Chapter 1.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasies.

Song: Fallen Star

Artist: Kamelot

Tifa groaned and covered her head with a pillow when her maid called her. She knew it was useless - when king Angeal Hewley is calling you, pillows and covers are powerless against him.

King Angeal was her uncle. After the war with Lucis, her hometown, Nibelheim was burned to the ground and she was saved by sir Zangan miraculously. King Angeal adopted her and she was called as Lady Hewley after that.

Tifa quickly dressed and went into her uncle's cabinet. He was sitting on a chair, reading a long letter. In front of him sat Zack, her cousin. Young dark-haired man was shifting impatiently. When she walked into the room, Angeal stopped reading and glanced at her.

"Oh, Tifa, you're here." He said with his low, warm voice and pointed at the chair. "Sit! "

Tifa obeyed and sat on the chair. King Angeal sighed and placed the letter on the mahogany table. He adjusted his glasses and clasped his hands.

"Tifa, you know, that our conflict with Lucis started years ago."

"Yes." She answered and shuddered. She remembered how Sephiroth Crescent, general of Lucis burned her hometown down and slaughtered her parents, lord Shuyin Lockhart and lady Lenne Hewley.

She remembered how her brave parents defended her against that silver-haired monster and how long, narrow sword pierced her father's chest and how sharp blade beheaded her mother.

Tifa shuddered. Her uncle noticed her trembling and gently placed his large palm on her hand.

"I know your pain, dear niece. It was horrible when I heard how my sister died. This pain still tears my heart apart."

"Cut the crap, father." Zack growled. Tifa frowned. When Zack was angry, it was very, very bad sign.

"I don't want my people suffer anymore." Dark blue eyes narrowed. "So I want Tifa to marry king Regis."

Tifa stared at her uncle in disbelief. He was kidding, right? Her uncle was gentle, kind man and that was really, really cruel joke. She shuddered again.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked in a small voice. "Should I laugh now? "

"No, my dear niece." Angeal lowered his head. "King Regis asked your hand and I accepted. Your wedding will be after one month."

"No." Zack growled again. "You can't force her to marry a man who ordered to destroy her hometown. You can't! "

"Think before you speak, Zack." Angeal said calmly. "Tifa isn't the only one who orphaned during war. There are thousands, who lost their parents and home and will be more, if we don't stop the war."

Tifa bit her lip. Of course, she wasn't naïve enough to think she was the only one who was suffered by war. People lost their families and lives during the war and it was her duty to stop that horrible killing machine. She raised her head and stared her uncle in the eyes.

"I will do it." She said in a small voice.

"No." Zack hissed. "You will not. I won't let you marry that horrible man."

Sweet Zack. He always cared about his little cousin, who was like a sister to him. She leaned closer to him.

"Thank you, Zack." She said and squeezed his hand. "But it's my choice and I decided to wed Regis."

Angeal nodded and rested his chin on his palms. His dark eyebrows furrowed when he inhaled deeply.

"Pack your things, Tifa. You will leave Gaia today and go to Lucis." His dark blue eyes drifted from her to his son. "Zack, prepare for your wedding with Aerith Gainsborough of Kalm."

"Go to hell, father." Zack snarled, got up and stormed out from the cabinet.

Tifa was standing in front of King Regis. His sharp eyes were locked in her earth-colored ones, studying her. Young woman shifted uncomfortably. She didn't like when someone eyed her like she was a piece of meat. King Regis clapped and smiled warmly at her.

"Lady Hewley, you're more beautiful than the morning of the summer day. You definitely look like Lenne."

"You knew my mother?" Tifa was astonished. There were few people who could remember her mother. Most of her mother's friends died when general Sephiroth attacked Nibelheim.

King Regis Lucis Caelum nodded.

"She was my betrothed, you know? But her father decides that Shuyin was better son-in-law. So, your mother married to Shuyin. After five years you were born. My son, Noctis is a year older than you."

So this old sack of trash was supposed to be her father. Tifa thanked the gods because her grandfather chose her father over Regis.

She eyed old man. He looked like a kind person. 'Like it wasn't he, who started the war between Lucis and Gaia twenty-six years ago. ' she thought bitterly.

"...I decided to celebrate our engagement tonight." King Regis announced. "It will be small ball." When he noticed her frustrated expression, he chuckled. "Don't worry, Princess of Gaia. I know, how you hate me and my country. I won't force anything, I promise." Then he frowned. "Except ceremony of our wedding, of course."

He wouldn't force anything? Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought.

"You promise?" She whispered. Old king smiled warmly at her.

"I promise."

Tifa was squirming in her tight wine-colored dress. That old bastard. He said it would be small ball.

She wondered what he called 'The Grand Ball.'

Thousands of the noblemen were around here. King Regis was walking between groups of lords and ladies and chatting with them. Every single man was a stranger to her and she felt like the single sheep in the pack of hungry wolves. Everyone was watching her with the critical eyes. A single wrong move and they would swallow her like hungry lion would swallow its prey.

