To Win A Queen

Her crimson eyes widened at the confession and a small, almost inaudible gasp escaped her soft lips. She watched as if hypnotised as he put down his cup and pulled her head closer to him. Her eyes fluttered closed on instinct as his lips pressed gently against hers. She smiled against him before he pulled away.

"I want to bring you back to Nibelheim with me as my wife." He whispered. Her eyes opened, bright with emotion as a large grin spread across her lips.

"Of course." She replied but suddenly, her smile altered and she lowered her eyes. "But I can only be married if one of my older siblings is. You shall have to speak to Rufus." She explained. Cloud nodded slightly and raised her chin up so that she was looking at him.

"I'll speak with him." He assured her.

To say that the King was speechless at Cloud's request was an understatement. He sat in silence for a couple of minutes before starting to laugh quietly.

"Why Cloud. Of course you can have my sister." He chuckled before Sephiroth interrupted.

"Unfortunately, Rufus must marry before any of his siblings. It is the law of the Kingdom." Cloud turned to Rufus, silently asking about any woman he had his eye on. Rufus sighed.

"The woman I want is a beautiful, courageous Queen, who challenges her suitors to single combat. Nobody has ever won against her." He explained. Cloud smiled politely.

"And who is this challenging woman that you seek?" He asked, intrigued to the way that Rufus painted a description of her.

"Queen Aerith of the Northern Continent." The King replied dreamily. Cloud's eyes widened slightly as the words hit him.

"I met her once." He said without thinking. "I fought her." He continued.

The two other men turned to him but the former blacksmith's eyes were fixed ahead. Rufus leaned over his chair.

"Why on earth would you do that?" Rufus laughed, partly out of nerves.

"I thought she was another murdering Saxon."

"You thought the Queen of the Northern Continent was a Saxon?" Sephiroth repeated in disbelief.

"What happened?" Rufus prompted. Cloud frowned a little as the memories appeared.

"I…wrestled her down."

"You defeated her?" Sephiroth questioned.

"How did she react?" Rufus pressed. Cloud took a sip of his wine to hide the blush that he knew was fighting to appear. He shrugged and smiled a little.

"She was a little surprised…that's all." The two other men were silent as Cloud sighed softly. Rufus sat down beside him.

"Cloud, I need you to help me win her." He insisted gently. Cloud chuckled.

"Do you not think she'll notice the difference?" He joked.

"Not if you use that magic mask of yours." Sephiroth replied seriously. Cloud's eyes darted to him and he frowned slightly.

"How do you…?" He began before Sephiroth interrupted.

"The King is giving you his only sister. Will you not help him win a Queen for himself?" He continued.

"Think about it Cloud," Rufus pleaded. "If you win Aerith for me, you and Tifa can be married the very same day." Cloud lowered his eyes as he contemplated the situation.

"Alright." He said, barely audibly.

Tifa followed Cloud down the stairs to the dungeons, shivering because of the cold but also partly out of excitement of what she might see. The blond walked over and opened the large wooden door with a creak. Obediently, Tifa kept behind him as he walked inside. She gasped at all the materia littering the floors and walls like precious jewels.

"I knew what the wagons were carrying." She said breathlessly, turning to her fiancée with wide eyes filled with awe. "But I had no idea it was so much."

"It's for you." He smiled causing her mouth to drop in shock.

"For…me?" She repeated. He grinned wider at her reaction.

"It's a wedding present." He explained before he walked over to her and took her hand. She watched as he pushed a golden ring onto her finger. She recognised it as the one he had taken from Bahamut's cave.

"Wear this ring until I return." He whispered softly. She sighed, her grip tightening on his hand slightly.

"I will." She said softly. "Please bring my brother back safely." She begged. He nodded slightly before he leaned in for a passionate kiss before he left.

The winds were cold and the sea stormy as they set sail for the Northern Continent. They were making process faster than they originally thought and Rufus was more than pleased with this, knowing it meant he would see his obsession sooner. Right now, the two blondes and Sephiroth were in the cabin eating dinner when one of the crew interrupted.

"Uh, Sir. We have a stowaway."

"Throw him overboard." Rufus replied without looking up. The man rubbed his forehead with a small sigh.

"You may want to see him first." He pressed before another man entered, forcing Vincent through the door. Rufus was immediately on his feet.

"What are you doing here?" He cried. Vincent wrestled out of the grip that held him and glared at his brother.

"I'm sick of being stuck in the castle all day! I want some adventure!"

"What about Tifa? She'll be worried sick about you." Rufus hissed. The raven-haired man rolled his eyes.

"Tifa already knows." He replied coldly. Rufus shook his head in annoyance.

"I have half a mind to send you back to Midgar." He yelled but Cloud just chuckled.

"Oh come on Rufus. What boy doesn't crave an adventure once in a while?" he defended the Prince. Vincent smiled gratefully and Rufus sighed, finally giving in.

