A Final Fantasy VIII Fan Fic
All rights to the characters and names of locations are owned by SquareSoft
Rated PG-13 for slight nudity and language
With Apologies to Thomas Mallory and T.H. White
By Toysaurus
Chapter One
Nineteen years had past since the battle with Sorceress Ultimecia. Squall and Rinoa's marriage had lasted almost that long with their tying the knot six months after returning home from time compression. Their union had remained childless, much to Rinoa's sorrow. The brown-haired man never mentioned it. Some gray had crept into both of their hair, but Rinoa's was more plentiful and more noticeable.
Headmaster Cid had died five years before, suddenly and unexpectedly. Edea was presently in seclusion in Centra. Squall had been left in complete charge of the Garden, a job he was uncomfortable with, but as the new headmaster did the best he could.
Recently a passing strange event had occurred. The present headmaster of Trabia, a man of Squall's age, thirty-five years old, had suddenly resigned his position after many years at Trabia and transferred to Balamb Garden as an ordinary SeeD. Since Squall had to approve this before the transfer could be put through, Xu brought it to his attention by red-lining it for his immediate perusal.
Because of this, Squall had studied the man's personnel file very closely, but could find no reason not to approve his transfer. After all, there was no law against a man taking a demotion.
The man was requesting a transfer to Balamb Garden because for years he had heard about the wonderful exploits of Squall and decided finally that before he grew too old he wanted to work under the command of such a man, if only for a short time.
The day he arrived at Balamb Garden began inauspiciously for him. He was walking around the circular pool of blue water on his way to the elevators to report to Squall when it happened. Squall, who had his head down because he was reading a report on why some of the GF's had been acting on their own volition, ran right into the ex-headmaster from Trabia Garden and knocked him to the floor.
Being distracted by the seriousness of the report he was reading, the current headmaster of Balamb Garden muttered, "Sorry," and attempted to keep going.
The man from Trabia, of course, took complete umbrage at Squall's behavior. He pulled himself up from the floor and exclaimed, while drawing his gunblade, "I challenge you sir for your dastardly deed."
Squall, having no idea at all who this ninny was, attempted to lightened the moment by doing his best Rinoa imitation. "Oh, puleeze!" he exclaimed, while pushing by the man who was attempting to block his way.
As the headmaster continued on his way around the pool, the man shouted out, "You, sir, are a coward and you are fortunate that you did not choose to tangle with the right arm of Squall Leonhart!"
Squall stopped dead in his tracks and turned, now greatly amused. He said, "But I am Squall Leonhart." The man suddenly fell to his knees in front of the headmaster, while crying out, "Oh forgive me, I did not know!"
Squall embarrassedly glanced at the crowd of SeeDs and students that were gathering around and avidly watching the outré interaction. He quickly pulled the man to his feet while entreating, "Please stop doing that. It was my fault. I should have been paying closer attention to where I walked."
"Oh, thank you, thank you," the stranger gushed. "It's much more than I deserve."
Sensing rather than seeing the crowd beginning to inch closer in order to hear better, the Commander turned with his most penetrating stare. "I would strongly suggest that each of you carry on with your assigned duties," he said in a harsh tone. "If you currently have none, I'm certain that I can find something to assign you."
The crowd quickly scattered with everyone resuming their respective journeys. Soon only Squall and the stranger were standing in the immediate area. Squall turned back to him with a small rueful smile. This was the first real look that he had of the newcomer. The blond-haired man was singularly unattractive, some might even say ugly. He had a high sloping forehead, a small broad nose, and wide open brown eyes. Of course this made no impression on Squall at all; what did impress him was the man looked only to be in his late twenties, stood at least six feet, and possessed a powerful build.
"Sorry," he murmured, "Sometimes I have to do that to maintain discipline."
"Oh yes, I whole heartedly agree," the man concurred emphatically.
After a few seconds, Squall said, "I'm sorry, you have the advantage of me."
"Oh pardon me, I'm the new transfer from Trabia Garden," he spoke, while handing the Squall the file he had been carrying.