"Would you dance with me, Your Highness?" Velvety voice whispered in her ear. She turned around to accept his offer and suddenly felt how her heart stopped beating and how her blood froze in her veins.

In front of her stood the great Sephiroth. His long, silver-colored hair was cascading down, his emerald-green eyes watched her carefully, slight smirk was playing on his lips. Like he enjoyed her suffering.

Tifa gritted her teeth and fought the urge to wrap her fingers around his perfect neck and choke him perfectly.

"Your Highness?" He murmured. He noticed how her dark eyebrows furrowed and how her eyes darkened from the fury. The young princess of Gaia calmed herself and smiled at him sweetly.

"Of course, my lord."

She shivered when he placed his left hand on her waist and wrapped his long fingers around her right one. Same hands weld blade, that pierced gentle heart of her father. Same hands beheaded her beautiful and strong mother. She remembered the sound, that was caused by her mother's head dropping on the floor and she remembered feeling, when the warm blood of her deceased parents splashed on her face. Painted her skin in the sick shade of red.

'Hold yourself, Hewley.' She scolded herself. 'You're much stronger than that sick bastard with silver hair. He can't break you. No one can break the princess of Gaia.' Yes, fate tried to break her. Killed her parents, burned her home, dropped her in a strange country, but she was still unbreakable and strong.

She remembered how Zack joked that the princess wasn't human and she was made of iron.

'You have the fists of iron.' He told her and she grinned at him. Tifa took his words as a compliment, but he frowned at her. 'Don't grin like that. Iron is hard and solid, but it won't bow. It will break if you pressure it.'

'Don't worry.' She grinned again. 'I won't bow and I won't break.'

Zack cocked an eyebrow.

'My, aren't you too confident, dear cousin?'

'I'm not confident, I just know what I'm capable of.'

Her heart squeezed when she remembered her dear cousin. She would give anything for one day in Gaia again.

"May I steal her from you, Sir Sephiroth?" Deep voice asked and she turned her head around to see her savior. Behind her stood a blond man with sapphire colored eyes. Young woman noticed how emerald-green eyes narrowed and grip on her hand tightened. So, great silver general disliked that blond man. Immediately she felt respect and sympathy toward blond. The grip on her hand loosened and Tifa was freed from the clutches of silver-haired monster. General slightly bowed in front of her and blond man.

"Of course, my lord." His velvety voice scratched her ears. "I'll see you again, my queen." Tifa bowed and watched how tall freak left her vision. She spun around and almost threw herself in blond's arms. That man definitely would be her favorite lord.

Blond chuckled when he saw her thankful expression. He rested his palms on her waist. Tifa placed her hands on his shoulders and grinned at him.

"You're welcome."

The dark-haired girl shifted. 'You're welcome?' She remembered how her uncle told her that the palace was a dark place with terrible traps. One wrong move and you could say good-bye to your life. King Angeal told her that she could only trust him, Zack and Aerith Gainsborough, her childhood friend.

And in Lucis, there was no one trustworthy. She was a stranger to them. Wild animal. Enemy. If she wanted to live, she should play polite, naïve young woman.

So, she furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head to watch blond's face closely.

"What do you mean?" She asked in a fake astonishment. "I didn't thank you for anything." She felt how the blond's body trembled, like he was trying to keep himself from bursting into laughing.

"You didn't say anything, but I saw your thankfulness in your eyes." He answered. His water colored eyes were watching her face carefully. When she opened her mouth to reply, he sighed. "Don't need to play a naïve woman in front of me, Lady Hewley. After all, I'm the Rebel Lord."

"Rebel Lord?" Tifa repeated his words. Her brown eyes widened. "You're the Cloud Strife?" She gasped. That blond boy was the brave lord, who stood against the king of Lucis when Regis decided to burn Nibelheim down.

Brown haired maiden shook her head. It was impossible, he was too young. Perhaps one or two years older than her. Seventeen years old boy can't stand against the king. It's too dangerous.

Blond smirked.

"But you were too young! How you stayed alive?" Soon-to-be-queen stared at him with her jaw dropped to the floor. Cloud shrugged.

"Regis was too furious. He wanted to punish me, but didn't dare." When he noticed her curious stare he explained. "My father, Setzer Strife is only one in Lucis who knows how to build airships." He smiled at her. "But now everyone calls me 'Traitor' and 'Rebel Lord.'"

"Aren't you afraid?" Tifa asked quietly. "After your father's death, your life will be in danger."

Cloud shook his head.

"No, Lady Hewley, it will not. Only my father and I know how to build airships. As long as I'm only one who knows how to build airships, I'm safe." He smirked at her. "Knowledge is power, Lady Hewley."

Tifa nodded. She felt a small relief that she wasn't the only one in a castle who was against war between Lucis and Gaia. But she still didn't trust Cloud. He was a stranger. Even if he was against the king's plan five years ago, it didn't mean that he was ally. She was alone in a strange country, in a strange castle with the strange people.

Cloud let go her, brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He gave her a small smile.

"Goodbye, Lady Hewley, I'll see you again.

