifa," Grimoire speaks unexpectedly as his glare remains on Katherine. "How are things with you?"
"Everything is fine, my Lord. I am however worried about Ferrah." Though she's shocked that Grimoire acknowledged her, she is genuinely concerned about Ferrah.
"Oh? What's wrong?" Grimoire's glare slightly drops as he turns his attention to Tifa.
Tifa is confused. Grimoire never exchanged pleasant conversations during breakfast meetings. Usually it would be about business, and him sniping at Katherine about something while Katherine snipes in silence. What ia his game today?
"She's not getting enough exercise. I want her to be in top shape for our incoming guests at the end of this month. We've been so busy with planning everything that I haven't tended to her."
Hearing the slight concern in her voice, Vincent speaks. "I can handle the rest of the things on the agenda today. You go tend to Ferrah after this."
"Thank you, my Lord." Tifa is truthfully grateful. Between planning for the event and her secret training, she hasn't had the time to tend to Ferrah. Though Ferrah is a cute, white chocobo, it's the only thing she has as a friend, besides her magic and Ramuh, which she has to conceal from the watchful eyes of Grimoire.
Grimoire carefully watches the pair as he continues to eat his food. Over the years the young pair seemed to get along with each other just fine. Grimoire would carefully watch them, trying to spot any inconsistencies within them and watch the two of them fall apart, to his dismay. The rest of breakfast is eaten in silence. The servants picks up the remaining dishes.
"Let's get down to business, shall we everyone?" Grimoire has everyone's undivided attention. "Katherine, I want you to make sure the florist has all of the flowers I want. Not a single bundle should be missing from the order."
Katherine nods, and Grimoire continues. "Vincent, make sure you contact Nibelheim and ask if everyone on the guest list is coming, especially Princess Lucrecia."
Grimoire stares at Tifa for a moment before continuing his instructions. "Tifa, I guess you can watch for the chocobos since you're checking on Ferrah."
"Okay my Lord." Tifa nods as she responds.
The servants, Grimoire, and Katherine all leaves the balcony area, leaving Vincent and Tifa to themselves.
"Who's Princess Lucrecia?" Tifa asks.
"Lucrecia is the Princess of Nibelheim. We were betrothed to marry, but then the peace treaty with Midgar happened. You know the rest."
"Why did King Grimoire side with Midgar instead of Nibelheim?" Tifa asks as she furrow her eyebrows.
"Midgar is bigger and have more resources than Nibelheim." Vincent pauses for a moment. "Father is throwing Lucrecia in your face, in case that wasn't obvious enough."
Tifa is quiet for a moment. "Should...should I be worried?"
"...Yes."
Before breakfast, Tifa praised Vincent's honesty. He doesn't want to start lying now. There are a number of things Vincent could think of that Grimoire could be up to, but he doesn't know for sure exactly what the deranged man is up to.
"He's testing my place here in Edge." Tifa says in almost a whisper.
"...Yes." Vincent agrees, slowly turning his head to his now concerned wife.
"...I won't fail. He's trying to break me. This is his game." Tifa states matter of factually. "He won't break me. Excuse me my Lord, I must tend to Ferrah, if you don't mind."
Vincent waves for her to go and she leaves, leaving the prince to himself. "I hope your actions can back your words up. For your sake...and mine as well." The young prince sighs as he drinks his orange juice in silence.
Tifa is pleased to know that Ferrah isn't as rusty as Tifa thought she was. She's able to hop hurdles and catch balls just fine. After an hour workout, Tifa leads Ferrah back to her stable and rewards her with sweet carrots.
"Good afternoon, Princess Tifa." A young chocobo tamer greets Tifa and bows respectfully to her. "I have an urgent message from a girl with short dark hair."
"Short dark hair?" Tifa repeats as she gives Ferrah another sweet carrot.
"Yes princess. She said to give this to you, and that you would understand its contents."
The chocobo tamer hands Tifa the parchment before leaving the stable. Ferrah coos as she chomps on the sweet carrot. Tifa lightly scratches her head before giving her full attention to the parchment. Her eyes widen when she sees the first six letters written in red.
'Yuffie'
Tifa quickly sits on the wooden chair that's next to Ferrah. Could it be? She quickly unravels the parchment and reads the contents.
'Edge is in shambles. Your father has gone mad. Your mother has lost complete control. She's sentenced to be beheaded next week for assault. No new princess has been appointed queen, to my knowledge. Also, I have become your father's concubine. I was forced on my knees every Wednesday for the last four years, and now, I can't take it anymore. I miss you dearly. I don't know how things are in Edge, but I sure hope it's better here. I don't know if this will ever get to you, but if you do see this, please meet me at our special place on Friday at four in the afternoon. I want to see you one last time, in case your father catches me or death comes upon me.'
