Tifa stood outside and shifted her weight on the stone balcony that was just outside her chambers. She couldn't bring herself to face Vincent. After the events that took place yesterday, she felt sick to her stomach. There was so much she needed answered. The fact that Yuffie withheld information from her was a low blow, and on top of that, Vincent's hands weren't exactly clean either. Though Vincent was still a child, she honestly couldn't blame the man, but she was so enraged and hurt by the situation that she couldn't think straight. She was supposed to meet Yuffie inside of the concubine chambers later on to take Yuffie to their training spot. Training would definitely help blow some steam off after yesterday's event. As she took a sip of of water, she heard the double doors open and close. It could only be Sephiroth or Vincent.

"May I have a word with you, Princess?"

Tifa took another hard swig of her water before turning towards the silver-haired man whom was standing behind her from the archway. "Did Vincent send you to talk to me?"

Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle. "No. I'm here on my own merits."

Tifa nodded. "I'm listening."

Sephiroth took a deep breath before responding. It wasn't like him to meddle into royal affairs, but he figured he could at least try to rebuild this bridge between Vincent and Tifa. Both are still young, though Vincent is seven years older than Tifa, Sephiroth, along with Ramuh, feels as if these are the two royal figures to end the toxic pathology among royal families.

"Permission to be out of line a little, but Princess, please don't shut out Vincent."

Tifa sighed as she rolled her eyes and turned her back towards Sephiroth and looked at the sky. It was a clear-cloudless sky with a brisk breeze coming and going every now and then. "I should've known you would come in his defense."

"And I should've known you would be wayward." Sephiroth responded as he reached into his jacket pocket. He approached Tifa and she turned around with Sephiroth holding a stack of parchment in his hands. She took a closer look and it appeared that the parchment were letters. Giving Sephiroth a questioningly look, she took the stack from Sephiroth's hand.

"Look at them when you have time."

From the corner of his eyes, Sephiroth saw several of his knights readying their chocobos. Sephiroth was taking several of his men to a designated area to train all at once should the castle ever come under fire. It was routine to act out as if there was a major catastrophe, and what him and his men would do if such a situation should ever occur. He would drill them all day if he had to until he was satisfied with everyone's performance.

"I must go. Take care, Princess." Sephiroth bowed and left Tifa alone on the balcony.

Tifa continued to look at the archway that Sephiroth disappeared from until she heard the double doors open and close. She made a mental note to talk to Vincent about keeping the chambers locked at all times, even if one of them were in there. Tifa guzzled the rest of her water and walked inside her chambers. She placed the glass down on the nightstand that was on her side of the bed and sat down. There wasn't a lot of letters; each letter was one parchment long. She noticed that they were dated from five years ago. Throwing the other parchment aside on the bed, she hesitatingly opened the first letter. She was scared what it may contained.

Dear Vincent

I'm Alice, Queen of Midgar. We have never formally met but please, hear me out. As you are aware, my daughter, Princess Tifa, will become your queen as part of the treaty. Prince Vincent, I beg that you take care of my daughter. Treat her right and give her a chance at life. Give her the life I wish I could give her.

Reading the letter made Tifa's heart swell. When she finished the letter, she felt the heaviness inside her heart. Her mother's and Vincent's words were true; she did reach out to Vincent, and Vincent actually kept his word. Tifa set aside the letter and grabbed another one that was dated a few days later. The wax residue showed that it was Edge's crest, which meant that this was Vincent's letter in response to Alice's reach.

Dear Alice

I'm happy that you have reached out to me. I must say, I'm not comfortable with this. It's nothing against Princess Tifa but the way she is forced upon me isn't right. I can't do much, but I promise you I will protect her to the best of my ability.

Tifa couldn't help give the letter a soft smile. Vincent truly hated the role that was forced into him. She tossed the letter aside and read the next one that was dated a year from the one Vincent had sent her mother.

Dear Vincent

The time has come for me to relinquish Tifa to you. I'm more than confident that you will take care of her to the best of your abilities. From what I heard of you, you are a caring young man. I understand you may have to bend your promise a little, but please don't break it.

