Disclaimer: Quite clearly not mine, or it would have reemerged in the public eye at least once since it first came out.
Summary: Squall is given a prize stallion as a gift from his father, King Laguna – a stallion with a shining gold coat and intelligent jade eyes. It's probably not a coincidence that an antagonistic blond, green-eyed man shows up in his dreams that night. [Seifer x Squall, AU]
Pairings/Characters: Seifer x Squall, Irvine x Selphie, Laguna, Zell, Biggs, Edea/Ultimecia, random cameos from the whole cast and crew.
Rating: Eh. Whatever. Pretty tame, especially for now. I dunno. Cussing? Seifer probably cusses. He does that sometimes.
Author's Notes: The only reason I'm publishing this is because it's Squally-boy's birthday and I needed to celebrate it in one way. There's a lot more of this written, but I make no guarantees about actually posting it or anything. I don't really know where it's going.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SQUALL.
xxx
"Squall, he's your father, and he's just trying to make you happy," Rinoa pleaded for Laguna's sake, jogging to keep up with Squall's quick stride.
Squall said nothing. It didn't matter – Rinoa knew him well enough to interpret what he was thinking.
"He didn't know you were alive, there's no way he could have known you lived in an orphanage for 13 years!" She protested. "You can't blame him for something that wasn't his fault."
"I don't." Squall said quietly. "But he should learn that buying me off with gifts is not going to make me a more loving son."
Rinoa sighed. "He's not buying you off, Squall, he's giving you stuff that he thinks you'll like. He wants you to be happy."
Squall ignored this, and she opened her mouth to keep going, so he was very thankful that they had just reached the gate of the paddock. He threw it open and swept inside, then stopped dead, almost stumbling over his own feet as he saw the present that Laguna had gotten him this time.
Six foot soldiers surrounded a huge rearing stallion, all of them working together with a complicated web of ropes in a struggle to keep his four feet on the ground. His coat was burnished gold, and his tail and mane were thick, lustrous ivory white. When they managed to bring him down again, scrambling to avoid his snapping teeth, Squall could see the brilliant jade of his eyes. He was beautiful.
One of the soldiers was thrown across the paddock by the force of the stallion's thrashing, and Squall could see out of the corner of his eye that Laguna went to go help him up, eyebrows furrowed and lips white with tension. "Maybe this isn't such a good present for Squall," he could be heard mumbling, and Squall found himself reacting interestingly to that.
"No!" He protested, moving forward. "I want –"
Everyone looked up in surprise as he cut himself off; they'd never seen Squall act with such fervor before.
"Stop trying to control him," Squall told them all hotly, moving forward to drag them away from the still bucking horse. "If you give him space, he'll calm down."
Their expressions were skeptical, but at the Crown Prince's orders they backed away, keeping spears and swords before them to ward off the dangerous beast. Like Squall had predicted, the stallion slowly settled down, staring around at all of them with a wary eye. He shuffled back out of their weapons' range, backing himself into a corner.
"Rinoa," Laguna waved her forward. "Could you…?"
"Oh!" She exclaimed, remembering her place. "Of course!"
Rinoa was well-known for being one of the best horse tamers in the kingdom. One whisper from her, and the wildest stallions would become as tame as the sweetest mare. She would call to them and they'd come running, and a stroke of her lovely hand down their muzzles would soothe the flightiest beast. But Squall had a strange feeling that it wouldn't work on this charger…
She moved forward, reaching out a hand slowly, and murmured, "There's a good boy. You're a pretty one, aren't you?"
Squall yanked her back just in time; the horse's teeth gnashed in the air right where her slender fingers had been only moments before. Her eyes opened wide, lips parting unconsciously. Clearly, her technique had never failed her before.
"He doesn't want to be patronized," Squall muttered in response to all their questioning looks. One glance at the horse's eyes made that clear. He was a proud being, much like Squall himself, and would accept nobody who treated him like anything less. This was a strong, dangerous beast, not some pathetic mare, and he just wanted to be acknowledged as one.
The stallion tossed his head smugly, as if he could understand what Squall said, and infer what Squall was thinking.
