Disclaimer- I do not own Final Fantasy VII or Sleeping Beauty.

Summary- A classic tale retold with a twist. Aerith is a princess cursed since childhood until her 16th birthday to sleep forever by the evil Sephiroth. Cloud is a prince torn by duty and his dreams knowing nothing about what fate has in store for him or the girl meant to be his. Clorith!

Sleeping Cetra

Chapter 1: The Curse

Across the winding blue rivers, over lush green fields, and through a deep forest, crowded with many thick, many old trees, was the Kingdom of the Ancients. There lived the people known as the Cetra, a kind and gentle race. Living in a shining palace in the middle of the kingdom were the King and Queen of the Cetra: King Gast Faremis, and his wife Queen Ifalna. The two ruled their people with kindness, leading them into a prominent age. People were happy, and life was good. Yet, both were growing old and without a child to succeed the throne, the king feared ruin for his kingdom. For countless days and nights, he and his wife would pray for the queen's fertility, and for a successful pregnancy. Finally, after some time their prayers were answered, and a baby girl was born.

A week after her birth, the king announced a grand celebration to present their daughter to the kingdom, and bless their child. Nearly everyone in the kingdom came to the palace to catch a glimpse of the new heir, and perhaps get close enough to give her their blessing. Many nobles and royalty from the neighboring kingdom came as well. From the realm of Nibelheim, Her Royal Highness Queen Strife and her two sons came forth to present their blessings to the newborn child. The elder boy had black hair, while the younger had blonde. The two shared the same strange, piercing blue eyes, eyes they had inherited from their mother. The three greeted the King and Queen of the Cetra, and approached the baby heir. The tiny princess was resting in her golden cradle, one decorated with yellow and white flowers chained together. She was swathed in a pink blanket, and dressed in a tiny, white, child's robe. The two sons of Queen Strife peered into the cradle and looked at the sleeping baby, neither sure exactly why they were here to celebrate a baby being born.

At that moment, Queen Strife and King Faremis came to mutually beneficial agreement that one of the Queen's two sons would eventually marry the baby princess when they came of age. Should it happen, the two kingdoms would unite, creating one strong kingdom that would be very prosperous. After all, Nibelheim was well known for its abundance of materia and other resources.

As the guests finished giving their blessings, one by one, to the tiny child, three special guests arrived. The three were good fairies who were well known among the people of the kingdom of the Ancients for their kindness and power. Of course, they, too, came to give the baby princess their blessings. The first one had long raven hair and reddish brown eyes. She wore an elegant blue dress that hugged her well developed body, and it shifted and shimmered as she held up her hands, smiling at the little girl.

"Child of Cetra," she spoke gently. "I, Tifa, give you my blessing and a gift. My gift to you is that you shall grow beautiful and gentle like the flowers the planet gives us. Like the earth, your hair shall be brown, and like the leaves, your eyes shall be akin to emeralds."

With a wave of her hands, a bright blue light dropped from thin air into the cradle, surrounding the child with warmth. The child seemed comfortable in her cradle as she looked up at the fairy with a smile, cooing softly at the gentle glow. Once the spell finished, Tifa stepped back and gracefully curtsied. The next fairy stepped forward; she was several inches shorter than the first, and had short black hair held back by a headband. Her eyes were a dark brown, glittering with childish mischief and sweetness, and she wore an elegant green dress with long sleeves that puffed at the shoulders. Her dress, too, shimmered as it followed her movements.

"Hey there," the fairy said informally. "I'm Yuffie, and I've come to give you my blessing, too! My gift to you is going to be your voice. Your voice will sound pretty, and when you sing, your melody will be soothing to one's soul." She gave a cheerful gesture. "That's it from me!"

Yuffie waved her hands and a green light fell from the air, and entered the child. When she was done, she gave the child a grin and stepped back, next to Tifa, as the final fairy made his way. Now, most people would never have thought that this man was a fairy, but he was, in fact, one. He was tall, well over six feet, with dark skin and hair. He was muscular and wore a white shirt and dark pants. His right hand, however, was metallic and formed into the shape of a gun barrel. He stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Yo kid," he said in a deep voice; Tifa inwardly cringed at the way he addressed the Heir of Cetra. Yuffie stifled a giggle behind her hand. "I'm Barret, and I'm going to give you the gift of friendship. No matter what happens, you'll always have someone there for you"