Tifa paused for a brief moment as she cast the letter aside. As she has quickly became aware, the dynamic between a king and a queen was one-sided. The king was to make all of the decisions while the queens were to sit back and watch everything unfold, only truly being of service when it was time to give birth or open her legs. A queen's opinion never mattered, even though she was raised to believe otherwise. Her mother contacting Vincent was a huge risk, especially given the fact that Vincent is royalty. Their letters could've easily been intercepted by Grimoire, and Grimoire have never hinted he knew anything about the letters, which is a miracle within itself. Tifa couldn't help but question why Alice thought that Vincent could be trusted in the first place. Sure, she could have heard from people that he was a caring young man, but by whom? The situation made her go from angry to confused in just a split second. Something wasn't adding up. Since Vincent is a prince, and a prince is groomed to follow in the footsteps of the king, whom is also the father of said prince, then how could Alice know that Vincent was trustworthy? Nothing in the letters implicates that they have met prior to Tifa's removal from Midgar. Shaking her head, she picked up the next letter.

Dear Alice

I wasn't aware that Tifa was a mere child. Are you not aware of how much harder this will be on me? My father has already informed me that I have to take her in front of him, my mother, the royal advisor, and commander of the army. I won't bring myself to do it, but her being so young and completely clueless to how living in royalty really is…. This is hard for me, Alice. I already see the way father looks at her and how mother sneers at her whenever she gets a chance. I didn't think that this would be such a hard task, but I made a promise to you and I will keep that promise. I hate that I have to be the one to tear her down, but I'd rather it be me than anyone else in this castle.

She remembered how shocked Vincent was when he first laid his ruby orbs onto her. There was no faking his shock that day. She quickly sat the letter aside and grabbed the last one.

Dear Vincent

I'm sorry you had to find out that way. How's my girl doing? I pray she's okay. I'm in the dungeon of Midgar awaiting my execution. I attacked Edward during a dinner party he hosted. The royal family from Nibelheim, Princess Lucrecia and King Hojo were the guests. The way the three of them conversed with one another didn't feel right to me. I understand that Lucrecia was going to be your chosen queen, had Grimoire sided with Nibelheim instead of Edge. Vincent, you mustn't trust Lucrecia and Hojo. Edward, Lucrecia, and Hojo spoke cryptically between one another, but I feel an ominous plot afoot. Watch yourself and Tifa, please.

Tifa remembered how Grimoire's attitude a few meetings ago were a bit snippy. It was later confirmed by Vincent that Grimoire was questioning her value in the castle. The very thought made Tifa freeze. Sure, she was a princess, but if she was to be dethroned by unfortunate circumstances, she was dead for sure. Swallowing away a hard lump in her throat she quickly grabbed the letters and shoved them in the nightstand. She went to her closet and changed into her normal fighting attire. The last letter sparked Tifa. Though she didn't have all of the answers, she knew she had to seek them out herself, with Vincent by her side. She had to admit, she was rough on him last night, and was surprised that he didn't hit her back after assaulting him. She haven't seen him all day but when she did, she will give him a full apology.

Armed with the new knowledge from the letters, Tifa urged Yuffie to train without using magic. Yuffie frowned at first but gave in easily. Though the two young women didn't use weapons as much as using plain magic, they weren't completely ignorant to using a weapon. Tifa adjusted to not resulting in magic rather quickly than Yuffie did considering Tifa used fighting gloves and her moves were similar to ducking and dodging spells. Tifa just had to fight the urge to cast a spell whenever she dodged or did a tricky wall kick. Yuffie, however, used shurikens, and though they were difficult to master, Yuffie seemed to be doing a pretty good job in using it in offense. Yuffie was able to fight with only two shurikens, but eventually she wants to only use one in battle. She expertly made sure the shurikens returned to her every time she would strike Tifa or performed a tricky jump and catching it in midair.

Ramuh was beyond impressed by their performances. He provided gloves for Yuffie's hands and protective arm sleeves for Tifa so they wouldn't gravely hurt one another and raise suspicions. Tifa successfully avoided both of Yuffie's shurikens and side stepped out of the way, tripping Yuffie as soon as Tifa was on Yuffie's right side. Tifa smiled gleefully as she manged to duck just in time when both of the shurikens flew above her head and crashed on the other side of the room. Tifa placed her other foot onto Yuffie's chest and held her fist at Yuffie's face.

"Admit defeat."

Yuffie couldn't helped but grin at her friend. "Okay you win."