…Could he?
"I want to be alone with him." Squall demanded, wanting to pursue this topic further.
Laguna was visibly torn; on one hand, he always wanted to give Squall anything he possibly could, but leaving him alone with the vicious creature was a little much. Squall picked up on that quickly, though, so he looked to Rinoa, who compromised with, "Or how about me, Zell, Biggs, and Irvine stay with him?"
Laguna smiled halfheartedly and said, "Sure! C'mon, the rest of you, let's leave them alone. But Squall… be careful, okay?"
Squall nodded, not meaning it for a second. When everyone was gone except Rinoa and the three soldiers, Squall turned back to the stallion. "Irvine?" The brown-haired man was unusually perceptive about most things, and Squall wanted his acute observational skills focused on the mount.
"He's a smart one," Irvine said, an odd glint in his eye as he gazed at the stallion. "Smarter than he looks." He got snapped at for that one. "And gorgeous too," he quickly added. "He's quite handsome."
The stallion stopped snapping at him. Yes, Squall was quite sure now. This stallion could understand human speech. How interesting…
"His coat…" Rinoa cooed, "It's so luscious!" The horse seemed to be fine with that, but less so when she continued, "He's such a beautiful creature."
The stallion lunged forward toward her, but Squall managed to get in between them and shove Rinoa to the side in time. He spun around and slapped the horse's neck harshly, and the stallion was so startled that he pulled back without further trying to eat them. Good thing, too, because Squall knew that he wouldn't be able to withstand an attack from the larger, stronger creature.
"Stop that," he told both the stallion and Rinoa crossly. "Rinoa, stop calling him adjectives that apply to females. And you," he turned to glare down the horse. "Stop being so prideful and conceited about your looks. It's unbecoming."
The horse snorted and backed up again, returning to the corner where he apparently felt safest.
"Who'd he come from?" Squall asked Irvine, not taking his eyes from the stallion.
"Illegal horse trader," Irvine replied.
Zell continued, bouncing in place and watching the horse nervously, "Laguna shut the jackass down, but kept this monster for you. The rest of them weren't nearly as valuable."
"Squall, what are you –" Rinoa started sharply, but Squall had already taken advantage of the distraction Zell provided and crept up to the horse's flank. Before the stallion could shy away, Squall had swung up onto his bare back, gripping the reins tightly and waiting for him to do his worst.
It didn't disappoint.
The stallion reared instantly, then when Squall refused to be dislodged that way, started bucking with a violence generally unseen out of war founded from personal vendettas. He threw himself around the paddock, muscles straining and sweat flying in droplets, but Squall held on for his life. Finally, with one almighty heave, Squall was flung off and went flying through the air.
Rinoa screamed, and the three soldiers darted forward, but Squall twisted in the air and landed in a crouch like a miffed cat. He stood up and strode straight back to the stallion, ignoring the protestations of everyone present.
"Look," he scowled, tugging the horse's head down to meet his eyes and clamping his jaw shut with both hands. "I'm not going to try to break you in, or tame you, or make you prance around with braids and bows like some prissy mare, but I will ride you. Understand?"
The stallion tore free of his grip and cantered away, stopping only when he was completely out of range. He danced from foot to foot, being flighty enough that Squall could tell he wasn't on board with that plan. Well, tough shit.
He threw himself at the horse, grabbing onto his bridle and jerking it down in anticipation. Sure enough, the horse reared again, front legs flailing about in the air right by the brunet's head. Squall ducked from side to side, avoiding the fatal blows that those hooves would provide, and yanked with all his might. The stallion finally calmed again, dropping so all four hooves were on the ground, though his feet still danced with nervous energy. The glare he sent Squall's way couldn't be described as anything but defiant.
This acquaintanceship was sure to be interesting.
Squall sighed, backing up to the fence to converse with the rest of the group, who had cleared out when he started his mad quest to ride the beast. They were now watching from a safe vantage point outside of the paddock.
"What kind is he?" Squall asked the group at large, gazing contemplatively at the metallic sheen of the stallion's golden coat and the purity of his ivory hair. It didn't seem natural, really.