This statement just reaffirmed what Squall had been thinking. Flipping the file open, he perused it for a few seconds and then looked up and asked, "You're Lance - how do you pronounce the last name?"
The man smiled as if he had heard that his entire life. "It's du Luc, originally it was Centran, supposed to mean of the water or something like that."
Squall smiled in return. "Oh well," he said, "we can't very well choose our last names. Look at mine, for instance - Leonheart."
"Oh no," Lance earnestly protested. "Your name is heroic, it connotes greatness."
Squall slightly cocked his head, and with a quizzical expression on his face, thought, Well, what exactly do we have here? He realized he should send the new man to meet with Assistant Headmaster, Xu, to go over the necessary new hire paper work, etc., but Squall discovered himself intrigued. It was such a different emotion for the world weary man, who felt he had seen it all, that he decided to keep Lance by his side for the time being.
"Lance, come along with me, I need to deliver these papers to Assistant Headmaster Xu," Squall explained.
The two men began to walk around the large fountain in the middle of the Garden's atrium.
"Please allow me to perform your task for you. Surely your time is more valuable than to serve as a errand boy," the blond-haired man entreated.
Squall was nonplussed for a few seconds, and then said, "No, that's okay, it's all in a day's work. But I'm curious, how could you deliver something to somebody you've never met and in a Garden you've never been to before?"
"I could ask until I found my way," Lance answered pragmatically.
With a slight shake of his head, Squall replied, "Well, whatever, just come with me."
"Yes sir," he answered sharply.
Squall blushed slightly and protested, "Don't call me sir, you were a Headmaster yourself."
"Yes Headmaster," he responded.
"Are you being obtuse on purpose? Just please call me Squall," Squall spoke.
"Oh no, I could never do that. I am merely a lowly SeeD," Lance explained.
Again Squall was nonplussed. "Certainly not," he responded strongly. "With your experience, you should, at the very least, be a Commander."
"I beg your pardon to differ, sir…I mean…Squall," Lance stammered. "I should only become a SeeD after you have seen what I am capable of."
"But it's all right in here," the headmaster countered, while tapping the file, "and by the way is it true that you have mastered all weapons and styles of fighting?"
"Yes sir," Lance answered, hanging his head slightly down.
"Squall, please!" Squall said again.
"Oh, sorry," Lance answered.
Squall suddenly felt the need to press his hand into his forehead, but Rinoa had broken him of the habit years before. "Okay, I'm your superior, and this is my decision. You will spend the next few days by my side. I want to totally orientate you to my duties within the Garden. If I am called away suddenly, I need you here."
"If that is what you wish," Lance replied, although it was obvious from the expression on his face that he was not happy.
Walking up the short flight of steps to the elevators, Squall and Lance stood waiting for one to arrive. "By the way, if this is too personal, please feel free to not answer," Squall began.
"Oh I have no secrets from you," Lance interrupted.
Squall sighed and then asked, "Why exactly did you wish to transfer from being the Headmaster at Trabia Garden to come here?"
"Why?" Lance sounded incredulous. "To study the greatest warrior alive, of course."
As the elevator arrived, Squall was stunned into silence again. "O-kay," he spoke slowly, as they entered the elevator.
Once they reached Xu's office, Squall dropped off the papers and Lance's new personnel file. Once Squall made the necessary introductions, and Xu began to speak with their new employee, the conversation was just more of the same. Several times Xu turned her head to Squall and rolled her eyes in a response to something ludicrous sounding that Lance had said. Squall decided it had grown past time to terminate the interview.
"We won't hold you up any longer Xu," Squall explained. "Come along, Lance." As they were leaving, Squall heard Xu's soft giggling, and he hoped Lance had not noticed it. He immediately found his hope was mistaken as the elevator began its downward journey.
Lance offered, "It's perfectly alright, I am used to being laughed at. All true fanatics are scoffed at by others and, I sir, am a fanatic. It is a lonely quest to find perfection, but once upon a time, I thought I had. Then I studied your life and found I was mistaken. I have much to learn from you."
