Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Twenty-Two

Twenty minutes after, when everyone had retired to their rooms, Cloud stood alone beside the window in his assigned bedroom. Despite his excessive weariness, he had found himself unable to sleep. Instead he stayed close to the window, peering out through the dusty windows into the graveyard below. Despite the eerie setting, there were other things on Cloud's mind that were preventing him from sleeping.

What troubled him the most was the growing urgency to find Sephiroth. It had been a long time since they had any sight of him—since Nibelheim in fact. Who knew where Sephiroth was now? He knew where Sephiroth was going—the Temple of the Ancients. But for all Cloud knew, Sephiroth could already be there, waiting for them. He could already have the Black Materia.

The Black Materia… That was another thing that was pressing on Cloud's mind. The Black Materia was the ultimate destruction magic—probably the most powerful material to exist on the Planet. Did it truly exist, like the Temple? What would happen if Sephiroth used it? Cloud shook his head. He didn't want to think of that. They would just have to stop Sephiroth before that happened. Still… there was a fear deep inside him that… just maybe…

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud knock ringing on his bedroom door. Cloud turned his head and glanced at it through the corner of his eye. The oak door slowly creaked open, and Aeris's head peered round the corner. Her eyes met his and she smiled cheerfully, before stepping into the room and quietly swinging the door shut behind her. Then she walked towards Cloud, the smile still on her face.

Seeing that strange, cheerful smile, Cloud stepped backwards warily. What was with that smile? What was she planning? Aeris, somewhat amused by Cloud's startled reaction, just grinned further. "Hee, hee!" she giggled, never taking her eyes off him.

Cloud stared at her in surprise. What was with this sudden change in demeanour? Not even half an hour ago the woman had surprised them all by suddenly departing for her bedroom. She had seemed upset then, but no one knew what it was that had upset her. Now here she was, laughing and smiling, as though nothing had happened. "What's wrong?" Cloud asked her. Maybe the smile was just a façade.

The smile on Aeris's face seemed to get wider. Her eyes were lit up like a child's, full of innocence and playfulness. Cloud stared. The last time he had seen her eyes light up like that was back in Midgar, when she had ran into the park in Sector 6. She had seemed so much like a child then, and her smile reminded him of that moment.

Stopping in front of him, Aeris clasped her hands behind her back. She leaned forward, lifting her head to gaze into Cloud's eyes. "You want to go on a date?" she asked him suddenly.

Cloud blinked. "What?"

"A DA-TE!" Aeris repeated loudly. "Or haven't you ever gone on one?"

Cloud stared for a couple more seconds, before shaking his head. "Don't take me for a fool," he snapped. Suddenly he stopped, as he realised just how snappy he had sounded. He hadn't intended to snap at her like that. He put his hand over his mouth and looked at Aeris, wondering if he had offended her.

But no, Aeris continued to smile at him. Either she did not mind his harsh response, or she just expected it. Whatever the reason, it did not dent the woman's smile even a notch. "Hey…" she said playfully. "A little touchy, aren't we?" Before Cloud could reply she ran behind him, placed her hands between his shoulder blades, and began to push him towards the door. "Oh well, come on. Let's go."

"Hey," Cloud protested, trying to turn his head around to glare at her. But when he saw her happy, determined face, he sighed. He wouldn't win against her. So he gave up his struggle for freedom and let her shepherd him towards the door.

The hotel corridors were shadowy and quiet now. The other companions had all gone to bed and were sleeping silently in their rooms. Barret's door was ajar, and as Cloud and Aeris walked past they could hear the big man snoring loudly. Through the shadows they could even see him, sprawled out across his bed, his sheets in a tangled mess around him.

Cait Sith was at the end of the corridor by the stairs. The Mog body was bent over slightly, its arms hanging loose. Cait's body was curled up on top of the Mog sound asleep. Or at least he appeared to be sleeping. As the two approached they noticed that there were no mechanical sounds emanating from the cat, indicating that he had somehow turned himself off.

