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Chapter Text

Aerith wanted to escape. She had to escape and she was going to escape.

She had an idea that might turn into a plan, if only she could get a chance to think things through.

So first she needed to get away from Cissnei, her current guard.

That was what she was thinking when she turned the corner and was knocked over by the figure that was also turning the corner-

"I got you!” An unfamiliar voice cried and Aerith found herself pulled close and braced against a warm, muscular chest. “I’m so sorry about that, my lady.”

Now that she was steady on her feet, Aerith pulled back and found herself staring up at a tall black haired man, maybe a little older than her. He grinned at her, confident and charming. “Sorry,” he said again, “I should pay more attention."

“You should," Aerith agreed steadily, but couldn’t help admiring his beautiful blue eyes and his handsome face.

 And instead of getting mad at her words, he nodded in agreement. “I should. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” He asked, sounding sincere. 

Sincere enough that Aerith was about to consider it when- 

“Aerith!” 

“Oh no, she’s almost here! Can you help me hide or something?” 

He looked confused but at her request he smirked. “Or something,” and he scooped her up into a princess carry and vaulted over the wall.

“With an jump like that, you must be a knight,” Aerith said somewhat breathlessly after the sounds of Cissnei’s footsteps faded away.

He grinned at her- still holding her close, so close before gently lowering her to the ground so that her feet touched the ground. “Pretty cool, right?”

“Hm,'' Aerith said, mock thoughtful, tilting her face and hoping it wasn't as red as she felt. “Perhaps.”

“Perhaps?” he asked, sounding so disappointed that Aerith had to stop herself from giggling.

“Well, you did save me, so I guess I owe you,” she said playfully, putting her hands behind her back.

His disappointment vanished and he looked firm. “No, it’s my duty as a -” he coughed awkwardly. “My duty as a knight is to save people.”

He was so cute.

Stop it. Don't be silly, Aerith. What, did you forget you're not a normal girl? Falling in love with a cute boy you just met isn't for you. No matter how much you wish it was.

"I don't recognize you," she said out loud. "You must from the other kingdom. I thought I heard that the princes were coming?"

"Well, the situation is a little more complicated than that. I don't know how much you know about how our two kingdoms are getting along, but... well, they're not getting along all that well."

"That much I've heard." That was one of reasons Aerith was hopeful.

"Oh. Have you heard..." he started, sounding somewhat hesitant, "have you heard anything about subjects from our kingdom being held in the dungeons here?"

"I haven't heard anything about it," Aerith said honestly. "But then, they wouldn't tell me. And it honestly wouldn't shock me." All of which was also true, but she also hoped it would help him trust her. "But be careful who you say that to. Prince Rufus doesn't like that sort of talk and the Turks tend to not react well to things he doesn't react well to."

"Right, sorry. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable or get you into trouble. It's just that the missing knights are some of my friends."

"And you're worried about them," Aerith said with an understanding nod.

"Right. Anyway, I'm Zack! Pleased to meet you, my lady."

"Zack? Like the eldest prince?"

"Oh yeah, like him," he laughed, sounding embarrassed. "It's a very popular name in our kingdom. But what's your name?"

"Aerith."

"Aerith. That's a pretty name. It suits you!"

He said it with such enthusiasm that she really believed he meant it. "Your name suits you too. Zack sounds both strong and cute."

He grinned even brighter at her words and she couldn't help smiling back.

"So, what are the princes like?" she asked, reminding herself to focus.

"C- uh, Prince Cloud is awesome!" Zack immediately bragged. "He's amazing with swords and he's a great shot! He gets a lot of praise for his looks too. Broke a lot of hearts when he got married!"

"Oh, he's married?"

Zack nodded. "He and Tifa- that's his wife- grew up together actually, and neither of them ever looked at anyone else. Guess they were just meant to be!" He laughed. "It's just Cloud here right now, but Tifa's coming later."

"What about the eldest prince?"

"Oh him?" Zack shrugged. He seemed to be trying to act nonchalant, which was a little strange considering how eager he had been to brag about the other prince. "He's working on trying to find the missing knights too, so he may or may not show up. Oh yeah, will I see you at the ball tonight?"

"Probably," Aerith said, a little bit of bitterness slipping out.

"You don't sound like you're looking forward to it."

"I'm not."

But Prince Rufus did so like to show off his prize, just like his father before him.

The last of the Cetra. It was said that as long as a Cetra was living in the land, it would prosper with rich crops and healthy animals and people. Aerith didn't know if it was true. She'd only been a child when her mother died, and her mother had told her almost nothing of what it meant before she died.

