A True Knight
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 8. The people at Squaresoft do. Damn it!
Last Chapter: Squall and Rinoa get through with their romantic meeting and Olivia ends up
having one herself with Sir Bradley. Squall is happy about this because this
means when he tells her that He and Princess 'Lydia' are engaged she won't
take it as hard. Oh yeah, that's the other hot buzz factor. Squall and Rinoa
finally make the plans to get married. As you can imagine it will be a huge
celebration and beautiful wedding before it's over. And let's not forget about
the war that's heating up. Man, I hope something doesn't happen to Squall.
Chapter 8: Celebration
Happiness. It was the only thing I felt right now. Rinoa and I were to be married and I
couldn't be more estatic. Now that everyone knew we didn't have to hide our love for each other
anymore. We still couldn't kiss but at least we didn't have to watch what we did as much. The whole
court was making a big deal of this. Rinoa is getting fitted for her wedding dress and I am getting
fitted for my royal robes. According to what Queen Tavela tells me the wedding will be huge and
all of the Lords, Ladies, Dukes, and Earls from everywhere will be attending, but truthfully I couldn't
care if anyone was there. As long as Rinoa was standing beside me everyone else could go to hell.
Now, the only matter left was telling Olivia. We haven't talked for a while since I walked
away from her that day and I haven't had time to look for her. Today since no one decided to bother
me I knew that I had to find her. I looked all around the palace and believe me that took a while. She
usually shows up at my door and greets me with a kiss but not for the past week has she done so. I
decided to ask Bradley but he told me she hasn't spoken to him either so my final person to ask was
her cousin King Lance. I walked into his parlor to see him reading a document. When he noticed my
precense he looked up from the paper with a bright smile adoned on his features.
" Squall my boy, what can I do for you?," he asked. I sat down in one of the chairs in front of
his table. " I'm looking for Olivia. I wanted to talk to her but no one would tell me where she was. I
figured she would at least tell you where she went," I explained. His smile left his features as he nodded
in understanding. " Ah yes, she did indeed tell me where she was headed. She said that she did not wish
to be found. She heard about you and Lydia earlier today and took the news kind of hard, but since you
are her friend I will tell you where she is. She went into the forest to the lake in the center. It's quite
beautiful and safe so no harm shall come to her there," he said. I nodded in appreciation and smiled at
my future father-in-law. " Thank you for your help. Tell Lydia that I shall be back soon if she wished to
talk to me," I said. I bowed in respect then left the room to find Olivia.
I took a white horse from the stables amd prepared for my journey into the enchanted forest.
The King was right, the place was beautiful. Lush and exotic plants surrounded you taking you into it's
world of mystery and delights. The sweet scents seduced you and calmed you almost immediately. This
would be the ideal place for Me and Rinoa's honeymoon. Weird creatures passed by me and above me
in ecentric colors and shapes. This place was lovely. A person could get lost in this place so I could see
why Olivia chose it. After about an hour or so of riding through the dense forest I found Olivia in the
center if it at the lake just like the King said she would be. She was sitting by the pool in a light blue gown.
I dismounted my horse and walked up to her.
" What are you doing here M'lord? Is you fiance' not looking for you?," she asked bitterly. I
sighed and sat beside her. " I was going to tell you the first night it happened but everybody has been on
my ass so I haven't even had time to train my men," I said. She turned to me with her chocolate brown
eyes were filled with hurt. " You should have made time. Do you know how hurt I was when Lance told
me about your engagement? I knew I no longer had a chance with you but I wish you would have told
me," she chided. I was silent. Her pleading words reminded me so much of the situation with Quistis. I
began to get angry. I would not let that happen again. In turn I lost one of my bestfriends due to love
that wasn't meant to be. In both situations Rinoa was the block.
Olivia had turned away from me to stare at the riverbanks. I would not allow her to resent me
like I did with Quistis. I grabbed her arm and forced her to face me. For a moment I saw fear in her eyes.
She wasn't certain wasn't certain what I was going to do and for the moment neither was I. I managed to
relax a bit so that she would know I meant no harm to her. " I won't let you turn your back on me y'know,"
I stated. She frowned. " Why not? I'm not important anymore," she retorted. I released her arm in a pleading
gesture. Even now I wasn't good with words but I had to make her understand. " You are important to me. If
you weren't I wouldn't be here now trying to get you to understand me. In the future I had this exact same
problem with a woman named Quistis. She is a close friend of mine now but the resentment and hurt she
feels towards me will always be evident. I didn't know how to tell her that I wasn't interested so I just gave
her the cold shoulder which I realized later attracted her to me. The point is that I can't take that kind of
resentment anymore escpecially not from you. I do love you just not the way you would like," I chided.
She was silent and had managed to look back at the lake. I wasn't sure whether I should give
up or keep pleading with her. After a moment she sighed signaling that she was about to talk. " I don't
resent you," she said softly. Had a single noise been in the area I would have missed her words. I smiled
a bit. " You don't?," I inquired. She smiled a little too. " No. I've been through too much with you to dispise
you now. Actually, I knew from the moment you got here that your heart was elsewhere. When you first
looked into my eyes I saw longing in them. Loneliness. I suppose I haven't been to fair either. I thought
that you were my property and no one elses. I thought it was fine for me to have a secret relationship
with Sir Bradley and for you to long for your precious Rinoa," she confessed. I quirked an eyebrow. " You've
been seeing Bradley?," I asked. Her pale cheeks took on a crimson color. " I was lonely and you weren't
around so I had to seek support somewhere else," she said.