Silently they began to walk down the stairs. Cloud led the way, walking down carefully so that the stairs would not creak loudly underneath the weight of his heavy boots. Aeris walked silently behind him, her hands plastered across her mouth as she stifled a giggle. It was so funny—they were like naughty children creeping out of bed in the dead of night. This was like a mini adventure to her. They tiptoed through the main hall with haste, relieved that the spooky holographic ghosts had been turned off for the night.

When they finally emerged from the hotel, Aeris ran forward to the centre of the graveyard. She stood amidst the old stone tombstones and stretched, pushing her arms high up above her head. Behind her Cloud leaned against the closed wooden doors and sighed heavily. But he had no time to rest, for Aeris quickly ran back over and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the grave tube that would take them both back to the Station. Cloud had no choice but to comply. Aeris was in the mood for fun, and no amount of protesting would make her change her mind.

They entered the transport tube together. When they approached the gravestone marked 'Station' the ground in front of the stone fell open, revealing the tunnel. They jumped in together, and it carried them swiftly all the way down to the Station. Wind gushed past their ears and Aeris laughed in exhilaration. Cloud glanced at her. The wind gushed so loud past his ears he could not hear her laughter, but he could see it shining on her face.

They zipped past all the levels, and eventually reached the Station. They burst out of the tunnel with a soft pop as the wind pushed them up and into the air. They seemed to hover for a minute before landing safely on the ground. Aeris shook her head, pushing her hair back into place. Those tubes were fun to travel in.

While Aeris was sorting out her clothes and her hair, Cloud looked around the Station. The main doors were shut now. Even if the cable car were fixed they still would not be able to leave Gold Saucer that night. He turned around to face Aeris, when he spotted one of the Gold Saucer staff standing beside the tubes. When the young man met Cloud's gaze he gave them an exaggerated bow and spoke.

"Tonight's Enchantment Night! All the attractions are free," he announced, his voice filled with excitement. He stood up and waved his hand at one of the tubes beside him. "How 'bout it you two? There's going to be an entertaining show in the Event Square!"

Hearing that, Aeris spun around to face Cloud. The look in her eyes said it all. Her green iris's sparkled at him in anticipation. "Come on, let's go." Without even waiting to hear Cloud's answer she turned and ran for the tube marked for the Event Square. She jumped in without hesitation, letting the wind carry her swiftly to the upper floors. Cloud sighed and headed for the tube. Was there any point trying to say no?

He took the tube straight to the Event Square. Aeris was waiting for him beside the exit, jumping up and down on the tips of her toes, pointing through the door. There was a lot of noise beyond that door—a lot of cheering and chatter, and the blazing glow of fluorescent lights. Cloud hesitated, but Aeris simply grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him—rather roughly—through the door and onto the balcony.

The Event Square certainly was packed. Nearly all of the benches were full—filled to the brim with cheering, squawking people. It seemed as though the show had not started yet, for the stage at the far end of the Square was empty. More fluorescent lights were beginning to flicker on and light the stage. The sound of the cheers grew louder at this, for they were eager to see the exciting show.

Once again Aeris's eyes lit up in sheer delight. Her hands, clenched together in front of her, trembled in exhilaration. She ran forward to the edge of the balcony and peered down into the crowd. She wanted the best seats for the show. Someplace where she could see EVERYTHING.

But as she quickly found out, the choice of seating was not going to be a problem. For as Aeris leaned over to see past the crowds, another member of the Gold Saucer staff, this time a young woman in her early twenties, walked over to her and Cloud.

"Congratulations!" she said loudly, making Aeris jump. She was forced to shout, for the cheers of the crowd drowned out her voice. "You are our 100th couple today! You two will be the leads in tonight's show!"

The response she got to this announcement was a mixed one. Cloud stared, horrified, his blue eyes widening into an expression of shock and horror. 'Wha?' was about all he could must for a reply. Meanwhile Aeris, who was already high from the waves of exhilaration roaming throughout the park, squealed in delight.