Not that it mattered what Aerith believed, or even whether or not it was true.

Rufus believed it was true, and he was never going to let her go.

"If you're not looking forward to it, could you not go?" Zack asked.

Aerith shook her head.

"That's a shame. If you don't want to, you shouldn't have to go. But I might be there, so if I see you, should I approach or stay away?"

"What?"

Zack shrugged. "If you're not having fun, I don't want to make it worse. But if you want to see me, then I want to see you."

Aerith stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "That's sweet of you, Zack. And I do think seeing a friendly face would help. Oh, just a second!" Aerith hurried to the nearby garden bed and pulled out two golden lilies. "Here. If we both wear these, we'll be able to recognize each other, no matter the mask."

"Aerith, you are a genius," Zack said, gently taking the flower and carefully, so carefully, tucking it into a buttonhole. That safely secured, he held out one hand to Aerith, smiling.

Confused but willing, Aerith held it out. Perhaps he meant to shake it?

He didn't shake it.

Zack fell to one knee and kissed it, then his blue eyes rose to meet hers and Aerith felt her insides turn to fire.

"If I can, I will see you at the ball," Zack vowed, "but even if I can't, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright," Aerith said breathless again, "I'll be waiting."

She stared after him long after he'd gone, even after Cissenei finally caught up. She didn't hear a word of her scolding, only stared in the direction he'd left with her hands pressed to her heart, a thousand brand new wishes blossoming inside her.

Chapter Text

"What is this?" Aerith asked, lifting the dress.

"Your dress for the ball, princess."

"It's a tablecloth," Aerith said flatly, looking at it's childish short sleeves and basic skirt. The lace looked like something that belonged on a table, not a dress.

"Reno picked it out just for you," Cissnei said, smirking.

Of course Reno had. He and Cissnei were the youngest of the Turks and the ones least likely to be professional. And when she tried to have some freedom and made their jobs more difficult, they tended to do things like this. Not to mention, they'd picked up Rufus's "nickname" of "Princess".

The last thing Aerith wanted to do was show up wearing this. But this- like so many other things- was out of her control.

Aerith resisted the urge to sigh. She'd already given Cissnei too much of a reaction already. So she gathered up the dress and the butterfly mask. And most importantly, she gathered the flower she'd gathered so Zack could find her again.

OoOo

Aerith was sure everyone was judging her because of her dress. Rufus had given her a look with a raised eyebrow and Scarlet had outright laughed at her.

She'd even run into a wolf masked man dressed in dark blue. Well, at first she'd thought his reaction had been because of her dress, but she'd seen him at other points during the night, and he seemed to be be keeping his distance from everyone else, so maybe he was just cold. The one gold moon earring he'd been wearing was interesting though-

"I spy a beautiful butterfly!"

"Zack?" Aerith asked, recognizing the voice, then spun to face him - "Zack!"

He really had worn the flower. He was also had a wolf mask, though unlike the other man in dark blue, he was dressed in black.

"Shh!" ha said playfully, "I'm not supposed to be here."

"Then- why are you?"

"I wanted to see you, remember? Why aren't you dancing?"

"Look at this," Aerith said, gesturing to her dress. "It's a tablecloth."

"I think it's pretty," Zack said.

Aerith stared but his face was sincere.

Zack nodded, chuckled. "Well, maybe it's just that you just make everything look pretty. But hey, if you don't like it, do you want to leave?" He gestured over to one of the balconies. "We can just go hang out there if that's what you want to do. Oh, but maybe we want to stay and watch the arrival?"

"The arrival?"

"Come on!" Zack lead her up the stairs so they could see the doors to the ballroom, just in them to see them open and a new figure walk in. A woman, both graceful and lovely, came in wearing a elegant purple dress with a matching mask. It had a multi-layered skirt, one short and the others of varying length, getting longer. She wore a gold moon earring and a matching belt. Her black hair flowed over her shoulders.

"Who is-" Aerith started, then stopped as one figure- the one in the wolf mask who had seemed so cold before- strode up without hesitation. He bowed and then the two clasped hands their hands together and kissed over them, before he pulled her into a dance.

Zack chuckled. "Just like always."

"What do you mean?"

"That's Prince Cloud and Princess Tifa," Zack said, just as proudly as before. "Hide and seek, masquerades, it's all the same to them. They always find each other."

"How romantic," Aerith said quietly, watching the waltzing couple. Even from this distance, they looked so happy together.