Tifa's smile grew wider as she helped Yuffie off of the floor, earning a standing ovation from Ramuh. The two women worked hard, and even without using magic, the women were phenomenal.

"I didn't know the two of you could fight so well without magic."

"Well living inside a castle we have to find other ways to defend ourselves." Yuffie replied and looked to Tifa, whom nodded in agreement with her statement. "Thanks for suggesting this. Maybe we should switch between the two fighting styles from time to time."

"Agreed." Tifa began to unfastened the fighting gloves and then worked on the arm sleeves. "Thanks for giving us everything we needed on short notice, Ramuh."

"It's no problem, Princess. Anything I can do to assist the future queen."

Both Yuffie and Tifa smiled at the elder man. "Despite the lewdness behind the reason why I'm here, I'm glad I'm here." Yuffie chimed in.

Tifa turned towards her friend. "I agree, but I do need to talk to you." Tifa paused for a moment and turned to Ramuh. "Is Sephiroth back from training the army?"

Ramuh shook his head. "Not that I'm aware."

"Do you happen to know where Vincent is at?"

"Now that you mention it," Ramuh paused as he placed his hand on his chin. "I haven't seen him at all today. Perhaps he went with Sephiroth to train?"

Tifa took a moment before responding and nodded. She thanked Ramuh and grabbed Yuffie by the arm and pulled her towards the exit. Yuffie continued to protest as Tifa dragged her from the secret area and through the library. When they were finally out of the library, Tifa released her grip from Yuffie.

"Take a quick shower and meet me at the center fountain in the courtyard as soon as you can." Tifa quickly explained.

Yuffie frowned. "No problem. Are you okay?" Yuffie was confused by her friend's behavior.

"Everything is fine. It's just that I need to talk to you without Sephiroth or Vincent interrupting us. It's very important."

"Give me twenty minutes and I'll be down there."

Tifa nodded and bid her friend farewell before making her way towards her chambers. She quickly tossed aside her fighting attire and took a quick shower. It was later on in the day and with Vincent and Sephiroth both being absent in the castle she doubt there was going to be a meeting. So she opted for a simple green dress. Nothing over-the-top but it was simple and elegant. Appearances meant everything for a princess or queen. They had to be beautiful at all times, even when there was nothing to do around the castle. Tifa took a quick look at her reflection from the mirror that was standing beside the sink before leaving the bathroom and the chambers.

"Did you enjoy your final moments with your whore of a mother?"

The viciousness in the tone made Tifa let out a huge, inaudible sigh. Tifa controlled herself as she closed the double doors leading to her chambers and turned to Katherine, whom had a smirk on her face. Katherine smiled gleefully when Tifa returned to the castle broken. To put into a more simpler way, Katherine wasn't a fan of Tifa. Tifa's roots are from Alice and Edward, both are terrible representations of royalty, in Katherine's eyes. Alice, being the whore she was, bent over for Grimoire without so much of a hesitation. Edward….well Edward is a king. All kings are the same. Katherine didn't appreciate Tifa's ways. Tifa would never be a true queen with the attitude she presents. Katherine sees the way Tifa maneuver about throughout the castle. Strong, prideful, and wayward. As if her name is on the damn castle.

"She did what she had to do to protect me." Tifa replied with a nice amount of sass in her voice. "You wouldn't know anything about protecting your child now would you?"

Katherine eyes widened. The princess have seriously lost her mind if she thought she was going to talk to her in that manner and think she could get away with it. "How dare you talk to me that way? You think because you're a little older you can get to speak to anyone however you please?!"

"No. Just you, Katherine."

The silence was thick between the two women as they glared at one another. Katherine took two steps forward towards Tifa. Tifa didn't back down from her stance. She was ready for Katherine's onslaughts.

"Things are going to get crazy in here. You better watch your step." Katherine gritted.

"Funny, I was going to say the same to you." Tifa snapped back.

Tifa walked away from Katherine after she gave the older woman an eye roll. The brunette didn't have time to deal with the queen's idle threats. She had bigger things on her plate before chewing and spitting out Katherine like tobacco.