Seeing the horrified expression on Cloud's face, the woman quickly smiled and waved her hand calmly at him. "Oh, now, it's not hard," she assured him. "Just play it however you want to and the rest of the cast will cover for you." She then turned away and began to walk across the balcony to the staff doors. Pausing for a moment, she looked back and motioned for Cloud and Aeris to follow her. "Come this way."

"H, hey!" protested Cloud, but it was no use. The woman was already walking and the cheers of the crowd prevented his voice from reaching her. A hand patted his shoulder. Cloud turned around to see Aeris standing beside him. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded in the direction the woman was walking.

"This sounds like fun," she said. She moved in front of Cloud and turned to face him. "Come on Cloud, let's do it." Like before she took his hand firmly in hers and began to drag him after the woman as she led them towards the stage. He would do this play—whether he wanted to or not.

Five minutes later everything was ready. The cast were ready and the stage was set. The curtain, still lowered, twitched as people ran back and forth across the wooden stage making their final checks. On the other side the crowd could be heard, impatiently waiting for the show to start.

They didn't have to wait for long. The stage lights flickered and dimmed down to almost nothing and all at once the crowd hushed into silence. The thick red curtain began to rise, revealing the simple stage that had been prepared for this show. The crowd clapped loudly. The narrator then stepped onto the stage and raised his hand, silencing the crowd. When all was silent, the narrator spoke, his voice loud and clear so every member of the crowd could hear him.

"Long, long ago… An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia… Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King, Valvados. What will become of her? Just then, the legendary hero, Alfred, appears!"

Over a hundred pairs of eyes turned towards the stage, eager to see the legendary hero. To their surprise they saw no one, until finally Cloud ran out reluctantly from the right onto the stage. He stopped in the centre. All eyes were on him.

Under fierce protest from both Cloud and the stage directors, Cloud had refused to wear any kind of costume the staff tried to pick out for him. The ones they suggested looked, to Cloud, to be completely stupid and humiliating, and so he ran out wearing his own clothing instead. Without the stage shoes his boots thudded loudly against the wood. Still, he wasn't going to twirl on like the directors wanted him to.

Cloud stood waiting on the stage. He had no idea what to do. In the few moments before the play started he had been given only a brief run-through of the story, and so he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Thankfully he was saved by one of the other cast members who, dressed as a knight in dull armour rather than shining, twirled onto the stage. He stopped beside Cloud and bowed fancily.

"Oh…… You must be the legendary hero… Alfred!"

Cloud stared at him. The voice that the actor had put on was so loud and so exaggerated and sounded so completely unnatural that it was beyond reason. He didn't sound too much like a knight either. The costume had been made out of scraps of metal probably picked up from the prison at the bottom of the Gold Saucer and roughly polished and shaped into what could pass as a suit of armour. A laugh tickled the back of his throat, and Cloud desperately tried to force it back. He shook his head, trying to avert his gaze from the actor's humiliation.

The knight stared at him, puzzled, oblivious to Cloud's discomfort. He leaned over a little and whispered sharply so that the audience could not hear him. "Hey, it's your line." With the laugh finally pushed aside Cloud had completely forgotten where he was. He pointed at himself stupidly, wondering if the knight was talking to him. "Yeah, you," the knight whispered again. Seeing that Cloud was completely confused, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat, to cover the confusion.

"Ahem!" he said loudly, moving back into his role. He spread his arms out in front of him and addressed Cloud to the audience. "Oh… You must be the legendary hero… Alfred! I know in my soul. Please… please save Princess Rosa! Now…… Please talk… to the King…!" He faced the audience and bowed. Then he began to slide towards the back of the stage, allowing the next actor to twirl on.

The second actor was just as hilariously dressed as the knight was. He had been given a fancy tunic and trousers that had been filled with soft foam padding to give the impression of extra weight (all kings were well-fed, after all). Covering his shoulders and most of his body was a luxurious robe. Sat on the actor's head was a metal crown painted to look like gold. He twirled perfectly onto the stage and stopped beside the knight. Cloud glanced around blankly for a second before, after deciding that he should do something, he ran towards the king.