"Hey Aerith, are you alright? Sorry if I get carried away bragging about them. I'm just very proud of them."

"No, I think that's sweet of you. And I think it's lucky that you have a prince to be so proud of." Aerith found her gaze drifting to Rufus, who was dressed in white as usual and in the smallest possible mask. He enjoyed being recognized too much to give it up.

"Yeah," Zack said in a very different tone of voice.

Aerith turned to see he'd followed her gaze and was glaring at Rufus. Seeing he had her attention, he turned and faced her again. "Aerith-" he started.

"Let's go outside!" Aerith suggested quickly. She needed help, but after so many years of being a captive of Shinra, she couldn't just come out and say it.

"Sure," Zack said gently, smiling at her. "Let's go, my lady."

For the rest of the ball, they hide on the balcony, chatting about everything and nothing.

Zack respected her wishes and listened to everything she had to say, lifting her spirits with his sweet and pure heart.

Aerith didn't feel quite brave enough to confess the truth to him by the time the night ended, but her heart was blooming with hope.

Chapter Text

Aerith was a little unsure about this. She’d been enjoying that the Turks had been working harder due to needing to keep an eye on the newcomers as well, but that had been before she had been surrounded by three strangers.

“You’re Aerith, right?” asked the taller man.

“You spent a lot of time with Zack yesterday,” asked the pony-tailed woman, eying her with open curiosity.

“Do you like cats?” asked the second man.

“Wedge,” the other two sighed at him.

“Yes?” Aerith offered, feeling a little reassured by that last question.

“Yes to which?”

“To all of them,” Aerith clarified, “Are you friends with Zack?”

“Yes,” said the first man.

“We’ve known him for years,” said the second man- Wedge apparently- enthusiastically. “He’s a great guy.”

“Zack is a friendly guy but even for him, this is this fast, so you can't blame us for being curious-”

"Jessie, calm down, you'll scare her off-" said the first man, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey Aerith!” Zack called, jogging up. “I’m- oh, hey guys,” he said, voice changing slightly as he saw the other three. 

“Good day,” the three said, smiling at him knowingly.

“Good day. You know, Tifa’s looking for you.”

“Is she? Okay, we’ll head on back.”

“Have fun, you two!” Jessie called in a sing-song voice as she followed the other two.

Aerith snuck a look at Zack, who was rubbing the back of his neck and shifting awkwardly. “Sorry about them. They’re great, but can be a bit much. We’re known each other for years. They’re good people. But after what happened, they can be rather protective…”

“What happened?”

Zack sighed. “It’s not my story, but it is important, so… you heard about Corel, right?”

“Yeah, it was a small mining town, wasn’t it? But there was a wildfire-” Aerith stopped as Zack shook his head.

"It wasn't a wildfire. It was Shinra. Prince Rufus was profiting off of their mining, but they wanted to branch out and trade with the other kingdoms too, and he didn't like that. Believe me, I was there after it happened- Cloud and Tifa too- we got there too late to stop it, but we helped out survivors and moved them to our own kingdom.”

Aerith pressed her hands together and to her chest. “How cruel.” 

“Very cruel,” Zack agreed quietly, “but they made it at least. So did others.” He chuckled, “And now we have a little girl who has apparently decided to adopt all of us, because that’s how she thinks that works apparently. Marlene is adorable, and before we left she lectured us all on how we had to come back safely.”

"Hm, sounds like good advice. I hope you're planning on taking it."

"I guess I'd better," Zack chuckled again, "You don't want to disappoint Marlene. Not only will she hit you with her disappointed puppy dog eyes, her bear of a dad will start looming over you and booming about he's disappointed in you."

"Is he scary then?"

"Not really. He thinks he is, but he's a big softy, really. When we go out in the field, he worries over everybody and will fuss if someone gets hurt until they get patched up. You should see him  and Cloud interacting, it's so funny."

"Prince Cloud? He can get away with talking to a prince like that?"

Zack blinked at her. "Yes, of course. He's a prince, not a god. Besides, Cloud hates it when people kiss up to him. But hey, do you want to go on a walk or something?"

"I'd love to," Aerith said, and was rewarded with Zack beaming at her and offering her his arm.

They walked together to the gardens, the only place in Prince Rufus's castle Aerith actually liked. Usually the only reason anyone else came there was because they were looking for her.

Zack told her about his home, how it was warm and sunny and full of growing things. He told her about his family, his loving and supportive parents, and he mentioned a younger brother who he was very proud of and his little brother's wife.