Tears flows down Tifa's eyes. She never thought her father would be so cruel. Since her birth, her father never displayed any sort of anger towards her or her mother. It just didn't make any sense. Swiping away her tears, she glances at the clock that's above Ferrah's head and it reads two o'clock. She has two hours to reach her friend, which is nothing for Ferrah, considering her breed and training she has undergone in the last five years.
"Ferrah, we're going on a quick adventure." Tifa quickly gets up from the chair and grabs Ferrah's custom saddle. She straps Ferrah properly and opens the gate before hopping onto Ferrah. Tifa lightly taps Ferrah on her sides to get her to move and Ferrah slowly trots her way out of her stable. The chocobo tamer that gave Tifa the message almost runs into Ferrah, which causes the white chocobo to go crazy for a second.
"Whoa girl! Easy there!" The young man manages to calm Ferrah down. "Princess, where are you going?"
"I have some business to tend to. I must leave."
"But, what about Prince Vincent?"
Tifa shakes her head and snaps. "I need to leave! Just tell him I'm doing second rounds on the chocobos!"
Taken back by her harshness, the tamer just nods his head. "I'm sorry, sir." Tifa lowers her voice. "I must get going."
With that, Tifa taps Ferrah's sides and the chocobo takes off.
Vincent finish writing the rest of his letter to Princess Lucrecia about Nibelheim's arrival at the end of the month, and to make sure everyone is accounted for. He seals the letter with Edge's famous wax crest and hands it to the servant. The servant bows and takes her leave. Vincent cracks his fingers, reliving them from cramping. Writing letters were never his thing. His fingers cramps easily.
"How's everything coming along?" Sephiroth asks as he walks into the throne room.
"I just finished the letter. Hopefully this event won't turn into a disaster."
"What makes you think it will?"
"Father made sure to rub Princess Lucrecia's arrival in Tifa's face. Tifa said she wouldn't break, but actions speak louder than words."
Sephiroth takes a moment to think over the situation. "Maybe Grimoire is having second thoughts about Tifa and is going to have Lucrecia marry you, like the plan was initially."
"And overthrow Tifa? No. I don't think he would do that. He would dethrone Mother and make Tifa his queen before he would let that happen."
Vincent pauses. He couldn't believe the words left his mouth so effortlessly. Sephiroth notices the prince's hesitation. "Do you think that's Grimoire's overall goal?"
"...I...can't say for certain."
"If you had a choice, who would you choose as your queen?"
"That's difficult to answer. Both of them are so different. I'm inclined to say Lucrecia since she was arranged to be my queen in the first place. Not to mention she's slightly older than Tifa and it would rid Tifa the burden of being a part of this hell. However,"
Vincent pauses for a moment as he gets up from his throne. "Tifa is...Tifa. She's a determined young woman and I can slowly see she will not be beaten easily. Lucrecia is an ideal queen for Father, but Tifa is an ideal queen..." He trails off, never finishing his sentence.
"Possibly for you?" Sephiroth finishes.
Vincent slowly nods. He swallows away a lump in his throat. His marriage to Tifa is forced, but he can honestly say he did care about her well being. Ever since she walked into the castle walls, she had no one. He felt the least he could do was keep her safe. That was five years ago, and he's slowly realizing that he isn't protecting her out of obligation; it's because he wants to.
"Have you heard anything about her progress with the chocobos?" Vincent finally asks.
Sephiroth shakes his head. "No."
"I need to check on her."
With Sephiroth following behind him, Vincent walks through the castle corridors and to the entrance. He glances at the stables and sees that Tifa is no where in sight. He walk over to Ferrah's stable and notices that it's empty. He frowns when he looks over and sees the gated open field where Tifa usually trains and play with Ferrah empty as well.
"Where is she?" Sephiroth asks, getting a little angsty.
"That's an excellent question." Vincent answers, matching Sephiroth's concern.
He turns and walk a little ways out of the stable and sees a chocobo tamer. Vincent flags him down and the tamer slowly walks toward Sephiroth and Vincent. Instant red flag.
"Good day, Prince Vincent and Sir Sephiroth." The young man is visibly nervous.
"Where's Princess Tifa?" Vincent decides to cut right to the chase.
"Um...she should be here treating the chocobos, sir."
"If anything happens to Princess Tifa, and you withheld information as far as her whereabouts, you'll be publicly beheaded." Sephiroth jumps in before Vincent could reply. He pulls his sword out and places it under the tamer's chin. The tamer instantly starts to cry. "Now let's try this again, where is Princess Tifa?