"Oh… legendary hero, Alfred," the actor posing as a king said in a deep, loud voice. This actor was better at manipulating his voice than the knight. He managed to inflict a royal tone upon his voice, making it much more realistic. "You have come to have my beloved Rosa… On the peak of a dangerous mountain… dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados… who's kidnapped Princess Rosa… But…" He turned towards the audience and made his voice louder. "You can't bear the Evil Dragon King now! Talk to one who can help you……"

Taking a single step back to stand alongside the knight, the king motioned to the left-hand side of the stage. A third actor was waiting in the wings, waiting for his moment to move onto the stage. Seeing his fellow actor's sign he stepped out of the shadows and began to twirl onto the stage. Cloud's eyes widened as he saw the scene created by his twirling. This was going beyond ridiculous.

Judging by the third actor's choice of clothing, Cloud figured he was meant to be a wizard or a mage or something like that. He was covered from the shoulders down in a long blue cloak, with soft white fur trimming the edges of his collar, sleeves and hem. As he twirled onto the stage the end of the cloak seemed to spread out, revealing the soft stage shoes that allowed him to twirl without falling. The wizard came to a stop beside the knight and the king and looked at Cloud. A slight nod that was invisible to the audience indicated to Cloud that he was the one he was meant to speak to next. Shrugging his shoulders, Cloud ran over to the wizard.

As Cloud stopped just next to the wizard, the actor took a step forward, cleared his throat, and spoke loudly so all could hear him. "I am the great wizard, Vorman," he announced. He turned to Cloud. "What do you wish to know?"

For the first time throughout the entire play, through the haze and chokes of stifled laughter and horror, Cloud remembered his line.

"The Evil Dragon King's weakness," he said.

Behind him he heard a sigh of relief from the knight. Through the corner of his eyes Cloud could see the knight and the king, looking relieved. Cloud shot them a reproving glare and turned back to the wizard. The wizard-actor just smiled encouragingly. He then raised his arms and began to move them around in a grand, exaggerated gesture, as though he was using some mystical, unseen power to call the answer of Cloud's question to him.

"Ahh, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King," he said. He waved his hands more and began to murmur in a strange, unknown language. It was all for show, but the audience whispered in anticipation. "It must be, it must be… Yes, it must be…" The wizard opened his eyes. "True love! The power of love… Is the only weapon that can withstand the fangs of the Evil Dragon King…!"

Cloud felt as if a truck had just slammed into his head and kept on driving. 'True love'? That was the best they could come up with to defeat the Dragon King? Cloud had only fought one monstrous dragon in his life and many smaller ones, and knew that love would never defeat a dragon. Who on earth wrote this play?

However, it seemed as though the audience did not agree with him. Small gasps and murmurs echoed onto the stage, followed by loud whispers of 'aww' and 'how sweet'. The narrator, standing at the end of the stage, began to speak above the murmurs.

"Oh, what is going to happen next…! Oh… Legendary hero… look!"

Cloud turned to face the far end of the stage. His gaze rose upwards as he saw something large and green begin to lower itself slowly onto the stage. The audience gasped, some with fear and some with awe. Behind Cloud, the knight, the wizard and king all raised their arms in mock fear.

It was the Evil Dragon King. Or at least it was a dragon suit, being slowly lowered onto the stage by two very large cables hooked onto the top of the dragon's head. They had made the dragon suit large enough so that the cables would mostly be masked by the edge of the curtain. The person inside the suit operated the wings and tail, which swished and swooshed viciously across the stage. The jaw opened mechanically and a slight roar came out—a feeble attempt.

Standing clutched in the dragon's claws was Aeris. She supported herself on the dragon's legs as it lowered, but once it reached the bottom she let herself fall limply onto the wood, acting as though she was weak and in need of help. She tried her best to look terrified, but it was a hard effort considering she was having so much fun joining in.

