***I deeply apologize for the late updates. I will try harder to get this story completed. With the new Versus trailer out, there may be a few changes in the previous chapters as well as later chapters, but the topic of the story will remain***
As always… I don't own any Final Fantasy characters! They belong solely to SquarEnix and Tetsuya Nomura.
Ch. 4 - Stories Told and Secrets Shared.
As night fell upon the Caelum Kingdom, Cloud and Tifa, sat next to each other among an elegant table near the fireplace in the Study and ate a simple meal of selected meats and vegetables with a superb red wine. Noctis and Stella sat across from them, eating quietly, but would periodically watch how both Cloud and Tifa would look up from their plates and glance around to marvel at the decorations that adorned the Study. Noctis suddenly cleared his throat.
"So, tell us about yourselves. How do you two know each other?" he asked.
Tifa decided to start off since she knew that Cloud was uncomfortable with that subject. "Well, as I told you before, Cloud and I have known each other since we were children . We grew up in a small town called Nibelheim. I met Cloud when him and his mother moved there. He was a kind of shy, but there something about him that made me curious to meet him." Cloud blushed faintly as Tifa looked over at him, smiling.
"Where was his father?" Stella asked innocently. Cloud immediately frowned and looked away.
"He never knew his father or what happened to him," said Tifa as she reached over and rubbed his back affectionately. Cloud looked back and gave her a gentle smile.
Tifa continued, "I myself, lived with my father; my mother died when I was very young. One night, I went up Mt. Nibel to try and find my mother. Some of my other friends told me that's where people went after they died, so I went up there while they followed but then next thing I know, I was alone on an old bridge and it started breaking."
Stella gasped. "They left you there? How horrible!" Noctis took Stella's hand to calm her and looked back to Tifa, "Please continue."
Tifa nodded, "Actually, I wasn't alone. I heard someone yell for me and turned around to see who it was. It was Cloud. He was running up to me and yelling at me not to move, but the bridge was so old that I didn't know when it was going to break. Cloud started to come on the bridge slowly and as soon as we were within arms reach, the bridge collapsed and we both fell."
Noctis shook his head in disbelief, "How is that you're still alive? Was the fall not deep enough or did you hit a ledge?"
This time Cloud spoke, "Tifa didn't remember much of what happened after the fall. She was unconscious when I woke so, I took hold of her, climbed back up and carried her back to the town. Her father was the first one to see me coming from the mountain. There were other townspeople among him probably making a search party for her. He ran up to me and snatched her out of my hands, then struck me hard across my face," Tifa saw how Cloud's jaw tightened and his fists clenched. "The other families scowled and yelled at me because they thought I took her up there. Only my mother knew that I didn't do any wrong."
'I didn't know my father hit him. How dare he! I'm sorry he did that to you Cloud,' Tifa thought to herself.
"I can't believe someone would do that to you after you saved Tifa, especially her own father. Why were those people so cruel to you, Cloud?" Stella said sadly, as she reminisced about a similar memory with her parents.
Tifa picked the story back up, "Ever since Cloud and his mother came to the town, they looked at them like they didn't belong there. Some of the townspeople threw rotten food at his mother and the kids would pick on Cloud a lot at school. I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen to me. After I woke from my coma and heard about what happened with Cloud, I was infuriated with my father. He then told me that I was not allowed to speak to Cloud… ever again."
Stella went on to ask why her father would say such a thing and why the townspeople and children would be so mean and disrespectful to Cloud and his mother. Noctis somehow felt that Cloud's story was almost similar to his own. But then he was snapped out of his revere when Stella touched his shoulder. He smiled back to her, "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"About?" she inquired.
Noctis reached over to lightly touch her cheek, "You'll know soon." Stella smiled back at him.
Tifa continued on about how they both met one night on top of the well near the center of the town and how Cloud told her he was leaving to join SOLDIER and be a hero; let alone her hero. She talked about the promise they both made, how Nibelheim was attacked by a man named Sephiroth who also nearly killed her at a Mako reactor on Mt. Nibel. Then meeting up with Cloud again several years later after leaving to Midgar. Tifa then talked about AVALANCHE and Aerith and how Cloud saved the world from defeating Sephiroth and then defeating him again after the Remnants, two years later.
Cloud intervened from time to time talking about his friend Zack Fair and how they met, how they escaped from the Shin-Ra Mansion in Nibelheim, how Zack was always being a little sarcastically arrogant about being a hero, but yet, ended up sacrificing his life to save Cloud. Then he talked about how Tifa helped him find out who he really was after he was told by Shin-Ra that he never made it to SOLDIER and how she delved into his memories when they fell in the LifeStream at the Northern Crater. He continued to talk about Aerith's death and how he felt guilty about letting both Zack and Aerith die. Finally, he talked about how Geostigma nearly took his life two years ago, along with how he left Tifa and their two adopted children behind.
