Author's note: Okay, while thinking about the name Final Fantasy one day, I decided to turn it into a real fantasy…you know, with castles and kings and stuff.
Adel may seem totally out of place now, but I'm planning to use her when I develop the story…don't flame me yet!!!
The Repeat of History: Sorceress Wars (Chapter I)
By Silver Dolphin
Most of the inhabitants of Esthar Castle had already settled down for the night. Of course, there were the usual sentries and guards, but everyone else was pretty much in their own chambers.
The West Wing of the Castle housed the royal family, who were gathered in the living room by the roaring fire this cold winter night.
King Laguna sat in an armchair, reading a scroll by the flickering firelight. Or rather pretending to read, while he regarded his family.
The king sighed and stretched. He had long since past the prime of his life; he was slowly growing old now. Not that he minded, really. Such was the way of life, and he had two promising sons whom he could leave his kingdom to. Provided that they didn't kill each other in the process of ruling the kingdom.
He looked at his wife sitting opposite him, the mother of his elder son. Adel, his legitimate wife. He had agreed to marry her in order join their two kingdoms together, as both were on the same continent. It had seemed suitable for their two small kingdoms to unite as one.
As for love…he had never loved Adel. Once Raine had captured his heart, it had been impossible for him to love another. My sweet, beautiful Raine… you left me the day Squall was born. Raine had been his wife once he'd been crowned king, while Adel…Adel had not come into the picture till years later.
But in the acknowledgement of the joining of the two kingdoms to what was Esthar today, it was Adel who ruled beside him as Queen. Raine had been pushed to the position of his second wife.
He looked at the son whom his beloved had left him, the day she'd died seventeen years ago. Squall was never one to talk or initiate discussion. At an early age he had learned to keep his thoughts to himself. It was not easy being an illegitimate child; although Raine had been his wife, Squall would only inherit after his half brother, Seifer. Mostly he kept himself to himself, spending his days with his First Knight's adopted daughter, Quistis. The two had grown up together. He smiled fondly. Quistis was like the daughter he had never had.
While Squall was more his father's son, with the same facial features, Seifer was a different story. He was all his mother to look at, with butter yellow hair and dark green eyes. He had also inherited his mother's cunning, competitive nature.
Oh, the king was very aware of the antagonism that had existed between Raine and Adel when Raine had lived. Adel was a wolf-mother, seeing everything that Laguna bestowed on his Squall as something that had been taken away from Seifer. And he had never once hinted that he wished to pass Seifer's inheritance to Squall. It was mean and petty of Adel to begrudge his attentions to his younger son.
My Squall…strong and fierce like the wind you were named after.
He gazed with pride at the boy, sitting quietly polishing his gunblade. Seifer had retired to bed early, no doubt with some pretty girl for the night's entertainment. Seifer was eighteen after all, an age when blood was fiery in young males. Laguna was pretty open-minded about stuff like that. He'd simply warned Seifer not to impregnate anyone he didn't want to marry. He certainly didn't want his son to be caught between two women, like he had been.Two sharp raps sounded on the door, and it opened to reveal a tall, dark man with a beautiful young girl by his side.
"Ah, Kiros." The king stood to clasp hands with his First Knight and Champion. He smiled at the girl. "Lady Quistis."
"My Lord." She bowed formally, then excused herself to join Squall at the other end of the room.
Adel had also risen to greet the King's Champion, and the three sat down to begin another discussion of politics.
At the other side of the room, Quistis had settled down next to Squall.
"How much more are you going to polish? If you keep this up you'll wear your gunblade down to nothing."
"I like my weapon shiny." However, he put the rag down.
"Are you still up to practicing with me tomorrow morning?" Her eyes shone with challenge.
"Of course. I'll beat you this time."
"Keep dreaming," Quistis teased. "You'll get there someday." Her face sobered then. "But I do have to be the best, you know. When you're king, I'll be your champion. I'll have to protect you in times of need, and be your advisor, so I'll have to be smart, too. Just like my father is."
"You forget," Squall said expressionlessly. "Seifer will be king after my father."
She shrugged. "Forget Seifer. I'll be your champion, king or no."
Quistis smiled at her long-time friend. It was becoming difficult for her to hide her feelings for the handsome prince. In all her eighteen years, Quistis had never ever fallen for any other man. Oh, there had been several attempts made by young aristocrats to woo her, but she'd flatly turned each of them down. Driving her father crazy in the process, of course.
She could never tell Kiros that she was in love with her childhood friend, Squall. Or Prince Leonhart as he was so often called. Squall was simply just a pet name that his mother had left him. He had been reluctant to get rid of that, the only thing that he had left of Raine. He had never known his mother. At least she had known her parents for three years, before they'd both been assassinated. After which Kiros had taken her in as his daughter.
Squall was watching her with that little smile he reserved only for her. To others, he was a cold, silent person. But with her he was different: there was that occasional laugh, and those little smiles (or rather half smiles). And at least he spoke in sentences with her.
"What?" She was beginning to feel self-conscious.
"Why don't you leave your hair down more often?" he asked. She had just washed her hair, and it had been slightly damp when she'd left her quarters. Which was why she had left it loose for the night.
"Because I'm a warrior. Can you imagine how troublesome loose hair would be? I'll be likely to get it all chopped off in battle."
"Don't you want what other girls do? Rich, handsome husbands and babies?" he was eyeing her with that arch look. Even though he was ten months younger than she, sometimes he could really make her feel inferior.
A blush touched her cheeks. "I'm not like all those empty headed girls. I'm to be your champion in the future. I don't need children holding me down." She smiled faintly. "And even if I did want all those, you fit the criteria easily."
A startled look came into his eyes. "You're not serious, are you?"
"What if I am?" Usually she was afraid to scare him away, but she was feeling a little bolder tonight.
"I'd think you were crazy." There was no humor on his face.
Quistis struggled to hide the hurt his words had caused her. She flashed a forced smile. "As I said, I don't need a family to hold me down. I'll be at your service twenty four hours a day."
"Hn."
"We'll still be able ride and practice together, right?"
"Yeah. And don't forget the swimming."
"You would remember. You were the one who almost drowned me."
"We were only playing," Squall said defensively.
She laughed, momentary anguish gone. "I'll never forget all that water in my lungs." She smiled an odd smile, one that he couldn't decipher. "And how you performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on me."
It was his turn to blush. "Think I'll just let you die there? You're heavy, and I didn't want to have to drag you all the way back from the lake."
"Be nice." She said it almost absently.
"I am."
It was true. He was certainly much nicer to her than to any other girl. Or to any other person, for that matter.
"Quistis!" Kiros called from the other end of the room.
"See you tomorrow. Five o'clock at the stables. Don't be late!" She jumped up and headed towards her father, then turned around again "Oh, Squall? You may want to get rid of that little scratch on your gunblade."
"What?" He examined his gunblade carefully, but found nothing to mar the polished surface. "Quistis!"
She laughed, and with a little backhand wave exited the room with her father.
- Owari - (for now)
Whaddaya guys think? Reviews please! So that I know whether I should continue or not!