With a wave of his good hand, a yellow light fell down into the cradle, surrounding the girl with yet another warmth. She let out a happy giggle, full of comfort and contentment. Barret then turned to Yuffie and Tifa and nodded, their gifts complete. The king and queen stood up to thank the fairies when suddenly, a blast of harsh, cold wind rushed into the throne room. Everyone gasped as the lights dimmed and eerie feeling invaded the room, giving everyone present an uneasy and unsettled feeling; even the princess had stopped her cooing. Moments later, a black light emitted from above and came crashing to the marble floor. During its rapid decent, the black light began to take form. Before it hit the ground, the form took a definite shape and twisted into a humanoid form; a man landed gracefully, kneeling down. The shiny, golden, warm room became cold and dark.

Everyone stared at the man, slowly backing away. The man lifted his head to reveal a pale, handsome face. His eyes opened to reveal piercing, bright orbs. He stood at six foot one, and his lithe form was well built. His clothing consisted of black boots, pants and no shirt. He wore a long black, high collared, trench coat held closed only by a belt, and wore black gloves with silver bracelets. Crisscrossing underneath his coat on his chest were two thick black belts, and on his shoulders were silver shoulder guards. At his side was a magnificently long blade, thin and deadly. On the right side of his back unfurled a single, long black wing. Several black feathers fell to the ground from the slight movement of the wing. The moment the touched the polished floor, they dissolved into small puffs of black smoke.

"A party," he said in a soft voice. "And one which I was not invited to. How unfortunate." His thin lips curled into a slight smirk at his words, but his eyes remained cold and hard.

"That's right, you're not invited, ya' bastard!" Barret growled. "Get the hell out of here, Sephiroth!"

The man, Sephiroth, turned his head toward Barret and merely smirked. He then turned to the king and queen, tilting his head questionably. The queen looked fearfully at him. The king however, placed himself in front of his wife. He looked at all the people at the celebration. He saw the Queen Strife clutching her boys to her. The blonde haired boy was staring at the tall, dark man with a strange look, almost resembling awe, and yet almost resembling fear. Sephiroth let out a sigh and turned around as if he was going to leave.

"This is indeed a predicament: I, Sephiroth, the lord of Jenova, was not invited. I can only surmise that there must have been a good reason."

His eyes traveled to the king and queen. He could see the queen staring fearfully. He moved toward them but then his eyes fell on the golden cradle. He approached it with a silent grace, his face grim and yet amused. The only sound in the room was the sound of his footsteps across the marble floor. Once he reached the cradle, he peered in, just as Queen Strife's two sons had done, but when the tiny princess saw his face, she began to cry, out of fear, and for want of her mother's security. Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret became apprehensive and quickly moved themselves towards the girl.

"I just wanted to give the little princess my gift," Sephiroth said, his eyes narrowing and his mouth twitching into a sadistic smile.

Suddenly, he tore a black feather from his wing and flung it over towards the cradle. It hovered over the baby, and soon became a black orb. Sephiroth waved his hands and darkness began to shroud the cradle. The queen screamed, and tried to run towards her daughter, but Tifa stopped her.

"NO, Your Highness! If you touch it, you could be killed! We don't know what kind of spell it is!" she warned. Ifalna watched in horror, hearing her little baby cry from the coldness the dark orb brought to her.

Sephiroth grinned. "Wise of you fairy, and now, I shall bestow upon her my gift to the princess. Yes, the princess shall age with unsurpassed grace and beauty, with a wondrous voice full of melody, and friends innumerable. She will surely be the most beautiful girl in the world, with her gifts from the fairies. Her love and kindness for every being will surely thrive. And yet... By midnight of her sixteenth birthday, the young princess shall meet an unfortunate fate."

Sephiroth whipped out his sword and the blade began to emit a dark glow. The blade shot out a dark light into the orb and it exploded.

"This unforgiving blade shall claim her body as another one of its sheaths. This blade, known as the Masamune, shall pierce her flesh, and she will die!"

Finally, the spell was cast, and Sephiroth began laughing insanely. The darkness began fading, and gradually, dim light began entering the halls, but the air grew steadily colder. The royals, nobles, and humble subjects alike gasped in fear. Ifalna rushed to her child, holding her tightly, and glanced fearfully at the ruthless man. He placed his sword back at his side and turned to leave. His black wing stretched out, preparing to take flight.

"GUARDS," the king ordered, "SIEZE HIM!"