He asked about her, and she told him her father had died when she was a baby and her mother had died when she was a child.

He was very sympathic, but he also seemed to get worried. "So you don't have any family?"

"No, not really."

“Hey Aerith…I know we haven't known each other long, and it’s not really my business, but it seems like something’s bothering you. If I can help you in any way, I want to.”

"Zack...:"

"Aerith!" Cissnei's voice rang out.

Aerith sighed.

"Do you want to-" Zack gestured to the exit, eyes focused on her and worry over his face.

"No, it's fine. But...you'll be at the ball tonight, right?"

"I will," Zack said and took her hands and pulled them close, kissing each of them. "I will see you tonight," Zack promised, voice low but firm.

"I'll be waiting for you," Aerith promised back and squeezed his hands back. 

Chapter Text

Aerith missed the tablecloth. She felt on display on this stupid red dress that Rufus had picked out. Or maybe it was mostly that it was a sexy dress that reminded her of what would be her eventual fate at Rufus's hands if she couldn't escape.

Marriage to Rufus, if he couldn't find a better bride or marriage to one of his minions if he could find a better bride.

What better way to ensure that the last Cetra- and any children she had- would remain your property?

She wasn't sure if she hated the idea of being forced to marry Rufus or one of his cronies more.

And she and Zack hadn’t properly had time to plan, so they didn’t even have the flowers to identify each other this time-

She stopped, hearing a familiar sound. Was that Zack's laugh?

It was and he was dancing with a pretty woman. She was black haired and wearing a lovely dark colored dress. It was rather exotic looking, like it was inspired by a traditional Wutai dress.

There was a wolf masked man leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching them dance.

“Oh, are you next?” Aerith asked.

“Better be,” the wolf masked man said, smirking. Wolves must be very popular in their kingdom. Come to think of it, Aerith thought they might be the symbol of the royal house. “That’s my wife.” 

“And you’re not jealous?” 

“That we both love my brother? No. That just makes me happy. Wait. Are you waiting for him?” Aerith nodded.

“Are you Aerith?” the wolf masked man asked.

“Yes. He’s talked about me?”

“He hasn’t shut up about you,” Zack's brother said, smirking.  

The music ended and Zack and his sister in law came towards them.

“Aerith, you’re here!” Zack exclaimed. He reached out his hand and when she reached for him, he took it and kissed it, first on the back of her hand and then on the inside, above her wrist.

Aerith felt her face turn redder than her dress and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. 

“Oh, you must be Aerith!” the woman exclaimed happily as she came forward. “Zack has told us so much about you!”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Aerith!” Zack exclaimed, sounding hurt. “How can you think otherwise?”

“He’s told us great things about you,” the other woman assured her with a smile.

“Arlright, that’s enough of this,” the other man said, putting his arms around his wife’s waist.

“Cloud?”

“I’d like to dance with my wife now,” he said to Zack and Aerith. 

“Go on, go on you lovebirds,” Zack said, grinning so much his wolf mask couldn't hide it.

“I’d love to talk to you later, Aerith,” the other woman said, smiling at her gently before reaching up and stroking her husband’s face.

He leaned down and kissed her before whisking her away to dance together. 

“Do you want to dance too?” Zack asked Aerith.

Aerith considered only briefly. “No, not really.”

She really did feel on display in this dress. Like everyone in the room was staring at her.

Except Zack's younger brother, who barely glanced at her, and that only after learning Zack was interested in her, and even after that his attention had gone right back to his wife. What a lucky lady she was , to have someone who loved her so much.

“Wll, once again, I think you look amazing,” Zack assured her, “but if you don’t like it, we can go back to the balcony.”

“I do want to get out of here, but…” Aerith hesitated, then started leading Zack towards the balcony.

She was running out of time. There was only more day and then one more ball before they returned to their kingdom. “Would you like to get out of here a little more than this?” 

“Sure Aerith, I'd love to!” Zack assured her- then, once they reached it, he scooped her up into a princess carry, then leapt over the railing and landed them both safely in the garden.

“Impressive!”

“Thank you, my lady!” Zack said mock-gravely, the beaming smile on his face making it hard to take him seriously.

The two of them laughed together before Zack gently lowered her to the ground.

“Well, what do you want to do Aerith? Seems like my little brother and his wife will be busy for quite a while, so we’ve got plenty of time.”

“Seems like,” Aerith agreed, thinking about how the two of them looked at each other. Then she remembered. “Wait. Wait. You have the same name as the eldest prince- and he has the same name as the younger prince. And you talked about your younger brother-” Aerith covered her face. “I'm so stupid.”