Tifa yawned and stretched. She still felt little tiredness from yesterday's ball, but she had energy and she was ready for her training.

Tifa trained in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship and archery since childhood. And after fifteen years of the training now she was an excellent martial artist, swordswoman and archer.

Tifa crawled out of the bed and put tight hide pants and long green tunic on. Her creamy legs slipped into high leather boots. She combed and braided her long hair and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Princess of Gaia decided that she was ready for the training.

It was her first training in Lucis and she didn't have sparing partner (in Gaia Zack and king Angeal helped her during training). She frowned and grabbed the long bow. After all, she didn't need a partner to shoot an arrow.

She inhaled sharply and placed an ashen arrow on the string. Her index, middle and ring finger were covered with soft leather half-glove to protect her fingers from harming.

She closed her left eye. Dark haired woman drew her bow and shot an arrow.

Right in the bullseye.

Tifa smirked smugly and placed another arrow on a string. She inhaled deeply again and was ready to shoot, when she heard clapping.

She spun around and saw a tall man with bluish-black spiky hair and dark blue, almost black eyes. He was dressed in a simply black outfit. 'He's probably a servant.' Dark haired princess thought to herself.

"It was great." He praised and beautiful archer grinned. "For a woman." He added and Tifa felt how her smile faded. Sexist bastard!

She scowled at him and dropped her black bow on the ground. Her will of training was vanished now. Dark haired man noticed her scowl.

"Why are you angry?" He asked innocently and Tifa growled. That son of a bitch! Like he didn't know why was she so angry. She thought how the queen of Lucis should punish that arrogant bastard. 'Maybe I can behead him.' She mused and smirked. She knew it was too harsh punishment, but hey, he started it.

The man glanced at her with an interest.

"You only shoot arrows or are you talented in the other things?" He asked with raised eyebrows. She snorted in the quite unladylike way and pointed at her.

"I'm the master of martial arts and swordsmanship." She declared proudly and noticed how his eyes lit up with sparks. He leaned forward.

"Are you trained in swordsmanship?" He asked and the woman shot him an annoyed expression.

"I just told you now, didn't I?" He chuckled at her words and unsheathed his black sword.

"Then let's see what you can." He smirked daringly and wrapped his long fingers tightly around the hilt of the sword. Tifa snorted again.

"And why you think, that I want to spar with you?" She asked and arched her eyebrows. The man shrugged and stroke the blade of his sword. He was rubbing it gently, like it was the body of his lover and not a sharp blade of the deadly weapon.

"You need a partner for your training." He explained. "If you aren't on the basics." He smirked again. It was a last straw. Tifa growled and punched him in his pretty nose. Her face was as red as the little stream of his blood, flowing from a broken nose.

"I don't like the way you're talking to me." She growled. Hard fingers of her left hand curled into the fist. "And I will beat you to the pulp if you resume your behavior." She spat. He gave her an amused expression.

"Is that a threat?" He asked in an amused voice.

"No, it's a promise." She answered. Her eyes were burning with a rage. "And I'm good at keeping promises." She turned around and left him.

He was watching how she left his vision and smirked. That woman was a challenge and he always welcomed challenges.

She stripped down and changed into a gold hued silk dress. She was humming, still angry at the cocky bastard from the yard. 'I'll kill him with my bare hands.' She promised herself and frustration. When she stormed into her chamber, her maid told her that king Regis wanted her to meet his son. She growled and combed her hair. That Noctis Bastard Caelum was probably some crybaby prince with 'i-cut-my-little-finger-gods-help-me-I'm-dying-from-the-blood-loss' personality. She groaned. What a day.

Someone knocked on her door. She grunted and braided her hair.

"Come in." She yelled.

"Lady Hewley?" Her maid asked. She was standing in a frame of her bedroom door. "King Regis is calling you. Prince Noctis returned."

'Great.' Lady Hewley thought to herself. 'Calm down, Tifa. It's time to meet your soon-to-be stepson. Wake up, my maternal instincts.' She told herself and sighed.

"I'm ready." She declared. Her maid nodded and guided her in the palace. Tifa tried to memorize the plan of the castle. She didn't want to lost in that huge-ass palace and die from starving. 'After few centuries they will find my skeleton.' She snickered and frowned. 'I'm laughing at my death. This isn't healthy.' She thought worriedly, then shrugged. 'To hell with it.'

The maid opened mahogany door and Tifa saw her fiancé, sitting on the white-stone throne. He smiled at her warmly.

"Tifa, my dear..." her stomach churned at the words 'my dear.'"I'm glad that you have a chance to meet my son."

"I'm glad too." She answered sarcastically. King Regis didn't notice her sarcasm or pretended like he didn't notice. He clapped his hands.

"Noctis, my son, come and meet your new mother."

She quietly growled at the word 'mother' (his bastard was a year older than her. Being his 'mother' was just disgusting) and turned around to see the face of her 'future son.'

And she felt how her jaw dropped to the floor when she saw familiar bluish-black spikes and blackish-blue eyes.