The guards surrounded Sephiroth, but he merely grinned. He whipped his blade out and with one swing cut down the guards near him. The people in the castle began to scream and panic. Some began to run to get away from the insane man. However, Barret, Tifa and Yuffie stayed: they could not let such a horrible fate befall the young princess. They looked at each other and nodded, confirming that they needed to help. The three placed their hands together and began to chant a magic spell. As they chanted, a white light began to shine around Sephiroth. The evil man looked back and gave the trio a murderous glare, slowly advancing towards them.

"Silence that chanting!" Sephiroth growled.

"We may not be able to reverse your spell, but we can change it!" Yuffie shouted.

"The princess will not die!" Barret said firmly.

"She will instead fall asleep until true love's first kiss!" Tifa finished.

A light shot out at Sephiroth's blade. He glared at them and, with a string of curses, flew into the air. He burst through the glass skylight and soared away to his castle.

Once Sephiroth was gone, everyone stared at the shattered window and the baby. The fair queen clutched her child, sobbing uncontrollably. The king wrapped his arms around his wife, trying his best to comfort her.

Nearby, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret weakly stood up. After casting such a strong counterspell, the three fairies felt as if all their powers were drained. They could not undo the terrible curse, but they did change it. At least the baby would live. After having his wife escorted to her chambers with the child, the king offered his gratitude to the three fairies. He then graciously offered of them rooms for the night to thank them for saving his daughter. The three humbly took the offer. However, they all decided to meet in Tifa's room to talk and eat before sleeping.

The room was beautiful and well furnished. The furniture were made of polished marble with purple and gold tapestries. Tifa's bed was dressed in beautiful violet fabrics fit for any noble or royalty. A table was set with food for the three. There were many different types of fruit, already sliced, as well as cheeses, smoked meats, breads, and small pastries. The three fairies all gathered around the table, eating and drinking.

"Man, I can't believe Sephiroth would do that! Just because he did not get invited to a party," Yuffie huffed as she ate some fruits.

"What the hell is that bastard's problem?" Barret cursed, drinking from a large goblet. "Can't he ever just leave people alone?"

Tifa tilted her head down. She stared at her cup of tea and shook her head. Yuffie and Barret looked over at her.

"Something wrong?" Yuffie asked.

"I don't think Sephiroth did this because he wasn't invited to the celebration," Tifa explained. "He's lord of Jenova. Back when before any of us were around, the Jenovians waged war on the Cetra, but the Cetra won, destroying the first ruler Jenova herself! Over the years, the Jenova people have been dying out, leaving Sephiroth to be one of the only ones remaining alive."

"So you think this is for revenge?" Barret asked.

Tifa nodded, "Not only that, but think about it: if the king and queen were to die without an heir, there would be no ruler, leaving the Cetra vulnerable. I think Sephiroth wants the Cetra throne, and killing the only heir was his way of doing it."

"But Sephiroth is powerful! We cannot even go up against him and hope to win. Why doesn't he just take the kingdom?" Barret asked, setting his cup down.

"Wait! I know," Yuffie piped up as she stuffed her face full of food. "It's because Jenova was defeated by the Cetra, and he's worried about dying too, right?"

Tifa nodded to Yuffie, confirming her guess. She daintily sipped at her tea and frowned. It was a shame they could not find a way to save the little princess. Who knew when Sephiroth would strike? Of course, he would do it when he could slip past unnoticed. He was a sneaky and clever strategist. He would not risk his life until he was sure that he would not be caught. The only problem was that he had sixteen years to do it, and by then he would definitely find a way.

"I wish we could do something," Yuffie sighed.

Tifa's eyes widened. "Maybe we can!"

She stood up and closed the door and the windows. Yuffie and Barret watched her, wondering what she was thinking. Tifa looked around the room to make sure there was no one else around, not even an animal. Once she was sure, she returned to her friends.

"I think the princess should be taken out of the castle," Tifa said in a low voice. "They can hide her somewhere. That way Sephiroth will never find her."

"Hold it," said Barret. "No offense, Tifa, but their Highnesses are not going to let someone just take their daughter from them. That's some crazy ass shit!"

"Well, we should take her. We can watch over her easily, and the King and Queen know we'll take good care of her!"

Yuffie interrupted this time. "ARE YOU INSANE?"

"SHH!" Tifa hushed.

"We have no idea how to raise a kid," Yuffie whispered. "We might as well just give her to Sephiroth. I mean, come on, a baby is a lot of work! You have to feed it, change it, clean it, play with it, and not to mention they cry A LOT!"