“No, no you're not,” Zack said firmly, “I'm sorry, I should have told you before, but Rufus and his cronies can’t know I'm here. That’s the only reason I didn't tell you from the beginning, I swear.”

“Why can’t they know you’re here?”

“Because I'm helping Avalanche- that trio from yesterday, remember them?- search for our missing people. And we did find them.”

“You did? Are they…safe?”

“They are. We’re going to break them out tomorrow night, during the final ball.”

“Oh.”

Zack nodded. “And if you want- only if you want- you can come too.”

"...I have something I need to tell you too Zack."

"Alright, I'm listening."

Aerith fisted her hands in her dress- if Zack knew, he’d treat her differently, just like the others- but Zack deserved to know. “Do you know… about the Cetra?”

“The ones called the Ancients? Not much, but yeah, I know about them. They’re supposed to be all gone though…” Zack trailed off, eyes widening.

Aerith nodded. 

“Oh.'' Zack sat back, thinking about it. “So that’s why Rufus…”

“He’s either going to marry me himself or marry me to one of his supporters,'' Aerith said bitterly, hugging her legs.

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Zack said firmly.

Aerith lifted her head to stare at him and found him smiling at her gently. 

“It’ll take some more work than I thought at first, but it’s not impossible. We’ll get you out, Aerith, I promise. No strings attached. Well, promise not to sell out our secrets or anything like that, but other than that, no strings attached! There's lots of great guys in our country after all.”

“But only one of them met and liked me while I was a bird in a cage,” Aerith said, taking Zack's hands and staring into his eyes.

"Of course," Zack said gently, pulling her closer.

The relief in her heart, his gentle touch and his sweet smile, the magic of the moonlight- Aerith gathered her courage and got on her tip toes and pushed herself up, brushing Zack's lips with her own.

"Aerith-" he whispered.

It was the last thing either of them said for quite a while.

Chapter Text

"You all really don't need to be doing this, " Aerith said as she let the other two in.

"Nonsense!" Jessie declared grandly, "Everything else is taken care of and anyway, if you're going to a ball, you should enjoy it!"

"It is a pity that you didn't like the other dresses," Tifa said, "So I do hope we can find something you'll like better here."

"I really appreciate that," Aerith said, looking at their bundles, "And it looks like you've got a lot for me to chose from!"

"We did our best," Jessie said, and though the tone was humble, it was delivered in a very confident way. The way she winked at Aerith made her feel included and part of the fun.

Tifa's smile made her feel even more included. "What colors do you like Aerith?"

"I really like all colors," Aerith admitted.

"Me too," Tifa responded. "Well, let's see which dresses you like."

She held up a fancy dress, one that was light purple and white.

"Oh, that's pretty!" Aerith exclaimed, "Though I'm not sure I want to wear it tonight."

"That's alright, we have others. Look at this one!"

They went to through a black and white dress, and a black and dark blue one, and then-

"Oh, look at this one!" Aerith picked up a lovely pink dress.

"That would look great on you Aerith!"

"It would! Try it on!"

Aerith did try it on. She felt the texture against her skin and then spun and watched the skirt as it moved.

The other two applauded. "You look amazing Aerith!"

"Thanks!" Aerith said, beaming as she smoothed the skirt down. She felt amazing in this dress, though maybe it was praise from her new friends that made her feel that way.

Zack had told her she looked pretty in the other two dresses. What would he think of this one?

There was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Aerith called, tone carefully calm.

"Aerith, it's me," Zack called through the door.

"Oh Zack," Aerith said, and started towards it, only to be stopped by Jessie.

"Oh no you don't!" Jessie said, moving and keeping the door closed. "Sorry, your highness! You'll get to see her when everybody else gets to see her."

"Jessie, calm down," Tifa said, giggling a little. "It's not like she's picking her wedding dress."

"Not yet anyway," Jessie said, grinning evilly.

On the other side of the door, Zack let out a choked gasp and Aerith hid her face in her hands and giggled at the thought.

Chapter Text

All her life, Aerith had felt like a bird in a cage.

Now, encouraged by Zack and his family and friends, she felt like a bird spreading her wings.

Still, tonight was the night. Aerith couldn't wait to leave and see Zack's home.

But she was a little worried too, worried that things wouldn't go well.

The plan was that the Avalanche trio would sneak the prisoners out while the ball was going on and Zack and Aerith and the others would sneak out during the last dance.

