Two years felt like a complete blur to Tifa. To this day, she couldn't believe that she has been inside of Edge for eight years now. As the years rolled by, her internal prison became more difficult to live in. Katherine would still belittle her and to the young princess's dismay, Katherine would even go so far as to threaten her life. A part of Tifa believed that Katherine was all bark and no bite, but she couldn't put anything pass the queen. When Tifa first arrived in Edge, Katherine seemed concerned about her well being, but something happened within Katherine. Whether it was because of Cissnei or Grimoire's attitude towards her, Tifa wasn't sure. It was odd to Tifa that Katherine would quickly flip on her as if she was a light switch. Since the dinner two years ago, Tifa stood up to Katherine more, but making sure she didn't get too out of hand with her snarky comments. It was bad enough she had to fight Katherine; she didn't want to fight Grimoire as well, but Tifa is slowly realizing that she may have to fight him off as well.
The mere thought of Grimoire gave Tifa the chills. His lustful, lingering looks became more often than she liked. Whenever she would have a meal or meeting to attend, she could feel his eyes on her. Grimoire's recent actions made her think of Cissnei's dying words. Was Cissnei right? It would explain Katherine's rude behavior and Grimoire's odd behavior. Grimoire let Tifa get away with saying a lot of things without his input. When she first arrived, she was drilled on what to say and what not say, especially to royalty, but now it's like Katherine meant nothing to him. Could he really be plotting to get rid of Katherine and make Tifa his queen? She wasn't sure. There were too many unknown factors in the castle. Every second of Tifa's life was tense. She wasn't sure if she would wake up the next morning. She couldn't really turn to anyone as often as she would like.
Her sparring matches with Yuffie were still going strong. Both women have managed to master the second stage spells such as Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara, which is a major accomplishment considering Grimoire has demanded Yuffie to spread her legs for him more often within the last year. Tifa never asked what happens whenever she has to fulfill her duty as a concubine. Being a concubine seemed like it didn't disturb Yuffie too much; that or Yuffie disguised her disgust very well. Ramuh stayed busy with his tasks around the castle. Lately his duties have required him to leave Edge and represent the city whenever Grimoire or Vincent wasn't available. Sephiroth was the commander of the army, and he's been really working the knights to their bones. Since the dinner, Grimoire felt as if Hojo would plan a coup and dethrone him. Tifa couldn't blame Grimoire for feeling that way. The power-driven maniac has been harassing Grimoire about an alliance since their visit two years ago. Vincent did his very best to be by her side at all times, but recently the prince have been fighting more with his father. To Tifa's knowledge, there were never any blows exchanged but anyone could hear them screaming at each throughout the corridors. Some of the arguments were about business, but most of them were about Tifa. The princess was still a virgin and it's been eight years since she's been in the castle. Even Tifa was surprised that Vincent didn't do anything to her. The raven-haired prince have always said he would never hurt her in such a manner, and she was more than grateful that he kept his word, though she wasn't sure how much Vincent could keep Grimoire at bay. She was no fool.
Tifa threw a blouse inside of her dufflebag. Her and Vincent were making a trip to Nibelheim to discuss a possible treaty with Nibelheim. Tifa felt something was amiss with this trip. Grimoire has been denying Hojo for two years about merging now all of a sudden he sends Vincent and Tifa to Nibelheim? Maybe this merge was one of the things the father-son duo argued about, but according to Tifa's memory, Vincent was the first to shut down the idea of merging with Nibelheim and Grimoire didn't hesitate to back Vincent up, which was a rare thing. She haven't seen Vincent none today to ask him any questions. All she knew that she was informed by Ramuh about the trip an hour ago, and now, here she is inside her shared chambers packing for her small trip.
Tifa opted to wear an orange dress with silver trimmings and had a small train flowing behind her. She was wearing boots underneath her dress. She hated wearing heels when traveling. Orange wasn't really a color for her so if it got soiled on the ends by the end of the day, she wouldn't care. The dress was simply disposable in her eyes. Growing up as royalty in such a hostile environment has made the princess quite paranoid. She had to stay on her toes at all times, which is partially another reason why she wore her boots. Her navigation would be limited if she were to wear heels. The double doors swung open and Vincent walked inside, stopping a few feet away Tifa.
"Are you ready to leave?"