Tifa slammed her fist against the table angrily. She glared at her two friends and got up. She pushed back her raven hair in frustration and shook her head.

"Fine, I'll do it myself. I refuse to let some creepy jerk hurt a defenseless child!"

Tifa turned to leave so she could discuss her idea with the king and queen. Barret and Yuffie looked at one another. They grimaced but then got up, calling to their friend. Tifa turned around and smiled.

"Okay, we're in," Barret sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry," Yuffie said, slapping his back. "We have magic to help us."

Tifa cleared her throat. Both Barret and Yuffie stared, wide-eyed, at their friend. The two began shaking their heads 'no', but Tifa nodded her head 'yes'.

"We can't give up our magic!" Yuffie whined.

"We have to!" Tifa stated firmly. "If we take the princess with us, we'll have to raise her like a normal child. If Sephiroth gets ANY indication that she is the princess, he could very well complete his curse!"

Barret and Yuffie stared at the ground. Since they were young, the three used magic to help them in daily activities. To act as a mortal was something so foreign to them, and they feared it. Magic was a big part of their lives. Giving it up would be a hard thing to do.

Tifa looked over at her friends, confirming the fact they would give up their powers for sixteen years. This would be the only way to ensure the safety of the princess. Tifa held out her hand, slowly pulling off the glove. She closed her eyes and a blue orb appeared in the palm of her hand. Tifa felt her body become heavy and nearly fell to the ground, but Barret supported her and kept her from falling. She thanked him and looked over at Yuffie.

Yuffie nodded and held out her hand. A bright green orb appeared from her hand. Yuffie slumped to her feet clutching the orb. She looked over at Barret and Tifa, giving them a quick grin to show she was all right.

Barret carefully set Tifa down so she could rest. He looked at his gun arm and then at his normal hand. Suddenly his real hand began to grow and, like the others, an orb was resting in his palm, his a yellow one. Barret fell to his knees feeling the same rush at Tifa and Yuffie did.

"Wow, there goes our magic," Yuffie sighed looking at her orb, "Now it's just materia."

Materia was a special magic that allowed its users power over elements, allowed curing, cause aliments, and many other such uses. Materia came from the planet. Some said that when the planet's energy crystallized, it became materia. However, only those of strong willpower and descent were able to absorb it into their bodies, and wield it with a wave of their hand.

"Yeah, I'll miss the magic but this is more important." Tifa said.

"I hope this all works out," Barret grunted.

After discussing the idea with the king and queen, there was a hot debate on giving up the child. Tifa, however, was able to persuade them into understanding. She told them how Sephiroth could easily dispense soldiers with ease, and how it be safer for them as well. Once the sixteen years were up, they would bring the child back safely. With a heavy heart, the King agreed, but Queen Ifalna remained hesitant.

Ifalna held her child, crying. She did not want to lose her one and only child to Sephiroth, nor to the fairies, now turned mortal. She had prayed for a child for so long, and now, one way or another, would be torn away from her. The king calmly told his wife everything would be okay. After a few moments, she finally agreed and handed her child to Tifa. She kissed her gently before whispering loving words to her.

"We promise to take care of her," Tifa said sadly, seeing the pain in the queen's eyes.

The three turned to leave, to sneak out of the castle without anyone knowing. However, before they left, Ifalna stopped them. She stared down at her child, her only child, and tears began pouring from her eyes. She slowly undid her long brown hair from the pink ribbon she used to tie it. She then handed the ribbon to Tifa, with a small pure white materia.

"Give these to my daughter," the queen whispered staring at Tifa through tears. "We did not get a chance to announce her name but… her name is Aerith."

The three watched the queen sadly, but Tifa nodded firmly. One by one, they left the room, but before Tifa left, she looked at the king and queen and said, "I think it is wise to not repeat that name, so we can protect your daughter."

With that, Tifa, Barret, and Yuffie fled into the night. The King and Queen watched as the three mortal ex-fairies disappeared into the darkness with their child, and all the hope of the kingdom resting on their shoulders.

X, X, X,

Author Note- I love fairy tales, I really do. Sleeping Beauty was my favorite as a kid. Therefore, I came up with this little story. I thought it be funny to have Barret be one of the fairies and raise Aerith. Anyway, please leave a review.

Edit- Thanks for MidnightSchemer13 for editing.