Squall was more than slightly embarrassed, but he managed to say, "Maybe we can learn from each other."
Two hours later, Squall and Lance were still seated in his large office that befitted his position of Headmaster.
"So you were really promoted to Headmaster at the age of twenty?" Squall asked. "That's incredible - a SeeD at fifteen, an instructor at sixteen, a Commander at seventeen, and then that," Squall spoke softly.
"You were a Headmaster at the age of seventeen," Lance asserted.
Squall slightly ducked his head and responded, "Not really, just a Commander and that wasn't a promotion. It was just thrust upon me."
"It was fate," Lance insisted. "The stars were perfectly aligned and a young hero was chosen. Call your official title what you will, you headed the Garden successfully in the Second Sorceress War. Unlike me, who just trudged along day by day until I achieved some minor success."
Squall found it practically impossible to win in argument with the man, and yet he felt strangely drawn to him. He had never met anyone like him in his life. Charisma seemed to ooze from him, and yet he was so humble. Squall reached a decision and stood up from his desk.
"Come along, Lance. I want you to meet my wife."
Lance stood up with some alacrity. "It would be a great honor to meet the famous Sorceress Rinoa, descendant of the Great Hyne," he spoke.
Squall blanched, realizing how Rinny would have responded to that. "Please," he entreated. "Just call her Rinoa when I introduce her to you."
"I could never be so rude," Lance insisted.
"Lance!"
Although he only had known Squall for a few hours, Lance already recognized that that particular tone brooked no argument. "Whatever you wish," he murmured.
Three old friends sat easily talking among themselves in the presently quiet quad. Most of the students were still in class and SeeDs were going about their daily routine. The years had been kind to the three maturing women. Outside of Rinoa's gray in her hair, she appeared as vibrant as ever. Quistis had matured into a strikingly beautiful woman, whose full bloom was still upon her. Selphie appeared almost identical as she had as a teenager, although the now present lines in her face told of some of the hardships she had endured since that time.
"How much time did you take off from Galbadia Garden?" Rinoa asked.
"Three weeks, although I can stay longer if I wish," answered Quistis. "After all, I am the boss." Quistis grinned, to show she was joking and not egotistical concerning her position as Headmaster of Galbadia Garden.
"And you, Selphie?" the dark-haired woman inquired.
Selphie and Irvine were currently stationed at the Garden in Esthar. "Oh, whatever we need," she answered off handedly. "You know how that leave builds up. I can't remember the last time we went away anywhere, you know with the kids and everything."
Quistis immediately noticed the look of quiet pain that moved across Rinoa's beautiful features as a fleeting cloud of sadness. She was well aware of the emotional pain her friend suffered as a result of her and Squall's childless state.
"I mean I figured our fifteen year old could watch the other two, I wasn't going to miss the thirtieth anniversary of the Garden for anything," Selphie continued, her tone beginning to echo the sounds of yesteryear in her excitement.
Hoping to keep Selphie speaking in terms of the upcoming festival and away from talking about her children, Quistis quickly asked, "So do you have any ideas yet, Selphie?"
"You bet I do!" Selphie exclaimed excitedly. "This will be the best ever, listen to what I've already thought of."
"Excuse me for interrupting, Rinoa. There's someone I would like you all to meet," Squall explained a few moments later.
"Oh Squall, you should hear all the great ideas Selphie has for the Anniversary Festival," Rinoa exclaimed, her face once more wreathed in happiness."
It's good to see her smile, the headmaster thought, She's seemed so depressed lately.
"We're even going to have a tournament and we're hoping we can convince Edea - ."
"Rin, that's great, and you can tell me all about it later," Squall interrupted. "I want you all to meet our new transfer from Trabia, Lance."
Quistis could recognize her friend was piqued to be interrupted from the look in her eyes, but Rinoa sat affixed with a sweet smile on her face. She looked beyond Squall to a man who appeared to resemble a towering hulk. A shudder ran through her and her blood ran cold. Who in the world is that?! she thought.