"I believe I have everything." Tifa threw another blouse inside her bag. "Just need a few toiletries, and I should be all set."
"It's just an over night trip."
Tifa giggled. "Yes but I'm a woman, and I have needs. Seriously, it always amaze me how men pack the bare minimum."
Vincent chuckled in response as Tifa retreated to the bathroom. Since their evening out together, the forced betrothed have found it very comfortable to interact with one another. When it was just them two, they would talk to each other as if they have been best friends since their birth. Of course they kept up appearances around others, with the exceptions of Yuffie, Ramuh, and Sephiroth. It worried Vincent that Tifa would one day slip up, but two years later, and not once did she break. To say that Vincent was impressed is an understatement.
"You're gonna thank me one of these days for being over prepared." Tifa returned to the bedroom and placed a small bag on the bed. Vincent gave her a quick smile before going to his dresser and grabbing his duffle bag that was on top of it.
Tifa lead the way out of the chambers and the two of them began walking towards the entrance in silence. With their small banter put beside them, nervousness set in. In the the world of royalty, one could never be too careful, especially in Tifa's and Vincent's positions. They were both forced into something they've never wanted. Both are being pressured to follow by the rules, but both refuses to follow. Such actions have their consequences.
"Tifa and my Lord!"
Both of them turned to see Yuffie jogging towards them. She caught her breath before speaking again. "Are the two of you going to Nibelheim?" Both Tifa and Vincent nodded.
"I don't like this."
Vincent noticed Yuffie's concern immediately. "I can't help but to feel like this is a setup. Why is Grimoire trying to make join Nibelheim all of a sudden after refusing for two years?"
"We don't know." Tifa answered. "That's why we're leaving to find out."
"You needn't to worry, Yuffie." Vincent tried to reassure, but he knew his words wouldn't help much.
As he suspected, his words didn't mean anything; Yuffie shook her head almost immediately as Vincent finished his sentence. "This is a setup. Grimoire isn't a negotiation type of man. He always pushes his demands until he gets what he wants."
Tifa swallowed away a lump forming in her throat. She knew Yuffie's words held some sort of truth; she couldn't deny that. Her words also affected Vincent. The young woman had every concern to worry about her friend, and if the young prince was honest with himself, he wasn't comfortable with the idea either.
"Are you guys taking Ferrah and Chaos?" Yuffie asked, bringing the royal pair out of their trance.
When Tifa nodded, Yuffie reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth. "It has my scent." The short, raven-haired woman put the piece of material in Tifa's right hand and made her clutch the material tightly in her hand. "Give it to Ferrah, and I'm sure she'll find me."
Tifa stared into Yuffie's eyes before giving her friend a firm nod. The simple gesture relaxed the princess, but only a little. Tifa shoved the material into her dress pocket, turned on her heels, and walked out into the courtyard. Vincent looked over to Tifa's walking figure before returning his gaze back on Yuffie. The young woman had a saddened look upon her face. Tifa was the only person Yuffie lived for, and it hurt Yuffie tremendously to see Tifa walked towards Ferrah, and accept the consequences. She knew nothing of it, or if it existed, but she couldn't shake the fact that this was a bad idea.
"You have my word, Yuffie." Vincent gently placed his hand on her left shoulder. "She will return back to you."
Yuffie slowly nodded towards the prince. "You never gave me a reason to doubt you. Please don't start now."
He acknowledged her sorrowful words and left the castle. He understood where she was coming from. From the moment Yuffie arrived in Edge, she was always on Tifa's side and she always will be. The prince wasn't stupid; if things were to ever come down to him or Tifa, Yuffie would always stand by Tifa's side, no matter how wrong the brunette may be. Throughout the years of pretending to be his concubine, Yuffie have taken shots at Vincent. If the royal prince ever thought about raising his voice by a slight octave, Yuffie would quickly step in and protect Tifa. He never once corrected Yuffie of her behavior; her actions were justified, to him, though if it was someone else in the royal family, she would've already be dead. He appreciated Yuffie's concern about Tifa. It made his relationship with Tifa easier knowing that someone had her interest at heart, which eased the stress away a little from Tifa. Don't get Vincent wrong, he would always look out for Tifa, and Tifa knew that, but because of Vincent's position, he knew that Tifa wasn't one hundred percent reliant on him, which he couldn't blame her. He's been trying to build a bridge over that gap for eight years. He knew it would be rough, but he had to admit it was exhausting at times.