"Gaaaaaaaah!" the Evil Dragon King roared fiercely. Cloud could just see the actor through the shadows of the dragon's mouth, trying his hardest to sound threatening and fearful. "I am the Evil Dragon King… Valvados! I have not harmed the Princess… I have been expecting… you!"

Down by his feet, Aeris trembled with fear at the sound of the dragon's voice. She looked to Cloud and reached out desperately, her hand trembling in sheer fear. "Please help me… Legendary hero!" she pleaded. Still reaching out, she glanced upwards at the dragon's head. "Psst……" she whispered softly. "Like that?"

Softly the dragon-actor nodded his head. Then, grasping his controls that were well hidden beneath the dragon's plastic and metal surface, he turned the head back to Cloud. "Gaaaaaaaah!" he roared again—a roar so filled with pure anger and hatred that it made the audience tremble. The actor raised the short arms with their razor-tipped claws and pointed at Cloud. "Here I come, Legendary hero… Alfred! I already know… your name!"

Hurriedly the wizard grasped Cloud's shoulder and pointed towards Aeris and the Evil Dragon King. "And now… Legendary hero…!" he said, in a voice that commanded sudden urgency. "Here is what will happen… to your beloved……" He looked up to the sky, as if speaking from divine command. "A kiss! The power of True Love!"

Once again all the eyes on the stage turned to Cloud, eager to see what he would do to defeat the dragon. The rest of the cast watched fearfully, hoping that Cloud would not forget what it was he was meant to do. Thankfully Cloud did remember, and he ran across the stage towards Aeris and stopped in front of her.

All eyes were on Cloud as he knelt slowly in front of Aeris, or Princess Rosa. The Evil Dragon King looked down in bewilderment, wondering what the Legendary hero Alfred was doing. Cloud reached out and carefully took Aeris's hand in his own. Pushing back her bracelets, he leaned over and kissed her hand gently. There was a parade of soft gasps from the audience—mostly from the women.

Aeris's eyes widened in surprise, and a deep pink flush rose to her face. "Cloud…" she breathed. Realising her mistake she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, Alfred…" The blush stayed on her face as Cloud rose to his feet. He scratched the back of his head and didn't look at her. For a moment Aeris thought she saw a flicker of red on his face as well. Was he blushing?

She never got to tell, for at that very moment the Evil Dragon King roared angrily, as though struck by a stake right through his heart. It made the wood beneath Aeris's feet tremble. The actor was very good at his role.

"Arrggaahhh!" he roared angrily. "Curses… The power of… love!"

Inside the dragon the actor pulled on the controls that operated the wings. The two large leathery wings began to flap vigorously—the metal that made them work creaking loudly. The cables wound into action and began to lift the dragon swiftly off the ground, carrying it back up to the beams above the curtain and out of sight.

Once the dragon was out of sight, the king stepped forward and raised his arms joyfully into the air, addressing the audience. "Oh… look!" he said, his voice filled with joy and delight. "Love has… triumphed! Now, let's all return… And celebrate."

"Yes, let's… yes, let's…!" the knight and the wizard cheered in unison.

Together the three actors rose up onto the tips of their toes and began to twirl off the stage—the wizard's cloak and the king's robe spreading and swirling around their bodies. Seeing her chance to shine Aeris also rose to her feet and began to twirl—following the three actors off-stage. She was surprised to see Cloud following her—also twirling. She grinned as they both twirled off the stage.

When all the actors had finished twirling off the stage, the narrator rubbed a small tear (a fake tear, to emphasise the effect of the story) and turned to address the audience. "Oh, how profound the power of love…" he said. "And so the legendary hero Alfred and our story can live on happily ever after." He gave a bow.

The audience erupted into cheer.

Emerald: Cloud… Twirling… Mustn't… Laugh… -fails- MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU TWIRLED!

Cloud: -glare-

Emerald: You have no idea how hard that bit was to write… I wanted to make it funnier, but… every time I tried I burst into laughter. And sorry for those who wanted a Cloud and Tifa or Cloud and Yuffie date (or, heaven forbid, the Cloud and Barret date). This is the default date, hence why I used it.