"Well, I'm tempted to say gold champagne, for the coat and hair colors," Biggs said, cocking his head to the side and moving up to the edge of the fence to get a closer look. The soldier had grown up in the stables, and knew horse breeds as well as anyone in the kingdom, which is why Squall hadn't protested when Rinoa volunteered him to stay. "But gold champagne breeds traditionally have hazel eyes. Even though it's possible for a champagne to have green eyes, they're also marked by mottled, pink skin, and this mount has unmarked beige. Then there are palominos, which also have gold coats and white hair, but they have darker eyes and skin instead of the green eyes and pale skin shown on this one. Cremellos have lighter manes, true, but lighter coats to go with it, and blue eyes. Buckskins have gold coats but darker skin and hair, and any horse with cream coloring usually has brown eyes. Then–"
"So what is he?" Zell interrupted impatiently. Squall was thankful for that. He wasn't getting any information this way.
Biggs hesitated, then shrugged his apology. "I couldn't say. This particular coloring doesn't seem like it would be natural. Perhaps a genetic mutation?"
He had to leap back as the charger lunged to catch his vulnerable arm in those powerful jaws. Squall rolled his eyes. This was the touchiest stallion in existence.
"Well, how old is he?" Rinoa asked, resting her chin on her palm and her elbows on the fence.
Biggs paled. "Ah, my lady, the easiest way to tell a horse's age would be to examine his teeth. And…"
"Oh!" Rinoa made a face. "Don't worry about that."
The horse was smirking. Squall was sure of it.
Well, that would never do. Squall rolled up his sleeves and sidled up to the horse. "Squall, don't–" Rinoa shrieked, and Zell and Irvine both shouted "Get back!" as Biggs yelled "Your highness!"
He held his hands up to show that he wasn't up to anything, watching the flex of the horse's leg muscles while still keeping an eye out for those overeager teeth. "Cooperate and it'll be over quicker," he warned the horse, then caught his upper and lower jaws – one in each hand – and pried.
"Quick!" Zell shouted, shoving Biggs over, and the soldier appeared by his side to inspect the horse, trembling like a leaf. Meanwhile, Squall was sweating with the effort of keeping those teeth from fastening on his easily breakable fingers, muscles jolting and twitching under his skin.
The stallion tried to yank his head away, but Squall kept his grip long enough for Biggs to say "done!" and scramble to safety. Squall let go instantly, sprinting away before the horse could exact revenge on him. They clambered over the fence just in the nick of time as the charger stormed up behind them, barely missing them with his teeth audibly clacking in the air.
"Two, I'd say," Biggs gasped out, doubling over. "Which makes him about 19 in human years."
"That can't be right," Rinoa frowned, gazing over at the stallion. She knew a fair bit about horses herself, and this one couldn't possibly be younger than four. "He's fully matured, isn't he? He's not a colt, he's a stallion, I thought."
Biggs shook his head, still panting with exertion. "I wish I could explain it myself."
"You'd think a stallion wouldn't be so freaking self-absorbed and touchy about his looks," Zell grumbled, grinning cockily as the horse glared at him. Squall wouldn't advise being so overconfident. Sure, Zell was out of range this time, but he'd bet that this charger could hold a grudge.
Squall unhurriedly climbed back over the fence, mindful that he didn't end up in a vulnerable position right when the horse struck. Behind him, he could hear Rinoa sighing at his stubborn, reckless nature. Because the steed would strike. Not doing so wasn't really a possibility.
He dropped to the ground next to the stallion, vaguely annoyed as he noticed that his head lined up with the horse's chest. This was a huge beast. Good thing he had plenty of upper arm strength, or he'd never be able to hoist himself onto the creature's back.
Squall tentatively reached out to grasp the discarded reins hanging from the horse's neck, and while he was watched suspiciously, the stallion didn't move away or snap at him. Well, at least they were getting somewhere.