Vincent helped the chocobo tamer fasten Ferrah and Chaos properly to the carriage. The trip to Nibelheim would be effortless for the oversized birds because of their breed. Vincent couldn't help but admire how Chaos would carefully pluck away any stray feathers from Ferrah's head. The action was tinder and simple. He often found it ironic that his friend was so protective of the beautiful white chocobo next to him. He wanted to be like that with Tifa in some way. Maybe. Maybe he could be her husband one day, but today wasn't that day. It didn't mean he couldn't think about it, right? Was it even appropriate to think of Tifa that way?
After checking Ferrah's and Chaos's status, Vincent joined Tifa inside the carriage. She was making sure her laces were properly tied and tied tight. The tamer came around Vincent's side to inform him that everything was prepared and ready to go when they were ready. He turned to Tifa to get confirmation. When she nodded, Vincent gave the tamer the okay to open the gate. The tamer quickly headed towards the lever that held the gate in place, and pulled on it to open the massive gate. Vincent clicked his tongue to signal Ferrah and Chaos and the two feathered friends trotted in synch, slowly leaving Edge behind.
Tifa swung her head outside the carriage and saw Yuffie's small frame shrinking as Ferrah and Chaos continued their pace. Sighing heavily, she returned inside the carriage, feeling down and defeated. Her nerves were beginning to get the best of her.
"How are your piano sessions coming along?"
Vincent's sudden questioned shocked Tifa. She raised her brow questionably at him. "They're...coming along, but I must admit I have been slacking lately."
"Hm." He folded his arms across his chest and kept his head low. Several minutes went by without a single word exchanged between the two. So much for keeping her mind off of the travel to Nibelheim.
"I too have been practicing whenever I have time and you're away training with Yuffie."
"Really?" Tifa was genuinely surprised. "I never knew you could play."
"I'm not as good as you, but I can play for you when we return if you like."
Tifa's expression dropped suddenly. "If we return..." She whispered as she lowered her head. Her stomach began to flip uncontrollably. She clutched her sides and lowered the top half of body until her head touched her knees. The carriage softly swayed left to right as Ferrah and Chaos carefully walked over a lot of stones and gravel.
Vincent placed his left hand on Tifa's left shoulder and his other hand on her chin, forcing it upwards to look at him. She was beginning to pale and she gulped away a lump lodged in her throat. "We will come back. I can't promise their won't be blood or scars, but we will return to Edge. I promise."
His voice was stern, yet smooth, and it soothed her. She found herself leaning into his touch more, closing the small gap between them. Their faces were a few inches apart. Their eyes locked into a trance; neither one of them wanted to pull away. Unbeknownst to each other, they've come to admire one another as the years went on. The two of them often went into the city, especially special occasions such as their birthdays to get away from the castle. It was always a pleasant outing, especially with the kindness of the citizens. The more Tifa and Vincent made an appearance with one another, the more the citizens awed and voiced their opinion on how they were excited when it was their turn to take the throne. It was no secret that the people wanted Grimoire off the throne, but no one didn't dare admit that, not even to the prince, who is nothing like his father, but the people weren't stupid; just because the majority preferred Vincent, that didn't mean Grimoire didn't have followers either.
One could argue that Vincent's and Tifa's public appearances were a front, but in all honesty, they were getting away from the politics and enjoying one another's company. They often made a visit to Jim and Ruby to check on them and purchase more piano sheets and other knickknacks.
"Stay on your toes when we reach our destination." Vincent whispered.
"I will. Don't worry. I've got your back."
Vincent was pleased with the determination in her voice. Neither one of them blinked nor tore their eyes away from each other. Their mouths were mere inches apart. A part of Tifa wanted his lips. It made her nervous. Since when did she felt this way around Vincent? Yeah, he was her husband and king, but it felt wrong to have these thoughts, right? She didn't realized that she inhaled when Vincent gingerly kissed her forehead and pulled his body slightly away from Tifa's, turning his back against her and resting his head on the back of the seat. Tifa released her breath and did the same gesture, wondering what the hell just happened between the two.