"Why did you leave, Cloud?" Noctis asked, as his eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.
"I felt that I couldn't protect them. Aerith and Zack sacrificing themselves, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie from AVALANCHE getting killed in the Sector 7 incident, one of the children also getting Geostigma and…" Cloud then looked over at Tifa, "Especially Tifa getting hurt several times, including almost getting killed after a fight with one of the Remnants," He remembered that memory vividly, as a deep frown appeared on his face.
"But I'm here now and so are you," whispered Tifa, smiling and gently touching Clouds' face as he continued looking at her with gentle eyes.
'You're so amazing, Tifa. I don't know where I would be without you. I love you,' Cloud said to himself.
Noctis looked on with a soft smile on his face as he witnessed the close connection between the two.
'Someday, Stella and I will look at each other like that. I can't imagine myself without her,' he mused to himself.
Stella also watched the loving expression shared between Cloud and Tifa as she thought to herself, 'Those two are meant for each other completely. I hope to be like that with Noctis,'
"Well," Noctis interrupted as Cloud and Tifa both jumped and blushed slightly after being caught. "That's quite a story you told. I know it's late to say this but, please accept Stella and I's condolences for your friends. Her and I know about loss as well, for we have suffered it."
"That's very kind of you, thank you," Tifa said after both her and Cloud nodded in acceptance.
"Now that you know Tifa and I better, we'd like to hear about your story," said Cloud, patiently.
oOoOoOo
All four of them simultaneously turned their heads to the majestic grandfather clock at the other side of the Study, and listened as it struck the late hour. Noctis looked back at Cloud, "Are you sure you want to hear our story? It's a bit late."
"Tifa?" Cloud asked as he looked to her for her answer.
Tifa looked at Cloud a moment before she nodded her head, "We can spare some time to listen. You were patient enough to listen to our stories."
Noctis let out a long sigh as he hesitated for a minute. Stella took hold of his hand as she watched his head drop, his eyes close and his perfect lips turn to a saddened frown. She knew that his life wasn't very happy.
"Like you Cloud, Noctis' upbringing wasn't pleasant either. He was constantly surrounded by royalty and he never got to see much of the outside world. His father…"
"Stella…" interrupted Noctis, quietly.
Stella ceased her talking as Noctis raised his head to look back across the table to the two companions, "It's true what Stella said. My upbringing wasn't that great. As for my father… I will talk about him later."
He paused for a moment "Stella knows a lot of things about me, but I'm going to tell you things that I've never talked to anyone else about before, not even to her. So I hope you all can bear with me," Stella gently squeezed his hand in approval. He nodded back as he looked to Cloud and Tifa and saw their approval.
"Very well," he said, "Growing up in royalty would seem like your biggest dream coming true. It's more like a nightmare coming from the deepest depths of Hell. My father was cruel in every way to me and my mother, but loved his country. The Crystal has been in my family for generations but there was a time that it was stolen from us."
"What is this Crystal?" Cloud asked.
"I'll tell you about it, all in due time," Noctis responded.
He took a calming breath and continued, "I was 2 years old when my mother died. My Aunt Leila, who educated me, would tell me about how kind and loving she was and how she adored 2 things… life and love. Around the time I was three, Stella was born but I didn't meet her until my 18th birthday. 'I still remember that beautiful night, too,' he mused. At the age of 5, my father was teaching me to fight and how to rule with a steadfast hand. But whenever I did something that didn't please him, he would beat me."
"How could a father do something like that to their children!" Tifa said, angrily. Cloud grasped her hand and whispered in her ear to calm down. Tifa looked at Cloud and apologized for her abruptness.
"I didn't know he beat you, Noct. Why didn't you tell your Aunt?" Stella said, concerned.
Noctis frowned, "There was nothing that could be done. He was the king. Everything went HIS way. One particular night, I was out with my 3 best friends that I grew up with and we went to a party; I was 15 at that time. We were having a good time and had some drinks and this guy about my age came up to me. He was the son of a Baron that lived between Tenebrae and Niflheim. He started prodding me about my family and I lost control."
"I know how that feels," Cloud responded, recalling all the fights he got into as a young boy.
"Needless to say, my father was not happy. He beat me so bad that night, I couldn't move for 4 days," Noctis bit out, his jaw and fists clenching.
"Then came the war," Noctis said after collecting himself for a moment, "It started when Stella's father came to a conference regarding new laws and policies on border control, but little did my father know that spies were sent by her father to infiltrate the castle to locate the Crystal and steal it. This was planned months back and well thought of. The spies managed to take the Crystal without anyone seeing them. Once my father found out the betrayal of the Tenebrae Kingdom, he declared war.