"I'm...I'm so sorry, Prince Vincent! She got on Ferrah and left the castle!"
"What?!" Both men shout in unison.
Sephiroth wastes no time in getting Chaos and Jester, Vincent's and Sephiroth's personal chocobos, respectively.
"Do you know where?!" Vincent questions the tamer.
"No sir! She received a parchment from some strange woman with short dark hair. I think the woman was a friend of Princess Tifa from Midgar."
"How did you meet this woman?"
"I was out restocking the food supply for the chocobos and along the trail, a strange woman approached me with the letter. She said to give it to Princess Tifa and that it was urgent."
"Dammit!" Vincent clutches his fists, causing the tamer to flinch away. "Give me the directions of the trail you took! Don't leave any details out!"
The young tamer is finishing up with his hurried directions to Vincent as Sephiroth comes back with two beautiful, gorgeous chocobos. Their black feathers shines nicely with the silver saddles and Edge's crest etched on both of the sides. Both men hop on their chocobos and together they leave the castle grounds.
Tifa makes Ferrah slow her pace as the pair slowly approach the cave. Tifa taps Ferrah to stop completely. She hops off of Ferrah and slowly approaches the cave. She notice there's a torch that was recently lit. She cast Fira and uses the torch as a source of light. She hangs the fire on the cave's wall where it intentionally hung at. This is their place. They used to play all kinds of games together when life was dull in the castle. Both of the girls knew how to ride a chocobo and would often sneak away from Midgar to this cave to be themselves. A lot of times they would practice magic together. Tifa is glad, in the end, that her friend made her promise not to reveal their knowledge of magic to anyone, not even to Tifa's father, especially how he allegedly turned out to be.
A rock from the ground quickly raises to the ceiling and come crashing back down in a swift movement. Tifa laughs a little.
"Still haven't mastered Tornado, huh?"
"You know wind magic was my worst area."
A woman slowly walks into Tifa's eyesight. The two women look at each other for a moment. The strange woman haven't seen her friend in five years, and seeing Tifa now is unreal. Tifa stands in front of her as a young woman. Her beautiful royal blue dress, albeit dirty a little from riding on Ferrah, is bright and rich looking. Meanwhile, her friend stands in front of her with a trashy looking top that barely covers her small breasts and a short pair of bottoms that would've shown her small rear if it wasn't for the cape that she managed to grab upon leaving the castle. There are a pair of heels that is cast aside without a care in the world.
As if they read each other's minds, both of the women embraces one another in a tight hug.
"Tifa!"
"Yuffie!"
They begin to cry, not letting go of each other. A few seconds later, they release their grip and take a look at each other.
"You look sharp, Tifa, or should I say, Tifa, Princess of Edge."
"No need for formalities, Yuffie. I'll always be Tifa in your eyes."
Yuffie smiles at her friend. "I thought I was never going to see you again."
Tifa's eyes sadden a little. "You're part of the reason why I continued to practice my magic."
"You look like you practice often." Yuffie noticed Tifa's Fira spell earlier. "You cast Fira without any effort."
"The advisor has been teaching me."
Yuffie is shocked. "A source from the castle?"
Tifa nods. "Yes. His name is Ramuh and he has been teaching me since my arrival."
Yuffie shakes her head in distress. "What about your king? He'll behead you once he finds out!"
Tifa smiles a little. "He knows about my use in magic and so does the commander of the army."
Yuffie is being with shocking information left and right. She couldn't believe that Tifa is able to practice magic consistently, especially under her king's approval.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Vincent is no where near as bad as King Grimoire."
"I saw the way that king treated you and how your dad put on a show in front of them when they came to take you away."
Tifa sighs. For a brief moment, she forgot about Yuffie's circumstance. Her friend is her father's concubine. That's a tough pill to swallow.
"If I may, how did this happen to you?"
Yuffie sighs as she lowers her head a little. "I don't know if you are aware of the rules, but most concubines have a hysterectomy to reduce the amount of bastards in a royal family. I had a terrible chocobo accident shortly after you left. Mine had to be removed, otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here. We lost Fred that day."
Tifa saddens a little. Fred was her favorite chocobo back at home. "Anyways," Yuffie continues as she shakes her head. "For my eleventh birthday, I was summoned by your dad to come to his chambers. I...I was eleven! I didn't know he had hand-picked me to-"
Tifa pulls her friend into an embrace. When Tifa hopped onto Ferrah to meet Yuffie to this spot, she didn't believe what Yuffie wrote in the letter. Tifa could never fathom her father being another Grimoire, but seeing Yuffie dressed in an inappropriate manner and revealing the horrors she endured for the last four years, brought tears in Tifa's eyes. She knows what Yuffie is saying is true.