Chaos's voice woke the princess up from her slumber. Tifa took a quick peek and immediately noticed the differences between Edge and Nibelheim. Nibelheim was much smaller. There was no set paths for merchants to come and go whenever goods were needed for the nation. There were also no liveliness to the town. No dogs, no children playing, no townsfolk awing at the suspicious looking carriage entering the town. Nothing. It was almost as if the town was deserted, which worried Tifa. She never thought she would see the day when a place was less inviting than Edge.
There was a small chocobo pen at the entrance, just like Edge, but it was smaller and there were none reserved for monarchs or visitors. Thankfully the pen was empty so Chaos and Ferrah didn't have any issues getting inside. They were greeted by two guards and tamers. Vincent gently grasped Tifa's right hand. She nodded and shot a small smile at him before exiting the carriage. There were no welcomes or introductions. Things were definitely different in Nibelheim. Even the wind made Tifa weak in the knees, but she couldn't let her uneasiness show. She had to stay determined and keep her guard up for not only herself but for Vincent as well.
Tifa and Vincent walked ahead of the tamers but behind the guards. The walk towards the castle was slow and dreadful. Tifa was thankful that she opted to wear her leather ankle boots instead of heels. The distance between the entrance to the castle to the entrance of the town was rather too long for her liking. She glanced at the mountain region that was behind the castle. It gave off an eerie, foreboding tone to the castle. The castle itself looked as though it needed much upkeep. There were several ditches and cracks inside the cement leading to the stairs of the entrance to the castle. A trail of moss engrossed the entire left side of the castle. The moss was beginning to get covered with several leaves and vines. It wasn't the pretty sight that was often displayed in magazines; the green resembled vomit and baby feces. The main fountain in the center of the courtyard - if one could call it that since it was so small and uninviting – had water that looked as though it hadn't been changed in months. A huge dirt ring was thickly caked inside of it as well. Tifa masked her disgust at what she was looking at. She cut her eyes to Vincent, who kept his face expressionless and eyes to the front. Deciding to do the same, she returned her eyes in front of her.
When they got to the entrance, Tifa and Vincent began following a pair of knights whom also didn't seem interested with their presence. What the hell is going on here? Tifa wondered. The more they entered deep into the castle, the more she felt uneasy, and she only been in the castle not even a minute. Vincent was either good at concealing his distaste or he was really calm. The knights turned down a corridor and opened a pair of double doors that lead to the main hall. The knights motioned for Vincent and Tifa to enter and when they did, the doors were closed behind them.
Hojo and Lucrecia were seated in their respective thrones. Hojo was the first to get up. He had that same smug smile on his face when he first arrived in Edge.
"Ah! Princess Tifa and Prince Vincent! Welcome to Nibelheim!"
"King Hojo." Vincent spoke as he bowed with Tifa slightly behind him bowing as well. "Princess Lucrecia." He bowed to the smirking princess.
"No need to be so formal." Hojo spoke as he met Vincent and Tifa halfway down the stairs that lead to the thrones. "We've known each other quite awhile now. Hojo will do nicely."
"Of course." Vincent gave the crazed man a small bow.
Hojo diverted his attention to Tifa. She flinched away from the man inside her head. She didn't dare give the man the satisfaction of showing her discomfort. Hojo took two precise steps and stopped in front of Tifa. He was taller and on a higher step than Tifa so it was easy to get a great look at her breasts. Unfortunately for Hojo, Tifa opted to wear an orange dress that covered her from her neck to her toes. Such a shame.
"It gets a little warm here when the sun goes down, Princess Tifa." Hojo sneered as Tifa's named rolled off his tongue in a way that made her puke eternally. "Next time show some skin."
Vincent wanted to punch the man right there, but he knew he couldn't. Hojo smiled at Tifa and shot Vincent a glare as he turned and walked up the few stairs leading to the throne. Reluctantly, Vincent and Tifa followed him. Hojo sat on his throne, and Lucrecia stood up. Her dress was completely shameless. All red, backless, a deep plunge to her midriff, and what fabric she did have above her waist, it barely covered her breast and hardened nipples. She pushed her hair to her right side while seductively looking at Vincent, all while ignoring Tifa, which made Tifa's blood boil. Instead of letting her answer show, she kept her face emotionless.