Aerith sat by the fire with a bored expression painted all across her face. Elmyra was on the floor in front of her, holding the ruin stones in her hand. She threw them to the ground and studied them. The Queen raised an eyebrow as her maid smiled at her.

"He's coming." She whispered, causing Aerith to sit upright. "Your future husband is coming." Aerith immediately got up and ran to the window where she could see three ships travelling towards the continent. She broke into a smile as a sigh escaped her lips.

"Cloud,"

"And that is Holy, the greatest God of them all. Can you hear her soft calls?" Cloud asked, watching as Vincent listened in wonder. He smiled slightly, remembering how he and Cid had sat under the stars so often and discussed the Gods.

"They send us signs to let us know what they want us to do." He explained.

"What happens if we read those signs wrong?" Vincent asked softly. Cloud was silent for a moment.

"They make it obvious for who it is for." He replied but that didn't convince Vincent.

"But people make mistakes. So what happens if a sign was mistaken?"

"I…don't know." Cloud answered honestly.

Aerith held her breath as the doors opened. There he was, the same blond hair, the same deep blue eyes that had captured her heart. She barely paid attention to the other three men accompanying him.

"At last you have found your way to me." She smiled, standing up and allowing her dress to trail across the floor behind her. Cloud noticed the other men giving him a strange look as Aerith continued, walking up close to him.

"The legend of the dragon slayer reaches even here." She explained with a tone of loving admiration.

"You have it wrong, Queen Aerith," Cloud replied quickly. "It is not I who come to challenge you. It's Rufus." He moved his head to indicate Rufus next to him. Elmyra frowned, completely confused. Aerith's eyes flicked to the blonde beside Cloud and then back to him. Rufus cleared his throat.

"My Lady, I have travelled from Midgar to seek your hand." He introduced. Aerith swallowed as she glanced again at Cloud, trying to see if this was some sick joke. However, his eyes gave away nothing leaving her to conclude that it wasn't a joke.

"We will battle with double bladed axes." She answered coldly. "If you win, I will wed you. If I win…it will cost you your life."

"If I cannot make you my wife, then I will die gladly." Rufus said bravely. Cloud glanced at him silently glaring.

"The contest commences in one hour." She whispered, too annoyed and shocked to display any emotion in her words. She sighed as the four bowed and left the room.

Rufus was alone in the room, sitting uncomfortably on the large red couch. He looked up as Cloud entered, carrying a small silver mask in his hand. He stood instantly, as Cloud put on the mask.

"Shadows and vapours, all the same." He whispered. Rufus' eyes widened as Cloud's form began to change shape until it was exactly like his. Cloud sighed.

"Just stay hidden until it is done." He warned before he left for the battleground. The real Rufus ran to the window, intent on watching the fight.

Aerith narrowed her eyes slightly as Rufus and the other two men approached. Her eyes scanned around the area before she turned back to the King.

"The dragon slayer does not join you?" She asked with a hint of malice. Rufus ignored it and replied calmly.

"He is already preparing the ship for our return." Aerith stared for a moment, before she called for the weapons in a bored tone. Both were given an axe and a shield and Aerith smirked at Rufus.

"You can still go to Midgar alive." She sneered before she attacked. Rufus blocked the axe with his own but she had already moved to go for the other side. The weapon caught his shield and she continued hitting, hoping to break it. Rufus swerved his body around, bringing his axe against hers once more and pushing her back.

She jumped out of the way and made to attack again. This time, she hit the axe with full force and it smashed to pieces. She moved to attack again but the King rolled out of the way and she cut the ice instead. She turned to him with a glare as the ice gave a creaking sound and broke apart from the main body. Rufus took the time to attack, catching her of guard, and breaking her own shield. She snarled and moved back but the pressure caused the ice to break further apart and she soon fond herself drifting down river alone.

Rufus leapt back onto the mainland and glanced down the water in time to see Aerith stuck in the middle. He ran down the bank, running just a little bit further than where she was and outstretched his hand to her. Despite her wishes, Aerith knew she had no choice but to take it. She jumped onto the little patch of ice beside her, and repeated the movement until she was closer. She reached out her hand for his as she tried to save herself as she came closer and closer to the waterfall.

Just as their hands caught each other, the piece of ice Aerith was on, tumbled over the waterfall, causing her to fall too. A scream fell from her lips as Rufus grabbed tighter and pushed his axe deep into the snow. She grabbed hold of him tightly out of instinct as they hung there for a moment. She could hear the footsteps as everyone came running to their rescue. Rufus helped her up, allowing her to take the hand of one of her bodyguards to help her get back on the land. The King of Midgar followed closely.

For a moment, they stood regaining their breath. Aerith glanced at Elmyra who had a look of complete shock all over her face. The Queen looked down at the ground, trying to process what had happened. Slowly, she raised her head and flicked her hair back as she addressed her people.

"Bow to my future husband the King of Midgar." She voiced breathlessly. "Now the King of the Northern Continent."