Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft.
Save the Queen
by Paris Lockheart
VI.
Rinoa bit her lip. None of them had said a single word all throughout the ride in the Ragnarok. Zell wasn't shadow boxing, Irvine sat at the seat closest to the window, and Squall frowned. Even Selphie wasn't cheering everyone up. It seemed she had a hard time convincing even herself. The air was tense and the room was so quiet they could hear the almost imperceptible whir of the machines.
Quistis and Seifer never arrived in Deling. Rinoa called her father's mansion, and Squall the train station, the hotel and even the Presidential Palace. There was no call at all from them.
After Squall put down the phone call to the Presidential Palace quietly, he had just given them a look and everyone's blood turned to ice.
" Front gate in ten minutes," was all he said and they all understood. Each of them gave Xu strict orders to let them know the split-second Garden received a call from Deling.
*
He unsheathed Hyperion, looking at the terrified students in satisfaction.
Sorceress Edea had already killed fifty or so students on her way up to the third floor of Galbadia Garden.
A few more wouldn't hurt.
He smirked as a trembling student pointed his rifle at him and pulled the trigger with eyes shut tight. A bang was heard as a potted plant behind him was shot.
In a flash, he slashed the man who fell, dead. The few remaining students who escaped Edea or were unfortunate enough to not flee when they attacked were gathered at the main hall were all huddled in a corner. There were just a few really. Maybe a dozen, maybe less. Some were barely even thirteen.
But it didn't matter at all. He could finish them in a few good slashes.
So he did. Almost everyone fell from one attack.
Then finally, there were only four left.
He smiled evilly. One slash.
And they were all shaking to death. Except one.
It was an attractive girl, probably just around his age. She was whispering something to a crying ten-year-old boy. But unlike the others, she didn't look panicked. Almost calm. And for a second, he felt pity.
But only for a second.
Before the black-haired girl faced him, he sliced them with Hyperion and walked on, following Edea. He heard a thud on the ground, the dead bodies hitting the floor. The cries of the boy stopped.
And he didn't look back.
Seifer woke up, sweating. It was the same fucking dream again. Over and over he kept seeing images of the innocent people he slaughtered as he smirked and laughed mercilessly.
Over and over…
Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit.
He sat up as the thin wool blanket slipped off to reveal his bare chest. Memories of the night came back to him. He glanced at the right side of the bed, where the pillow indicated that someone had lain there for the night. Someone who left a note on the wicker bedside table.
S.
Gone fishin'.
Seriously.
K.
*
The light bathing in the room woke her up. Quistis opened her eyes in a tumble of silk sheets, a mountain of pillows and a huge canopy roof meeting her eyes as her first sight of the day.
No, I do not want to remember how I got here. The helicopter did not crash, Lenacourt is just a figment of my imagination, I am not 'Queen Ayla', they did not have a ball celebrating my so-called 'homecoming'—the same ball, which, need I remind myself that did not have Seifer hold me before Malcolm intoduced that charming bastard Allan—and no, Malcolm is not going to barge into my room—
The big brass door opened.
--booming cheerful-morning obscenities—
" Good morning and sunshine, Majesty!"
Every single word was a scratch to her sensitive ears.
--and saying " My word, my queen! You look lovely as ever!" at my puffy eyes, my saliva-coated mouth, my rat's-nest hair, and bed-lined skin.
"My word, my queen! You look lovely as ever!"
No. The world cannot be that cruel.
"The world is glittering with sunshine!"
Is there a special queen privilege that allows her to plead morning insanity if she thwacks her adviser on the head?
Seifer was bored. By mid-afternoon he had scoured the whole village, and still there was no sign of Kay. He had made a lot of friends, sure, but he wanted someone more… 'of the outside world'. He wouldn't go near the castle, though Quistis was always available.
Then again, he was sure she had a lot of 'queenly duties' to attend to.
He smirked. Like she doesn't get enough of that at Garden.
Where the hell was Kay?
He wanted to know all of that juicy history Lenacourt had.
Who wouldn't want to know the past of this floating island nobody seemed to know of? Strangely, the people didn't agree with him. They all either hid in terror or widen their eyes as big as saucers whenever he mentioned it.
Which just heightened the level of his curiosity.
Why be so secretive about this whole thing?
Where was Kay?
Why is the world round?
…Fishing?
He groaned in frustration and pushed open the inn door.
"Sir Seifer!" Lilli, the innkeeper greeted him merrily.
Dear Hyne. Sir Seifer? Next thing you know they'll be asking to see my shield.
"Hey, Lilli. Have you seen Kay?" Seifer asked, grabbing what seemed to be a loaf of slightly yellow bread. "She said she was going fishing. Any fishing grounds 'round here?"
Lilli frowned. "Fishing? Are you not supposed to be staying by your queen?"
My…queen?
He chomped on the bread and made a face. "You mean Quistis? She can take care of herself."
"You are Her Majesty's knight and champion!" The old woman said indignantly.
" You think I'm her knight?" He almost choked.
" Are you not?'
" No! I mean, yes. No." Seifer frowned.
" Make up your mind, boy. A lot of young men would kill to take her from you. And do you not know respect? You will address Her Majesty as Queen Ayla and not this…'Quistis'," She wrinkled her nose in a ladylike manner, if that was possible. "Besides, you are better off with her than Kay. Kay is not your…what do they call it?…Type?" At Seifer's muted nod, she continued. " Kay is not your type."
" How do you know what type of girl I want?" He smirked.
With a twinkled in her eye, Lilli smiled enigmatically. " I just do."
"Yeah, well." He put the bread back on the tray. " If Quistis—Ayla—calls, I'll be there."
With that, he left the inn.
Lilli sighed. "Young men these days."
*