"Prince Vincent, it's great to see you after all this time." Lucrecia said in a sing-song voice. "Excuse my father's manners. Please, come over to the table and let's discuss some terms, shall we?"
Lucrecia motioned for Tifa and Vincent to follow her with Hojo behind Tifa directly. Tifa could feel the man gawking at her ass. Again, her stomach turned at the mere thought of Hojo even taking a glance at her. The four of them sat at a small, cherrywood table that was off to the side of the thrones. Hojo and Lucrecia sat on one side but beside one another while Tifa did the same on the other side.
"Now, I'm sure your father has informed you that we will be talking about a peace treaty." Hojo spoke as he adjusted his glasses with his pointer finger.
"A peace treaty is usually established when two nations may come to blows or relinquish some, if not all, their assets to the other nation." Vincent piped in. "As we've said before, Edge has no interest in joining Nibelheim in their endeavors to conquer other nations. Do you plan to launch an attack on Edge?"
"Ooh! Murderous aren't we?" Hojo smirked at Vincent's serious, murderous tone. "Have you seen Nibelheim? Even with the combined forces of Rocket Town, we don't have the type of man power to overthrow Edge. That's completely suicidal and idiotic."
The man was deranged, but wasn't stupid, Vincent had to give Hojo that.
"We're well aware of Grimoire's views about merging with Nibelheim, but that's not why you're here." Lucrecia purred.
"Than why are we here?" Tifa's voice was laced thick with venom and she didn't even bother to hide it. She was growing weary of this place and she wanted to return back to Edge. She never knew how much she missed Edge until she came inside this place. Perhaps there were worse places to reside in besides Edge.
"Well, I'm not sure why you're here." Lucrecia shot back at Tifa. "I was only expecting Vincent to show up."
Hojo's manic laughed echoed in the hall. As if on cue, both Vincent and Tifa leaned back into their chairs both beginning to feel the heavy dread into the room.
"You may have noticed that Lucrecia's mother isn't here. She died a few years back. I could no longer tame her."
Lucrecia rolled her eyes. "She was such a disobedient wretch. She always had something to say. Kind of reminds me of someone that I know."
Tifa glared at Lucrecia and Lucrecia returned the gesture. "Mind your tongue, Lucrecia. You take after your mother as well, only you know when not to cross that line."
Hojo smirked at Tifa. "Such beauty. Such fierceness." He leaned in a little towards Tifa. Her hands began to twitch underneath the table. "How is it that you haven't been bent over and fucked yet is beyond me. I'd love to extinguish that fire."
Tifa narrowed her eyes and by sheer bluntness, she leaned in a little as well. "Never."
Hojo's smile widened at Tifa's tone. "Oh but contra. Why do you think you're here?"
The situation was now extremely dangerous and with no one other than themselves, the odds weren't in Tifa's and Vincent's favor. Vincent kept his eyes on Hojo and felt Tifa tap his left foot. It was once again time to show these people that she's not the scared the child that arrived in Edge, kicking and screaming for her mother and father eight years ago.
"To support my husband."
Lucrecia grunted in response, and Hojo stood up from the table only to be knocked down on the ground by the table. Several knights stormed inside the hall when Lucrecia yelled. Swords and shields were aimed at Vincent and Tifa. Vincent held his arm over Tifa in a defensive manner. She grasped his arm, never taking her eyes off of Hojo and Lucrecia.
"You bitch!" Lucrecia spat. "How dare you call him your husband?! He's no woman's husband!"
"Look who he's protecting, me!" Tifa shot back.
Lucrecia angrily picked a glass up from the floor and chugged it towards Tifa in a futile effort to shut the princess up. Lucrecia's aim so was so bad that Tifa made no effort in dodging the glass.
"We're leaving." Vincent spoke as he began to slowly back away from Hojo and Lucrecia.
The knights began to close in on Tifa and Vincent. Tifa glanced at the knights and gauged that they were way less experienced than the knights in Edge. Their weapons and armor looked as if they wouldn't make a dent in the decrepit-looking walls in the castle. Plus, there weren't as many knights in the room. She knew that there had to be more knights, but even knowing this, the numbers were underwhelming.
"Stand down, Vincent, and surrender yourself to me." Lucrecia gritted.
"I'm curious as to what your answer is when I tell you that I won't." Vincent narrowed his ruby eyes.