"I thought if I didn't do what he told me to do, he would kill me or somehow order you to be beheaded. I didn't want him to get to you!"
"Yuffie..." Her friend didn't hesitate to bend over for her for those long year. "Why did my father pick you?"
"To get back with at mother." Yuffie answers as she swipes away her tears. "The very first night he took me right in front of her and yelled over and over how the new king is going to have you on your knees blowing him."
Tifa understands the twisted message he's trying to convey, and it doesn't sit well with her at all. "What's the reason my mother is being beheaded?"
"She had had enough of your father's cruelty and stabbed him in the chest in front of dinner guest from Nibelheim. She yelled obscenities at him as the guards took her to the dungeon."
'Nibelheim guests'... Tifa wanted to inquire more about what had happened, but Ferrah's voice distracts the two women. When Tifa entered the cave, she knew Yuffie didn't get there with a chocobo. The women slowly walk towards the entrance. As they get closer, Tifa notices that Ferrah's voice isn't in a panic; it's more like she knows who or what has approached her.
Before she can ponder any longer, Yuffie whips around Tifa and blasts a Fire spell around her shoulders. The spell makes her right ear ring a little. Tifa whirls the corner right behind Yuffie and cast Thundara behind Yuffie's Fire spell. A man with silver hair holding a long sword splices both the spells into nothingness. The other man reaches behind, between his cape and back, and grabs a three barrel gun from behind.
"Yuffie stop! I know these men!"
Yuffie turns to Tifa. "You do?"
"Yes!" Realizing that it's Tifa, Vincent and Sephiroth lower their guards and put their weapons away in their respective areas. "The raven-haired man is my husband, Vincent, Prince of Edge and Sir Sephiroth is the commander of the army. Gentlemen, this is Yuffie. She's my best friend from Midgar."
Vincent nods when he doesn't sense any foul play. "Is she the reason why you left castle grounds? To meet her?"
"Yes my Lord, and I'm sorry if I defied you in any way, but I had to see her." Tifa pleas. She doesn't know if Vincent would retaliate just to prove a point. "She's been through a lot."
"You could've gotten yourself killed!" Sephiroth yells.
"Hey, don't talk to her in that tone!" Yuffie barks back.
Sephiroth unsheathe his weapon and draws it towards Yuffie. "Young lady, the safety of these two are my top priority, along with running the army. Don't tell me how to do my duties!"
"Sephiroth, lower your weapon." Vincent says in a calm voice. When Sephiroth doesn't budge, Vincent speaks again, with more authority. "That's an order, Commander."
Sephiroth lowers his weapon like his prince instructs. Silence falls over the four of them for a brief moment. All that could be heard is Vincent's footsteps approaching Tifa. Yuffie steps a little forward, but is pushed away by Tifa's arm. When Vincent stops right in front of Tifa, Tifa gives her friend a small nod.
"It's okay Yuffie. I can handle it."
Cautiously, Yuffie steps aside, never taking her eyes off of Vincent. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Tifa turns to face her prince. He doesn't look happy, nor did he look too upset either. His expression confuses her, but she doesn't back down.
"My Lord, do what you will with me now or later, but I will stand for the person who bent over for me and took unimaginable pain."
Tifa clenches her fists, bracing herself for Vincent to swing at her.
Vincent's face soften a little. "How long?"
"….Four years." Tifa answers as she feels the tension in fists lift slightly.
"Do you wish for me to take her back to the castle?" Tifa nods. "Under my command?"
Tifa eyes widen at Vincent's request, however, she knows he's doing them a favor. If Vincent doesn't welcome her, then she would be left for dead in the wilderness.
"If that is what she wishes, then yes." Tifa finally answers.
"Tifa, this is your future king. I've already done the unthinkable with your father. I can't with your husband." Yuffie intercepts.
"Yes you can." Tifa answers, her eyes never leaving Vincent. "He's different from the royal family in Edge."
Sephiroth approach the trio. "You do realize that if you bring her into the castle, Grimoire will test the sincerity of this."
Sephiroth has a good point. Tifa looks at Yuffie. "Yuffie, you don't have to partake in this, but this is the only solution I can offer you."
Yuffie glances at Vincent, then Sephiroth, and then back at Tifa. "And these men know about your secret?"
"That I use magic? Yes and it needs to stay that way. That goes for you as well."