There was a ringing silence as he moved – like the whole world was holding its breath to observe the dynamic of the pair's relationship. Squall had a feeling that breaking the silence would mean ruining whatever mood the horse had gotten into – certainly not compliant, but not as openly antagonistic. He had settled down, along with all the humans, and there was a sort of lull as all their gazes were drawn to the leather cord gripped tight in Squall's hand.
Then the horse snorted and twitched his ears, and the mood was broken.
"If you want to be treated like an adult, you'd damn well better act like one," Squall told the horse, and a strange expression came over those jade eyes, right before he headbutted Squall and jerked free of his grasp again.
Well, apparently he didn't want to be treated like an adult.
"What's your name?" Squall called out, twisting and turning to keep up with the horse, who was now circling him in long loops. The horse tossed his head in an attempt to flick his forelock from his eyes.
Irvine watched this exchange speculatively. Squall was trying to talk to a horse, which would normally be clause to label him as certifiably crazy, but this horse had already showed signs of being able to understand them. So Irvine's earlier observations about how uncannily smart the horse was weren't entirely off-base…
Squall growled and called, "I'm tired of this bullshit. What's your name?"
The horse slowed to a stop, but stayed away, watching him warily.
"If you were trying to keep me from knowing that you could understand me, you did a fucking terrible job of it," Squall shouted irritably, growing more annoyed by the second.
"Squall," Rinoa hissed from where she was standing on the other side of the fence near him. She was probably trying to get as close as possible without putting herself in direct danger. Smart girl. "He thinks you'll sell him to a magic show or something, where he'll be treated like some freak and abused and stuff."
Squall glanced over at the horse, who had his ears back. Now that Squall was trying, he could see badly hidden terror in his eyes. Ohh…
"The knowledge that you are capable of communicating with humans won't leave the five of us," Squall assured him quietly, gesturing around loosely to include the soldiers in his words.
The horse turned to them, and Irvine, Zell, and Biggs all nodded firmly in answer to his unspoken question.
"I swear it on my life," Squall said, approaching the horse slowly and meeting his eyes dead-on.
Whatever the stallion saw, he liked, because he finally took those few steps over to Squall, something like the equine version of a smirk on his face.
Squall hesitated noticeably. Well damn, now that he'd actually gotten the charger's cooperation, he didn't really know how to do this. Was he supposed to just start guessing names? Because really, that could take a while.
"You idiot, I'll do it," Rinoa said exasperatedly, interpreting his silence correctly. She hopped over the fence to join them. "The first letter. Stop me when I get there. A… B… C… D…" The horse shook his head each time, pure white forelock flying with every motion. Finally, when she got to S, he gave a loud whinny, indicating his approval. Rinoa smiled genially back at him and continued, "Second letter I'm guessing is a vowel. A… E…" A loud whinny. This continued until they had six letters, and he nodded jerkily to show that it was done.
"S-E-I-F-E-R…" Rinoa spelled out. "Seifer?"
Squall rolled his eyes as the horse snorted, clearly objecting.
"It's not Say-fur," Squall explained. "It's almost Sie-fur, but not quite. Seifer."
Irvine frowned at him as the three soldiers approached, making plenty of noise so Seifer would know that they were coming and not get spooked. "How do you know that?"
Squall shrugged. "I just do."
Was it supposed to be remarkable that he intuitively knew that with no explanation for it? It wasn't strange to him, and that didn't interest him in the slightest. Irvine and Rinoa were perplexed enough for the group, though.
"Seifer… It's not a very horsey name, is it?" Zell asked, peering curiously at the stallion.
"No…" Squall said thoughtfully. It's not a very horsey name at all. "I'm taking him out to the track to let him run and get some of this energy out."
He started off for the gate of the paddock, Seifer trailing behind him, even though Squall had no hold on his reins. They watched as Seifer nosed his muzzle onto the back of Squall's neck, and a few seconds later, Squall was glaring icily and saying, "If you snap your teeth at me one more time, I swear to Hyne I'll light your tail on fire."
Seifer butted his head against Squall's shoulder, almost knocking him down, and cantered ahead before Squall could retaliate.
"This is going to be an interesting acquaintanceship," Rinoa giggled.