Lucrecia pursed her lips as her response. There was a small click of metal directly behind the pair. Tifa successfully used her elbow to smash the knight's face in just as he was about to grab her. Other knights immediately charged towards Vincent and Tifa. Vincent wasted no time in pulling out his gun from its sheath and pulling the trigger. Blood and bones flew everywhere as Vincent killed five knights in a matter or seconds. He didn't even realize that Tifa had side-stepped away and punched another knight in the throat, and stomped on his head when he hit the floor.
Tifa widened her stance and held up her fists, adrenaline pumping inside of her. Finally she was able to use her training in the real world. She steadied her breathing as she practice and gauged all of her opponents, including the sick, deranged rulers of Nibelheim. Vincent was beyond impressed with Tifa's movements. He was proud of her, but now wasn't the time to rejoice in her skills.
The remaining knights stopped dead in their tracks when they saw a few of their comrades go down withing seconds of the deadly pair. Hojo waved for the knights to continue their onslaught, but Vincent denied any movement from the knights when shot a bullet between another knight's eyes.
"Move!" Vincent yelled to Tifa as he began running towards the entrance with Tifa behind him.
"Seize them!" Hojo yelled but none of the knights moved. They were all too afraid to confront the pair.
As they began running towards the carriage, Hojo was at the foot of the entrance of the castle yelling for the capture of Vincent and Tifa. Suddenly, residents of the town began exiting their homes with makeshift weapons such as brooms and skillets in their hands. Though armed, no one made a move towards Vincent and Tifa. They may be royalty of Edge but people talk. Word of Vincent's and Tifa's mannerisms have reached the other nations, and for the most part, everyone viewed them as respectful people.
"Seize them or suffer the consequences!" Lucrecia bellowed as she shot a Fire spell towards a nearby home that occupied and woman and two of her children. The trio swiftly left their home sobbing at the flames.
Tifa's eyes widened at the sight. Not only did Lucrecia use magic, the citizens were beginning to charge at her and Vincent. With the resident and the knights chasing after them, there wasn't many options. It wasn't in Vincent to take an innocent life unless he absolutely had to. There was only one way out of this mess.
Vincent and Tifa reached Ferrah and Chaos. The oversized birds squeaked out of fear as their owners promptly unfastened their reins to attached to the carriage. Vincent reached inside the carriage and grabbed their overnight bags. He threw his personal bag onto Chaos and tossed Tifa's bag to her. He signaled for Chaos to immediately leave and the black bird ran out of the entrance of the town. Tifa froze when she realized what Vincent was doing.
"No Vincent! I'm not leaving you here!"
"We don't have time for this!" As he suspected, reinforcements were starting to charge towards the entrance. Tifa looked up and saw the soldiers as well then glanced at Vincent sorrowfully. Hot tears began to fall from her eyes.
"Go back to Edge and inform Ramuh and Sephiroth. They'll help you from there. While you're heading there, find Chaos. You may need to rely on my belongings as well to get you through the trip."
"No, no, no, no! I can't leave you here!"
Vincent grabbed Tifa's shoulders violently. He didn't mean to be harsh but time was running out. Nibelheim's reinforcements were closing in.
"Trust me!" More tears flowed freely from Tifa's eyes, but her verbal protests subsided. "For once, trust me with everything inside of you! Please..."
His plea was soft. Tifa exhaled heavily as she grasped Vincent's face and kissed him on his forehead before turning her attention towards the sea of knights that were now almost to the entrance. She noticed a fence that was low enough for Ferrah to jump with minimum effort. She tapped Ferrah's sides as Ferrah obeyed with no objections. A few knights from Nibelheim began to follow Tifa, but Hojo signaled everyone to stand down.
Vincent was surrounded by several knights from both Rocket Town and Nibelheim. They were all low-class knights, but even he couldn't take down everyone. He threw his gun down in an act of surrender and kept his hands above his head. He turned to see Hojo and Lucrecia behind him; both looked disgusted.
"You come to my nation and cause a ruckus. Just who the fuck do you think you are?!" Hojo hissed.
"Vincent Valentine. Future king to Edge and your worse nightmare. And it's not a matter of what I think. It's what I know."
Hojo's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."
The last thing Vincent remembered was the crowd of numerous people approaching him as he fell to the ground, completely unconscious.