Zack and Cloud have both sulked about not being able to use their swords, only the ceremonial swords. Apparently it has something to with size and their preferred swords were too recognizable.

But if things went according to plan, they wouldn't need them.

Things did not go according to plan.

She really should have expected as much, Aerith admitted to herself as she hefted what had once been a table leg and was now her weapon.

Unlike the previous nights, Aerith had dared to go on the dance floor and dance. 

In a dress she actually felt pretty in, and with Zack’s smile giving her courage, she let Zack lead her onto the dance floor and they danced, with Cloud and Tifa dancing nearby.

In Zack’s strong and gentle arms, Aerith felt like she was flying. 

And then the dancing had been interrupted by Reno flying through the ballroom doors and landed- very ungracefully- on a table, breaking it.

Both the music and the dancing stopped abruptly.

A big man- big in both height and muscles- poked his head in, then grinned fiercely as he saw the inhabitants. “Oh, so this is where y’all are at. Let’s see, where's his glorious highness Prince Rufus? I'd like to have a talk with him about how he treats his guests.”

“Barret-” the brothers sighed in unison.

“Oh, what a shock to see you here in my castle,” Rufus said smoothly.

One thing you could say about Rufus- he was a very calm person.

Unlike the big man, who was beginning to bristle.

Both brothers began to move towards him, but Tifa beat them to it.

“Barret!” she called, giving Cloud's arm a calming squeeze. 

“Tifa! How are you? Oh, look at you, all dressed up, pretty as a picture! Prettier even!”

Aerith hadn’t gotten the chance to know her father but from the little she’d seen, the man- Barret- his tone seemed very much like that of a doting father.

“Barret,” Tifa said again, sounding fondly exasperated.

“Heads up boss!” Biggs called and Barret dodged out of the way- to reveal Cisseni following Reno- who had been starting to push himself up- and collapsed again when she fell onto him, knocking him down again.

“Well, there goes that plan,'' Zack said cheerfully, pulling off his mask and tossing it over his shoulder, Cloud doing the same.

“Well well, Prince Zack. I should've realized you wouldn't be too far away.” 

“Yeah, you really should’ve,” Zack said, his smile turning fierce and predatory. “My friends missing and my little brother and sister heading into danger? You really should’ve known I’d come.” 

“You’re only two years older than me,” Cloud grumbled as he drew his sword. 

“Not now, you two,” Tifa said, pulling on her gloves. “Let’s get this done so we can go home.”

“Right, I can’t wait to show Aerith around!” 

“You are not taking the Cetra,” Rufus said, his smile dropping. 

“I have a name,” Aerith said. “And I've also decided that I'd like to go with them, actually.”

“You don't have a choice in the matter, princess,'' Rufus said smoothly.

Sephiroth and Genesis were also pulling off their masks and approaching, drawing their swords as they did.

Aerith flinched slightly. She hoped nobody noticed-

Zack stepped in front of her, sword held out in both of them protectively. "Yes, she does."

"Stay close to me, Aerith," Tifa said confidently, stepping close and giving her an encouraging smile.

Aerith nodded, returning her smile, before scooping up one of the broken table legs. She didn't have the fighting skills of the others, but it was her future and her friends' lives. She wouldn't stand by like a useless doll.

"Alright, come and get it!" Zack shouted and the two sides threw themselves at each other.

Chapter Text

The fight ended when Rufus's forces saw Zack's sword at Rufus's throat.

Rufus swallowed but remained calm. "Well, you appear to have me at a disadvantage. What is it that you want?"

"Freedom!" Zack announced. "Freedom for our country, our friends, and ourselves! So you're going to let us go and you're not going to come after us. Understand?"

"I suppose that's fair."

"And Fair is what I am!" Zack said with a grin, but didn't put his sword away. He reached for Aerith with his free hand and she took it. Zack angled his sword in front of them protectively as they began moving towards the door.

"Alright everyone, let's go!"

...

Aerith hesitated on the threshold of the city.

The world outside- so big, so overwhelming-

Tifa and Jessie put their hands on her shoulders and Cloud and the others stopped and waited for her.

Except for Zack, who, instead of just waiting, walked back for her.

“Will you come with me, Aerith?” Zack asked her softly as he offered her his hand.

“I will. I’ll go wherever you go, Zack!”  And as Zack took her by the hand, for the first time Aerith felt like a real princess.

After all, the Cetra were meant to be travelers. And Aerith couldn't think of anyone she would rather travel with.