"My father made me train harder. To become ruthless in battle and show no mercy to those who betrayed our kingdom," said Noctis after a long sigh, "For 3 years the war went on, but then, my father was killed. The war came to a stand still and Stella's father proposed that he gives back the Crystal and make a truce with my kingdom. Our families agreed upon an armistice treaty and an uneasy peace was established."
Tifa broke the silence after a moment, "So the was the war still going on between your countries even though you have a treaty in place?"
"Sadly, yes." said Stella. "My father sent me to Noctis' 18th birthday party to get acquainted with him, although not only was it his birthday but also his coronation as Prince. And so my father wanted me to kill him once he got coronated and make it look like an accident, but I couldn't do it. The Light told me it wasn't right."
"The Light?" Tifa asked.
Noctis stepped in, "As Legend is foretold, 'Only those who see the Light will be bestowed with the gift of Etro'. But in order to even see that light, one must have a near-death experience. Stella and I have experienced it.
Cloud and Tifa looked on in shock and amazement, but continued to listen.
"You never told me about your experience, Noct." Stella said.
"It's not a pleasant one, I can tell you that," said Noctis, frowning. "It was at the time when the town of Salias was being attacked. It was one of my kingdoms strongest outposts and my father was leading the army. I was only 10 at the time. I was back in the castle when one of the guards came storming in telling me that my father was killed. At first, I didn't feel anything about his death. I was shocked but not sad or happy. I think I was more scared knowing that I was the next in line for the throne and I wasn't even grown up yet. I suddenly ran out of the castle having no specific direction. Next thing I know, I'm falling. After that, everything went white."
Cloud being familiar with seeing white surroundings was curious about Noctis' experience. "What did you see? Did you hear anything or see anyone?"
"Funny you should ask," Noctis smirked, "It felt like I was floating. My eyes were closed and everything was quiet. Not a sound."
Cloud and Tifa's eyes widened when they heard him explain the white enclosure. Tifa remembered when Cloud told her that after he was shot and blown up by the 2 remaining Remnants, Yazoo and Loz, he was floating in some white, quiet space and heard Aerith and Zack speak to each other.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Stella said, knocking both Cloud and Tifa out of their shock. Noctis and Stella laughed a bit at their embarrassed faces.
Noctis then continued, "But to answer your questions, Cloud, yes I did hear someone. It was Etro. She told me that I was chosen to be the protector of the Crystal and that another will be chosen soon. She told me I will be given powers beyond any man's limits and when she feels that I've served her long enough, she will call me back to her. After that, I was standing on the cliff overlooking the ocean and I knew then that things would change."
Remembering the challenge from earlier in the day, Cloud said to Noctis that he's looking forward to seeing these powers that Noctis was given. Noctis smiled back in return and said he hasn't forgotten the sparring activity. Both girls just sighed at the two competitors.
After the long story telling, the young couples decided to take a break, stretch their stiff limbs and get some fresh air out on the balcony adjacent to the Study. They filled their glasses with more wine and told funny moments that happened in their lives. Once they finally relaxed, they made their way back inside to listen to Stella's story about how she was brought up and how she received "the Light".
oOoOoOo
Noctis left for a moment and returned with more firewood for the fire as the night grew colder. Once the fire was tended and burning brightly with warmth, they all sat and awaited for Stella to start.
"Well, where should I start?" Stella began as she fiddled with her fingers nervously.
Noctis reached over to touch her hand and said, "Take your time, Stell," She looked over to him and smiled.
"I remember a time when my mother told me about the day I was born. Her and my father rejoiced with the whole kingdom that I would bring new hopes and dreams to the land. And as I grew, everything around me was glorious and peaceful. I was taught in all ways of the arts, music and compassion for people from my mother while my father taught me in the arts of weaponry, politics and law. But little did I know, that evil was lurking the halls of my home." At that point Stella's face grew with sadness and fear.
"One night after my 12th birthday, I couldn't sleep. There were nights that I couldn't sleep for unknown reasons. But then, I heard my mother and father arguing. I crawled out of my bed and went across the hall to my parents room. Their door was slightly open and I could see them yelling at one another about how my father stole a powerful crystal from the Caelum Kingdom and how my mother was telling him to give it back," Stella then went quiet as she tried to control herself, "Then I saw the worst thing that I never thought would ever happen. He started beating my mother and raping her and I burst in the room screaming at him to stop."
"Oh my! Why didn't you tell anyone, Stella!" Tifa cried.
Stella began to tremble as she said, "It gets worse. As soon as my father saw me, he grabbed me and raped me as well. My mother tried to get him off me but he hit her so hard she was knocked unconscious. Afterwards, he told me that if I said anything to anyone, he would kill my mother. I ran out of the room as fast as I could, crying. I went to the gardens, where I loved to tend the flowers and herbs, and tripped into an old well that was deep and dried up."