I frowned at her. It occured to me now that she was just using Bradley when he cared so deeply
for her to defend her honor. " You know that he loves you don't you?," I asked. It was more of a statement
really and I was surprised that she looked surprised. " He does? I thought he thought of me as a whore for
him," she said. I shook my head no. " He does love you Livi and he may even wish to marry you later if you
allow him to," I replied. She gasped in shock. I suppose she never thought that anyone would want to marry
her. She is beautiful enough and if Rinoa wasn't here who knows what I would have done. After the shock
passed her face turned a beautiful shade of pink. She must have liked the idea more than I thought. " Do you
think he would actually marry me Squall?," she whispered softly. I smiled at her and pulled her into my
arms. She relaxed comfortably in my strong embrace. " He would be a fool not to," I replied. She sighed
in satisfaction and snuggled deeper into my embrace. Then we sat in the lush atmosphere of the forest content
in each others company until we had to return to the castle.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
" Where is Squall?!," I said in agrivation. We had a lot of things to do and he didn't need to go
running off by himself. Maven followed behind me quickly and quietly. Ever since the engagement was
announced she had been quiet, but I had expected her to be the exact opposite. At this thought I stopped
in my tracks. She stopped walking as well but didn't ask me what was wrong like she usually does. I turned
to face her. She stood there but her gaze was directed to the floor instead of to me. I frowned. " What's
wrong with you Maven?," I asked. She looked up when I said her name. Her mouth opened as if she was
going to say something but she shut it again saying nothing. I sighed in desperation. I took her hand and
led her to the garden. We sat down on the bench together and still she said nothing.
" What's wrong with you Maven?," I repeated. Tears formed in her eyes now and she finally
began to talk. " The wedding dress that I was sewing for you. Do you recall it?," she asked. I nodded.
She took my consent as a sign to continue. " The court decided not to use it. I worked so damn hard on
the dress and it broke my heart when they told me," she said. I was going to frown and scold her for
being upset over a stupid dress but then I began to remember how she would sit in the rocking chair and
sew for hours on end and entertain my childish behavior. I smiled at the girl. " I did not know about that.
I shall go to the court later and insist that I wear it because I promised you I would," I said. Her face took
on an immediate look of distress. " No Princess you must not. They will surely scold you and do as they
please anyway," she pleaded.
I smiled at her again to ease her worries. I took her hand in my own and noticed that she was
trembling. She really did fear them. " It is my wedding and it shall go as I wish it. If I want to wear the
dress you worked on that is what I will do regardless of what the court says," I soothed. She smiled. " Are
you sure you will not get in trouble because of me?," she inquired. Once again she surprised me. The
whole time I thought she was worried about her well-being but she was fearing for me. I squeezed her
hand in reassurance. " It shall go as I say it will," I said. She smiled back now but we heard someone step
into the garden interrupting our private moment. I frowned and was about to scold the person who intruded
but then I saw that it was Squall standing in all of his splendor and beauty.
Maven blushed and immediately seperated from me. She stood and bowed out of respect for him.
He smiled at her and came over to her. When she straightened up she looked up at him. He did tower her
by a few inches. " How are you Maven?," he asked softly. His voice was calm and had a seducing air about
it. It took all of my strenth not to strangle Squall on the spot. Her face turned pink in a blush. " I am fine
M'lord," she replied with a voice barely above a whisper. He raised his hand and stroked her cheek in a
light caress. She turned a deeper shade of pink. " That's good. We can not have a devoted friend of Lydia's
upset," he said. If I wasn't there he probably would have kissed her to tease her a bit but since I was he
wouldn't have the chance. After another moment she excused herself to tend to her chores. When she was
gone Squall came over to me and sat down beside me. He was going to kiss me but I turned away.
" What's wrong with you?," he asked in his regular voice. I turned back to face him and made
sure he knew I was upset. " Don't think I don't see what you just did Squall Leonhart. If you can't figure
it out I advise you to leave until you do," I commanded. He laughed at my attitude. " Oh, that. I'm sorry.
I had just came back from the forest and that place seems to do something to you. We're going there for
our honeymoon," he said. My anger subsided for the moment. " It must be one hell of a forest," I mused.
He smiled brightly. " Believe me it is Rin," he said. I allowed him to drap and arm around me. He smelled
of exotic things that made me tingle all over. One hell of a forest indeed. " What were you doing there?," I
asked. " I went to find Olivia," he replied.
