By NightsDawne
Although divided into chapters, each of the sections of this story can be read individually, each one offering a bit of insight into the history of FF8's Irvine Kinneas. When all of the chapters are put together, however, they'll reveal the full character as I see him. Things start from the final night of the game, the party in the credits video.
Chapter 1: Days of Few Choices
Irvine sat on the rail of the balcony of Balamb Garden, the salty wind of the ocean air lifting the hair that hung around his cheeks, escaping from the ponytail that kept his long hair at least partly tamed. A half smoked cigarrette dangled from his absent fingers as he gazed at the moon across the waves. What the hell was he doing here? He wasn't a student, he wasn't a mercenary graduate inducted into SeeD, he wasn't even from this Garden. He'd grown up at Galbadia Garden, hundreds of miles from Balamb and his childhood friends. He was seventeen now, almost a man, and he still didn't belong anywhere, still didn't know who he was or if he mattered to anyone. Sure, there were the girls, lots of girls. He'd been able to get female attention since he was a young adolescent by dint of a pretty face, confident grin, and excessive flirtation, but they never really developed anything more than a crush on him and he'd never been able to commit long enough to fall in love himself. A record of six hours and forty-three minutes for a relationship didn't leave much time for deep feelings.
He glanced over his shoulder at the party going on inside, a celebration for their great victory against the evil sorceress Ultimecia. The others he'd travelled with were in there, four kids he'd known from his days in the orphanage, all grown up, and one girl he'd almost hoped would be the one for him but turned out to love the handsome leader Squall. Friends. He had friends now at least. Still, he didn't quite feel like one of them. Even Edea, the Matron of the orphanage, seemed so different than he remembered her. It wasn't that she looked older, for she had a timeless beauty to her, but she'd seemed so much bigger and more powerful when he was four years old. He flicked his cigarrette into the waves below and rested his chin in his hand. "You've got choices now, Irvine Kinneas," he whispered to himself. "Can choose anywhere you wanna go and anything you wanna do.. Only you ain't got clue one where or what you want." He closed his eyes with a sigh and let his mind drift back to the orphanage that only he seemed to remember with clarity.
He was tiny, even for a four year old, the youngest of the seven orphans in that windswept beach cottage. Brown hair blew across his forehead, more willing to obey the whim of the breeze blowing through the window than any style Matron tried to comb into it. Pale blue eyes were too large in a shy and thoughtful face. He never spoke, not to grownups at least, only to the others in Queen Quistis's court. That was what they called it, because that's how Quistis wanted it. She was five, tall for her age, already graceful and regal, and able to command her small court with impunity. Her consort was Sir Seifer, Irvine's roommate and a rough and tumble five year old who was always ready to take on the world. Irvine held the loyal servant role while Quistis's roommate Selphie played the part of the royal general-at-arms, planning all of their adventures.
Irvine slid off his bed as Selphie burst into the room. "Aren't you going to come play with us, Irvy?" she queried, flashing her feisty and playful grin.
"Whatcha pwayin', Sefie?" This was why he was so quiet. Usually children laughed at his speech impediment, but Queen Quistis and Sir Seifer always protected him and Selphie would never laugh at him for anything. He knew already that he needn't have asked from the flash in Selphie's eyes.
"WAR!!" the tiny general proclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. She turned and marched out, fully expecting Irvine to follow, and follow he did. He was great at following, a talent which allowed him to earn his place in Queen Quistis's court to begin with. The queen and her knight were already down at the beach, wading through the tidal pools in search of starfish and other treasures.
Seifer looked up as they approached and waved Irvine over. "I found a crab, Irvy!" Irvine scrambled over a rock to see, crouching down to peer where Seifer pointed.
"You aways find good stuff, Seifew." He nudged the tiny crab with a toe and watched it scuttle sideways under a rock.
"That's because I'm bigger than you, Squirt." Seifer ran his fingers through Irvine's hair out of habit, trying to get it to take some semblance of order. "Matron's gonna wax your head one of these days."
Irvine grinned, standing up and flipping his overgrown bangs from his eyes with one hand. "Sefie says we'we gonna pway waw."
Seifer nodded. "Yup. I gotta surprise." He leaned in close to whisper in Irvine's ear. "I got some firecrackers." Irvine's eyes widened and his grin grew bigger. Seifer's presence always made any adventure more exciting, and what could be more exciting than fireworks?
"Hey! Get over here, you two!" Quistis called and Irvine looked over to see the queen standing on the sand, hand on her hip and blond hair blowing about her face like a natural crown, Selphie crouched next to her and drawing in the sand with a stick. Seifer rolled his eyes and pretended that he was going only because he wanted to, but he obeyed Queen Quistis just like Selphie and Irvine did, so he wasted no time in grabbing Irvine's hand and tugging him along as he marched to the queen's court.
"Alright, Sir Seifer, Royal Servant Irvy, General Selphie has the plans all drawn out." Quistis waved one regal hand to indicate Selphie's crude map of the cottage and the beach. "You'll obey her orders and on to victory and all that."
"But I'm the knight!" Seifer protested.
Selphie looked up at him, squinting one eye. "It's okay, Seifer, I mean, Sir Seifer. You're going to be the hero, of course." Seifer nodded his acquiesence and crouched down to see her map. Selphie patted the sand next to her and gave Irvine a smile, then continued once he sat down. "Okay, we're gonna attack the evil pirates here and they're going to capture the Royal Servant and hold him for ransom in the cave. Queen Quistis can't live without her Royal Servant because then nobody would bring her cookies, so Sir Seifer is gonna rescue him and kill the pirate captain!"
Irvine chewed his thumb a bit. "Do I gotta go in the cave to be the pwisonew?"
