Author's note: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters. This is AU.
Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time the King of Galbadia had two sons. His older son, Caraway, was the child of his first wife and the love of his life. His younger son, Derek, was the child of his second wife who had been foisted on him by the Royal Council. This could have been a recipe for disaster, but the two boys loved one another as if they were from the same womb. This rather irked Derek's mother and her family, for they had wanted to put him on the throne, but there was nothing they could do to break the bond between the two brothers.
The two princes grew older. Both proved to be great warriors, though Caraway was a strategist and general while Derek was more of a knight questing alone. Shortly after both of them had come of age there was a rash of pirate attacks along the coast. Both Derek and Caraway went to help deal with the problem. It was at a keep where the survivors of the attacks had been evacuated to that Prince Caraway met the Lady Julia. She was working there with the healers, and the Prince quickly found himself falling in love with her.
With Prince Caraway making the battle plans and Prince Derek leading the troops, the pirates were soon defeated and on the run. And when they stormed the pirate's headquarters, they discovered a number of prisoners. Among them was a beautiful blond woman named Idalia. She was clearly a foreigner and didn't speak their language well, but that didn't prevent Derek from falling head over heels for her. As they began to mop up what was left of the pirates, the princes made another discovery. Idalia was a sorceress. She lent her powers to the clean up effort providing magical protection and back up when necessary.
It really surprised no one that once the princes returned to the capitol city, it was announced that there would be a double wedding within a year. The people of Galbadia were very pleased with their princes' choices of brides. Lady Julia had always been well beloved due to her acts of charity and kindness, and Idalia was quickly coming to be loved in her new land. Derek's family was not pleased with his choice of bride, however. They had wanted better for him than a sorceress from who knows where. And it turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to his relationship with his mother's family. Derek broke all ties with them after the wedding.
Prince Derek and his new bride settled into an estate along the coast while Prince Caraway and his bride settled into life in the capitol. A year later, a delighted Prince Derek announced that he and the Princess Idalia were expecting a child. They were blessed with a little girl, blond with bright blue eyes. She was only a few months old when the announcement came that the Crown Princess Julia was expecting a child of her own. Once again, the country rejoiced, especially when nine months later a healthy baby girl was born. The young princess was named Rinoa. And with her dark hair and dark eyes, Rinoa charmed just about everyone who met her.
There was great peace and joy in Galbadia for many years, and then suddenly misfortune seemed to befall the royal family. First, both Prince Derek and his wife were killed in a freak storm that appeared out of nowhere. Only three months after that, the King of Galbadia himself died of a heart attack. Crown Prince Caraway was quickly crowned king despite the fact that the kingdom was in mourning. Then barely a month later, illness struck Queen Julia. She died within a week.
King Caraway was devastated. He greatly grieved his losses, but his young daughter gave him a reason to continue living. Rinoa was only seven years old. Because he did not wish her to be lonely, two other little girls who had been orphaned were brought into the Royal Nursery. Lady Selphie Tilmit was the daughter of a pair of minor nobles killed by bandits during the autumn hunt. She was a bright and cheerful child and always full of energy. Princess Quistis, the Duchess of Caledonia was Prince Derek's daughter. She was a year older than Selphie and Rinoa. She was a grave child but bright and very protective of those she cared about. The three girls quickly became fast friends, and that is where the story truly begins.