My anger came back and I pushed away from him again. " And what were you doing in that place
with her anyway?," I inquired. He sighed in annoyance and stood up. He walked a littleways before he turned
back to me. " I still don't believe you don't trust me with her. We hadn't talked for a while so I went to find
her. Lance told me that the wedding idea upset her," he explained. I frowned. " So what did you do? Fuck her
in the open forest?!," I asked. He began to frown now. I began to get a little intimidated because he was
unpredictable when he got upset. " No Rinoa, but believe me I was tempted. I am so in love with you she
wasn't appealing to me anymore but if you think I'm going to fuck her anyway why not do it so that I can be
guilty when you accuse me?!," he retorted bitterly. I knew that I had hurt him with my lack of trust but I saw
how she looked at him and it made me very upset and jealous.
I rose now and walked over to him. He turned away from me like I had did to him moments before
but I managed to get him to look at me. " I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that," I said. He looked at me with
hard blue eyes. " Didn't you?," he inquired. I cringed inwardly. I hurt him more than I thought. I seperated
from him and his eyes followed me. " So what did you talk about?," I asked after a brief moment of uncomfortable
silence. " She was upset that I didn't tell her myself about our engagement. I told her that I meant to but I
didn't have time. She said I should've made time which was true. She also told me that since I wasn't around
she had been sleeping with Bradley because she found comfort with him. I told her she was using him and that
he loved her, which was true. When she heard that all of her romantic feelings for me vanished. She's in love
with Bradley now so I don't have to worry about her and neither do you," he said.
When he was finished I saw the hurt in his features. Not only toward me but because of the secret
Olivia kept. I never understood the bond that they shared but I should have trusted him anyway. I went back
over to him and hugged him. He accepted this. I pulled away a little so I could look into his eyes that began
to retain their sparkled again. " I'm sorry," I whispered. " I know," he replied as he kissed me tenderly on
the lips. His whole body smelled of the forest. He tasted of it. I wanted desperately to sneak there at night
and make love on the scented ground. I knew I would have time for that later but later didn't get here fast
enough. When we seperated we noticed that we had an audience which consisted of my 'parents'. We pulled
away from each other blushing because we had been caught. Father laughed. " Don't worry, I won't tell the
priest. Tavela and I used to steal kisses before we were wed," he confessed.
His comment caused us to blush more and for mother to begin to blush. I looked at Squall and he
looked back at me. Little did father know that we had stole a lot more than that the weeks before. " Anyway,
we came to get you so that you could dress for the ball tonight," mother said. Both of us nodded. Squall kissed
my hand then left the garden and my parents excorted me to my room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
* This part will be told in Olivia's P.O.V. Just thought I would warn you!*
The ball to me was boring and predictable. I had been to several balls in my time and this was
so typical that I almost fell asleep. I would have if Squall and his new fiance' didn't come over. I resisted the
urge to leave because I knew Squall really loved her, but I couldn't get over the bitter feeling that their union
left in my mouth. When they finally reached me my fake smile was already present. " Good evening to you
two. Enjoying the ball?," I asked. " I guess, but it's kinda boring," Rinoa said. I smiled a true smile now
and began to relax. " I agree, but you have to enjoy being the center of attention," I said. Squall laughed.
" Not really. Back at Garden we always were the center of attention and it gets tedious believe me," he said.
I chuckled a little at his words. He told me many stories about Garden and the future. In some ways I wish
I could go back with them whenever that time came but I knew that I wouldn't belong.
Rinoa, Squall, and I had a very long conversation until I saw Bradley drinking alone in the corner.
I asked to be excused. Squall saw Bradley and released me from his company so he could mingle with other
people who attended the party. I walked over to Bradley and he didn't notice me until I was there. He smiled
when he did see me. " Evening Olivia. You look beautiful," he complimented. I blushed briefly. " Thank you.
You do not look to bad yourself Sir Bradley," I said. He frowned playfully. " I thought we got past formalities
when I got past your skirts," he mused. I gasped at his unexpected words and was about to leave until he pulled
me back like I knew he would. His arms wrapped around my waist. " Bradley stop it," I scolded. That caused
his grip to tighten. He kissed me deeply that my knees grew weak and he had to hold me against him. If Lance
caught us I would be scolded for this.
I broke away reluctantly and stared into his blue eyes that were a shade lighter that Squalls'. " Do
you love me Bradley," I asked abruptly. His eyes widened in surprise at the question then he relaxed a little.
" Of course I do. I will marry you when this damn war is over," he said. I smiled in satisfaction to his response.
" Why not now?," I inquired. He shook his head no. " I do not wish for you to be attached to me if something
was to happen to me. I want you to move on and live a normal life," he said. " But if I do not wish to?," I
protested. He smiled. " That would be on you. If I did die in battle I would be waiting for you on the other side.
I would wait for all eternity even if you did find another," he declared. My smile beamed as I kissed him again.
His responses calmed me and I allowed him to drag me on the dance floor where he wrapped his arms around
me and swayed to the slow waltz playing. Squall wasn't the only one who found happiness tonight.
End Chapter 8. I don't know what the hell happened to my chaptering system but this is chapter 8 people. Anyway,
I appreciate the reviews I recieved and keep them coming. I love to have feedback especially when it praises
me. Continue to review and I'll continue to write. Til the next chapter ~LS~
* Another thing, this chapter is dedicated to the fallen singer Aaliyah, who died August 25, 2001 in a plane crash.*