"Ladies, this is Lance," Squall continued in the same vein. "He's just transferred here from Trabia."
Ooh, Trabia! Selphie naturally thought. I wonder how my old friends are doing?
"Lance, come step up here, don't hang back there. This is Selphie, Quistis, and my wife, Rinoa."
Upon Squall mentioning Rinoa, the blond-haired man threw himself down on his knees once again. Ignoring Squall's attempts to pull him to his feet, he exclaimed, "It is such an honor to meet the Great Sorceress Rinoa. I have never even dreamt of such a thing happening,"
While Selphie looked on completely nonplussed, Quistis hid her grin behind her hand. Squall again felt like reverting to an old habit and grinding his palm into his forehead. Rinoa's face grew bright red in embarrassment and anger.
"Lance, Lance, get up!" Squall insisted and finally succeeded in pulling him to his feet.
"And what has brought you here at such an advanced age?" the dark-haired woman asked bitingly.
"Rinoa!" Squall protested.
"I, who have successfully sought perfection in every manner, have come to study at the feet of the world's greatest warrior, Squall Leonhart."
"Lance!" Squall exclaimed.
"Oh, do tell. Have you reached this perfection?" Rinoa asked snidely.
"Rinoa, please," her husband pleaded.
"Yes, m'lady, I - ."
"Please! If you can't call me by my name, call me Mrs. Leonhart," Rinoa snappishly interrupted.
"I beg your pardon," Lance entreated. "I have attained every attribute of perfection, except for one," he explained.
"Oh, what might that be - humility?" Rinoa asked coolly.
"Humility?" Lance asked confused.
"Yes, humility or isn't it fashionable in Trabia this year?"
"We'll be going now ladies and leave you to your planning," Squall explained, suddenly pulling backwards on Lance's arm. "Come Lance, I still have much to show you."
And he quickly led Lance back up the stairs from the Quad area. With the intuition of the long married, Squall could feel Rinoa's angry glare boring into his back.
Hyne, he thought. I'm gonna hear about this later.
As soon as the two men were out of hearing, Selphie said, "Shiva, what an unpleasant man. I bet the Garden at Trabia was glad to get rid of him."
"Oh, I don't know," Quistis speculated. "I thought he was sorta interesting."
"You would!" Selphie retorted, but her smile took the sting from her words.
"I know one thing," Rinoa interrupted.
When her two friends glanced at her in askance, she vowed, "He won't be here long if I have anything to say about it."
Late that evening, Squall and Rinoa were preparing for bed. She suddenly asked, while slipping between the covers of their king-sized bed, "What exactly were you doing with that buffoon this afternoon?"
Her husband sighed, realizing all evening that this conversation was inevitable.
"Rinoa," he said plainly, hoping to keep the conversation from escalating into an argument. "He is not a buffoon, he is the greatest SeeD we have ever had here."
"Including you? Don't make me laugh," she retorted.
"Yes," Squall answered emphatically, "including me. He has successfully mastered all manner of fighting. I would never even think to attempt such a thing."
"That's what he says."
"It's in his file," Squall insisted.
"Which he brought with him, it could have been changed," she accused. "Well, as far as that goes, we shall see," Rinoa said, with a cheshire smile crossing her lips.
"And he has already made some wonderful suggestions for ways to better the Garden," Squall continued in his praise of the new transfer.
"Oh, I have no doubt of that," Rinoa responded sarcastically. "I imagine he wants us all to wear ashes and hair shirts. And another thing, I heard he even told someone that Hyne has granted him the ability to perform miracles. Ever you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?"
"I'm certain he was just referring to his physical prowess, which is vast indeed," her husband attempted to explain.
"Oh, you have an answer for everything he does. Why don't you go share his room with him tonight? I'm going to sleep, turn off the light." And she rolled over and literally presented him with a cold shoulder.
After sighing heavily, Squall climbed into bed, pulled the covers over him and snapped off the bedside lamp. It was a long while until he feel asleep.