"Don't be a crybaby, Irvine," warned Seifer, frowning. Irvine bit his lip. A crybaby was the worst possible thing to be in Queen Quistis's court. He shook his head quickly. "So you'll do it?" Seifer asked, raising a brow. Irvine nodded, looking as brave as he could manage.
"Alright!" Selphie jumped to her feet. "I'll be the pirate captain! Argh! Ay'll be awaitin' for ye scurvy dogs!" She laughed and ruffled Irvine's hair before dashing off for the appointed battle grounds.
Quistis tilted her chin up and extended her hand to Seifer. "I know you'll be a great knight as always and live by the code of honor to obey and worship your queen." Seifer stood and bowed to kiss her hand, then saluted and marched after Selphie, Quistis following him and Irvine trailing along at the rear faithfully.
Selphie was already deep into her role, pacing across the sand and shouting orders to an imaginary army of pirates, brandishing her stick to keep them in line. Seifer bent to pick up a piece of driftwood that would serve as a sword and then stood, narrowing his eyes at the enemy. "Alright, knights! For honor and the Queen!" Irvine found himself looking around, sure that the queen's army surrounded them somewhere, clad in bright armor.
"Let the battle begin!" ordered Quistis, assuming a regal stance to the side. Selphie and Seifer rushed toward each other, waving their weapons and sounding battle cries to make up for their silent forces. Irvine loved this part, always impressed by their ability to create a horde out of two children. Seifer and Selphie raced about, slaying invisible opponents, until quite suddenly Selphie grabbed Irvine's hand.
"Argh! Ye be my prisoner now! Come quiet or Ay'll run ye through!" She looked so fierce that for a moment Irvine forgot she was his friend and his heart lept in his chest, but she flashed him a little smile and he had to smother a giggle as she led him off the battlefield and toward the cave.
"Git in or Ay'll cut off yer ears!" Selphie ordered, poking Irvine lightly in the ribs.
The cave was pitch dark, but Irvine was sure Seifer was watching him, so he took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly, then walked into the cold hollow. "Pwease don't kiw me, piwate. My queen needs me fow hew cookies." Selphie laughed and spun around to guard the entrance. Irvine swallowed and hugged his arms around him. Something fluttered deep within the cave and he started. Thankfully it was only a few moments before his rescuer arrived.
"Release the Royal Servant, pirate scum!" shouted the intrepid knight, and the battle ensued. Irvine forgot his fears of the cave as he watched Seifer and Selphie bang their sticks together, shouting dire insults. After sufficient fighting to prove that only a hero could overcome the pirate captain, Selphie dropped her stick and Seifer jabbed at her with his driftwood. Selphie clutched her chest and fell to the sand, carrying out such a dramatic death scene that Irvine had a hard time not breaking into giggles and ruining the play. He ran out and cheered for his hero. Seifer flashed him a grin of victory. "Come, Royal Servant! The queen is hungry for her cookies!"
"Oh, cookies!" Selphie sat up. "In that case, I'm not dead, but I'm reformed. I'll serve the queen if I can have some cookies, too."
"Selphie!" Seifer frowned. "Once I kill you you're supposed to be dead! You always do that. You always come back to life!"
"But you beat me, so you're still the hero," insisted Selphie, bouncing to her feet and skipping over to Quistis. "Does the queen forgive me?"
Quistis tapped her lip, considering. "You were very bad to kidnap my Royal Servant. Still, you're sorry, so, yes, you're forgiven." Selphie turned to stick her tongue out at Seifer, who threw his driftwood away with a scowl and marched over to his queen sullenly. "Cookies all around for all my court!" ordered Quistis, soothing Seifer slightly. Irvine nodded and turned, running for the cottage.
Irvine slipped through the door as quietly as he could. This was the most dangerous part of their games, for cookies before dinner were strictly forbidden, but he must obey Queen Quistis. He tiptoed to the kitchen and peeked around the door. He heard loud screaming coming from one of the bedrooms and smiled. Zell, the world's worst crybaby, permanently banned from Queen Quistis's court, was keeping Matron busy. A quick dash across the floor and a climb on a chair put the cookie jar within reach and he hurriedly pilfered the contraband his queen commanded, stuffing the cookies in his shirt for safekeeping. He jumped to the floor and ran as fast as he could out the door again, not caring that it slammed behind him. He skidded to a stop as Ellone, the older girl who lived at the orphanage, stepped onto the porch with Squall, the boy who never left her side and never played in Queen Quistis's court.
"Hello, Irvine. What are you in such a hurry about?" Ellone gave the shy, quiet boy a smile, not really expecting an answer. Irvine never spoke to anyone except his little group of friends. Squall completely ignored the other boy, slipping his hand into Ellone's. Irvine brushed his bangs from his eyes and glanced over at Quistis and the others, then looked back at Ellone. Ellone nodded. "You want to go play with your friends, right? Okay, just remember that we'll have dinner soon." Irvine nodded hurriedly and dashed away, one arm clutching the stolen treasure inside his shirt. Yes, life as a Royal Servant could be treacherous.
Irvine laughed, startling himself out of his reverie. Why did it feel like life was betraying him now, having made him a follower from his earliest days, forcing him to walk the path that others laid down for him, only to leave him without guidance or purpose or anyone to turn to now? His heart ached for those simpler times, for Queen Quistis's court. He smiled a bit ruefully and watched Quistis, now a beautiful eighteen year old, chatting with Edea and Cid, Edea's husband and the headmaster of Balamb Garden. He stretched, then slid off the railing and strolled inside, sliding his hat off. He could just casually join the conversation. Surely he could charm Quistis into just one evening spent flirting with him. Maybe she would be the one.