Yuffie shoved a huge piece of pastry in mouth. She never could remember the name of it but it was delicious. Since arriving in the castle, Yuffie's place was a mixed bag. All the other concubines felt threatened and would make snide remarks under their breath as Yuffie walked by. The fact that she was had picked by Prince Vincent himself sent bitterness inside the other concubines. To be handpicked by the prince or king was an honor. Among the catty women, Shelke was the only one who welcomed Yuffie. Ever since their sexual encounter, Yuffie was able to unwind and relax with Shelke. Don't get Yuffie wrong; Shelke wasn't a true friend to her like Tifa was, but it was good to turn to someone every now and then, given the environment she lives in. Besides, the two naughty women would hook up from time to time. Yuffie enjoyed the sex with Shelke. It always put Yuffie in a state of bliss.

Yuffie smirked as she reminisced on the time her and Shelke were almost caught by one of the guards. They were having their usual session when they heard a guard hurriedly run towards their direction. Yuffie figured all of the moaning must've tipped the guard off. They practically did a tuck and roll inside one of the large pots in the garden area to avoid being caught. Outside of sleeping with a king or prince, Yuffie wasn't entirely sure if concubines were allowed to sleep with one another. She didn't want to take any chances seeing as Grimoire was very unpredictable.

Yuffie saw Tifa power walking towards her. She couldn't help but noticed the irritated look on her friend's face. The young brunette only sighed as she could only think of two people that could wind up Tifa.

"Was it Katherine or Grimoire?" Yuffie moved over a little so Tifa could comfortably sit next to her.

"Katherine." Tifa crossed her right leg over her left leg after she sat down. "She's not why I wanted to meet you here." Tifa looked over her shoulder before continuing. She didn't want anyone to walk by and overhear their conversation. There are more enemies in the castle than allies. "Why didn't you tell me that my mother gave you to my father before I was forced to Edge?"

Yuffie painfully swallowed the rest of her pastry before looking at Tifa. The anger filled her almond eyes. Yuffie couldn't blame her friend. How could you possibly tell your best friend that you were being groomed to be her father's fuck toy? It's probably impossible for a person to utter that confession out.

"I didn't know how. It was bad enough that you were forced here. I didn't want you to know about the agreement."

"Yesterday when I left, did you not want me to go because I would discover the truth?"

Yuffie was shocked but understood why Tifa had to ask that question. "I was only concerned about you. Yes, I kept that away from you, hoping to sweep that secret under the rug, but I'm not surprised that you found out about me. I knew you were going to turn to Edward for answers."

"….Yeah." Tifa couldn't but shiver when thoughts of her father advancing on her like lion was hunting prey. Her own father. It hurt her core, but she had to move forward.

"My mother started reaching out to Vincent a few months before I got here. She even continued contact with him after I got here."

Yuffie couldn't stop her eyes from widening. "Really?" When Tifa nodded, Yuffie shook her head as she hung it low. "That only reinforces my statement. You gotta stick with Vincent."

"I''m slowly coming to terms with that. It isn't an instant realization but it's coming around. I first have to make amends with him."

The sound of the army coming into the front gate interrupted their conversation. Sephiroth was at the front with his chocobo, Jester. He got off of him and motioned for one of the chocobo tamers to take Jester back to his pen. Several men donned their armor with Neo Bahamut in the center of the armor as they walked proudly into the gate. Some of the men were getting off their chocobos while others dispersed to their guard duties. It must've sucked to train all day only to come back to the castle and continue their duties. As more of the men came through the gate, Tifa noticed the one black chocobo among the other chocobos. Vincent hopped off of Chaos and ordered one of the men to escort Chaos back to his stable.

"Speaking of Vincent, there he is. Let's meet up later for another session without magic."

Yuffie happily nodded. "You know where to find me. I'll kick your ass next time."

Tifa playfully scoffed at her friend as the two women went their own ways. The guards and knights bowed and acknowledged Tifa she walked y them, and in return, she smiled and replied. That was something different in the castle. Tifa was too young to understand at the time but now that she's fifteen, she realized that servants, guards, townspeople, and knights all spoke to her to be pleasant, and not out of fear. Over the years of attending events and meetings, the servants would dread going up to Katherine or Grimoire to fulfill their requests, but when it came to Tifa and Vincent, they were more relaxed. Tifa couldn't stop the smile that tugged her lips. Things were definitely changing inside of Edge.