Noctis looked on in shock and anger never knowing that her father laid his filthy hands on his own wife and Stella. 'That man is lucky he's dead now, because I would kill him 100 times over!' he said to himself, furiously.
Cloud and Tifa were completely thrown back by what happened to Stella and noticed that Noctis' eyes were changing color and a kind of faint blue aura was surrounding him. They had a feeling that he was almost to the breaking point. But then, Stella saw what was happening and reached over to softly touch Noctis' hand to calm him down. After he apologized for his short outburst, Stella continued her story.
"As I was falling, I was suddenly engulfed in white light. Then after a moment, I heard a voice speak. It was Etro. And much like Noctis, she chose me to be the second protector of the Crystal and bestowed powers to me with the same fate. After that, I made it a point to change things for the better. And after Noctis and I met, and even fought each other a few times during the war, we finally made amends with our kingdoms after my father and mother died." Stella concluded and ended with a confident smile.
"It seems we've all suffered to a degree in our lives that made us who we are today. But now, this new threat is upon us and we need to make a stand to stop it by all means necessary. For now, we need our rest. Tomorrow, we start our journey," Noctis said as he stood up, along with Stella, "Follow me and I'll take you to your rooms."
oOoOoOo
Cloud and Tifa got up out of their seats and followed the young sovereigns out to the Main Hall and up the Grand Staircase. Once again, Cloud and Tifa were spellbound with all the history and art in the castle that were in every corner, hallway, ceiling and floors. Finally, they stopped in front of a beautiful mahogany door of exquisite design.
"Cloud, this will be your room. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask one of my servants. They will be there to assist you," Noctis spoke as he gestured his hand to the room. Cloud nodded in thanks.
"Tifa, your room will be next to his. And there's also one thing," Noctis paused and entered Cloud's room, "Should anything happen to either of you, there's a door here that leads to Cloud's room and vice-versa." he finished as Cloud and Tifa saw the mentioned door. Both nodded and Tifa smiled in gratitude.
"Sleep well. We'll see you in the morning and begin our preparations and planning," Noctis said as he and Stella bid their good nights.
Tifa then asked, "Where will you be just in case we need help?"
"Noctis and I will just be down the hall. He will be in the first room on the left and I'll be in the next room down." Stella replied back.
Tifa thanked Stella and looked back to Cloud, "Well, good night, Cloud. See you bright and early,"
"Tifa," Cloud said, quietly.
"What is it?" Tifa asked.
"Are you sure you'll sleep okay? You look kind of nervous," Cloud responded after observing how Tifa was fidgeting.
"I don't know. This place is amazing yet frightening, too," Tifa replied as she continued to rub and clasped her hands together.
After thinking for a moment, Cloud made a bold move, "Stay with me tonight,"
Tifa's eyes went wide, "What?"
"It may help you relax and get some sleep," said Cloud, scratching the back of his head and blushing madly.
Tifa giggled at his predicament and then released a long sigh, "I appreciate it but, I'll be okay. As Noctis said, if anything happens, I'll come to you. Good night, Cloud."
Cloud smiled as he watched Tifa make her way inside her room, 'I'm not letting you out of my site again, Tifa. I love you with all my heart and I've lost too much in my life to lose you, too.' he lamented to himself as he turned in for the night.
'Always my hero to the end, Cloud. I will never love another more than I do, you.' Tifa mused as she slipped into a comfortable nightgown, crawled onto the large bed and drifted off to sleep.
Noctis and Stella watched on from a distance as they observed the two young warriors from another world and prayed that their strength will be enough to defeat this new and dangerous entity.
'They have such a true love for each other. My love for Stella is just as true and she will know it before this threat is over,' Noctis thought to himself as he glanced at Stella.
Stella had her own thoughts, 'My heart goes out to our new friends and I hope that I can share my heart with Noctis and be by his side, always. I love him so much.'
As the Gods, threw over a blanket of gentle darkness and sparkling stars, the young warriors slept peacefully among the night. They suffered greatly in their lives and yet, they were spared and turned out to be strong, loving and caring individuals. But this new adventure will test them beyond their limits.
Somewhere on top of a building near the castle, Genesis and Professor Hojo watched as two rooms in the castle went dark, "It's time. Soon, you Genesis, will also have the powers of Etro and we will conquer this world." Hojo laughed, maniacally.
Genesis looked on with evil glint in his eye, 'Once I'm infused with the Crystals' power, I will have no need for you, you old perverted bastard. As for the beautiful princess, she will be mine.'
Both turned to leave as they began to plan their attack and take the Crystal into their possession.