Yuffie turns to Vincent. "May I train under the same eyes that Tifa train under?"
"In discreetness, yes." Vincent answers.
"Am I on a strict schedule when it comes to your needs?"
"You won't be on a schedule at all." When Yuffie frowns, Vincent elaborates. "I don't expect you to trust my words right off the gate, but do understand I'm inviting you to the castle so Tifa's survival can increase. She needs someone she can truly trust. The real threat in Edge is King Grimoire, my father. Though you're from a friendly nation, you were the concubine of a king and disposed of, therefore, you can't just walk into the castle with no sort of invitation."
"With my endorsement, if needed, you can freely access the castle without any hassle and you will be treated and housed with the king's concubines." Sephiroth adds.
Yuffie feels a little better but still isn't completely convinced. "What are the living conditions?"
"You all will share two chambers among one another, having a small wall separating the beds for some sort of privacy." Vincent answers. "Each chamber have two bathrooms, personal servants for the upkeep, and a full closet for clothes, and other things that involves the king's kinks."
Yuffie, to say the least, is impressed. The living conditions sounds more inviting in Edge than in Midgar. In Midgar, all of the concubines are in one room and come and goes depending on when the king orders them to come. Sometimes, there would be multiple women leaving the room at a time.
"Also," Vincent continues. "concubines in Edge also serve the commander."
All eyes are focused on Sephiroth. Even Tifa wasn't aware of that detail. "Not to worry though. I already have a personal favorite, besides you're off limits. You belong to the prince."
"And so we're clear, you're my concubine as a means to remain in the castle. You're not there actually screw me."
Yuffie frowns. "So wait, what was that comment about the king testing you or something like that?"
Vincent sighs. "When you reach Edge, you will learn the nature of my father. The king of Midgar has nothing on the King of Edge, and since my father is finding ways to break my marriage with Tifa, he will test you."
"You may actually have to sleep with Vincent." Tifa pipes in.
"Or at the very least get a little nasty." Vincent clarifies. "Understand that it means nothing to me, and I would never subject you in a manner that my father does his concubines, or any woman for that matter. Forced sex is nothing but rape and..." He trails off, folding his arms and adjusts his posture. "...I really don't want to do this to you, but if you're Tifa's dearest friend then I'm willing to take the burden, if you are of course."
Silence fall between the four of them again as Vincent hangs his head low, ashamed what he's proposing to the teen. As the days goes by, it's beginning to get more difficult to keep his morals.
"I agree...to everything." Yuffie finally speaks. "If being a common whore means I can be with my best friend, continue to practice my magic in secrecy, and have a roof over my head, then I'm game."
Tifa smiles and embraces her friend. Vincent and Sephiroth takes a moment to observe one another. Sephiroth agrees happily with Vincent's decision. It isn't exactly a graceful decision, but he knows the young prince would keep his hands off of the young woman for as much as he could.
The four of them approach the chocobos. Sephiroth mounts Jester, while Vincent mounts Chaos, and Tifa and Yuffie mounts Ferrah.
"Oh, before we leave I have to say this," Yuffie speaks as she gets more comfortable on Ferrah. When she's satisfied, she continues her comment. "I know you're her king, but understand that I will defy you if you were to cause harm to her. I don't care how nice you are, I would die for her if necessary."
Vincent understands her reason and gives the young woman a faint smile. "I would think less of you if you didn't."
With that, Vincent leads the way back to the castle. The sun is slowly setting by the time the four of them gets back to the castle. They get off their chocobos and guide them to their respectful stables. Sephiroth takes Yuffie's cape away and slashes it to bits before throwing it away in the bin. No signs of Midgar's crest is welcomed in Edge, even if they're a friendly nation. Sephiroth loans his cape to Yuffie, feeling like the young woman is suddenly exposed. She thanks him as they make their way towards the castle entrance. Vincent and Tifa trails behind. Tifa gives another carrot to Ferrah before rubbing her head goodnight. She turns around and sees Vincent standing right in front of her.
Neither one of them say anything to one another. He slowly presses up against her, causing Tifa to lean on the wood that contain Ferrah in her stable. He reaches behind Tifa's neck and surprise her by not snatching her hair or head. Instead, he gingerly touches it, almost in a caring way. He leans in closer to her, his mouth an inch away from her ear.
"Don't ever scare me like that again."
He moves away from her body and motions for her to walk with him towards the inside of the castle. She walks side by side her husband, thankful that though he's struggling with Grimoire watching his every move, he refuses to resort to his cruelty. Vincent doesn't realize how much Tifa really appreciates him, nor doesTifa realize how much Vincent appreciates her.