Vincent gave a few orders to some of the soldiers and guards before turning to make his way inside the castle. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Tifa. Her smile formed a small, stern line. The sight of Vincent's swollen bottom lip brought back the error of her ways from yesterday.

"My Lord, may I have a word with you?"

Vincent nodded and ordered everyone to clear out and return to their assigned duties. Sephiroth showed Vincent a piece of parchment and the two men went over the parchment. Tifa couldn't help herself from admiring Vincent's leadership. Just now everyone did what they were told without any objections. It's a shame she's just now realizing the atmosphere. Perhaps, she should stop wallowing in despair about spilled milk and move forward with the cards she had been dealt. Sephiroth nodded and turned his head towards Tifa.

"Good day to you, Princess."

"And to you as well, Sir Sephiroth."

Vincent turned and began walking towards Tifa. The two of them walked away slowly under Sephiroth's watchful gaze. His efforts seemed to work. At least they were speaking again, which gave Sephiroth hope. With one final smile at the forced betrothed, the silver-haired commander turned on his heels and began his duties around the castle before retiring for the day.

"So, what is on your mind?" Vincent asked as they walked by one of the many fountains in the courtyard. Tifa sat down on the stone fountain and motioned for Vincent to do the same by lightly patting the space next to her on the stone. Vincent obliged. The mist from the running fountain gave his back the fresh coolness he needed. He'd been out all day practicing with the army. Though it was Sephiroth's job to lead the army in Edge's victory and offer protection of the royal family, Vincent still liked to keep his skills sharp. A king may have to defend himself at any given point, especially during an invasion. Vincent refused to be helpless and let his nation fall for the sake of his protection, even though it wasn't his nation to die for just yet.

"I wanted to apologize to you. You didn't deserve such cruelty." Tifa sighed as she reflected on her behavior. She was thankful for having Vincent. Had it been anyone else, she wouldn't have her head right now. "I was upset at the ugly truth and took it out on you."

She hung her head slightly. Vincent didn't respond. He made a small noise within his throat as he stared at the cobblestone ground. There were several cracks in the cobblestone and Vincent made a mental note to tell the gardeners about repairs first thing in the morning.

"I never really took a hard look at your position with everything." Tifa continued, never raising her head up. "With the marriage, your parents, my mother….you're a few years older than me, but it is still a lot for you to tackle. How old are you anyways?" She just realized that she doesn't have the faintest idea of his age.

"I'm seven years older than you so that would put me at twenty two." Vincent answered, never taking his gaze away from the cobblestone.

Tifa raised her head with slightly widened eyes. "You were seventeen when I first arrived? To be that much older than me and forced to marry a child….and was beaten badly for refusing to sleep with a ten year old child?!"

Her throat swelled as she could only imagine what was going on in Vincent's head when he first saw her five years ago. Neither of them hand a winning hand in this game from the start. Vincent let out a heavy sigh as he slowly turned his head towards Tifa. He saw the sadness in her face. A part of him wanted to consul her, but the other part of him wanted that pain in her to run its course. She needed to feel it. It was important to Vincent that Tifa grasp his position in the matter.

"Despite how things have played out, I will keep my promise to the end." Vincent finally spoke once he felt it was appropriate to speak again.

"That's not good enough." A tear slid from Tifa's right eye. The hurt she felt couldn't be masked. Tifa reached out to Vincent and placed her right hand on his left shoulder. The tender act released some tension inside of Vincent that he wasn't aware of.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Change is difficult but it's necessary. Look around you, Vincent. People answer to us better than Grimoire and Katherine. We can get the people of Edge to back us in due time. We still can save Edge. Your promise was to keep me safe, yes, but how safe will I be in this city with the state it's in?"

Vincent never tore his fiery, red orbs away from his wife's almond eyes. His wife….If someone would've told him that things would be the way they were between him and his wife five years ago, he would've laughed in their face. Putting aside the fact that their marriage was not only forced but also strained, and it has had it's few share of obstacles, the two have pushed forward for five years, and not once did either of them follow the toxic path that they are destined to follow. Marriages like theirs would've already ended; Either the princess would be beheaded or she would've broke and submit to her prince every command just like every queen before her.

"The burden is no longer yours. It's mine as well." Tifa continued when Vincent didn't respond. "I'm getting older and as I get older, I'm seeing things differently."

"You're becoming more wayward, stronger, and may I add, cunning?"

Tifa smiled a little and Vincent returned the gesture, which surprised Tifa. Neither one of them had much to smile about, but seeing a genuine smile on Vincent's face, even if it was as small as the one he's showing now, put her at ease a little.

"I'm getting there. Katherine said a few words to me. Something about it's about to get crazy in this castle and she's right. It is going to get a bit noisy in here."

"Lucrecia and Hojo…." Vincent wasn't surprised his mother made threats to Tifa about Lucrecia's and Hojo's arrival next week. He hasn't seen Lucrecia since Grimoire retracted his agreement with Nibelheim.

"I know you and Lucrecia have a past but my mother didn't trust her nor Hojo. What do you think of that?"

Vincent took a moment before responding. "I don't know what to make of it. I haven't seen Lucrecia in a little over six years. I've met her and Hojo in passing when I was younger, but I've never had personal conversations with neither one of them. Before Alice received her sentence, she had dinner with Hojo and Lucrecia and-"

"And while they were there, it seemed like they were talking in a certain way with my father. It's like they were planning something devious but she couldn't cipher out the solution." Tifa finished.

Vincent raised his eyebrow. "You didn't mention that last night."

Tifa snorted in a non-sarcastic way. She began rubbing small circles with the hand on Vincent's shoulder. "I may have had some help in understanding you."

It was Vincent's turn to snort. "Sephiroth…."

Tifa smiled. "Yeah…." A comfortable silence fell between them. The only thing that was heard was the friction from Vincent's fabric being rubbed by Tifa. A simple gesture but it made Vincent more comfortable in ways that he wasn't aware of before. "Him, Yuffie, and Ramuh are rooting for us." Tifa whispered.

"I'm aware." Thoughts of the three of them scolding the young royal pair about change and their marriage invaded Vincent's mind. Tifa smiled again and removed her hand from Vincent's shoulder. He was already missing the contact.

Another comfortable silence fell between them. They looked into each others eyes and saw their reflections. They spoke to one another with their eyes. This is the very first conversation the two of them had without any formalities. Just Tifa and Vincent. Getting to know things about one another. It was a small feat, but it made Tifa hopeful.

"When Lucrecia and Hojo arrive, I'm sure they will cause a scene." Vincent wasn't looking forward to the visit, especially since Alice sensed something was amiss. He had no reason to doubt Alice so he wouldn't start now.

"I'll be more than ready." Tifa replied in a determined voice. "I know you and I have been flip flopping, but I think it's time to stop feeling stuck and do something about this city, and it starts when Hojo and Lucrecia arrives. Their presence will not make me falter."

There was a fire slowly burning inside of Tifa and though it was dangerous, Vincent appreciated it. For the first time in five years, he felt hopeful in the situation he was in. "I'm looking for ward to it, Queen Tifa."

Tifa flashed Vincent a full smile. He couldn't help but take noticed how white and perfect her teeth were. Without warning, Tifa pressed a gentle kiss on Vincent's temple and quickly retracted, realizing what she had done. Vincent was just as stunned as she was.

"I'm sorry Vincent. I-

Vincent held up his hand. "There's no need to apologize."

Tifa nodded and quickly excused herself, leaving Vincent seated and consumed with his thoughts. For the future king, there was no point in denying the fact that his promise has been satisfied. He was simply guarding Tifa because he wanted to. It has been a fact that he admitted to himself for a while now. He was so consumed at looking at the royal dutiful aspect of his marriage that he never considered being an actual husband to Tifa.

For the future queen, she walked an emotionally parallel road alongside her husband. She was only fifteen; she still had a lot of growing to do, but one thing was certain: she could no longer feel sorry for herself. She was aware that Vincent was done protecting her out of obligation. The night she disappeared to find Yuffie showed her that Vincent did indeed care about her well being, but like Vincent, she never considered her actual marriage with him. For the last five years, it's always been about doing this, that, or the other in order to live to see another day. Now that she's beginning to see her inner strength and Vincent's truths, she's at a slight pause when it comes to her marriage. She can't afford to ponder on the situation any further. Though she expressed to Vincent that she's not faltering anymore, words are just words. Words needed to be backed up by actions. If Hojo and Lucrecia- Lucrecia in particular- think they are going to march into this castle and dethrone her, they're in for a rude awakening.